Prescription for Desire (6 page)

“
Hey, sleepyhead,” he said,
pulling into the parking lot of the medical facility.

“
Um, was I just lying on
you?”
Oh no …

“
Yep, for the past hour,”
he said, turning off the truck. “You kinda slumped over on me. You
were sleeping quite soundly and looked comfortable, so I didn’t
want to disturb you.”

Raven never was at a loss for words,
but lately she had been in his presence. “Oh … I’m sorry. I
…”

“
No biggie,” he shrugged,
“didn’t bother me a bit. I don’t mind a pretty lady sleeping next
to me.” He winked and opened his door. Sighing, Raven grabbed her
purse and was about to open her door, but he beat her to
it.

“
Thank you,” she said
quietly, avoiding eye contact with him. She was still in shock that
she had slept on his arm and actually thought it was
comfortable.

“
Hungry?”

As soon as he asked, she realized that
she was. It was after seven o’clock, and she hadn’t eaten since her
empanada lunch.

“
I am. I’m longing for a
cheeseburger.” Raven had begun to get homesick for American food.
“However, I know that isn’t going to happen, or at least not the
way I like it.” There were some eateries nearby that had American
food, but she really wanted her favorite burger from Dyer’s Burgers
on Beale Street.

Armand opened the door to the
building, and they walked toward the elevator.

“
Well … I can make you
one.”

“
I didn’t think the chef
liked us using his kitchen,” Raven replied, recalling two days ago,
looking for something in one of the refrigerators only to be shooed
out of the kitchen by Chef Reyes.

“
He doesn’t, but I have a
galley kitchen in my apartment.”

She stopped in her tracks as he
stepped onto the elevator. She joined him a second later, still in
shock.

“
Why do you have a kitchen
in your apartment and I don’t?”

“
My dear, I have a few
extra perks because I’m the chief of staff. However, you’re more
than welcome to cook in it anytime while you’re here.”

“
Thank you. Now back to
these burgers you’re going to cook for me.”

A sexy grin crossed his handsome face,
and his voice lowered as his gray eyes became darker. “So you’re
accepting my invitation to cook dinner for you, Raven?”

Upon hearing the intimate
way he spoke her name, breathing escaped her. She tried to step
back, but couldn’t because she was already in the corner of the
elevator, which she prayed would open soon.
It’s only three floors for goodness sakes!

“
Well …” Her voice trailed
off as the elevator finally opened to the third floor, and her
stomach rumbled.

“
So your stomach is
answering for you?” he teased as they headed toward their
apartments.

She laughed nervously. “I
guess so.” They stood facing each other in front of their
respective doors. He was close enough to take one more step, and if
he did his mouth would be on hers, something she almost wanted to
happen considering the sexy way he’d just licked his lips like LL
Cool J. “I have some salad items in my mini fridge.” She stepped
back and found herself against her door. “I can go get
them.”
And take a cold shower to stop the
fire that just blazed through my veins.

“
That sounds good.” He
turned toward his apartment, and her heart finally started beating
again. “I’ll leave the door unlocked for you.”

“
Okay. I’ll see you in
about thirty minutes.”

“
I’ll be impatiently
waiting,” he answered in a serious, seductive tone before
disappearing into his apartment.

Raven hurriedly went into hers, shut
the door, and peeked out the peephole. His door was all the way
shut, but then she saw it open. She dropped on the floor for the
fear of him seeing her, but laughed to herself and shook her head.
He couldn’t possibly see her through the small peephole.

Okay, girl, get it
together. You’re acting like a lovesick teenager over some man
almost six years your junior.

Chapter Four

Waiting for Raven to arrive, Armand
chopped up onions to sauté for the burgers while glancing at the
ajar door. He was thankful he’d gone to the market that morning and
picked up a pound of ground beef to make a meatloaf from a recipe
his mother had emailed him. However, when Raven said she was
longing for a cheeseburger, he had to oblige her. Luckily, he had
some sourdough bread from his favorite bakery and potatoes to make
steak fries. After Raven went into her apartment, he’d skipped down
to the kitchen and managed to talk Chef Reyes into giving him some
slices of cheese. The chef rambled something in Portuguese, his
native language, but Armand heard a yes in there somewhere, grabbed
some cheese, and made it back to his apartment before Raven
arrived.

On the ride home, he’d been pleasantly
surprised that she’d curled up next to him to sleep. Of course, he
knew it wasn’t on purpose. She was exhausted, and her body was
still adjusting to a schedule she wasn’t used to in the States. He
didn’t mind, especially when her arm reached around his waist, and
she’d snuggled even closer. The soft moans she made were a complete
turn on. Her addictive scent had loomed in the air, and he’d
inhaled it deeply as she slept, occasionally stirring peacefully on
him. He had to readjust himself in his seat a few times and think
about something other than the gorgeous lady resting on him. Too
bad his hands were on the steering wheel. He wanted to glide them
over her exquisite body and pull her close to his chest as she
slept while placing tender kisses on her forehead.

Armand had been surprised of his
thoughts. Since Raven had arrived, he’d told himself that he would
keep it professional as she requested. However, it was something
about her that made him want her. It was actually borderline need
her, but he couldn’t entertain that at the moment. He never wanted
to cross the line at his workplace, considering he was her boss and
she was Cannon’s sister, and Armand respected him.

A light knock on the door, and the
squeak of it being pushed open, sent his head to the right. A smile
emerged as Raven entered, carrying a huge bowl and a bottle of
ranch salad dressing. She’d changed into wide-legged blue jeans
that hugged her curvy hips, and a black ribbed tank stopped at the
top of her jeans, which left a little of her brown-sugar skin
exposed. Armand almost cut his finger as his concentration focused
on her body. She may have been in her late thirties, but she
definitely kept herself up. She wasn’t a skinny Minnie, but he
could tell she watched her figure. Her juicy breasts were quite
perky and jiggled as she walked toward him. He tried his hardest to
rest his eyes on her face when she approached.

