‘Fine.’
He was just obsessing about Alexandra day and night. That he thought so much about her was something he refused to acknowledge to anyone, let alone that he dwelt every moment on what it had felt like to hold her, kiss her. And how much more he wanted to do with her.
‘You look on the ragged edge, my friend,’ Nic agreed, a mix of amusement and sympathy in his voice.
‘Yeah, well, it’s been a while since I’ve been out to anything,’ He excused himself, knowing it wasn’t exactly a lie but scarcely scratched the surface of the torrent of emotion bubbling within him.
Conor rested an arm across his shoulders. ‘Kate and I are just delighted you are here to share tonight with us. Speaking of whom, what are the ladies doing in there?’ He chuckled, lightening the atmosphere as he glanced towards the cloakroom.
‘I am impatient to set eyes on my wife!’ Nic admitted, voice husky. ‘She has threatened me with a daring new dress and refused to allow me to see it before we left home!’
Kyle couldn’t help but smile as Conor gave Nic a consoling pat on the back. ‘Just try to behave and not shock everyone before the evening gets underway,’ he teased, before his own eyes gleamed with anticipation. ‘I replaced the delicious trouser suit Kate was wearing the night of the combined-services dinner back in the spring. It never got an outing because we came across that car accident and it was ruined. She looks amazing in it.’
It was obvious that emotional, Italian Nic couldn’t keep his hands off Hannah, his dark eyes burning with desire, while Conor was equally attentive and madly in love with Kate. Kyle was unprepared for the wave of envy that swept over him. It was more than all he had lost with Helen, because seeing his two friends with their wives made him realise all the more that his own marriage had been lacking so much in comparison. What he felt for Alexandra, however…
‘Madre del Dio!’
Nic’s heartfelt groan interrupted Kyle’s thoughts and he saw the flush of colour stain his friend’s cheekbones, the Italian’s dark eyes narrowing with intent as he took a step forward. Beside him, Conor laughed, and Kyle turned to see what had attracted their attention, his movements halting, his heart stopping, as he saw the three women leave the cloakroom and walk towards them. Kate did, indeed, look stunning in her shimmering one-piece trouser suit, and if Nic’s reaction was anything to go by, the green-and-copper dress that clung to Hannah’s body, plunged daringly in front and with a slit up one thigh, had already sent him over the edge.
But Kyle hardly noticed because he couldn’t drag his gaze away from Alexandra. Mother of God. Mouth dry, he silently echoed Nic’s heartfelt reaction. The blood singing in his veins, he watched as she stepped forward, her cheeks pink with self-conscious awareness, one hand fluttering down the front of her dress as if in nervous discomfort. The knee-length material clung to her sexily curvaceous frame in a way that surely had to be illegal. It was neither too low at the neckline nor too short in the skirt, and it appeared to cover everything essential, yet it left nothing whatever to the imagination. And he had a superb imagination.
Beads of perspiration popped out across his brow. Hell, it was suddenly impossibly hot around here, he fretted, wrenching at the constriction of his tie, his gaze locked on Alexandra. The dress had an irregular solid black pattern over some kind of netted golden background. As she came closer still, the breath hissed out of his lungs and he stared dumbstruck, about to go into meltdown, when he realised that the dress was see-through, and the golden underlay behind the black lacy fabric wasn’t cloth at all but Alexandra’s skin. Dear heaven. He had to sit down before he embarrassed himself.
Kyle looked delicious in his dark suit, but it was the unexpected fire in his sultry dark-blue eyes that caused the breath to lock in Alex’s lungs and set her heart thudding a wild tattoo beneath her ribs. Swallowing, she dragged her gaze from his, standing nervously to one side as she watched Kate and Hannah be claimed by their adoring husbands.
‘You look stunning, cara,’ Nic complimented her, once Hannah had been thoroughly kissed and was tucked possessively at his side.
Alex felt a blush heat her cheeks. ‘Thank you.’
Self-conscious, she clasped her bag in front of her, tinglingly aware of Kyle moving closer, his gaze searing her body. Nic and Conor exchanged a knowing look before smiling at her, then turned towards the function room.
