As I’m about to unlock the door to my apartment, I spot Kim walking toward her unit with a dog trotting behind her. She’s smiling like she’s been having a great time. But then, why wouldn’t she? She got to spend time with a dog, not Svetlana of the Somersaulting Tongue.

I shove the keys back in my pocket and walk toward Kim, anger and resentment twisting inside me. Since she’s been ignoring my texts about the women she’s selected, I’m going to do this in person. And now is the perfect time.

“Kim.”

“Wyatt.” She gives me a small nod.

When I don’t get out of her way, she arches her eyebrows. And even now, she looks like some goddess. And I hate it that I’m noticing how pretty her eyes are.

What is wrong with me? Or maybe there’s nothing wrong with me. She’s just too evil to be ugly. Like the snake that tempted Eve. How beautiful and mesmerizing must that reptile have been to get a woman to do what it wanted? Women usually run screaming when they see a snake.

I stay in the same place, wanting to erase the smile on her face, although I’m not sure exactly how yet.

“You’re blocking the way,” she says, slowly, like I’m intellectually challenged.

There must be something clever I can say. It’s just at the edge of my mind, but I get a whiff of her scent—a hint of clean sweat and something sweet and soft. My blood surges south, which is the wrong direction. Now the clever thing that I almost had is gone.

“You are seriously evil,” I say, the filter between my brain and mouth not working anymore.

“Me?” She blinks a few times. “Evil? I’ve been trying to help you.”

“Your idea of help is matching me up with unacceptable women.”

“Unacceptable? In what way?”

“Shallow, clingy, foolish…”

“It isn’t my fault that single women who aren’t off dating apps and rich enough to not want your money are like that.” Suddenly Kim gives a theatrical gasp and puts a hand over her mouth. “Or…wait a minute… Maybe it’s you bringing those qualities out.”

I should hate her for that, but instead I still find her hot. Argh.

“You set me up. You never intended to take this seriously.”

She stiffens. “You have no idea how seriously I take my job.”

“All you want is the five hundred thousand dollar bonus!”

“Yes, and look how I’m helping you!”

“You aren’t fooling me. It’s just like when you made me think you reciprocated—” Okay, hold on. High emotions and hormones don’t make for the best confrontations, because you end up saying and doing things you shouldn’t. Like telling her I assumed she felt the same way about me all those years ago…

The fact that I’m still thinking about it shows she still matters in some way, and I’d rather skydive with a ripped parachute.

“Reciprocated what?” she demands, hands on her hips, a flawless picture of outrage.

She must’ve taken a lot of acting classes. She’s been in L.A. for a while, after all. It infuriates me that she went this far to mess with me.

But I’m not going down without a fight. Revenge can be a two-way street.

“Well? I’m waiting,” she says, tapping her fingers against her hips. “Hurry up, because I don’t have all night, and apparently I’ve got to arrange yet another date for you.”

She means yet another disaster.

And she keeps on talking. God! The need to shut her up before I shake her teeth loose surges through me.

I grab her and push my mouth against hers, bracing myself to hate it. After all, this isn’t the girl I fell for in Corn Meadows. She’s like a lizard’s belly now. This kiss is going to put her in a box labeled “exes I never want to think about again.” And most importantly, it’ll mess her up, make her wonder why. Why I’m kissing her, why I’m holding her and why I’m not throttling her like a rational human being would.

But she doesn’t feel especially reptilian. Her lips are warm and soft, and her taste reminds me of a cherry-flavored gelato I had once. Lush, sweet…addictive.

My blood roars in my ears, screaming more.

She doesn’t push me away, but goes absolutely still. Not even her breath tickles my skin, and I realize she’s in shock…and at a point where she hasn’t yet decided if she’s going to kick my butt or participate. Her mouth stays sealed, and I flick my tongue over it, tasting more of her.

Every cell in my body trembles for her. We’re on a precipice, the danger and more in the connection of our lips, like we’ve both been waiting for this moment.