Page 81 of The Billionaire Mismatch

“And how do you know who should be looking for sand dollars and not augurs?” she asks.

“Science,” I answer plainly.

“Science,” she echoes. “Well, call me crazy, Mr. Laurent. But I believe the human heart is more than equations and codes to be cracked. And I also believe the heart knows best.”

“So you leave the fate of the most important relationship in your life up to feeling?” I ask.

Then Olivia does something I’m not expecting. Something I didn’t calculate. Something I couldn’t have predicted. She inches closer to me on the couch, closing the space enough that her lips are less than a breath away from mine.

“I leave it up to instinct,” she says breathily.

“I see,” I nod, twirling a lock of her hair in my fingers. “And what are your instincts telling you right now?”

“That I should kiss you,” she says.

“Interesting,” I whisper back. “Because mine are telling me the same thing.”

Both of us lean in. But just before our lips touch, her phone buzzes, making both of us jump. Olivia looks at the text and then tucks it away, but not before I see the name on the screen.

Sadie.

I see a conflict behind her eyes that she quickly recovers from or covers up.

“Come on,” she says, standing up and holding out a hand. “There’s somewhere else I want to take you.”

Chapter 27

Olivia

“A jewelry store?”Luca asks skeptically as we step inside. “You wanted to show me a jewelry store?”

Honestly, I just wanted, well, needed, to get out of the studio. Going there felt invasive enough, like trespassing in a way. After all, it is the place I record podcasts about love and relationships.

Between that and receiving a text from Sadie right before we kissed, it felt like cosmic intervention. And while Luca doesn’t believe in those types of things, I do. So much so that my nerves were tingling enough to make me want to throw up. So much so that yanking him down the stairs, out the door, around the corner and into the first shop we encountered felt like the only way to break the bad juju.

“This is my favorite jewelry store,” I lie. I’ve never been here before. Although once I look around, it’s not actually a lie. Not really. Everything is handmade, more boho and geometric than silver and gold, and all of it is totally something I would buy.

“Interesting,” Luca mumbles, and I toss him a look.

“What’s interesting?” I ask.

“I guess I just don’t see how they can charge so much for fishing tackle,” he says and I gasp. “Sorry. It’s alright if you like it. But it’s not Tiffany’s.”

“No, it’s not. Tiffany’s is way overpriced,” I say, slowly pursuing.

“It’s also real,” he says.

Then I gasp again, reaching for a bracelet. “I love this,” I say.

“Really?” he asks skeptically.

“Yes, really,” I say, attempting to unlatch it so I can try it on. It’s a charm bracelet, sort of coppery gold with yellow and green gemstone charms on it.

“Here,” Luca says, stepping closer and taking the ends of the chain. His fingers brush the inside of my wrist, sending a spark of electricity through me. Once it is latched, I hold it up, watching the sunlight sparkle through the gem facets like sequins.

“It’s very pretty,” he says softly.

“It’s lovely,” I say, still watching the sparkles dance.