Meeting His Match (A Match Me Novel) (Entangled Lovestruck) (11 page)

Chapter Fifteen

Addison tried—and failed—to focus on work. Her people had been doing just fine without her, but her second-in-command, James, had sent a flurry of emails this morning complaining about Sarah Roberts. Apparently she was on a warpath, demanding to be set up on a date immediately in order to compensate her for the fiasco that was Caine McNeill. If this mess wasn’t landing squarely on Addison’s lap, she might find the whole thing amusing. While she waited for her curling iron to heat up, she typed a quick email back recommending that James show Sarah the newest bachelor who had signed on two days before Addison left New York. He was an up-and-comer, and he was already making waves on the firewall software scene. Maybe he’d snap Sarah out of her funk. And who knew? They might even be a match.

Stranger things had happened.

Like the fact that Addison was sleeping with Caine, when she was supposed to be matching him with his soul mate. That was pretty damn strange. She knew what he’d been trying to do last night with his pointed questions, but he was wrong.

Each person only got one soul mate—it was the glorious and tragic truth of life.

But then why couldn’t she stop thinking about the theoretical man he’d asked her about? It wasn’t a situation she’d encountered, so she’d never really thought about it. Oh, there were divorcees on her list, and had been since she started Connected at the Lips. She’d always chalked it up to their marrying the wrong person. People got married for all the wrong reasons all too often—picking the person who wasn’t their soul mate just topped out the list.

That wasn’t the situation Caine had proposed, though. This man was someone who’d had the love of his life—his soul mate—and lost her.

What would she do? It didn’t seem fair to try to match someone when she knew there was no way they could find a second soul mate. Really, it was almost cruel. She would just be setting them up for disappointment.

But could she really turn a person away when doing so seemed to go against everything she stood for?

She shook her head. Thinking about this made her brain hurt, which she suspected Caine knew. He was trying to get her to admit that soul mates didn’t exist, but she just couldn’t. There was too much evidence to indicate they did. Look at her grandparents, one of the most romantic and, yes, tragic love stories she’d ever encountered. And her parents. After thirty years of marriage that had seen some serious trials along the way, they came out the other side happier than ever.

Plus, she wouldn’t be in the business she was in if soul mates didn’t exist.

Caine had known exactly how hard to push her, though, because after they had sex against the car last night, he held her hand while they walked inside and then tucked them both into bed.

This whole thing with him had turned sort of…domestic. And it was surprisingly comfortable—
scarily
comfortable might be more accurate description. She and Aiden hadn’t really had a chance to settle into any kind of life together. As soon as they graduated from high school, he’d gone and joined the military. It had felt like the right decision at the time, and eventually, she’d even gotten to the point where she stopped resenting the choice they made. To Aiden, there was no greater calling than to serve his country. She’d have hurt him if she’d insisted he do something else.

He wouldn’t have died if he’d done something else.

To be sharing these experiences for the first time with Caine instead of the man who was supposed to be her soul mate…

She froze. Supposed to be? Where the hell had that come from? She never once doubted Aiden was her soul mate. She wasn’t now. She couldn’t be. God, her life had been so much easier before she met Caine and started questioning everything she’d once thought was true. She craved him with a fierceness she didn’t know how to combat. Worse, it seemed to only be growing stronger as time went on.

Addison sent her email and silently wished James the best of luck. He was going to need it dealing with Sarah Roberts. The rest of her in-box wasn’t vitally important, so she closed her computer. It had been hours since she saw Caine last and a part of her already missed him. What was he doing right now? Poring over contracts? Arguing with someone on the phone? Would he work through lunch if left to his own devices?

Before she could question the impulse too thoroughly, she changed into a loose shirt and the only pair of jeans she’d brought, slipped on her shoes, and headed out to her car.

Fifteen short minutes later, she was sitting in front of his office building and wondering what the hell she was doing. He was still putting out fires from whatever had gone wrong the other night. Her showing up wasn’t going to do anything but waste his time. In addition to that, it would all but explicitly tell him that he and his uncomfortable questions were getting to her.

But she couldn’t make herself drive away.

There had to be something she was missing when it came to this thing with him. It was the only explanation for the feelings twisting up inside her, and the only way to figure it out was to spend more time with Caine. Their nights together weren’t enough. To be honest, the nights had become part of the problem because the mind-blowing sex was only further muddying the issue.

The only solution was to find a way to spend time with him when he wasn’t at home.

Satisfied her reasons were beyond reproach, she got out of her car and headed for the building. A few people smiled at her as she crossed the lobby, but that air of goodwill died when she reached his office. The secretary pushed to her feet as Addison came through the door, her expression forbidding. “He’s busy.”

“I’m not here to distract him.”

The look the woman gave her put to rest any effort at being cordial. Obviously she wasn’t going to get anywhere by being polite.

She sighed. “Please tell him I’m here.”

“I said—”

“Because if you don’t, I’m just going to charge past you and make you look bad again.” Knowing he was so close had her heartbeat thundering just beneath her skin. She wanted to see him—needed to see him. “Now, please.”

The secretary glared daggers, but she made the call. She looked like she was about to spit nails at whatever Caine said. “Yes, sir.” She placed the phone down with a care that suggested what she really wanted to do was throw it across the room. “He’ll see you now.”

“Thank you.” She headed for his office, barely resisting the urge to rotate as she moved so she wouldn’t give the woman her back.

She found Caine at his desk, once again buried in paperwork. The smile that stretched across his face was nearly identical to the one he’d sent her from the exact same place the first time she saw him. It hit her that her entire life had altered course starting the moment she walked through this door a little less than a week ago. “Hey.”

“Have you already eaten?”

Trust him to recognize how off-center she was and move to put them on even ground by doing away with small talk. She tucked her hair behind her ears. “No, not yet.”