‘Let’s find our places and wait for the others to arrive,’ Conor suggested.
It turned out to be a small but select group, and Alex found herself separated from Kyle as introductions were made to the new arrivals. She met Kate’s father, Tom Fisher, for the first time and liked him immensely, noting how attentive and clearly smitten he was with Glentown’s practice manager, Aileen Nicholson. Some of the other surgery staff were there, including Conor’s partner, Dr Fred Murdoch, and Alex was relieved to find them all friendly and welcoming.
Her nerves returned when she discovered she was sitting next to Kyle during the meal. She barely tasted the food, every particle of her being aware of his closeness, the occasional brush of his thigh against hers or the press of his shoulder. The woody, masculine scent of him was subtle yet arousing, and she could feel the heat of his body across the short distance that separated them. It was increasingly impossible to sit still and, however much she struggled to focus on the free-flowing conversation and laughter that rippled back and forth across the table, she became more edgy with every passing moment.
‘Are you all right?’
Alex nearly jumped out of her skin when Kyle’s fingers met hers under the table, the warmth of his breath caressing her cheek as he leaned closer, the deep, husky voice whispering in her ear. ‘Fine,’ she managed, her voice sounding strained and different.
Alarmed, she slid her fingers from his and fussed with her napkin, thankful that the meal was nearly at an end. After a toast to Conor and Kate, the music started and couples took to the floor. Alex was surprised when Nic and Hannah appeared at her side.
‘May I have this dance, cara?’ the Italian asked, a twinkle in his dark eyes.
‘Thank you.’
Smiling, Alex placed her hand in his and rose to her feet, grateful for the opportunity for some breathing space from Kyle. He, she noted, was being tugged to his feet by Hannah, a reluctant smile curving his impossibly sexy mouth.
‘You are enjoying the evening?’ Nic asked, ever the gentleman.
‘Very much.’ Seeing his gaze stray to his wife, Alex smiled. ‘Hannah looks beautiful.’
A chuckle rumbled from him. ‘She does. To me she is always beautiful.’
Alex almost sighed at the depth of love in Nic’s voice, wondering what it must be like to have the kind of partnership he shared with Hannah, and that Conor shared with Kate. To her it seemed they had it all, not just love but respect, friendship, desire, everything. She couldn’t help looking at Kyle, a shiver of awareness rippling through her when she discovered he returned her inspection with searing intensity.
Nic spun her round, laughing. ‘I think you have turned a certain doctor’s head, cara, and you are making him realise that life is still worth living.’
‘I don’t know about that,’ she protested, cursing the blush that stained her cheeks.
‘You are also finding your feet again after all you have been through, no?’ Nic’s smile was understanding, his softly accented words making her wish for things she wasn’t sure she could have…wasn’t sure she should go for even if she could. ‘Follow your heart, Alex, you deserve happiness, too.’
‘So what’s happening with you and Alex?’
‘Nothing.’ Kyle tried to drag his gaze away from the woman in question and looked at the mischief sparkling in Hannah’s eyes. ‘Why?’
‘You look like you want to drag her off to your cave and devour her!’ she teased with a knowing smile.
Kyle shook his head. ‘I’m sure her fiancé would love that.’
‘Fiancé?’ For a moment Hannah looked startled, then h
er eyes darkened with anger. ‘You don’t mean Mitchell? Damn it, Kyle, you’ve not mentioned that man to Alex, have you?’
‘No, of course not.’ He frowned, wondering what had caused the strenuous response and made Hannah bristle with protectiveness and concern.
‘Thank goodness for that. My advice is, don’t.’
Which didn’t help him a whole lot. Did that mean this Mitchell person was still in Alexandra’s life or not? ‘What happened?’
‘I shouldn’t really be telling you, it isn’t my place, but just so you don’t put your foot in it, I will.’ Kyle saw Hannah glance at Alexandra as she twirled round the room with Nic. ‘I vaguely knew of Alex when I was younger; we were at the same school but I was a few classes ahead of her. I only really got to know her during the time her father was ill, but we hit it off straight away. You know she moved down to England because Mitchell’s job took him down there? She was torn, not wanting to move so far away from her roots, but it was her first really serious relationship and she thought she was in love with him, thought they had a future together.’
