Jade (Perfect Match Book 4) Read online

  Jade

  Perfect Match Series

  by

  Rachelle Ayala

  Published by

  Lovely Hearts Press

  Copyright © 2018, by Rachelle Ayala

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publisher or author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real events or real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  All trademarks belong to their respective holders and are used without permission under trademark fair use.

  The character Jenna Ford is from Jenny: Beach Brides Book 5 and used by permission from Author Melissa McClone. The character Dawson Yates is from Amy: Beach Brides Book 12 and used by permission from Author Raine English.

  Cover Design by Raine English, Elusive Dreams Designs www.ElusiveDreamsDesigns.com

  Published in the United States of America by Lovely Hearts Press, 2018

  Table of Contents

  Introduction

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Prologue (Ava)

  Chapter One (Ava)

  Sweet Romances by Rachelle Ayala

  Introduction

  You’re cordially invited to spend an all-expenses-paid week-long trip to the island of your choice, courtesy of Perfect Match Online Dating and Travel Agency.

  Grab your beach umbrella and prepare for six weeks of romance and fun in the sun with a brand-new series brought to you by USA Today bestselling authors…

  Perfect Match!

  Six exciting, sweet novellas linked by a unifying theme. You’ll want to read each one!

  PERFECT MATCH SERIES

  Six women receive invitations from Dawson Yates, owner of Perfect Match, a brand-new online matchmaking travel agency for a free week-long vacation to the island of her choice. As part of an extensive promotional campaign, Dawson expects to make six perfect matches that he can use to champion his business. The women expect to meet the men of their dreams. What none of them anticipates is the chaos that ensues when six couples who were strangers before agreeing to spend the week together discover that love is a lot more complicated than a match made by computer algorithms.

  Join Bree, Marni, Molly, Jade, Ava, and Maeve as they embark on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation in the pursuit of love.

  This is Jade’s story…

  A romance author without a romance. A Navy SEAL looking for a little R&R. What could happen in a week on an island getaway?

  For author Jade Reed, romance is for the books. When her bestie cooks up a scheme for the perfect match on a tropical island, Jade sees an opportunity for a writing experience. Who needs a man?

  Navy SEAL Aiden Lin needs to unwind. His mom wants a daughter-in-law. She sets him up for a one-week vacation with his perfect match. He doesn’t need a wife yet, but maybe he can have some fun and make his mom happy.

  Neither is looking for love though they’re in the right place. Is it the right time, wrong time, or enough time?

  Meet the women of Perfect Match!

  BREE (Raine English)

  MARNI (Aileen Fish)

  MOLLY (Julie Jarnagin)

  JADE (Rachelle Ayala)

  AVA (Denise Devine)

  MAEVE (Josie Riviera)

  Prologue

  Jade’s Perfect Match Dating Profile

  Miss PITA, Age 25

  “The best revenge is massive success.” – Frank Sinatra

  Let’s cut to the chase. Most online match profiles are untrue and lame. Everyone is outgoing, a great cook, loves to hike, and yogas themselves into a pretzel on a regular basis.

  As if you care.

  Me? I’m difficult, entitled, spoiled, and did I say I hate cats? I’m not the type of woman you bring home to mom, I can’t fix stupid, and I most definitely don’t do boring.

  Why should you pick my profile?

  Easy.

  If you’re looking for a soulmate, don’t look at me. If you’re hoping for the love of your life, keep swiping. But if you’re as sick of dating and relating as I am, then maybe you’re the partner I’m NOT looking for.

  Chapter One

  “Who cares if you don’t believe in love?” Jade Reed’s bestie, Dani Davison, stabbed her gelled and jeweled fingernail tips at the touchscreen. “This is a once in a lifetime chance for a Perfect Match.”

  The cursor blinked over the tempting offer.

  A week in paradise on a tropical island of your choice. Compliments of Perfect Match Dating Agency. Click to Accept.

  “There’s got to be a catch.” Jade squinted at the tiny “Terms and Conditions” link.

  “Of course, there’s a catch,” Dani said. “Try six-feet-four inches of hunky man for a week of fine dining, adventure, and romance.”

  “Sounds too good to be true.” Jade clicked on the “Terms and Conditions” link. She was a bestselling romance author, and she wasn’t born yesterday. Offers like this came with a hook. “Is it a reality show?”

  “Nope. A simple promo, free and clear. Spend a week with the match of their choice. No strings attached. No engagement necessary. No happily ever after. Not even a happily for now.” Dani read in the fast-paced robotic voice of a commercial announcer.

  She was, after all, a voiceover artist who read audiobooks, and one of the authors she worked with, Jenna Ford, gifted the Perfect Match invitation to her as part of a promotional deal.

  Except, Dani was happily engaged to the love of her life, and Jade was unhappily betrayed by her nasty, rotten ex-fiancé, may he never rest in peace for his thieving ways.

