Noah was smiling. ‘Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.’
‘Sadly, I’ve developed a taste for French champagne.’ Abby led the way past the doors leading to her bedroom and the bathroom, into the open-plan kitchen living area of her remodelled ground-floor apartment. Two couches marked off the corner where her gas fire flickered within its antique iron casing. A dining table and chairs separated that corner from the kitchen.
‘And that’s sad?’
‘Only because it’s out of my budget. I blame my sister, Lisa. And Hugh, of course. Remind me to tell you the story of how they got together sometime.’
‘I’m guessing it involved French champagne?’ But Noah wasn’t waiting for confirmation. He was looking up at the ornate cornice of the plaster ceilings. ‘This is amazing. You’ve got a chandelier even.’
‘I have excellent taste,’ Abby agreed. She opened the fridge and took out the chilled bottle of sparkling wine. ‘I know it’s a work night but we don’t have to drink it all.’
‘I make it a policy to find at least a bit of time to relax when I’ve got a big surgery coming up. If you don’t charge your batteries beforehand it can be a struggle to stay focused for what could be a twelve-hour stint.’
‘I’ll bet.’ Abby handed him the bottle. ‘Could you do the honours? I’m just going to check on the oven.’
‘Whatever it is smells delicious.’
‘Beef Wellington,’ Abby told him, relieved that she had a good reason not to be meeting his gaze. ‘Just individual-sized ones.’
‘I’m impressed.’ Noah was eyeing the work surfaces of her kitchen now. ‘If I tried to make something that complicated, my kitchen would be a complete bombsite.’
‘Ah...’ Hadn’t Abby heard somewhere that if you wanted to make a lie convincing, the best thing to do was to add in at least an element of truth? ‘Well, I have to admit, these were prepared earlier. I had them in the freezer for when I needed a nice meal in a hurry.’
The cork came out of the bottle with a pop and Noah poured the wine into the two glasses Abby provided. He scooped up the cork, wire and foil and headed for the rubbish bin before Abby could stop him but, to her relief, he didn’t notice what she’d put in the bin only minutes ago. Even so, she decided it would be a good idea to distract him further.
‘Let’s sit at the table for now. I printed off a rough outline of a rehab plan for Steve before I left work.’
‘Really? That was only an hour or so ago. You did a plan, came home, got changed and whipped up a gourmet dinner and you don’t even look out of breath.’ He held his glass up in a toast. ‘Very impressive.’
‘Hmm.’ Was it her imagination or was there a note of amusement in his voice?
It was a bit distracting that he’d noticed she had changed her clothes as well. While favouring a more formal skirt and blouse under her white coat at work, Abby was always keen to get into her favourite leggings and a comfortable sweatshirt as soon as she got home. Was Noah feeling less comfortable because he’d noticed the difference? Or because he was in her home and not in an impersonal space like the gymnasium where they’d last met out of work hours? She could fix that. Abby pushed a thin sheaf of papers towards Noah.
‘It’s only a rough outline, so far,’ she explained. ‘I was focusing on the sensory rehabilitation because of how it can speed up the axonal regeneration.’
‘That’s true. And it’s a critical element. Not just for repairing the axons but because it helps interpretation of the altered sensory impulses reaching the central nervous system.’
Yes—it seemed that a professional discussion was ironically exactly what Noah needed to relax out of work hours. Abby took a sip of her wine as she watched Noah begin to scan her pages. He had a few questions, some excellent suggestions and genuine praise for her outline.
‘There’s a great article I came across in a neurology journal recently about the sensory, emotional and cognitive factors and their interplay in the perception of pain. It was directly related to sensory rehabilitation. I could find it online for you if you like.’
‘That would be awesome. But let’s eat first. No...don’t move,’ Abby ordered. ‘I’ll get everything. I hope you’re hungry.’
