by AG Meiers
Trying not to drop the tray, Jayden moved backward and stumbled toward the door.
“Jayden, wait, listen, I didn’t mean— It’s just we need to talk— Wait.”
But Jayden kept walking, down the stairs, through the common room until the door of the lodge fell into its latch behind him and heavy rain drops assaulted him. Sven’s rejection should not have taken him so much by surprise. Last night had been a mistake. Sven wasn’t looking for anybody. He was simply being a good son and going along with Orla’s match-making scheme to keep her happy. Jayden was the one who had foolishly read too much into last night.
Even the few minutes in the icy rain helped Jayden to calm down. He was still miserable and seriously wondered how people lived here. The constant wet cold weather was starting to get to him. He’d been at Cold Creek for four days, and he had barely seen the sun. Four days. Six to go.
In an attempt to brush the hurt of rejection aside, Jayden tried to refocus on Perfect Match and his assignment. Six days to go. He needed to get his head back into the game and not let his attraction to Sven get in the way of his mission. But somehow the fact that he hadn’t been sent home didn’t feel like a win anymore. Things with Sven had gotten so muddled. After last night, Jayden had a hard time putting into words what he was hoping for. More sex? More of Sven’s arms wrapped around him? More laughter? More happy moments? How could he hope for any of that when he had nothing to offer Sven but lies and deceit?
Despite feeling like a slacker, he bailed out of the shopping trip. Orla, who must have seen his mad flight down the stairs after taking lunch to Sven’s office, didn’t give him a hard time. Standing alone in the lodge watching her and Elliot drive off, Jayden wished he could go out for a walk, but the rain was pouring down relentlessly again, and despite owning a borrowed pair of rubber boots now, stumping around in the mud wasn’t very tempting. But he needed something to get his mind off the whole situation. He was restless. His skin was crawling and his whole body was drumming with anxiety.
He’d already cleaned up the kitchen and packed away the batch of perfect blueberry scones. Orla had been right. Her grandmother’s recipe was definitely worth keeping under lock and key.
With nothing else left to do, Jayden went into the common room and pulled out his laptop to double-check the disastrous scone recipe from this morning to make sure he hadn’t made a mistake. But, no, it was clearly an error with the measurements.
Following Orla’s advice, he started an email to give feedback on the issues he’d found in the featured recipe. On a whim, he added his modified banana-muffin recipe and gave input about the website itself. The overall design was just confusing and not very user-friendly.
As he started writing down his ideas, Jayden got more and more into it. Maybe his marketing classes hadn’t been a complete waste. He started to make little drawings on napkins and then copied and pasted some screenshots together to illustrate his suggestions. Right now, it took way too many clicks to get to the recipes.
The fire had completely burned down when Jayden came up for air. He’d spent almost two hours describing his suggested improvements in great detail. Much more detail than anybody ever needed, and his email was probably going to end up in the trash anyway, but he actually felt like he’d done something productive. A few times, he caught himself wishing that Sven wasn’t holed up upstairs and he could show him some of his ideas.
After hitting Send on his email, he looked at other baking sites. Again, he lost track of time while absorbed in different cookie recipes, and he almost jumped out of his skin when a Skype call came in on his computer. Perfect Match. Alex was calling him. Chills went through Jayden’s body as he stared at the small notification window that had popped up. He had to answer. Alex had seen that he was online. He would be concerned if Jayden ignored him, and would try to track him down.
Jayden wasn’t even sure why he hesitated to pick up the call. Alex was probably the nicest guy at Perfect Match, but he also had a way of talking Jayden into things he wasn’t sure about. Giving himself a mental push, he accepted the call.
“Hey, Jayden. This is Alex Stone from Perfect Match. I saw you online, and I was wondering if you have a few minutes for a quick check-in?”
“It’s okay. I’m alone.”
Alex immediately dropped his perky car-salesman voice. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine.” Jayden wasn’t sure what else to say.
“Good. And how is Papa Bear?” Alex gave all assignments stupid code names. Jayden had hated the code for his mission from the start: Papa Bear and Goldilocks. His hair was brown for crying out loud.
