She sank down into a crouch and groaned into her knees.
He chuckled above her. “You made good points.”
She turned and glared up at him. “Did I?”
He bent down and offered her a hand. “Come on. Let’s go inside, and we can talk more about it.”
Reluctantly, Olivia slipped her hand into his and allowed him to pull her up. A shock of electricity shot through her hand, making her jump away from him.
She looked down at her palm, shaking it out while it tingled. No wonder nobody wanted to date her. What a way to hold a guy’s hand for the first time.
Henry looked equally as shocked, staring down at his hand for a long moment before slowly turning that gaze to her. It unsettled her slightly. Like he was looking through her and deep into her soul.
She swallowed and stepped around him to grab the door. Just as her hand touched the handle, Henry seemed to shake himself out of whatever stupor she’d put him into and carefully reached over the top of her to pull the door open for her instead.
“Here, I’ve got it.”
She looked back at him, surprised by the gruffness in his tone.
“Oh, um, thanks.”
She slipped inside and walked to the counter, trying to give herself time to breathe before she’d need to speak to him again.
She couldn’t believe Gerri had set her up with Henry Darrow, of all people. Not only was he notorious in the art world, but he was also a frequently brought-up subject on her podcast. Olivia had always hated the business end of the fine arts, and Henry was no exception to that.
He’d made more moves in his few short years within the industry than she’d seen some sponsors make in their entire careers. Making him all the sketchier in her mind. She didn’t trust a man whose entire goal seemed to be completely taking over the art world piece by piece.
She tensed when he came to stand next to her, his hands tucked into his pockets.
“What are you ordering?”
Shit. She hadn’t even looked at the menu yet.
“Uhhh…”
He looked down at her, patiently waiting.
It just made her all the more antsy. “Just, uh. A decaf.”
“Decaf? It’s two in the afternoon. Are you planning on taking a nap after this?”
“Depends,” she snapped back, not thinking. “Are you going to bore me enough to want to?”
He chuckled. “See, that’s what I like about you, Olivia. You never hold back.”
Stunned, she watched him walk up to the front counter and order them both coffees.
What … did he just say?…
She shook her head and wandered to one of the booths by the large windows. Was it normal to be insanely attracted to a man you’ve been dedicating the past year and a half to roasting? Or was that just her?
She collapsed into the booth and tugged her purse off her shoulder, slipping her phone inside it.
She had to admit, he was even more attractive in person. How was that even possible?
Maybe it was because he’d had some kind of … magnetism that was hard to translate through a computer screen. Or maybe she was just insanely horny. Who really knew at this point?
She looked up when a coffee cup was placed in front of her.