Exposure - Kelly Moran Page 0,98

out, but her guard was still nervous. Ever observant. "Come on. Let's get you inside."

The Greek diner was nearly empty when they stepped out of the wind. Fried food scented the air and made her stomach churn. Max jerked his chin to the counter, indicating he'd be right there. She nodded, spied her mother at a corner booth, and headed that way.

"He's not my boyfriend," Raven said right away to block any questions. Unwinding her scarf, she slid into the booth. Her mother was wearing a strand of pearls as artificial as her fingernails and a blue pantsuit that was older than Raven. Her short blonde hair was wild around her shoulders, her makeup painted thick. Same ole Mom. "You look nice."

She grabbed Raven's hand and pressed a kiss to her palm, something she'd been doing since Raven was a girl. "So do you, honey. How's work?"

"It's work. We're building quite the cred, though, so that's nice. You should come to one of the showings. Hoan Dwell is doing an exhibit with us next weekend." If her mom recognized the photographer's name, it didn't show on her face. And Raven was preaching to an empty room by asking her to attend a function. Her mom loved her, but she didn't get art.

"We'll see," she said with a wave, dismissing the subject. "So tell me, who is that man if not your boyfriend?" Her gaze sized up Max's body in one fell swoop.

Poor Max pretended not to notice.

"He's my bodyguard."

Mom's eyes widened. "What? Why do you need--?"

Raven held up her hand. "Calm down. He comes courtesy of Noah. Just a precaution, with him being so rich and all."

The waitress came and took their order, setting down two glasses of water and striding away.

Deciding to get the conversation out of the way, Raven rubbed her forehead. "Noah and I have been seeing each other."

Mom's hand slapped the table, her momentary dropped jaw closing in a grin. "I knew it. I knew it. Haven't I said a thousand times how perfect you two would be together?" She patted Raven's arm. "When did it start? Give me all the details."

Raven bit back a sigh. The relationship with her mom had always been more of a friendship, at least from her mother's perspective. Now that she was grown, it wasn't so bad but, as a child, Raven had never known boundaries or rules like other kids. She'd always assumed her mom had adopted her out of loneliness, to forever have someone to love.

She traced the condensation on her water glass with her finger. "He asked me out on a date a couple of months ago, said he always thought about it."

"Oh." Mom clapped both hands to her chest. "How romantic."

Raven guessed it was kind of romantic, if she thought about it that way. Friends to lovers and falling for what was in front of her all along. Raven had never been a particularly swoony female, preferring logic to dreams. Noah was changing that, though. She'd found herself smiling at sweet little gestures or just thinking about him for no reason and her heart would flip in her chest.

"It got pretty heavy right from the start. I've??een living with him."

Her mom squealed. The few patrons in the restaurant looked at them.

Raven tucked her head. "It's not that exciting."

"Yes, it is. Honey, you've never talked about a man with me before. Heck, I don't think you've ever had a boyfriend. This is worth celebrating."

God. She closed her eyes. "You make me sound pathetic. I have dated, you know."

"You've never been in love, though. And Noah is so dreamy and handsome and rich."

Yeah. None of that mattered to Raven. His character was his most honorable trait. As for love, she still didn't know. Something was still??ff. "I think we had a fight. He's been distant."

"Have you told him you love him?"

Unlike her mother, who cracked her chest to expose her heart to any willing male, Raven was more cautious. So cautious, in fact, she couldn't even trust Noah with her heart. Again, she wondered what was wrong with her. Before she could take it back, she told her mother as much.

"Honey," Mom said, gripping Raven's hand, a placating twist to her mouth. Always with the touching, her mom. "You've been like that since you were a girl. A little distant, aloof. You keep others outside your protective bubble. I figured it was because of, you know, how you grew up before we became a family."

Raven stilled, the hairs