‘Coffee?’ he asked her, walking over to the kettle, his face deadpan, and she couldn’t look at him because she just knew his eyes would finish her off.
‘Um—thanks. That would be lovely,’ she mumbled, and sat down at the table, pretending interest in her phone. He put her mug down in front of her with a decisive plonk and she looked up and met his mischievous eyes and nearly lost it. ‘Thank you,’ she croaked, and he just gave her a wicked grin.
‘My pleasure,’ he murmured innocently, and walked out, leaving her to gather herself together in peace. She gave him two minutes to get out of the corridor, then put her phone away, picked up her coffee and went down to her consulting room. Instantly there was a tap on the door, and she opened it to find him there.
‘What can I do for you?’ she said with a smile, and his mouth twitched.
‘Well, there’s an interesting question,’ he said, so softly she could hardly hear it, and he propelled her gently back into the room, pushed the door shut with his foot and kissed her thoroughly.
She pulled away with a laugh. ‘Stop it! I have to concentrate.’
‘Well, so do I, but you just blew that out of the water by announcing your weekend plans,’ he said with a grin. ‘I was going to do an internet order, assuming those plans include me?’
‘Absolutely! Well, unless you don’t—’
‘Oh, I do. I definitely do. So, any special requests?’
‘Whatever. I’ll try anything.’
His mouth kicked up at the side. ‘I’ve found that out already. I was talking about food.’
She bit her lip and pushed him towards the door, trying hard not to laugh. ‘Go away, Nick. I’ve got twenty patients to see this morning, a lot of admin to get through and a chronic conditions clinic before I can go home. Order whatever you want. When do you finish?
‘Six thirty, if I’m lucky.’
She nodded. ‘Call me when you’re done, and I’ll walk round. I don’t want David seeing my car on your drive.’
‘Is he likely to?’
‘Maybe. They’ll walk that way to the beach if the weather’s nice enough to play on the sand. I hope they don’t, because they’ll tell him all about going to your house if they walk past it.’
He cocked his head on one side and frowned a little. ‘Would that matter? Is that really such an issue?’
She nodded, not sure why it was but just feeling uneasy about it. ‘Yes. I think it would. I don’t really want him to know about us. I don’t want him speculating, or asking me questions, or interrogating the children. It’s none of his business what I do.’
‘Would he, though? Interrogate them?’
‘I don’t know. Possibly. It’s just—I want this for us, Nick. I don’t want to share it. It feels too private.’ Too new, if she was honest, although she wasn’t saying that to him, but she could see from his eyes that he understood.
‘Yeah, you’re right, and it’s not far—and you won’t need much luggage, not if you get your way,’ he added, and he gave her a smiling peck on the lips and let himself out, leaving her to ponder on exactly why it was she didn’t want David to know.
Because it was none of his business?
Or because the way Nick made her feel was so unlike her, so alien to the person she’d thought she was, that she didn’t dare to believe in it?
After all, what did they have, apart from a shared interest in medicine, and hot sex? Very hot sex, hot enough to melt the paint, a side of herself she’d never known existed—but what kind of a basis was that for a relationship?
That wasn’t all they had, though. There was also tenderness, on both sides, and respect, and something that seemed very like affection. Not love. Not yet. But...maybe?
No, she definitely wasn’t ready to go public, least of all to her ex-husband and probably not even to Nick, not about that, because there were still three very important little reasons why this wasn’t going anywhere. Except his bed...
She turned on her computer, dragged her mind back to business and buzzed in her first patient.
* * *
He called at a quarter to seven to say he was home, and she set off on foot with a change of clothes and her toothbrush tucked into her bag. The door swung open as she reached for the bell, and Rufus ran to her, tail wagging furiously, tongue lolling.
‘Hello, poppet,’ she murmured, giving him a little stroke. ‘Are you pleased to see me, by any chance?’
She straightened up, and Nick drew her in with a warm and welcoming smile and closed the door behind her.
‘OK?’
‘I am now,’ she said, smiling up at him, and he laughed softly, slid his arms round her and hugged her.
She rested her head on his chest and breathed in the scent of him, and felt peace steal over her. Such a simple thing, a hug, but there was no one in her life now to do it apart from the children, and although she cherished their hugs, Nick’s warm, solid, affectionate embrace gave her a curious feeling of emotional security that had been missing for at least two years, or maybe even longer.
Maybe since she’d lost her mother twenty years ago.
No. She was being silly and sentimental. It was nothing like that.
She tilted her head back and his mouth found hers in a searching kiss that was filled with promise, but it was rudely interrupted by the sound of a car pulling up outside.
‘Ah. I forgot about that. I hope you’re hungry,’ he said as he lifted his head, and she smiled ruefully.
‘Ravenous, actually. I didn’t get my lunch again. Is that your delivery?’
‘No. The internet order won’t be here until tomorrow because all the slots were gone, so I ordered a Chinese takeaway. I hope that’s OK?’
She grinned. ‘Absolutely. Bring it on!’