  “Seriously? A free vacation anywhere in the world?” Jade’s interest perked as she scanned the fine print.

  “Absolutely,” Dani said. “All you have to do is put up with a man for a week, and then you can do all the research you want for a new tropical island series.”

  “It doesn’t say it has to be a man. Just a perfect match. How do they determine the match?” Jade’s agile mind started doing cartwheels. She might be a romance writer, but she was off the romance plantation in her private life.

  One big humiliation was enough.

  No one but Dani knew the real reason she’d called off her wedding, and Keith Kirkland, may his heart be pierced with a thousand darts, held a big secret over her.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Dani’s face stretched into a thousand-mile grin.

  “Oh yes, I am,” Jade said. “Think margaritas by the pool, binge-watching rom-coms all night, shopping till we drop, makeovers, spas and nail treatments, bling and rings, and tropical island male strippers. After all, it really is your invite.”

  “True, but I can’t redeem it, or Stephen will be jealous.” Dani licked her lips. “Although, it’ll be the ultimate bachelorette party for two.”

  Jade raised her hand for a high-five. “Let’s do it. You fill out your profile and I’ll fill out mine.”

  “How the heck do we make sure we’re each other’s Perfect Match?” Dani as
ked, twirling her long, brown hair.

  “Not a problem,” Jade said. “I am, after all, a fiction writer. I’ll make myself so odious and unattractive, no real man would pick me.”

  “You never know.” Dani dangled a twist of a smile.

  True. The thought had crossed Jade’s mind that any man who would choose her profile would be a mental case—either that, or a highly confident man who thrived on challenge. Like the heroes she wrote about. Conquerors who never gave up. Who knew what they wanted—her—and made sure she knew it, too. Determined, passionate, and very, very male.

  Nah, no one would rise to the challenge, even for a free tropical vacation. She’d have Dani’s company, rest and relaxation.

  “Let’s do it,” she said, clicking to redeem the Perfect Match invitation.

  ****

  Navy SEAL Aiden Lin stuffed the dog-eared paperback into his flak jacket as the taxi pulled up to the curb in front of the cramped Chinatown apartment on top of his mother’s souvenir shop.

  His one-month vacation was heaven-sent, especially since he’d just gotten out of a grueling mission deep in enemy territory. While his buddies jetted off to exotic locations or into the arms of adoring girlfriends and wives, Aiden looked forward to a long, relaxing break. He’d help his mother mind the store while binge reading Keith Kirkland’s latest spy thriller series.

  Maybe he’d even type up a few paragraphs of a spy thriller he’d dreamed up while trekking through hostile territory.

  Aiden ascended the narrow stairway behind the storefront and ducked under the lucky streamers and red and gold banners his mother put up every Chinese New Year.

  A dog banner hung over a rooster over a monkey over whatever was the lucky animal of the year before.

  His mother never threw anything away.

  “Mama, I’m home,” Aiden’s deep voice reverberated through the tiny apartment.

  “Aiden!” Mama threaded her way between the piles of boxes and crates stacked on every flat surface available. “You’re looking so skinny. Not enough to eat. Come. I’ll fix you something.”

  Aiden looked around for a place to drop his duffel bag, gave up, and squeezed his way to the kitchen. He was always hungry, and he couldn’t wait for his mother to fire up her big, black wok.

  “What are your plans?” Aiden’s sister, Cherie, looked up from a pile of bean sprouts she was cleaning. She was a newlywed and expecting her first child, which would go far in taking the pressure off Aiden to have children.

  “Nothing whatsoever,” Aiden said. “Help Mama in the store, eat Chinese food, go to kung fu, and maybe do a little writing.”

  A strange look passed between Cherie and Mama.

  “What’s going on?” Aiden felt an uneasy tingle niggle the base of his neck.

  “Oh, nothing,” Cherie said. “It’s such a waste of leave to sit around here doing nothing.”

  “You should write.” Mama shook the spatula. “You’re getting older. After you leave the Navy, what kind of woman will marry you if you’re not a bestselling author?”

  “Mama, you’re getting way ahead of yourself,” Aiden said. “One thing at a time. I’m not leaving the Navy, and I’m not getting married.”

  “You’re the eldest son,” Mama reminded him. “Ever since Baba died, I’ve been praying you would get married to carry on the family name. You make your Mama worry too much with all the wars you’re going to. Settle down, like Cherie here.”

  Getting married and even getting pregnant hadn’t stopped Cherie from making her last skydive. But arguing with Mama was like waving a red banner in front of a bull.

  Aiden, too, was like a bull—stubborn. “I’m not going on a date. If you two set me up with anyone, forget about it. I’m looking forward to doing absolutely nothing.”

  Again, Mama and Cherie eyed each other, as if each one urged the other to speak out.

  “Okay, you two, spit it out.” Aiden crossed his bulging arms and stood his ground, squarely in the center of the cramped kitchen.

