As soon as she melted against him he lost it, lost where, why, everything except how much he’d wanted to taste this woman, feel her against him.
Her instant response, to open under him and hotly welcome him in, lit a desire that flicked along his arms, tightened his hold and fanned a deep need he hadn’t realised he had. He wanted more. He wanted Lucy. He wanted it all.
Lucy was lost. Nick’s mouth against hers was intoxicating, hot, hungry and totally in charge. And she wanted more. Wanted to push the boundaries into the world she’d always wondered about. It wasn’t safety she wanted at this moment, it was danger.
Apparently ‘lost in a kiss’ was the way it went with Nick. Swirling sensation, swirling red colours against her closed eyelids.
It wasn’t until he was gently pulling away that she caught on to how lost they’d been.
Nick’s arm slid over her shoulder and pulled her against him as he faced the uniformed patrolman that had answered Nick’s call.
Lucy came slowly back to the real world.
And Nick’s voice. ‘I’m sorry, officer.’
Officer? Someone else was here? Real red lights were flashing.
Nick’s voice again. ‘Yes, it was me who called.’
So they’d been sprung in mid-kiss by the patrol car. Embarrassing. Lucy bit back a giggle, still drunk with the sensation of Nick making no bones about the fact that he desired her. Or maybe he’d just been kissing her for comfort and it had been her hormones that had screamed sex. Either way she was a wanton, bad woman and bad mother—so why was she still smiling?
Nick turned her to face the young man in blue, who didn’t meet her eyes. She blushed. ‘I’m Lucy Palmer, the house-sitter. Yes. I heard glass breaking and there was a strange light moving in the lounge room.’
The young patrol man nodded. ‘So you exited through the rear gate and rang Dr Kefes. Who rang us?’
‘That’s right. We...’ She blushed again. ‘We haven’t seen anyone leave this way.’
The policeman glanced at her this time with a slight smile. He raised his eyebrows but refrained from comment.
Nick stepped forward and pointed to the gate.
‘This path also leads to the beach. It goes past the house, behind the pool and onto the beach.’
Still stunned by her response, Lucy let Nick take control because she was still a foot or two off the ground. At this moment he could run the show for all she cared. They’d stopped talking and it seemed like they were waiting for her to do something. Both of them looked at her hand holding the keys.
‘Do you want me to open the gate?’
‘If you give me the keys, we’ll deal with this. I’m pretty sure they’ll be gone now.’
Lucy handed over the bunch. ‘The blue is for the gate, the red for the house, and the green for the gate to the beach,’ she told the policeman.
‘Would you both wait here for us?’
‘We’ll be here.’ Nick pointed to his vehicle and the policeman nodded and motioned to his men to accompany him onto the property.
Nick and Lucy watched them go and the moment stretched to awkwardness as both tried to think of something, anything, that was not embarrassing to say.
Lucy was the first to give up on that unlikely occurrence. ‘I thought I was seeing red lights because you were kissing me.’
Nick blinked and then smiled and soon they were grinning at each other. ‘And I heard roaring in my ears, which was probably the patrol car trying to run us down.’
Lucy chewed her lip. ‘At least no one from the hospital saw us.’
And then Nick said something she hadn’t foreseen. ‘Much more of that and we have the reality of finding you a new obstetrician.’
Lucy’s stomach dropped and she thought, No-o-o! with an internal wail of distress. Nobody would be like Nick. She wanted Nick to look after her. Felt so safe under his care. Maybe it wasn’t too late. They could pretend it had never happened. ‘It was just the stress of the moment. What about if I promise never to kiss you again?’
Nick winced. She could promise that, could she? Maybe she hadn’t felt what he’d felt. ‘Actually, I kissed you.’ And I’m not promising anything of the sort. He didn’t know what had happened, but he didn’t say it out loud.
So it seemed Lucy wasn’t ready to hear anything like that and he wasn’t going to rush her, or himself, but things had certainly changed.
Or had the possibility of change. And professionally his judgment could be clouded.
