“This is it, Ms. Taylor.” The driver pulled up outside of Grove, and a valet waited to open my door.

“Would you like me to come in?” asked Timmy, my personal security guard. I counted the rolls on the back of his beefy neck while I tried to gather my courage.

Five. Five neck rolls. “No. I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll be right outside.”

I didn’t doubt it. Timmy and his fleet of men protected me twenty-four-seven. At first, I’d thought it was crazy when my board of directors insisted on that level of security, but as time had gone on and the potential for our device had grown, I’d understood their concern. Only I could perfect the science behind our technology. The investment in our security team ensured my safety.

I accepted the valet’s hand. “Ms. Taylor, your table’s ready inside.”

Out of practice when it came to interacting with strangers, I smiled at him awkwardly and headed into the restaurant. Hannah had eaten there several times with one or more of her many male admirers. In her words, “the food was awesome.” I usually ate a salad from our cafeteria at my desk for both lunch and dinner, so I had no idea what “awesome” meant these days. Luckily, the smells from the open kitchen were wonderful, so I resigned myself to being pleased. At least with the food.

The young hostess had multiple piercings and tattoos. “Ms. Taylor?” I tried to look at all of them at once while she waited patiently. “Mr. Betts is waiting for you.”

She brought me to my table, and I saw Gabriel Betts from behind, sitting and waiting. I hesitated for a moment. He looked large and muscular, almost too big for the small table. I swallowed hard, remembering his handsome face from the photos I’d scrolled through online.

What the hell was I going to talk to him about?

He must have felt me staring at him, because he turned around and flashed me a wide smile. “Lauren, I’m so happy you could make it.”

I forced myself to smile as he stood up, towering over me. I shook his hand, noticing how large and strong it was. I gulped. “It’s my pleasure, Gabriel.”

“You’re taller than I expected,” he said. “And even lovelier than your pictures.”

I took my seat, blushing furiously. “Um…thanks.”

He had short, thick dark hair, dark brown eyes, and just enough lines on his face to make it interesting rather than just blandly handsome. In person, he was what my sister would deem extremely gorgeous.

Or even worse, sexy.

I tried to stop staring at him. I reminded myself that I was the CEO of a large company that employed more than one hundred workers; that I had security guards because my head was filled to the brim with trade secrets worth billions of dollars. I couldn’t turn into a quivering, salivating Chihuahua just because Gabriel Betts was tall and handsome. I could manage to have a normal conversation with this man over lunch.

I hoped.

Gabriel’s dark brown eyes twinkled as he smiled at me. “It’s funny that our paths have never crossed before.”

I took a sip of water. “Not really. I don’t get out much.” Ever. I don’t get out ever.

“So you admit to being reclusive.” He had an easy-going, confident way about him—a way that only insanely gorgeous, successful, and brilliant male Silicon Valley CEOs must have.

I quickly scanned the menu, needing to look away from him. “It’s not that I’m reclusive. I’ve just been busy working.”

“Would you like me to order for us? I come here pretty regularly.”

“That’s okay. I can do it myself.” My tone sounded bristly and curt to my own ears.

Gabriel gently pushed my menu down. “I’m sure you’re more than capable of ordering for yourself. But I’d like to order some of my favorites to share. But only if that’s all right with you.”

“That’s fine, but I need to be back to the lab in an hour.” I looked at my watch, wishing it were already time.

He motioned for the waiter. “Any dietary restrictions?”

“I don’t eat beef, pork, or chicken.”

He smiled and my stomach tied itself in a knot. “Fish and shellfish okay?”

I nodded, trying not to be flattered by his careful attention. “Thank you for asking.”

“You’re very welcome.” His smile broadened, and I noticed a lone dimple located on the left side of his face. For some reason, this annoyed me. A lot.

He ordered all manner of things, some of which I’d never heard of before, and he also ordered wine.

I stopped the server when he went to fill my glass. “No thank you.” To Gabe, I said, “I don’t drink alcohol when I’m working.”

Gabriel motioned to the waiter and my glass was immediately filled, against my will. “You don’t have to finish it. Just enjoy it to taste.”

I frowned at him, but he continued to smile at me pleasantly. “I’m not trying to boss you around, I swear. I just want you to enjoy your lunch.”

I wanted to enjoy it too. But he might have been too handsome to eat across from.

The servers placed sashimi and lobster dumplings in front of us, along with a delicious-looking salad with roasted poblano peppers and shaved Parmesan.

Gabriel held up his wineglass, and I raised mine too.

“Cheers to finally meeting.”

I tentatively tapped my glass against his. “Cheers.”

I took a sip of the wine, which was heavenly, as he started putting food on my plate. I took a bite of the sashimi and tried to ignore its simple deliciousness. I could feel myself getting wrapped up in the food, the wine, our sunny seats in the restaurant, and the man across from me. But I needed to stay focused on Paragon and all the work waiting for me back at the office.

Gabriel was saying something about the food when I cleared my throat. “I don’t mean to be rude, but if we’re going to talk about business, we should do it soon.”

“I’m sorry. I get a little excited about taking a break during the day. Especially with a beautiful woman.”

I almost choked on my dumpling.

“Once I go back to the office, I’ll be there until ten—and I’ll forget to eat dinner.”

I finally managed to swallow. “You do that too?”

