Why should it be awkward? She wasn’t ashamed of what they’d done. She didn’t have to live by some stupid society rules that said sex had to happen one way or she turned into a slut while he was more of a man.
She liked him. He’d been nice to her, really nice to her. She turned, giving him a warm smile. “Hey, Owen. How are you?”
He was gorgeous. Ridiculously gorgeous. The man was so hot, every woman in the place was looking his way.
And that was another reason to keep this light.
He smiled down at her, his stunning eyes sparkling in the early morning light. “I slept well last night despite the fact that it was my first night in a new place. I managed to unpack a bit and went to sleep with no problem. I wonder why.”
For the same reason she’d slept like a baby. “I’m glad I could help. So you live in the building? Somehow we didn’t cover that. I’m on seven. I suspect you took over the Holder’s place. They were nice and quiet. Everyone likes a quiet neighbor.”
He put a hand over his heart as though making a sacred vow. “I promise to keep all my keggers on mute.”
“See that you do. Well, you got to know the building properly then if the first thing that happened was the elevator died on you,” she replied, already feeling warm and comfy with him. He was easy to talk to. “Hopefully you don’t have the plumbing problems I have. I swear I would move, but I’m super close to the station and to work.”
“At the research place,” he said as though trying to remember the details. “Houseman?”
“Huisman. It’s named after the family that founded it,” she explained. “I work with one of the sons.”
“Owen works with people, too,” a deep voice said. There was a hint of Western drawl to this one. He was all American, with dark hair that was a tiny bit shaggy but did nothing to hide his obvious masculinity. If he hadn’t been standing next to Owen, she would have found him devastatingly attractive. As it was, she acknowledged his handsomeness but couldn’t quite take her eyes off the Scot.
Owen winced, but his lips ticked up in a heartbreaking grin. “This is my mate, Robert McClellan. We’re sharing the flat for now. We worked together back in London before we took the transfer here. It’s only for a couple of months while we decide where we want to live. Apart. I’m just saying I’ll have my own place soon.”
Robert coughed, obviously covering his amusement. “I think he’s trying to explain that he’s not a thirty-six-year-old man who needs a roommate to cover half the rent.”
“Oh, I was thinking it must be nice to have someone to talk to when you come home at night.” She didn’t even have a pet. She’d started talking to her plants.
He shuddered as though she’d said something distasteful. “We’re mates, love. The most we say to each other is pass the beer. Do you mind if we join you?”
Oh, if she sat down with him, she might not get back up. She had to view him as an indulgence. “Sorry. I’m on my way into work.” She took the coffee from Nina and handed her the payment. It was definitely time to head out. “It was good to see you, Owen, and nice to meet you, Robert.”
Surprise was stamped on his handsome face.
She bet he didn’t get the brushoff often. He was likely used to women falling all over themselves the minute he walked in the door, and there was the slightest satisfaction that she could put that look on his face.
“Hey, I was hoping we could maybe have dinner tonight,” he offered.
Going out with him would likely be a mistake. Despite their incredible sexual chemistry, she knew they didn’t have a ton in common. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t see him again. She would likely see him a lot, and that was why she needed to keep her distance now. “I have plans tonight. Maybe some other time.”
She backed away.
“You having trouble, Dr. Walsh?”
Carter stood in the doorway, his bag over his shoulder. He was dressed for the office. “Not at all. I was just saying good-bye to my new friends. You heading in?”
He nodded, though his eyes were still on Owen and Robert. “Yes. Dr. Klein has me doing a bunch of paperwork this morning. He’s got a conference next week. And I have to reshuffle the intern schedule. Ally’s father is ill and she’s going back to Ottawa for a few days. I’m hoping the new guy can take her shifts.”
She glanced back and Owen had a cup of coffee in his hand, his eyes steady on her. He tipped his cup her way and smiled that incredibly inviting smile before turning back to his friend. Her breath had caught in her chest because that smile promised that he would be there if she needed him…for anything.
He was a dangerous man. She turned her attention back to her safety net—work. “How do you feel about the new interns? Are they going to work out?”
“Well, Annie is a moron and I have no idea how she got into medical school,” he began complaining. “Hannah thinks more about her boyfriend than she does her work. She’ll be spitting out kids the minute they get married.”
“That’s kind of sexist.” She strode toward the subway station.
“Well, it’s also true, and to show you I’m fair, I also hate Dillon. He’s an overprivileged moron who only got the job because his family is country club friends with the Huismans, so I’m sure he’ll be my boss soon. Tucker is cool,” he allowed. “He’s smart and hard working. He seems solid, if you know what I mean. I’m hoping he’ll take Ally’s place. The cancer team’s double-blind finishes on Wednesday, and we’ll need all hands on deck to get that data together.”
Carter was a logistical genius. Despite his youth, he was excellent at dealing with the various teams he needed to juggle.
“Well, you’ll do a fabulous job with it. Let me know if you need anyone else to help out,” she offered. “Cathy can input data like a pro. Because she actually is a pro.”
Carter slowed his gait to allow her to keep up. “I think we can handle it, but thank you. Speaking of data, how is yours coming along?”
A deep sense of satisfaction came over her. “It’s good on both fronts. Elaine’s aphasia has almost completely disappeared.”
Elaine was one of her patients. She hated thinking of the people she worked with as subjects. It dehumanized them, and she couldn’t do that. They were people in trouble. People like her mom. People who suddenly found the very power of speech taken from them by a greedy disease.
“That’s amazing,” Carter said with a smile. “She could barely speak when she came in.”
“The therapy is helping rewire her brain.” It was slow, but once she had the drugs that would speed up the healing process ready, it would be much faster. What could take a year to repair could be done in a matter of weeks or maybe days. “If everything goes well, I’ll be ready to go to human trials next year.”
And then she would start the real fight. It bubbled up inside her. She was getting there. She was going to take the fucker down, and then no one would have to go through what her mother had.
“I like it when you get that look in your eyes,” he said with a shake of his head, as though he was surprised the words had come out of his mouth. “Sorry. The work you do is important and when you get that look on your face, I know you’re in the zone, so to speak.”
She kind of was in the zone. She felt more settled than she had the day before, and that probably had a whole lot to do with the man she’d left behind at the café. “I’m feeling good about a lot of things today.”
“I’m surprised you turned that man down.” He opened the door to the Spadina Street Station, allowing her to enter. “He was the one stuck in the elevator with you, right? I thought I recognized him. You must have made an impression if he wanted to see you again. I guess getting stuck together is one way to have a date. I should try it sometime.”
The one thing she’d noticed beyond the fact that Carter seemed to have a problem with many of the interns under his charge was that he also complained about being single. A lot. “As guys to get locked in with for hours go, Owen’s a pretty good one.”
“So you’re going to see him again?” Carter asked.