by Lucy Clark
‘Oh, nothing,’ she replied coyly.
‘Come on,’ he coaxed, his tone dropping to a more intimate level. He was enjoying teasing her a little.
‘I’m just in awe of the glamorous life you lead.’
‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning that on your only night off in Brisbane, you’re choosing to sit in a hotel room and watch a video on hand reconstruction.’ She paused, smothering the laugh. ‘What a party animal.’
Jackson’s smile increased. ‘Who said I was going to be sitting in a hotel room?’
‘Oh, you mean you’re going to watch it somewhere at the hospital? You certainly know how to have a good time.’
‘No. Actually…’ he leaned in a little closer ‘…I was planning to watch it at your house.’ As he eased back, Jackson took great delight in watching as her amusement slipped away, to be replaced by a startled look as the full impact of his words registered.
He shifted slightly and leaned his arm on the back of his chair. As he did so, his serviette slid to the floor. Bending down to retrieve it, he decided to add fuel to the fire and gently brushed a finger on an exposed part of her calf muscle.
The brief contact made Susie jump, her knee hitting the base of the table, jostling the silver and glassware on top. Conversations stopped. People looked at her. She could feel herself beginning to blush with embarrassment and smiled quickly.
‘Sorry. Patellar reflex,’ she explained. Everyone returned to what they’d been doing while Susie glanced down at her fingers, which were clenched tightly around her evening bag. She needed to get out of there.
Putting her serviette onto the table, she smiled politely at those around her as she stood. ‘Excuse me.’ With that, she forced herself not to rush but to walk calmly and steadily away from the table. She could feel Jackson’s gaze on her but she forced herself not to care. How could he have put her in such a situation? What had possessed him to touch her in such an intimate manner in company?
Susie’s head started to hurt. It had been a long day and as she entered the rest-room for a moment of peace and quiet, she leaned her hands on the bench top and closed her eyes. She was fatigued and on top of that she was desperately fighting her mounting attraction to Jackson.
After a few minutes she felt more in control and better able to cope with the rest of the evening. Taking a deep breath, she headed back, but as she drew closer to the dining room she detoured to the right and through the French doors that led to the balcony.
Breathing in the fresh November air, she gazed out on the lights of Brisbane city. She loved living here. Loved inner city living, as well as being only an hour away from the beautiful hinterland of the Sunshine Coast.
‘How’s that patellar reflex?’
There was no mistaking Jackson’s deep, sensual tone and she didn’t bother to glance over her shoulder.
‘Better.’ She looked the other way.
‘Liar,’ he accused softly as she felt his arm brush hers. She shivered involuntarily, instantly responding to the light touch.
‘I think I’m a better judge of how my patellar reflexes are doing.’ Susie was still finding it hard to look at him. She knew the moment she did, her anger would melt away like snow on a hot summer’s day.
‘That wasn’t what I meant and you know it.’
She could tell he had a smile on that gorgeous mouth of his, even without seeing it. She closed her eyes against the image, willing it to go away. It wouldn’t. Why was she so in tune with him? Why couldn’t she simply switch off her attraction like a light switch?
‘Oh?’ Susie reluctantly turned to look at him, only to find his face closer than she’d anticipated. ‘What was I…?’ Her breath trembled a little but she forced herself to continue. Hold onto the anger, she willed herself. Hold onto the anger. ‘Expected to say? That the visiting orthopaedic professor was fondling my leg? That would have gone down brilliantly!’
Jackson chuckled and the sound invaded her heart. She looked away from him but he gently reached over, cupped her chin and urged her face back around. ‘Let’s get one thing straight.’ The taste of his breath held a hint of the red wine they’d been served, and Susie savoured it. ‘I didn’t fondle your leg.’
For one blinding second, Susie thought he was denying having touched her in the first place. Had he touched her? Had she just imagined it?
‘I caressed it,’ he confessed with a laugh that turned into a groan as he recalled just how perfect she’d felt beneath his touch. ‘There’s a big difference.’