* * *
After they’d finished, Nick took Rufus for a walk and she tidied up in the kitchen, wiped the table, loaded the dishwasher and put it on, then filled the kettle in case he wanted coffee. He probably would, so she found clean mugs and the cafetière and put them by the kettle. It gave her a weird feeling, a sensation of unreality, as if she was caught up in some cosily domestic little bubble that was all make-believe.
What was she doing? It didn’t seem real, and yet here she was...
The front door opened and Rufus came in, wagging his tail, and she put away her odd thoughts and busied herself with the kettle.
‘Wine or coffee?’ she asked over her shoulder, and Nick slid his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck, making her fizz all over at his touch.
‘That would be lovely,’ he murmured against her skin, and she tilted her head out of the way to give him better access.
‘So which do you want?’ she asked, a touch breathlessly.
‘You,’ he murmured, and nipped her skin gently, then straightened up. ‘Failing that, wine, but we should probably let our food slide down a bit and keep the dog company for a while. He’s been alone all day and it would be mean to sneak off to bed and leave him just yet, tempting though it is.’
She turned and looked up at him, wanting him even more for the fact that he’d put the dog first. That would never have occurred to David.
‘You’re an utter softy, do you know that?’ she murmured with a smile, and looked down at the dog. ‘Come on, then, Rufus. Let’s go and have a snuggle on the sofa before I steal your master.’
‘Sounds like an excellent plan,’ Nick said, and they headed up to the sitting room. He turned on some music, settled down next to her with his arm along the back of the sofa and handed her a glass of wine.
‘Oh, this is nice,’ she said, resting her head back against his arm.
‘The music or the wine?’
‘All of it. Everything. It just doesn’t feel quite real.’ She turned and looked up at him, and he dropped a tender kiss on her lips and rested his head
against hers.
‘It’s real, Ellie.’
‘Is it? It doesn’t feel it. I feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland, you know? I’m just waiting for someone to chop off my head.’
He chuckled, the huff of his breath teasing her cheek, and his arm hugged her closer. ‘Nobody’s going to chop off your head. You’re safe with me.’
Was she? She wasn’t at all sure about that, but one thing she did know, she didn’t want to be anywhere else.
She rested her head against his and let the music wash over her, carrying her niggling worries away.
Bliss...
* * *
She woke up with a stiff neck, the snoring dog on her lap and Nick’s arm draped heavily around her shoulders.
‘Hey,’ she said, and poked him gently in the ribs, and his eyes fluttered open and he smiled down at her, yawned hugely and stretched, then glanced at his watch.
‘It’s eleven o’clock. How did that happen?’ he asked, looking confused, and she chuckled.
‘Search me, I’ve been asleep, too.’
He yawned again, and Rufus lifted his head and yawned, too, then shut his eyes and settled down again with a sigh.
‘I think that’s our cue to go to bed,’ he said with a chuckle, and he lifted the little dog off her lap and put him on the floor, pulled her to her feet and headed down to the hall. ‘I’ll take him out for a quick wander, if you want the bathroom first?’
* * *
She was in bed waiting for him when he’d settled Rufus, and he bent over and dropped a kiss on her lips.
‘Give me two minutes, I need a shower.’
It was nearer three, but when he got into bed and his body came into contact with hers he let out a long, slow groan.
‘Oh, that feels so good...’
‘You’re damp,’ she murmured, and he could feel her smile against his mouth.
‘Mmm. Sorry. I didn’t want to keep you waiting any longer.’
She gave a soft chuckle, her breath cooling his damp shoulder as she wriggled closer. ‘I’m not complaining. You smell gorgeous. I love your shower gel.’
She propped herself up on one elbow and traced her finger over his chest, blowing on his nipples and teasing them with her fingertip before running it down over his ribs and sliding the flat of her hand over his hip.
He reached for her, but she pushed his arms out of the way and straddled him, and he sucked in his breath and met her eyes in the soft lamplight as she rocked gently against him, a naughty smile flickering around her soft, full mouth.
‘You’re evil, do you know that?’ he growled through gritted teeth, and her smile widened.
‘Mmm. Fun, isn’t it?’
‘It’s torture,’ he corrected, and groaned as she rocked her hips again.
‘Want me to put you out of your misery?’
He let out a soft huff of what started as laughter and ended as a gasp, and the chuckle echoed through her body straight into his.
‘Ellie...’
She lifted up a fraction, and he closed his eyes and reached for her, but she batted him away again, pinning his arms down above his head.
‘Stay there,’ she told him, and he stayed, although it almost killed him, while she teased and tormented him until he was ready to howl with frustration.
And then she lowered herself down onto him slowly, taking him into her body inch by torturous inch.
He nearly lost it, and he gripped her hips and held her still, his eyes closed, not daring to look at her until the moment passed, but then he tilted his hips and she gasped, and he opened his eyes and watched her as she rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm that threatened to kill him.
God, she was beautiful, her body strong and yet soft, full and lush and, oh, so tempting. He wanted to roll her over and drive into her, but she’d threaded her fingers through his and was pinning his hands above his head, holding him down.
He could so easily have overwhelmed her, but he didn’t want to. He just wanted her in reach, and right now she wasn’t.
