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She knew all that, but reality sucked, brought everything into focus in full colour. On a ragged indrawn breath, she began organising the removal of Kelly from the hot, dusty outdoors and into the relative safety of the medical unit.
‘I’ll be operating with you,’ Cooper informed her as they carried the laden stretcher towards the theatre section.
Sophie glanced at him. ‘Surely you’re needed elsewhere.’
‘Orders. Kelly’s the worst off by far.’ Then he added, sotto voce, ‘If you don’t count the two deceased.’
Sophie’s stomach dropped. She’d been refusing to consider some of the soldiers might’ve been killed. ‘Do we know who they are?’
‘Not yet.’ Cooper locked his eyes on her. ‘If you want to go find out I can take over here.’
She shook her head. ‘No. Getting Kelly stable so we can evacuate her is more important.’
‘I agree.’ He gave her a smile that blew her heart rate into disarray again.
Suddenly Sophie felt light-headed, swaying on her feet as she stared at the floor. Reaching out for balance, her hand found Cooper’s shirt sleeve and gripped tight.
‘You okay?’ he asked, concern flooding his voice.
Dropping her hand as though it had been scalded, she growled, ‘Guess it’s the shock catching up.’
‘It does that.’
She was showing her inexperience in conflict situations. The past two months had been relatively quiet on the war front—near this base anyway. She’d been kept busy with small surgeries but nothing like this. Reaching Kelly, she started appraising the injuries more thoroughly.
‘Multiple fractures of both legs and the pelvis. As well as that dislocated shoulder and fractured skull.’ Sophie straightened up from the bed Kelly lay on, and looked at Cooper. ‘She needs an orthopaedic surgeon,’ which they didn’t have. ‘How much experience have you got in that field?’
‘Enough to do the basics, but the sooner we can get her back to Darwin the better.’ Cooper looked glum. ‘It’s going to be touch and go for her.’
‘Right. Let’s scrub up and do what we can.’ Sophie looked around the ordered chaos, saw the commanding medical officer on the far side of the room and made a beeline for him to explain the situation.
‘We’ve got two others needing evacuation back to Australia too,’ she was told. ‘A flight’s being arranged for two hundred hours. Do what you can in the meantime.’
At the sink Sophie scrubbed and scrubbed her fingers, her palms, the backs of her hands. Sand and dirt and blood stained her skin and had got beneath her nails. Anger at what had happened had her compressing her mouth to hold back a torrent of expletives that’d do no good for anybody. But how could people attack others like that? Used to fixing people, making them better, it was impossible to comprehend the opposite. Her muscles quivered, whether in rage or shock she wasn’t sure, but she needed to get them under control if she was going to be any use to her friend.
‘Easy.’ Cooper’s word of the day, apparently. A firm hand gripped her shoulder briefly. ‘Save the anger for later.’
Turning, she locked her eyes on those grey ones she was coming to recognise as special, or was that the man behind them? ‘There’s plenty of it, believe me.’
He nodded and dropped his hand to his side. ‘I know. It gets me going every time.’
‘Yet you keep coming back.’ She’d heard that Captain Daniels was on his third tour of duty over here. Then she saw the gleam in his gaze and knew he’d picked up on the fact she’d taken note of details about him. Telling him she hadn’t gone out of her way to ask anyone would only stroke his ego further so she spun away to dry her hands before holding them out to the assistant to put gloves on for her.
This whole sexual distraction was ludicrous when they were in the middle of an emergency. ‘Do we even know if the attack is completely finished?’ she asked no one in particular.
‘Apparently so,’ Cooper replied as he began scrubbing up, a smug look on his face.
He could get over whatever was causing that. They had surgery to perform, which left no room for anything else. Sexual tension included.
* * *
Uncountable hours later Sophie smothered a yawn as she leaned back against the outside wall of their little hospital and watched Kelly being transferred to the medic truck that would take her to the airfield. ‘Thank goodness she’s survived her first round of surgery,’ she murmured to herself, suddenly wanting to hear her voice in the rare stillness of the night.
‘She’s got a long way to go yet.’ Cooper loomed up beside her.
So much for talking to herself. ‘I’m worried about her left leg. I suspect she’s in for an amputation despite everything we did.’
