Page 8 of Just One More Moment

She shook her head and rushed to dress in her gown from last night before she did as he’d asked and joined him in bed.

Chapter Four

For Remy, theonly thing harder than letting Raven leave without an argument was agreeing to keep things light and not serious between them. Because his mother raised him to be a gentleman—before he’d lost her, that is—he’d insisted on driving Raven home after she’d gotten dressed.

A detective at heart, he spent Sunday thinking about what made her tick. She kept to herself. Though she’d arrived at the wedding with Stevie, Raven normally kept her distance from people at work unless she was acting in her capacity as manager. Although she was friendly and polite, she was more solitary than not. Stevie was pushy, however, and she’d managed to become Raven’s friend. Or as much of one as Raven would allow.

The only person Raven seemed close to was her brother, Caleb. When he and his young son visited the restaurant, Raven’s face would light up, and she always took a break to spend time with them. That told Remy she didn’t isolate herself from her family but she did from outsiders. Remy being one of them, and he’d obviously gotten too close.

He was itching to use his contacts, dig into her background, and find out why she was so closed off, but he opted to respect her feelings instead. Which meant he had no choice but to accept that whatever her reasons, it wouldn’t be fair of him to push her for more than their one night.

The thought didn’t sit well with him and he’d spent a couple of hours at the gym near his apartment working out his frustration, along with his brother, Dex. A former football player for the Miami Thunder, Dex was also a connoisseur of women—in other words, a playboy—but he was smart, and he agreed with how Remy had chosen to handle the situation with Raven.

By the time Remy strode into the bar around eleven a.m. on Monday, he had himself under control and was ready to deal with Raven like his employee and nothing more. For now.

He walked past the front tables, noting the staff getting the area ready for the lunch crowd, nodding at those who met his gaze.

He reached the bar where Stevie smiled at him. “Hi, boss.”

“Good weekend?” he asked.

She nodded. “I slept in on Sunday and I needed it. You?” she asked in a serious tone, telling him she had no idea what had happened between him and Raven. Of course, she knew that Raven hadn’t shared an Uber home with her as planned but that seemed all. Anything else would be speculation unless Raven chose to tell her she’d been with Remy.

“Same,” he muttered, though he wished he’d spent the day with Raven in his arms.

As if he’d conjured her, Raven walked out of the office area and strode over to Stevie. “When you’re finished out here, Russell needs some help in the storage room.”

“Sure thing.” Smiling, Stevie headed into the back rooms, leaving Raven and Remy alone.

“Morning,” he said, setting the tone of not making things awkward.

“Hi,” she said, clutching an iPad to her chest.

Their gazes locked. And in her eyes, he caught a flare of desire before she tamped down on any emotion. She’d perfected the blank look brilliantly.

“Good rest of the weekend?” he asked.

“Sunday was fine.” She took the stool beside where he stood, lowering herself on to it and placing her iPad on the counter. “But it was no match for Saturday night.” Her sexy lips stretched into a sassy, almost secretive smile and his heart skipped a beat.

He assumed she’d ignore what went down between them. Her acknowledgment confirmed what he already knew. Raven would always surprise him and he enjoyed the unexpected.

“You don’t say?”

She didn’t reply but the lift of her lips remained.

He pulled out the seat next to her and sat, leaning in close enough to inhale peachy scent, which got his blood boiling. “I’d much rather have spent Sunday in that hotel bed with you.”

Her cheeks flushed an attractive shade of pink. He wanted nothing more than to run his nose along her neck and breathe her in but she’d never forgive him if he acted on that instinct at work.

“Everything quiet here?”

She nodded. “All set for the lunch crowd up front.”

The bar itself didn’t open until later.

“Raven, got a minute?” She jumped at the unexpected intrusion.

Remy glanced over his shoulder to see her brother standing behind her, hands in his trouser pockets, a serious look on his face.