Susie sighed, clinging vainly to her rapidly dissolving anger. ‘Well, you still shouldn’t have done it.’
‘I couldn’t help myself.’ He shrugged, frowning as he did so.
‘Next time try harder!’
‘Look, Susie, I’m sorry.’
He touched his hand to her shoulder but removed it the instant she glared at him. They were in public view. Anyone might see them talking intimately together. She edged to the side a little, hoping to put more distance between them.
‘I didn’t know you were going to react like that. Honestly.’
His tone was so sincere, she knew she’d already forgiven him. ‘It’s all right.’ She turned to look out over the city. They were both silent for a few minutes, a comfortable, companionable silence while they soaked up the beautiful, warm night.
‘It’s nice here,’ he stated. ‘In Brisbane, I mean.’
‘Yeah.’
‘How long have you lived here?’ Despite the attraction between them, Jackson had to keep reminding himself that he really didn’t know Susie all that well.
‘In Brisbane? About five years now.’
‘Do you like it here? I mean, do you have any plans to leave?’
Susie glanced at him, curiously. ‘I love it here.’ Her answer was a little hesitant as she wasn’t quite sure why he was asking. Was he thinking of asking her to come to Melbourne to visit him? Whoa! She forced her thoughts back into a neat and orderly line. ‘I’m close to my family and good friends. The weather here is gorgeous for seven months out of twelve and even the winter isn’t so bad. I think the only things I don’t like are the fruit bats and the blue-tongue and bearded lizards.’ She shuddered and Jackson laughed. ‘But they’re more common at my parents’ property.’
‘It sounds nice. Lizards, bats and all.’
She laughed, enjoying just being with him.
‘You mentioned that you’d worked in Asia. When was that?’
‘What’s with the twenty questions?’
‘I just want to get to know you a little better.’
‘Jackson, you leave here on Saturday evening. That’s three days away.’
‘I know. Which is why I want to make the most of the time we have together.’ He glanced at her and then back out to the electrically lit view. ‘You’ve become…special to me and I—’
‘Susan?’
Susie whirled around, her shock catching in her throat as she looked into Walter’s green eyes.
‘I’ve been waiting for you to come back inside.’ Walter crossed to her side and placed a possessive arm around her waist. ‘Surprise, darling.’ He leaned down and kissed her cheek, catching her off guard. Then he held a hand out to Jackson. ‘Hello. I’m Walter Amery, Susan’s fiancé.’
The blood pounded fiercely in Susie’s head as she looked at Jackson, then Walter and back to Jackson again. This wasn’t happening. This simply wasn’t happening.
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘SUSAN’S fiancé?’ Jackson asked ever so politely. He glanced down at Susie, noting how uncomfortable she was with this jerk’s arm about her. His first instinct had been to slog Walter Amery right between the eyes, but his mother had always taught him that violence wasn’t the civilised way to express one’s feelings.
His second instinct was to pluck Susie from the other man’s reach and cradle her protectively within his own arms. That was probably the better option to go with but he was sure she wouldn’t like it, especiall
y as it would bring unwanted attention to the true feelings between them.
His third option was to remain calm and unaffected whilst managing to get Susie as far away from Walter as possible…and he knew just how to do it. Taking in the pristine penguin suit the other man was wearing, noting the perfection of his hair and the shine on his shoes, Jackson had already sized Walter Amery up as a man who liked to be thought prestigious.
Jackson smiled warmly and placed his hand in Walter’s, ensuring his grip was firm and positive. ‘Pleased to meet you, Walter. I’m Jackson Myers.’
‘My goodness,’ Walter said as he peered closer. ‘So you are. I apologise, Professor. I didn’t recognise you.’
Susie’s gaze narrowed. She’d watched Jackson carefully during those first few moments and had seen his ‘official mask’ slip into place.
Jackson took a step around Susie so that he was now facing Walter. ‘Are you an orthopaedic surgeon as well?’
‘Good gracious, no,’ Walter said, as though being labelled an orthopod was a disease. Susie rolled her eyes and sighed, stepping slightly out of Walter’s embrace. Thankfully, he dropped his arm and tugged on his jacket lapels. ‘I’m a plastic surgeon.’
