by Lily Evans
I regarded him in silence for a while as his words swam around in my head, realising he meant every one of them. Good things could come out of bad situations. Incredible though it seemed, when Daniel and his friends had beaten Luke up after Chloe's miscarriage, they'd set in motion a whole chain of events that had led directly to him developing the skills required to save my mother's life. But had he really been celibate ever since that fateful day? Right up until the afternoon he'd rescued me from the beach?
"What do you think?"
For a moment, I feared I'd voiced the thought aloud. "Wh-what?"
He smiled. "Do I have to sleep on the couch? Or," he tugged gently at the top of the duvet, "do I get to spend the rest of the night here with you? It's your call."
Oh boy. I felt an almost violent tug in my womb as I gazed back at him, my traitorous body reacting even faster than my mind to the idea of Luke lying down next to me and scooping me into his arms. "Of—of course you don't have to sleep on the couch," I managed at last, my heart beginning to hammer in my chest as I pushed at the duvet in turn, making it obvious I wanted him to climb in.
He smiled, rising to his hands and knees and clambering beneath the covers. "Thanks babe," he said, yawning hugely before sliding down beside me and pulling the duvet back over us both. "It's pretty comfy out there but this is so much better and I really do need to get some sleep. So do you." And stretching out an arm, he leaned across to the cabinet and switched off the bedside lamp. "We'll talk some more in the morning, okay? Get some rest, now."
That was it? I stared into the darkness in astonishment. The conversation was over and now it was time to sleep? Without so much as a kiss or even a hug? I turned to retrieve the pillows from behind my back and rearranged them for my head before easing down the bed myself, so disappointed—so frustrated—I wanted to cry. Had I completely misinterpreted the way he'd been looking at me, the things he'd said? It seemed that way. And when Luke heaved a sigh and rolled on to his side, turning away from me, I grew sure.
Stupid, a little voice screamed in my head. This was Luke, king of the one-night stands. Not only that but if he was to be believed, he hadn't had any kind of relationship with a woman in years. What on earth had possessed me to think anything could ever happen between us? Nothing was going to happen, was it?
But then again, a much more rational part of my brain argued, if that was the case, why had he bothered telling me the whole sorry tale? He hadn't needed to tell me any of it but he'd said he wanted to. And why had he made sure he was the surgeon who operated on my mother? Why would he have done that if he hadn't had some kind of ulterior motive? To hell with getting some rest. I needed to know. I needed to know now.
"Luke?" I whispered, tentatively touching his shoulder. "Are you asleep?"
There was no reply. Cursing under my breath, not brave enough to wake him, I too rolled over, at last daring to slip my arm around him before cuddling into his back. It wasn't enough—it wasn't nearly enough—but it was something. I could pretend he was mine, at least for now. And closing my eyes, I breathed in his scent, burying my face into the back of his T-shirt.
***
I was in Luke's arms. At some point, he'd turned over and gathered me close, his body pressed to mine, his hands beneath my T-shirt, warm on my bare flesh. I could feel the bulge of his erection against my inner thigh, felt the rhythmical, primal undulating of his body against mine. Was I awake? Was this why I'd awakened? I wasn't sure, didn't know I wanted to be sure, my eyes remaining firmly closed as my hands embarked on a tentative expedition of their own, slipping beneath Luke's T-shirt, roaming across his smooth skin.
When I lifted my head, his mouth found mine, my lips parting readily, welcoming the dizzying pleasure of his languorous kiss. Oh this was good, this was heaven. Who cared if I was dreaming so long as he was kissing me like this? As the kiss deepened, I found myself rocking into him in turn, the need to feel him against me, inside me, growing steadily more acute.
His hands were moving now, over my shoulders, the length of my back, my spine tingling beneath his touch. In turn, I responded, emboldened by that kiss, by my heady desire, my own fingers sliding lower to his waist and dipping beneath the elastic of his boxer shorts. I heard his soft groan against my lips, one hand coming down to join mine, helping me to push the fabric down and away, freeing him from the confines of his underwear.
