by Tina Beckett
“Down the hall. First door to the right.”
“Down the hall we go, then.” Before she could move he released her hands and swept her into his arms as if she weighed nothing.
He arrived at her room and edged her through the door, stopping for a second as if to take in the space. Although she was sleeping in Isabel’s old room, she’d boxed up the other woman’s mementos and substituted a few things she’d brought with her. But other than that the space was devoid of a lot of personal items other than the bed and dresser. There were built-ins that were still almost empty.
Walking over to the queen-size bed that had her wondering if it would hold Lucas’s frame, he glanced down at her, eyes unreadable. “You never planned on sticking around, did you?”
She was surprised by the question. Everyone at the hospital knew she was only here for a year. After that she’d be leaving. Had he expected her to fill the room with stuff, only to have to get rid of it all a few short months later? And that’s what it was looking like at this point: a few short months. Her time in Australia had flown by. Much quicker than she’d thought it would. But it had done what she’d intended it to do—erased the pain of Robert and Tabitha’s betrayal. “You knew I was only here for a year.”
His muscles relaxed, as if she’d given the correct response. Except she didn’t know what the real question was. That he didn’t want her to stick around, because of the conflict that had flared between them periodically? Or that he was making sure she wasn’t going to place any more importance on tonight than he planned to? He didn’t have to worry on that account. She’d already bought her return ticket months ago, right after their first big blow-up.
She blinked up at him. “Are you sure you want to stay?”
“You keep asking me that as if you hope I’ll change my mind.” He dropped her on the bed and then followed her down. “I won’t.”
She wound her arms around his neck. “Well, okay, then. As long as we’re both clear on what happens on the other side, we should be good.”
“Let’s worry about right now. And then we can deal with the other stuff tomorrow.” With that, his mouth came down, blotting out everything except for the fact that this was exactly where Darcie wanted to be. In this man’s arms.
CHAPTER SEVEN
HE WAS GOING to make this a night she would remember.
Not because he was that good but because her words had picked at a sore spot within him. No, he didn’t want any permanent relationships, but he was stung by how easy she seemed to think it would be to walk away from him. An idiotic response, considering his own attitude, but he’d never been a rational man when it came to Darcie.
Her bra had no straps to peel down so he settled for following the course of an imaginary strap with his fingers, making sure his short nails kept light contact with her skin as they made their way across her shoulders.
Her reaction was to arch a few centimeters off the silk duvet cover. His flesh reacted in kind. Arching up and away from his body, only to be stopped by the fabric of his dress trousers. That would soon be remedied. But not quite yet.
He continued down her arms, going past the crook of her elbows and only stopping when he reached her wrists, which he caught up in both of his hands. He carried them over her head and rested them there, catching sight of bright green eyes as they stared at his face. He wanted her hands out of the way for what he did next.
Her lips were parted and glossy from his kisses, so he leaned in for another quick taste, glorying in the way they clung to his and followed him up an inch or two as he moved away. He gave a pained laugh.
Dull? Hell, her ex was an idiot. This woman was responsive, giving, and sexy as they came. She hadn’t put any limits on their time together. When he’d said he was going to be adventurous enough for both of them, her glance had heated instantly.
Which brought him back to his point. He wanted to make this good. Wanted to leave her with no doubt that she was exciting and desirable. Not just to him but to plenty of other men. He’d caught Max’s glances at her during the bungee jump. And the guy at the bar? Oh, he’d been interested all right. The thought made his blood pressure shoot up, just as it had at the Night Owl.
Hooking one of his legs between hers, he edged her thighs apart, keeping his foot just behind her ankle in case she was tempted to squeeze them shut again. She didn’t even try. That in itself made Lucas’s flesh surge, putting up some new demands. He was willing to oblige some of them…but others would have to wait.
He let his fingers slide over the sweet curves peeking just above her bra. Her skin was smooth and incredibly soft. He wanted more. Keeping his leg between hers, he reached beneath her body and searched for the clasp. Found it. Flicked it open.
He then dropped the garment over the side of the bed, and drank in the view before him.
Heavenly. In every way.
Her nipples were drawn up tight—pink and perfect. Darcie’s eyes were open now. She made no move to cover herself with her hands, although her breathing ratcheted up a notch.
That was as far as he got before he could stand it no longer. He leaned down and tasted her, drawing one peak into his mouth and letting his tongue wander over it.
She moaned and arched higher, pushing herself into his touch.
Yes. This was what he needed. He applied more pressure, using her response as a gauge for how much friction she wanted from him.
Hell if she didn’t ask him to up the ante even more. When his teeth scraped over her, her hands came down on his head, but instead of pulling him away her fingers buried themselves in his hair and she pushed hard against him.
He came up panting, body raging, wanting to end it all right here, right now. Instead, he let his mouth cover hers, tongue plunging inside again and again, while she maintained her grip on his hair.
Pulling away in a rush, he ripped her undies down and found her hot and wet and ready. He kissed her once again, letting his index finger sink deep into her. Just like he was about to. He got off the bed.
“Do. Not. Move.” He growled the words, stripping in record time, letting the sight of her flushed body drive him to action—to find the condom and rip into it, sheathing himself.
Then he was back with her, over her. Finding her. Sliding home to a place where pleasure and madness fought for supremacy.
He set up a slow, easy rhythm that was all for her, ignoring his own wants and needs.
“Lucas.” His name was whispered. Shaky. A silent plea he couldn’t ignore.
“I’m here, gorgeous.” He edged out and then pushed deep.
Darcie responded with a long drawn-out moan, lifting her hips, her hands going to his shoulders and holding on.
