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Her eyes blinked and then hardened like frost. ‘No,’ she said. ‘I diagnosed a blood disorder that had gone undetected for several months. I lost count of how many GPs the patient had seen. Not one of them performed a blood screen on her.’
‘It happens.’
She frowned at him. ‘How can it happen? How can someone slip through the cracks like that?’
‘GPs are pushed for time just like everyone else in the medical profession,’ Jake said. ‘The larger medical clinics are problematic because the patient doesn’t always see the same doctor each visit. There’s not much continuity.’
‘Then all the more reason to check and doublecheck,’ she said.
‘Testing every patient for every disease is expensive and time-wasting,’ he said. ‘Diagnostic skills vary between doctors, but mostly they get it right.’
‘Not in this case,’ she said. ‘That young woman’s outcome could be severely compromised.’
‘We can’t save everyone, Dr Cargill,’ he said. ‘There will always be people who slip through the system.’
‘I don’t want to miss anyone,’ she said. ‘It’s our job to diagnose and treat patients, not fob them off with a couple of painkillers.’
‘You can’t CT scan every patient who comes through the door,’ Jake argued. ‘Not on this campus, in any case.’
Her grey eyes challenged his. ‘Are you forbidding me from conducting the tests I deem appropriate?’ she asked.
‘I would hope your diagnostic skills are of a standard such that you don’t require exposing a patient to high levels of radiation in order to confirm your diagnosis.’
‘I’d rather not leave patients’ lives up to gut feeling,’ she said with an insolent look.
‘What do you mean by that?’ he asked.
Her grey eyes flashed at him. ‘You can’t possibly get it right all of the time,’ she said. ‘It’s not a matter of guesswork or intuition. We have to rely on cold, hard science.’
‘The human body isn’t an exact science,’ he said. ‘Patients don’t always give a complete history. Tests can be inconclusive. We need to be able to understand anatomy and physiology in order make a correct diagnosis.’
‘Will that be all, Dr Chandler?’ she asked stiffly.
Jake looked at her mouth and felt a tidal wave of raw, primal need course through him. He couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. He thought of how soft her mouth was, how sweet it had tasted, how yielding it had been, how tentative and shy her tongue had been and then how brazen and uncontrollable it had become when she had let herself go. He thought of how her slim little body had pressed against his as if she had been tailored exactly to his specifications. He thought of how much he wanted to kiss her again, to move his hands over her creamy skin without the barrier of clothes. He wanted to run his hands through the chestnut silk of her hair, to breathe in its flowery fragrance.
He wanted her.
Had he ever wanted someone more? It was this wretched bet, that was what it was. It had to be. He’d been celibate too long. He wasn’t cut out for the life of a monk. It wasn’t that he was developing an attachment to Kitty. She wasn’t staying in Australia long enough to consider anything more than a casual fling. She would probably go back when her term was over and pick up again with someone from her side of the tracks—not someone with dependent siblings, not to mention the debt and drama that came along for the ride.
If she hooked up with him it would be a package deal. How long before she would get sick of sharing him with his siblings and nephew? His career was demanding enough. Having to spread himself so thinly didn’t make for ideal relationship-building conditions. He wasn’t emotionally available. He didn’t want to be.
He didn’t want to need someone so much he couldn’t function without them. He had seen it first-hand. His mother had been absolutely devastated by the desertion of his father. Jake had lain awake at night listening to her sob her heart out in the bedroom next door. It had taken her years to recover, and even then there had been a part of her that had never fully returned. She had gone from a vibrant and fully engaged mother to a person who trudged through life with resolution rather than joy.
Jake brought his gaze to Kitty’s defiant one. ‘That will be all, Dr Cargill,’ he said. ‘For now.’
CHAPTER NINE (#u8d0850a1-6236-520e-8515-12a32ce49e0b)
‘SO HOW’S it going with your gorgeous boss?’ Julie asked when she phoned Kitty a couple of days later.
‘Next question.’
Julie laughed. ‘That bad, huh?’
Kitty paced the kitchen of her town house. ‘He’s the most maddening man I’ve ever met,’ she said. ‘I thought I was getting to know him a little bit. He’s really nice when he’s not playing the big bad boss. He was really supportive when we had this crazy emergency outside the hospital the other day. And he even told me about his family circumstances over dinner, and—’
‘Dinner?’ Julie said. ‘Hey, back up a bit. You didn’t tell me you had dinner with him. When was that?’
