Page 40 of Love Sick

“Seriously, Asher? Rumors?”

He raises both hands. “Hey, do you want to know, or not? I got this from Maxwell, who got it from Julian, so it’s reliable.”

With a reluctant sigh, I motion him to continue, half hating myself that I’m entertaining any rumors at all.

He lowers his voice even though the room is busy and crowded. “Julian just happened to point out something Halliwell did wrong in front of his attending. Attending tells him to fix it, right? So Halliwell tried to make Julian do it, to which Julian said something along the lines ofclean up your own mess. I don’t work for you.”

I gasp.

“I know, right? Like, bro. Yeah, you do work for him. He’s literally your senior resident. Anyway, Halliwell and him got into a screaming match in the gen surg call room, and that’s when you came into the picture.”

My spirits fall. Or lift. I’m not sure. “Me?”

“Julian said something like,learn to treat my fellow interns with respect, or you won’t get any respect from me. Halliwell figured out what he meant, and I think he might have accused Julian of doing…something…with you. Julian gets in his face. Halliwell pushes him. Julian pushes him back. Julian said Halliwell tripped over the rollie chair and hit his face on the desk.” Asher breaks into gleeful, vindictive laughter.

When Julian looks up, I blink at Daniel, then return to those depthless brown eyes. Julian doesn’t smile, but a blatant satisfaction comes alive in his face and he winks before returning to his lunch.

Casual. Hot.

Damn vampire.

* * *

“He didwhat?” Alesha asks Saturday night as we snuggle into my couch for movie night.

I lift a shoulder. “I don’t know for sure. No oneconfirmed. But there were strong hints that Julian Santini defended my honor.”

Snowdenis paused on my TV while Alesha and I nurse glasses of Cabernet, and Raven drinks her lime La Croix. A candle in the middle of my coffee table fills the entire apartment with the smell of fresh-baked sugar cookies.

Alesha shakes her head. “That boy is good people. I don’t know why you don’t like him.”

I laugh. “At this point, it’s habit. Also, his persistent urge to call me Sapphire just to annoy me is infuriating.”

Stretched on the chaise portion of my sectional, Raven gives a knowing nod. Her black braids are loose around her shoulders. “We’re family, aren’t we? He’s like your brother—it’s okay for him to annoy you, but if someone else wants to mess with you, he gets protective.”

I ignore the bitter taste that rises at Julian being regarded as my brother.

Alesha snorts. “Brother. Yeah,that’swhy he turned into a caveman.”

Shrugging, Raven toasts the air. “To irritating men who take care of bad guys for us!”

The three of us giggle and talk turns to work as it usually does. Eventually, Raven and I pounce on Alesha about her relationship status.

She pours another glass of wine. “I don’t date.”

“Why not?” I thrust my glass toward her for a refill.

She eyes me. “Why don’tyou?”

My eye twitches. “I had a bad experience last time I tried.”

“Care to elaborate?” She hands back my filled glass.

“Um. Well. The last guy I dated—”

Destroyed my trust in men?

Manipulated me into performing demeaning sexual favors?

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