Free Hope's Discovery (THE MATCHMAKER TRILOGY) by Bernadette Marie

to not press his body against her more.
    “I could never hate you.” Her voice was thick and unsteady as she raised her hands to his chest and gripped the front of his shirt.
    “Hope.” He pulled back to look her in the eye. “You’re in charge in this department. I don’t think I’ve hidden my desire for you all that well.” He let out a laugh, and the sultry look in her eyes told him she was aware of it too. “But I don’t want you doing anything you don’t want to do. So, with that said, I hope this continues.”
    Hope blew out a breath. “You sure are a gentleman, aren’t you?”
    A gentleman wouldn’t keep secrets from the woman who was squeezing his heart.
    “I told you, my mother raised me that way.” And sometimes it was the very thought of facing the wrath of Violet Jacobs that made him take his lips off a beautiful woman and wait—patiently.
    “Remind me to thank her when we see her in August.” She picked up the flowers and started toward the kitchen.
    He caught her arm. “You’ll go?”
    She laid her hand on his chest. “You asked me, didn’t you?”
    “Well, maybe this will continue in the right direction,” he said with a wink as she turned from him and walked back to the kitchen.
    “Is that the car you’ve been driving the whole time?” she asked as he followed her. She pulled a vase from a cabinet and filled it with water.
    “Yeah, why?” His voice shook. He hoped she didn’t notice.
    “I swear there was one like that parked out front on my birthday. It was there for an hour, but was gone when I came home from my sister’s.”
    “Birthday?”
    “The day I met you.” She turned and gave him a smile. “Best present I’ve gotten in years.”
    He swallowed hard. She’d seen him. “Happy birthday.” He walked up behind her and placed a kiss on her neck.
    “Let’s keep that for after dinner, shall we,” she said breathlessly. “Help me set the table. Dishes are in that cupboard.”
     
    Trevor climbed into bed and adjusted the pillows and blankets to make himself comfortable. It wasn’t happening.
    He’d made sure to keep his manners intact. He had helped her set the table and clear it when dinner was finished. He dried dishes after she washed them and helped her from her seat on the patio where they had ended up after dessert. Then after a long, deep, and passionate kiss, he’d said good night. He hadn’t wanted to leave, but he knew it was in the best interest for all parties.
    Donald Buchanan had told him to get to know her, but he hadn’t told him to take her to bed. Likewise, Hope was now a client. Business and pleasure were like oil and water. They didn’t mix. If you tried, you usually made a mess. But he couldn’t help but want to take that relationship between them further. He was willing to throw away the hefty fee that Donald Buchanan had already paid just to be with Hope. And he didn’t want to be with her for just a tumble between the sheets. No, there was something more there he wanted to explore. But she was surely going to hate him when she found out why he’d happened upon her at the cemetery. The night was long. He tossed and turned. He’d given her a few leads as to who Mandy Marlow was, but that wasn’t going to hold her off until Donald Buchanan decided to come forward. He didn’t want her to accidently stumble into Donald Buchanan’s wife either. He was walking a tightrope and he knew it. The only answer was to steer her toward the answers she wanted—and remain close enough to protect her.
    She’d mentioned that she’d open the store on Saturday at ten and closed by two. He’d be waiting for her with a box of pastries and coffee. Maybe she’d allow him to spend the day with her in her element.
    A smile crossed his lips. It was crazy. How could he have let an assignment become so personal? Then the reality kicked in. Eventually he’d have to leave Kansas City and return to New York. He still had a job there. An apartment he was