Matchmaker

by Lauren Landish

  “That makes perfect sense with how much you love kids,” Hayden says.

  “Yeah, but it sucks when I can’t be the teacher I want to be because I can’t afford to go to school full-time. So I settled for being a nanny instead. Not that I don’t love my kids and my job, of course, but I looked into those scholarship programs, and I even applied for several. But they don’t cover luxuries like food and water, and coordinating a part-time job and an internship is impossible. So I take a class or two each semester, but at that rate, it’ll be years before I finish. So . . . I compromised.”

  Hayden tilts his head, looking at me in a way that makes my skin prick. “I don’t know. To me, it doesn’t sound like you settled at all. It just sounds like one path to your dream wasn’t a possibility right now, so you found another way to be happy and do what you love.” He moves in, running a hand down my shoulder and causing goosebumps to form all over my body. “That’s what I like about you. You’re resourceful.”

  Along with sending my temperature up another degree, that simple compliment makes me beam like a girl who got her first hula hoop. Not only is Hayden drop-dead gorgeous, but he just seems to get me. And he’s focused in on me in a way that none of the other guys, including Lee, have been when I’m alone with them. I just feel it.

  We continue our conversation, finding out little tidbits about each other. As we talk, it seems like we drift closer and closer to each other. It’s not long before my legs are resting across his as he absently strokes them in the midst of our conversation.

  It doesn’t feel sexual, but sensual . . . almost like a massage. The more we talk, the more comfortable we feel. And I just can’t seem to stop staring into his beautiful blue eyes, taken by how they seem to pull me in and devour me in their depths.

  “So yeah, Dad wasn’t . . .” Hayden stops what he’s saying, his eyes on my face.

  My heart jumps in my chest. I was engrossed in his tale about his dad coming home to find that Hayden had taken some of his baseball cards. “Did I turn into a frog or something?”

  Hayden doesn’t reply, simply reaching out and moving a strand of hair behind my ear in a gentle fashion.

  In that moment, I feel like I’m drawn to him like a moth to a flame. And not even Satan himself can keep me away.

  In slow motion, we move toward each other, and he pauses barely a breath away from me, teasing the moment, making me realize how much I want him to kiss me. And then he does and it’s magic.

  Pure. Fucking. Magic.

  He’s powerful but not overwhelming, licking gently across my lip, asking for entry. Our tongues tangle with each other and I hear a moan, realizing its me. He pulls me the rest of the way into his lap, and I feel his hard cock pressing against my hip.

  From what I can tell, he’s huge and absolutely turned on by our kissing. I groan softly as I feel his hand threading through the hair at the nape of my neck, gently fisting it. And his other hand comes up to my cheek, his thumb rubbing across my cheekbone as he breaks our kiss, bringing our foreheads together.

  I’m lost in him for a moment, wanting to be nowhere else but here. I could drown in him right now and I would curse the person who dared try to save me. I’m his.

  Just as I’m about to lean in to kiss him again, I hear the hated, “Cut!” Meredith is smiling from offset and I’m amazed that I forgot about the camera and the people lurking quietly in the dark around us. “Great job, guys.”

  Uh, Meredith, can you kindly shut the fuck up, please?

  Hayden seems to be thinking the same thing as we give each other a little smile, still a little breathless. Neither of us wants this to end, and it shows, but we manage to climb out of the hot tub and Hayden pulls me in for one more hug.

  Right before I pull away, he whispers in my ear, “Thanks for the great date. I’m gonna dream of you, that kiss, and your hard little nipples in this bikini all night. Look what you do to me . . .” and he releases me, stepping back.

  I look down and . . . oh my God. He might be covered by a layer of black nylon, but he’s so fucking hard for me right now. My eyes meet his. “Sweet dreams, Hayden. I know I’ll definitely have some myself.”

  Chapter 11

  Hayden

  Confessional

  “You ready?” Joe, the cameraman, asks as I finish buttoning up my dress shirt. It itches a little. They barely gave me time to rub down with a towel before herding me in here half dressed.