He wasn’t ready to say just what it was between them but the chemistry was blatant. He wanted to enjoy more of her company, even if it had to be platonic, and he could not believe he was thinking this. That had to be a first.
But he could see she was upset. How to explain? ‘It’s becoming a little hard to manage your care with the dispassion that is required.’ He winced. That sounded sensible but stuck up.
He took her shoulders and tried not to think about what he was feeling beneath his fingers. ‘I’m already second-guessing myself, questioning decisions I don’t question with other patients. That’s not fair to you or to me.’ And that was the truth. Apart from the fact his Hippocratic oath forbade him to have a relationship with a patient and he’d just kissed her. And wanted to do it again.
He dropped his hands. Definitely time to bail out.
Why did she have to look so crushed? But as he should have expected, she lifted her chin and accepted reality. It just took a few seconds, and he was reminded of the way she’d coped the first time he’d seen her in his rooms. No hysteria, no tantrums.
He heard her sigh. ‘I think I understand, but I wish you didn’t have to.’
He wanted to hug her again. More proof he was doing the right thing. ‘I’m doing this because I still want to be here for you, Lucy. You’re not losing me. You’re just gaining an impartial second person.’
She nodded but he didn’t think she was convinced. ‘If you were impartial, you could keep looking after me.’
‘Sorry. Not impartial.’
She smiled shyly and then chewed her lip. ‘Do you want me to find the other doctor?’
No! Definitely not. What if she picked someone useless? Someone like Chloe had had? He’d be a mess. How could he say that diplomatically? ‘Not unless you want me to. I have a very good friend, just moved back to Gold Coast City after his wife died, David Donaldson, whose care I think is excellent.’
He’d been Nick’s mentor. David was old enough to be Lucy’s father, and his own too, for that matter, but he was the best with twins, Nick reassured himself. ‘I worked with him in IVF at another hospital and he’s very experienced with twin pregnancies.’
‘He sounds fine. Thank you.’
The conversation died when the police reappeared. They were carrying a plastic bag with a heavy metal bar in it. ‘Seems they jimmied open the back door. You must have disturbed them because they left this behind.’ He frowned at Lucy. ‘Not sure you should stay the night here, miss, it’s a bit of a mess in there, and you being pregnant and all.’
But where would she go? ‘I’ll be fine. I’ll lock up and they wouldn’t come back tonight.’ She swallowed and stuck her chin out. ‘Surely.’
She felt Nick bristle beside her and the officer sighed. ‘It’s up to you, miss.’ But he looked at Nick. What was with that? It had nothing to do with Nick.
It was the other Nick who answered. The one from the hospital. Consultant Kefes. ‘You’re absolutely right, officer.’ She could hear it in his voice. ‘We’ll arrange somewhere Lucy can stay tonight and sort it out in the morning.’
Lucy’s mouth opened but Nick went on, ‘Has there been a series of these break-ins?’
The officer nodded. ‘Half a dozen over the last week, and some injuries to people who have disturbed them.’
&n
bsp; Oh. Lucy’s heart plunged. Okay. Not sensible to stay if she wanted to keep her babies safe. But a hotel room was going to hurt her budget severely. A wave of tiredness broke over her and she just wanted to go to bed. Somewhere safe.
Nick was shaking hands with the officers and distractedly Lucy thanked them as well.
The policeman shook his head. ‘You did the right thing. Pregnant lady like yourself. You hear noises you don’t understand and there’s someone in the house, you get out, and ring us—any time.’ He glanced at Nick. ‘We’ll respond as quickly as we can.’
‘Thank you, officer. We appreciate that.’
Lucy was still trying to decide which hotel would be the best at this time of night. That was one thing about the Gold Coast. Plenty of hotels. Or maybe she could find a free empty bed in the ward? The man nodded. ‘Have a good night.’
They watched the police drive away but all Lucy could think about was how she wanted to sink into the ground. In fact, she wished Nick would go. She had a lot to think about.
