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He shook his head. “They knew who I am, but they weren’t interested in me personally. Just my bank balance.” He gestured to the menu. “This place has the cheese fries you like.”
“That’s great, but does it have a similar salad that you prefer?”
“It does,” he replied with a nod. “I think it’s even better than the last place.”
She smiled and relaxed. “Good. The last restaurant you chose didn’t have anything that you liked and you stole half my fries.”
He shrugged and set the menu aside. “Wasn’t a problem. You’re always forgetting to eat during the day. Then you order an enormous meal and can’t finish all of it.” He signaled to the waiter. “I’m actually doing the world a favor by stealing your fries.”
She snorted and shook her head. The waiter arrived and they put in their order. “When is your next marathon?” she asked. “Are you still training every morning?”
“Absolutely.” He winked at her. “I get grouchy if I don’t run at least every other day.”
Raven rolled her eyes, trying to suppress a smile. “You’re grouchy all the time, from what I’ve heard.”
And they were off! Their banter back and forth contained mutual teasing mixed in with serious questions. Once again, they were so involved in hearing about the past few days spent apart that Raven forgot to bring up the two other candidates that Tim might like.
Chapter 7
“Ms. Markley is here,” his assistant announced.
Tim stepped back from the microscope and patted the lab technician’s shoulder. “You’re on the right track, but check on the endotherms with that formula. The properties aren’t reacting the way they should.”
Turning, he pulled his lab coat off, hanging it on the hook by the glass doors. He punched in the correct code, then hurried out of the laboratory, no longer thinking through the problems with the next product’s formula. Instead, he was wondering about the next round of candidates that Raven was going to bring him.
Was he going about this spouse-hunting thing all wrong? Should he…what? What would he do? Raven’s services were the only option he could think of that didn’t involve online dating apps or blind dates with women that his friends recommended. He shuddered at both of those ideas.
Instead of meeting yet another bland, logical woman, Tim had dreamed about kissing Raven every night for the past two weeks. Two hellish weeks during which he’d wondered what she was thinking about, what she was doing. Was she even in the city? Or had she left Philly in order to interview other clients or candidates.
He didn’t like the idea of dating someone who didn’t live in Philadelphia. What would be the point? One of them would have to relocate and he didn’t think he could move his laboratory to a new city.
So yes, the woman would have to live here in Philadelphia. The image of Raven, smiling as she pushed his spoon away and grabbed another bite of chocolate mousse cake popped into his head. He almost chuckled, then realized that several members of his staff were watching with confusion and curiosity.
Immediately, he wiped his features clean of emotions and walked out of the laboratory.
“Ms…” he started to greet Raven, reverting to the formality of her last name. But at the sight of her sitting in one of his chairs, her long, sexy legs crossed and the end of her shoe dangling from her toe…he was lost. In his mind, he was already bending over to flip the shoe off of her foot, kissing her as he stretched her out on that leather sofa and stripping off the rest of her clothing.
She wore a tight, red skirt today and paired it with a white, silk blouse. He remembered the white silk blouse she’d worn on their first meeting and how he’d seen the shadow between her breasts. This white blouse buttoned all the way up to her neck with some sort of frou-frou ruffle along the edge.
He wanted to rip that material off and find that dark shadow, to investigate every inch of her and find out what she liked and didn’t like. Where did she prefer to be touched? Did she like a firm hand or would she prefer his fingers to trail along her skin? With his fingertips? Or his mouth? Or both?
Slowly, Raven stood up and turned, her blue eyes daring him to use her last name. When he finally lifted his eyes from her legs to her breasts and then to her eyes, he nearly laughed out loud, delighted with that challenging glare.
He pushed his door closed…the slam not even breaking the tension that was now sizzling between them.
“Did you bring some chocolate cake?” he asked, walking towards her.
Raven laughed, shaking her head, which made her dark hair shimmer in the overhead lights.
“Not a chance.”
He thought about ripping that silk blouse off so that he could see what was underneath. He thought about wrapping his hand around those dark, silken strands and pulling her head back so that her beautiful neck was exposed and he could discover all of the places that would cause her to sigh with pleasure.
And yet, as he walked towards her, Tim had to remind himself that Raven wasn’t his woman. In fact, she was the complete opposite of “his woman”. She was literally in his life to find him another woman.
That thought irritated him and he didn’t stop until he was mere inches from her. He noted the soft catch in her breath and the way she leaned against his desk.
“Do you still think about that kiss from several weeks ago?” Why the hell was his voice so raspy?
