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She made to brush by him, but he simply moved a step to the right, his large frame blocking the doorway and the fluorescent light from the hallway. His eyes locked with hers, pinning her under his dark gaze.
“You’re not dressed like a nurse. And you were hovering over the girl’s bed like you were performing an exorcism.”
With his wavy black hair, swarthy complexion, and broad shoulders, the man looked more like a spy ready for his next mission than a technology geek. He was even taller than she thought, and his eyes were black enough to blot her from existence.
Not a man to be ignored.
Lillian blinked and stepped backward, an annoying stab of fear in her stomach. If he was one of Kinetica’s men, he wouldn’t ask questions, she reminded herself. Kinetica struck first and asked questions later.
She kept as close to the truth as possible. “I’m not on duty. I was visiting with a…friend next door. I heard the little girl crying and went to investigate. That’s all. I didn’t mean to alarm you. She’s sleeping peacefully. I think her fever broke.”
She gestured behind her at the girl, and the man’s gaze shifted, giving her poor heart a momentary reprieve. She used the second to take a breath, but that’s all she managed before his hard gaze returned to hers.
“You work here?”
“No, not here.”
“Where?”
“Denver,” she fibbed, not daring to blink. She actually lived in Boston. But if there was one thing she’d become masterful at after two years of hiding, it was how to tell a believable lie. The secret was to veer from the truth only when necessary and never lose eye contact.
“What kind of nurse are you?”
“I’m an ER nurse.” She hadn’t worked in an ER since she’d left Cleveland, but he didn’t need to know that.
“I see.”
She flashed him the no-nonsense, attention-avoiding smile she’d perfected over the last two years. “If you’ll excuse me, I really must be going.”
This time when she moved forward, he paused for a moment before stepping aside.Thank goodness.But his footsteps sounded behind her.Damn.She didn’t need to look to know he followed.Damn, damn, damn.All she needed was a nosy, rich computer guy asking questions. She moved toward the elevator.
“Do you always close your eyes when feeling a patient’s forehead?” He had come up on the right side of her, his deep voice vibrating her insides.
Go away, Computer Guy.She stabbed at the down button outside the elevator. “Sometimes. When I don’t have a thermometer handy.”
The elevator opened, and he stepped inside, placing one hand on the door to keep it from closing. She had no choice but to follow him. Unless she wanted to create a scene, which she did not.
“Lobby?”
At her nod, he pressed the glowing L on the panel. “What’s wrong with your friend?”
She watched the elevator doors close, nearly tearing her hair out at their agonizing slowness. “She’s sick.”
No need to panic.The elevator hummed as it moved toward their destination. The cafeteria and the exit were on the main floor. It made sense he’d head that direction, too.
“I kind of figured. Being that she’s in a hospital and all.”
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened.Freedom.But he followed close on her heels. “What’s the matter with her?”
She kept walking. Her stomach tingled like he had the power to expose her secrets. The tingle widened, expanded, lengthened until she couldn’t stop a shiver. She looked around at the cafeteria. The main section was closed, but a few people sat in the lounge where you could still get snacks and beverages. One of them looked up.Ugh.Already they were attracting attention.
She stopped walking, and he did, too.
She lowered her voice. “She has a virus.”
Under the bright lights, his eyes were dark blue, not black. Although she wouldn’t label him gorgeous, he was far from a geek. More like a confident tycoon—a suspicious one.
He lifted an eyebrow, as if to add an exclamation point to her thought.