Like where to sleep and...that kiss. And how she’d shown him just how much she was attracted to him and the fact that now he just wanted to get her off his books faster than a speeding bullet.
Cringe. Nick’s voice broke into her swirling thoughts. ‘Come to my flat.’
What? ‘I can’t do that.’ As if.
He opened the passenger-side door of his car. ‘Of course you can. It’s just sleep. I’ve got a spare room.’
She couldn’t go there. Maybe he could sleep at her place. But she knew he couldn’t. Like he could sleep on her two-seater here or in her single bed.
But she couldn’t go to his place. ‘I can just imagine the gossip.’
‘To hell with the gossip. I’m sure a single mother with twins created more gossip last week. And you survived. You can’t stay here. It’s crazy to pay two hundred dollars for a hotel when you’re only going to use it for a few hours. Plus you shouldn’t be alone after a scare like that.
‘It’s for one night.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘Actually, for about six hours. Are you working the morning shift or the evening?’
‘Evening.’ So she’d have to come home tomorrow night after work and do the whole thing again. Not an attractive thought.
‘Again, problematic.’ Nick looked at Lucy wilting under the streetlight. ‘It’s okay. Just be a little less independent for one night and get in the car.’ He gestured to the open car door. ‘We’ll worry about it in the morning.’
He’d said ‘independent’ but by his tone he’d meant ‘stubborn’. She wasn’t being stubborn. Just realistic. It wasn’t going to change anything for tomorrow, because this was still her home, but she had to admit it would be horrible to try to sleep at the flat tonight with the trashed house a few feet away.
But she needed to learn to cope with crises as they came along—because she was going to be doing this alone. Nick wouldn’t always be there to rescue her.
Nick watched her struggle with the concept of accepting his offer. He wasn’t sure either if this was the right thing to do or not, but she couldn’t stay here.
She must have been too tired to argue because to his relief she moved past him and slid into the car.
He couldn’t stop himself shutting the door quickly in case she changed her mind. He didn’t have control issues but the idea of driving away from Lucy while he couldn’t be sure she was safe just wasn’t happening. He could hear his sister’s voice, complaining, the word ‘over-protective’ ringing in his ears. But this was different.
Tomorrow he’d figure something out. He was good at that. He could fix this. Protect Lucy. Now that she was finally letting him do the work.
CHAPTER NINE
‘WHAT FLOOR ARE you on?’ Ten minutes later they were standing in the basement car park of Nick’s units, waiting for the lift to arrive.
‘Nine. It’s got a great view.’ Nick looked disgustedly relaxed about bringing back a strange woman to his flat after midnight. He probably did it all the time, Lucy thought tiredly.
It was like he hadn’t even noticed the tension between them in the car, or the fact that she’d been almost glued against the door on her side, as if she could wipe away any thoughts he might have that she was attracted to him. Too late for that, though.
Lucy had her fingers crossed behind her back. Please don’t let them meet anybody in the lift.
The place would be crawling with hospital staff on call for emergencies at all hours of the night and she did not need the stress of smiling and pretending everything was normal when her whole world had been rocked on its axis.
Or was she being a little prude to worry about taking just one night’s shelter at a friend’s house because her own had been compromised?
A friend she’d kissed, though.
She sighed and forced herself to relax a little. She really couldn’t help it.
At that moment the lift doors opened and of all the people she didn’t want to see was the glammed-up version of the night-duty midwife, Cass. Even more surprising, she was hanging on the arm of Dr Cade Coleman, and they were obviously on their way out somewhere for very late drinks.
Dr Coleman’s eyebrows shot up but he didn’t say anything except, ‘Evening.’
Nick’s sardonic ‘Evening’ back made Lucy wonder bitterly if this passing of ships in the night was a common occurrence in this building. Neither of the girls said anything, and Lucy’s embarrassed smile was met by a disbelieving frown as she and Cass passed.
