A Familiar Match

Sofi Ryan sits across from the matchmaker with her hands folded, a divorced woman testing the waters again. Kenna James watches her with quiet confidence and names a match so perfect it borders on destiny. She’s already summoned the woman to the office so the introduction can happen in neutral air—nothing left to chance. When the door opens and Gia Derza steps in, both of them freeze. Stepdaughter. Former stepdaughter. The word sits heavy between them. Then something shifts. Kenna notices the heat first, the way their gazes snag and hold, the faint flush creeping across Sofi’s collarbone. Still the older woman hesitates, tells herself this is wrong, that she should leave. Gia’s fingers twitch at her sides, the same conflict flickering across her face. Kenna won’t allow retreat. Metrics don’t lie, she insists, and a single kiss will prove it. Sofi leans in first. Her lips brush Gia’s and the spark becomes a slow burn. Gia answers with a soft, hungry sound that turns the kiss deeper, tongues meeting, breath sharpening. Fingers curl into fabric. A palm settles at the small of a back. Heat gathers low and insistent. Clothes feel too tight, skin too warm. Kenna stays silent now, merely watching as the match she engineered catches fire in front of her.