Then again, the man was performing brain surgery. One wrong move and their patient could have lasting effects. She should be grateful his concentration was on the patient because for once her mind kept veering off track. Not good. Her career was everything to her.
Her guarantee to never fall into the same pitfalls as her mother, to never need a man.
Her gaze shifted to Vale yet again. She didn’t need him. Want him, yes. Of course she wanted him. He was gorgeous, successful, brilliant Vale Wakefield. But want and need were two very different things.
Thank goodness she didn’t need him, or any man.
No doubt that would hurt even more than the sharp twinges she kept experiencing in her chest just looking at him caused.
Knowing she had to get her feelings safely tucked away, Faith took a deep breath and focused on what she’d focused on her entire life, the one thing she had control over.
Her career.
“Well done, Vale,” Faith congratulated him when they stepped outside the surgical suite. “The DBS implantation went superbly.”
Hearing her say his name brought back memories of the weekend when she’d called out his name in sexual release.
Memories he didn’t want because what had happened between them had ended with the weekend. What happened in Cape May stayed in Cape May.
Unfortunately.
“We won’t really know how successful the implantation was for a few days.” Did he sound embittered? Fine. Let her deal with his moodiness.
He hadn’t been ready to call quits to their affair. It had been years since a woman had ended a relationship with him. He’d forgotten how much it stung to want someone he couldn’t have.
Oh, he could have her. He’d seen how she looked at him this morning. She wanted him whether she wanted to admit it or not. But if he pursued their personal relationship any further, Faith would end up leaving the clinic.
She’d stressed how important her career was to her. What right did he have to screw that up just because he wasn’t ready to let go of her delectable body? Just because, even now, looking at her in her hideous glasses and unflattering scrubs, all he could think about was how she’d come alive tangled with his body, how she’d stared at him in wonder at her orgasms, at how she’d looked while sleeping in his arms?
God, he’d missed her last night. Had lain in his big bed alone and wondered why he’d never noticed how quiet and lonely his penthouse was.
Sure, he’d thought of sex from time to time when sleeping alone, but to want to hold a woman, to breathe in her vanilla scent, to sleep knowing she was next to him, would be there when he woke up? Never.
Not looking at her, he peeled off his protective gear.
When he turned to go, she touched his shoulder. “Vale?”
Not wanting to, he faced her, but didn’t look into her eyes. He couldn’t. Not when he wanted to slide her glasses off her face, lose himself in her gorgeous eyes, and tell her he wasn’t willing to let her toss him aside when she so obviously wanted him, too.
“Yes?” He sounded a jerk, but it couldn’t be helped. Her gentle touch had electrified his body, had made him acutely aware of how close she stood, of how much he wanted her.
He’d told her he wanted her, that he wanted to continue what they’d started, to see where it took them. She’d been the one to say no. Yet here she was, looking uncertain, hurt. He wasn’t going to play games. Did she want him to chase her? To beg her to admit she wanted him? Hell, no.
“I…” She paused, uncertainty darkening her eyes. “Are we going to lunch today?”
Lips held tightly together, he shook his head. “You made your point last week, Faith. Your lunchtime is your own. Unless it’s unavoidable, you won’t be scheduled for meetings during lunch.”
“But—” she began, but he interrupted.
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, Faith. Go, have lunch, and enjoy your free time. I have other plans.” He turned to walk away, paused, turned and flashed a grin that was difficult to pull off, but by the paleness of her skin he knew he had, knew he had to drive the point home that either she admitted she wanted him, that she wanted to continue what they’d started, or he would move on. “With Lulu.”
He left Faith to stare a hole in his back.
Fortunately, she couldn’t see the hole in his chest that hurting her ripped open.
But he wouldn’t beg any woman for her affections. Not even one he wanted as much as the one he’d just walked away from.
Three weeks passed. Three weeks in which Faith had barely seen Vale. He hadn’t asked her to lunch, hadn’t asked her to work late to review the latest data, hadn’t asked her input on the Parkinson project. She’d gone from essentially being with him almost constantly to seeing him during roundtable discussions regarding surgical consults and in the surgery suite.