"Joel risked his life to save me. That''s a massive debt. I need time to think of the best way to repay him, but it is absolutely not the way you''re implying."


    He had let his paranoia get the better of him and pushed her too hard.


    They stepped into the elevator. Eleanor pressed the button for the twenty-eighth floor. Whenn didn''t press the button for the twenty-seventh, she reached over and pressed it for him.


    "Do you have any more sleeping pills at your ce? Give me another pack,"n suddenly asked.


    Eleanor turned to look at him, surprise shing in her eyes. "Did you finish the whole pack I gave youst time?"


    A glint of amusement flickered in his eyes. "Why? Is there a problem?"


    "I don''t think you should be taking sleeping pills anymore. You need to see a doctor.


    If your insomnia is this bad, it''s serious. I told you, you can''t overdose on these things." Eleanor wasn''t joking around. Was this man eating pills like candy?


    In other words, he hadn''t finished them at all—he just didn''t know where they were.


    Eleanor gave him a speechless look. "I don''t have any left, either. Have Gavin Young bring you some."


    As soon as the words left her mouth, Eleanor suddenly realized that he didn''t actually want sleeping pills. He just wanted to test her reaction.


    She looked up and, sure enough, found herself staring into a pair of deep, smiling eyes.


    "It seems Dr. Sutton still cares about me," he teased in a low, rumbling voice.


    Eleanor looked away, focusing on the changing floor numbers above the door. "Are you really that bored?"


    The double meaning in his words hung in the air, radiating an unspoken, grown-up kind of tension.


    Just then, the elevator chimed as it arrived at the twenty-seventh floor. The doors slid open, and Eleanor shot him a pointed look. "This is you."


    Seeing that he had no intention of leaving, Eleanor let him have his way.


    They reached the twenty-eighth floor. The doors opened, and just as Eleanor was about to unlock her door,n stepped in front of her, blocking her path.


    "I don''t have any pills." Eleanor red at him.


    "Then why are you still here?" she asked in exasperation.


    "I just wanted to hear you talk a bit more." Lan leaned in slightly. The faint scent of wine mixed with his clean crisp cologne silently invaded Eleanor''s senses.  fo


    Eleanor instinctively took a half-step back, the warning in her eyes growing sharper. "Give it a rest, okay?"


    A sh of mock grievance crossedn''s eyes. "Aren''t you going to invite me in for a ss of water?"


    Not this again!


    Eleanor fought the urge to roll her eyes. He really never ran out of excuses.


    "It''ste," Eleanor said, reaching out to shove him aside.


    Before she could respond, he continued, "Thank you foring to my birthday dinner, giving me a gift, driving me home, and even worrying about my medication


    Eleanor froze Just as she was about to open the door, he reached out and stopped her again. "In the future, if I say the wrong thing, do something stupid, or upset you could you maybe bear with me a little? Give me some time to learn how to be better at-loving you."


    Eleanor''s breath caught in her throat. What was he saying?