"What?" Evan asks.
"Do you think you could truly win me back? Allow me to fall for you again? To bear your children when I'm ready?"
"Is this some game to buy more time?" he asks suspiciously, though he feels his heart pounding with hope, "Are you afraid I'm going to harm Charles or his family?"
"No," Avery answers without hesitation.
She's trying to keep calm, but she's as rattled as ever. She knows that the entire physical examination was a cruel set-up so Evan could make her worry and suffer before going after Charles.
"It's all my fault," she thinks, "Charles was just an innocent doctor, and I've put his life at risk by asking him to do me a favor. I can't allow Evan to hurt him because of me."
"Then what's this about, hmm?" Evan asks.
Evan removes his hand from her neck and places it over hers on his cheek. He gently presses his hand onto hers, enjoying the warmth of her palm on his face. He feels at ease touching her.
Avery opens her mouth to answer the question, but she's interrupted by the ringing phone. Robert answers it and puts it on the speaker.
"Mr. Tinder, why did you hang up on me before?" asks the irritated voice of the cook, "I didn't get to finish answering. Mrs. Howel ate all of those things because she cooked quiche for Mr. Howel. She made an absolute mess of the kitchen, wasted dozens of eggs, and now the entire refrigerator is filled with boxes of quiche for Mr. Howel. I don't know what got into her head, but she seemed very driven to do it."
"How come you didn't mention anything?" Evan squints.
The fire in his eyes fades, replaced by wonder.
"Maybe she really didn't know about the eggs. Maybe she wasn't deceiving or betraying me," he thinks, "She made me one of my favorite foods."
Evan removes the fair hand from his cheek and gently kisses her palm.
"The Peters owe everything to this phone call," he thinks, "I would have burnt their hospital to the ground."
Avery is relieved. She's so grateful to the cranky cook. If it wasn't for the phone call, Evan probably would have choked her to death. She knows that no one in the room would have dared to intervene.
"You made quiche for me?" he asks.
"Not exactly," she hedges.
"You almost never cooked before," he observes.
"It was a whimsical thought," she says with a shrug.
"Are you trying to please me?" he asks, "Did you do this because you care for me?"
"It was just a random thought," she says.
Evan kisses her palm again. He gazes at her but speaks to Dean Meyer, "I heard about a special treat your family has just patented that works wonders for barren women."
"Yes, we believe we've developed a new, highly-effective treatment," Dean Meyer replies.
His tense shoulders relax; he knows Evan is going to forgive him and his son.
"I want that."
"Of course, I'll prescribe it right now," Meyer says, striding out of the room.
Avery closes her eyes with exhaustion. She feels as if she's been on an emotional roller coaster—just a moment ago she was in grateful paradise, but now she's been plunged back into hell. She doesn't want whatever fertility treatment they'll prescribe her.
Avery suddenly takes her hand away from Evan, "Can we go after Dr. Meyer gives us the prescription?"
Evan held her waist and pulled her closer to him. He ignores her question.
"This really is a great surprise," he murmurs, "How did you know I like quiche?"
She doesn't know what to say. In truth, she had no idea it was one of his favorite dishes. She read online that eggs could affect the results of the bloodwork, and she was desperate enough to try it. She had no idea she's also concocted the perfect cover story.
Avery answers uncertainty, "A wild guess?"
"Are you good at guessing?" Evan smiles and pulls her even closer, "Guess what I want to do now?"
Avery feels his iron pole against her.
"I don't have to guess," she thinks "All men are disgusting creatures who think with the thing between their legs."
Evan's hot breath brushes against her earlobe and he bites the soft skin, "I want to fuck you!"
Avery feels a jolt of electricity. His dark, dirty laugh is also deep and sonorous and she can't help but thrill to the sound.
"It's funny that such dirty lines sound almost appealing coming from his mouth," she thinks.
Avery knew the answer, but the boldness of his words surprised her, and her eyes widened. She can't believe that Evan would say something so dirty in a professional, hospital environment. She also doesn't understand why he wants to make love with her and send her friend requests when he's clearly in love with Diana. She sighs.
"I think Evan could get turned on by just about any woman," she thinks dryly, "He seems to always want it. I wonder where this rumor that he's uninterested in women came from—that's clearly not the case."
"Why not?" Avery asks, smiling with all the charm she can muster.
She looks beyond Evan's shoulder to Robert who is standing in the corner, "Care to join us, Mr. Tinder?"
"I wouldn't—I—I don't," Robert stutters, "Sir, I'll leave now if you don't need me."
Tinder turns pale and runs out of the room. He feels as if Avery is trying to get him into trouble with Evan.
"Don't you dare, Avery," Evan growls.
He ferociously bites her earlobe. With just a few words, she's managed to strike a nerve and irritate him. Avery ignores the pain and playfully pushes his head away.
"A man is a man because he can't just fuck any time and any place like an animal; he needs privacy," she says innocently, "I noticed that Robert was still here, and I hinted that he leave us alone. He clearly received my message and left the room. Are you unhappy about that? I'll call him back if you're not. It works for me either way."
Evan's icy look turns icier. Avery smiles and begins to unbutton his shirt, taking her time with each button. As the fabric parts, his muscled chest appears. She knows she can't compete with him in a contest of physical strength. Instead of wasting her time struggling and fighting, she decides to protect herself with words.
"I've heard some people find it more thrilling with more people," she teases, "Do you want me to call the bodyguards to come in too?"
"Damn you, woman!" Evan roars, "I don't have any interest in being a cuckold, and you mustn't cheat on me."
Evan suddenly stops her hands and holds them still against his chest.
"I'll make you willingly submit to me," he says.
Evan is shocked by his own words. He doesn't understand why he's curbing his urges and considering her feelings. He knows he has the superior power, but he finds he doesn't want to take her that way.
"Damn it all!" he thinks.
He angrily fastens the buttons on his shirt, covering his defined muscles. Avery reaches out again to help him with the buttons and smooth his collar.
"I look forward to it," she says flirtatiously.
She reminds herself that she can't allow herself to fall for him again.
"Only an idiot would be stupid enough to fall for the same monster twice," she thinks, "But his behavior is very odd. Does he actually want me to fall in love with him again? Is it really possible?"
The laboratory isn't sound-proofed so Avery and Evan hear Robert and Dean Meyer through the frosted glass door. Dean Meyer says he's written the prescription along with instructions for use, and then his footsteps echo down the hall.
Robert lowers his head as Evan exits the laboratory, "Sir, I have the prescription."
Evan hums through his nostrils but refuses to even glance at Robert. Robert knows that his boss will blame him for Avery's comment, but he doesn't dare leave Evan's side without a direct dismissal. He looks away and flushes with embarrassment and frustration.
"How can he blame me like that after all I've done for him?" Robert thinks.
"That shirt looks really good on you," Avery says to Robert as she passes him.
Her tone is flirtatious and Robert knows Avery is paying him back for taking her phone away. Evan glares at Robert with cold violence, and Robert frowns. He huddles behind Evan and tries to become invisible.