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His smile lit the gloomy area behind the building, and warmed her against the chilling wind. ‘My car’s over here, or are we walking?’
‘Oh, we can walk, it’s only round the corner and parking’s difficult there,’ she said. ‘I’ve booked a table at a little bistro—it’s very reasonable, and it’s quite nice, unless you wanted to go to a pub somewhere?’
‘No, not at all. A bistro sounds lovely. I’m starving.’
They strode briskly out along the pavement, huddled up against the bite of the wind. It made conversation difficult, and they hardly talked until they arrived at the restaurant. Then Mark settled back in his chair, hands in his pockets and looking altogether too luscious for her peace of mind, and grinned. ‘So—tell me all about yourself. How long have you been qualified? A year? Two?’
‘A year, just,’ she told him. ‘What about you? You must be twenty-seven now—quite the old man!’
He chuckled. ‘That’s right. It was a long time ago, wasn’t it?’ His eyes smiled, and she wondered what he was remembering. ‘So, what have you been doing with yourself?’ he asked, leaning forwards and toying with a breadstick.
‘Apart from finishing my A levels, and training as a paediatric nurse? Not a lot.’
‘So you’re not married.’
She shook her head. ‘No—no, I’m not married, or anything like that. Just me, on my own. Well, not really on my own. I’ve got two housemates, but they’re both nurses and work odd hours, so there’s usually only one there at the most at any given moment. What about you?’ she asked, suddenly conscious of the importance of his answer. ‘Are you married?’
He smiled and leant back again, crunching the breadstick thoughtfully. ‘No, I’m not married—or anything like that—either. Just me, on my own, like you.’
She felt a sudden and absurd little rush of relief that she didn’t care to analyse. ‘So how’s the career going?’ she added, struggling for less rivetingly personal conversation. ‘Still headed for general surgery?’
‘Well, actually—’
‘Good evening, sir, madam. Are you ready to order?’
She looked up at the waiter and smiled. ‘I don’t know. What’s the chefs special tonight? It’s normally very good.’
‘Tagliatelle carbonara,’ he said with pride. ‘It’s superb! Rich and creamy, the sauce is wonderful, with a fresh, crisp side salad.’ He kissed his fingers expressively. ‘Trust me, you’ll love it, madam.’
She laughed. ‘You’ve sold it to me. I’ll have it, it sounds good.’
‘Sir?’
Mark closed the menu. ‘Sounds excellent. And a bottle of house red—is red OK for you, Allie?’
She nodded. ‘Lovely. Thanks.’
He leant back, toying with another breadstick. ‘So, tell me about your parents,’ he said. ‘Are they still well? I spoke to them briefly the other day, but I’m afraid I’ve been a bit lax about keeping in touch.’
‘They’re fine. My father’s taking early retirement—the strain of general practice. He’s nearly fifty-five, and he’s stopping after Christmas. He says they’re going to have lots of holidays, but I’m worried about him. I think he’s suffering from stress, or maybe there’s something else—perhaps something he won’t tell us. I mean, why else would he give up so early?’
Mark laughed softly. ‘Early? Fifty-five? My father died at fifty-eight. He’d planned early retirement and then changed his mind. If he’d taken it, he might still be alive. Anyway, you said your father looks well.’
‘Oh, he is,’ she admitted, wondering if she was just worrying unnecessarily, being a fussy daughter like he’d been a fussy parent. Who could tell? ‘I’m sorry about your father. It must have been awful—Mum wrote and told me, but I didn’t have your address so I didn’t get in touch. Was it very sudden?’
‘Pretty much. It was his heart—he thought he’d got indigestion. He was a doctor, for God’s sake. He should have known better.’
The waiter arrived, whisking the plates onto the table in front of them with a flourish and bidding them to enjoy their meal. It broke the sombre thread of their conversation, and as they ate she told him a little about her job at the hospital and what it was like on the paediatric ward.
‘It’s a good hospital, I like it here,’ she told him, twirling tagliatelle on her fork and licking sauce off her lips.
Mark was doing the same, and her eyes were suddenly riveted to the tip of his tongue as it chased a drop of sauce across that firm, chiselled lower lip. Desire, hot and swift and unfamiliar, hit her in the solar plexus like a blow from a sledgehammer.
