Page 66 of Perfectly Matched: Harbor Falls Romance Collection

“I want to ask her to marry me.”

Suzie imagined her eyes were quite huge. Ames had spirited her away from the studio for lunch the next day while Patricia held a meeting with one of their advertisers. They had worked hard all morning and had managed to shoot two shows with Ames swooping in throughout to take several food shots.

Of course, there were so many more shots to take. They were just getting warmed up and comfortable working together, but Suzie knew that she liked Ames a whole heckuva lot—besides, she’d always considered herself a very good judge of character. She imagined that should she be able to finagle Ames and Patricia together as a couple, the four of them—she and Brad, Ames and Patricia—would be great friends.

First, she had to find out some things from Ames. She had to be sure.

“So, let me get this straight—you and Patricia haven’t been together for almost three years, the relationship ended badly, and now, after just meeting back up with her yesterday, you realize you want to marry her?”

“Yes.”

Ames stared at her with a very determined look on his face.

“I let her go. No, I pushed her away. I was such a scared, stupid fool. I loved her then, I was just too young to realize it, and I love her now. I simply need to convince her of that fact and that I...”

“That you won’t cheat?”

“So, you’ve heard.”

“I’m beginning to get the picture. I mean, people talk, and I have ears.”

Closing his eyes, Ames inhaled deeply, held it for a second, and then let out a lengthy cleansing breath.

“I didn’t say I don’t have my work cut out for me.”

“So, what makes you think you won’t stray again?”

“Remorse.”

She arched a brow. Remorse was a good sign.

“Besides that, I love her like crazy.”

A better sign. “Go on.”

“For three years my heart has ached, and I’ve regretted my actions for every second of my life since Patricia left.”

“But you continued to cheat on other girlfriends.”

“They weren’t Patricia. After her, no one compared. I gave up.”

Suzie drummed her fingers on the table.

“I think I know Patricia well enough to say that she’s not going to be a pushover.”

“No. I mean, yes. You’re right.”

“So, how will you win her over?”

Ames replied very succinct and matter of fact with.

“That’s where you come in.”

****

“And that, ladies, is how you set a cozy desert table for two, complete with a warm and gooey Double Chocolate Decadent Delight Brownie ala mode with my signature Buttered Almond Toffee Topping followed with a Bourbon Coffee chaser.”

Suzie leaned closer to the camera and brought a bite up to her mouth, stringing fudge from plate to spoon.

“All I can say is this.”

She took a bite of the gooey confection, giggled while she wiped a slip of chocolate off her chin, and then savored the bite.

“Yum. I’m Suzie Hart, your matchmaking chef, and this is one way to bake you a match, girls.”

There was a second’s pause and then.

“That’s a wrap.”

Suzie whooshed out a breath.

“Okay, I’m officially tired.”

“Same.”

Patricia swept up next to Suzie and gave her a hug.

“Perfect, hon. It was classic. You are a world-class pro in front of the camera now.”

Glancing down at the dessert and wanted to swoon from lack of food since she had skipped lunch.

“That brownie is absolutely sinful.”

With her pointer finger, she reached to scoop up some fresh whipped cream.

“Stop!”

Ames caught her wrist.

A bit flustered, she turned what she hoped was a serious-as-hell scowl on him.

“Take your hand off me, Ames.”

“Don’t touch that. It’s perfect. I need a shot.”

“It’s melting, Ames.”

“No, it’s perfect. Move your ass, honey.”

He crowded up to her and shoved her aside with his hip.

“This will only take a—”

For the likes of her, she didn’t know what possessed her to do what she did next. Maybe because it was Ames, and maybe it was because she was hungry, and maybe, just maybe, it was because she didn’t like being hipped out of the way.

She wanted like hell to pick a fight with him. Some sort of weird payback?

“Go home, Ames. We can do this tomorrow.”

He was hunched over the desert with his camera poised, snapping away.

She bumped him in mid-snap.

He turned an annoyed but wicked grin on her.

“You don’t really want to do that, Plummish.”

“Do what?”

“Interrupt me while I am in pic mode.”

“Well, I’m in ala mode and I want that ice cream.”

