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glasses, which was extremely rare.
    Just then she turned around, spotted him and jumped. Her hand flew to her chest. “You scared me!”
    He took the final step down as she caught her breath. “Sorry.” And he was, but not about startling her. He was sorry she’d caught him watching her like that. The last thing he needed was her putting together his loopy comments in the ambulance and his gawking this morning and coming up with the idea that he liked her in ways he shouldn’t.
    “I was just making a fresh pot of coffee.” She gestured with the carafe. “There’s eggs, bacon and toast. It was delivered about fifteen minutes ago.”
    While he was in the shower. Apparently Director Calder didn’t want the good doctor to have to concern herself with preparing meals. Joe’s reputation for lousy cuisine had apparently preceded him.
    “Great.” He crossed the room. The closer he got the more her hand shook as she poured the water into the coffeemaker. The idea that he made her nervous intrigued him just a little, though it shouldn’t. Heimagined she was still annoyed about his manhandling three months ago.
    “I hope you like it strong,” she commented without looking at him as she shoved the empty carafe under the drip basket. “At the hospital we prefer it with enough kick to keep us going.”
    He stopped three feet away, leaned against the counter. “That’s the only way I drink it.”
    She glanced up at him and pushed a smile into place with visible effort. “How do you feel this morning?” Her gaze examined the bandages.
    “Like hell,” he admitted. “You didn’t take a baseball bat to my head while I slept last night, did you?”
    Worry lined her smooth complexion. “The pain meds should alleviate most of the discomfort.”
    Lured by the scent of the brewing coffee, he reached for a mug. She stiffened as his arm brushed her shoulder. “I guess if I took two like you ordered, they might,” he confessed.
    She rolled her eyes and huffed out a breath of frustration. “Men. You’re all the same. You think taking pain medication makes you look like a wimp. That is so silly. The more pain you tolerate the more adrenaline your body will produce to help you cope. The more adrenaline pumping the less effective the medication you actually do take.”
    “Sounds like a vicious cycle, Doc.” He set the mug on the counter. His gut rumbled. “Speaking of vicious.” He glanced at the foam containers. “I’m starved.” He’d had juice and water yesterday. A little soup last night but definitely not enough for a guy accustomed to packing away the groceries.
    “You see,” she snapped. “That’s my point exactly.”
    He turned back to her. She’d folded her arms over her chest and now glared at him through those too clunky glasses. Somehow he’d pissed her off.
    “What?” he asked in the humblest tone he possessed.
    “You just ignored what I said.” She gestured to his bandaged face. “You’ve been through extensive surgery and would still be in the hospital if you were one of my real patients. Yet you ignore my orders regarding meds. There are reasons the medication is prescribed, Agent Hennessey. What don’t you understand about the process?”
    Okay, calm down, Elizabeth ordered the side of her that wanted to obsess on the subject. She’d let him get to her already and he’d scarcely entered the room. She took a deep breath, tried to slow her racing heart. How did he do this to her just walking into the room?
    “Look, Doc.” He leaned against the counter next to her again. “I’m not trying to be cranky. I took theantibiotics. I even took the pain killer, but only one, not two. That dosage dulls my senses. And I need my senses sharp.”
    Though, arguably, she could see the logic in what he said, he needed to see hers as well. They were going to be here together for three long weeks. Taking a couple of days to get past the worst of the pain from surgery wasn’t too much to ask in her