  “Hold your ball sack,” McKayla Quinn growls at Joe as she finishes combing my hair back. For my first confessional, she popped up and said she’d be fixing me up so I don’t end up on TV looking like ass crack. Her words, not mine. “I’m almost done.”

  “And I’m almost ready to tell Emily she can forget about this one,” Brad Cooper, the make-up artist, says as he steps back and peers at my face, practically salivating for me. “There’s a saying—too hot for TV—and this fine piece of man is definitely pushing that line.”

  I try not to laugh as the two artists finish and begin bickering with each other on the sidelines. After I check myself over once, I give Joe a nod and he begins the countdown to taping.

  “I don’t think I can find enough words in the English vocabulary to describe Emily,” I say, staring straight into the camera and giving my best smile. “She’s smart, sweet, funny . . . and undeniably sexy. I just don’t know what it is about her, but I find myself having the best of times whenever we’re together.

  “Learning about Emily on our first date really showed me what a great person she is. I love how much she lit up when she talked about helping kids and how much she wants to be a teacher.

  “But damn, when she put on that bikini.” I shake my head. “Listen, I know I’m supposed to be a gentleman and everything but . . . she’s fucking hot.”

  I give myself a look in the mirror before I hustle out of my room into the suitor’s hall to head down to breakfast.

  It’s mad early for breakfast, but since ending our date, I’ve felt like I can’t get my mind off Emily. As I’m rounding a corner, I see her, dressed in a tank top and shorts, her sexy legs on display, heading into a door ahead. A grin spreads across my face as I rush up the hallway and sneak in behind her.

  I try to be quiet as I come through the door, but Emily immediately senses my presence, and she turns around with a gasp, her eyes as wide as saucers. “Hayden, what are you doing in here?”

  I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself. I move in closer, crowding her body with my own. Her breathing slows, becoming heavy and a little ragged. In that moment, I know she wants me. It’s only my enormous self-restraint that keeps me from seeing just how far I can push it.

  “I dreamed of you last night,” I tell her, my voice a soft growl. “And I wake up today, walk out of my room, and here you are, right in front of me like a figment of my imagination. I had to follow you to see if you were real.”

  Emily bites her lower lip and looks away for a moment, blushing. “I might’ve thought about you last night too,” she admits. She spreads her fingers inches apart to indicate just how much. “Just a little.”

  Desire courses through my veins as I move in even closer. “Oh, really?” I growl. “And what did you think about?”

  She’s practically shaking, and the corners of my lips curl up into a grin as she searches for words. “Nothing. Just . . . our date.”

  I arch an eyebrow, placing a hand on the small of her back and pulling her closer. “Are you sure that’s all?”

  “Y–yes.”

  She’s lying, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll let her off the hook.

  “I had a great time talking to you yesterday,” I say, “and you know . . . after.”

  “After?” Emily asks breathlessly. The smell of her desire is in the air, her warm, lush body making me hot as hell. “What do you mean—”

  I lose control of myself, giving in to what we both want. If we get caught, damn it all. At least I can go home a happy man. I close in, kissing her passionately,
and with a growl, I pull her to me by her hips. The feeling of her ass under my hands is electric and my cock surges to full hardness, sandwiched between our bodies.

  She moans, her hands moving over my shoulders to tangle in my hair at the nape of my neck. Spreading her legs slightly, she grinds against me. She already wants it hard and deep, and I’m more than happy to oblige.

  Kissing down her neck, nibbling and licking, I move my hands to cup her breasts, teasing her already hard nipples. I slip the strap of her cami tank top off her shoulder and suck her nipple into my mouth, teasing it in tight circles with the tip of my tongue. “Oh, God, Hayden,” she whines in my ear, trying to be good but unable to help herself. “Hayden . . .”

  I move up, whispering in her ear. “As hot as it is to hear you say my name like that, we need to be quiet. Can you be quiet for me?”

  Emily nods, biting her lip to keep herself quiet, and I lower back down, sucking her right nipple into my mouth, rubbing and pinching the other. Pulling back, I catch her eye. “Emily, I need to touch you. God, can I touch you?” She dips her head once, and I slip a hand up the loose leg of her shorts, cupping her pussy through her cotton panties. “Mmm, you’re soaked.”