She ferried plates and cutlery to the table and the bowl of salad from the fridge. She handed Noah the bottle of red wine and a corkscrew before getting the food from the oven and transferring it to a pretty serving platter.
They ate in an appreciative silence to begin with.
‘This is so good,’ Noah finally said. ‘Perfect.’
‘I’m so glad you like it.’
‘Love it.’ Noah had almost finished the large puff-pastry square filled with beef, mushroom and chicken liver pâté. ‘In fact, it’s been one of my favourite meals from the gourmet section of the supermarket for a long time.’
Abby closed her eyes. ‘Uh-oh,’ she murmured. ‘I’m busted, aren’t I?’
‘So busted,’ Noah agreed. ‘But they’re a great range of ready meals, aren’t they? I rather like the cottage pie as well.’
‘Oh, me too. And have you tried the chilli con carne?’
‘Delicious. Not quite as good as the spaghetti carbonara, perhaps.’
They were both laughing by now.
‘And there I was,’ Noah said sadly, ‘believing that you were some sort of domestic goddess and that you had splinter skills that I could never dream of competing with.’
Abby bit her lip. ‘I did think of cooking something from scratch,’ she said. ‘But that would have been cruel. My splinter skill of cooking is on a par with my ability to knit.’ She caught Noah’s gaze, aiming for an apologetic glance but knowing she was finding this too funny to carry it off. ‘But you wouldn’t have come if I told you what a crap cook I was, would you? And I really did want to do something to say thanks.’
‘It wasn’t necessary,’ Noah said. ‘And I would have come even if it was just beans on toast. I like you, Abby Phillips.’
‘I like you, too,’ Abby responded lightly. ‘And I’ll be totally up front and confess that I also didn’t make the salted caramel cheesecake ice cream I got for our dessert. Would you like to sit by the fire and relax with it?’
‘Sounds perfect. Why don’t we have some more of those bubbles with it as well? It’s not as if I have to drive home.’
‘And I don’t even have to walk home.’ Abby grinned. ‘I like the way you think, Mr Baxter.’
Like...it was the second time she’d used that insipid little word in less than a minute. As she got the ice cream from the freezer and pulled bowls from a cupboard, Abby could see Noah walking towards the other side of this big room to put the Prosecco and glasses on one of the low tables beside the couches.
He looked right at home here, with his height not at all out of place beneath her high ceilings. At home and relaxed and...just as gorgeous as she’d remembered him being when she’d allowed herself to play with the delicious fantasies that her initial crush had created.
Which had been all very well when they were just that—fantasies. How much of a relief had it been, though, to discover that Noah wasn’t ever going to want to be more than a friend? To back off from having to confront an anxiety that had been buried for years? Those deep, dark doubts about whether someone would find her as attractive as someone able-bodied and, worse, whether that fear of being unable to protect herself enough might resurface and make it impossible for her to go that far?
It had still been easy, despite having Noah in her own home, thanks to the formality of being at a table and the professional element that talking about Steve’s upcoming surgery and rehabilitation had provided. But this...transferring herself from her wheelchair to one of the squashy, feather-filled pillows of her couch, in front of a flickering fire, with not only a bowl of the ultimate comfort food in her hands but another glass of bubbles...well...this was a rath
er different kettle of fish, that’s what it was.
* * *
By the time he was scraping the last of his ice cream from the bowl, Noah had made a decision.
‘I really need to get serious about finding a place to live that isn’t just a room in a place that feels like it’s part of my work environment,’ he told Abby. ‘I’d forgotten how important it is to be able to completely switch off sometimes.’ He put his bowl on the table, swapping it for his glass of wine, and then he leaned back into this gloriously comfortable couch and let his breath out in a contented sigh. ‘Somewhere like this would be perfect.’
‘I do love this apartment,’ Abby said. ‘I had to move in with Lisa and Hugh for a while because there was so much work needed to renovate this place and make it wheelchair friendly, but it was such a relief to settle in here. It’s taken twenty-six years but I feel like I’m finally living completely independently and I love it. The only thing missing is...maybe a cat. If I can find a ginger one, that is.’
