The Billionaire's Matchmaker(65)

Yes, she did, only she’d hoped he wouldn’t ask her to elaborate. How did she explain?

“Let’s just say some people just aren’t meant to have relationships. They are…” Unlovable. “Not cut out for them.”

Nick didn’t reply right away and Jenny wondered if she said too much. If she did, it was his fault. He asked the impossible question.

Finally, he nodded. “I understand.”

“You do?”

“Sure. Some people are meant to fall in love and get married, others are meant to be alone. Though I have to admit, I find it hard to believe a woman like you could ever be in the second category.”

His compliment washed warm over her. “You don’t even know me,” she said, looking to the ground.

“True. And I haven’t always been the best judge of character.”

Did he mean his fiancée? Jenny noticed he suddenly sounded very weary, like his shoulders bore the weight of the world. Perhaps she’d been wrong to think him coldhearted.

“One of the reasons I like dogs is because they don’t ask for anything but for you to love them,” she found herself saying. “They don’t care who you are or where you came from. Love them, and they’re yours forever. Unconditionally.”

“Now I’m definitely keeping Charlie.”

“Looking for a little unconditional love, are we?”

“Something like that.”

“Aren’t we all?” Jenny recognized the loneliness in his answer. It reminded her of the longing she kept tucked deep inside her heart. All her life she’d wished for someone to want her, truly want her, and it was when that longing grew too unbearable that she made her most questionable decisions. Was Nick lonely, too? Was that the reason she found herself suddenly wanting to reach out and hold his hand? To connect?

Ahead through the trees, Jenny could see the lights of the main house shining through the branches. “I didn’t realize we’d walked so far,” she remarked. “Lulu and I have a hike back ahead of us.”


They stopped at a split in the path. It was, Jenny noted, one of the darkest points on their journey. Nick was more enveloped by shadows than ever. They both were. And yet, rather than eerie, the setting felt oddly intimate. They were alone, with nothing but the sounds of the dogs rustling in the leaves and their own breathing. Jenny’s body began to hum with an anticipation she hadn’t felt for years. What now? Would he invite her back to the house? Would she go? Even as the notion caused her insides to flutter, her body screamed bad idea. Only a few hours ago she was verbally sparring with the man over Charlie’s care, and now she was reacting to…what? Emotions she thought she heard in his voice. Emotions she had no way of knowing were real, or even existed for that matter, despite the loving happiness her friends had found. She’d been fooled way too many times before.

But, oh, what if those emotions weren’t her imagination? What then?

“Would you like my driver to take you home so you wouldn’t have to travel alone?”

She told herself it was relief, not disappointment, falling heavy in her stomach. “I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble.”

“You’re not putting me to any trouble, and my driver does what he’s told. Besides, it’s the least I can do. It was nice to be able…to have the company.”

“I enjoyed it, too.” She wondered what he was originally going to say before changing his words. “Plus you got a dog out of the bargain.”

“So I did.” Again, she caught the flash of a smile in the dark. “Thank you for bringing Charlie back.”

“Thank you for not pressing charges.”

“I wouldn’t have anyway. You made some valid points this afternoon. I’ll see to it Charlie gets more attention.”

“He’d like that,” she replied with a smile.

A thick silence settled between them. Jenny wished she could see Nick’s face. She swore she could feel his gaze searching hers. His eyes zeroing in on her lips. Why else would her mouth run dry?

“Jenny…”

“You really should install some outside lighting,” she said, swallowing hard. “I can barely see my hand in front of my face.”

She didn’t need to see to feel his body come closer. The air around her hummed with his presence. “That so? I can see just fine.” His voice was rough, intimate.

“That’s because you like the dark,” she told him.

“Who says I like it?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe the fact you’re out here without a flashlight or the fact you insisted on meeting in a dark room this afternoon.’ She tipped her face upward. “Why did you act all mysterious today? Were you trying to frighten me?”

She figured he might dodge the question; she didn’t count on his hand reaching out to caress her jaw. “You have such pale skin,” he murmured. “I bet in the moonlight, it would glow silver.”

“I—I—I wouldn’t know.” Jenny suddenly couldn’t think. The seductive growl in Nick’s voice should frighten her. She was alone in the woods with a man whose wealth and power allowed him to take and do whatever he wanted. The realization should not send a thrill shooting through her body. But it did, and that scared her. His feathery touch left her trembling. Had her wanting more. Dear God, if he were to close the gap between them, she would… She would…