  Emily nods wordlessly in reply as I slip a finger into her panties, pulling them to the side, and run my finger across her delicate folds. So hot and wet, her pussy almost feels like warm caramel. Emily can’t hold back her soft moan, her hips pressing forward, searching for more. I ease my finger into her, curling up toward her front wall. In and out, I press, adding another finger to fill her and using my thumb to rub across her clit. “Hayden, I’m so close. Don’t stop.”

  I feel her tight pussy squeeze as she gets ready to come, and just in time, I cover her mouth with mine, muffling her cries as I feel her coat my fingers with her orgasm. I keep swiping my thumb across her clit, prolonging her pleasure until she bucks at me, letting out a big, happy sigh. When it’s over, I pull back, looking into those wide, sexy eyes. “That was the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”

  Emily smiles, shaken by the intensity of what just happened. “Wow . . . that was—”

  She stops mid-sentence as she realizes I’ve moved my fingers from inside her to my mouth, sucking at her juices. I meet her eyes and let her watch as I run my tongue around and around. “Sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever tasted too.”

  She smiles, moving forward to kiss me. After a moment, she seems to remember where we are. “Shit. McKayla and Brad are gonna be here any minute!”

  I help her adjust her clothes back, and just as I meet her lips with mine for a goodbye kiss, the door opens behind us.

  “Girrrrlll . . .” a high falsetto voice gives me half a second of warning, and I turn around and see McKayla and Brad, both of them grinning at us with matching raised eyebrows.

  She points to each of us as she speaks. “All right, we are supposed to be in here. She is supposed to be in here. But you are not supposed to fucking be in here.”

  Brad smirks, his eyes glued on my crotch a little too much for my comfort. “Or be fucking in here.”

  Emily is turning redder by the moment, stammering to cover up what just happened. “No, uh . . . we were just talking about our date last night.”

  “Don’t even try it, naughty girl. Even I know what a just-Oed woman looks like. And it’s . . . that.” He pauses, moving his hands around, indicating Emily’s entire body. “I can't blame you, though. He’s hotter than a habanero tamale.”

  I have to do the right thing and try and keep Emily out of trouble. “Look, I’m sorry. It’s not Emily’s fault. I snuck in here to talk to her. Don’t rat on her, okay?”

  McKayla and Brad look at each other, then McKayla speaks up. “What are your intentions with my girl here?”

  Her girl? Interesting. “Uh, aren’t we all here to see if we’re a match? Last night was great and I just wanted to tell her that. One thing led to another, just not what you’re thinking.”

  McKayla gives me an appraising staredown for a moment, and I can tell she’s running me through her bullshit detector. With a nod, McKayla steps away from the door. “Uh-huh. Well, y’all got damn lucky there’s no cameras in here or you’d be all over the production room right now.”

  I feel Emily jerk. “Oh, God, I didn’t even think of that.”

  McKayla smirks. “Mmmhmm, must’ve been other things on your mind. From here on out, do the dates, see if you’re a match, and skip the impromptu outings. Capiche?”

  I nod once at McKayla and turn to Emily. “I’m sorry about that. I’ll see you in a bit for our date?”

  She nods, and I figure we’re already in deep, so I lean in, meeting her eyes, and cover her mouth with a quick kiss. Moving to her ear, I whisper, “Sexiest fucking thing ever.”

  With a smile, I slip out the door, hearing the immediate chatter start behind me as McKayla and Brad laughingly interrogate Emily. “Bitch! Tell me everything.”

  As I make it down the hall, I can't help but smile. That was awesome, even if it could’ve gone really wrong there when we got caught. But I wouldn’t change a thing. Well, maybe if we’d ended with me filling her body with my still-aching cock until she moaned my name into my ear. That would’ve been better. We’ll have to be more careful next time. Because there’s damn sure gonna be a next time. With that promise made to myself, I head out to meet the rest of the suitors and the production team for today’s date setup.

