Page 28 of RomeAntically Challenged
Even in flip-flops and low-slung button-fly jeans, he looked delicious. Then there was the French blue button-up that hung loose and rolled at the sleeves, as if he couldn’t be bothered to tuck it in. Up top he sported a well-loved ballcap, mirrored aviator glasses, and a cocky grin.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I was next door chatting with Gray, then got distracted by a familiar pair of scrubs and came by to say good morning.”
“Oh, you mean you were chatting with Gray about what’s under the hat and glasses,” she said.
“Want me to disrobe, Nurse Annie?” Emmitt hopped up on the exam table. “All you have to do is ask.”
He shot her one of those smiles she was getting to know, but it was a little strained at the corners, and something about the way he was acting felt off. Curious, she played along.
“How about we start with the hat and glasses? I like to see my patients’ eyes when they’re bullshitting me.”
“Didn’t know I was your patient.” He removed his glasses and set them on the exam table—the hat stayed on. It didn’t matter; his golden-brown eyes locked on hers and something entirely inappropriate began to heat south of the border—not to mention in a few northern colonies.
“I was in the lab and heard that there’s a poll going around about how you were injured,” she said, watching him to see how he reacted. “The pot is up to three hundred and twenty dollars. Barb in phlebotomy is convinced you were hurt while rescuing a church full of virgins. Janice in urology said you helped a group of lost hikers climb down Everest.”
Resting his palms next to his thighs, he leaned forward. “What do you think?”
She studied him for a good long minute, noting the way his eyes dilated, the fine line that started at his temple and disappeared beneath his hat, and how his head was tilted so the bill of his cap shaded his face. Most of all, she noticed a flash of uncertainty that she could relate to.
“I think that whatever happened in China really shook you,” Annie said quietly. “I think that your injuries are worse than you’re letting on, and I think you sought me out because you’re lonely and I’m the only person in your world who didn’t know you before, so you don’t have to worry that I’ll notice the changes.”
A slow smile spread across his face, but it never reached his eyes. “You didn’t wow me, but you certainly haven’t left me bored,” he said. “As for your observation skills, a factory exploded, so half of China was shaken. Like I told Gray, flying concrete sucks but I’ve got nothing that won’t heal. And I sought you out”—his smile turned genuine—“because I like talking to you and I didn’t get the chance to wish you good luck with your special patient before you climbed out the window.”
“Oh,” she said, surprised that he’d remembered. It had been late, they’d both been tired, and he’d been in pain, yet he remembered. “Gloria is her name, and she’s doing great. She should be ready to go home with part-time help in a couple of days. Thank you for asking.”
“Thank you for sharing.”
“I think I did wow you,” she ventured, and his expression told her she was correct.
“I imagine you wow everyone you meet,” he said, and her heart went a little gooey.
And then, because he was being so sweet and she had an ethical obligation to tell him, she confessed, “I saw your file this morning. I was taking a few patients off Gray’s plate this afternoon and there it was, right on top. So I peeked.”
He seemed to be amused at her confession. “And what did you learn?”
Uncomfortable with the formal way they were situated—him on the exam table, her facing him as if she were treating him—she stood next to him and rested a hip against the table. “That you’re home on a medical furlough. And employers don’t like for their people to spend their days at home texting a roommate on the company dime.”
“Roommate? I’m growing on you.”
“Temporary roommate.” It wasn’t as if she could kick him out of his home now. Before, when he was just being sexy and irritating, he was fair game. “I’d look like a jerk now, kicking the hometown hero out of his own house and throwing him to the mercy of the single ladies of Rome.”
“This hometown hero won’t be home for long,” he said. “This is more a case of ‘exes can’t be friends’—my boss is benching me for personal reasons, claiming HR won’t let me work until I’ve been cleared.”
“You slept with your boss?” Annie gasped.
“She wasn’t my boss at the time.” He laughed. “But yeah, we dated a few years back and it burned hot and fast. When she started talking about mingling families, I knew it was time to call it quits. I don’t bring that part of my life home, ever. So I broke it off with her, left on good terms, and took an assignment overseas. When I came back, she’d been promoted to senior editor, and here we are.”
“And here we are?” she repeated, sending him a disbelieving glance. “Clearly things weren’t as clear-cut as you thought.We want different thingsdoesn’t make a woman hold a grudge for afewyears.”
He shrugged. “Shortly after I got back from the assignment, I ran into her at a bar. She was with her girlfriends. Bad timing, because I was making friends with a girl.”
“Ah.” Annie laughed. “And how long was this assignment?”
“Two weeks.” At least he had the decency to sound sheepish. “I walked over and hugged her, asked about her dog, then bought them a round. I knew she was uncomfortable, so I left and went to a different bar.”
“With the other girl?” Annie didn’t even need to ask—she already knew the answer. “Seriously?”