And as my fingers closed around him, marvelling at the feel of the silky soft skin stretched over rock hard flesh, his fingers found the evidence of my own arousal, the copious moisture pooling there. I writhed against him as he caressed me, my heart beating wildly, my breathing growing ever more ragged until at last he relented, easing me on to my back, settling into the cradle of my thighs.
I cried out when he finally entered me, the stretching sensation exquisite, my legs curling around his as he opened me wide. I'd almost forgotten the pleasure, the overwhelming sense of completion, how right this felt, how well we fitted together. Yet this was even better than before, the friction sweeter than ever.
Still fearing this was a dream, I kept my eyes firmly closed, revelling in the feel of each and every thrust, Luke moving oh-so-slowly, stroking that sensitive place he'd found deep inside me before. But once again, this seemed different. Though that familiar tension was building, a river of pleasure walled up behind a dam, somehow he was holding me there. Somehow he was holding me in that place between plateau and peak, that pressure low in my belly growing and rising, far beyond anything I'd ever experienced, almost frightening in its strength and intensity.
Until wonderfully, the dam broke, my orgasm surging through me in a violent wave, rolling over and over, radiating from my very core to the tips of my fingers. And as I trembled beneath him, Luke too gave a shudder, plunging deep inside me one last time, finding his own release.
Breathing hard, he wrapped his arms around my still quivering body, easing us both on to our sides, one hand coming up to gently caress my hair. When I opened my eyes I found he was smiling at me, the approaching dawn allowing just enough light into the room for me to see his expression. "Hi," he murmured, kissing me tenderly. "It's early. Back to sleep now, babe."
"Luke…"
"Uh uh." He shook his head, still smiling. "No you don't. Not this time. No more night time chats."
"But…"
He groaned softly, his arms tightening around me, his hand tucking my head against his shoulder. "Ssh," he whispered, dropping another kiss into my hair. "Not now, you're going to sleep."
And giving up the fight, exhaustion settling over me like a heavy blanket, I allowed my eyes to drift closed once more, surrendering to the warmth of his embrace.
Chapter 9
Bacon. Was that what I could smell? And coffee?
Curious, and suddenly ravenous, I opened my eyes to find myself flat on my back in bed looking straight up at the ceiling, puzzled to see the unfamiliar lampshade hanging there. And with a gasp, I sat bolt upright, staring wildly around me, taking in the taupe and cream décor, the huge antique pine chest of drawers in front of me, the built-in wardrobes.
Luke. This was his bedroom. I was in his bed. He'd operated on Mum, I'd fallen asleep in his car on the way home and he'd taken me back to his place. In the middle of the night, he'd told me about what had happened with Chloe and then… Oh. Then we'd…
I turned quickly even though I already knew he couldn't be there, the sheets beside me cool to the touch. He'd obviously been up for a while.
"Wow," I murmured under my breath as I collapsed weakly back on the pillows, my heart rate slowly returning to normal. "Oh, wow." And closing my eyes, I stretched out my limbs, revelling in the softness of the mattress beneath me, that wonderful telltale ache between my thighs. Except that wasn't all I could feel down there. Something was different. I was wet. Too wet. Oh dear God.
Pushing back the duvet, I slid out of bed and raced to the bathroom, my head spinning as I frantically began counting days. It was okay, I realised wi
th a rush of relief. I ought to be safe. Just. But how on earth could I have let that happen? I'd never been careless before, never been so swept away in the moment, so overwhelmed with passion I hadn't even considered the consequences.
The consequences. An unexpected picture dropped into my mind. Luke sitting behind me, his arms around me, his fingers splayed over my heavily rounded belly. I swallowed hard, blinking the image away. Good grief, what was I thinking?
After taking a longing look at the shower I decided against using it without permission. Quite apart from the fact I wasn't sure how to switch it on, it looked spotlessly clean. There didn't appear to be a single watermark on the shower screen, the fitments gleaming as though they'd never been used. But surely they had? How could anyone have a shower like that and not use it?
I spotted a navy blue bathrobe hanging on the back of the door and after shrugging it on, I yanked the door open again, only to find myself face to face with Luke.
