‘Seriously?’ Mitch was holding her gaze and he could actually feel his heart rate pick up at the prospect. ‘You’re allowed to take someone with you as an APP?’
‘I’m the boss of my vehicle. I get to make the rules.’ Jenna’s grin was just a brief flash as she looked away, noticed the crumbs still stuck to her finger and put them in her mouth. ‘Mmm.’ She picked up the basket and shook it to see if she could find any more.
Meanwhile, Mitch was letting that idea roll around in his head and it was getting more exciting by the moment. It was like stepping back in time, even, to a point in his career when he had been exactly where he’d dreamed of being—the head of an emergency department that could erupt into the kind of chaos that came when back-to-back life-or-death emergencies had to be dealt with. A passion that he’d thought he’d never be able to recapture. A way of life that, at one point—before he’d met Tegan—had been his entire raison d’être.
‘Could you do that?’ Jenna asked. ‘Or do you have commitments at home that might make it tricky?’
Was she asking him if he was single? Available?
Oh...wow...
He might have been justified in dismissing an opportunity to tell her about his private life earlier this evening but the answer to this specific query about his home commitments could change everything and Mitch didn’t want that to happen. Amidst his gathering of those tendrils of a forgotten excitement his career was capable of providing, Jenna caught his gaze again and Mitch was instantly aware of another almost forgotten, but equally seductive sensation. This was far more powerful than an unexpected physical attraction to someone. This had all the sharpness and depth of an urgent level of desire.
He wanted this.
He wanted to recapture a snatch of the career he’d once loved so much.
And more than that, he wanted to ease an ache in his life that he had been ignoring for years.
Jenna didn’t want a husband or a relationship that would interfere with her freedom to pursue a career she loved more than anything. She certainly wasn’t interested in children. And...she was asking him if he wanted to spend more time with her. Professionally and...possibly personally?
There was only one way to find out but Mitch had to clear his throat before he could speak and, even then, his voice was a little hoarse.
‘I’m single,’ he told her. ‘I could make it work. It wouldn’t be a problem.’
He might not be telling her the whole truth but it wasn’t a lie. Ollie was perfectly happy to be cared for by his grandpa and he would be totally protected from whatever came from Mitch spending more time with Jenna because there was no connection. Nobody in Allensbury, including his father, would need to know anything about what happened here, unless he chose to tell them. They would all support his interest in his new clinical responsibilities as a FRAME doctor and Mitch had at least two days a week when he wasn’t rostered on at the medical centre so it would be easy to make himself available. He wanted to make himself available.
Mitch found a slow smile curving his lips after he’d spoken. The ball was back in Jenna Armstrong’s court now. He was certainly available for a casual, professional kind of relationship. He could also be available for...what could he call that? Fringe benefits?
* * *
There was definitely a dreamlike quality to what was happening here. What had been happening for the last forty-eight hours, in fact—as if it had been scripted for a movie or something. Jenna felt like she was playing a part. That what was happening between herself and Mitch was meant to be...
He’d been a last-minute addition to that FRAME course and he’d captured her interest from the very beginning. That she was actually physically attracted to him had come as enough of a shock that if Jenna had simply met Mitch in passing, she would most likely have just kept moving. The fact that it would have been unacceptable if not unethical to explore an attraction while they were in a classroom situation with her as the instructor made it both impossible to escape and easy to deal with.
And because they had been forced to be together for those two days, they’d had opportunities to connect and that attraction had become more familiar. Less scary. Welcome, even?
That hadn’t been the reason that Jenna had invited Mitch to do some shifts with her in the rapid response vehicle, however. She genuinely liked him and was equally impressed with the clinical skills and intelligence he clearly had. He’d been an emergency department doctor in the past so it was highly likely she could learn as much from him as he might from being out on the road with her.
Jenna had to admit that the attraction might explain why she’d suggested he walked home with her, mind you, under the pretext of making a copy of the printout of her coming roster so that he could take it home and choose a date for his first shift with her. Not that she was about to try and seduce him or anything. She just wanted to be in his company a little longer. To be honest, though, there was something rather intimate about leading him up the narrow staircase that led to her attic flat a few blocks away from the pub they’d left.
‘’Scuse the mess,’ she said, as she opened her front door. ‘I’ve been packing and sorting the paperwork for a longer course I’m heading off to tomorrow up in Manchester. When we work with nurses or paramedics to bring them up to speed with FRAME skill set requirements, we do a five-day initiation course.’
It felt like she was prattling, which she probably was. Because Jenna was suddenly nervous. She hadn’t felt like this in so long, it was like time-travelling back to being an awkward teenager. She hadn’t even invited a man back into this small flat and it seemed to have shrunk considerably in the last few seconds. It felt stuffy, too, as if there wasn’t enough air. Maybe she should open a window?
‘There’s a beer in the fridge if you fancy it. I’ll just find that file and warm up the printer.’
‘No, thanks. Not when I’ll be driving soon.’
