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"Fuck. I didn't mean--I'm not talking about that shit! I hate that it happened to you, but I'm not here to judge or gloat over being right. I didn't want to be right! I'm here because the woman I spent the night with was special, and I want to get to know her again."
Her muscles relaxed slightly. "That night was special to me, too," she said softly. "But there can't be anything between us anymore, Liam. We're too different." Her small laugh was humorless. "I knew it when I met you. You were heading toward greatness. You're a police officer, just like you dreamed. And you were right to warn me about the drugs, but I couldn't hear you then. I was too trapped within my own stuff."
"But you're clean now," he pointed out. "You faced your demons. I just want some time with you. Don't we owe ourselves that after the way we left things?"
"No. We owe ourselves the truth. We'd never be good together."
"You won't even give me a chance?"
Her eyes held not only a touch of sadness but a banked fire that snapped with ferocity. "I'm not even thirty years old and I don't feel comfortable in a bar. Or at a party where everyone's drinking. I go to meetings on a monthly basis, and I have a mentor I still regularly check in with. Every day, I wake up and tell myself I'm not going to drink or use. Every night, I almost weep with gratitude that I stayed clean. Is that the type of girlfriend you want? I have more baggage and issues than you could possibly imagine. You think that'll be fun for you?"
Her words pegged him like jagged glass splitting skin. The truth shone in her face, the acceptance of what she'd experienced and the new path she walked. She was right. He could have an easy woman, one who clung to his arm and accompanied him to social events, who drank beer with him while he played pool, who he never had to worry about or doubt.
Problem was, that woman wasn't Isabella. A woman he'd spent one too-short evening with. A woman whose last name he didn't even know.
His entire life had been about achieving goals and reasonable expectations. From his grades to mentoring his younger brother to making his parents proud. He was precise, controlled, and liked things neat. Police work called to his sense of justice and righting the imbalances of life.
But he'd found something else about himself throughout the years. People were messy. So was life. He'd arrested criminals who broke the letter of the law but who he could easily understand. They had difficult backgrounds. Made wrong choices. Screwed up. He'd realized imperfection had a rough beauty about it, especially when people held a willingness to see the truth about themselves.
Izzy had reached that type of epiphany that most never got to. She'd done it the hard way, but damned if he didn't want to delve deeper to see the woman she'd built through disaster.
So he gave the only answer he could. "Yes."
She tilted her head, regarding him. "Yes what?"
"Yes, I think it will be fun, because I'd get to be with you. Will you go out to dinner with me?"
She gulped, staring at him like he'd gone crazy. "No! I just told you all the reasons we're not good together."
He smiled slowly. "I don't think they're good reasons. Unless you're seeing someone?"
He caught the flash in her blue eyes. She wanted to lie, but she didn't. "No."
"Good. How about Friday night?"
"No, Liam. You have to go. I'm not going to date you or pursue this any further. Kinnections will find you a woman who's meant for you."
He analyzed the situation. He bristled at her determination to dismiss him before getting to really know him. He also understood her wariness. He needed to move slowly so she could get used to the idea of him being around. She needed to begin to trust he was interested in her, including her past. This brief encounter only proved the energy between them was real. They were connected in some way and needed to explore that deeper.
He also desperately wanted her in his bed.
Devine nodded. "Okay, I'll leave. But first you need to answer one question."
"What?"
"What's your last name?"
Her tentative smile was sweet and ripped at his heart. "MacKenzie. Isabella MacKenzie."
There was so much more he craved to know, but it would have to come later. "Isabella MacKenzie," he repeated, rolling the name on his tongue like a caress. "I like it."
"Should I be calling you Devine, instead?"
"Never. You can call me Liam. That's who I will always be with you."
She pressed her lips together. Then opened the door. "Good-bye, Liam."
He wanted to ruffle her hair or touch her cheek. Tell her not to worry. Instead, he kept his distance. "Good-bye, Isabella."
When he left, excitement and promise surged in his blood. Her honesty humbled him. She never flinched when she told him her story, owning her mistakes as well as her triumphs. She had been fascinating and confident when he'd first met her six years ago.
Now she was pure magnificence. Real.
And the challenge of a lifetime.