Kyle nodded, listening to Hannah, but his gaze remaining on Alexandra, his stomach tightening as he saw her relaxed and laughing with Nic. ‘Go on.’
‘When her father admitted to her about his illness, she was devastated and never had a thought but to come back to be with him and care for him,’ Hannah continued, and Kyle ached for what Alexandra must have been through. ‘Mitchell, the creep, gave her an ultimatum. He said if she made the decision to go home, their relationship was over. He wasn’t so polite about it, of course. He said some terrible things to her, along the lines that she was choosing some ailing old man on his last legs from her past over her future with him, that if she loved him she wouldn’t go.’
‘Bastard.’ Kyle gritted his teeth, wanting to deck the man who had hurt Alexandra and been so cruel and unfeeling.
Hannah nodded in satisfaction. ‘My sentiments exactly. Needless to say, it took Alex all of one second to give Mitchell back his ring and tell him in no uncertain terms where he could go. She packed up straight away, resigned from her job, came home and never looked back. She hasn’t heard from him again and has no regrets about her decision, either. She and her father were so close, she gave him everything that last year, devoted herself to him totally, and it hit her so hard when he died.’
Kyle was still absorbing the information when Conor and Kate joined them and they swapped partners. As Conor danced with Hannah, Kyle smiled down at Kate.
‘Thanks for coming tonight; I hope it hasn’t been too difficult for you.’ Her brown eyes reflected her concern.
‘Of course not. I wanted to be here.’ He discovered the words were true, that, although he still felt the loss of his own baby, the smart of pain had lessened. ‘I’m enjoying myself and I’m really happy for both of you. You look fabulous.’
Smiling, Kate brushed a kiss across his cheek. ‘It’s so good to see you coming out of yourself again. Conor’s been so worried about you. We all have.’
Kyle gave Kate a gentle hug by way of answer, looking over her shoulder as Alexandra was handed over to Conor and Nic reclaimed Hannah. He knew it was Alexandra’s influence, her presence, that had made him face the things he had been avoiding. She had helped him put events in a different perspective. Whilst he would never forget, he did feel he was beginning to come to terms with the loss of the baby, accept it wasn’t his fault, that he couldn’t have done more. And, despite his promises to himself, Alexandra made him want to think that a different future might be possible after all.
Another few moments later and he handed Kate back to Conor, his heart thudding as he claimed Alexandra for himself, feeling possessive, aware of the sexual charge that shot through him like an electrical current as he drew her into his arms. He felt a tremor ripple through her as he inched her closer, saw the rosy bloom on her cheeks, the spark in her grey eyes as her gaze clashed with his then skittered away again. He knew that she felt the connection between them too. His body tightened as they moved to the music and he brushed against her, feeling the heat of her skin through the flimsy fabric of her dress. Flexing the fingers of one hand at the small of her back, he pulled her closer still, wishing they were alone, that there was nothing at all between them, wondering how soon it would be before they could leave…and if he could hang on to his fragile control when they did.
Dancing with Kyle was wonderful but terrible. Their bodies fitted together like two halves of a whole, a fact that set her imagination whirling with other things they could do well together. Heat seared through her, and she tried to put such illicit thoughts out of her mind.
It had been a long time since she had been close with a man and, as much as she had enjoyed the physical side of their relationship, Mitchell’s kisses had never stirred her to the edge of oblivion like Kyle’s had done. Nothing had ever compared to that. Held in his arms, their bodies as one as they moved to the music, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be intimate with Kyle. He was so gorgeous. Every look affected her, every touch branded her his and set her whole being on fire until she was burning with arousal, tense with the strain of trying to hide how she felt about him.
Alex had little concept of time as they danced, talked with their friends and the other guests then danced some more, but, much earlier than she had expected, Kyle suggested it was time to leave.
‘Are you sure you don’t mind filling in for me and covering my BASICS shift tomorrow afternoon?’ Hannah asked, her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling.