He turned away and positioned himself again to take a shot.

“You’re going to have to wait another couple of minutes.”

“By then it will be too melted.”

Why was she goading him.

“Even though I have to work with you doesn’t mean you call the shots, Ames. I do.”

“Not when you’re in my arena. I—”

He started to snap, and Patricia shoved her hand forward and simultaneously scooted him out of the way. With two fingers, she scooped up a huge dollop of semi-melty ice cream and whipped cream topping.

“What the hell?”

Ames lowered his camera and squared himself in front of her.

Uh-oh, she had angered him now. For some odd reason she giggled inside.

“Oh, you weren’t finished?”

She brought the ice cream up to her mouth and sucked her fingers dry.

There was a distinct twinkle in Ames’ eyes. The outer corners crinkled. Without hesitation, he set his camera down, picked up the brownie plate, and took a step closer to her.

“No, I wasn’t finished.”

“Hm.”

She swiped her finger into fudge this time, then again, brought it to her tongue and licked. Damn, it was almost like a dare. Maybe closer to a tease.

Before she could react, Ames took a couple of fingers full of the brownie goo as well, and without words, crowded closer and smeared it down the side of Patricia’s face, raking his chocolate-covered fingers across her lips.

“Oh, now you’ve done it,”

she mumbled through brownie crumbs and fudge.

She stood steadfast, but truth be told, the act of his hand smearing chocolate over her face and lips was way too sensual. The way he lingered, smoothed...

Dammit.

She scooped up another finger of cake and ice cream and slung it. The sticky mass splatted across his nose.

Ames palmed a handful of the dish and smeared it across her chest.

Patricia dove for the table and the other dessert.

Unfortunately, just as she scooped up the second plate, her heel slipped in melted ice cream on the floor and down she went. But not before she fisted Ames’ black t-shirt at his chest and pulled him down with her.

On top of her.

The second dish of Double Chocolate Decadent Delight Brownie ala mode with Buttered Almond Toffee Topping tumbled from her fingertips and landed on the floor beside them. Soon, cake, ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, and topping were flying, and Ames and Patricia were rolling on the floor of Suzie’s new kitchen set, squealing and shoving and pushing, while the crew jeered and hooted, and Suzie fretted about her table scape, until...

A deep voice, reminiscent of the voice of God, boomed out over the chaos. Patricia knew that voice and knew that things were not going to bode well for either of them.

“Ahem,”

the voice said and then paused.

“You know, when I was a child, we used to fetch the water hose to separate dogs in heat from their rather aggressive suitors. Anyone have a hose handy?”

Patricia immediately stopped shoving cake in Ames’ face.

His eyes were wide and his smile broad. He looked like a candied chocolate confection laying there on the floor opposite her. His hands were on her waist, and the look in his eyes was one of...

Shit.

She pushed back and stood. Ames followed. She tore her gaze away from Ames’ come-hither sexy aura and brushed cake crumbles and gunk from her ruined suit. Looking up, she connected with the stoic face of her boss—Patrick Monahan, the CEO of City Works Productions, the parent company of Channeling Food—and was not entirely able to tell if he was angry or amused.

“In my office. Now. Both of you.”

He turned and walked away.

She nodded and swallowed. Ames swept a hand in front him as if to say.

“ladies first.”

She straightened her back, her lapels, and the mess of sticky goo she once called her hairdo and made her way through the snickering throng. She assumed Ames was following and didn’t turn around to check.

Monahan was quick about it. At least there was that. Ames stole several glances at Patricia during the man’s stern speech, a speech he wasn’t sure he really heard much of but wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Patricia look so yummy.

Whipped cream became her.

Monahan dismissed them with a warning and practically shoved them out of his office.

Glancing sideways at their exit, Ames said.

“I would love to lick every morsel of whipped cream and chocolate fudge off your body right now.”

Her eyes widened as she turned, looked him straight on, and said.

“In your dreams, Coopsie. In your dreams.”

She walked away, her pencil-skirted ass sashaying a rhythm to rival the erratic beating of his heart.

He smiled big, inside and out, his chest swelling with emotion. He was getting to her. She called him Coopsie.