Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“I think the earbuds thing is a girl hack,” Harper replies. “He’s definitely lonely. Ani, you should offer to buy him a drink.”
“I’m not going to bother the man.” Just because he’s a guy doesn’t mean he’s looking for a sexual partner for the night.
I’m not the kind of girl who picks up a guy for sex.
Though now I wonder why not? I’m single. I’m apparently in desperate need of stress relief, and I don’t do things like go to the gym. I’m more of a read a romance novel girl. The dirtier the better, and I do not apologize.
However, the latest book I read about a badass chick who gets railed hard—and lovingly—by her three werewolf fated mates has done nothing to alleviate my need for physical affection.
My taste in literature is one of the things the last guy had been opposed to. He’d told me that women who read romance novels are obviously lacking something in their lives. And then I told him I didn’t read mysteries because I didn’t lack murder in my life and that he was made of misogyny, and we broke up.
The stunning man across the bar wouldn’t ever have to deal with my reading choices, nor would he ever have to know that there are some candies I eat like a polite squirrel. He’ll never have to know that I don’t like prime numbers. They’re scary, and I don’t want the volume to be left on one of them. Six or eight are perfectly fine volume numbers. If I had any courage at all, I would walk up to him and ask him if he wants to hang with me for a couple of hours, take out my frustrations on his hot bod, and then we would both have a good memory.
But I’m not going to do that because deep down I do believe those romance novels. I want a connection with someone before I hop into bed. Not a forever connection. I like to think I have a healthy relationship with sex, but I do like some real conversation first. I like to think the person I’m going to bed with is nice.
“Hey, if it helps at all, my grandmother says she’s got a couple of matches for you,” Heath offers.
I feel myself blush. Lydia Marino is Heath’s grandmother and one of the last great matchmakers in New York City. She’s been connecting people for over fifty years, and she’s got a whole system in place. When Ivy and Heath had gotten together to build an AI matchmaking program, they’d used a lot of Lydia’s work to train the system. And Lydia had asked Harper and I to fill out her forms. For fun, she’d said.
It hadn’t been a lot of fun. It had been weird and made me realize I have a lot of baggage. And some quirks.
It’s been weeks and nothing, so I thought Lydia had been telling me the truth and she just wanted to get to know us better. The fact that she’s been trying to match me up scares the crap out of me. “Oh, I have to work. No time to date. It’s all work all the time for the next couple of months.”
Harper snorts and pokes my arm like we’re twelve again. “Lydia found you a boyfriend.”
I shake my head. I do not need this. I have sworn off all dating apps and going out with men my mom meets at church. Nope. I’m good on my own. Book boyfriends are all I need. Fictional men never ask me what my favorite bible verse is or if I want to split the check because I’m not as hot as I was in my profile.
Fictional men truly are superior, and that’s why I’m playing this smart. I’m not going to introduce myself to Hottie McHotterson, who probably will turn out to be a serial killer, with my luck.
I’ve never dated a serial killer, but it feels on brand for me. I did date a guy who tried to rob a bodega with a water pistol. I heard he did well in rehab.
“Thank her for me, but this job is going to take all my time for the foreseeable future,” I explain as politely as possible because while I might not want Lydia’s matchmaking services, I do like her lasagna, and at least once a month she invites us all to lunch.
“I’m sure you’ll have some time off.” Harper knows how hard work is going to be for me, but she’s got a look of mischief in her eyes I rarely see these days.
She’s enjoying teasing me, and I find I can’t quite shut it down, but I can make a point. “You know you filled out those forms, too.”
“Yeah, but I was totally honest, so she’s never finding a dude for me,” Harper shoots back.