  “It’s too good to pass up,” Mama said.

  “Right, and you’re actually a winner,” Cherie added. “A wonderful prize.”

  “Nothing we could ever afford.” Mama rubbed her fingers and thumb together.

  “I’ve already accepted for you.” Cherie wiped her hands on a towel and strode from the kitchen.

  “I’m not going on a date!” Aiden roared after his troublemaking sister.

  “Wait until you see what it is,” Mama chimed in. “It’ll be good for your writing.”

  “Ta da!” Cherie came back to the kitchen and waved a colorful envelope. “A free tropical vacation.”

  “But, but, you can use the money for the store,” Aiden said. “I can’t take it.”

  “No cash value if you don’t take it,” Cherie said. “It’s free because you were selected as a Perfect Match.”

  “A computer selected you, not us.” Mama put her hands together in a praying posture. “It’s fate.”

  Aiden took the envelope from his sister and opened it. “You sure this is legit?”

  “One hundred percent,” said his sister. “And the best thing about this is your favorite author, Keith Kirkland. He’s going to be on the island at the same time.”

  Aiden scanned the paperwork. “It says here I have to spend the week with a woman who’s my Perfect Match.”

  “It’s only a week,” Mama said. “Anything can happen in a week.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” Aiden stuffed the envelope with the ticket and itinerary into his pocket next to Keith Kirkland’s latest bestseller. “Any idea who this woman is?”

  Both Mama and Cherie shrugged their shoulders and painted the innocent expressions only a Chinese mother and sister could perfect.

  The letter said all would be revealed once he got on location. A part of him was intrigued. A week, take it or leave it, with no obligation to ever see the woman again sounded doable, especially if he wanted to try his hand at writing. She could even turn into a character study, and the location could be the setting for a nest of spies posing as beauty contestants—his latest story idea.

  Aiden sighed and wiped his fingers through his crew cut. “Guess I better work on my pitch. Keith Kirkland’s looking for coauthors, and this could be my lucky break.”

  Chapter Two

  Jade pressed her forehead against the window as the airplane descended below the clouds. Jeweled chains of lush green islands dotted the colorful waters of the Caribbean ranging from patches of light turquoise and spearmint near the shore to the deeper royal farther out.

  Ile d’Amour was a tropical island at the southeastern corner of the Caribbean. A sovereign nation, it had bounced between French and English rule before obtaining its independence late in the twentieth century.

  Tourism and agriculture were the mainstays of its economy, and it was known for spices, coffee, and chocolate. It was also dubbed the Island of Love, shaped like a broken heart. A semicircular harbor nestled between the two lobes, and a mountainous spine of volcanic craters jagged down the center, separating the rugged windward side from the resorts on the more developed leeward side.

  Jade’s ears popped as the charter jet circled for the landing.

  Meanwhile, she had no clue where Dani was going to meet her. Citing her need to de-stress before the trip, her bestie had gone incognito to a Buddhist retreat where cell phones were checked in at the gate.

  Jade wasn’t too worried, since Dani was one of those quirky people who flitted in and out of civilization whenever the whim struck her.

  Still, she was peeved that her bestie would leave all the packing to her, and it did feel a little like she had a trick up her sleeve, the way she so quickly disappeared once Jade signed the Perfect Match contract promising to reimburse the company in full should she not spend the week with her assigned date.

  Jade was hit by the warm muggy air as soon as she deplaned. The natives were happy and relaxed, speaking in a sing-song voice, and
even though Jade worried about Dani, she decided to check out the other arriving tourists.

  Families clustered around each other at the baggage claim, while a tour group assembled in front of a guide who passed out badges. Several elderly couples were helped into golf carts to whiz them to the rental car lot. Meanwhile, a group of military men on leave walked off with their bags, straight and tall, and several people dressed like leisure golfers went by with their golf club bags.

  One man stood by himself. A tall, broad-shouldered Asian man with his nose buried in a thick paperback. His hair was cropped short and his skin had a healthy bronze glow, but he was overdressed for a tropical vacation, wearing dress slacks, polished shoes, and a white button-down shirt.

  Jade’s gaze lingered on him a moment too long, because he lowered the book and caught her staring. She quickly looked away, annoyed as he sauntered toward her.

  It figured they were the only two Asian people at the baggage claim, and he would automatically assume they had something in common.

  Jade’s mother was Chinese, but she didn’t speak any language other than English. She oftentimes felt out of place in her San Francisco neighborhood where strangers automatically greeted her in Chinese.

  She resumed staring at the empty baggage carousel as if mesmerized by the revolving metal leaves.

  “Guess everyone’s on Caribbean time,” the man said. His deep voice drew delicious chills over her skin, despite the warm humidity soaking through her clothes.

  “Yep,” she said, not making eye contact. At least his English was perfect, without an accent. Jade hurried to check her cell phone, then dashed a text message to Dani.