Jayden must have waited too long with his reply or maybe Alex had heard his sharp intake of breath, because he corrected himself, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Just remembered, you don’t like the code names. How is Larson?”
“He’s fine.”
“So, all is going well?”
“Yes.”
“C’mon, Jayden, you need to give me a little more, because right now I’m getting really worried. What’s going on?”
“Did you know that Sven . . . Larson, I mean, he didn’t fill out the questionnaire himself, but his family basically contacted Perfect Match without his knowledge? He doesn’t believe in online dating,” Jayden revealed hesitantly.
“No, I didn’t. I only ever talked to him. Never his family. And he didn’t say anything about that in the initial call.”
“Yeah, about that. The initial call. I think he suspects that it wasn’t me on Skype. I never know what to say when that call comes up.”
Alex was silent for a minute. “Yeah, that can sometimes be an issue, but it seems like you managed to get through the first few days. Did you—”
“Yes,” Jayden almost shouted. “Yes, we did . . . stuff.” No way in hell was he going to share more or give any details. It didn’t matter that Perfect Match pretty much owned him right now. What had happened last night was between him and Sven. However, Jayden was actually glad to talk to somebody about his concerns, so he said, “But I don’t think he’s all that into me.”
Again, Alex took his time to reply. “Jayden, where do you sleep?”
“I . . . What? You mean at night?”
“Yes, where do you sleep at night?”
“In Sven’s bed. There isn’t much room in his cabin. It’s tiny, so . . . Why?”
“He likes you.” There was no hesitation in Alex’s answer. “Mark my words, he likes you.”
“You think?” Jayden couldn’t help his stupid hopeful tone. Oh shit, he was in so much trouble.
A swirl of butterflies fluttered inside Jayden when Alex confirmed, “Yes, absolutely. Nobody gives up space in his bed for someone he doesn’t like. Well done, Jayden. This is awesome.”
Jayden let out a deep sigh and relaxed in his chair, letting his head fall against the high back.
“Okay,” Alex spoke up again, “so let’s talk about your exit strategy. You still have time. It’s only been . . . four days, right? But I’ve already lined up a new job for you.”
All happy, little fluttering butterflies died an instant, painful death.
Alex kept talking. Jayden’s brain wasn’t functioning, and he caught only a few words over the pounding of his heart. Lawyer. Hot. Texas. He wasn’t even sure if the lawyer was hot or if Alex meant the weather in Texas. Not that it really mattered. His blood seemed to thunder through his body, drowning out Alex’s words. No, no, and no again seemed to be the only clear thought he could form.
“Jayden, any ideas?” Alex’s voice broke into his freak-out.
“How many?”
“Huh? How many . . . what?”
“How many assignments?” Jayden didn’t even care that his voice was shaky. “How many assignments do I need to do? Alex, I don’t know if I . . .” He didn’t finish his sentence. What good would it do?
There was a moment of silence on the line. “Hey. Calm down. It’s okay. Jayden, listen, we can talk abou
t this when you come home.” Alex’s voice had lost all his usual pertness. He sounded warm, sincere, and a little worried. “Finish your job with Larson and then we talk. Jackson and I will figure out an exit strategy for you. Don’t worry, okay? We’ll get you out of there. I’ll go back to the profile, and we’ll send you instructions. First time is tough, but we’re here to help. For now, just sit tight.”
Jayden struggled with the burst of frustration that raced through him. He had been caught off-guard by Alex mentioning another assignment, but he hadn’t asked for help with Sven. He was so fucking tired of people not trusting him to take care of his own problems and instead telling him what to do. Instructions? Like what? Here are ten steps to hurt a man who didn’t deserve this shit in the first place. No fucking way.
“No, I got this. I don’t need instructions.”
“Okay, remember, you got Larson to like you, now you need to find a way to ensure he never wants to see your face again. You said he didn’t believe in online dating, maybe—”
“Alex, I got this. I’ll figure something out.” Jayden knew he was raising his voice, but he couldn’t do this right now. He had to get out of this call with Alex.
