Of Blood and Bone (The Minaldi Legacy #1)(18)
Author: Courtney Cole

“I’m not afraid.”

Luca looks at me again and I don’t see one ounce of the vulnerability that I have seen there before.  Instead, he is expressionless once more and darkly handsome.

“Well, that’s the rub,” he answers.  “You should be.”

Chapter Nine

Luca

I watch her absorb my words, drawing them into her body as she thinks about them.  Her face, for once, is impassive.  Evangeline isn’t showing her hand.

“Why should I fear you?” she finally asks.  She is trying to act unruffled.  But I can see that she is nervous.  Her slender hands fidget in her lap as she tries to sit still.

“Oh, we don’t really have the time to get into that this evening,” I tell her.  “There will be other nights, I’m sure.  I don’t want to scare you away so soon, Dr. Talbot.”

“I’ve told you,” she says.  “Call me Eva.”

I look at her long and hard and she fidgets under my gaze.  On some base level, I find satisfaction in that. She is very unflappable. The fact that I have gotten beneath her skin says something.

“Ah, we’ve already gone over that, haven’t we?” I ask.  “We aren’t yet friends.”

She lifts her chin and I can see her cheeks are flushed.  Have I offended her or is it the effects of the Scotch?  She downed hers like a sailor, something that I wasn’t expecting.  I could tell she didn’t like it. Women usually don’t, but she certainly hid it well.

“As you like,” she answers.  I almost smile, but don’t.  I offended her.  The capable, no-nonsense Dr. Talbot might be more sensitive than she seems.

“Why does Adrian call you Eve?” I ask.  The question is out before I think about it. I hadn’t meant to ask, but ever since I heard him do it, I’ve wanted to know.

Her eyes meet mine quickly.  She is surprised.  And flustered.  She shakes her head.

“It’s silly.  It’s a private joke, I guess.”

“Why is it private?” I ask.  “You just met him this morning.  How private can it be?”

The idea that Adrian would share anything private with her is instantly annoying.

She shakes her head again.  “I don’t know.  I just don’t feel like explaining it.  It sounds silly out loud.”

“You’re embarrassed?” And now I’m the one who is surprised.  “I wouldn’t have thought that you embarrass easily, Dr. Talbot.”

“I don’t.”

But that’s a lie.  I can tell by the flush lining her graceful cheekbones.  I resist the urge to run my thumbs over the color, to trace the way the delicate color curls over her cheeks and illuminates her face.  It’s becoming on her.  So, I tell her that.  She flushes even deeper and I have to smile.

“Or maybe you just embarrass easily with me,” I muse, watching her lips press together until they turn white at the corners.

“You don’t like me much, do you?” I ask her.  She’s once again the one who is surprised as she turns her face toward mine.

“Why ever would you think that?” she asks.

“It’s just an observation,” I answer.  “You seem on edge around me.”

“That might be because you told me that I’m not safe around you,” she replies, her chin lifted in the air.  I smile wider and she sucks in a breath.  I do affect her.  And I like that. It only seems fair since she affects me in a very similar way. The fact that the crotch of my pants shrinks two sizes whenever she is near is evidence of that.

“Valid point,” I concede.  “But you haven’t asked why.”

She shrugs, her shoulders thin and elegant.  “Does it matter?  Unsafe is unsafe whatever the reason.”

I nod.  “Very true. You’re very astute.”

She nods too, cool now.  “Yes, I am.  Now, what were you wanting to discuss about your mother?”

“To the point.  I like that,” I tell her.  I pour another scotch and hand it to her, taking one for myself.   She doesn’t refuse it.  I’m impressed once again.

I sit down in the chair facing her.

“I would like to hire you,” I say simply.  She is impassive as she stares at me, the scotch glass in her lap.

“I’m not licensed to practice medicine here,” she answers calmly.  Her eyes, such a unique color, are glued to mine. Her stare is unwavering and once again, I am impressed with her.  She has such poise.  I briefly wonder if it is a result of her training.

“That is no matter,” I answer.  “My mother can continue to have her medications prescribed by her current physician.  You can work hand in hand with him.  But she reacts differently with you, far better than she reacts with him.  She was calmer in a matter of minutes with you than I have seen her in months.  If you had that effect on her every day, it would make my life much, much easier.   Even though my mother and I have a…tenuous relationship, I want her to be comfortable.  I will pay you handsomely, Dr. Talbot.”

She is quiet for a moment as she looks down at her hands, at the scotch glass, then back up to me.

“I’m here to finish my dissertation, Luca.  I don’t have the time to be a round-the-clock attendant.  I don’t wish to sound rude, but I am here in Malta for a reason and I only have the summer to complete it.”

“Fair enough,” I tell her.  “But I don’t want you to be a round-the-clock attendant.  You’re a doctor, not a nurse aide.  I would simply like to pay you to visit with her once a day or so.  And if she has episodes like she had today, then I could call you and you could come and talk her down like you did this evening.  It shouldn’t be too taxing for you and I would compensate you very well for your time. Surely you would like to pay your student loans off early.”

She stares at me, once again impassive, although I had expected her to be surprised or impressed by the implication that I would pay her quite so well.

“Perhaps.  I’ll consider it.  But first, I need for you to tell me why Mrs. Minaldi feels that Chessarae is dangerous. Why does she think that you are evil?”

I take a moment, studying Evangeline’s face as she waits for my answer.  She’s calm, cool and very collected.   She doesn’t seem to believe my mother’s words.  If she did, she wouldn’t be here right now.  Instead, she is waiting for me to refute them.