When I’m finally free, I stride over to him, smiling innocently. “Enjoy the show?”
“It was . . . informative,” he says, his mouth twitching.
“Informative? That’s the best you’ve got?” I tilt my head, mock-offended. “I just gave an award-worthy performance on the Premium Extending Pole Saw, Edward, and all you can come up with isinformative?”
“There are other words I could use about watching you, but they wouldn’t be particularly . . . gentlemanly.”
My heart stutters but I mask it with a grin. “Oh? Do share with the class, Dr. Cavendish.”
Flirty banter feels so much safer than asking the actual, burning question:What the hell is Edward doing in the studio?
“I’ll refrain,” he says, his eyes glinting. “But your innuendos? Impressive. Quick off the mark. I don’t know how you kept a straight face.”
“Practice,” I say lightly. “Surely this is past your bedtime, Doc.”
“Very much so,” he replies. “But it’s worth the sleep deprivation. In the interest of honesty, I could watch you demonstrate rat poison and be enthralled.”
Oh.
Oh.
My breath catches. Any clever response dies in my throat.
The air between us crackles with the same electric charge that preceded The Church Incident.
“So . . .what are you doing here?”
“I came to see you. We have unfinished business.”
“Unfinished business,” I repeat, fighting to sound unimpressed. Fighting to sound like my entire body isn’t suddenly electric with anticipation. “What kind of business?”
His lips curve. Just enough to make my pulse stutter. “Critical business.”
I narrow my eyes, attempting to sound casual. Failing spectacularly. “Did you come straight from your date?”
“Lucia is a colleague. Just a good friend.”
Right.
“She’s beautiful,” I say, because, well, sheis.
“She is,” he agrees, “but I didn’t come here to discuss her.”
“She’s beautifulanda doctor,” I press, because I’ve apparently decided to cockblock myself. “You two have so much in common.”
“All of those facts are objectively true,” he says, stepping closer. “But entirely irrelevant to the matter at hand.”
The air between us thrums with something I don’t dare name.
“I find myself standing in front of you at midnight,” he continues, “because, as stated, we have critical unfinished business.”
“Well then,” I say, “enlighten me about this critical business, Dr. Cavendish.”
“Perhaps my way of asking you out was untimely and clumsy. And, quite frankly, your method wasn’t much better. But it’s something I very much want to happen, and considering you turned up at my hospital, I suspect you feel the same.”
My heart is hammering so hard it’s probably visible through my BritShop top. “This method is clumsy and untimely too, you know. What are we even doing here? Stalking each other at our workplaces now?”
“It would appear so. Your security protocols are concerningly lax here, by the way. Given your . . . dedicated following.”