“Jayden?”
Jayden’s heart almost stopped. Sven stood at the top of the wooden stairs.
Perfect Match Commitment #10:
We take pride in our service. Our consultants will be with you throughout the experience.
When Sven stepped onto the landing, Jayden had started . . . yelling. Well, not really yelling, but at least talking in a loud, irritated tone. Sven hadn’t heard Jayden raise his voice since the night he’d arrived.
“Jayden?”
Jayden looked up to Sven in absolute horror, then slammed the laptop shut.
“Jayden, you okay?”
Ever since Orla had told Sven that Jayden wasn’t going to Newbury with her and Elliot, he’d been itching to go down to the bar to check on him. Noise from downstairs had finally given him the excuse he’d been waiting for all afternoon. Jayden was still nervous around the guys from Fire and Rescue, so Sven had left his hideout to make sure he was okay.
However, there was nobody else with Jayden in the large common room. Sven had caught his last words, but without context they made very little sense. Whatever it was that Jayden needed to figure out, it was sure as hell pissing him off.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Jayden replied, but he’d gone extremely pale, almost green, and his eyes were darting back and forth between Sven and his laptop. “I was on a call.”
“Oh sorry, I heard your voice. Orla and Elliot are still gone. I thought somebody had stopped by, and I wanted to make sure you were okay. I didn’t realize . . . You didn’t have to hang up because of me.” A little puzzled, Sven looked at Jayden’s closed laptop.
“It was just Perfect Match checking in. No big deal,” Jayden said, and then immediately his eyes widened as if he wanted to take it back.
“You yelled at someone from Perfect Match? The agency?” Sven asked with raised eyebrows. “Why would you . . . What happened?”
Jayden didn’t reply. He sunk into his chair again. His shoulders slumped and his head hung low. Now that Sven had made it all the way down the stairs, he could see that Jayden was fidgeting with the sleeve of his sweater. He was pulling on a little tear in the fabric. Sven had originally thought all of the rips and tears in Jayden’s clothes were a fashion statement, but more and more he started to wonder if in most cases the clothes were old and worn.
It was another thing Sven had gotten wrong about Jayden. It made him realize again there was still a lot he didn’t know about the man in front of him. So many questions unanswered . . . like the one he had just asked. For the life of him, Sven couldn’t think of a reason why Jayden would yell at someone from Perfect Match. Unless . . . oh shit . . . had Jayden complained about him? Their last encounter hadn’t gone so well, but hell, that was a low blow. He’d done everything to make Jayden feel welcome here. At lunch today, it had been Jayden who’d run out on Sven in the middle of their conversation.
Okay, so maybe Sven could have phrased his concerns slightly less . . . bluntly. Yeah, he definitely could have found a better way of expressing himself, but the fact that he wasn’t willing to rush into things didn’t give Jayden the right to complain about him. He’d been consistent with his message. He wasn’t looking for a perfect match. He was simply humoring his family. Yes, clearly sex had changed some of the dynamics between them and— Fuck, why was he justifying himself? City Boy was just overly sensitive. That was it.
“So, you gave Perfect Match a piece of your mind and told them that they got it wrong and set you up with a complete jerk?” Sven had attempted it as a joke, but his frustration carried through in his delivery.
“No, no, not at all.” Jayden stuttered over his words as he jumped up from his chair and, in the process, sent a pile of napkins on the table fluttering to the floor. His eyes were pleading, and Sven instantly wished he hadn’t confronted him.
“Please believe me I’d never do that. And I have no reason to complain, you all have been good to me. I’d never . . .” Jayden’s speech trailed off, but his panicked look remained.
“So, what’s going on, then?” Sven asked. His mind still racing, wondering what Jayden could have said to Perfect Match.
“It’s nothing,” Jayden finally said. His voice was so low and shaky that Sven almost missed his words over his own internal rant. Nevertheless, Sven could read Jayden well enough by now to know he wasn’t lying. He hadn’t complained about Sven to Perfect Match.
