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‘I prefer to call you Dr Whittaker.’
Joel was intrigued, and something about the tension in her narrow shoulders made his heart beat faster.
‘
What do you call Michael?’
‘I call him Michael—but that’s different…’ A soft pink colour touched her cheekbones and suddenly his jeans felt uncomfortably tight.
She was so deliciously shy with him. It was hard to believe she’d been married and had a child.
‘Why is it different, Lucy?’
There was a long silence and he could see her chest rising and falling as she breathed.
‘Because Michael doesn’t look at me the way you look at me.’
Her honest statement knocked the breath from his body, and although he knew he ought to drop the subject, he couldn’t.
‘And how do I look at you?’
Her colour deepened further and she didn’t answer. Instead, she stood up quickly, picked up her plate and glass and escaped into the kitchen.
He was right behind her, standing in the doorway, digging his fingers into his palms to stop himself grabbing her.
‘How do I look at you, Lucy?’
‘Joel, please…’ Her voice was choked and he kept his voice gentle.
‘You call me Dr Whittaker because you’re trying to keep me at a distance. The reason it feels different with Michael and Nick is because the chemistry isn’t there. But there’s something between us, Lucy, and there has been from the first moment we met.’ He broke off and saw her take a deep breath.
‘No.’ She had her back to him and he took a step closer.
‘Lucy—look at me. Look at me and tell me that you haven’t felt it too.’
She didn’t move. ‘Maybe I have,’ she said finally, her voice so low he could barely hear her, ‘but it doesn’t mean anything, Dr Whittaker.’
At least she wasn’t denying it existed.
‘Joel,’ he corrected her softly, his voice amazingly steady considering how churned up he was inside, ‘and it could mean something, Lucy.’
There was a long silence and he was aware of her soft breathing. ‘I—I don’t know what you want from me, but there isn’t room in my life for any sort of relationship at the moment.’
Joel stared at the back of her head, unconsciously admiring the shiny black hair. He’d never met anyone quite like her before. He was used to women who flirted and played games, and Lucy did none of those things.
Realising that she was waiting for him to say something, he gently turned her to face him.
‘How about friendship? Surely there’s room in your life for that?’
She stared up at him and he noticed how beautiful her eyes were. An unusual shade of green surrounded by thick, dark lashes…
‘Friendship? You don’t strike me as the sort of man who usually settles for friendship.’
And she was right.
He looked her straight in the eye. ‘I’m a fast learner.’
She shook her head and pulled away from him, her expression sceptical. ‘I don’t think so.’