‘I’m positive. I’ll be on call from three p.m. as agreed,’ Kyle replied with a knowing smile. ‘You and Nic hardly ever get time off together. Now you have cover for the patients, someone sitting the animals, and a chance for a night in this secluded hotel…Make the most of it!’
Alex saw Hannah glance at Nic, and noted the look of sultry intent in his dark eyes as he slid his arm possessively around her waist. ‘We plan to!’ they said in unison.
‘It was great that you both joined us tonight.’ Conor smiled when they said goodbye to him and Kate. ‘Have a safe journey home, Kyle.’
‘We will.’
Sensing Kyle was increasingly on edge, attuned to his moods, Alex didn’t linger. ‘Thank you for inviting me.’
‘It’s been lovely seeing you.’ Kate gave her a hug, pausing to whisper in her ear. ‘Have fun!’
Blushing, Alex passed the comment off with a laugh, her insides churning as she headed out of the function room and went to collect her coat. It was clear what Kate had been thinking, but Kyle seemed anxious to leave, clearly keen to drop her off and get back to his own home. She knew this was the first time he had been out to anything in a long while, and maybe he’d simply had enough of socialising for one night. She could understand that. It was a long time for her, too. When she left the cloakroom, Kyle was waiting for her by the door, his body tense.
‘Is something wrong?’ she asked worriedly.
‘No.’
He dragged a hand through his hair, holding the front door open for her before leading the way out to the car park. One of his hands rested at the small of her back as he almost sped her along, and she fancied that even through the thickness of her coat she could feel his touch. When they reached his vehicle, Kyle removed his hand, wrenching off his tie before opening the passenger door.
Aware of the strained atmosphere between them, Alex hesitated. ‘Kyle—’
‘Get in the car, Alexandra.’ Surprised at the roughness of his voice, her gaze clashed with his and, in the reflected glow of a security light, her breath caught as she recognised the darkly sexual heat in his cobalt blue eyes. ‘I need to take you home…while I still can.’
The silence inside the car was deafening. As Kyle drove through the dark night, his fingers clenched on the steering wheel, Alex clasped her own hands in her lap to prevent them shaking, positive he must hear every manic beat of her racing heart. Anticipation built inside her. What would happen
when they reached her house? Should she invite him in? Would he stay? She wanted him to…wanted him as she had never wanted anyone in her life, was desperate for him to ease the empty ache of need inside her. But she also suspected that Kyle wasn’t ready for any kind of commitment, that this would be a one-off moment out of time. Could she accept that? Could she still work with him afterwards?
When they pulled up at her house, Kyle switched off the engine. Still not speaking, they got out of the car, and Alex was sure her legs were too unsteady to carry her as she headed towards the door, her fingers trembling as she tried to insert the key in the lock. Aware of Kyle behind her, she stepped into the hall, hearing his breath hitch as she set down her bag and then shed her coat, hanging it up. Shaking, she turned to face him, pulse racing, trying to be sensible, to give him an excuse to leave.
‘Kyle, I—’
Her words ceased as he lifted a hand and pressed two fingers to her lips. Every part of her shivered as his hand slid across her cheek, then her neck, coming to rest at the nape as he held her still. He closed the distance between them, and she felt hot all over as his sultry gaze focused on her mouth, his eyes heavy-lidded. His free hand rested on the flare of her hip, scalding her, drawing her towards him. When his lips brushed hers she thought her breathing had ceased altogether. He teased the corner of her mouth, denying her the kiss she craved, his lips feathering across her face, along her jaw, down her neck, teeth and tongue tormenting her. Her hands rose to his sides to clench in his jacket, trying to keep her balance as she swayed, feeling light-headed from his touch.
‘We shouldn’t,’ she protested weakly, trying to maintain a last fragile hold on reality but unable to think straight while his lips were caressing her skin, now finding a sensitive spot along the line where neck met shoulder.
‘We should.’
She smothered a whimper and tried again. ‘Kyle…We can’t.’
‘We can.’ His voice was low, husky, persuasive, heavy with need. ‘You’ve been driving me insane all evening.’
His Very Special Nurse Page 12
