The Soulmate Equation

Trevor laughed, nodding. “So, see? You aren’t the only one who was dreading it.”

“I wasn’t dreading it!” Jess insisted, smiling her best liar smile.

“I meant River,” Trevor joked.

“Come on,” Caroline said, and took Jess’s arm. Jess grabbed blindly for River’s free hand before they could be separated, feeling oddly panicked. “Let me introduce you to some people.”

Of course, River already knew everyone here; she was the novelty.

First up were the Watson-Duggars, a fiftysomething couple who, within thirty seconds, suggested—without subtlety—that it would be great if Jess and River could get married before the IPO. And then there were the Lius, who owned the building they were standing in. Mrs. Liu admitted to Jess in a breathless whisper that they’d been married for twenty-seven years but she hadn’t been at all surprised to find out they were a Base Match. Awkward!

The Romas seemed to want to punch holes in Jess and River’s possible connection, and Jess reminded herself—as they quizzed her about River’s history, most of which she got wrong—that they were just trying to protect their investment, not attack her.

Albert Mendoza couldn’t stop staring at Jess’s chest. Worse, she was worried his wife might actually reach forward and stroke River’s biceps, the way she kept eyeing him with such blatant sex eyes. Dr. Farley McIntosh and his husband were prominent San Diego architects and mostly wanted to know whether Jess had heard of any of their buildings.

Through all of it, River’s hand grew sweatier and sweatier in her grip.

They moved from group to group, like a bride and groom at their reception. They were specimens to be poked at, prodded, questioned, and quizzed.

Is it a connection you can just feel when you look at him?

Is the sex, you know … unreal?

How long before wedding bells?

Have you met River’s sisters yet?

Your children are going to be stunning!

What happens if you match like this with someone else?

Jess and River had stumbled through their answers together, hands clasped desperately, tight smiles in place, but that last question pulled Jess up short, and she made an excuse about needing the restroom, following River’s directions down the hall to the second door on the left. The condo was enormous, and Jess itched to escape, to explore, to see how many rooms were actually furnished.

But it was enough just to step out of the melee and into a quiet space for a few minutes. Her heart was on a rampage, tearing everything up in her chest. If she hadn’t been wearing such artfully applied makeup, Jess would’ve splashed water on her face, but as it was, she just leaned forward, taking a few deep breaths. Every time she thought she had a handle on what all of this meant, another question came at her around the corner, like a curveball. First, she hadn’t believed the result, and then she hadn’t needed to because—money. And then she’d suspected the DNADuo score might be true, but it didn’t matter because she wasn’t looking for love, dammit. And now, being by River’s side all night and feeling like they were in this as a team from the very first step made the charade feel so real. When someone had asked about another soulmate out there somewhere, she’d wanted to vomit.

Too much, too fast.

Jess washed her hands, reapplied her lipstick, and gave herself a hard but encouraging stare in the mirror. This party had to have cost thousands of dollars. She was wearing a dress someone else had paid for. Who was she pretending to be? Just get through it and get home.

But when she stepped out into the hall, River was there waiting, one ankle crossed over the other, leaning casually against the opposite wall. His posture was so unconsciously confident, so sensual that Jess felt her legs clench together hard in response.

He straightened. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just—” She pointed over her shoulder. “Needed a second.”

A relieved smile played at his lips. “I did, too.”

She blew out a slow breath. “This isn’t my world at all.” The effect of his proximity simmered just beneath her skin and she felt the words slip out: “I hope I’m not messing it up for you.”

A flash of emotion moved over his face, and he burst forward a step. “You’re— No. You’re amazing.” He looked back down the hall. “And I’m sorry Brandon isn’t here. This is his scene. Not mine.”

“I get it,” Jess said quietly. “They want to see their investment in action.”

She could immediately tell he didn’t love this phrasing … but also couldn’t disagree.

“It must be especially surreal to you,” she said, “to already know these people and have them see you tonight not as the lead scientist, but as one of the big findings.”

“Yeah. Maybe three people in that room knew anything about my personal life. Now all these strangers feel comfortable making comments about our sex life and asking me when I’m going to propose.”