Did he want to escape as soon as possible? Had she been reading signals incorrectly? Like when he hadn’t moved his leg when she’d shifted on that seat in the pub and her thigh had come into contact with his? The thought prompted a curious glance in Mitch’s direction. That touch might have felt weirdly hot on her skin, despite the layers of clothing between them, but maybe he hadn’t even noticed it?
But he was smiling at her. ‘A coffee would be great, though,’ he said. ‘Shall I put the jug on?’
Such an ordinary sort of thing to say. And it had the effect of taking all the awkwardness out of him being here. Even when Jenna joined him in the tiny kitchen to find the instant coffee and some mugs and they were so close together that Mitch’s arm brushed her back as he reached to open the fridge to get the milk, it still felt okay.
More than okay...
Jenna wasn’t sure if she leaned into the touch of that arm or whether it had been Mitch’s choice to abandon opening the fridge and let his arm curl more closely around her body but it didn’t seem to matter because, as she looked up, she found Mitch looking down at her and the expression in his eyes took her breath away.
How could she have thought for a moment that he hadn’t been aware of that touch of their thighs earlier this evening? The strength of the desire she could see in his eyes was enough to create a shaft of sensation deep in her belly that felt like fireworks going off. She had completely forgotten—probably deliberately—what even an echo of that kind of desire could feel like. The reminder was enough to make her lips feel suddenly dry and she couldn’t stop herself moistening them with the tip of her tongue.
Mitch watched her do that but he said nothing. The only sound in this cramped space was the bubble of water coming to the boil in the electric jug and then it shut itself off automatically with a dull click but they were still staring at each other, as if they were both caught. Wondering how or where they could find shelter from the force of what was happening here, perhaps?
&n
bsp; It was Jenna who finally moved. Who came up on tiptoe but she wouldn’t have been able to reach Mitch’s lips to kiss him if he hadn’t bent his head.
It wasn’t a real kiss. Jenna just felt an overwhelming need to know what it would be like to touch a man’s lips with her own for the first time in for ever. She even kept her eyes open as that touch happened. A touch that was so soft it was kind of like hearing the faint notes of a favourite song wafting from an open window nearby but so nice that she moved her head a little to one side and then the other, a stroking movement intended to capture a bit more of that feeling.
Pulling back, Jenna saw that Mitch had his eyes open as well and once again they were staring at each other. And it felt as if they were communicating by sharing nothing but ripples of emotion.
Astonishment.
Delight.
A longing for more...a lot more.
But, even with the strength of those emotions, the next touch of their lips was still gentle, although nowhere near as soft as the first time. The real difference was that they both closed their eyes. And that it morphed into a very real kiss in a matter of moments. When Mitch’s hands shaped Jenna’s body, however, softly cupping her breast as his thumb stroked over her hidden nipple, she sensed the same kind of wonder that she’d felt about kissing him—as if this was something new in his life again as well.
Something changed at that point. Maybe because Jenna could feel a connection that was very different to this physical desire. Was she projecting her own mixed feelings that she needed this so much but it felt almost as if she was dismissing a very important part of her past? It didn’t feel wrong, though. Instead, it bestowed something positive on this. Something caring. Or at least something that, for Jenna, made it more acceptable than a casual encounter that had no significance.
Exchanging emotions wasn’t enough as their gazes met this time.
‘I...um... I’m a bit out of practice with this kind of thing.’ Jenna’s voice was husky. ‘Actually, very out of practice.’
‘You and me both.’ The muscles in Mitch’s throat moved as he swallowed. ‘It’s been...good grief...years.’
So she’d been right. This was as new again for him as it was for her. The reasons why didn’t matter. Jenna remembered that odd feeling that he’d seen her as the person who could give him something he’d been searching for.
Now maybe she knew what that something was. And it was something that was also missing from her own life.
‘It’s because I haven’t been looking for a relationship,’ she said quietly. ‘It’s still not something I want.’
‘Neither do I.’
‘It makes it difficult, doesn’t it? To...you know...find, um...company.’
‘Mmm...’
He was watching her carefully. Waiting for what she was about to say.
But there was something else she thought she could see in his eyes. Hope...?
‘Skills get rusty,’ she murmured, ‘if they don’t get used every once in a while.’
‘I’ve heard that.’ Mitch closed his eyes as he whispered the words, his breath coming out in a slow sigh.
It was Jenna’s turn to swallow carefully. ‘Even if they are a bit rusty—’ she needed to catch another breath ‘—it’s possible to fix that. If...you know...you want to.’
Mitch’s eyes were open again. His gaze was fixed on Jenna’s with all the intensity they had been a few minutes ago before that first, butterfly wing kiss.
‘Oh... I want to,’ he said softly. ‘But what about you?’
Again, Jenna stood on tiptoe and, this time, she reached up to put her hands on Mitch’s cheeks to encourage him to bend his head so that she could kiss him.
She only had time for a single word before his mouth covered hers. Before she felt him lift her into his arms and knew he was about to carry her to her bed.
‘Same...’
