Feb. 23, 2025

The Perfect Match (Part 4 of 4) - "Valentine's Dawn" - A Valentine's Special

The Perfect Match (Part 4 of 4) - "Valentine's Dawn" - A Valentine's Special

On Valentine's night at the Carlyle's grand gala, Sophie and James execute their final plan to catch the killer. Their public debut as a matched couple becomes deadly when Sarah reveals herself as the mastermind, forcing Sophie to confront her past...

On Valentine's night at the Carlyle's grand gala, Sophie and James execute their final plan to catch the killer. Their public debut as a matched couple becomes deadly when Sarah reveals herself as the mastermind, forcing Sophie to confront her past decisions. Between passionate encounters and lethal confrontations, Sophie and James must decide if their attraction is worth dying for. The episode culminates in a rooftop showdown where love proves as dangerous as bullets, and their perfect match becomes a matter of survival.

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Calarogu Shark Media, Hello and welcome to Romance Weekly. This

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episode is titled Perfect Match, Part four Valentine's Dawn.

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Perfection is a lie. That's the secret of matchmaking. No

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one wants perfect. They want the right kind of broken,

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the kind that fits their own jagged edges. Stop profiling me.

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James murmurs against my neck as he zips up my gown,

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red silk backless, dangerous, perfect for a Valentine's massacre. Can't

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help it. I lean back against his chest, watching us

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in my penthouse mirror. Professional hazard, like stealing diamonds, his

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hands linger on my hips, or saving federal agents, like

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falling for the man hunting you. I turn in his arms.

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His tux is immaculate, concealing both weapon and wire, ready

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to put on a show for our audience. His mouth

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finds that spot below my ear that makes me shiver,

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or for the killers both. I check my lipstick, the

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same shade from London. Elena has the guest list, three

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potential victims, all matched for Valentine's dates, and one matchmaker.

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His hands tighten possessively. They're coming for you tonight. Let them.

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I press closer, feeling the gun under his jacket. That's

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the plan. Remember his kiss is answer enough, deep and

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demanding and full of everything. We're not saying. We might

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not survive this night, but at least we'll go down burning, Sophie,

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his voice rough against my skin. If this goes wrong,

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it won't. I silence him with another kiss. Trust me,

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that's what you said in London. I smile against his mouth,

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and look how well that turned out. The Carlyle's ballroom

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is a Valentine cliche, all red roses and champagne fountains

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and crystal hearts, catching candlelight, the perfect setting for romance

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or murder. Three targets. James murmurs as we descend the

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grand staircase, his hand possessive on my back. Amanda Pierce

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at your four o'clock blue daw matched with the hedge

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fund manager. I smile for the cameras, Thomas Reid by

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the bar, Great Tom Ford and the last Helen Maxwell.

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Well not here yet. I turn into his arms as

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the music starts, But.

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Her date is.

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His hands settle on my waist as we begin to dance.

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To anyone watching, we're the perfect couple. The matchmaker and

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her match lost in each other, if they only knew

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someone's watching, he says, against my ear, second floor balcony.

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I know. I press closer, letting him feel the knife

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strapped to my thigh. She's been there since we arrived,

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she Sarah Collins. I feel him tense against me, your partner,

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my rescue, the one who started all this. His hands

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tighten on my silk covered skin. Impossible. Sarah's in Geneva. No,

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I meet his eyes. Sarah's right here, and she's not

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just watching us, She's hunting us. The music shifts to

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something darker, slower, more intimate, like the truth. I'm about

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to tell him? What aren't you telling me? James's thumb

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traces circles on my lower back as we turn across

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the dance floor. About Paris, About Sarah. She wasn't just

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investigating the trafficking ring. I let my cheek rest against

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his lips at his ear, she was running it. His

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step falters, almost imperceptible. You're sure, very. My fingers curl

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into his lapel. Why do you think she needed to disappear?

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The evidence she collected wasn't to expose the operation. It

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was insurance protection from who? From you? I pull back

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enough to meet his eyes. She knew you were getting close,

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knew you'd figure it out eventually, so she arranged her

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own disappearance, used me to deliver false evidence, to distract

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you with with diamonds and seduction. His laugh is dark

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against my skin, with a beautiful thief who'd lead me

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on a chase across Europe. Exactly. I arch into his

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touch as his hand slides lower. Only something went wrong,

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what I fell for the wrong agent. My lips brush

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his jaw, and now she's here to correct that mistake.

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The music stops above us. A figure in black moves

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away from the balcony Sophie. His voice carries warning, the

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targets are moving right on schedule. I step back, straightening

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his tie, ready to catch a killer, Ready to finish

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what we started in London. My smile is sharp in

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the candle light. That depends, did you bring handcuffs? His

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eyes darken with promise and danger. Backstaircase. Two minutes, make

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it three. I brushed past him, letting our bodies slide together.

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I need to powder my nose, code for I need

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to check the tracker I placed on Amanda Pierce's bracelet

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when we air kissed. Hello, the lady's room is all

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marble and gilt mirrors. I check my lipstick, adjust my dress,

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play the part of a woman touched by romance rather

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than adrenaline until Sarah steps out of the last stall.

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Hello Sophie. She looks exactly the same as Paris elegant,

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lethal per effect? Or should I say goodbye? Sarah? I

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don't reach for my weapon, not yet, love the dress Valentino,

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still noticing the details, She moves closer, her heels, clicking

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on marble, still playing games. Tell me? Does James know

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what really happened in Paris? What you really stole? He

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knows enough? Does he? Her smile is razor sharp? Does

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he know you were supposed to kill me that night?

