Raine had to wonder what the heck she was doing because Noah was so incredibly intense. He was probably one of the most intense men she’d ever met. So why was she going to breakfast with him? Maybe because she’d seen a flash of insecurity in his expression when he’d offered? And humor? Yesterday she’d seen brooding and angry. The humor was intriguing.
It was a little awkward riding down the elevator with him to the parking garage. They had seen each other a couple of times in the building, but yesterday had been their first interaction of any length, so it seemed a little odd to be getting into a vehicle with him. He was barely more than a stranger. Anxiety churned in her stomach.
With her mother’s remonstrations about being safe chanting in her head, she drew out her phone. She typed off a quick message to Paul to let him know what she was doing. He had probably just started his shift so he may not see it for a bit, but at least she was covered in case Noah turned out to be a serial killer or something. Glancing into the back as surreptitiously as she could she looked for anything out of the ordinary.
“I keep the ropes and duct tape in the very back,” he murmured as he hit a button overhead to let them out of the garage.
Her mouth dropped open at his words and the bottom fell out of her stomach. Then she looked at him and saw the glint of humor in his golden eyes. Without thought she reached out and punched him in the shoulder. He winced a little, then grinned.
“You’re bad,” she groused. “Why would you scare me like that?”
“What?” he grinned. “Ropes for the tree. I thought that was why you needed the SUV.”
Raine stared at him, wondering if she’d completely misread the situation. No, she hadn’t. She glared and he laughed again, holding up a hand. “Okay, I might be teasing you a little. I could almost see all the warnings you’ve ever received in your life marching across your face. ‘What’s that pretty little woman doing with the big, scary, black dude. He has to be kidnapping her…’”
He snorted derisively, shaking his head.
“You have no idea how close you are,” she laughed, a little uncomfortably. “Where I was brought up people of any color were few and far between, and not looked upon without suspicion, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I thought so.”
“College opened my eyes a lot, though. As well as dealing with my patients. We’re all the same,” she said simply. “Your blood is as red as mine.”
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. “You are very right.”
“And my worry about being kidnapped is not color specific. My mother warned me to stay away from men in general, especially handsome men.”
She snapped her mouth shut, praying he hadn’t caught that bit, but of course he did.
“Handsome, hm?”
Closing her mouth she snapped her head to the side to look out the window, and he let it pass. Then she realized she was supposed to be getting him breakfast. “Oh, and whatever you want to pick for breakfast is fine with me. I haven’t explored Arlington enough to know what’s good around here.”
“I have a place,” he told her, hanging a right and rolling through a couple of alleys.
They parked in a small parking lot behind an old brick building. Raine had no idea how he managed to get the SUV into the awkward spot, but he did. Then, before she could get her stuff gathered, he was around the car and opening her door. Raine looked into his eyes, level with hers for the first time, and a shiver worked its way down her spine. Not for the first time she wondered how much trouble she was in.
* * *
Raine ate her breakfast like a champion and didn’t natter on like some women did. She smiled at the waitress and had faultless manners, until it came to paying for the bill. At some point, probably when she’d gone to the bathroom, she’d worked out the check with the waitress before he could even get it.
Noah wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Not that she paid the check but that she went behind his back to do it.
“Don’t be aggravated,” she said with a smile. “You’re doing me a favor and I knew you wouldn’t let me pay you back.”
Yeah, she was probably right. “Okay, you got this round. Next one’s on me.”
Her lips spread in a broad smile and he had to look down at his plate. The woman was a knockout and it was hard to remember they were coworkers.
“Let’s go get this Christmas craziness.”
She laughed huskily. “Oh, you have no idea.”
Noah took her a few miles out of the city center and to a suburban shopping area known for its trendy growth. It wasn’t an area he preferred but there were several stores for her to pick from. The first thing she picked was a large tree, already bedecked with colored. Supposedly you could plug the damn thing in and it was ready to go. Then she started buying lights—boxes upon boxes of lights— and other knick-knacks.
Noah was fascinated. They’d had holiday get-togethers when he was a kid and he had a damn big family, but Raine took it to a whole new level. As she looked at the displays she was like a kid in a candy store, trying to decide which one to eat first. Noah just kind of stood back and watched. The absolute joy on her face was beautiful.
When she caught him watching her she ducked her head. “I know it seems crazy but I’m a little giddy. I knew I was going to have to work over the holiday and that I wasn’t going to be able to