The lift doors shut and Lucy felt like stamping her foot in frustration. Of all people! Grrr. She looked at Nick, thinking this was his fault, and was even more incensed to see he had a slight smile on his lips. ‘Well, I’m glad someone is amused.’
‘Sarcasm, Lucy?’ Nick said mildly, and then he draped his arm around her shoulder and hugged her once before he let her go. ‘You’re having a night from hell, aren’t you?’
She was going to say yes, categorically, but then her sense of fair play, the reasonable side that allowed her to get over the disappointments she’d grown up with, remembered how Nick had come to her aid immediately, had worried about her safety and even provided an answer to her immediate dilemma.
She sighed out her frustration, tried another sigh, and felt better for it. Get over what you can’t change. What did she care what Cass thought? But she’d tell the world, her inner caution wailed. Not a lot she could do about it now, though.
So it wasn’t the worst night ever. Not quite. ‘Not the best.’ Though one particular part had been incredible, she wasn’t going to think about that until she was safely back in her own house. ‘But the night could have been a whole lot unhealthier if I hadn’t had you to call on.’
The lift stopped and Nick waited for her to leave the lift in front of him. He lowered his voice. ‘Number six. And you’re welcome.’
Lucy followed the direction of the numbers until she came to the corner flat. Number six. Nick leant in front of her and opened the door with his key then held it to allow her through first.
Down a small hallway and across the huge living room, floor-to-ceiling windows held the eye, with sheer curtains and a narrow balcony that ran round the whole corner of the building and the view beyond. ‘Wow.’
‘Yep. It’s nice. And there’re two bedrooms, so you can have the guest room. You’ve got your own bathroom and there’s towels and a robe hanging on the door if you feel like a shower before bed.’
Bed! It sounded divine. Night attire was a minor problem, but he’d said there was a robe. She looked down at her scrubs. She didn’t want to sleep in them or she’d look a hundred times worse tomorrow morning when she met the next nemesis in the lift on her way out.
‘I should have grabbed some clothes.’
He shrugged. ‘I’ve got a heap of T-shirts. I’ll t
ry and find one that’s not black.’ He grinned at her. ‘We’ll sort all that out tomorrow’.
He went to his refrigerator and brought her an unopened bottle of spring water. ‘Take that. You’re dead on your feet.’
He scooped a folded T-shirt out of a laundry basket of clean clothes that was sitting on a chair, handed it to her and kissed the top of her head like she was a five-year-old he’d picked up from school. ‘And I’ll see you in the morning.’ And then he left her.
Just walked into his room and shut the door.
Lucy blinked. Well, that had been easy. And bizarrely disappointing, which was ridiculous. But he was right about one thing. She was dead on her feet and she could worry about everything else in the morning.
* * *
Nick had to get out of the room. Or he would have drawn her into his arms again and who knew where that could have ended? Scary stuff.
He heard her bedroom door shut and a few minutes later the sound of the shower. He tried really hard not to think of Lucy naked, round and glistening, with the water running over the places he wanted to run his hands.
He decided a shower was a great idea because he was damn sure there wasn’t much chance of sleep just yet.
The cold water helped and as he dried himself he knew he did need to hit the sack. He had a late start tomorrow but the day would be a long one. Especially if he hung around until Lucy finished work. There was plenty he could do in his office.
They had to sort somewhere safe for her to go. Or she could stay here.
He was getting way too involved in her life but she was like a freight train heading for disaster. Not that she’d see it that way.
* * *
After a brief, glorious shower, where she rinsed out her underwear, wrung them dry in a towel and hung them up for the morning, Lucy pulled the T-shirt over her head and tried to ignore the fact she was naked under something that had been against Nick’s skin.
A slow heat started in her belly and she couldn’t help thinking about Nick’s arrival under the lamppost, and the kiss.
She was pretty sure he’d just meant to comfort her but she’d melted against him like a candle under a blowtorch. She would have been a puddle if he hadn’t held her up.
Gold Coast Angels: Two Tiny Heartbeats Page 11
