attraction unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
She’d been blinded by attraction once before and it hadn’t turned out well. And what she felt for that guy paled in comparison to the industrial-strength magnetism of the draw between her and Kyle.
Now she just had to hope that her sanity returned. That she could maintain perspective on this wild hunger she felt. Maybe if she compartmentalized it—allowed it to be just physical, just temporary—she could retain a shred of objectivity where he was concerned. Because no matter how much the consequences taunted her, she already wanted him again.
8
STACY WAS GOING TO LOSE her mind if Marissa didn’t answer her phone soon. She’d started calling her early in the afternoon but hadn’t left a message. Once she started talking about her encounter with Isaac, she was afraid she wouldn’t stop. And the two-minute window to leave her message on voice mail wouldn’t be nearly enough.
What could Marissa possibly be doing that would keep her away from her business line for so long?
Now, ten calls and two hours later, Stacy prowled restlessly around her house as she cradled the phone against her ear. Her ankle still hurt from last night, so she hobbled more than prowled, but she hated the idea of sitting still.
She’d sat still in life for too long already.
“Hello?” Marissa’s voice came through the line.
“Thank goodness you’re there.”
“I’ve been…in a meeting. But I took a break and saw you’d called a few times. What’s up?” Her voice sounded soft. And sort of happy, too. Her meeting must be going well.
Unlike Stacy’s day.
“My life is a disaster,” she began without preamble. But she needed to get this out in the open before she lost her mind. “I’ve allowed my father to pull the strings for too long and I don’t know how to make him stop. I don’t really care about meeting Kyle Murphy.”
“Wait. What—”
“It was a dumb idea to say I wanted to meet him, but I thought it would buy me time to meet other guys.” She’d always tried to work around her dad passively, taking the path of least resistance since her father could be so very formidable.
No more.
“I thought you had a big crush on him,” Marissa protested, not understanding Stacy’s plan.
“My dad was gung-ho about the matchmaking, and I figured a big hockey star like Kyle would never agree to meet me. Ideally, while you tried to make that happen, you would have also found other dates for me. Realistic ones.” She sighed, hating that she’d gone about everything so ass-backward. But she really had thought a matchmaker could help her sift through guys who might not be good for her. Meeting Isaac made her realize she didn’t want help figuring out her romantic life. “Little did I know my father would think me snagging a hockey player would be a brilliant idea.”
Stacy paused in pacing around the living room. She had two Chihuahua mixes following her and both of her little dogs seemed dizzy from running in circles. She scratched the smaller one—Tink—under the chin.
“You have to talk to your father.” Marissa didn’t sound as happy now. She sounded vaguely irritated, but mostly insistent. “He’s got every matchmaker on the east coast vying to set you up with Kyle.”
“I will. Soon. But I didn’t call about that. I met someone else. Someone I wish wanted to get to know me better…” Her heart squeezed at the thought of Isaac being completely unmoved by her suggestion that they get together. He’d thought she’d made a clever joke. “But meeting him made me realize that I need to get out from under my father’s thumb if I’m ever going to connect with guys who see me and not my dad’s money.”
Isaac hadn’t known she was an heiress. She got the feeling he wouldn’t be impressed by money, anyway. When she’d checked him out online, she’d learned he was a big-deal CEO of a technology company, so he had no need to chase her father’s
She’d been blinded by attraction once before and it hadn’t turned out well. And what she felt for that guy paled in comparison to the industrial-strength magnetism of the draw between her and Kyle.
Now she just had to hope that her sanity returned. That she could maintain perspective on this wild hunger she felt. Maybe if she compartmentalized it—allowed it to be just physical, just temporary—she could retain a shred of objectivity where he was concerned. Because no matter how much the consequences taunted her, she already wanted him again.
8
STACY WAS GOING TO LOSE her mind if Marissa didn’t answer her phone soon. She’d started calling her early in the afternoon but hadn’t left a message. Once she started talking about her encounter with Isaac, she was afraid she wouldn’t stop. And the two-minute window to leave her message on voice mail wouldn’t be nearly enough.
What could Marissa possibly be doing that would keep her away from her business line for so long?
Now, ten calls and two hours later, Stacy prowled restlessly around her house as she cradled the phone against her ear. Her ankle still hurt from last night, so she hobbled more than prowled, but she hated the idea of sitting still.
She’d sat still in life for too long already.
“Hello?” Marissa’s voice came through the line.
“Thank goodness you’re there.”
“I’ve been…in a meeting. But I took a break and saw you’d called a few times. What’s up?” Her voice sounded soft. And sort of happy, too. Her meeting must be going well.
Unlike Stacy’s day.
“My life is a disaster,” she began without preamble. But she needed to get this out in the open before she lost her mind. “I’ve allowed my father to pull the strings for too long and I don’t know how to make him stop. I don’t really care about meeting Kyle Murphy.”
“Wait. What—”
“It was a dumb idea to say I wanted to meet him, but I thought it would buy me time to meet other guys.” She’d always tried to work around her dad passively, taking the path of least resistance since her father could be so very formidable.
No more.
“I thought you had a big crush on him,” Marissa protested, not understanding Stacy’s plan.
“My dad was gung-ho about the matchmaking, and I figured a big hockey star like Kyle would never agree to meet me. Ideally, while you tried to make that happen, you would have also found other dates for me. Realistic ones.” She sighed, hating that she’d gone about everything so ass-backward. But she really had thought a matchmaker could help her sift through guys who might not be good for her. Meeting Isaac made her realize she didn’t want help figuring out her romantic life. “Little did I know my father would think me snagging a hockey player would be a brilliant idea.”
Stacy paused in pacing around the living room. She had two Chihuahua mixes following her and both of her little dogs seemed dizzy from running in circles. She scratched the smaller one—Tink—under the chin.
“You have to talk to your father.” Marissa didn’t sound as happy now. She sounded vaguely irritated, but mostly insistent. “He’s got every matchmaker on the east coast vying to set you up with Kyle.”
“I will. Soon. But I didn’t call about that. I met someone else. Someone I wish wanted to get to know me better…” Her heart squeezed at the thought of Isaac being completely unmoved by her suggestion that they get together. He’d thought she’d made a clever joke. “But meeting him made me realize that I need to get out from under my father’s thumb if I’m ever going to connect with guys who see me and not my dad’s money.”
Isaac hadn’t known she was an heiress. She got the feeling he wouldn’t be impressed by money, anyway. When she’d checked him out online, she’d learned he was a big-deal CEO of a technology company, so he had no need to chase her father’s
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