when he laughed. His whole body lit up and his attention focused totally on her. Made her feel he’d laughed just because of her. This was why she didn’t date. Didn’t want to get caught up in the lure and charm of someone like Max.
He leaned forward a little. ‘Don’t look so worried. I was only going to let you know I’m off to my outpatient clinic. Jamie’s temp is still wobbly, so I’m going to arrange for some more scans to double-check everything. Should be later today. In the meantime, if you need anything, call the house officer.’
‘Oh. Okay. Of course, that’s fine. And I’ll personally check Jamie’s obs.’ She managed to bluff her way through her embarrassment.
Of course he’d put their night behind him. He was a player. And at work. She’d already given him the brush-off and he’d moved on. A guy like Max wouldn’t ask twice. Didn’t need to—there would be plenty of other offers. The gossip machine whirred with his and his brother’s sexual exploits. ‘How’s Mitchell doing?’
His eyes darkened and his back stiffened at the mention of his brother. She got the impression that, like her, he didn’t talk about personal stuff. Even if personal stuff included a patient and a member of hospital staff.
‘Mitchell is fine.’ He stood to leave but paused. ‘I think I might need to apologise for him.’
‘For what?’
‘Let’s just say that tact isn’t his forte.’
‘Believe me, I don’t think anything you Maitland brothers do could shock me. Your reputations go before you.’
Because once she’d discovered they were identical she’d made it her business to discover as much about them as possible. Didn’t want to find herself propositioning the wrong brother!
She knew about Max’s history as a heartbreaker, sure, and there were lots of women queuing up to try to cure him of that. What she hadn’t expected to hear was that he and Mitchell had barely spoken a word to each other for the last few years they’d both been working at Auckland General. That some kind of feud boiled between them, making communication on any scale largely impossible. That no one really knew why.
No matter—she didn’t need to know much past who to call in an emergency. She tore off the top of her yoghurt and licked the lid.
Max grinned, reached across the back of the sofa and stuck a spoon into her yoghurt pot. Ignoring her whack on the back of his hand, he licked, eyebrows peaked. ‘So I have a reputation?’
‘Oh, yes. Big and bad.’
‘Tough job, but someone had to do it.’ He perched on the edge of the sofa arm and finished the rest of the yoghurt she held out to him.
‘It depends if good-time guy and commitment-phobe float your boat.’
‘What can I say? Having fun isn’t a crime.’
‘Not just you—your brother too.’ She didn’t even try to lose the laugh. ‘So who’s the oldest? You or Mitchell?’
‘Me. By twenty minutes.’
A blink of an eye really, and yet the responsibility clearly sat heavily on him. Operating on his younger brother’s son must have played a part in the wisps of grey at his temples. Made him look sophisticated, self-assured. Belied the playful spirit she knew lurked underneath his professional mask.
‘You must have had a lot of fun growing up with a twin. I always wanted a sister, someone to talk to. I’ve heard all sorts of stories about twins. Swapping clothes. Swapping girlfriends. Conning teachers. Secret languages...’
The grin slipped. ‘We weren’t close.’
‘How so? That’s unusual for twins. Were you always vying for position? Too much competition?’
‘Geography.’
And with that he shook his head and left the room. It was as if a switch had been flicked. All his good humour and good manners had instantly evaporated, leaving her feeling uncomfortable and strangely bereft.
What did he mean? Geography? The academic subject? Or geography as in distance?
It didn’t matter and it certainly wouldn’t have any bearing on her professional relationship with him. And she really shouldn’t care.
And if she did, it was only her innate reaction that a human being could look so hopelessly, horribly lost—-if only for a second.
Before he’d managed to pull up the barriers again.
4
So, he’d said more than he should have. That was the trouble with sleep deprivation—it did funny things to a man’s brain.
As did beautiful women. He usually handled it, no problem. But Max couldn’t put a finger on what bothered him so much about Gabby Radley. Sure, she was distractingly beautiful. But he’d taken gorgeous women to bed before and had