“Very girly.”
That brought an annoyed snap of the brow. “It’s generic¸” she offered politely. “Purple is the color of the highest chakra, opening up the mind center.”
He scratched his head, hooked one ankle over his leg, and slouched in the chair. “Thought the heart was more important in your business.”
“A clear mind and connection with your highest inner power is key to all. The rest follows.”
He made a noncommittal snort, and her lips tightened. Stone tamped down on a chuckle. She was so much damn fun to spar with and piss off. It was becoming his favorite hobby. “Why do you need computers? Thought love was a magical mystery thing.”
“Love is magical but also scientific. It takes a lot to find your match. Personality, beliefs, upbringings—all are brought to the table when we meet someone new. Ignoring those pieces of a person and waiting for an invisible chemistry connection to make everything okay wouldn’t be reasonable. It would also put us out of business.”
Her sharp intelligence intrigued him. A mix of new age hippie crap and nerd scientist. Fascinating. “Do you work the computer side of the business?”
“Yes, I also do the counseling. Which we should get to.”
“In a minute. Did you study computers in school?”
She shifted in the chair. “I graduated with a double master’s in psychology and computer science.”
“How’d you end up working here?”
“My friends and I discussed the benefits of opening up our own business and using each of our strengths to create a unique spot in the market.”
Huh. She was lying. Her gaze dropped down to the floor when she spoke. Now he was dying to know how this matchmaking business got started. “I’m impressed. Most businesses fail, especially ones started with friends.”
Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “I’m so glad. Now I can sleep at night.”
“I know better ways to make you sleep.” He paused. “Or not.”
She sucked in a breath, and that weird zing burst between them. He’d only meant to tease her and get her irritated. Instead, the joke was on him. He was suddenly hard and aching to trap her against that chair and kiss her. Long. Deep. Find out if she tasted as sweet as sugar cookies warm from the oven. See if she melted all soft and gooey once he pushed his tongue past her lips and his hands past her clothing. And now he’d moved from comparing her to animals to food. He was losing it.
“Don’t.”
The word shot in the room like a bullet. He’d made her uncomfortable. A surge of adrenaline and satisfaction mingled. He grinned real slow. “Why not?”
“Because as I told you the other night, I don’t like you.”
“I don’t like you either. Does it matter?”
She crossed her arms in front of her chest. The thin material of her shirt stretched across perfectly small, perfectly formed breasts. Her nipples were already hard. “To me it does. Unlike you, Officer Petty, I don’t jump into bed to scratch an itch. I need a connection beyond the physical.”
“Is that what you had with your last lover? A connection?”
He regretted the sudden pain that flickered over her face and cursed beneath his breath. Damn. He didn’t want to hurt her. He was curious as to what type of man had claimed her heart and stomped all over it. She’d defended him regarding his good-guy intentions, but he sensed the truth was quite different. When she’d finally given his name, something had flared in those green eyes. A hot anger rolled up with raw pain. It was the real stuff buried beneath all that meditation junk she always threw in his face. Stone opened his mouth to apologize, but she was already answering.
“Yes. At least I followed my heart. When I die, I intend to have little to regret. Not taking a chance on love would be one of them.”
He’d never met a woman so deep and ready to get real. When he proposed to Ellen, he figured he was following his heart. Now he realized he’d only been in lust and too lazy to wait. Too lazy to figure things out. Too lazy to make it work when the relationship got hard. And though he’d never forgive or forget, part of the relationship failure was solidly on him. A trickle of shame raced through him. Something told him Arilyn Meadows wouldn’t shrink from difficulty. She’d flourish.
He shifted in the chair. When had his complete dislike turned to sexual interest? In only a few days, she’d begun to intrigue him on a whole new level. Physical, of course. Nothing more. “What about passion? Isn’t that the foundation for love? Wouldn’t you regret being too focused on the future and missing an opportunity to experience great sex?”