‘I see.’ Jackson nodded. ‘You must be here from interstate, then.’
‘No. no. I’m consulting privately now at the Goldtown Private Hospital.’
Here he goes again, Susie thought as Walter preened openly. She wondered why she hadn’t seen his selfishness from the beginning. It was in the past and she was definitely over him now. When he’d touched her, all she’d felt had been a shuddering revulsion.
‘Oh, but of course you’re not from Brisbane,’ Walter continued when Jackson failed to be impressed by the hospital name. ‘It is the most prestigious private hospital in Queensland. We have people from all over the state and some from interstate coming to our hospital specifically for the first-class treatment they receive.’
Jackson frowned and glanced from Susie to Walter and back to Susie again. Had she lied to him? She’d said that her fiancé, or more correctly her ex-fiancé, had left the state. What type of game was she playing? As Walter continued to drone on about his work, Jackson wondered what she’d seen in him. He was boring. Then again, perhaps Susie liked boring and monotonous men but, he reminded himself, not for the first time, he really didn’t know her that well.
He now had a lot of unanswered questions…questions he was determined to have answered before he left. What game was she playing? She was attracted to him. No one could share a kiss as they had that afternoon and be unaffected by it. He’d asked her directly whether she was seeing someone and she’d said no. That could only mean that Mr Excitement here was lying. Perhaps Walter wanted Susie back? Would she go? After all, he himself would be gone at the end of the week and she’d be alone again.
The thought of leaving Susie in the clutches of a man like Walter Amery chilled him to the bone. A wild longing to kidnap Susie and take her back to Melbourne with him passed fleetingly through his mind.
He looked at her again, only to see her unsuccessfully try to smother a yawn. Then he remembered the hectic day she’d already had and his annoyance turned to compassion. She should be tucked up in bed, sleeping. He’d have to get Walter away from her, then she could escape. They would talk later.
‘Tell me, Walter,’ Jackson said as he stepped around to the man’s other side, thereby leaving Susie as free as a bird, ‘were you involved in setting up this prestigious hospital? I mean, if I wanted to do something like this back in Melbourne, how would I go about it?’
Susie couldn’t believe Jackson was serious. Was that what he wanted to do when he got back to Melbourne? Set up a high-class hospital for high-class people, their only aim being to make loads of money? She felt cheated that he could be so shallow. Then again, she hadn’t seen the trait in Walter until it had been too late.
Walter turned his back to her so he was now facing Jackson, talking animatedly about his precious hospital. Susie was the type of doctor who’d entered the profession because of her great need to help people, not exploit them for money. She shook her head in disgust, unwilling to listen to Walter any longer. She was leaving. She’d had enough.
Not wanting to interrupt their tête-à-tête, she shrugged and slipped quietly away. For an instant she thought she’d felt Jackson’s gaze follow her movements, but when she glanced over her shoulder he was listening intently to Walter.
Not bothering to say goodbye to anyone, she returned to her car and wearily drove home. It was too late for her bubble bath. Once inside, she merely stripped off her glamorous clothes, brushed her teeth and pulled on a pair of boxer shorts and a singlet top before climbing between the sheets.
Susie managed to concentrate during most of Thursday but as the day wore on she started to become more and more nervous. Had Jackson meant what he’d said? Was he still planning to come around to her place that evening to watch the videos of her hand and microsurgery reconstructions?
She’d managed ward round and clinic without a problem, as well as getting a debrief from Kyle on the status of Blade Fargo. So far there had been no complications with his surgery and it looked as though he was going to make an uncomplicated recovery.
‘Apparently,’ Kyle told her, ‘he’s quite impressed with our Patti. He’s asked her to stay on as his private nurse for the rest of the movie shoot.’
‘Good.’ Susie nodded sternly. ‘That way we can be sure his arm won’t be exacerbated. Patti knows what to keep an eye out for.’
‘Good heavens, Susie. Don’t you see the underlying meaning here?’