CHAPTER FOUR
EQUIPMENT IN THE back of the rapid response vehicle bounced and clattered as the vehicle crossed the central island in the road, aiming for a gap amongst oncoming traffic. Cars and trucks were doing their best to pull aside and make room for the emergency vehicle with its flashing lights and siren going. A warning blast on the airhorn was enough to make a pedestrian change his mind fast about the wisdom of ducking in front of them to weave through the rush-hour congestion.
Mitch was in the front passenger seat. Jenna was driving. She bounced them back over the raised concrete edges of the island as they cleared the intersection, flashing him a quick grin as she noticed him reach for the handle above the door to steady himself so he didn’t lurch sideways.
‘All good?’
‘Couldn’t be better.’ He looked at the satellite navigation screen built into the dashboard. ‘We’re getting close.’
Jenna was accelerating as she overtook vehicles pulling to the side ahead of them. The heads of a line of people at a bus stop turned in unison to watch them go past and Mitch could imagine that there was a collective bubble above their heads asking, ‘What’s happened? How bad is it?’
Maybe Jenna had seen that as well in her peripheral vision. ‘Any more details coming through?’
‘Paramedics on scene say they’re dealing with a collapsed lung. Respiration rate currently sixty and oxygen saturation levels are under eighty.’
A single nod from Jenna showed that she had taken the information on board but her focus was on getting them to the scene as back-up as quickly as possible had just ramped up. She had to brake hard enough to be sure that cars were all stopping to let them go through a red traffic light safely and then she put her foot down again. Mitch was still hanging onto the handle, to stop him tipping too far towards her, as they rounded a sharp corner.
It was a hit and run they were heading to. The sixth and possibly final job on the first shift that Mitch had come to spend with Jenna. An older pedestrian that had been clipped by a van and it sounded like he wasn’t doing too well at all. A collapsed lung could be caused by a pneumothorax, with air collecting outside the lung and inside the chest wall, probably due to damage from a broken rib. It could be a haemopneumothorax with a mix of blood and air or a tension pneumothorax, like the scenario that had been used for his FRAME practitioner assessment a couple of weeks ago.
Whatever the cause, this time Mitch would get to do the treatment for real because getting precisely this kind of experience was why he had taken up Jenna’s offer to join her on some of her APP single responder shifts. And, this time, someone’s life could very well depend on it.
Mitch took a deep breath as they rounded another curve and could see flashing lights and a solid wall of traffic ahead of them. A police officer waved them towards the side of the road and Jenna moved forward slowly now, with one set of wheels on the footpath as bystanders got out of the way. Mitch was totally focused. Ready for anything. Exhilarated, in fact. He hadn’t felt this alive, he realised, for a very, very long time.
In a way, it reminded him of when he’d been a kid, about Ollie’s age or a bit older, and it was Christmas Eve and excitement was building to an almost unbearable level because he knew something big was about to happen but he had no idea what it might be. What he did know was that taking up Jenna’s offer to join her on the road was the best decision he could have made because it had brought an entirely new dimension into his life.
As had that single night with the woman who was driving this vehicle like an absolute pro. Not that he was about to let a single, mind-blowing detail of that extraordinary taste of a previous life derail his concentration right now but he was still feeling relieved that their first meeting today since that evening hadn’t been awkward. Okay, he knew they were both thinking about what had happened in Jenna’s flat—in her bed—but it had been pushed aside as something irrelevant to their professional time together today. It was only important because it had given them a connecti
on that added a level of friendship, or maybe trust, to their imminent working relationship.
No. It was important for something even more significant than what was happening now. It was linked to the past because it had also been a catalyst for a major change in his life. Deep down, he knew that that night together was a part of this new dimension. A reawakening of the man he’d once been. Before life had derailed him.
‘You get to run this job,’ Jenna told him, as she pulled the vehicle to a halt near an ambulance that had its back doors open to reveal uniformed paramedics crouched over a figure on the stretcher. ‘Pretend it’s a FRAME call-out. I’ll only step in if you ask me to. Or if I think it’s in the patient’s best interests.’ She caught his gaze, pausing for a heartbeat before opening her door. ‘All good?’
It was the same question she’d asked before, when the speed of their vehicle had had them lurching around. And that hadn’t been the first time, either. A tiny blip at the back of his brain reminded Mitch that she’d asked it that night, as well—after the most incredible sex he’d ever experienced. It was almost like a private code between them already and what was becoming a practised response was right on the tip of his tongue.
‘Couldn’t be better.’
* * *
One of the paramedics on scene at the hit and run knew Jenna but he could see that she was staying behind her extra crew member and that the stranger was wearing a high-vis jacket with ‘DOCTOR’ emblazoned on the back so that made him the highest medical authority here.
Not that Mitch needed a label to enable him to take control. He had an aura of confidence and skill that made it automatic and Jenna found herself admiring the calm way he was gathering as much information as he could in the shortest possible time from what he could see and hear around him and the questions he was asking the paramedics who had been treating the patient for his chest trauma including broken ribs and possible internal injuries.
Stolen Nights with the Single Dad Page 5