‘Food’s pretty good,’ he commented between mouthfuls, and she dragged in a lungful of air and smiled.
‘Good. I’m glad you like it.’
Her phone rang, saving her from the impossible task of conversing intelligently when her body was suddenly hell-bent on betraying her. Had he been as stunningly attractive as this before? ‘Excuse me,’ she muttered, and dived into her bag, coming up with the little mobile handset. ‘Hello?’
‘Darling, happy birthday,’ her mother said. ‘Had a good day? I tried you at the house but you’re obviously out. Anywhere nice?’
She met Mark’s eyes and smiled. ‘Actually, yes, I’m sitting in a bistro with Mark Jarvis—you are a sneaky woman,’ she told her mother laughingly. ‘I’ll call you later, we’re in the middle of eating.’ She slipped the phone back into her handbag and looked at Mark.
‘By the way, this was my idea so we’re going halves,’ she told him.
He snorted. ‘I don’t think so. I seem to remember it was my idea.’
‘I suggested we got together—’
‘And I said how about tonight. My idea.’
‘But I made the reservation—’
‘And displayed excellent taste. Well done. It’s still my treat.’
Allie rolled her eyes and laughed. ‘Look, fair’s fair—’
‘You know what? You’re too darned independent,’ he said with a smile. ‘If I want to take you out and spoil you, I will. What’s wrong with that?’
She sighed. ‘Nothing, so long as you don’t get carried away—’
‘Sounds fascinating,’ he said in that husky, sexy, chocolate voice. ‘When shall we start?’
She laughed and slapped his hand as he reached for another breadstick, and he grinned and snapped a bit off and fed it to her. ‘Happy birthday, Allie,’ he said softly, and she nearly choked on it.
Those eyes …!
He paid for the meal—of course! They lingered over dessert, a sinful chocolate confection with lashings of cream and something distinctly alcoholic lurking at the bottom of the dish, and then had a brandy and wonderful rich, dark coffee with mints while they talked about the hospital and she told him what she knew about the staff.
‘I have a feeling Anna’s on the prowl,’ he commented, peeling another wafer-thin mint out of its little wrapper and feeding it to her.
Feeling decadent and a little tipsy, she took it with her teeth and met his eyes, and felt a jolt of desire like electricity course through her. Was he interested in Anna? Was he pumping her? Damn—
‘Anna?’ she murmured, and cleared her throat. ‘Urn—possibly. She was asking about you.’
He arched an enquiring brow. ‘And what did you tell her?’
‘Nothing. I said I knew nothing. It’s true. I don’t know you at all.’ More’s the pity.
His smile held a promise that made her feel giddy. ‘We’ll have to do something about that,’ he said lightly. He looked around and caught the waiter’s eye. ‘Could we have our bill please—unless you want anything else?’
She shook her head and grinned. ‘Oh, no, I’ve had more than enough. I couldn’t eat or drink another thing.’
He paid the bill with a credit card, and then he helped her into her coat, his hands settling it on her shoulders with a gentle squeeze. He turned the collar up and snuggled her down into the neck, and then tugged on his own coat and buttoned it before opening the door and ushering her out into the night.
It was crisp and bright, but the wind had dropped and it felt strangely warmer. They strolled this time, arm in arm, unhurried, back through the dimly lit streets behind the hospital. When they were almost there, he hesitated. ‘Where do you live? I’ll walk you home. I can’t have you wandering about at this time of night by yourself.’
‘What about you?’ she said sensibly. ‘You could be mugged or stabbed just as easily.’
He chuckled. ‘Not quite, I don’t think. I must weigh five stone more than you, for a start.’
She snorted. ‘I doubt it. Three, perhaps, but never five.’
‘Semantics. I’m bigger, I’m tougher and I’m probably a darn sight meaner than you are.’
She smiled and gave up. ‘Whatever. It’s down here.’
She led him to her front door, and he paused there, looking down at her in the shadow of the porch. ‘There. Safely home,’ he said.
There was a pause, an infinitesimal hesitation, and anticipation tiptoed over her skin.
‘Thank you so much for a lovely evening,’ she said softly. ‘It’s been wonderful.’
‘Good,’ he said, but still he didn’t move.