‘What?’ Susie frowned at her registrar, focusing on his face as his words started to sink in. ‘What’s the underlying meaning?’
‘That Blade Fargo and Patti are a couple.’
‘Really!’ Susie was surprised. ‘So soon? They’ve only known each other a few days.’
‘I think this could be serious,’ Kyle told her. ‘Besides, it doesn’t take more than a few days to fall in love when you meet the right person.’
‘Oh? And so how many times have you been in love, then, Dr Thompson?’
‘Ah…not that I’m speaking from my own experience,’ he clarified quickly. ‘It’s just that seeing them together is so nice. They really care about each other.’ Kyle shook his own head as he mused out loud. ‘You know, I thought Blade would be a stuck-up snob but he’s not. He’s so down to earth. He’s an actor and his job is to act. That’s it.’
‘Wouldn’t Patti get jealous of his leading ladies?’
‘Surprisingly not. The actress he’s in the movie with came by this morning so they could rehearse and Patti didn’t seem at all bothered when the script called for a kiss.’
Susie raised her eyebrows. ‘Well good for her, then.’
‘That’s just what I think.’ Kyle stood up. ‘Are you taking Hilda Kazinski back to Theatre today?’
‘It all depends,’ Susie replied. ‘At the moment, I don’t think so. The surgery I performed yesterday needs a bit more time to heal. I’ll see how she’s looking later on in the day. Chances are, she’s a fast healer.’ It would also give her the excuse to cancel her plans with Jackson.
‘Do you want me to organise further scanning for this afternoon so we can check it out?’
‘Sure. Thanks, Kyle.’ When her registrar didn’t move she looked at him expectantly. ‘Was there anything else?’
‘No. Not really.’ He stood and took a few steps towards the door before pausing. ‘It’s just you.’ He frowned at her. ‘I’m concerned about you. You’re not your usual self today.’
Susie forced a smile. ‘I’m fine. I guess it’s just the added strain of having the VOP here this week, that’s all. Everything will be back to normal next week.’
‘Good.’ Kyle seemed satisfied with her answer and took himself off. Susie worked on her research proposal right through lunchtime and into the afternoon. She refused to allow her mind to dwell on Jackson or the fact tha
t he might walk through her door at any moment.
A few minutes later, there was a brief knock on her door before it opened, the sounds making her jump violently. Her heart thudded wildly against her ribs and her mouth went dry with anticipation. Was this Jackson?
Todd walked in and she sighed with a mixture of relief and disappointment. Todd watched her carefully for a moment before closing the door. ‘Expecting someone else?’ he teased.
‘No,’ she answered quickly, then, unable to fight the strain any longer, she tossed her pen down and raised her hand to massage her temples. ‘He told me last night that he was coming to watch videos at my house tonight.’
‘Really?’ Todd’s eyebrows hit his hairline. ‘Going to book a romantic comedy?’
Susie gave a short hysterical laugh. ‘No. Professor Myers wants to watch the videos on hand surgery.’
‘The ones in the library?’
‘Yes.’
‘Wow! He sure knows how to show a girl a good time. Why are you on edge, then?’
‘Because Jackson is going to be in my home!’ she exclaimed, flinging her hands around wildly.
‘Whoa. Settle down there. Control your agitation. What’s so wrong with Jackson coming around to your house? From where I’m sitting, it’s about time you two got to spend some time alone. Think about it, Susie. In the past few days, you’ve either been at lectures, luncheons, dinners or operating. What time have you had for serious discussions and get-to-know-you conversations? I’ll tell you,’ he continued when she opened her mouth to reply. ‘Absolutely none.’
‘But there’s no point. He’ll be gone on Saturday evening and then what?’
‘I don’t know, Susie.’ Todd’s voice was quiet and sincere. ‘You tell me. How do you feel about him?’
‘I…I…’ She sighed and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. ‘I don’t know,’ she admitted eventually. ‘It’s all happened so quickly that I’m not sure what I think.’
‘I didn’t ask how you think, my dear boss, I asked how you feel.’