‘It wasn’t a date or anything,’ Kitty said. ‘We ran into each other and it sort of…happened.’
‘What sort of happened?’
Kitty closed her mind to that kiss. ‘Nothing happened,’ she said. ‘We just had a meal at his friend’s restaurant.’
‘And then?’
‘And then he walked me home.’
‘Did he kiss you?’ Julie asked.
‘What makes you think he would’ve kissed me?’ Kitty asked.
‘He’s a man.’
‘I’d rather not talk about it.’
‘So he did kiss you,’ Julie said. ‘How was it?’
‘I told you I’m not going to talk about it.’
‘I bet it was completely different from Charles.’
‘I’m not listening,’ she said in a singsong tone.
‘Are you going to see him again?’ Julie asked.
‘I can hardly avoid it when he works at the same hospital, can I?’
‘I mean see him as in see him.’
Kitty thought of how distant and formal Jake had been the other night at the hospital. It had been a stark turnaround from the intimate exchange they had shared. It was as if he had regretted talking to her about his family circumstances and his brother’s situation in particular. He had lowered his guard just long enough for her to glimpse some of his pain and frustration, but he had snapped the drawbridge back up as soon as he could, locking her out. He was prepared to offer her a no-strings relationship but not access to the innermost yearnings of his heart.
‘Jake Chandler isn’t really interested in me other than as a one-off affair,’ she said. ‘I haven’t been around the block enough times for him. He likes his women casual and carefree.’
‘You mark my words,’ Julie said. ‘It’s the cynical ones who always fall for sweet, homespun girls like you. But anyway, why shouldn’t you have a little fling with him while you’re here? Isn’t it time you had a bit of fun? You spent years and years with the same guy, for God’s sake. For years you’ve acted like an old married lady. But you’re single now. You can do what you want with whoever you want. This is your chance to let your hair down a bit. Live a little. Put yourself out there. You’re only twenty-six. There’ll be plenty of time for settling down with Mr Right later on. What have you got to lose?’
‘I don’t want to get hurt,’ Kitty said.
‘You take life way too seriously, Kitty-Kat,’ Julie said. ‘You always have. You’re allowed to have sex without being in love with someone, you know. And you don’t need a ring on your finger, either.’
Kitty looked at the promise ring that was too tight on her hand. Was it time to put the past aside and do as her cousin said?
* * *
Kitty was on her way to her first practice session with the combined hospitals doctors’ orchestra she had been invited to join when her car refused to start. The engine coughed and spluttered and then died. She turned the key again, but this time there was only a clicking sound—and a faint one at that.
‘I don’t believe this,’ she muttered. ‘Why are you doing this to me now?’
A shadow blocked out the driver’s side window. ‘Need any help?’ Jake asked.
She clenched her hands on the steering wheel and stared straight ahead. ‘If you’re going to say “I told you so”, then please don’t.’
‘Wouldn’t dream of it.’
She blew out a breath and threw him a frustrated glance. ‘I can’t get my car to start.’
‘Want me to have a look?’
‘Be my guest,’ she said, cranking open the driver’s door. She squeezed out past him, her body tingling where it brushed against his in the confined space between her car and the wall.
He sat in the driver’s seat and turned on the ignition while his foot gave the throttle a couple of pumps. ‘Sounds like a blockage in the fuel line.’ He leaned down and popped the bonnet lever. ‘I’ll have a quick look under the hood.’
Kitty sucked in her tummy as he moved past her. He looked so vital and male dressed in a black T-shirt and chinos. Every muscle looked as if it had been carved to his torso by a master sculptor. He smelt like summer—a mixture of surf and sweat, sunscreen and aftershave. She wanted to run her hands down the muscular slope of his back and shoulders, to press her mouth to his and feel him shudder with need.
Maybe her cousin was right. What would be so wrong about indulging her senses for once? What harm would there be in a relationship with him, even if it was on his terms? Wasn’t it time she lived a little? It wasn’t as if she had to be as progressive as her parents. Even a short-term relationship could be exclusive. She wouldn’t settle for anything less. It was just so tempting to explore the chemistry she shared with Jake. What if she never felt this level of excitement again? She would regret it for the rest of her life. She would spend the rest of her days wondering what she’d missed out on. She would have no memories of his possession. No images in her head of their bodies entwined in passion. Her body would never know the full extent of its sensual response in his arms.
