“Annika!” A door slammed, and a woman’s voice shouted out. “There you are.”

Annika flew out of Daniel’s arms, leaving him stunned and disoriented.

“Naya, what are you doing here?” She croaked out the words, breathy and distracted.

Something inside Daniel lifted, learning he could affect her that way. Then that something plummeted into his belly as he noticed who had interrupted them. Gray eyes met his with a flicker of recognition. It was the cousin he had met in the ER that night. Annika’s night.

She shifted her gaze to her cousin. “Do you know what time it is? Nilay told me you got stitches today, and then you were late coming home and you’re not answering your cell, and I just had the most amazing date ever...and...well, it seems so did you.” She looked from Annika to Daniel and back to her cousin, a question forming on her face.

“No, we’re not on a date.” Annika spoke fast.

Daniel cut his eyes to her. She bit her bottom lip. The same lip he’d just had in his mouth.

“Oh.” The girl widened her eyes at her cousin, now completely ignoring Daniel. “Is that wise?”

Without even looking at Annika, he felt her stiffen at the judgment.

Gray Eyes bit her bottom lip. “Sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“Whatever,” Annika sighed. “What’s going on?”

The girl hesitated, then broke into a large grin. “I wanted to tell you about my date.” She glanced at Daniel again but paused this time. “Wait, don’t I know you?”

Damn. “Well...” Daniel glanced at Annika.

“How could you possibly know him?” Annika seemed puzzled.

Naya snapped her fingers. “In the ER. The night that—” She looked at Annika and back at Daniel, her eyes wide. “You were her ER nurse. You were just making out with your ER nurse?” She stopped short of doling out that judgment. But not short enough.

Annika threw her cousin a withering glance. “He wasn’t my ER nurse. I had a woman. Amy, Anna or something. I met Daniel here, at the bar. And anyway, he’s an NP.”

“Not ‘Chopper Guy’? Who stares at bourbon?”

Annika tightened her lips and nodded almost imperceptibly.

She’d talked about him to her family? A pleasant sensation floated through him. It had been so long since he’d felt it that he almost didn’t recognize it for what it was. Happiness.

“Well, whatever. This is the guy who was in your room when I got there that night.” The cousin was almost curt.

That lightness he felt a few moments ago dropped away in an instant, becoming something akin to cement in his stomach.