getting involved with a woman—a woman he wasn’t sure he could trust—at the same time he was trying to save his heritage had seemed like a bad idea.
And now here she was, in his clinic, in all her beautiful glory. Stunned would be the only word that could describe how he’d felt when he’d seen her standing there, looking sexier than anyone should be able to look in a nurse’s uniform. How coincidental was it that she’d just happened to be signed up for employment there?
Too coincidental, as far as he was concerned.
“You working somewhere else makes more sense. I’ll make a few phone calls to the hospital and the other clinic. I can’t promise to find you a position there but can also look at Verona or Padua for temporary nursing opportunities.”
“This is ridiculous.” She folded her arms across her chest and stared him down with such laser intensity, a lesser man might have caved right then and there. “You need a nurse here, obviously, or I wouldn’t have been hired. I want the job, I’m qualified for the job, and I’m here now ready to work. Did I do well helping with Benedetto?”
“Yes. But that’s irrelevant to the problem.”
“Are you saying that you’re so chauvinistic and weak around women that you wouldn’t be able to behave professionally around me?”
“What? Of course not.” He couldn’t decide whether to laugh, or be irritated, or both. And admit that their night together had happened because he’d been unable to resist being with her then, so yeah, maybe he was weak. “You’re pretty sassy for a woman who wants her boss to keep her around.”
“And you’re pretty insulting, implying I hunted you down in coming to work here.” She stepped closer and poked her finger into his chest, her eyes flashing blue-gray fire. “I can show you the letter from the UWWHA confirming my employment here, which is dated long before we met. And I’m not going to let a mistake from two months ago keep me from having this job now. So you’re stuck with me, and I’m stuck with you.”
He grasped her hand in his, planning to move her finger from his sternum, but found himself curling it against his chest instead. “A mistake, was it? You didn’t seem to think so that night.”
“That night, I didn’t know what I know now.” She yanked her hand from his. “And neither did you. So we act like adults and work together like adults. Professional relationship, pure and simple. Now, let’s get on with you showing me around here, before more patients show up.”
He felt his lips curve, despite knowing that if he agreed to keep her here, it might well be a disaster waiting to happen. He’d been attracted to her smarts and beauty and sense of humor before. Add to that her spunk and tough attitude?
Irresistible.
Dio. He sighed and stepped around her to open the door. “I have a bad feeling the next few months are going to challenge me at a time I have too many challenges already,” he said. “Lead on, Aubrey Henderson. I’ll show you the ropes if you promise not to hang me with them.”
“I never make promises I’m not sure I can keep,” she said in the sweetest of tones, smiling up at him, her eyes filled with victory, flashes of exasperation, and a touch of the teasing look he’d fallen for before. “But I’ll do my best, Dr. Affini. That I can promise.”
* * *
Several days working at the clinic hadn’t dimmed Aubrey’s enthusiasm for the job, it had made her even more excited about it. Seeing the clinic sign up ahead had her stepping up her pace the same way it had the first day she was there. She was so glad she’d embarked on this adventure, in spite of Enzo Affini’s insulting attitude and the uncomfortable tension between them.
Why in the world had she decided to sleep with him that first night she’d met him? What a mistake that had turned out to be! It was so obvious now that she never should have gotten involved with him, especially since she’d known all along that the main reason he’d offered to show her around Venice was because he’d wanted to pick her brain about Shay.
Except she just hadn’t been able to resist, fool that she was.
Now, though, she was going to concentrate on work and only work. Thank goodness Enzo hadn’t made her go somewhere else, since taking care of mostly tourists was so interesting. In some ways completely different than what she’d done back at home, and in other ways it was exactly the same. And the locals she’d seen so far in the clinic had been a fascinating mix of characters, from charming and sweet to gruff to downright cranky. Though she supposed that would describe all the people in the world—when it came down to it, everyone was much more alike than they were different, weren’t they?
She changed into her crisp white dress and glanced in the locker-room mirror. Caught herself thinking about how surprisingly well it fit and how flattering it was and how Enzo just might think so, too, and why did even her simple uniform make her think about the man? Pathetic. What was wrong with her that she still caught herself feeling doe-eyed over a guy who’d wondered if she was trying to trap him or something?
Cool, professional relationship only. No fighting or kissing allowed. They’d done pretty well with that the past couple days. Surely after a few more it would feel as if their time together before had never happened?
Yeah, right. Whenever they were alone in a room, the low sizzle humming between them was very hard to ignore.
Nora poked her head into the locker room. “I have a British couple here to see the doctor. A Mr. and Mrs. Conway. You want to get started with them first?”
“Of course.” She ushered the middle-aged couple to one of the exam rooms. “Hello, I’m Aubrey Henderson, the nurse on staff today. Can you tell me what you’re here for?”
“I’ve been pecked by a bird,” the woman exclaimed. “By an awful dirty bird, and it hurts!”
“All right. Let’s have a look.” Aubrey was about to shut the door for privacy when Enzo appeared, filling the doorway with his big, irritating, masculine presence.
“Mind if I stay?” he asked. His face was impassive, but she could see a glint of amusement in the depths of his dark eyes at the woman’s dramatic statement. “I need to evaluate how our American nurse is doing.”
“Of course,” Aubrey said before the patient could answer. And was that what he really wanted, or was he there to just rattle her again, knowing this was probably not a serious situation? “This is Dr. Affini.”
“I’d like to see what the doctor thinks about this!” the woman exclaimed. “I’ve probably got some disgusting disease.”
“Mrs. Conway, why don’t you sit on the table here and show me where it hurts? Sir, you can sit in one of these chairs.”
“Right on the top of my head, that’s where it hurts! Bleeding, too.” She held up a tissue with some specks of blood on it, waving it first at Aubrey, then Enzo. “What if I’ve been exposed to some terrible bird infection?”
Aubrey donned gloves and gently pushed the woman’s hair aside to find a small, reddened indentation. “I can see this probably hurts. But I don’t think it’s too serious. Let me get some antiseptic to clean it with.”
“Not too serious? You’ll change your mind when I tell you the story.” The woman sat straighter and
