9781631050275TheirPerfectMatchMarshNC Read Free Page A

hers. “I wanted to know your opinion.”
    “Then I guess my lack of a response answers your question.”
    Zane tucked the folded receipt deep inside his leather jacket. “Let me be honest about one thing, Miss Grayson. I don’t believe in computers hooking people up. What I do believe in is human intuition. Mine tells me that you know exactly what you’re doing here. And yours should tell you that it’s not your computer I’m hiring.”
    “I…I do realize that.” He stared at her so long, and so intently, she compulsively clutched at the sleeves of her blazer.
    “I’m glad.” Stepping forward, Zane Bishop extended his hand. The warm pressure of his skin against hers suggested both the roughness of the storm-swept sea and the sensual caress of balmy trade winds. Yes, she could definitely picture Zane against the backdrop of some exotic harbor, the sun on his face and the salty spray misting his hair. “I look forward to our little adventure.”
    Molly watched his broad shoulders fill the doorway as his purposeful gait carried him out of her office and finally out of sight. No doubt his easy, yet self-assured manner resulted from his military training…or were the Merchant Marines properly classed as paramilitary? Either way, he was a good advertisement for the benefits of a seafaring career. No doubt that sort of nomadic and intensely physical lifestyle suited his carefree nature to perfection.
    Molly had to smile at the irony of the situation. How many times had she bemoaned the fact so few people today believed in romance and commitment the way she did, even if the prospect had so far eluded her, and probably would continue to? Now a gorgeous man was telling her he shared exactly those values—and had asked her to find him another woman who felt the same!
    Soon enough, he would be matched, married, and settled, thanks to Lovelines—and her.
    She didn’t dare speculate why that prospect distressed her so much.
     
    * * * *
     
    Zane had barely reached the sidewalk when his cell phone trilled. He didn’t need to wait for the caller to identify himself.
    “I told you to wait until I buzzed you,” he barked, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one had followed him out of the building that housed the Lovelines office. “Do you want one of them to overhear us?”
    Alaric didn’t bother with a conventional greeting. Nothing new there. His younger half-brother’s voice, however, was uncharacteristically nervous. “So…you did what I asked you to?”
    “I signed up for a lifelong commitment engineered by Lovelines, yes. I have to admit, though, that it really didn’t seem like your kind of place, Alaric. There were silk flowers and a stack of women’s magazines beside the water cooler, for crying out loud.”
    “You don’t have to rub it in,” Alaric growled. “I’ve already cursed my own foolishness enough.”
    “I didn’t say you were foolish to sign up. I didn’t even say I disapproved. I only pointed out that I was surprised. Not that I’m surprised you’d have trouble finding a relationship. After all, what normal woman would stand for taking second place to your Italian leather briefcase?”
    “Well, not half as surprised as my business associates would be if I went public with this thing. Zane, that woman drained my savings account! The credit card bills are still coming in! And that’s not even counting what she tried to do to my mutual funds! If my accountant hadn’t called me in time—”
    “Alaric, I know. We went over all this at your office, remember? And I used the gold card, just like you told me. If there’s any unauthorized movement on that account, we’ll know about it.”
    “Good. That’s good. That’s why I got in touch with you, Zane. Not just because you’re…‘family’ but because you’re discreet.”
    “You don’t have to worry about that.”
    Alaric sighed. “And I appreciate it, believe me. It’s good to have at least one person I can trust, in