She wanted to know.
‘Want to give it another try?’ Jake called out.
Kitty snapped out of her reverie and turned the ignition. The engine choked and spluttered and then died. ‘Am I doing something wrong?’ she asked.
‘No,’ he said, coming round to her side as he wiped his hands on a handkerchief. ‘The fuel line was definitely blocked but it sounds like your battery’s had it as well. I can hook it up to my charger overnight.’
‘But I have to get to my practice session,’ she said, frowning at him in worry. ‘I’ve joined a local doctors’ orchestra. It’s our first session tonight.’
‘I can give you a lift.’
Kitty gnawed at her lip. ‘What if people see me getting out of your car?’
A smile lifted the edges of his mouth. ‘I promise not to kiss you goodbye, OK?’
She gave him a guarded look. ‘How do I know if I can trust you on that?’ she asked.
His sapphire-blue gaze flicked to her mouth for a heartbeat. ‘You can’t,’ he said, and then turned and led the way to his car.
Jake pulled up outside the church hall where the orchestra was rehearsing in the suburb of Annandale on the other side of the city. ‘How long will you be?’ he asked.
‘You don’t have to wait for me,’ Kitty said. ‘I’ll get one of the other doctors to drop me off near a bus stop or a cab rank.’
‘I don’t mind waiting,’ he said, putting on the handbrake. ‘Even better, why don’t I come in and listen?’
‘It’s probably not to your taste.’
He gave her a sardonic smile. ‘A little too highbrow for someone like me, huh?’
She tightened her mouth. ‘I didn’t say that.’
‘I’ve heard about this orchestra but I’ve never been to any of their concerts,’ he said. ‘Maybe it’s time I stretched my horizons a bit.’
‘Please don’t feel you have to do so on my account,’ she said. ‘I’m quite happy to make my own arrangements.’
He got out of the car and came around to open her door for her. ‘I’ve got nothing better to do this evening,’ he said.
* * *
Kitty tried to concentrate on the conductor’s beat but her gaze kept drifting to where Jake was sitting in the stalls. He kept smiling at her in that indolent way of his, making her fingers fumble over the notes like a nervous schoolgirl at her first school concert. But about halfway through the rehearsal she noticed him glance at his phone. It must have been important because he got up and left the hall and it was at least ten or fifteen minutes before he came back.
‘That’s it, everyone,’ the conductor said as the session drew to an end. ‘Same time next week if you can make it.’
Kitty made her way to where Jake was chatting to a couple of the doctors he had introduced her to earlier. ‘Thanks for waiting,’ she said, once they had moved on. ‘I hope you weren’t too bored.’
‘Not at all,’ he said. ‘I found it relaxing. I had no idea you could play like that.’
‘I’m not that good,’ she said. ‘I need to do much more practice.’
‘Well, from my end it certainly didn’t sound as if any cats were being tortured.’
She gave him a sideways glance. ‘Thanks.’
‘How long have you been playing?’
‘I started when I was six,’ she said. ‘My parents wanted me to experiment with a whole range of instruments, but I only ever wanted to play the violin. I finally wore them down.’
He gave her a crooked smile as he led the way out to the car. ‘Not many kids nag their parents to learn a classical instrument,’ he said. ‘Isn’t it normally the other way around?’
‘I know,’ Kitty said wryly. ‘I think I’m a throwback. My parents are quite ashamed of me for being so conservative. I haven’t got a single piercing or a tattoo. I don’t even dye my hair.’
‘Why would you want to?’ he said. ‘It’s fine the way it is.’
‘It’s boring.’
He stopped, reaching out and picking up a stray lock of her hair. He coiled it around his finger. ‘It’s not boring,’ he said. ‘It’s beautiful—especially when it’s loose like this.’
Kitty felt the voltage of his touch all the way down the shafts of her hair to the skin of her sensitive scalp. The skin on her body tingled in sharpened awareness as he came that little bit closer.
Her breasts tightened behind her clothes.
Her breath stalled in her throat.
