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On our group call last night, they grilled me. Relentlessly.

“Are European men hotter?” Alexis asks.

“Why do you care? You are married…to my brother.” Taylor tsks, her snark coming off in waves.

“I have eyes too! And while Ethan fulfills all my needs—”

“Stopping you right there,” Lana interrupts. “I don’t need to know how our brother fulfills your needs. And since I’m the only single lady here, I’ll ask. Olivia…are European men hotter?”

At my silence, Lana adds, “You better not tell me you haven’t left the boat. I sent you there to get some R and R and get laid.”

“I thought it was to do you a favor because your cruise was falling apart without me.”

“Burn! Muahahaha.” Taylor snorts.

“Oh my God, woman. You have needs too. A man can work out those kinks—”

Images ofher infuriating brother barge into my mind, and I shake my head. Nope. Not going there. No kinks and no Rex.“Fine. You win. I’ll go out so I don’t rot in my office, okay?”

Lana narrows her eyes. “You’re mocking me. And is that a blush I see? Something happened, huh? Did you meet a hot Greek god with a sexy accent who gave you orgasms all night long?”

Sexier than a mythological god.

I groan as Rex’s handsome face flashes behind my eyelids. “There’s no one. It’s boring.” Liar, liar, pants on fire. “And oh look, the reception is b-bad. G-Guess we w-will need to ch-chat when you get here, L-Lana.”

“Don’t you dare! Your image is crystal clear, and we have top of the line satellite reception on the ship. I’m not falling for it. Olivia, don’t hang up—”

I hang up.

“Olivia?” Rhys stops. “Something on your mind?”

I falter and strain a smile. “Sorry. I haven’t taken a vacation in years. I don’t think I can turn my mind off. You travel a lot for work?”

Sneaking a glance at him, I take in his dark hair and chiseled bone structure. He really is good looking. I think back to Lana’s suggestion for me to have a fling.

Rhys would be a good candidate—smart, charming, a doctor like me, so he understands the work hours and dedication I have for my job.

Mentally stable is a plus.

Olivia, we really need to work on your standards.Especially if being mentally stable is optional.

But still, I tick off the checkboxes on my invisible checklist. Ishouldbe attracted to Rhys. He’s everything I could possibly want. Sure, my parents would be disappointed I wasn’t bringing a Mandarin-speaking guy home who’d know our culture right off the bat—small things like bringing food when you first visit someone’s home or taking off your shoes in the foyer before venturing inside—but I’m sure they’d get over it quickly if it was Rhys. He’s a catch by all standards.

“Other than a few Doctors without Borders trips and a concierge doctor stint I did two years ago, who has time to travel? But this cruise is a good reminder. We can’t save lives if we don’t take care of ourselves. Mental health included. What the heck? Why am I talking out of my ass to a psychiatrist about mental health?” He grins, his brown eyes lighting up his face.

But I find myself thinking about a pair of quicksilver eyes, hollowed with pain. The man who’s a walking definition of mentally unstable.

My heart skips several beats.

Dammit.

Needing to do something with my hands, I pull out a bag of Mom’s almond cookies from my purse. I still have half a tin left in my stateroom.

I really don’t want to eat them.Well, why are you forcing yourself to eat them then? That’s what you’d tell your patients.

Ugh. Doctors make the worst patients.

Rhys looks at the cookies, his brows arching up.