Cautious Match

Cautious Match Perfect Match Agency Book One Roe Horvat Contents Acknowledgments Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Epilogue Chance Match by Wendy Rathbone Blind Match MM Farmer Perfect Match Agency series Talk to me Insatiable? About the Author Also by Roe Horvat Cautious Match Perfect Match Agency Book 1 First edition Published 2023 by Roe Horvat Copyright © 2023 Roe Horvat All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, without a written permission from the author. The licensed art material is being used for illustrative purposes only. This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or business establishments is coincidental. Edited by Wendy Rathbone and Merry Farmer, 2023. Proofreading by Karen Meeus and Vin George, 2023. Cover art by Roe Horvat, 2023. * * * * * * Jori I don’t want to be single forever—I just find it difficult to put myself out there. That’s why my meddling brother registered me with a matchmaking service. They did personality tests, took pheromone samples, and now they claim they’ve found the ideal alpha for me. So ideal, we’re supposed to be like fated mates from the legends, irresistible to each other. We need to be careful around each other, or my scent might set off his rut, which is a scary thing to happen with a complete stranger. Except the Agency won’t tell me anything about him. I must pick up the courage and meet him to find out for myself. Avery I’ve always attracted the wrong men. After several abysmal breakups, I don’t dare to date, so it sounds like a great idea to let an agency choose a mate for me. Jori Mullins is a 26-year-old omega, a shy little accountant, and my perfect match in all aspects. He doesn’t have a manipulative bone in his body, and his honesty humbles me. Instead of tempting him, my wealth and status make him uncomfortable. He’s gentle, kind, and way smarter than he lets on. His scent alone has the power to wipe out my self-control. I want him badly, but I need to keep my distance and gain his trust first. If we get too close to each other, our bodies might take over and make all decisions for us. * * * Perfect Match Agency is a multi-author gay romance series. The stories are non-shifter omegaverse, with high heat and low angst. Male pregnancy is possible in the world. Each book can be read as a standalone, features a new couple, and a satisfying happily ever after. Cautious Match is the first book in the series and features instant connection, rut and heat. Acknowledgments My heartfelt thank-you goes again to Karen, for her hard work and patience. Thank you so much, Merry and Wendy. This project has been amazing fun, and I’m grateful to be part of it. Vinnie and Deven, I love you, guys, forever and always. I’m grateful to my dear patrons and beta readers for reading early versions of this story, loving it, and making it better. I owe my deepest gratitude to every kind, generous person who invested their energy into reading my drafts and advanced review copies, and who listened to my whines with empathy. Each and every one of you who reads, writes, publishes, promotes, and supports LGBTQ+ stories, thank you. Chapter One Jori “Thank you for coming at such short notice, Mr. Mullins.” “Jori is fine. I feel like I’m at work otherwise. And you asked me to call you Hubert last time, remember?” I tended to babble when I was nervous. And right now, I was coming out of my skin. “I remember. Thank you, Jori.” Hubert Dufort gestured for me to sit, giving me a wide, toothy smile. The decor at the Perfect Match Agency’s office wasn’t helping to calm me in the least. The furniture looked so posh I was afraid I’d sully something just by brushing it with the cheap suit I’d had since my college graduation. I gingerly lowered myself into the leather armchair while Dufort plonked into his and rubbed his hands together. “I love this part,” he enthused. I didn’t share his excitement. I was eager to have the meeting over with. “I’m guessing you have news for me.” “Excellent news, in fact. We’ve found a match.” The glass of water shook in my hand when I took a sip and put it back onto the table. This was what I’d been hoping for, right? I should be thrilled. Instead, my stomach clenched. “Okay.” “It’s exceptional. We rarely have such high numbers, but you scored 96.3 in the overall compatibility and 98.1 in pheromones. This man seems to be made for you, Jori.” That sounded excessive. “Um. Who is he?” Dufort hesitated, and I slumped. I knew there’d be a catch. “The client has asked for additional privacy measures.” “More privacy? Isn’t this entire service cloak and dagger?” During my first visit at the Perfect Match Agency, I’d signed three different contracts and NDAs about personal data protection, medical test results confidentiality, and another about the agency’s top-secret methods. Basically, if I ever talked to someone about the tests they’d done with me and which kind of samples they’d taken—blood for hormone levels plus sweat and slick for pheromones—they could sue me until I ended up naked and homeless. Dufort shuffled some papers around on his desk as he spoke. “If you agree to meet your match, you’ll be required to sign another nondisclosure agreement. In case the match doesn’t work out, you won’t be allowed to talk to the media about dating this person.” I blinked. “Oh.” The gears in my head shifted. “Is he some kind of celebrity?” “I’m afraid I