“I haven’t, either. I’m starving.” His tone of voice brought forth the question—was he starving for her, or starving for food?

He didn’t move from behind the desk, but his gaze made it feel like he was drinking in the sight of her. She couldn’t remember the last man who’d been so openly appreciative of how she looked—or that she’d cared so much what he thought of her.

She licked her lips. “I am, too.”

“Do you want to go out or order in?” Once again, there seemed to be another layer to the question. Addison looked around, her gaze landing on the couch. If they ate in, would he lay her down on that couch? She was supposed to be here for something other than an afternoon quickie, but suddenly the concept seemed to be one she could get on board with.

No. You are here to
talk
to him.
“I can run out and get something. I didn’t even pause to think about the fact I might be interrupting.”

“I’m due for a break. All the emails and negotiations are threatening to make my eyes cross.” He moved around the desk and pulled her into his arms. “Besides, I’m never going to say no to more time with you.”

Easy for him to say. Or even for
her
to say. The truth of the matter was that work ruled both their lives. Her company was functioning just fine without her right now, but she couldn’t be gone indefinitely. Funny, but the thought of flying back to New York didn’t hold the appeal it had three days ago. If she was back home, she couldn’t stop by Caine’s work at the drop of a hat just because she missed the feeling of his presence filling up the room.

God, what was she going to do?

Caine stopped her from descending into a truly dramatic freak-out by handing her a take-out menu. “Pick what you’d like and I’ll have Agnes order it.”

“I’m not sure that’s the best idea. She doesn’t like me very much. She might poison it.” Addison laughed, but she wasn’t completely joking.

“It’ll be fine.”

Caine spoke like it was already decided, and why wouldn’t he? He was king and this was his kingdom. She doubted the idea of someone defying his wishes even crossed his mind. He simply expected to be obeyed and was.

Much like now. She glanced over the Chinese menu, and went with her usual—beef and broccoli.

Addison took a seat on the couch while Caine called the front office and gave their order. She ran her finger along the seam. This piece of furniture really was quite comfortable—she could almost see how he’d managed to justify sleeping here so many nights.

But his bed was a thousand times better. She smiled at the thought. She would think that, wouldn’t she? She hadn’t spent much time actually sleeping on the mattress, but her experiences had most definitely been memorable.

Caine took a seat next to her, close enough that they touched from knee to hip. He stretched his arms across the back of the couch, practically inviting her to lean against him. She didn’t hesitate to take him up on the silent offer. Addison hated the confusion coloring everything about her time with him. The only way to silence the doubts eating away at her was to touch him.

He let loose a breath. “Damn, darlin’, I think I missed you.”

She didn’t know if that was a comfort or something more she had to worry about that they were on the same page, but her personal issues couldn’t hold up against the feel of him against her. She breathed in his scent. “It doesn’t seem like you should miss a person after only a few hours.” He went tense against her, so she couldn’t leave it at that. “But I missed you, too.”

“I can’t say I hate to hear that.”

There was something there in his tone, something too impossible to put into words. If she let them have this quiet moment, it might surface, and she suspected things would never be the same. “Since you asked me an uncomfortable question last night, I’d like to return the favor.”

He smoothed down her hair, but didn’t look too worried. “Ask.”

“Is this really what you want to do?”

“This being…”

He was going to be difficult—as usual. “This being CEO of McNeill Enterprises—and everything that comes with it in regard to your father and family.” It was a legacy position, which meant he hadn’t chosen it for himself. She’d known that going in. What she
hadn’t
known was what he would have chosen if things had played out differently—like if
he
were the younger son, instead of Brock.

“Not pulling your punches, are you?”

“No more than you were last night.” She
still
didn’t have a satisfactory answer when it came to the thoughts he’d put in her head. But she wasn’t about to admit as much to him, no matter how good he made her feel. If Caine realized how confused and off-center he had her right now, he wouldn’t hesitate to capitalize on it.

“Touché.” He leaned back, letting go of the tension riding his body—and putting a little bit of distance between them. “I don’t know.”

Addison blinked. She’d expected him to tell her that she had no idea what she was talking about. Or kiss her to distract her. Or really, do anything but basically acknowledge that he was as confused about his life as she currently felt. She searched his face and, for once, those gray eyes were open to her. “You really don’t know.”

“Up until recently, if you asked me that question, I would have told you that this is exactly what I wanted to do—what I’ve always wanted to do. I’m not so sure anymore.”

Caine wasn’t the type of man to waffle about something he felt so strongly about. “What changed?”

He met her gaze. “I had this matchmaker show up on my doorstep and whip through my life like a tornado. She even got me a dog.”

“A wonderful dog with a majestic past.” He’d warm up to Gollum and her pups eventually. She hoped.

“Noted.” He rolled his shoulders. “This path has been laid out for me from birth. If Brock was less inclined to tell our father where to shove his expectations, there might have been a choice, but my brother’s heart has never been with McNeill Enterprises.”

No, Brock’s heart lay elsewhere. Since he’d founded one of the most successful nonprofit organizations that benefited women and children in abusive households, she thought he’d made the right choice. That man had been wasted in his father’s company.

But she was less concerned with his heart than with Caine’s. “Is yours?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it? I like my job. I like handling the deals and working to expand the company. The hours never bothered me before, but you might have had a point about sleeping so many nights on this couch.” He patted the cushion.

Aha. Not that she needed to be told her instincts were right, but it was still nice to hear him admit it. “They’re the same hours your dad worked, aren’t they?” Still worked, if his showing up at Caine’s house was any indication.

“Yeah, and do you know how many of my sports games or debates he made?” He went on before she answered—not that she needed to. Working from early in the morning until late at night didn’t exactly leave room for anything else. “None. Not a single damn one.”

“I’m sorry.”