Page 27 of Deal Takers

“Really?” I say with a pout.

He takes me by the elbow and leads me down the hall. “Yeah, it looks like our rendezvous point has officially been compromised.”

“Damn.”

He winks. “We’ll just have to find another one. It’s a big hospital. I’m sure we’ll manage.”

We make our way to the elevator bay. Adam hits the down button while I press the up.

“I hate these opposite shifts,” I say.

The doors to his elevator open first, and it’s filled with people so we’re back to being discreet. “Me too,” he says. “I’ll see you later, Rainey.”

I give him a finger wave. “Bye, Dr. Walker.”

CHAPTER 19

Brody

I’m heading to dinner when I see her through the window and freeze. Rainey is standing alone at a pub table, sipping on a glass of wine. She’s usually dressed in casual clothes or scrubs but not tonight. She’s always beautiful, but right now, she’s fuckingmagnificent. Her red hair is curled over her shoulders. She’s wearing a dark-colored dress that accentuates her curves perfectly and a pair of stilettos that are making me imagine all sorts of dirty things. I swallow hard as her tongue peeks out, licking leftover wine from her pouty lips. Her eyes widen when she spots me through the glass—probably because I look like a major creeper right now—so I step inside the swanky bar and make my way over to her table.

Unabashedly, my eyes run the length of her petite body. “Fancy meeting you here, princess.”

“What do you want, Brody?” she snaps.

I flinch, taken aback by the hostility in hertone. As often as we bicker, it’s always in good fun. She’sneverused that tone with me before.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, genuinely concerned.

She takes a long gulp, emptying every last drop in her glass. “I’ve been stood up.”

I frown. “I’m not following.”

She sighs. “I was supposed to meet Adam here for pre-dinner drinks. As soon as I ordered a Merlot, he called to say he wasn’t going to make it. He wasn’t even on-call tonight, but he went into work anyway to catch up on some stuff. Apparently, that was more important than seeing me, even though we haven’t seen each other outside of the hospital in a week.”

What an ass.

I gently tug on her elbow. “Come to dinner with me.”

“What?”

I grab the folder off the edge of the table and set a few bills inside to cover the tab. “My sister is a chef at the little Italian place a few blocks away. I eat there at least once a week—I was just on my way. You need to eat, and I’d love it if you came with me.”

Nope, I didn’t miss the double entendre there, but I’m quite fond of my nuts, so I’m choosing not to point it out.

She grabs a small purse off the table. “Brody, I appreciate the offer, but I’m not in the best mood, in case you haven’t noticed. I wouldn’t be very good company.”

“Honey, you’realwaysgood company,” I say with a wink.

Rainey rolls her eyes. “Fine. But only because I love Italian, and I’m fucking starving.”

I smile in victory. I don’t care why she’s coming with me—the fact I get to spend time alone with this woman is good enough for me. The awesome food is just a bonus. Ilead her in the right direction and make my best effort to brighten her mood.

“Have you ever been to Pistorio’s?”

“No, but I’ve heard really great things about it.”

“You’re in for a treat, then. Charlee’s Italian Sausage Penne is almost better than sex.”

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