“Why so nervous seeing me?” Jace asked straight out.
“I’m not…” Nerissa felt awkward, her face flushing.
What happened between them was the kind of thing no one should ever find out.
If she didn’t avoid him, was she supposed to just nod and say hi like nothing ever happened?
But Jace clearly wasn’t planning to let her off the hook that easily.
He took a few steps forward, tall and imposing, cornering her right up against the sink.
Nerissa instinctively stepped back until her lower back hit the marble countertop — no way out now.
He leaned in slightly, sharp features pressing closer, his voice low and suggestive.
“Avoiding me ’cause you found someone else?
Someone more generous, pays you better?”
Her eyes flew wide open.
She picked up on what he meant instantly.
“He’s my boss and my mentor.
It’s not like that at all.
There’s nothing between us,” Nerissa blurted out, anxious to explain.
Yeah, she was timid and not great at standing up for herself, but there were some lines she just couldn’t let others cross — especially not when it came to Quentin.
He was the kindest, most decent mentor she’d ever met.
Jace let out a scornful chuckle, stepping in even closer.
His whole presence seemed to close in on her, his words sharp and loaded with warning.
“Quentin isn’t someone you should mess with.
Got it?”
Nerissa frowned, clearly confused by what he meant.
Jace leaned in, grabbed her chin between his fingers, and said every word like he was etching it into her ear.
“If you ever run out of money again, I might just let you come back and make another deal with me.
We are…
familiar with each other, after all.
And you and I?
We’ve got great chemistry—in bed.
Be a good girl, perform well…
I might even raise your price.”
Nerissa’s face instantly turned crimson.
She shoved him back with all her strength, ears burning, mind completely blank.
“We’re done.
Whatever happened before — it ends here,” she blurted out before rushing out of the restroom, barely able to think straight.
Even after stepping into the main hall, her heart was still pounding like crazy.
Nerissa brought a hand to her flushed face, trying to cool herself down and get a grip.
Did she seriously just get flirted with in the most inappropriate way in a bathroom?
On the surface, Jace always looked calm and collected, like the classic no-nonsense doctor.
Who would’ve thought his mouth could be that outrageous?
Right then, Jace walked out of the restroom too.
And just as he did, Quentin returned from paying the bill and caught sight of Nerissa looking completely flustered.
His gaze flicked to Jace with a disapproving frown.
“What were you doing just now?
My assistant’s face turned all red.
She’s shy, a sweet kid — don’t mess with her,” Quentin said.
Jace curled his lips and muttered under his breath, “Sweet, huh?”
Yeah, so sweet she crawled into his bed in the middle of the night.
Twice.
Quentin tried to break the awkwardness.
“Don’t mind him, Nerissa.
That’s just how he is — blunt to the point of clueless.
Don’t take him seriously.”
Nerissa definitely wasn’t about to argue with Jace.
She was already trying her best to stay as far from him as humanly possible.
As they were leaving the room, Jace’s forearm brushed against her hand.
She jerked her fingers back like she’d been zapped.
Was that on purpose?
She wasn’t sure.
But either way…
ever since bumping into him again, her senses were all over the place.
It was like the second he showed up, every ounce of calm she had got thrown out the window.
Even her skin felt like it was on high alert — it was bizarre.
*****
In the afternoon, Quentin dropped them off at the hospital.
He took a call and had to head out.
Before leaving, he handed Nerissa over to another senior to guide her work.
She followed along, getting back to her mapping assignment.
Since there were plans for a major renovation, she was in charge of collecting all the measurements for the entire third floor.
That included the whole internal medicine office, plus the exam room where Jace worked.
Nerissa dragged her feet, taking forever to finish measuring all the buildings and layouts on the third floor before finally making her way — reluctantly — to Jace’s office.
Thankfully, he had a patient in front of him and wasn’t paying her any attention for the moment.
After briefly explaining why she was there, Nerissa buried herself in her task, head down, totally focused.
From the corner of her eye, though, she caught sight of the exam bed in the back.
Instantly, her mind flashed to the last time she’d been lying there, shirt lifted, his hand pressing on her stomach.
She could still feel the weight and warmth of his fingers — firm, steady, unforgettable.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly glanced away, pretending nothing happened.
Nerissa went back to her job.
Being petite, she had to stretch, balancing on tiptoe with one hand holding a long ruler up to the ceiling.
The motion lifted her cropped tee, revealing a sliver of her pale, slim waist.
So delicate, it looked like it could snap with a touch.
Jace sent his patient off, then casually glanced in her direction.
That one glance?
He couldn’t look away.