"Don't neglect yourself." he lectured her while he was swabbing antiseptic on the small gash on her palm. "And why do you have to hide it from me?"

Jess didn't trust herself to speak at all. Even when the alcohol stung her skin she kept her mouth tightly shut. She also kept her eyes glued on her hands. She didn't dare to look up to see Noah's face, for her eyes will surely be drawn to his Adam's apple bobbing seductively every time he swallowed his saliva.

"Is it painful?" he stopped putting antiseptic on her wound when he glanced up and saw Jess biting her lower lip.

The gentleness of Noah's voice disturbed her in an unspeakable way. She tilted her head up to glance at his face. Her eyes landed on his blue eyes staring at her, which seems to peek at every hidden part of her soul. She felt naked under his gaze.

"I need to collect my data." she got off the stool, averting her gaze. She needed to get away from him. He is making it hard for her to breathe. She usually feels calmer in a laboratory environment, but not tonight.

Noah's presence in the room agitates her. Seeing him after being gone for a few days had a tremendous effect on her. She heaved a deep breath of frustration, 'I need some wine.' she tried to remember if there is still wine left at home while she took the petri dish from the freezer.

She needed to finish studying this batch of her cultured bacteria. She was planning to stay overnight in the lab, however, how can she do it now with Noah watching her every move. She slowly gathered all the equipment she needed before sitting down.

She was about to begin when she realized she left her clipboard at the far end of the table. She blew an air of frustration. The throbbing pain in her palm added to her anxiety and growing annoyance.

She was about to get off her chair when Noah handed her the clipboard. He had already clip on the form she needed to fill in. Her eyebrows furrowed on how does he know what to do.

"I have a Ph.D. in Microbiology, Miss Zimmerman," he informed her matter-of-factly. "Let me help you this time. And try not to be too stubborn. You have tested my patience enough."

She just clicked her tongue at him, but without anymore complaint started her task. 'A Ph.D. in the same field as me, huh?' She hid a smirk from him.

Devilishly handsome with a big brain, a deadly combination for a man in her book. Not to mention she got a test run of his performance in bed. Another grin full of dirty thoughts escaped the corner of her lips.

"Focus!" he flicked her forehead. "What's so funny?" he asked, surprised to find her giggling on her own.

"I can't write. Be useful and write down my observations," she said, pushing the clipboard close to him.

"Open that drawer on your right and hand me the voice recorder," she told him, obviously ordering him around. To her surprise, Noah did everything she said without any sign of protest.

Before long, the two of them worked in silence and perfect synchronization. Anyone would assume that it is not their first time to work together. Noah seemed to anticipate whatever she needed next without her saying anything.

The pulsating pain in her palm has been long forgotten. Her full concentration was on what she is seeing under the microscope. She dictates all of her observations on the voice recorder that is hanging on her neck.

Another reason why she likes working alone and in the dead of the night. She likes keeping her hands free while gathering data. She prefers to dictate everything in a recorder. She can't do it when other students would be within earshot while she conducts her study.

The hand of time continued ticking and Jess realized she has been deeply buried on her specimens when she forgot the presence of Noah. It was the first time that she had someone with her in the laboratory while she's gathering important data for her research.

She just realized the time when she felt a call of nature. She straightened her back as she stood up to go to the toilet. She was surprised to see Noah scrawling notes on her clipboard.

"What?" he asked when she started gawking at him.

"Surprisingly, you have nice handwriting," she observed, taking a peek at his notes.

He didn't say anything, just lifted his eyebrow at her.

"Gotta use the toilet. Don't touch any of my things," she told him as she walked to the restroom at the far end of the laboratory.

She heard Noah chuckling as she made her way to the restroom. The clear ringing of his laughter echoed in the quiet laboratory. She can't help but smile.

Noah watched Jess on her way to the restroom. He told her a piece of information that only professor Boa knows. Him being in the same field with them. To be honest, he felt like showing off to her, hence she told him he has a Ph.D. in the field of Microbiology.

He was expecting her to be amazed and admired him, instead, she blatantly made him her assistant! He chuckled softly by himself. In the beginning, he had the thought of admonishing her, however, when she started dictating her observation, he was left speechless.

He now understands why professor Boa sings high praises for Miss Zimmerman. She is brilliant! He stared at the microscope in front of Jess' chair, and he felt an urge to look under the microscope and see with his own eyes the results of her studies.

He didn't dare to do it for he has a feeling that Jess won't go easy on him if he does it. He never had this much fun inside a laboratory for a long time. After graduating from university, all the research he spent at the laboratory wouldn't be considered fun. He had forgotten how to have fun.

He wondered if that's the reason why he loves teasing Jess. Because she is fun and he loves it when she got pissed off.