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Kennedy snaked her arm through Laura’s and leaned in as she whispered, "He can’t stop staring at you."
She didn’t need to ask who ‘he’ was. She could feel Knox’s gaze like a physical touch. Which was something that she thought romance authors made up and only in that moment realized actually happened and was happening to her. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end, and she had goosebumps.
Ignoring the physical sensation of his focused attention, Laura continued onto the deck and stood in a line of about twenty women. Some of them she recognized as locals; others were either on vacation here or had come in from surrounding towns for the event.
"I have a good feeling about this," Kennedy excitedly declared as they waited.
Well, that made one of them. Laura had to admit that it was freeing not to put any pressure on the outcome of the evening. She had zero expectations because she’d decided to close up her dating shop.
Tonight, she was here for moral support only. And if watching Knox flirt happened to speed along the process of getting him out of her system, well, that was just an ancillary benefit.
When they reached the front of the line, Kennedy and Laura both scanned the barcode that they’d been sent after they’d filled out the mandatory registration questionnaire, and Kennedy introduced herself to the host of the event.
"Hi Felicity, we’ve been emailing back and forth. I’m Kennedy Dawes, and this is my bestie, Laura Lopez."
"Oh, Kennedy, yes! It’s great to put a face to a name. And hi, Laura."
Laura had filled out her share of questionnaires on dating sites, and normally the questions were similar. They asked you to rate the qualities you were looking for in a mate. There were usually questions about family and kids. And to list any dealbreakers you may have.
The compatibility questionnaire for Sensory Speed Date had been unlike any she’d ever seen before. It had been a series of scenarios and questions about how you would respond to them. It asked how you would want your partner to respond. It had you rate what gestures made you feel loved, seen, and appreciated. Not just in a romantic sense, but in your career, family, and friendships.
She had no idea how that would translate into finding your perfect match, which is what it claimed to do, but clearly Laura wasn’t an expert in that field, so what did she know.
"Okay, go ahead and put these on and this." Felicity handed both Kennedy and Laura some pads connected to wires, a small box that reminded Laura of the defibrillator in her CPR certification, and a blindfold. "Your seat number is the same as the machine you have."
"What is this for?" Laura asked as she and Kennedy walked to the correlating seat assigned to them.
"It’s the heart rate monitor," Kennedy explained.
"The heart rate monitor?" Laura repeated as she stopped beside seat eighteen.
"Yeah. You wear the heart rate monitor, and you smell each one of your dates before the speed dating round. It has something to do with pheromones."
"What about the blindfold?" Laura asked as she followed the instructions and hooked herself up.
"You didn’t read any of the information on the website, did you?"
"No." Laura shook her head.
"You wear the blindfold, so you don’t know who you’re smelling."
"What?" Laura had been accused by many of being a control freak. The thought of smelling men and not being able to see them freaked her out a little. No, a lot.
Her second husband had wanted to use blindfolds in the bedroom and had also wanted to tie her up. She’d tried to go along with it but had bailed before anything happened. She just didn’t like the feeling of being out of control of any of her senses.
That being said, it was also her go-to fantasy when she pleasured herself. In theory, it turned her on. Being completely at a man’s mercy. Letting him do anything and everything he wanted to do to her.
"Penny for your thoughts." A deep voice rumbled through the thunder in the sky.
She looked up and saw Knox, who was staring at her, and the intensity was once again back. She felt so seen by him. Logically, she knew that he wasn’t a mind reader, and there was no way he had any clue what she’d been thinking about, but a part of her felt like he knew exactly what she’d been thinking about.
She tried to take in a calming breath, but he was standing so close she could smell his aftershave, and apparently her olfactory nerves were connected to her groin because the scent was causing her lady parts to flutter.
"I was just…I was…" Laura could hear herself stumbling over her words as she tried to explain what she’d been thinking. "I just... I've never used one of these before."
Laura had no idea why she’d just made that admission to him.
Knox’s jaw ticked, and she sensed his demeanor shift. "Do you need some help with that?"