‘That patella wasn’t broken, it was pulverised,’ Cooper agreed.
‘Kelly’s a fitness freak, runs marathons for fun.’ Not any more. Or not for a long time and after a lot of hard rehab. Tears threatened. ‘It’s so darned unfair.’
‘That’s war.’ His tone brooked no argument and suggested she needed to get used to the idea.
‘I know. But I’m hurting for a friend. Okay?’ Sophie straightened her back, hauled her shoulder off the wall, took a step away. She’d had enough of Mr Confidence, didn’t need reminding why she was here.
‘Don’t go. Not yet.’ Cooper’s voice was low and, strangely, almost pleading.
She hesitated. Going inside where everyone was still talking and crying and laughing as they finally came down off the high caused by shock over the attack and continual hours of urgent surgery turned her cold. But staying here, talking to Cooper Daniels, held more danger, and she’d had her fill of that already. ‘Think I’ll go to my bunk.’
‘I’ll walk you across the compound.’ When she opened her mouth to say no he talked over her. ‘We don’t have to talk. I’d like your company for a few minutes, that’s all.’
There were no arguments to that. None that she could find without sounding like she was making a run for it to put space between them. Anyway, she suddenly felt in need of company too. Talk about being all over the place. ‘Sure.’ She stepped away to put space between them and rammed her hands into the pockets of her fatigues. Then tripped on a small rock.
Cooper caught her, held her until she righted herself. Left his hand on her elbow as they slowly made their way through the throng of personnel wandering almost aimlessly back and forth on the parade ground they were crossing.
Out of the blue came the need to keep Cooper with her. His hand was reassuring against her unease. Leaning into him, absorbing the warmth of being with someone as tension held her in its grip, was a tonic.
Thump. She jerked around, staring into the night, seeing nothing more than she’d been gazing at a moment earlier.
‘It’s okay. Some clown tossed a metal bucket at the fence.’ Cooper slipped his arm over her shoulders, drew her in closer.
‘I thought...’
‘Yeah. Me too.’
‘Have you ever experienced anything like what went down here?’ She’d known signing up to the army, even as a medic, had its dangers, but this was the first time she’d been confronted with the truth of living and working as an army officer in Afghanistan. She needed to toughen up and put it behind her, not let every little sound or bang have her leaping out of her skin.
Tension tightened the muscles in the arm draped across her shoulders. ‘Once. Near Kabul.’
‘Why do you keep coming back?’ She’d signed up for one year and now she wondered how she’d make it through without turning into a freaked-out wreck.
‘Army orders.’
So he wasn’t up for personal conversation. ‘Of course.’ She pulled away, put distance between them again. Wrapping her arms around her body, she stared ahead at the officers’ quarters. Lights blazed out over the compound and the idea of going inside to be surrounded by her colleagues became repugnant.
‘Want to keep walking for a bit?’ So he could mind-read. Probably as well as he could twist a dislocated clavicle back into place, as he’d done for Kelly. Or as easily as he had most upright females drooling over him without a word.
Including her, she realised. He had to be the most sexy, gorgeous, mouth-watering man she’d met in a long time. Had she drooled when Kelly had pointed him out? Couldn’t have or he wouldn’t have come over to see her, dribble on the chin being highly unattractive.
‘I’ll take that as a yes, then.’
Huh? Oh, right. Unused to women not gushing out answers to his questions? ‘I won’t be able to sleep. My head’s spinning and my body aches from being tossed through the air.’
‘That was some landing you made.’
‘Didn’t you get thrown down?’ she asked, suddenly remembering how quickly he’d seemed to be with her, covering her as bullets had flown past. ‘Thank you for protecting me. That was incredibly brave.’
‘Honestly? It’s something I did without considering the consequences. You looked vulnerable and I just fell over you.’
Sophie sighed. ‘That’s how brave people act. They don’t weigh up the consequences. Wasn’t it random how the three of us standing together ended up in different places? Kelly copped the worst of the explosion and was thrown in the opposite direction from us. We’re relatively unscathed.’
‘Be grateful. We were needed in Theatre afterwards.’
‘True.’ They were heading behind the officers’ quarters into comparative quiet and some darkness. Sophie looked around, saw no one in the shadows, and stopped. ‘Maybe I should go back.’