‘Why ginger? Oh...wait...’ Noah shook his head. ‘It’s the family hair colour, isn’t it?’
‘Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not a smart man, Noah Baxter.’ Abby handed him her bowl to put on the table and gave him both a smile and a nod when he offered her the other glass of wine he’d poured.
‘And the newest family member—was Lisa’s baby a boy or a girl?’
‘A girl. She’s been called Amy—after my gran.’
‘And does she have red hair? I didn’t notice the other night.’
‘She’s almost completely bald, so we can’t tell yet.’ Abby took a sip of her wine and then put her glass down. ‘But I’m sure you don’t want to be talking about babies. I... I’m sorry you got thrown into that situation. I know it can’t have been easy for you.’
So she did know his story. Of course she did. He’d known that already, hadn’t he? There was still no hint of pity in her eyes, though. Just understanding.
‘It’s fine,’ he said quietly. ‘It was a long time ago and life moves on. You find ways of coping. It wasn’t that it upset me...it was more that I didn’t want to intrude.’
It was a perfectly reasonable excuse for having excused himself so quickly that night but Noah was quite sure that Abby could sense everything he wasn’t saying. She was still holding his gaze and it was a more intense version of the glance he’d caught as he’d slipped out the door when she’d been holding baby Amy. And an element in that look mixed with everything else this evening was providing—the welcoming feeling of home that this apartment had, sharing a meal and simply being able to relax in the company of someone who was trustworthy.
The result of that alchemy was something poignant that made Noah very aware of what would always be missing from his life because it was something that wasn’t out of reach, it was more that he didn’t have any desire to make the effort of reaching it. Maybe he wasn’t even capable of stretching that far now.
He needed to break that eye contact. ‘You see too much,’ he murmured. ‘I hope you’re not going to tell me that telepathy is another one of your splinter skills.’
‘I’ve never thought so.’ Abby’s voice was just as quiet as his. ‘Until now.’
He still couldn’t look away. Whatever it was that made it so easy to communicate with Abby worked both ways, didn’t it? There was only one reason that she wanted a cat in her apartment and that was because she was lonely. She had the same empty space in her life as he did and, while Noah had accepted long ago that he would always have to live with that, Abby deserved better.
She was an absolutely stunning young woman and...and the way she was looking at him—the way it felt like she was touching something so deep that no one else could even see it—was pulling him in. Quite literally. Noah could feel himself leaning closer and closer to Abby.
And what happened then seemed as inevitable as taking his next breath.
He kissed her.
CHAPTER FIVE
DEAR LORD, BUT this man could kiss...
Abby had never been kissed like this before. Right now, it felt like no woman on earth had ever been kissed quite like this—with electrical currents of something fierce and totally irresistible that kept rippling through her body and, astonishingly, it actually felt like they were reaching parts that had been deprived of significant sensation her entire life.
She was so lost in this kiss, in the feel and taste and warmth and just how alive Noah’s lips and mouth were, that Abby had no idea of how long it had gone on for. It was the tiny sound she made as she realised things were moving to the next level, when Noah’s hand slipped down her arms and then brushed her breasts, that made it all come to a crashing halt. Noah jerked back as if he’d suddenly woken up.
For the longest moment, they both stared at each other. Abby was trying to catch her breath. Noah was pressing his fingers against his lips, as though he was trying to capture any remnants of that extraordinary kiss. Or perhaps he was stopping himself from kissing her again. Abby wanted to catch his fingers in her own. To bring them to touch her own lips. But she couldn’t move and she couldn’t look away.
‘Sorry...’ His voice was slightly muffled. ‘I didn’t mean...’
‘You don’t have to be sorry,’ Abby said. ‘And it doesn’t have to mean anything...but...’