With his outrage cooling off, Sven’s concern about Jayden’s obvious unhappiness took over. Jayden had stopped tugging on his sweater, but instead had wrapped his arms tightly around himself, rubbing over his arms. It reminded Sven so much of his body language from the first night.
What the fuck is going on here? Just hours ago, Jayden had laughed and flirted with him. Yes, that had been before Sven had been a jerk . . . again . . . and had sent Jayden away. He also had brushed off their amazing night together as something he didn’t ever want to happen again. And that made him a liar on top of it, because if he was honest, he had thought about nothing else but sex with a breathless, aroused Jayden in his arms.
But Sven had also spent some time this afternoon thinking about his intense reaction to the idea of being intimate with Jayden again. Things between them were moving too fast. In his head, it had been the right move to slow things down and give both of them some time to collect their thoughts, but it had come out like a clean-cut rejection. Somehow that had become a pattern: Jayden making a move on him and Sven shutting him down, only to then go after him again.
Standing with Jayden in the gloomy room, Sven almost wished he had stayed silent at the top of the stairs for a little longer to listen in to Jayden’s call. But then spying on Jayden would have been a pretty shitty move. Sven should just be able to talk to the guy. Fuck. He was a writer. He was supposed to be good with words. He should be able to figure out what to say instead of staring at Jayden in silence and fantasizing about kissing him senseless.
“Okay, sorry, I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. I’m sorry, Jayden,” he said hesitantly.
Jayden nodded, and at least he was making eye contact again, but he kept his arms wrapped around himself like a protective cocoon.
“Are you cold? It’s a bit chilly in here without the fire.”
Sven busied himself with rekindling the cooling embers and then adding a few more logs. In his mind, he was trying to find the right words.
After managing to revive a bright flame as well as stalling for a few minutes, Sven put the screen back in place and turned toward Jayden. Just in time to catch Jayden’s eyes roaming over his body. He heard Jayden’s breath catch when their gaze finally met and saw his cheeks turn light pink. There was a softness in Jayden’s expression. He looked like a kid in a candy store without money. Longing. And it was easy for Sven to recognize the expression, be
cause a big part of him felt the same.
Christ, Petrovic had been so right. Jayden had his brain scrambled. A longing gaze like this one just now or some subtle flirting, and Sven was drawn to him like a moth to the light. He still had no clue what was going on, but seeing his own uncertainty and desire reflected in Jayden’s face went a long way to settle things for him. Whatever this was, he wasn’t alone in it.
Not sure what to do next, Sven walked over to Jayden’s table and picked up a few of the stray napkins. He almost threw them into the fire, but spread them out on the table when he realized they were covered in drawing and notes.
Jayden, who had picked up the remaining napkins on the other side of the table, bunched them up to throw away, but Sven stopped him. “Hey, wait. What were you doing?” He reached over to save the pile of crumbled paper from Jayden’s grip. “Looks like a menu?”
“It’s a website.”
“Oh cool. I see it now. Are you planning your own baking website?”
“No.” Jayden jerked up in surprise. “No, I just wrote a few reviews and gave some feedback for one of the recipe sites I like to use.” Cautiously, he spread out the napkins and explained his drawings. Sven smiled at Jayden’s excitement as he went through the issues he had uncovered and his suggestions. He even pulled up his email and showed Sven a bunch of screenshots he had pulled together to support his ideas. Sven didn’t know too much about web design, but it appeared that Jayden was spot-on.
While he talked, Jayden’s normal color returned to his cheeks and he lost the panicked, haunted expression in his eyes. And with that Sven’s whole world seemed to be settling back into place.
“Wow. You said you weren’t creative, but honestly, this is pretty solid. Maybe you should consider finishing your degree and see if you can find a job in web design or something like that.”
Jayden blushed. “It was kind of fun,” he admitted as he started to gather the napkins. “But I doubt they’ll even look at it. It’s a popular site, so they probably have an agency to take care of their design.”
