Jasmine

“It doesn’t matter,” I say, not wanting to get into the details.

He’s no longer that happy, carefree man he was a few minutes ago. “It matters to you. Matters enough that you’re willing to throw away part of your life with a man you don’t love.” He snaps, staring down at me like he owns real estate on my soul.

God, he’s gorgeous with his dark hair, searing blue eyes and just enough facial hair to make me want to rub my face against. The man looks impressive standing there in his well-fitted suit. Even in my heels, he’s got to be over a foot taller than me, and I’m at least five eight in these shoes.

“Jasmine, I’ve been looking for you. Excuse us, Ford, I have someone I need to introduce her to.” Delilah interrupts, rescuing me from telling him my sad life story.

“It was very nice speaking with you Ford. I hope you find what you’re looking for.” I manage to get out before Delilah pulls us away. The last thing I want is for him to find one of these women attractive or think she’s right for him. Silly me can’t help but picture being that woman, but I don’t have time for what ifs and maybes. I need to meet a man who knows what he’s getting into. This marriage will be nothing but a business decision plain and simple.

“That looked intense.”

I nod. “It was getting to be, but you saved the day.”

She looks back at Ford and then turns back with a frown. I look back to see him watching us closely.

“I went over my client list and invited two men who I felt would be a good match and are only interested in a marriage on paper. While I’ve vetted these men and know they would follow through on the contract, I have to warn you, this is not a love match.”

“I understand Delilah. You know why I’m doing this. I need to be married, the sooner, the better.”

She smiles at me sadly. “I know, but damn I hate setting up couples when they aren’t going to last. That is not why I do this job. If you only had more time, I know I could find you someone that would be perfect for you.”

“I’m just thankful you didn’t think I was a crazy person when I came in for my interview last month wearing my diner uniform and smelling like grease. Most people would have taken one look at me and shown me the door.”

“That’s not who I am Jasmine. Come on, Jackson O’Leary is waiting, and he’s quite the catch, if only he weren’t still hung up on his high school sweetheart that is happily married with four babies.”

“That’s sad.”

“It is. He needs a wife as a companion and to show that he’s a serious family man. He’s looking to make partner at his law firm, and they’re only looking at people who can show they are committed.”

Walking up to a handsome man that is staring down at his phone, Delilah clears her throat.

“Jackson this is Jasmine, the woman I spoke to you about.”

His smile brightens when he really looks me over. “Oh, I think this arrangement could work out very well for both of us.”

My stomach twists the moment he grabs my hand and kisses the back of it. I smile politely, but on the inside, I’m wondering if it would be rude to wipe off his kiss. He starts rambling on about business dinners and how I’d feel about hosting parties at our home. I start tuning him out, already bored with everything that is coming out of his mouth.

“Of course, you’ll need a new wardrobe, strike that, you’ll need a new look altogether. I’ll have my secretary make you an appointment at the salon in my building and then I’ll have my personal shopper meet us at my condo. I’d also like to introduce you at my firm’s New Year's Eve party so we will need to be married before then.”

The more he talks, the more I feel as though I’m suffocating. I can’t do this. I thought I could, but there is no way I can spend the foreseeable future tied to a man like him. “Excuse me, I need to use the ladies room,” I say interrupting whatever it was he was going on about.

Backing away, I spare Delilah a quick glance and see she’s frowning. Shit, I hate disappointing people, especially people like her who have been so nice and have given me a chance when most wouldn’t. With tears pricking my eyes, I rush out of the hall not paying any attention to where I’m going. I walk quickly, needing to get away from here as soon as possible. When I’m far enough away from all the noise, I look up only to find the man from the bar leaning against a wall glaring at his phone.

I’m about to turn around before he sees me when I stumble over the heels I borrowed from Christine, one of the servers at the diner I still work at. She’s gorgeous but is a tad bit curvier than me and taller.

“Jasmine?” He calls as he nears me, but I’m too embarrassed to look up. What girl wants to trip in front of a man she finds sexy and has been thinking about since she saw him? If I ignore him will he just walk away and leave me to my pity party?

Ford crouches right beside me and lifts my chin, so I’m looking up at him. “Beautiful girl, look at me.” Damn, if I were looking for love, he would be the exact kind of man I would be looking for.

“That’s better. Here, let me help you up.” Standing, he grabs my arms to help me up, but the pain is too much, and I cry out and fall unable to support my weight on an ankle I didn’t realize was twisted. Before I hit the ground, Ford sweeps me into his arms, one arm around my back and the other under my knees.

“Well, that won’t do, will it? Let’s get some ice for that ankle, hmm?” He asks staring into my eyes.

I nod and allow him to carry me into an elevator. When the doors close, I start wondering where he’s taking me. “Where are we going?”

“To get ice, in my room.”

He has a room? Of course, a man that looks like him does. Probably so he could bring some woman up. I struggle in his hold not liking the thought of him and another woman one bit. “Easy tiger, I’d hate to drop such precious cargo because you were moving all over the place.”

“Let me down,” I demand, but the second I do, the bell dings and the doors open to his floor. Instead of letting me down, he strides swiftly down the hall with a smug grin across his face. Stopping in front of a room, he deftly pulls a keycard from his pocket and flashes it in front of the sensor unlocking his door. He has us in the suite and me on the bed in seconds, propped up against the pillows.

“Here, you want to keep this elevated,” He says, grabbing an extra pillow from the closet and putting it under my swelling ankle. He pulls my heels off my feet and drops them on the floor beside the bed. “I’ll be right back beautiful, I need to grab some ice.” And just like that he grabs the ice bucket and is gone.

I’m tempted to just leave, but the pain radiating from my ankle is severe, and he’d probably make it back before I got to the elevator. I lay back against the pillows to wait, but I get bored as the minutes pass and he still isn’t back yet. I grab the remote on the bedside table deciding to find something to watch. One of my favorite crime dramas is on and it just so happens to be a favorite episode of mine.

When Ford finally comes back he’s carrying a bag of things, but no ice. I quirk my eyebrow at him, and he rubs one of his hands behind his neck, and he blushes. “The ice machine was down for repairs, so I ended up going to one of the shops and got you a couple of things.”

He starts pulling things out one by one and handing them to me. “I got some pain reliever to help with the pain. Also, I didn’t know what you liked to drink, so I got you a few different options. Personally, I like Gatorade, the orange kind. There’s also some chocolate and -”

“Ford, why did you get all of this?”

He blinks at me a few times like he’s processing what I just asked. “To make you feel better?”

“Thank you, but I think I should just go. You’ve been amazing, but I need to get home.”

“Why, is there someone waiting for you?”

I roll my eyes. “We were just at a matchmaking event, why would I come if there were someone for me at home?”

He shrugs, “You said you weren’t looking for love.”

I glare at him. “I would never cheat on someone I was with. When I marry, there won’t be anyone else, even if it’s not a love match.”

There’s a knock on the door, so Ford turns back to answer it.