Seduction In Sydney: Sydney Harbour Hospital: Marco's Temptation / Sydney Harbor Hospital: Ava's Re-Awakening / Sydney Harbor Hospital: Evie's Bombshell

‘So-so.’ Evie frowned. ‘You okay?’

‘Yes.’ Earth to Emily was right. She needed to plug into her surroundings. ‘Of course. I’m visiting Annie. Her baby had intrauterine surgery yesterday.’

‘Ah. I heard it all went well. Marco D’Arvello. Lucky we’ve got someone of his calibre here, even if it’s for a short time.’

Emily nodded with her head down. ‘He said Finn arranged his visit.’

‘Finn likes him.’

Emily remembered yesterday in the cafeteria. ‘Everything okay between you guys? I saw you in the kiosk yesterday.’

Evie shrugged. ‘Ah. Yes. Well. He’s a stubborn man.’

‘I’ve heard men often are.’

Evie laughed. ‘About time you did more than just hear that, isn’t it?’ Evie studied her face. ‘Shouldn’t you be retraining a stubborn man yourself?’

Marco wasn’t stubborn. But she didn’t say it. ‘I’m a little snowed under with a pregnant daughter at the moment.’

‘Of course. Though that’s the funny thing about falling in love. It doesn’t always pick the perfect moment to happen.’

Emily thought about that and didn’t like the direction. ‘Well, I’ll be careful, then. This really isn’t a good time for me to be sidetracked.’ It wasn’t too late!

The lift doors opened and they moved in. Emily pressed sky bridge level and Evie leaned forward and pressed the button for Administration. The doors almost shut and then opened again.

Marco took two long strides from the left as the lift doors began to close. Stabbed the button. He’d seen Emily get in there. The doors reopened and he stepped inside.

Her eyes widened and she stepped away from him back into the corner. This woman who had left his bed that morning. As if afraid of him?

A slice of pain he didn’t expect. Did she feel she needed to do that? Peripherally he was aware there was another woman in the elevator so he leant against the side wall and nodded. It was the woman with Finn yesterday in the cafeteria.

The other woman smiled at him. ‘We were just talking about you.’ Vaguely he realised she was pretty but he only had eyes for Emily.

Then her words sank in. That wasn’t what he expected to hear. Gossip? He felt the air still in his lungs. Memories from his childhood as always the people whispered behind his back as he walked. Trust issues reared their ugly head. His father’s words, ‘Never trust anyone.’ So already she was boasting. He had not expected that.

She held out her hand. ‘I’m Evie Lockheart. So you operated on Annie yesterday.’

Ah. ‘Si.’ They shook hands. ‘Dr Lockheart. You must thank Finn for me. Last night we dined on the brig.’ Then Evie’s last words penetrated the haze of hurt. She’d only said he’d operated on her daughter.

Evie’s face lit up. ‘The three-master? Lovely. And the weather was great last night. Who’d you go with?’

Emily’s face was pink and already he felt guilt for his thoughts—let alone the indiscretion he had started in retaliation. ‘A friend.’

The lift stopped and the doors opened. Evie turned to Emily, saw her red face and frowned, but Marco had his hand across the doors, waiting for her to exit. ‘Is this you?’

She turned to look at him. Glanced at Emily again and stepped out. ‘Thanks. See you later, Emily.’

‘Bye, Evie.’ Emily didn’t step away from the corner as the lift doors closed.

Evie Lockheart watched the lift doors shut. Frowned. Stared at the doors a minute longer and then smiled. There just might be something going on there.

Nice if someone had a normal relationship. Emily deserved it. She turned and headed down to Finn’s office. She hoped to hell he’d calmed down since yesterday.

Sometimes she felt as if she was just another conquest to him and at others she thought she glimpsed their unwilling connection. But, damn it, she cared.

He’d point blank refused to talk to her about his problem. Like the future of his career wasn’t worrying him. She only wanted to help.

She’d been shocked by the depth of emotional turmoil she’d seen in his eyes. Finn the invincible looking just for a moment anything but invincible and it had stayed with her. Of course it had stayed with her. She’d barely slept. But then again she hadn’t slept well since the day she’d gone to his flat and discovered a side to herself she hadn’t realised existed. A wanton, wild and womanly side she’d only shown to Finn.

A side that he had mocked—and here she was, back for more.

But today wasn’t about that—or even them as a couple, if that was what they were. It was to talk about the possibility of a cure. Again.

Yesterday’s discussion hadn’t worked. From the little he had let drop, the experimental surgery—despite the huge risk—offered a chance Finn could continue the work he lived for and take away the pain he tried to hide. If it was a success.

Even odds. Fifty per cent he might be able to operate or fifty per cent he might never operate again.

All this was constantly going over in her mind and how she could broach the subject when he obviously wanted no interference from her, and it was driving her bonkers. Unfortunately, she couldn’t leave it alone.

Wouldn’t leave Finn to go through this alone. She had to believe they had a connection and he was the one pretending they didn’t.

She paused outside his office door and drew a deep breath. ‘Gird your loins, girl,’ she mocked herself. She knocked.

No answer. So she knocked again. ‘Finn?’

Silence. She pushed open the door and the room was empty. Damn. She circled the empty room, frustration keeping her moving as she realised she’d have to psych herself up all over again. Then her gaze fell on his desk.

The research papers he’d mentioned. Explanations of the experimental surgery. So he had considered it, despite his horror of the risks. She could understand that, see his abhorrence of life without his work, but he had to do it. You couldn’t live with increasing pain for ever. The time was past when he could do nothing.

‘What are you doing here?’ Finn stood tall and menacing in the doorway with blue ice shooting from his arctic eyes.

I’m not scared, she told herself, but she swallowed.

Guess he was still seething from yesterday, then. ‘Waiting for you.’

‘Why are you rifling my desk?’

She raised her eyebrows, outwardly calm. ‘Hardly rifling when it was all open for me to see.’

He stepped into the room and the space around her shrank to a quarter of the size. Funny what the aura of some people could do. ‘Not for you to see.’

Evie stood her ground. ‘Afraid I might suggest you consider it again?’ She paused. ‘So at least you’ve read it?’

He ignored that. ‘I’ve read it. And I don’t want to talk about it.’

She stepped around the desk until she was standing beside him. This man who infuriated and inspired and drove her insane with frustration and, she had to admit, a growing love and need to see him happy.

‘It’s a choice, Finn. One you’re going to have to consider.’