  Chapter 12

  Emily

  “Why, you dirty slut, you!” Brad exclaims when Hayden is gone, shaking his head as if I’ve been caught with my hand in the cookie jar. “While we’ve been sleepin’, you’ve been creepin’!”

  “Girl, he must’ve done a number on you,” McKayla says, coming forward to place her hands on my shoulders and shaking me like I stole something from her. “Is he as good as he looks—”

  “I bet you rode him like you rode that horse the other day,” Brad cuts in over her, coming up to my side and causing McKayla to shoot him a deadly glare.

  I break free of McKayla and smack my palm to my forehead, letting out a groan, my face burning. “Guys, please. It’s seriously not what you think.” They didn’t really see anything, but I’m still more than a little embarrassed at what I’d let him do. But fuck, it felt so good, and my head's still spinning from it. “We were just talking and then he kissed me.”

  Brad makes a face. “Uh-huh, sure. We’ve all heard that before. Next time, you’ll say you just happened to walk in his room and tripped to fall right on his dick.”

  “Actually, he followed me in here,” I say defensively. “It was only for a second.” I try to sound as convincing as possible, but I know I’m probably failing.

  They exchange looks and become quiet, plunging the room into silence.

  “I’m guessing you must really like Hayden,” McKayla says quietly after a minute. She sounds different, not as bombastic, almost as if she’s wistful.

  I slowly nod my head. “He’s been nice so far. I like him more than I thought I would, actually.” Oh, God, and does he know just how to make me squirm.

  I can tell Brad is just itching to crack another joke, but he shows restraint. “Does that mean you have already made up your mind?”

  “No,” I say, and then I quickly add, “At least I don’t think so. Hell, I don’t know. I feel so confused right now. I think this is going to be a lot harder than I thought it would be.” I wrap my arms around my waist and squeeze, feeling a mix of emotions. “But yes, Hayden’s definitely in the lead.”

  “Don’t you think it’s a bit early to decide?” McKayla asks. “Sure, Hayden’s hot as hell and all, but so are those other men out there. You could be missing out.”

  “Exactly. I didn’t say my mind is already made up,” I say. “Besides Hayden and Lee, I haven’t really gotten to know anyone else yet. They could be totally awesome, maybe even the man of my dreams.” I sigh.

  “Mmmhmm,” Brad mutters under his breath like he’s not buying it. />
  “Well, just continue to keep your options open then. For the show’s sake and for yours,” she says. “You don’t want your preference for Hayden to come out on tape or the viewers will pick up on it and kill the suspense. Not to mention, it might irritate Meredith.”

  I nod, realizing that regardless of whether anyone knows what went on in here, there could be consequences if Meredith found out that Hayden and I were alone together. “Guys, please don’t say—”

  “Our lips are sealed,” McKayla says, following my train of thought. “Aren’t they, Brad?” She gives him a look, practically telling him what to say.

  Brad nods. “No one will hear a peep out of me! You’re just lucky he didn’t follow me in here instead. You’d be out a suitor.”

  Despite my trepidation, I let out a laugh, feeling a sense of relief. “You two are the best.”

  After getting me ready, we leave the room and head down for another Matchmaking ceremony. As we walk, I’m so trying to not get too hung up on the way Hayden made me come this morning, but damn if it’s not impossible to keep the satisfied grin off my face. I was about two seconds from getting on my knees for him before I remembered where I was.

  Once on set, we start with another round of card matches to let four more guys go, Archie, Liam, Daryl, and Ron. I feel bad as I watch them walk off, muttering amongst themselves. I’m glad the numbers are starting to wean down, though. I’m making cuts faster than Freddy Krueger. With fewer suitors, I’ll have more time to get to know them and I won’t have to just go with my gut and cut guys I’ve barely spoken to.

  Thankfully, Meredith agrees with me on my choices, saying they were boring. Of course, that’s all she cares about.

  When we’re finally done with the ceremony, I’m left with six suitors. Now it’s time for today’s ‘game’, although I quickly learn that I’m not supposed to do much more than be eye candy, which isn’t as much fun as I’d hoped. I step up to spin the activity wheel and it stops on football. At Meredith’s direction, Nate divides the guys into two teams of three.