Page 6 of Diavolo

She halted in place and glanced over her shoulder. He wore a slight smirk on his handsome face. The man seemed to bebaiting her on purpose. Calmly, Elyse asked, "Do you need to use the bathroom before I go?"

"No."

She glowered at him. "In that case, I'm leaving."

His two-toned eyes danced with amusement. "Wait."

Elyse's mouth flattened into a line of disapproval. Eyeing him with suspicion, she crossed both arms over her chest. "Yes?"

His eyes flicked over her breasts. In a not-at-all-innocent manner, he teased softly, "Will you bathe me when you come back?"

Summoning her final shred of patience, she tried not to snap at him. "I can. If needed."

His gaze darkened with interest. "Had I known doctors like you existed—"

Irritation ticked through her. "That's enough."

The bastard must be well on the mend if he was capable of thinking with his prick. Elyse sensed he was trying to get a rise out of her. As a thirty-two-year-old New Yorker who grew up in the heart of Queens, she was too thick-skinned at this point to be bothered by fuckboy-isms. Thisman was hardly the first to hassle her, and he certainly wouldn't be the last. Elyse refused to give him the satisfaction of getting under her skin.

Without a trace of emotion, she reminded him evenly, "I dug a bullet out of your stomach less than four hours ago. You can't move freely on your own, therefore, whatever happens between us over the next few days will be for medical purposes and medical purposes only."

"You certainly know how to put a man in his place."

She gave a half-hearted shrug. "I work with a lot of men. If I didn't grow a pair, they'd walk all over me."

The man proceeded to stare her down, brazenly so, but he spoke with more caution, "It was not my intention to offend you.Mi scusi. I am weak as a kitten,angelo. You do not need toguard against me. I only wish to express how much I appreciate you.”

Elyse refused to play along, muttering, "Oh,Dios, here we go…"

He flashed her a winning smile. “It is comforting to know that you will be tending toallof my needs."

The innuendo wasn't lost on her. Elyse cast him a dirty look before marching away. "I should get going."

"Hold on. Just one more thing."

She was forced to stop again. "What is it?"

He gestured to the blue tarp and frowned. "Am I to stay on the cold, hard floor until you return?"

Despite her annoyance with him, she had to commend his resolve. The man was nothing if not persistent. The corner of Elyse's mouth twitched. "Yes."

His gaze floated to her couch. "I would prefer to rest there."

She denied him with a shake of her head. "I'll be using the couch while you're here. I have an air mattress, though. I'll set it up for you later."

His dark eyebrows rose in surprise. "You will not sleep in your bed?"

"I need to stay close to you," she explained, "so I can monitor your condition. I've been setting an alarm every hour to check your vitals."

He clicked his tongue. "You take your job very seriously."

"No, I take my life very seriously," she retorted. "Don't die while I'm gone, okay?"

This drew a light chuckle from him. Elyse was about to head out when his next question caught her by surprise.

"I am curious, Dr. Romero," he drawled, "how did a woman like you become acquainted with men like Stefano Russo and Michael Bianchi?"

Her chest clenched at his inquiry. A barrage of unhappy memories attacked her senses, but she managed not to lose her cool.

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