‘Afraid to be with me?’ That earlier challenge was back, deepening the huskiness in his voice.
‘Not at all,’ she snapped, even as awareness of him teased her. He was large; tall and broad. It would be so easy to lay her head on that chest and wrap her arms around his waist. She knew she’d feel safe for as long as she held onto him. Shock made her gasp.
But she didn’t pull away from that tiny touch of his hand brushing against her thigh as he waited to see what she’d do. She couldn’t move. Hell, she didn’t even want to. Right this moment she needed him. Needed reassurance that she’d survived her first bombing alive and well. Needed to get close to another human, to share the horror and the recovery from the shock. Wanted more than to be held. Wanted to feel alive in his arms.
‘Sophie?’ Cooper growled.
She stepped closer, so near her breasts brushed his chest. Her nipples pebbled, throbbing with longing, echoing the sensations moistening her at the apex of her legs. She had never wanted a man so badly. Never. The afternoon’s attack definitely had a lot to answer for. ‘Cooper,’ she whispered in reply. ‘Please take me.’
‘Are you sure?’ he asked, the softness of his voice surprising her.
‘Absolutely,’ she told him fiercely. ‘Absolutely.’ Now. Not in five minutes. Now. She leaned closer, spreading the length of her body up the length of his. She immediately felt his hardness, knew his reciprocating need in an instant. Winding her arms around his neck, she raised her mouth to capture his.
Cooper took over. His hands spanned her waist, pulling her firmly against his body, so close they’d become one. His tongue pushed through to taste her, delving deep, taking charge.
Sophie lost herself in his kiss, his scent, his strength. Her hands grappled with tugging his shirt free. The need to touch his skin, to feel his heat against her palms was urgent. So urgent she slid her hands beneath the waistband of his fatigues, her fingers seeking that throbbing heat pressing into her belly. Wrapping her hands around him, she heard his groan by her ear.
‘Sophie, you are driving me over the edge too fast.’
‘I want fast.’ Huh? Who was this wanton woman in her skin?
Cooper obliged, shoving at her trousers until they slid to her thighs, and then he cupped her.
All the air in her lungs whooshed across her lips as his finger found her hot, moist pulse. One slide of that finger and she was clinging to him, losing all sense of reality. Or was this reality? Another slide and her legs were trembling, losing the ability to hold her upright.
So she wrapped them around Cooper, holding herself over that wondrous finger, ready for his next muscle-tightening touch. But instead Cooper slid two fingers inside her and a scream flew up her throat, caught by his mouth. Since when had she become a screamer?
And then for the second time in twenty-four hours her world exploded. Shock waves hit her. Her body was racked with spasms, her head tipped backwards, and she was only vaguely aware of where she was. Again Cooper’s strong body was plastered to hers, only this time it was her weight on him, her legs around his body. Then he moved to lift her higher and she was feeling him enter her, inch by excruciating inch until he filled her.
Then he withdrew to plunge in deep again. And again. And again.
Sophie completely lost her mind as her body responded to Cooper’s. All she knew was she’d died and gone to some wondrous place she’d never experienced. All energy drained from her as her response overtook her.
And afterwards somehow she made it back to her bunk and slept the sleep of the completely sated.
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_4253a605-f1f7-590c-bcf0-9bd80277ce53)
Seven and a half months later...
COOPER SWIPED AT his forehead. The Aussie heat was relentless. Darwin did not come cold. Not even cool. And this was winter. Two hours since the troop carrier had touched down and he’d already had enough, felt in need of a cold shower despite showering and changing into clean clothes less than thirty minutes ago.
He entered the Australian Army’s busy medical unit and looked around for her. Sophie Ingram. No doubt she’d be another reason for a cold shower as soon as he set eyes on her. He’d never been able to exorcise the woman completely from his brain. One night, one hot act, and she now ruled his thought processes far too often. Face it, once was one time too many. But the times that really bugged him were those in the middle of the night when he was tossing and turning in desperate need of sleep. She’d sneak in, reminding him of her amazing body and that off-the-scale sex they’d shared. Only once, and yet it had been the best he’d experienced in a life of experience.
