Shortly after Kian and the brothers' departure, Andrew arrived with his wife and baby girl. Thankfully, the little happy family didn't stay for long.

It had been a surprisingly awkward half an hour.

Bridget seldom thought about her short fling with Andrew, and yet she could think of nothing else as he and Turner had engaged in polite verbal sparring.

Was it because of her?

Not that she had any illusions about Andrew having any lingering feelings for her, but the guy was highly competitive and seeing her with Turner might have triggered a reflexive need to gain the upper hand.

Or perhaps it was all in her head, and that was how things had always been between these two. There was no love lost between them, but there was respect.

Closing the door behind them, Bridget let out a relieved breath. "I hope those were the last visitors for the day. I feel like putting a do-not-disturb sign on the door."

Turner got to his feet and walked over to her. "Did I do a good job pretending I enjoyed the attention?" He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his hard body.

She put a hand on his chest where his heart was beating at the same steady rhythm it always did. "You've done admirably. In fact, you're so good at pretending that it's impossible to know what you're really thinking or feeling. It's disconcerting, especially for an immortal like me who is used to reading humans effortlessly."

He leaned and kissed her lightly on the lips, just a peck as if to lessen the sting of what he said next. "You're pretty good at pretending too, but you didn't fool me or Andrew's wife. It was quite obvious that you and he had a thing at some point."

For an emotionally stunted man, Turner was an incredibly keen observer.

"Nathalie knows all about it." Bridget chuckled. "He dumped me for her."

"Then he is a fool. Nathalie is lovely, but she can't hold a candle to you."

"Thank you for the flattery, but even if it were true, it's irrelevant. She is his fated truelove mate. He would've forsaken the most beautiful woman on the planet for her, which he kind of did. Andrew had a crush on Kian's sister."

"The professor?" Turner lifted an eyebrow. "She is indeed beautiful, if one is into the slim, tall type. I guess she felt he wasn't good enough for her."

Bridget wasn't sure whether the condescending note in Turner's tone was directed at Amanda for snubbing Andrew, or at Andrew for daring to covet the princess.

"Amanda found her truelove mate shortly after meeting Andrew. Just like I didn't stand a chance with him, Andrew didn't with Amanda. That's just the way it is."

"Coming from you, I'm surprised at all that talk about true love."

How to explain the inexplicable? As a scientist, she should have dismissed it the same as Turner had, but she'd seen enough evidence to convince her that it was real. Unless, the belief in true love created a placebo effect, and infatuation or plain and simple love was interpreted as the unshakable bond of truelove mates.

Except, Dalhu didn't strike her as the type of guy who believed in love. Until his chance encounter with Amanda, he'd been bitter and disillusioned, and yet the bond between them was just as ironclad as that of the other fated couples. If it happened to the hardened ex-Doomer, it must've been the real deal.

"Come." She took Victor's hand and led him down the corridor. "I want you to lie down. You've overexerted yourself."

"Are you trying to avoid the subject?"

"No." She pushed open the door to her bedroom and led Turner to the bed. "You can hear it lying down." Bridget arranged a row of pillows so he could lie on his side and lean comfortably against them.

"Get in." Bridget pointed at the spot she'd prepared.

"Yes, ma'am." He kicked off his shoes and did as she asked.

She should have gotten another change of clothes for him to wear until he got home. A lot of Julian's things were still in his old closet, but none would fit Turner. Her son was much taller.

"Do you mind sleeping naked, or do you want me to get you one of Julian's T-shirts?"

The smirk on Turner's face was a clear indication of his preference. "Do you have plans for me tonight, Doctor?"

Did she ever.

If he weren't injured, she would've jumped him on sight in the hospital. After mourning his death, there was no better way to affirm his life than having wild sex with the man.

"My plans will have to wait. You're injured, and in my current mood I can't promise to be gentle."

He reached for her, clasping her hand and pulling her to lie on her side facing him. "Why is that?" His hand smoothed over the curve of her back, sliding down to cup a butt cheek.

"Because I'm an immortal female, and I can hurt you if I'm not careful."

"You haven't yet." He pulled her closer against his hard erection and rolled his hips.

As the contact sent fire cascading from her breasts to her center, Bridget stifled a moan. "Please don't do that. You strain your back every time you engage the muscles in your shoulders and arms."

His hand closed on her nape. "Did you and Spivak happen before he turned immortal or after?"

Damn it. She didn't want to talk about Andrew. "Before."

He tightened his hold. "Were you gentle with him?"

"He wasn't injured."

Victor's blue-gray eyes turned icy. "Do you still have feelings for him?"

If she were human, Bridget would have been scared of Turner's cold aggression, but as an immortal, she had nothing to fear from a human, especially an injured one. In fact, she found it arousing, which was unlike her. Bridget was used to being the aggressor.

For a moment, she considered taunting Turner with evasive answers, but for some reason he seemed on edge. It must've been the competitive thing because there was no way the man felt jealousy. He wasn't capable of that.

"We are friends. We were never more than that."

His eyes were still cold as he asked, "Did you ever love a man?"

This time she couldn't help the tease. "Yes, with all my heart."

Turner's facial muscles pinched as if she'd hurt him. She took pity on him.

"I never loved a man in the romantic sense. I love my son, and I love my cousins—meaning the clan males. Not all of them, of course. Just those who I'm close to."

He let out a breath. "I never loved a woman either. Other than my grandmother, that is, and that was when I was a small boy. When I got older, my grandparents didn't know how to handle a kid like me."

"What do you mean?"

"I was too smart. Adults don't feel comfortable around a kid who knows more than they do about almost everything. Especially given my ability to deduce the correct outcomes of events with eerie accuracy. My antisocial tendencies didn't help either."

"They must've been simple people."

"They were."

"What about your mother?"

"I don't remember her."

Bridget cupped his cheek. "What about me?"

"You are amazing."

Nice copout. "Do you have feelings for me? And I don't mean love, I know that's not on the table. But am I your friend?"

"You're much more than that."

Should she push for more? "A friend with benefits?"

"More than that too. You're someone I like being around, someone I enjoy talking to, and that's more than I ever felt for anyone. By your standards, or that of most normal people, it's probably very little, but for me, it's a lot."

Bridget's heart did a little flip. For Turner, this was almost as good as a declaration of love.

"I like being with you too." She ran her palms over the ridges and valleys of his muscular chest. "But that's because I'm after your body," she said to lighten things up.

"Then have at it."

Could she take what she needed without hurting him?

As Bridget pushed her hands under his T-shirt, the contact with his warm skin sent a volley of tingles down her spine. They were about more than sexual need, though. Turner was not a random hookup, and there was more to their coming together than raw carnality. She couldn't have the wild no-holds-barred sex she favored, but perhaps she could try slow and gentle for a change.

She tugged the bottom of his T-shirt. "Let me help you get rid of this."