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AJ barely noticed the brief, cheerful apologies as the crowd moved on. All she noticed were Matthew’s warm palms cupping her elbows, his soapy-fresh scent and his breath as it feathered across her bare shoulder.
“Want to change your mind about me seeing you to your room?” he murmured in her ear, his deep accented baritone making her nerves dance.
“No.”
He grinned. “So lunch tomorrow?”
“Contrary to popular belief, the world doesn’t revolve around you, Matthew Cooper.” She dug in her bag for her phone and checked the time. “I have things to do tomorrow.”
“Dinner, then.”
She sighed. Sharing food with him, making small talk, was the last thing on her wish list, especially after her appointment tomorrow.
He reached out and took her phone. She scowled. “What are you—?”
He flicked it on and dialed. “Here’s my number.” He paused and his phone trilled from somewhere inside his jacket. Then he returned hers. “Lunch tomorrow.”
With a confident grin, he turned and strode back to the car.
She glared at his broad back. Of all the arrogant...
The Bentley finally drove off. With a sigh, she turned on her heel and walked into the hotel foyer. This wasn’t a problem. She’d just call tomorrow and cancel. There’d be nothing he could do about it, after all.
Yet it didn’t stop the niggling feeling that she was throwing away the chance to have Matthew back in her bed again.
Irritated, she punched the elevator button. Sure, she’d lusted. She’d wanted. She’d desired. But she’d never completely offered him her heart and he’d never demanded it. She’d been young and reckless, reveling in life, and he’d been the perfect fling. Yet despite her oh-so-mature outlook on the whole affair, he’d still managed to bruise her.
Matthew Cooper was part of her past, not her future. If she was an expert at anything, it was moving on and letting the past stay buried.
Three (#uc6995030-bbe3-5a4d-a36e-670b963e109b)
AJ perched on the edge of her chair in the discreet Brisbane fertility clinic, hands clasped firmly in her lap.
She’d managed to get a grasp on her emotions, wrapping them with prudent caution. Yet she couldn’t stop the edginess that rose up, catching her breath and making her heart kick.
Forget about Matthew Cooper and just get on with your original plan.
Dr. Sanjay flicked open the file on his desk. “How are you today, Miss Reynolds?”
“Fine. Nervous.”
He looked up from the file and peered over his glasses with a smile. “So, this is your second consult. Dr. McGregor did your full checkup and discussed the realities of getting pregnant with you?”
“Yes.”
He kept reading. “It says here you had surgery three months ago for ovarian cysts.”
“Yes, my surgeon did say my chances of conception were low. Thirty percent.”
“You have quite a bit of scarring—”
“But thirty percent is better than nothing, right?”
He sighed, then gave a reluctant nod. “It doesn’t mean it’s impossible—just difficult. But it will be time consuming, and fertilization may not happen the first, second or even the fifth time. And it can be draining, physically, mentally and financially.” He glanced back down at the file. “You’ve already chosen a donor from our files, I see.”
She nodded.
“Okay.” Sanjay flipped open the file, then frowned. “One moment.” He reached for the phone and made a call. When he hung up, he slowly removed his glasses, closed the folder and fixed her with a silent, considering gaze.
Uh-oh. She nervously twisted the handles of her handbag. “What’s wrong?”
“Miss Reynolds, I’m sorry but we cannot proceed at this time.”
Her mouth gaped. “Why not?”
“I’ve been advised your donor is no longer available.” He gave her a sympathetic smile.
“What?”
“Your donor cancelled his appointment,” Sanjay said calmly. “This means—”
AJ stared blankly at the manila folder as the doctor’s explanation faded into the background. No. No! This could not be happening.
“Miss Reynolds?” the doctor repeated gently. “Did you hear me? How do you want to proceed?”
“What do you mean?”
He paused, silently studying her as if trying to assess her mental state. “You’ll need to make another donor choice and then we can go from there. You’ll need to make another appointment with reception.”
He slid a business card across his desk, almost as if he’d been waiting for the cue, but all she could do was stare at him. “But...but...I don’t... It took me three months to get this one! Can’t I just—”
“I am sorry about the long wait time but we are fully booked. And I am legally bound to follow procedure.” He straightened the files on his desk, then fixed her with a polite smile. “You need time to make a decision and once you have, we can discuss everything at our next appointment. Now, can I help you with anything else?”
AJ shook her head and took the card, her fingers surprisingly steady.
When she finally strode outside, the bright morning sun seared away the vague clinical aroma and the doctor’s sympathetic but hands-tied expression. Slipping on her sunglasses, she crossed the road to the parking lot and dug out her phone.
She found her car—a third-hand, beat-up red Hyundai Getz—and slipped into the driver’s seat.
Just what was she going to do now?
She stared at the cracked steering wheel, her mind a total blank. Another three months. Could she wait that long? She’d done her research—she knew anxiety and worry played a huge factor in getting pregnant. And there was no guarantee the first time would work anyway. She’d been on a dozen different blogs and forums where women openly shared their stories—the injections, the schedules, prime ovulation times, family pressure, aching optimism and the deep, dark lows of constant negative tests. She’d read about women making the agonizing choice of stopping fertility treatments after years of stress, only to fall pregnant months later when the pressure was off. Her head had spun with overload.
She could spend years chasing this dream. And where would she get the money? She’d never had a loan in her life and there was no way she’d stoop to sponging off Emily. Big sisters looked out for the little ones; they didn’t demand handouts.
Her mind was a whirling mass of chaos, thoughts flying everywhere, so it took a few seconds to realize her phone was ringing. Confused, she finally grabbed it and stared at the screen.
