Elias opens the big glass door to the conference room, allowing me to step inside first, then Dr. Warrick.
“Thank you,” I say to him, capturing the way his eyes drop to my mouth, then jump back up to my eyes, only to fall to my lips again.
A flush works its way into my cheeks, the sexual tension so suffocating, I’m not sure if I can make it through this meeting. Dr. Carrington is probably married, and if he isn’t, there is no way a man like that is single. He’s out of my league too, but damn it, he is just my type.
There has to be a big age gap between us, which is another reason I wouldn’t stand a chance. Not all men like age gaps. Dr. Warrick is the exception to the rule.
“Let me.” Elias pulls out my chair, maintaining eye contact with me until I’m seated. He pushes me closer to the table, the slight jerk of the chair causing me to gasp.
His fingers brush across the middle of my back. I’m not sure if it’s intentional. It could just be him touching the chair. Nothing more. Nothing less.
The way I’m reacting to him makes me wonder if I need to change the age requirements on the dating app. Maybe I need to completely forget men who are in their twenties and possibly thirties; I’m just not interested in them.
“Elias, how is your father doing?”
“He’s fine.” Dr. Carrington’s tone changes when Winston asks him that question.
“Are you?” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them, and I flush, knowing I crossed a line I can’t step away from. “I mean, you seem fine—” I point my pen to his bruised cheek. “That says another story.”
I expect anger to flash in his bright blue irises, an irritation that the assistant dares to ask such a personal question. Instead, thetension he holds in his face softens, the wrinkle between his eyebrows vanishes, and the hard lock of his jaw relaxes.
“I will be,” he answers honestly, never taking his attention away from me.
The pulsating spark between us grows, burning brighter with more intensity. I’m the first one to look away, clicking my pen to take notes. “I’m ready when you are, Dr. Warrick. I’ll take notes and I’ll send you a copy, Dr. Carrington. I won’t be loud while note-taking. It will be like I’m not even here.”
“I doubt that,” Elias whispers, so low I know Winston can’t hear him.
I can’t want him. I need to date outside of the hospital. Dating a coworker is a bad idea. That’s how the workplace becomes messy. That’s my rule. No dating inside this hospital, which is hard considering most of my life is based in this building. But no one here has ever caught my attention.
Until now.
“Okay, first thing, I think the schedule is changing for this surgery. We have a cardiovascular surgeon coming in as well. The more general surgery will need to be done beforehand.”
“Wait, the cardiovascular surgeon will be performing surgery first?” Elias asks, annoyance heavy in his question.
That’s when I tune out for a bit as the men figure out their egos for the operating room. I’m not sure how all of them will fit in one space. I’ll need to reward the nurses for dealing with all the surgeons that day.
I take my notes on autopilot, doing my job as I always do. Every now and then, my gaze roams to Elias, my breath catching whenhis arm bends, the sleeves of his coat stretching to accommodate his bicep.
Lifting the pen, I drag the end across my lips, dazed and entranced by the sculpted jaw, the thick neck with a strong Adam’s apple, and the way his eyes seem clear from this angle. It must be how the light is coming in through the windows.
“Are you getting this, Olivia?”
I whip my head around to see Winston smirking.
He caught me!
Luckily, I’m an amazing notetaker with the impeccable ability to multitask. I lift my notebook and show him what I have written down. People would think I know more about medicine than I really do, but even as I reread my notes, I have no idea what any of this actually means.
A foot taps against mine, breaking my attention mid-sentence.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to kick you, Olivia.”
“It’s okay,” I whisper to Elias, flustered, wondering why he makes my heart pound.
He doesn’t take his foot away. His shoe touches mine and the simple, innocent, probably nothing gesture has my mind whirling, my heart pounding from the pull I feel for this man. Wanting to test my boundaries, I pretend my own foot slips, causing it to slide in next to his. My small shoe looks ridiculous pressed against his giant one and much to my surprise, his shoulders lose their tension followed by a deep, content sigh.
This can’t happen. When this meeting is done, I’m changing the age range on my profile, and dating outside this hospital.
