by Sam Archer
‘You’re beautiful,’ he whispered hoarsely.
They joined again, then, and this time there were no pauses, no moments of drawing back to prolong the anticipation. There was just skin against naked skin as they clawed at one another, pulling off and casting away their remaining clothes without finesse. Fin unclasped her bra and threw it aside in one moment, sliding his hands round to cup her breasts. The sensation of his palms against her nipples sent another jolt of pleasure through Melissa and this time her legs did give way and she dropped to the bed. Fin grabbed at her panties and she helped him, lifting her bottom to slide the lace free and kicking it off her foot. She sprawled back, bared and open to him.
Their coupling was frantic, Melissa meeting his thrusts with her own, her hips stropping him to an ecstatic height of pleasure. Her nails clawed at his back and her mouth grabbed at the side of his neck, his ear, until she couldn’t hold back any longer and screamed, dimly hearing his own muffled cry as he too was borne along helplessly by the uncontrollable torrent of joy they’d created between them.
Later, much later, after the brief recovery followed by a more prolonged and in its way even more exquisite bout of lovemaking, and then a third, Melissa lay snuggled against Fin’s side, her arm across his chest, his around her. She listened to the soft rise and ebb of his breathing, noticed that hers had fallen into synch with his without her being aware of it.
Peace and joy were two experiences Melissa wasn’t unfamiliar with, but she’d never thought it possible that both could be present at the same time. Yet here she was, ecstatically happy, with a man she loved, a man who aroused tumultuous emotions within her; and at the same time she felt profoundly content.
She glanced up to see if Fin was asleep, saw him peering down at her. He grinned.
Melissa murmured, ‘I just realised. I never thanked you for saving my life.’
Against her ear, his voice was a deep rumble from his chest. ‘And I’ve never thanked you for saving mine.’
Melissa settled against him once more, basking in the luxury of warmth, and of love, and, eventually, of sleep.
THE END
AFTERWORD
Thanks for reading my novel – I hope you enjoyed it! St Matthew’s Passion is my first romance novel, and I’ve tried to bring some of the atmosphere of life and work in a busy teaching hospital to this story of a love affair between two very strong-willed people.
You won’t find St Matthew’s Hospital on any map, because it doesn’t exist. I created it as a composite of several actual hospitals I’ve worked in over the years. Similarly, most of the characters in the story, from Melissa and Fin to those with smaller roles such as Emma, Deborah and Prof Penney, are based loosely on real people I’ve met and worked with. Not that I’d ever reveal who they are…
My thanks are due to Jane Dixon-Smith of JD Smith Design for the book’s cover.
My second medical romance novel, Questions Of Trust, is now available for Kindle. Details on the next page...
If you’d like to get in touch with me, please do: [email protected].
Finally, if you enjoyed St Matthew’s Passion, I’d be most grateful if you’d consider posting a review on Amazon. Even just a few lines would be much appreciated. Reviews are the lifeblood of an author’s trade and have more influence than you might realise!
Thanks.
Sam Archer
ALSO BY SAM ARCHER
QUESTIONS OF TRUST
A Medical Romance
From the author of St Matthew's Passion, a story about love, loss, and the courage to overcome one of the greatest obstacles to happiness a human being can face: the fear of trusting another...
Chloe Edwards has it all. A successful career as a London journalist, an adorable baby son, and a wonderful marriage. Then one day tragedy strikes, and she's forced to leave the city and start again with her son in the idyllic Cotswolds town of Pemberham.
There, Chloe meets Dr Tom Carlyle, the local family doctor. Handsome, well-liked and professional, he seems the perfect match for her.
But Chloe can't trust him. Because he's a doctor - and a doctor was responsible for the death of her beloved husband.
Tom Carlyle has problems, too, however. A devoted single father to a little girl, he's started to receive messages from his troubled ex-wife that she's reconsidering her decision to allow him custody of their daughter. And before long, his ex has begun a campaign that will lead to a crisis in more lives than just Tom's.
Torn between her growing attraction to Tom and her determination to close her heart to romance for the sake of her son, Chloe finds herself drawn irresistibly into a complex and at times frightening plot to undermine the good name of a decent human being. And gradually, she's forced to reconsider everything she believes about loyalty, about trust - and about love.
At once a thrilling novel of suspense and a tale of passionate romance, Questions Of Trust will take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride as it explores what it is to fear, to doubt, to love... and to live.
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
AFTERWORD
