Matched to Her Rival

Why did the thought of Dax and Candy falling blissfully in love make Elise want to cry?

The prospect of another round of holidays alone coupled with the stress of dealing with Dax—that was it. They were both killing her. Slowly.

And...if someone as cynical about relationships as Dax found his happily ever after, what did it say that she couldn’t find hers?

Five

Candy laughed again and launched into another convoluted story about her dog. Dax was more than a little sorry he’d asked if she had any hobbies. Who knew a dog could be a hobby? Or that a grown woman would actually shop for outfits for said dog?

He signaled the bartender for another round and not for the first time, his attention wandered.

She finally wrapped up her monologue and leaned forward to give him an eyeful of her strategically exposed cleavage, which meant he wasn’t paying enough attention to her. It was the fourth time she’d done it in thirty minutes, not that he was counting. Her signals were just so uncomplicated and easy to read.

Despite Elise’s warning to the contrary, Candy was most definitely open to ending the night skin-on-skin. She would be energetic and creative in bed and yeah, it would be pleasurable.

But in the morning, she’d wake up intending to pursue a long-term, very serious relationship. Big difference from his usual dates. Regardless, he should embrace the spirit of what Elise had set up here, so when it failed, his conscience was clear.

Time to pay attention to his date. After all, she was supposed to be his soul mate. She certainly had a distinct lack of interest in what was going on behind his curtain. Likely she hadn’t noticed he had one.

Giving Candy another practiced smile, he nodded to the door and stood, palm extended. “Shall we find a place to have a bite to eat?”

It was how these things worked—if drinks went well, you asked the woman to dinner. If not, you said you’d call her and escaped. Not that he’d claim drinks had gone particularly well, but maybe over dinner Candy would reveal some hidden depths he couldn’t resist.

Without bothering to play coy, she took his hand and slid off the bar stool, rising to her full height. “I’d love to.”

Jeez, her legs were long. Too long. She was almost as tall as Dax.

“Pardon me while I powder my nose,” she said, and turned to sway across the room with a one-two gait.

Dax was meant to think it was sexy. He should think it was sexy. But, all at once, nothing about Candy seemed sexy. The lady had moves and a clear interest in demonstrating them. She was exactly the type of woman he went for in a big way. Something was broken here.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, distracting him totally from Candy’s departure. His lips curled up involuntarily. He pulled it out, expecting to see another text from Elise. Which it was.

I hope you’re not checking your messages in front of Candy. Because that would be rude.

He laughed, painfully aware it was the first genuine amusement he’d felt all evening. He hit Reply: Then stop texting me.

Elise: .

He groaned through another laugh. A blank message. Her sense of humor slayed him.

Candy materialized in front of him far sooner than expected. “Ready?” she said.

“Sure.” He pocketed his phone and followed his date out into the chilly night. She didn’t have a coat, deliberately of course, so Dax could offer her his. Then she’d accidentally-on-purpose leave something in the pocket—lipstick, an earring; it varied from woman to woman—so she’d have an excuse to call him.

He shrugged out of his jacket anyway and handed it to her, earning a grateful smile as she slung it around her shoulders.

That’s what he had to offer in a relationship—a coat. Nothing more. And it wasn’t fair to Candy, who came into this date thinking there might be a possibility of something magical. The back of his neck heated. If Candy was his soul mate, she deserved better.

This was jacked up. He never should have called her. But how else could he have handled this? To prove Elise ran a sham business, he had to go on the date. Who knew said date would be exactly like every other date he’d ever been on, which had worked quite well for a long time, and yet not feel right?

As they walked to the valet stand, Candy stumbled, just a little and with practiced grace. Dax rolled his eyes even as he slung a steadying arm around her waist. She peered up at him in invitation. Kiss me and let’s get this party started, she said without saying a word.