“Of course. I do it most days.” He took a sip of wine, and I tried not to watch him, but I found myself staring nonetheless. His handsome features smoothed out as he sat quietly for a moment. It looked as if he were considering what to say next. “So…regarding why we’re here. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time. Paragon’s an interesting business.”

I took another sip of wine. “It’s not that interesting. It’s just a laboratory, really. It’s only interesting if you’re a scientist.”

He nodded. “I’m a scientist. And I went to school in Cambridge too. Harvard.”

“How did you know I went to school in Cambridge?”

He looked at me as if I might be a little bit crazy. “Everybody knows you went to MIT.”

Everybody? Everybody who?

“I didn’t graduate,” I said quickly. I never wanted to pretend to be someone I wasn’t.

“Me neither. I attended Harvard. Sporadically.” He chuckled. “I came out to California to start my business. My undergraduate studies weren’t going to help me get the funding I needed to research and implement my technology. So I decided to cut my losses and come out here to see what I could make of myself.”

“That’s exactly what I did.”

“I know.”

I looked at him sharply. “How did you know that?”

“It’s this little thing called the Internet—you may have heard of it. Did you google me before you came here today?”

“Of course.” The words tumbled out before I could stop myself.

“Well, I googled you too. That’s how I know you’re an MIT dropout.” His eyes flickered with mischief. “Were you only looking at my pictures?”

I coughed instead of answering. The truth was, I had only looked at his pictures and his brief bio. In addition to information about his company, Dynamica, his bio had listed his height (six foot three), his weight (two hundred thirty pounds), and his age (thirty-two).

“Also, I know about you because people talk. Silicon Valley’s not that big—there’s a lot of curiosity about you and Paragon. I also happen to know one of the professors at MIT pretty well. You were his student before you dropped out.”

I put down my fork before I dropped it. “How do you know that?”

“Because I called him and asked him if he’d ever met you. I was doing my due diligence in advance of our meeting. I asked him what you were like.”

“Which professor?”

He speared another lobster dumpling. “Alexander Viejo. He’s engaged to my mother. They’re getting married later this year. He said you were brilliant, by the way. One of the brightest students he’s ever had.”

I looked at him, surprised. Alexander Viejo was a famous biochemist. I’d audited one of his senior-level classes my sophomore year and found him fascinating. “He’s marrying your mom?”

Gabriel nodded. “She lives up in Boston—that’s where I’m from, originally. My father passed away when I was ten. I’m happy that she finally met someone great…who can also consult for my business.”

Damn. I would have loved to have Professor Viejo consult with Paragon. I cursed myself for not getting to him first.

The waiter appeared and refilled our glasses. Despite my protests, I’d managed to finish all my wine. Gabriel had the decency not to tease me.

“I’m sorry to hear about your father.” Dead parents were the last things I wanted to talk about, so I quickly maneuvered the conversation back to business. “What exactly is it that you find interesting about Paragon?”

He laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”

I shook my head, confused.

He leaned over the table toward me. “Everyone’s interested in Paragon. You have the whole industry on pins and needles, just waiting to see what you come up with. Because my business is entwined with lab technology, I have, of course, been paying attention to what you’re up to. I know that with a board of directors like yours, you’ve got to be developing something good.”

I smiled at him. “We are. I’m not going to tell you the specifics because they involve trade secrets, but your instincts are correct.”

“They usually are.” There was that dimple again, and I sucked in a breath. “I was hoping you’d be willing to discuss a partnership opportunity with me. That’s why I wanted to meet with you. I knew a little bit about your background, which, as we’ve discussed, is similar to mine. I’ve watched you from afar for a few years now. Even though you’re very private, Lauren, people still talk. People in the industry admire your work ethic, and they admire how you keep your technology close. I admire those things too. You’re one of a very elite group of female CEOs in the biomedical industry. You’re building your empire on your own, and you have a great shot at success because you’re extremely intelligent and extremely driven.”

I swallowed. “Thank you.” I didn’t know what else to say. I’d been so wrapped up in my research and testing for the past few years, I hadn’t really paid attention to the outside world. I still found it baffling that the outside world knew anything about me at all, or cared.

“Even though I don’t know specifically what you’re working on at Paragon, I do know that it’s something great. Otherwise you wouldn’t have kept it completely secret for so long—not with the list of investors that you’ve got. I can help you. We can help each other.”

“How’s that?”

The waiter brought more food, grilled salmon and ahi tuna, but my appetite had gone. He was offering me a partnership with Dynamica, and I didn’t do partnerships. I needed to break it to him.

I motioned to the waiter for the check. “I’m sorry, but Paragon isn’t taking on partners. Not now, not in the foreseeable future.”

The muscles in Gabriel’s square jaw clenched. I wondered vaguely what it would be like to run my fingertips over the small amount of stubble on his chin—but the thought was ridiculous. I needed to get away from him and back to the safety of my lab.

“My company has the international business contacts that you’ll need when you take your technology public. If you partner with me, you’ll have access to my entire network. The reach of your invention will be global almost immediately. Think about it.”

I would think about it, even if I didn’t want to. I’d started building a list of international distributors, but it was nothing as established as what Gabriel was offering. I sat back and studied his face—handsome, strong, and utterly convinced of what he was saying.

“What’s in it for Dynamica? What’s in it for you, Gabriel?”

“Money. Power. Influence.” A slow grin spread across his face. “And by all means, please call me Gabe.”