“
Hi there,” he said. “I
just made the patties and placed them in the fridge. Also, I had
some potatoes, so I made steak fries. They’re roasting in the oven
now.” He tossed the onions into the hot skillet and washed the
scent off his hands.

“
Mmmm … I was wondering
what smelled so good.” She closed her eyes and inhaled the air. “Is
that fresh rosemary and garlic?”

“
Yep. I sprinkled a little
on the fries along with some olive oil.”

“
Can’t wait. What do you
need me to do?” she asked, placing the salad and dressing in the
refrigerator.

He held the refrigerator door open
before she could close it, and reached in to grab the plate of four
plump beef patties. “Nothing. I’m cooking for you. Just have a
glass of wine and relax.” He nodded his head toward the coffee
table, which had a bottle of red wine and a glass next to it. His
beer bottle sat on the table as well.

She cocked her head to the side.
“Actually, do you have another beer?”

He was taken aback. She seemed too
refined and classy to drink a beer, but then again he didn’t know
her which was one of the reasons why he invited her
over.

He grabbed another one from the
refrigerator, opened it, and offered to put it in a glass, but she
declined.

“
Your burgers and fries
will be ready soon.” He placed the patties in the heated pan and
grabbed two plates from the cabinet.

“
You’re sure you don’t need
any help?”

“
I got this, Raven. Just
relax.”

“
No arguments from me.” She
proceeded to the living area in front of the kitchen with her beer,
and sat on the floor resting her back on the bottom of the
couch.

“
So do you cook
often?”

“
Only when I want something
in particular. Otherwise, I eat whatever Chef Reyes has prepared,
or at one of the restaurants.”

“
Well it definitely smells
good,” she said, taking a swig of her beer. “Good thing we’re not
officially on call tonight.”

“
Yep. Unless something
drastic happens, but that’s rare. Plus, that’s non alcoholic
beer.”

“
Oh.” She pondered for a
moment. “So … you were going to give me wine?” she asked with a
raised eyebrow.

“
I’m doing rounds later on
tonight, otherwise I would’ve had wine as well.”

Moments later, he joined her on the
floor at the coffee table with their burgers, fries, and tossed
salad. He’d thought they’d eat at the small kitchen table, but she
seemed comfortable there.

He watched as Raven bit
into her burger. Instantly, she closed her eyes and moaned with a
smile. Armand briefly imagined her lying underneath him with the
same facial expression and the arousing moans escaping her.
Goodness this woman is something else, and she
doesn’t even know what she’s doing to me.

Raven’s personal phone beeped.
Retrieving it from the floor, she smiled wide at whatever the
message said and typed something back with a loving expression. He
felt a slight tinge of jealousy at whoever was receiving such an
amazing smile. It never occurred to him that she may have a man. He
didn’t know anything about her life except that she was Cannon’s
twin sister and an Ob-Gyn from Memphis. He assumed she wasn’t
married or engaged, for she wore no rings, but a woman as
intelligent and beautiful as she was definitely had a boyfriend, or
at least a man in her life that wanted the position.

She placed the cell phone back on the
floor and bit into one of the fries.

“
I love when a man can
cook, and cook well. My brother-in-law owns a restaurant on Beale
called Lillian’s, and brother can surely throw down. You may have
to give him your burger recipe. I’m impressed, but don’t tell my
sister Shelbi that.”

She loves a man that can
cook. I’ll have to cook more often.

“
I’ll have to check that
place out one day … whenever I get back to the States.” He
hesitated for a minute by biting into his burger, and then taking a
sip of his beer. “Does your boyfriend cook?”

Raven wrinkled her brow. “I don’t have
a boyfriend.” She shrugged with a wistful expression and lowered
her eyes, twirling a cucumber around in the dressing. “It’s just me
and my dog, Sahara.”

“
Oh … I assumed that your
man had just sent you a text. You were quite giddy a minute
ago.”

A surprised look formed on her face.
“No. That was my mother. One of my favorite patients had a little
girl today.”

“
Your mother delivered the
baby?” he asked, relieved to know she was single, but then curious
as to why she looked sad when she said
it’s just me
. Did some punk break her
heart? What a fool he was.

“
No. She’s a primary care
physician like you, but she could if she had to.” She took a bit
bite of her burger and moaned happily again.

“
Sooooo … not trying to be
nosy or in your business, but did you just get out of a
relationship? You seemed sad when I mentioned the boyfriend thing.”
There, he’d said it, and was waiting on pins and needles as she
finished chewing.

“
Not a boyfriend.” She
paused for a moment with a gulp. “My husband died about three years
ago …” Her voice trailed off, and she looked away for a moment
before resting her eyes back on him.

Armand was definitely not expecting
that answer, and now felt horrible about asking her. He had no idea
she was a widow. He’d seen her paperwork before she arrived, but it
only had Arrington listed as her last name. It hadn’t occurred to
him she’d been married before.

“
I’m sorry to hear that,
Raven. Forgive me for prying.”

With a soft smile, she shrugged. “No
problem. I have good and bad days, but overall as time goes on I’m
stronger. I miss him very much, but I know he wouldn’t want me to
mourn forever.”

“
That’s a very positive
outlook. Have you started to date again?”

“
I’ve dated, but nothing
too serious. I’m not looking to settle down anytime soon, so it’s
not a priority at the moment.”

He nodded his head. “Makes complete
sense, but you never want to get married again?”

“
No,” she shrugged, “not
really.”