Driving away, he felt as if the color had leaked back into the world around him, ripe with the tantalizing fruit of the unknown. The strange restlessness inside quieted.
chapter five
IZZY DRAGGED IN A BREATH and prepared herself for the upcoming hour.
She could handle it. Liam had an appointment with Kate for his interview so he'd be matched with the right woman. Kate was a genius when it came to her matchmaking skills, besides having a very special talent that Izzy had a hard time believing at first but finally witnessed in full force. When Kate put her hands on two people who were soul mates, she got jolted by an electrical shock. Gen had given her the entire story of how Kate had met her husband, Slade, when he stormed into Kinnections calling her a fraud. Izzy could only imagine how their love story had played out.
Arilyn and Kennedy were out of the office, and the day had been a bit calmer than usual for an early Wednesday afternoon. The lunch-hour rush had passed, so she kept busy working on the spreadsheets and calculating matching data to load back into the system to find proper matches.
She was still experiencing aftershocks from Liam's evening visit.
Knowing she'd been just as important to him that night had healed some deep wounds. But there was no way she could relive a night where she consistently questioned her actions, wondering if she had listened to Liam and climbed back into bed her path would've veered in a different direction, saving so many people she loved horrible pain.
Regrets are part of healing. You can never take back your actions, but you can forgive, make amends, and move on. You have a responsibility to lead a full, happy life, for you and God. Obsessing about regrets will poison your soul.
Her sponsor's words echoed in her mind, allowing her to calm down.
Her body thrilled to life when he told her he wanted to have dinner, but her brain firmly dragged her back from the precipice. She couldn't have sex with Liam. She was past jumping into bed with a guy because it scratched an itch, and though she couldn't regret her open sexuality, she'd changed. She realized she'd dove into sex as an escape from her real problems and swore the next time she got physical with a man, it would be because real feelings were there.
He may have offered dinner, but she knew the hidden meaning behind the words. He wanted her in bed, just like six years ago. Problem was, she was a different person now and he'd only be disappointed.
Her body raged and whined. Two years with no sex was a damn long time. Especially when orgasms had been a regular occurrence. Now she had to rely on a machine, and although it was capable, it was definitely not the same.
On cue, Liam walked in.
Her hands fisted, then slowly relaxed. He was out of uniform, wearing dark-washed jeans, a pale-gray button-down shirt, and leather tied shoes. Even out of uniform he looked handsome. Proper. And sexy as hell.
He stopped in front of her desk and leaned over. Trying not to shrink back, she watched the color of his pale-blue eyes reflect a tinge of silver, hypnotizing her. His perfect face could have launched a
thousand movie careers. "Hi, Isabella. I'm here for my appointment with Kate."
"Of course." She prayed her skin wasn't turning a hot pink. Why did she suddenly feel like a schoolgirl? She was always so confident in her sexuality. "Umm, Kate is running a bit late. Let me take you into the conference room so you're more comfortable while you wait."
"I'm comfortable hanging with you."
His easy smile curved full lips. She had a sudden urge to lean over and take a succulent bite. "No! I mean, you need to wait in there for her. It's more comfortable."
"So you said."
Damn him. Amusement laced his molasses-rich voice. She wasn't going to let him make her uncomfortable. "Follow me," she snapped smartly, getting up and leading him down the hall.
Her ass tingled like his gaze was stuck on it.
The room was large, set up for easy conversation and sharing. The silver rug was accented by purple chairs, a large mahogany desk, and encouraging signs scattered about the walls. A large coffee machine and pitcher of homemade lemonade sat on a side table. "Can I get you anything?"
"Yes."
"Coffee? Lemonade?"
"Have dinner with me."
She jerked slightly. "No, thank you. If you'll just take a seat, Kate will be right with you."
"It's just dinner."
Her brow arched. "Nothing is just dinner. If you haven't learned that yet, you've been with the wrong women."
He laughed. "This time it would be. I just want to talk."
"Said every man in the history of time. Excuse me."
She walked out with her head held high, breathing a sigh of relief when she was out of his energy force field. She'd never met another man who affected her like this. The phone rang, and she jumped to get it. "Kinnections matchmaking agency."
"Izzy? It's Kate. Listen, I have a huge problem and I need your help."