Another tiny pause without breaking that locked gaze and then Noah’s eyebrow quirked—a silent request for her to finish what she was saying.
‘But I liked it,’ she said softly.
‘Me, too...’ But Noah was the one who broke the eye contact. ‘Which feels weird because I was starting to think I’d never even want to kiss anyone else like that again.’
Abby could feel a stillness in the room. As if they were both caught in a moment of time that could prove to be momentous. Life changing?
‘That’s a good thing, then,’ she said carefully.
‘Why?’
‘Because I get the feeling that you’re like me. That you might be lonely in a way that a friend or family can’t be enough to fix and...and it would be sad to feel like that for the rest of our lives, wouldn’t it?’
That got Noah’s attention. His direct look was accompanied by a frown. ‘I don’t understand,’ he said. ‘You’re gorgeous. Funny. Intelligent. A force to be reckoned with both on and off a basketball court. Surely you’re only single because you’re choosing to be?’
It was Abby’s turn to break the eye contact. ‘Yes...and no...,’ she muttered. ‘It’s an old story and not one I particularly want to dredge up tonight. I’d rather talk about you. If anyone’s got a legion of potential partners waiting in the wings, it’s got to be you.’
Noah was silent for a moment. ‘I can’t go there,’ he admitted. ‘I’m not ready. And it’s been so long now, maybe I never will be.’
‘Because you think it might be a disaster the first time?’ Abby gulped the last of her wine. ‘Tell me about it. It’s not just the emotional risk—sex can be scary, right? I should know. I’m twenty-six and I’ve never... Oh... God...’ She put her hand over her eyes. She hadn’t drunk that much wine, surely? ‘That’s way too much information... I have no idea why I just told you that. Nobody else knows. Not even my sister...’
The silence was a lot longer this time. Abby could feel herself cringing.
‘Sorry...’ she muttered. ‘I think I do know what you mean, though. We don’t know each other that well yet but there’s something there that...that’s different. I feel like I can trust you and...and I really did like that kiss...’
When she risked a glance she found that Noah was watching her carefully. He held her gaze as soon as he caught it and when he reached out and touched her cheek so gently with his finger, it almost brought tears to her eyes.
‘So did I,’ he murmured.
His finger slipped from her cheek to trace a line to the back of her neck wh
ich he cupped with his hand. Slowly...agonisingly slowly, he bent his head to cover her lips again with his. But this time it was a more controlled kiss. It wasn’t about to spiral into what Abby genuinely wanted—which was a lot more. More than a lot more, in fact. For the first time ever, despite every fear that might be trying to creep in from the back of her mind, she really did want it all.
* * *
He could feel exactly what Abby wanted through the touch of her lips and way her hands were shaping his shoulders and then his chest. He could even taste it and hear it in the way she was catching her breath and it was breaking his heart because...
Because she was amazing and she was trusting him with something so huge he didn’t want to go there. Perhaps the reason she was still a virgin had something to do with her disability but not in the most obvious way. Noah had caught a nuance of something dark. That Abby was scared of sex because something had happened to scare her and that was...so sad. More than sad. The idea that someone could have treated her badly made a curl of anger stir in his gut.
When he broke this kiss, he cradled her head in the dip below his collar bone. ‘Don’t be scared of sex, Abby,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what your story is and you don’t have to tell me but it can be wonderful. You shouldn’t let it hold you back from a relationship.’
‘But... I might be crap at it,’ Abby whispered. ‘Like I am with cooking. Or knitting.’
Noah smiled. ‘It’s not like that. You can’t be bad at it. Not if you’re with someone who cares.’
‘It’s a bit...different for me, though.’ He could hear how difficult it was for Abby to get these words out as she paused to swallow hard. ‘I mean...wouldn’t it be... I don’t know...boring to have sex with someone who can’t move half her body?’
Oh, man... How could someone like Abby ever think that being with her could possibly be boring?
Saved by Their Miracle Baby Page 7