"Morning," he said with a smile, once more giving me that look that seemed to warm me from the inside out. "I was going to bring you breakfast in bed, but seeing as you're already…" He stopped, his eyes narrowing as I stared back at him, heat already rushing into my face. "Now what?"
"We had unprotected sex," I blurted out, even though I knew it was as much my fault as his. "I can't believe we did that. I can't believe—"
"I know," he interrupted, gazing at me for a long moment, his expression quite unreadable. Then abruptly, he reached out to take my hand. "Shall we have breakfast?"
"But…" He wasn't concerned? I gaped at him in astonishment as he tugged me over to the door and out into what I discovered to be a large open-plan living area, my jaw dropping further still.
Like the bedroom and the bathroom, this too could have come straight from the pages of a glossy magazine, a seating area to my left, replete with black leather settees and a huge flat screen television; to my right, the kitchen, another gleaming confection of chrome-coloured appliances and granite-topped cabinets.
"It looks like a show home," I heard myself saying weakly as he ushered me across to a rather formal-looking dining table and drew out a chair.
"It used to be," he said, waiting for me to sit down. "I'll have you know that this," Luke made quotation mark gestures using his index and middle fingers, "is 'a luxury executive apartment'. I bought the place and everything in it about six months ago. Figured it would save a lot of time. I hate wandering around furniture shops, you see. And let's face it, it looks pretty impressive. I won't have to worry about decorating for a while." He shrugged. "To be honest, none of it is really to my taste but as I don't spend much time here anyway, it doesn't matter."
"Married to your job, huh?" I murmured, only realising how thirsty I was when I noticed the cafetiere of coffee and the jug of orange juice in front of me, reaching for the latter and pouring myself a glass even as he headed back towards the kitchen area.
He turned to shoot me a quizzical glance. "Who told you that?" And then he groaned. "Caitlin."
I swallowed my third gulp of orange juice then smirked. "I think she fancies you."
Rolling his eyes, Luke plucked up an oven mitt with a flourish and stooped to open the oven door. "I spoke to her on the phone a few minutes ago, actually. She's working an early shift this morning and she's looking after your Mum again. They've reduced your Mum's sedation and they're weaning her off the ventilator. With any luck they'll be able to extubate her soon."
I stared at him in anxious confusion. "In English?"
He gave me an apologetic smile, returning to the table with two plates and sliding one in front of me. "Sorry. She had a good night and she's doing well. She's waking up, she's starting to breathe on her own and by the time we get to the hospital they'll probably be thinking about taking out the tube. Better?"
Much. I hadn't realised how frightened I'd been. It felt rather as though I'd been holding my breath and could finally breathe again myself, a leaden weight rolling away from my chest. "She's—she's going to be okay?"
At the quiver in my voice, Luke put down the other plate then kneeled beside me, looping the strap of the oven mitt around my shoulders and propelling me into his arms. "Hey, I'm good," he murmured. "Did you really think she wouldn't be?"
I pulled back to shoot him a glare but couldn't quite manage it, finding myself smiling through my tears. "You arrogant—"
"—tosser? I know." Grinning, he kissed my nose then straightened up, throwing the oven mitt over the chair besides mine. "Come on, babe. You need to eat."
I looked down at my plate as he rounded the table to sit opposite me, feeling my smile broaden. "You've made me a bacon sandwich."
He frowned. "Don't tell me you're a vegetarian?"
I shook my head, wanting to laugh. "No. It's just—Luke, you're a heart surgeon. A bacon butty?"
His expression cleared, his smile returning. "Hey, that's not just any bacon butty, you know. The bacon's been grilled, the fat's been cut off and that's a warm granary bap, fresh from the bakery downstairs on the corner."
I gazed at the delicious-looking bread, my mouth watering at the aroma. "You've been out already?"
He nodded. "Ketchup?" he asked, reaching for the bottle and offering it to me. "Very good for you, fantastic source of lycopene, rich in antioxidants."