There. Leaning over a table in the far corner, reading a file, seemingly oblivious to the hustle going on around her. The breath stalled in his lungs as he drank in the sight of that tall, slight figure with perfect butt curves that even fatigues did nothing to hide. Or was that his memory filling in the details? Her coppery brown hair hung in a long ponytail down her spine. He hadn’t had a chance to run his hands through that silk, hadn’t kissed her as often as he’d have liked. Both things he’d regretted even when the opportunity hadn’t been there. If he had, would he still be feeling there was so much more to be enjoyed? It wasn’t as if he wanted anything other than a rerun of that one act. If it didn’t happen it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but there was no harm in finding out if she was willing while he was here.
Sophie looked as cool as an iced beer as she straightened to turn side on to place the file in a tray.
Cooper gasped, the air exploding out of his lungs. His head spun so fast he closed his eyes tight in an attempt to stop it, to remain upright. Opening them again, the picture was exactly the same. He went hot, then cold, hot again. Thud, thud, thud slammed his heart. He swallowed—hard—but the sourness remained in his mouth. His hands clenched at his sides as he stared at the sexy woman he’d come to see with the idea of having a meal somewhere off base, hopefully followed by an evening in the sack. He had not come to be delivered a hand grenade that the pin had been pulled from.
‘Cooper?’ She was coming towards him, colour spilling into her cheeks. No longer cool. Shocked. Surprised. No. Make that uneasy. Which made perfect sense given the situation. She said, ‘I heard you were stopping off for a couple of days on your way home.’
He fought the urge to back away. A coward he was not, but this was...enormous. Wrong word. He could even be wrong about what he saw. No, not about that, but about his role in the situation.
‘I’ve just flown in from the east, landed a couple of hours ago.’
Her eyes widened. So she’d picked up on the fact he hadn’t wasted any time dropping in on her.
‘I heard you were still here and thought I’d say hello.’
Getting yourself in deeper, bud.
She’d reached him and stood staring, hands on hips, caution darkening those emerald eyes that had haunted him in the deep of the night. Her voice wavered as she said, ‘This is my last week here before I’m shipped back home to finish my contract in Auckland.’
She was going to Auckland? So was he. The day after tomorrow. Auckland was big. They’d never cross paths. Coward. That’s what phones were for. Contacting people. ‘I guess you’re looking forward to that. The heat must be playing havoc with you.’ He nodded abruptly at her very pregnant belly.
She’s carrying a baby. He bit down on the expletives spewing across his tongue. Dread was cranking up from deep within. He had an awful feeling about this. A dreadful sensation that his world was rolling sideways and would never be the same again.
Sophie rubbed her lower back while her gaze was fixed on some spot behind him. ‘Yes, the heat’s exhausting, but it’s more that I want to be home before this baby makes her entrance.’ Now both her hands moved onto her belly in a protective gesture, as though she was afraid of, or warding off, something. Or someone.
Him? His reaction? He strove to be calm, barely held onto the question hovering on the tip of his tongue. When he thought it safe to open his mouth he asked, ‘You don’t want a little Aussie?’ Who cared? Avoiding asking what he desperately needed to know and yet was afraid to find out was only stalling, not solving a thing.
‘I’d prefer to be with my friends.’
Friends, not family. Showed how little he knew about her. ‘How far along are you?’ His breath caught in the back of his throat as he waited for her answer. It had been over seven months since the bombing in Bamiyan, since they’d found solace in each other’s bodies. Was the baby his? If it was, why hadn’t she told him about it? But why should she? What would she want from him? Apparently nothing, if it was his. There’d been no contact from her since that night, which in itself was unusual in his experience of women. If the baby wasn’t his, then whose?
Sophie lifted her head, her chin jutting out as she said quietly, firmly, ‘Seven and a half months. She’s yours.’
He reeled back on his heels. Her direct reply knocked the air out of him and had his stomach sucking in on itself. It was one thing to wonder if he was the father; completely different to learn he actually was. Again heat flooded him. ‘I see.’
Huh? I do?
Goosebumps lifted his skin. According to this woman he’d spent barely half a dozen hours with in total he’d made her pregnant. Should he believe her without question? Just accept her word for it without DNA testing? They’d had sex once. Once. What were the odds? How could he trust her to be telling the truth when he knew next to nothing about her?
