Free Fiery Match by Tierney O’Malley Page B

is nothing worse than letting time pass you by.” The man patted the woman’s hand.
    Cor knew everything about time. And he’d wasted enough of it here on earth trying to find his match.
    “That beautiful woman across the street.” The man tipped his head in Nikka’s direction. “Isn’t she the reason why you’ve been hanging out here every day?”
    Cor laughed. “She is beautiful, isn’t she?”
    “Yes. So you’d better act before someone else snatches her.”
    I’ll smash the man’s face that tries to go near Nikka,he thought. “I tried. But I think I did it wrong.”
    “Did it wrong? How?” the woman asked.
    “I introduced myself, told her she’s beautiful, and then asked her out.”
    “Without preamble, without flowery words, without knowing her, first. Oh, dear. You must have given her a bad impression.”
    “Ah. Well, son.” The old man tucked his hand in his pocket. “That’s easily fixed. If you really want her, don’t let one slip-up stop you. I’ve made a mistake before and regretted it for years. You see, I fell in love with a woman when I was younger, but I was so dumb then and gave other matters importance. She married someone and I watched her from a distance. I regretted not telling her how much I loved her. So many years passed by before another chance to let her know that I love her came.”
    “I take it you took the chance.”
    His smile showed what was in his heart. “Damn right, son. Now, I have her. We’ve lost so many times, but we’re catching up.” He looked at the blushing woman who held hands with him. “I’ll make sure I spend every single minute with her. I’ve been given another chance. I’ll make damn sure I don’t waste it. There is no better time than now. Remember that.”
    The two went inside the coffee shop with stars in their eyes. Cor wondered if the man would still encourage him to cross the street if he knew Cor’s true intention—to use Nikka to keep his race from extinction. However, the old man was right about one thing. There was no good time than the present.
    He scribbled the words that came to his mind on the napkin.
    Finishing his coffee, he stood up and then tossed the empty cup in the bin.
    It’s time.
     

Chapter Two
     
     
    Oh, my. He’s here again.
    Watching, always watching. Whenever she looked outside, even through the glass window, their eyes would meet. And each time, her heart would skip a beat and butterflies flitter in her stomach. Just like when she was a teenager seeing her crush, she felt warm glow flow through her. But her instinct warned her, too, not to get too close. Ugh!
    At ten in the morning, Cor would occupy the chair outside the coffee shop. He would stay there for hours, his gaze fixed on her store like a hawk. It kind of unnerved her at first and then, silly her, she found herself looking forward to seeing him lounging on that chair. Well, hard not to since her shop, Pink Petals, was right across the street from the coffee shop. Besides, he was one beautiful specimen she could stare at forever.
    Once in a while, he would talk to people, but she noticed that he would still glance at her shop as if making sure she did not disappear. So weird, really. Funny thing was, she liked it.
    Nikka had been a recipient of hot guys’ attention, although most of them were jerks only interested in feeling her boobs.
    Then Richard happened. He wooed her, pursued her relentlessly until she fell for him. It was too late when she realized his true intentions—to show his friends that he could make her sleep with him. Richard. God! She hated that name.
    Richard, the only serious boyfriend she had sex with happened to be a dirty asshole. He’d hurt her physically and emotionally so badly she thought she’d never recover from it.
    At one point in her life, she’d been such a gullible idiot to get swept away by flattery. Not anymore . Not after Richard.
    Now Cor… he used flattery the first time they’d met. She became alarmed,