Laughing now, I took the bottle, opening the bap and squirting a line across the lean bacon. Then lifting the sandwich to my lips, I took a bite, my eyes sliding closed as I began to chew. Dear God, it tasted wonderful.
"Besides, you can come with me to the gym later if you like." I opened my eyes again to find him watching me in amusement. "Unless, of course," he added as I took another bite, mischief in his eyes, "you can think of a more pleasurable way of burning off any excess calories."
"Luke!"
He chuckled when I spluttered, reaching forward to hand me my glass of juice. "So," he said when he was satisfied I'd recovered, taking a bite of his own sandwich, "just how likely is it that we made a baby Tosser Foster last night?"
It was just as well I hadn't yet taken another mouthful because I'd probably have choked again. "Not very," I admitted warily. "Not so long as—I mean—so long as I…" This was silly, I thought as I floundered over the words, heat rushing into my face. Luke was a surgeon. There was no need to be embarrassed.
"Your period was last week, right?"
I stared at him in astonishment, wondering how he could possibly have known.
He smiled. "You told me yesterday you knew you weren't pregnant. And even if you hadn't told me that, I happened to notice you had two pills left in the packet when I was in your bathroom at the hotel."
"Does anything get past you?" When he shook his head, I gave him a rueful smile then sobered quickly as it dawned on me what I'd need to do. "Oh God. There still might be a problem, though."
"Becks." Luke stretched out a hand to cover mine. "I haven't slept with anyone in a long time. After the whole Chloe thing, I made a point of getting myself checked out for every disease I could think of."
"Oh no, it's not that." I was touched he'd thought that was what I was worried about. "Though while we're on the subject, I've always used condoms too, so I don't think you need to worry too much either." Thank God, I thought with an inward shudder. Goodness only knew how many times Daniel had been unfaithful to me. "No, it's just that I need to start a new packet of pills today."
"Okay." He motioned at me to carry on eating. "That's easy. You're staying at your Mum's house aren't you?"
"How did you know that?" I asked through a mouthful of sandwich, too surprised to wait until I'd swallowed.
He grinned. "You told me last night, remember? In the car. About ten seconds before you fell asleep."
"Oh." Chagrined, I took another bite. I could barely remember getting into Luke's car, let alone the rest of the journey.
"So we'll call in on the way to the hospital and pick them up."
I shook my head. "That's the problem. I have
n't got any there. I'm going to need to go to the flat."
"Ah." Luke's eyes softened in understanding. "But Daniel won't be home, will he? Surely he'll be at work."
I bit my lip. "He's on leave. We're both on leave. We're supposed to be on our honeymoon in the Maldives, remember?"
"Right." He gazed at me solemnly for a moment. "Then I'll come with you."
"I don't think so." Despite my misgivings, I found myself smiling. "I don't think that'd be a good idea, do you?"
Luke pretended to be offended. "Hey, you think I can't take him?" he said, sliding up his sleeve and showing me a bulging bicep. "Just say the word, babe. Say the word."
I laughed. "Tempting, believe me. Something tells me he wouldn't stand a chance against you now."
"You'd better believe it. Hold still."
"What?"
Having finished off the last mouthful of his sandwich, he leaned across the table towards me, touching the tip of his finger to my top lip. "Messy girl," he murmured, showing me the smear of tomato ketchup on his fingertip before raising it to his own lips and licking it off.
Oh boy. A prickle of awareness rippled down my spine, my lip tingling where he'd touched it. "Well," I said hesitantly, helpless to stop that now familiar heat flooding into my cheeks. "I could definitely use a shower."
It was Luke's turn to laugh. "Come on then," he said, rising from his chair and jerking his head towards the bedroom. "You're going to love this." Following him back into the room, I smiled to myself. He had such a cute bottom. "My sister reckons I only bought this place because of the bathroom," he said, oblivious to my admiration. "She could have a point."
"It's quite something," I agreed, looking up again as he switched on the light, once again finding myself rather overawed by the sight of all those sparkling tiles and mirrors. "And very clean." So clean in fact, Luke could probably have performed surgery in there.