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DeLuca throws his head back, laughing. “I’ll take what I can get and nothing more.”
“Okay,” I squeak. I was full of such confidence not long ago, but a lot has been said. Things I didn't know now are swirling around my mind. Matteo is beautiful, and honestly, the whole sexy accent has me flustered, but Cain—there is something unorthodox about that man. An edge I can’t help but want to meet. Knowing he is attracted to me, as Matteo suggests, gives me the kind of butterflies I’ve yet to experience with DeLuca. Butterflies that have been fluttering in my stomach from the moment I laid eyes on my boss. We move into the living room, and it’s like something out of a magazine, clean, crisp and aesthetically pleasing.
“How are you feeling? I know concussions can take a little while to recover from,” Matteo asks, taking a seat at one end of the sofa. I find a place at the other end.
“Good, thanks. Honestly, I don't even feel like it ever happened anymore.” I bring my drink to my lips and inwardly slap myself because I’m terrible at this. Flirting has never been natural to me. I’m clumsy and awkward under a man’s attention. Except Cain, who makes me mad enough not to even second-guess myself. “Did you always want to be a doctor?”
DeLuca laughs. “No, I was meant to take over the family business. I had been trained for it my whole life.”
“So why didn't you—what changed?”
“I was following a car with a young family inside. It was icy, and they crashed. It was late, and there was very little traffic on the road. I called for an ambulance, but for a while, it was just me and all these bloodied bodies.”
“That's terrible.”
He nods. “I felt very helpless. The father died on impact. The mother was unconscious with a severe head wound.” He shakes his head. “The smallest of the children was screaming, and the other was knocked out and bleeding. Glass had,”—he points to his neck—“nicked his artery.”
“Did he die?”
“No, I kept pressure on, and the ambulance arrived and took over. I’ve never felt more proud of myself, and the next day, I quit the family business and went to med school.”
“I take it your family wasn’t pleased.” I can sympathise. My parents both pushed me to join James and have security being in a family business, but I wanted something else for myself. Sometimes I’m not even sure what it is.
“No. They still hope I will return to Italy.”
“Do you think you ever will?”
“No.” He smiles at me, and then the blare of a phone breaks the moment. “That's my work phone,” he mutters.
“I hope it’s not an emergency,”
“You and me both. Don't move.” He leaves me on the sofa as he strides off in search of his phone. It’s a good few tense minutes before he returns, and when he does, he is holding his medical bag. “Lauren, I’m sorry. Perry has got himself into a mess.”
“Perry?” I jump up and adjust my clothes quickly. “Is he okay? What happened?”
“A misunderstanding, by all accounts. I do want to check him over, however.”
“Of course. Can I come with you?” I ask, concerned. When he nods, I gather up my bits and follow him out of the house to his car. We drive for about twenty minutes until we pull into an underground car park. “I hope he’s okay.”
“Perry is used to getting himself into scrapes,” DeLuca enlightens me.
“You’re all good friends, I take it?” I mean Cain also.
“We have a fair bit in common,” he muses, getting out. I frown at his response and follow him through the car park to the elevator bank. I can’t help watching his expression in the glass box we ride in. Gone is the carefree man. He has his doctor’s head on, and by the intense shine in his eyes, knowing it is a friend who is hurt is bothering him. “Stop,” he mutters and twists to smirk at me.
“You look so intense.” I press my lips together.
The elevator bumps to a soft stop, and Matteo exits, walking directly past the main desk. “He's expecting me, Reggie.” I eye the old man standing behind the desk.
“Good evening, doctor.” The greying man smiles at me and takes a seat, looking at the multiple security cameras. We get in another elevator, and Matteo mutters about how inconvenient they are.
“Now, now.” I giggle.
We come to a stop and step out. We’re on the top floor, and our walk is a short one to the double dark wooden doors halfway down the corridor. Matteo gives a series of loud knocks, and a few minutes later, the door swings open, and I come face-to-face with my boss.
“What the hell is she doing here?” He bares his teeth, then looks directly at me. “What are you doing here, Lauren?”
“I came with Matteo to check on Perry,” I whisper, stunned at his animosity.
