She settled in to work, forcing her mind to replay the session as she tried desperately to ignore the brush of his arm against hers, the heat from his body and the sound of his breathing.
The knowledge she was going to have to edit the hell out of her case notes struck her as funny, and she smiled. No way was she going to manage to get this right with him so close.
It just wasn’t happening.
* * *
YES! JUSTIN WANTED to shout to the heavens. She was thinking about him and it bothered her. That indicated she had thoughts she didn’t want to have. He’d take it because it meant he’d succeeded in getting her to consider him, and likely them, on her own. Yeah, he’d take it.
Her body was so close he wanted to touch her, to trace the soft contours of her face, trail his fingers down her neck and across the modest expanse of décolletage she was displaying. He wanted to tease that slim glimpse of skin with his fingertips, make her nipples pucker under that proper shirt and hear her gasp with surprise. She always did, as though she was shocked at her response to him. He freaking loved that about her.
His stomach lurched at the word. Love. He could easily love her. He’d spent years watching her, wanting her, listening to her talk, hearing her defend her hypotheses to fellow students, seeing her kindness with those who didn’t understand a concept, having her come by his office to talk. He’d known one night with her wouldn’t be enough; he’d been half in love with her even before they’d made love. Experiencing her body, loving her physically? It had changed things between them, even if she didn’t realize it yet. She would. He’d make sure of it.
“Justin? Which ICD-9 code would I use to classify ‘save this kid’s life’? Because I’m just not finding one.”
Jolted back to the moment at hand, he glanced at her and grinned. “There’s no superhero code in the medical indices. We’ll have to come up with something creative, because I’ve heard that billing the state for these types of services can get dicey.”
“Fair enough. I’ll leave that part blank for now.”
“We’ll figure it out together.” And they would, because she’d be here tomorrow and the next day. His heart rate doubled, the rush of blood making him light-headed. He pressed a hand to his forehead.
“Did I hurt your brain with the brilliant question?”
“Yes, you hurt my brain.”
“Sorry.” The smile in her voice was evident even if she wasn’t showing one. His office phone rang, startling him. “Excuse me while I answer the Bat Cave line.” He grabbed the phone. “Dr. Maxwell.”
“Hey, Doc. I have this rash I can’t seem to get rid of. It’s on my—”
“Stop right there, sir. I know exactly what you’re suffering from. Only immediate surgical intervention stands a chance of saving your life. I suggest a complete lobotomy, stat. Go to the nearest emergency room and advise them you’re there on the advice of your psychologist.”
His best friend, Eric, laughed. “Very funny, man. How’s your first day going?”
“Awesome, actually. I’ve dealt with an overworked HR department, a director on a mission to run this place efficiently if it kills us all, a college intern I just happened to teach who is also hot as hell and a patient who loved the intern and shunned me.”
Grace shoved his shoulder. “Shut up,” she hissed.