He stretched his arms out to the side, her fingers still locked with his, and it brought her breasts into reach. ‘That’s better,’ he muttered, and he lifted his head and drew a nipple into his mouth, making her whimper. She let him go then, sitting up a little and gripping his shoulders, and he reached up and cupped the weight of her breasts in his palms, feeling the soft fullness of them fill his hands.
‘You’re so lovely,’ he murmured. ‘Come here. I need to kiss you and you’re too far away.’
She smiled and lowered her head, her mouth finding his in a sweet, tender kiss that blew him away because it was so unexpected, so gentle, so filled with warmth and emotion as well as sensual promise.
He cradled her head in his hands and kissed her back, and the sensation spiralled as she rocked harder against him and shattered his self-control.
Done with patience, he held her tightly and rolled them over, their bodies locked together, his mouth still on hers but urgent now, too close for subtlety, too needy to wait.
‘Come with me,’ he growled raggedly, and he felt her body tighten, her hands clawing at him, her breath locked in her throat. And then she bucked against him, sobbing, her body contracting around him, and they tumbled together headlong into oblivion.
* * *
They didn’t spend the entire weekend in bed, mostly because of Rufus but also because the weather was gorgeous and they wanted to get out into the fresh spring air.
‘I don’t know the area. Where would you like to go?’ he asked, and she replied without hesitation.
‘Can we go to Walberswick? I loved it when we went there last summer. Maisie and Oscar pottered about on the sand for ages, and I sat with Evie on my lap and tried to stop her eating sand. Rufus would love it, and it’s beautiful. Fabulous sandy beach, sea stretching out to the horizon in front of you, sand dunes behind you—just lovely. It was a bit of a trek, though, and Oscar got carsick, so we haven’t been since, but I’d love to go again.’
‘We’ll do that, then,’ he said with a smile, and they drove up the coast to Walberswick, parked the car and made their way to the beach.
‘Wow, it’s lovely,’ he said as the vista opened up in front of them, and they headed through the dunes and down to the sand.
The tide was almost out, the sand damp and firm underfoot, so they took off their shoes, rolled up their jeans and strolled along hand in hand while Rufus tore in and out of the gently lapping waves and had a wonderful time.
Then the tide turned and they headed back from the beach and found a pub serving food outside, then after lunch they drove back to his house, went to bed and made love again.
There was no urgency. They took their time, exploring each other slowly and lazily until the end, and then when it was over curling up together for a nap before pulling on their clothes and heading to the kitchen.
‘Crayfish and linguine with a touch of chilli?’ he said, his head in the fridge.
‘Ooh, that sounds nice,’ she murmured, peering over his shoulder. ‘And we can have the leftovers from last night as a midnight feast later.’
He straightened up and turned to look at her. ‘Are you planning on working up an appetite?’ he asked, his eyes speaking volumes, and she bit her lips and tried not to smile.
‘Might be.’
He laughed softly, shook his head and turned back to the fridge.
‘Anything I can do?’ she asked, but he shook his head again and said no, and she settled down at the little breakfast bar and watched him as he worked.
‘You would have been a good surgeon.’
‘Nah. I can’t stand for hours, my ankle doesn’t like it. That was another reason for going into general practice, and then I found I liked it better, anyway. How about you? Why are you a GP?’
‘Work/life balance,’ she said
without hesitation. ‘That was why I chose it. I loved hospital medicine, but it wasn’t practical if I wanted to be a mother, so I trained as a GP and discovered a whole new world, and I can’t imagine doing anything else now. I love it. Love the continuity, the ability to see a patient through a course of treatment and watch them improve, be there for them if it all goes wrong and there’s nothing more we can do, watching babies turn into children with distinct personalities—it’s great. So varied, so interesting, so full of human emotion and—I don’t know. I just feel I can really make a difference to people’s lives, and that’s important to me.’
He nodded thoughtfully, and flashed her a little smile.
‘Exactly,’ he said, the single word carrying a wealth of meaning, and then went back to preparing their meal while she watched him and wondered if she was falling in love.
No. She couldn’t be. She just liked him, and they had a lot in common. That was all. It wasn’t love.
Was it?
* * *
‘Hi, Liz,’ she said, expecting to be told when her mother-in-law was going to return the children, but then she felt a chill run over her as Liz spoke, her voice urgent.
‘Ellie, can you come? Steven’s had a fall and I’m going to have to take him to hospital. I think he’s broken his arm—it’s all right, darlings, Mummy’s coming soon. Ellie, please...’
‘Of course. I’m on my way. Are you at home?’
‘Yes—yes, we are. Please be quick.’
Liz hung up, and she turned to Nick.
‘My father-in-law’s had a fall and Liz thinks he’s broken his arm and she needs to take him to hospital. I’ve got to go.’
‘I’ll drive you home, you’ll need your car,’ he said without hesitation, and then as they pulled up outside he put a hand on her arm. ‘Do you want me to come? I know you wanted to keep us all separate, but this is an emergency and he’s bound to be in pain. I can have a look at him, maybe immobilise it, give him some pain relief. Then you can get the children out of the way so they’re not distressed by it.’
Tempted by the Single Mom Page 9