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That instead we made a deal, a deal you broke.

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I turned to face her fully when you started killing

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my clients. Had to get your attention somehow, She produces

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a small gun from her clutch. Had to remind you

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what happens to people who betray me like you betrayed James.

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James was a means to an end. The un doesn't waiver,

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just like you were, Just like he still is. Is

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that why you've been watching us. I take a step closer, jealous.

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Her laugh is cold. Please. I orchestrated every moment, the

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camera in your office, the bugs, the evidence trail, every touch,

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every kiss, every passionate encounter, all designed to bring you

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both here tonight for what For the final match? She

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gestures with the gun. Now move, We have an appointment

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on the roof. The roof. I let her guide me

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toward the service elevator. Not very original, Sarah, but effective.

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She presses the button with a gloved hand. Perfect view

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of the ballroom, perfect vantage point to watch three of

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your clients die while James tries to save them and me.

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You the elevator doors slide open, You get to watch,

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then join them inside. She keeps the gun pressed to

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my ribs, close enough that I can smell her perfume.

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Still Clive Christian number one. Some habits never change. He'll

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figure it out, I say, as we ascend. He's not

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the same agent you knew. No, her smile is knowing.

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Thanks to you, he's compromised, emotional, vulnerable. Thanks to me,

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he's awake. I meet her eyes in the mirrored wall,

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to all of it, the trafficking, the murders, Your perfect

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little operation perfect until you the gun digs deeper until

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you actually fell for him. Rookie mistake, Sophie, My only mistake,

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I shift slightly, letting my dress ride up. Was not

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killing you in Paris. Oh, the elevator stops. Your mistake

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was thinking I came alone. The doors open to reveal

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four men with guns and behind them, illuminated by the

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city lights. Elena, my blood runs cold. Sorry, Sophie, my friend,

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my partner steps forward. But Sarah's operation pays better than matchmaking.

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You are the leak. Everything clicks, the office cameras, the

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security breaches, and the perfect inside sauce. Sarah pushes me

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onto the roof. Now, let's call your boyfriend. Tell him

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where to find us. I reach for my phone, but

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I'm smiling. What's funny, Sarah demands. You really should have

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searched me better. I nod toward the ballroom below. He's

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already here. The first shot takes out Elena's right hand man.

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The second catches one of Sarah's guards in the throat.

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The third the third misses as Sarah yanks me in

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front of her, using me as a shield. Always the hero,

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she calls out to the shadows where James is positioned,

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still trying to save everyone, not everyone. His voice carries

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across the roof, just her. Sweet Sarah's gun presses against

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my temple. Tell him what you really are, Sophie. Tell

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him about the USB drive you took in Paris, the

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one with all my client lists, all my contacts, the

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one I gave to Interpol. I feel her grip Titan,

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or the fake one I left in Geneva, the real one.

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Her mouth is at my ear now, the one you're

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using to run your own operation. James steps into the light,

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his gun trained on Sarah. That's not why she took it, no,

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Sarah laughs. Then why because I drive my elbow back

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into her solar plexus. It had your kill list on it,

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including his name. Everything happens at once. Sarah staggers, I

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drop and roll. James fires, but Elena is faster. Her

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bullet catches James in the shoulder, spinning him around. Sarah recovers,

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aiming at me.

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Enough.

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She's breathing hard, fury distorting her perfect features. I gave

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you everything trained. You taught you how to read people,

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how to match them, how to use them. You taught

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me how to kill. I rise slowly, keeping her attention

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how to make it look perfect? And now her finger

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tightens on the trigger. Now I'll show you what I learned.

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The knife from my thigh holster flies true, catching her

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in the throat. At the same moment, James's second shot

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takes Elna between the eyes. Perfect match. James reaches me first,

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his good arm pulling me close. You okay me. I

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press my hand to his wound. You're the one bleeding

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all over our many worth it. His mouth finds mine,

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desperate and deep around us. His backup team secures the

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roof Sarah's body. Elna's betrayal the clients, I ask against

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his lips. Safe. We got to them before Sarah's people

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could move. His hand cups my face. It's over, is it?

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I pull back enough to meet his eyes. There'll be questions, investigations.

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Your superiors will want to know about London, about Paris,

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about us. Let them ask. He kisses me again softer.

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Now I've got some questions of my own, like what

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like why you really saved me in Paris? His thumb

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traces my bottom lip, Why you left the evidence in London?

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Why you.

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Why I fell in love with the man hunting me.

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The words hang between us, more dangerous than any bullet.

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His eyes darken as he processes what I've said, Sophie,

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don't I press my fingers to his lips. Not yet.

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First hospital, then debriefing, then then I smile against his mouth.

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Then I'll show you what else I learned in Paris.

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Promise cross my heart. I let my hand slide down

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his chest, and if you're very good, I might even

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let you use those handcuffs. His laugh rumbles through both

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our bodies. Happy Valentine's Day, Matchmaker Below us, the gala continues.

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Sirens wail in the distance, Dawn approaches, painting Manhattan in

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shades of possibility. James, Hmmm, next time you hunt me,

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I kiss him, tasting blood and victory and future. Try

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to keep up.

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Romance Weekly is a production of Calaroga Shark Media executive

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producers Mark Francis and John McDermott. Portions of this podcast

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may have been created with the assistance of AI

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Calaroga Shark Media