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He’d been staring at the small lights indicating the descending floors, but with her words, he looked at her, those intense, blue eyes causing her body to do some weird, flippy things. If that gaze was coming from anyone else, she might have suspected that there was some sort of bizarre attraction going on between them. But this was Timothy Armstrong. She literally hated the man. And he hated her! Worse, he didn’t believe she had any skills that could help him.
Okay, yeah, that’s what irritated her the most. That he disrespected her profession.
“Thank you,” he finally replied. Those blue eyes flickered back up to the lights, then to her again. “Everything we do here at Larmpo Industries is top secret. The people on my staff have to go through very intense background checks before they are ever allowed into the lab.” He sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand before shoving both into his pockets. “I don’t know why I even told you what they were doing. Normally, we don’t discuss our work until we’re ready to take the product to market.”
“I get that. Anything you do or say could end up betraying the trust of your company.” The elevator doors opened up and she stepped out. When he was beside her again, she continued, “It’s the same with me. My clients tell me their deepest desires and I help them find the person who can give them that. Sharing information on that level requires a great deal of trust.” She touched his arm, stopping him and she met his eyes. “I won’t betray your trust.”
For a long moment, he stared into her eyes. And for just a moment, the rest of the world disappeared. Raven kept looking at him, ignoring the growing crick in her neck because of his height. Ignoring the bustle of people moving through the lobby. Ignoring everything but the tingling awareness that seemed to sizzle and spark between them.
It wasn’t until someone bumped into her, breaking the spell, that she was able to take a proper breath. In that same moment, she noticed the fury wash over Tim’s face as he glared at the man who had bumped her.
“I’ll be right back,” he snarled and started towards the man who was halfway to the doors now.
Raven knew exactly what he was thinking and caught up to Tim in two steps. “Don’t,” she whispered. The one word stopped him and he spun around, his jaw tight again. “He didn’t hurt me and we’d stopped in the middle of a busy area.”
He blinked at her, then frowned at the man’s retreating back again. When he turned back to her, she could see his anger was still simmering, but he had it under control again.
“Coffee.”
Raven blinked. The man was certainly curt and to the point!
“Right. Let’s get some coffee and talk,” she agreed, but waited a moment until he turned to head out the door again.
He eyed her curiously, as if he was waiting for her to do the same. Smothering her sigh of frustration, she turned and led the way out of the building.
Sure enough, he lightly touched the small of her back. Yes, it was most likely a gentlemanly thing to do. Many men over the years had done exactly the same gesture. However…however what? What was the issue?
She didn’t like him touching her! He didn’t like her, didn’t respect her and her experience or her job.
So, why had he agreed to let her help him? If the man didn’t think her process was worthwhile, why had Tim Armstrong even agreed to this meeting?
That question seemed to ground her, to bring her back into what she did best. Raven was an expert at “reading” people, understanding their motives, and helping them find a lifelong companion that could enhance their life experiences.
Which was exactly what she needed to do with Doctor Armstrong. Be professional. Ignore that unexpected tingle at his touch and ignore the wish that she could turn and look up at him. Ignore the sensation of feeling…safe wasn’t exactly the right word. But…yeah, walking down the street, she noticed how the man shielded her from the others on the sidewalk. Was that just a habit? Or was it, perhaps, more personal?
Walking down the busy streets of downtown Philadelphia next to Tim Armstrong was a unique experience. Somehow, the stench of the garbage rotting in the alleys and the combustion of the traffic disappeared. She didn’t notice the bits of trash packed into the crevices of the sidewalk. Nor did she feel the heat and humidity that came with Pennsylvania’s summers.
It was…nice!
And…not so nice.
Raven valiantly tried to pretend that she wasn’t aware of the other women glancing at him, many of them doing a double take to get a longer look. Objectively, Raven knew Doctor Armstrong was a very attractive man. Scientifically, she understood their interest. A tall, powerful looking man who was obviously well-dressed was an eye magnet for women. Applying evolutionary logic to the problem, she understood that other woman would be attracted to him.
He was well over six feet tall with broad shoulders and…a swimmer? Nope, she looked at him again, assessing the way he moved. A runner, she decided, and then mentally nodded with approval. Yep, she was sure he was a runner. Most likely, a long distance runner.
Of course, none of that was in the file she’d compiled on him. In fact, there was very little in his file as yet. Raven did as much research as possible on her clients before meeting them, needing to understand what they might want in a spouse. As soon as a client called asking for an initial interview, Raven started researching. By the time she walked into the first meeting, she knew a great deal about the person, sometimes even including their shoe size. She scoured social media and the internet, reading articles written about them or articles that they’d written themselves.
Generally, her clients were wealthy, high powered, and socially savvy. They didn’t have time to find a significant other. Oh, they could easily find a sexual partner, and many of them did so on a regular basis. And thank goodness for that! She often used photos of their previous lovers to assess their current desires for their future spouse.
But Doctor Timothy Armstrong was a mystery. A fascinating, intriguing, obnoxiously handsome and irritatingly arrogant mystery. One that she was going to do her best to figure out, even if it killed her!
“This place has great food and the best coffee around,” he said, gesturing to a quaint shop on the corner. “We can talk in here.”
The place was larger than she’d expected, but still felt like every other pub-style restaurant. The walls were dark, the furniture leather and wood, the floors made of a durable, wood-like material that was sturdier than hardwood. The aromas were similar as well. Every pub in the city smelled the same, she thought, wondering if there was some sort of system to push the various scents into the air or of they all used the same furniture polish.
They stepped up to the line and, because it was nine o’clock in the morning, there was a long line of customers. Raven stood awkwardly in front of Tim, her back tingling, wondering what it would feel like if the good doctor would just wrap his arms around her and pull her back against his chest. She’d love…!
Raven stared straight ahead, mentally reviewing what had just passed through her mind. First of all, Tim Armstrong didn’t seem like the kind of man who would enjoy snuggling, especially not out in public. He seemed more the type to have wild, passionate sex, then jump out of bed to shower and hurry out the door as fast as possible.