Instead he stood there, staring down into her eyes, and when she thought she’d scream from the suspense he smiled slightly. ‘I can’t let you go without a birthday kiss,’ he murmured, and his head lowered, blotting out the yellow glow from the streetlight.
Then his lips touched hers, warm and firm and traced with chocolate, and she nearly smiled. He’d kissed her like this five years ago, and her heart had felt giddy for a week …
For a moment nothing else happened, but then he moved, just slightly, tilting his head and placing tiny nibbling kisses all across her mouth and chin, and she felt a shiver of something unfamiliar and wonderful race through her veins. He’d never kissed her like this!
A tiny noise erupted from her lips, too small to be a whimper, but he heard it, and with a groan he eased her closer, wrapped his arms firmly round her and plundered her mouth with his.
He tasted of chocolate and coffee, with a trace of brandy, and it was enough to intoxicate her already fuddled brain. Without a care, without a modest thought or a second’s pause, she slipped her arms around his neck, tilted her head and kissed him right back.
It felt wonderful. His tongue was like rough velvet, probing and caressing, seeking out the hidden recesses of her mouth and tormenting them with his touch. Their tongues played tag, chasing and retreating, and when after an age he lifted his head, he was breathing hard and a smile lurked in his eyes.
‘Wow,’ he murmured.
She laughed softly and said, ‘Wow, indeed.’
He hugged her, tucking her head under his chin and holding her close, and she could feel the rise and fall of his chest against her cheek.
‘Sorry, that was five years of curiosity coming to the fore,’ he murmured against her hair.
‘What?’ She tipped back her head and searched his face. ‘What do you mean?’
He gave a wry grin. ‘Just that I’ve wondered for the last five years what it would be like to kiss you—really kiss you, not just that little kiss goodbye, but a real, honest-to-goodness proper kiss.’
‘You didn’t notice me!’ she protested.
‘No—I tried to ignore you. There’s a difference. You were my host’s daughter. You were seventeen, totally innocent and much too sweet for what I had in mind.’
‘I had spots and puppy fat,’ she said bluntly.
He chuckled. ‘Rubbish. You were lovely. You were just young, and I was a guest in your parents’ house.’
‘And now?’ she asked without pausing to think of the consequences.
His smile softened. ‘Now I think we’re on the same playing field. We’re both adults, we’re both available—why not just see what happens?’
Excitement tingled along her veins, and her legs threatened to give way. Astonishingly, she was speechless.
He bent his head and kissed her again, just lightly, and then winked. ‘Go on, go inside before I change my mind and forget I’m supposed to be a gentleman.’
She was almost tempted, but a belated sense of propriety prevailed and she slipped her key in the lock, twisted it and opened the door.
‘Goodnight, Mark—and thank you for a lovely evening.’
‘My pleasure. Happy birthday.’
And, blowing her a kiss, he turned on his heel and strode up the path and across the street towards the hospital.
When he was out of sight she closed the door, sagged back against it and sighed luxuriously.
‘That was a tender farewell,’ Lucy said, whipping open the sitting room door just next to her.
She felt colour scorch her cheeks. ‘Are you spying on me?’ she demanded laughingly.
‘No—should I have been? What did I miss?’
‘A real treat,’ Beth said, following Lucy out into the hall. ‘I just watched him walk down the road—wow. Where on earth did he come from?’
Allie gave an embarrassed laugh. ‘I’ve known him for years. He did some work experience with my father five years ago.’
‘He was a well-kept secret,’ Lucy grumbled, trailing into the kitchen.
‘He wasn’t a secret—I haven’t seen him since, until today. He just turned up on the ward.’
‘And romance blossomed! How wonderful!’
‘Beth, you have a vivid imagination.’
‘Is that why you’ve got whisker burn on your top lip?’ she said mildly.
Allie’s hand flew up to investigate, and they laughed at her, the teasing, kindly laughter of good friends. ‘Go for it, kid,’ Lucy said sagely. ‘It’s about time.’
It probably was, she acknowledged as she went up to bed, a steaming mug of tea in hand. She was twenty-three, a professional woman on the threshold of her career, and untouched by human hand. It hadn’t really been deliberate, except that she was naturally fastidious and had heard such awful stories from her friends that she’d never felt inclined to dabble or experiment, and nobody had come along who’d pushed her buttons.
