Page 28 of A Match Made in Error

Poppy always says I should see a shrink…maybe she’s right.

Laughter ripples nearby, and I can feel the tension coiling around us that the silence is creating. Angora is nodding, holding on to her lord’s arm like a life preserver.

And now, I realize, Poppy is doing the same. Her hand is curling on my thigh now, and she isn’t looking at Angora or the lord; she’s looking at me. Like she’s…worried.

The music surges, and the attention of all matches is called to the stage just outside the interior of the beach club. It’s small, facing the ocean and decked out in tiki torches and palm fronds.

“We'd better get seats before they’re all taken,” the lord says in a posh accent that really pisses me off.

“Bye!” Angora says with a wave, trailing after him with her hand in his like a lost puppy.

“Riven, are you okay?” Poppy hasn’t moved, so I can feel her breath on the bare expanse of my chest.

“Yeah.” I release a steadying breath, letting my eyes meet hers for the first time since Angora arrived. “That rattled me more than it should’ve,” I say honestly, shocked after the words leave my lips.

“Matches, gather around!” the Maiden requests. “It’s time for a little talent show!”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Poppy asks, but my mind is already on the next thing. A talent show? Perfect. Something loud enough to drown this feeling in my chest.

“Who wants to go first?” the Maiden asks, and no one moves over to the stage.

“No,” I answer, lolling my head lazily toward her. “I want to dance.”

“Dance?” Her face pinches in that way it always does when she’s confused. “What are you talking about?”

My hand raises without breaking eye contact with her. “I’ll go first,” I yell into the crowd, garnering the eyes of all the servers and my fellow contestants.

“Wonderful!” the Maiden claps her hands. “Come up, please!”

“Riven?” Poppy should be far less aghast than she is. I do stuff like this all the time.

I retreat backward from her slowly, palms raised, eyes bright with trouble. “I’ll be right back. Swear it.” The sand squishes beneath my toes, the only thing keeping me grounded as I move past Angora and her match.

I whisper in the musician’s ear, asking him to play something upbeat. My neck rolls, and I shake my legs out to loosen my hips, a charming, lethal grin on my lips when I turn to face my future, adoring fans.

The music starts, and I with it. My first moves are casual, kind of lazy, honestly, but it still earns a slack-jawed smile from a witch in the front row. I roll my shoulders and plant my feet, surrendering to the music without shame.

My eyes pass over Angora, who is fanning herself beside her irritated match. That’s right. Watch me. Forget him. Feel something at losing me.

My hips swing naturally on beat, just like I’m at home in the kitchen, dancing with no one watching. I spin, ready to stare at Angora once more until her match gets so irritated he mouths off or storms away, but as I turn, my eyes catch on Poppy. She’s not laughing at me like I thought she might; Fate knows she loves to tease me. Her brows are raised, eyes wide with something like awe as she watches me.

If it were anyone else looking at me, I’d think that look was dangerous. Wanting.

She must be in shock.

Poppy’s eyes stay on me, unwavering, and she only looks away when Angora approaches her, hands clapping lazily as she says something that has Poppy’s brows furrowing. Angora better not be bothering her.

Poppy should look away from Angora.

She should keep her eyes on me.

Chapter Ten

POPPY

Iwasn’t prepared for the audacity of it. Knowing him, I should have been, but I really wasn’t ready for how it made me feel.

One second, he’s just there—solid, broad, and all easy confidence with zero warnings—and the next, his body moves like gravity has never applied to him. Like he knows the world will pause and wait for him.