Her sharp laugh shattered the still air. It was Matthew. Great.
“Yes?”
“Just checking you’ll be here for lunch.”
His deep voice, combined with that polished accent, sent her thoughts into further turmoil. She glanced at her watch. Ten o’clock. It felt like she’d been in there for hours. “Probably not. I’m in Brisbane.”
There was a pause. “Later, then. The Versace does an exceptional high tea.”
She opened her mouth to refuse, but a sudden insidious thought struck her speechless.
Oh. My. God.
She shook her head. No.
But wait! What if...? No, you can’t.
Sure, you can.
She took a deep breath, then another.
“AJ?”
“I’m thinking,” she replied, dragging a hand through her hair.
“Don’t take too long,” he murmured. “Time’s ticking away.”
Never a truer word was spoken. Her forbidden idea slowly took shape. Matthew Cooper had the power to grant her most desperate wish. He was the perfect male specimen. The perfect candidate. The key to her plan.
Matt could give me a baby.
Yes! No! Indecision warred inside before she finally overrode her doubts and chose a side.
“I’ll be there at one,” she said and turned the key in the ignition.
* * *
Matt hadn’t actually expected her to say yes. Now, as he waited in the Palazzo Versace’s opulent coffee lounge, he wondered if this was such a good idea.
His entire life was a study in cool-headed decision-making. He made plans, logical moves, well-informed choices. Choices that had furthered his career, challenged his intellect and increased his standing in the medical community. And when he’d reached his personal crisis point, that cool head had led him to a new calling.
Yet he’d impulsively asked AJ out. In the space of an evening, she’d managed to rub off on him.
Hell, he never could control himself around her.
He shook his head and glanced over at the reception area for the fifth time in as many minutes. Circular couches with plump sun-yellow cushions were scattered throughout the foyer and the sleek, intricately tiled marble entrance bore the familiar Versace logo. Some said this five-star Gold Coast hotel blurred the line between lavish and garish, but he loved it. It was private, the staff was discreet and service was top-notch. He never stayed anywhere else when he was in Surfers.
He glanced up again, and when he spotted a familiar figure walking through the huge glass doors, her low strappy heels clicking sharply on the tiled floor, his thoughts fled like predawn shadows at sunrise.
He’d recognize that distinctive red hair anywhere, even if it was tied back in a controlled ponytail. He also noticed how her brow was furrowed in concentration.
AJ had a habit of frowning when she didn’t agree with what was being said, those tiny disapproving lines momentarily creasing her forehead before she opened her mouth and began challenging, questioning.
She may look like a Renaissance painting, but her brain was firmly twenty-first century.
He ran his eyes over her, taking in the beacon of hair, the soft lemon cardigan over a modestly cut cream sundress, the silver sandals on her feet. She looked...demure. Again. A word he’d never consider for a woman who’d worn screaming-orange and electric-blue with impunity, who’d rocked short denim shirts and sexy off-the-shoulder tops, who laughed and loved equally with impulsive, joyous abandon.
Burning curiosity sparked in him as he strode across the foyer.
When she finally noticed his approach, a smile replaced her frown. It was all-encompassing, defining those high cheekbones and creasing her clear blue eyes. It felt as if he was the only guy in the world and she was smiling just for him. And yeah, it also jammed the words in his throat as if he were a boy with his first crush.
Irritating and arousing—that was AJ to a T.
So he did the only thing he could—smiled in return, took her arm and placed a kiss on her cheek. She stilled in surprise, and he immediately pulled back, decorum warring with craving.
“How...?” She swallowed then went on breathily, “How are you?”
Suddenly needing to do more than kiss your cheek.
“Hungry. Are you?” he asked thickly.
“Not particularly.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, AJ sensed the danger. It was like fire crackling to life, flaring up to bathe her in delicious heat. His eyes were dark, full of forbidden promise, and suddenly AJ recalled another time, another place, where they’d forgone food and instead feasted on each other until dawn crept into the sky.
She dropped her gaze.
His palm cupped her elbow in a soft caress. “I’ve arranged for us to eat outside. Come.”
She let him lead her past the huge windows with a view of a massive, Greco-Roman-style pool and fountains sparkling in the afternoon sun, then out the doors. A bead of sweat formed in the small of her back, and she slipped her sunglasses on. The water looked so inviting.
“Have you been here before?” he asked, his hand a warm brand on her as they wove their way through the pristine cabanas ringing the pool.
“Once, for dinner.” Zac and Emily had treated her, and she’d spent the whole time stroking the chair and lusting after the dinner plates.
They stopped in front of a cabana, where a female server greeted them. “Good afternoon, Dr. Cooper. Your afternoon tea is ready. Would you like me to serve you now?”
“No, that’s fine. Thank you.” When he smiled, AJ swore she saw a blush rise in the girl’s cheeks before she nodded and left them.
Their private air-conditioned cabana looked like a sheikh’s tent. She glanced around, noting the cotton-draped walls and roof and the table on the far side that held coffee and tea jugs warming on heating plates. A love seat against another wall was scattered with a dozen cushions displaying the distinctive Versace pattern. Two recliners flanked a low table that held an elegant three-tiered display of sweet and savory treats that made AJ’s mouth water.
Matt nodded to the chairs. “Take a seat.”
She hesitated, then toed off her shoes before settling into the lounge with a sigh. After her crazy morning this was a welcome respite, despite Matt’s surreal presence amid the luxurious five-star hotel aura.
He took a seat across from her at the low table. She focused on the spread before them.
“Is that smoked salmon? And cream cheese?”
“Your favorite, right?”
