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Luca’s jaw tightened but he said nothing in front of her colleagues, instead choosing to follow her into the staffroom.
‘Luca, this is the female changing room,’ she pointed out, trying not to notice just how good he looked with his powerful body planted firmly in front of the door.
He shrugged dismissively. ‘I have something to say to you and I assumed you didn’t want me to say it in public.’
She yanked open the door of the locker, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her tone. ‘I’m amazed you want to talk to me at all. What’s the point of having a conversation when one misses out important details like, “By the way, Tia, I’ll be starting a new job in your hospital tomorrow.”’
And that was just for starters. She knew only too well what other important fact he was keeping from her.
‘I didn’t mention it because I didn’t know that I would be starting today,’ Luca said evenly. ‘In fact, I didn’t know that I would be starting at all. I have had several conversations with the hospital but it was only confirmed this morning. It seems that they are in a crisis. Someone is off with food poisoning and someone else has taken compassionate leave. So, instead of starting in a week’s time, I agreed to start immediately.’
‘But you could at least have mentioned it,’ Tia pointed out, her eyes blazing as she dragged her clothes out of her locker.
Luca frowned. ‘Nothing was confirmed and we had other, more important matters to discuss, as I recall.’
Tia stared at him in exasperation. ‘But you didn’t even tell me that you were applying for a job in England, and yet you must have applied months ago.’
There was a long silence and a strange look flickered across Luca’s handsome face.
‘Just after we met,’ he admitted finally, and Tia let out a disbelieving breath.
‘And it didn’t seem relevant to mention that either? Well, believe it or not, I like to know what’s going on,’ Tia said, stripping off her cotton bottoms and dragging on her jeans. She took hold of the hem of her top and then hesitated. ‘Look the other way.’
Their eyes clashed and a sharp stab of electricity shot through her body and weakened her knees.
He clearly thought it was crazy to look the other way when he’d seen her naked more times than he could count.
‘We don’t have that sort of relationship any more, Luca,’ she croaked, tightening her fingers on her tunic.
Muttering something under his breath, he turned his back, the tension visible in his broad shoulders.
She changed quickly and pushed her clothes into her bag. ‘You can look now.’
‘Thank you.’ His ironic glance was at odds with his courteous tone and she looked at him warily.
‘Now what?’
‘Now we go home and finish the conversation we were having when you passed out on me last night,’ he said softly. ‘My car is in the car park.’
She slung her bag over her shoulder. ‘Thanks, but I’ll make my own way home.’
His mouth tightened into a grim line. ‘On that contraption you call a bike? No way. You have been working all day and you are exhausted, Tia. I will give you a lift.’
She glared at him and then smiled sweetly. ‘Will my bike fit in the boot of your car?’
Luca winced visibly at the thought. ‘You can leave it here.’
‘Overnight?’ She shook her head. ‘No way. Someone might steal it.’
‘Steal it?’ His incredulous tone and the lift of his dark eyebrows told her clearly what he thought of that suggestion. ‘Tia, it is a heap of rusty metal. No one in their right mind would steal it.’
She opened her mouth to argue again and then closed it again. The truth was she was totally exhausted. She’d never felt so tired in her life and the thought of cycling the five miles home was almost laughable.
‘All right.’ She knew she sounded ungracious but she couldn’t help it. ‘We’ll go in your car.’
‘Good.’ For a moment she thought she saw humour gleam in his dark eyes but then it was gone and he held the door open for her. ‘Let’s go.’
They walked in silence out of the building. Just as they were crossing the car park, the glamorous Dr Ford dashed up to Luca, wanting him to check some trivial detail on a drug chart.
