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Her eyes soften, crinkling into laughter, and the way they dance around my face makes all the tension seep away. It’s a glimpse of what lies beneath the blue scrubs; all her secrets shimmering below the surface like light catching a fish in water. I’m guessing she’s a sweetheart under that upright pillar-of-society exterior.
“Doesn’t passing out classify it as a real bender?”
And something about the way she says the words “real bender” with relish makes me think of sex and what she might look like out of her dress.
I shake my head and grin. “No, I think a real one would be waking up having lost two days with three women in your bed.”
Janus raises his eyebrows. Okay, I get it. I don’t talk to women this much. I can’t stand the chat about friends (I don’t have any) or celebrity gossip (who’s even interested?), or TV shows (I don’t watch any). Jo is the one notable exception to this; I could chat to her for hours. But I certainly don’t flirt. Janus alternates between telling me I’m a hermit and a sexist pig, and he’s closer to the truth on both counts than I’d care to admit.
“So,” Janus says, “let me make proper introductions since the last time you were introduced you were clearly horizontal.” He winks at me, and I groan.
“Tell me you’re not going to make jokes like that all night.”
“If he does, I’ll kneecap him,” my doctor says, and here’s some more of the dry, cool person I met in the ER.
“And if you do, you’ll be qualified to fix it,” I say, and the throaty laugh she makes in response is like a depth charge going off inside me.Fabian, you don’t get to be thrilled, you dick; she’s way above your league.My level is more like that prostitute down by the riverside, and I’m still trying to sort that mess with my cards.
“I’m Kate Thurman. Jo and I were at college together,” she says, holding out her hand.
As I wrap my fingers around hers, a zing runs up my arm. Her palm is warm and soft, and she blinks down at our hands with a small smile on her face.
“Well, Dr. Thurman, you know who I am”—I pull her hand forward and lean into her—“intimately.” This gets me an eye roll. “Nice to meet you out of uniform, Kate.”
Her small pink lips stretch wider, and I smile back, still holding her hand.
“I was at college with Janus,” I add.
“Oh!” she says. “Did you study tech, too?”
“Well …” I say, my mind flashing back to the unattended lectures and the litany of abuse I received from my professors. “I’m a programmer.”
Janus snorts. “Study! I’m not sure you went to a single lecture or even read a book.” He leans in to whisper to Kate. “And he’s still the best programmer I’ve ever met. He does all this stuff for other people too, but I bet he won’t let me talk about that either.”
“Moving on,” I say and Janus laughs.
I look down, frowning. I haven’t let go of Kate’s hand yet. I can’t seem to bring myself to do it.
“And you have a death wish?” she asks, smiling and squeezing my fingers, and I’m aware that she means my propensity to experiment with drugs, but I can’t resist teasing her a little.
“Why? Are you a black belt who’s going to take me down for holding your hand a bit too long?”
I’ve not flirted for a decade, and what’s coming out of my mouth feels old and rusty and makes me want to disappear into the floor. But Janus’s astonishment is burning a path down my left-hand side and it makes me want to press a bit further, to show him I can do this shit.
Kate wraps her fingers more intimately around mine, her skin warm against my hand. “I thought I was the one holding on to your hand?” she says softly, and my laugh catches me somewhere deep and empty.
“Beer?” Janus asks, and my eyes flick down to Kate’s as I purse my lips.
“You’ve nothing stronger?” I say.
Janus gestures to Kate to lead the way, and I reluctantly let go of her hand.
Jo appears at the end of the kitchen island, her face breaking into a big grin. I’m still envious that Janus got her; she’s a tech security expert with long trailing red hair and a petite frame—and as sharp as they come. He had to pull out all the stops to win her, and he’s head over heels, so I don’t begrudge him her really. I grab hold of her and spin her around as she shrieks, small nails digging into my shoulders.
“Tell me some amazing tech fact,” I say, putting her back on the floor.
“Oh no,” Kate says from behind me. “Jo’s already told me all about this game you play, and I’m here with three techies. Have mercy on me. We’re only playing if we can include medical facts as well.”
“Okay,” I say, turning toward her. “Let’s try a different game. Sex facts.”
