his cousin Sharon and turned toward Faith. Theyâd just left the hospital following a globus pallidus DBS implantation, and were walking back to Wakefield Tower, where Wakefield and Fishe occupied the entire fifty-sixth floor.
Vale was enjoying the late spring air, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the busy New York sidewalk, people from all walks of life rushing past him and Faith. Numerous vendors lined the streets, selling everything from designer sunglasses to cheap âI Love New Yorkâ T-shirts. A hot-dog street vendor called out to someone and Valeâs stomach growled in response.
âLetâs grab an early lunch before heading back,â he suggested. Quite often theyâd pop into a restaurant or grab take-out so they could review a case while dining. Working with Faith made lunch more enjoyable. âSubs or Chinese?â
âNeither.â Not a single hair out of place on her tightly pulled-back hairstyle, Faith shook her head. âI canât do lunch today.â
Mentally, he ran through her schedule. They were leaving the office early to head to Cape May so she only had a few afternoon appointments. âYou arenât scheduled for anything until one, are you?â
She didnât meet his eyes. âNo, but I have other lunch plans. Sorry.â
Valeâs gut tightened. Had she made plans to meet the mysterious man in her life? The one whoâd been glad to see her the night before even though Vale had managed to keep her out past eleven? Had she lain in his arms recounting the dayâs events?
How had he not known she was seeing someone? Why did the fact that she was make his stomach knot?
Not because when sheâd looked at him last night, heâd grown hard in response to her visual undressing. Sheâd liked what sheâd seen and hell if he hadnât wanted to preen under the intensity of her green gaze.
Which was all wrong. He never, ever got involved with a colleague, and particularly not one who worked for him.
Besides, she wasnât his type.
Sex with Faith would be complicated, would come with all kinds of expectations on her part. He only had sex with uncomplicated women who knew better than to expect more from him. Heâd learned long ago not to want or expect more either.
Sex?
He did not want to sleep with Faithâwhich was the truth. Sleep had nothing to do with what heâd found himself thinking of last night, this morning when heâd awakened.
He didnât like being aware of her. Of waking with the scent of her perfume and sound of her laughter fresh in his mind.
âIâm allowed to take a non-working lunch break.â Shoving her glasses up the straight slant of her pert little nose, she looked as exasperated as she sounded.
âYou should have told me. Iâd planned to review theinformation we compiled last night prior to making a final decision on the initial patients to receive the procedure.â Why was she being so evasive? Who was she having lunch with? The mystery man? Perhaps they werenât having lunch at all? âCancel your plans.â
Annoyance flashed in her eyes, surprising him. Faith never argued with him, never went against his wishes, never made lunch plans. She ate lunch with him . The only time they didnât share a working lunch was if he made other plans.
Glancing at her watch with a disgusted look, her shoulders fell a notch, slamming him with unaccustomed guilt rather than the satisfaction that should have come with knowing he was about to get his way. And what was with her and looking at her watch the past two days? Faith wasnât a clock-watcher.
âFine.â She exhaled deeply, âI was fooling myself that I had time to get my hair done and find a dress for the wedding in an hour anyway.â
Vale stopped walking, standing perfectly still on the sidewalk as throngs of people continued to bustle around them without missing a beat. He stared at Faith,