A Familiar Match

Sofi Ryan walks into the matchmaker's office with her stomach tied in knots. Divorced. Dating again. She needs Kenna James to hold her hand. Kenna smiles wide and tells her the wait's over—she's already lined up Sofi's perfect match. Said match is walking through the door any second. The door opens. It's Gia Derza. Sofi's stepdaughter. Every muscle in the room goes tight. They stare. Neither one moves. Then the heat kicks in, thick and mean, and both women feel it land low in the gut. Kenna clocks the looks but plays it cool. Her numbers don't lie, she says. These two click harder than anyone she's ever matched. They owe it to themselves to try. Sofi licks her lip. Gia swallows. Kenna leans forward and tells them to quit stalling and kiss already. See where it goes. Sofi steps in, heart hammering, fingers curling around Gia's waist. Gia meets her halfway, lips parting, the first brush of tongues sharp as a live wire. The kiss deepens fast—wet, hungry, years of tension cracking open in seconds. Kenna watches with a knowing half-smile, already clearing her desk for whatever comes next.