Kissing and licking the length of her neck, he allowed her tight heat to wash over him in a wave, careful to hang onto whatever control he still had. He wanted this to last.
And that surprised him.
He usually saw to his partner’s pleasure first and then concentrated on his own. He had it down to a science almost. But here he was, breaking his own rules. She hadn’t climaxed. And he didn’t want her to. Not yet. He wanted to lose himself when she did—wanted to watch the exact second she came apart. He could only do that if he knew when…
He rolled over, carrying her with him until she was on top, straddling his hips. Her eyes jerked open, and she looked at him uncertainly.
“You set the pace, Darcie. Do what feels good to you.”
While I watch.
She hesitated for a second then her instincts seemed to take over. She braced her hands on his thighs, just behind her butt and lifted up and came back down as if seeing how it felt. Then her eyes fluttered shut, teeth digging into her bottom lip as she moved over him a second time. Then a third. Again and again, she lowered herself onto him and rose back up. His own personal angel, set on propelling them both toward paradise.
Until Lucas began to ache from holding back.
It was time.
Pressing his pal
m against her lower belly, he allowed his thumb to find that sensitive place between her thighs. Her head went back, little whimpers coming from her throat and spilling into the air around him. Sexy sounds. Earthy and full of need.
Her movements grew jerky, hands tightening on his thighs.
“Yes, sweetheart, that’s it,” he gritted. “Let it all go.”
With that, Darcie’s whole body stiffened, her insides flaring for a split second before clamping down hard on his erection and exploding into a series of spasms that rocked his world, that made him grab her hips and pump wildly, washing her orgasm down with his own. He poured every emotion he had into the act, until there was nothing left.
And yet he was still full. Full of Darcie. Full of those luscious aftershocks that had him pulling her down hard onto him, eyes closed as he absorbed all of it and more.
When he looked up again her eyes were open. Looking at him. A trembling question in those bright green depths.
She had doubts?
He drew her down until she was lying across his chest, her face nestled against his neck. “You okay?”
“Mmm-hmm.” A hesitation. “You?”
“Perfect. Absolutely perfect.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “And you’re about to cross one thing off your list.”
“The kiss?”
He should say yes. End it once and for all. It would be on a good note. One they could both smile about years from now. But he didn’t want to. Not with his body already beginning to reset itself. So he said instead, “Not yet. I’ll tell you when.”
With that he rolled her back beneath him and pressed his mouth to hers.
* * *
Darcie had been walking around in a daze.
Beginning with the moment she’d woken up in an empty bed. For some reason, she’d thought Lucas would wake her to say goodbye if he decided to leave. He hadn’t. But after the second lovemaking session she’d been exhausted. And replete. And something about going to sleep with his arm anchoring her close to his body had given her a sense of comfort she hadn’t felt in a long time.
How long had he stayed once she’d drifted off? A few minutes? An hour?
The only thing that had made her smile—since she’d been squirming with embarrassment over some of her actions—had been that Lucas had ticked the “kiss a non-triangular Aussie” box and drawn an arrow out to a smiley face. A smiley face. She’d never known a man to use one before.
And the fact that he’d rolled out of her bed and actually felt like smiling made a lump come to her throat. She’d assumed with Robert it had been her problem…that he’d been rejecting her. Maybe he’d been rejecting them as a couple. Because although Lucas had used the word “uptight” when he’d grumbled about that roster, he hadn’t given any indication last night that he still found her that way.
Instead, he’d smiled.
She kept twisting that fact round and round in her head. It had to have meant he was as satisfied as she was, right?
Grabbing the clipboard for her next patient, she glanced at the name. Margie Terrington, their redback bite patient. She glanced at her mobile phone, wondering if she should call Lucas in to join her for the consultation, but she was leery. She hadn’t actually spoken to him yet today. Why ruin her mood before she had to?
She pushed through the door, only to stop short. Lucas was already in the room. But, then, why was the chart…?
He glanced at her with an undecipherable expression. “I thought you might eventually make it to work today.”
Eventually make it? She’d been twenty minutes early, just like most days. Which meant he’d been…
Even earlier.
The very corners of his mouth went up, making her heart lift along with them, but she was careful not to let on to her patient that Lucas was teasing her. “I did indeed.” She greeted Margie and flipped through her chart, asking a few questions.
Lucas sat and listened to the back and forth for a minute or two before asking his own question. “Any problems from the antivenin?”
“None.” The expectant mum rubbed her belly. “I can’t thank you both enough for figuring out what was wrong.”
“Thank Lucas, he was the one who realized you’d been bitten.”
The young woman shuddered. “My husband tore the rest of the house apart to make sure there weren’t any more of them.”
They finished checking her over, letting her listen to the baby’s heartbeat to reassure her that all was indeed well after the scare the previous week. “Did your mum come to Australia? With your husband working, I know it’ll be a great help to have her here. We could all use a little support.” As Darcie well knew from her parents’ support after what Robert had done.
They’d been thrilled that she’d been able to go to Australia to get away from everything that had happened. She’d barely prevented her dad from punching her ex-fiancé right in the nose. But she’d grabbed his arm at the last moment. Everyone had parted semi-amicably. And the only heart that had been broken that day had been hers. She’d been left in the wedding chapel all alone after everyone had left—her mum seeing to all the last-minute explanations and canceling the venue for the honeymoon.
“Yes, she arrived just a few days ago,” Margie said. “She already loves it here. And, yes, we could all use the support of family. After our other…loss… I wondered if I would ever be happy again. I thought I’d never get over it.”
Lucas stood with a suddenness that made both women look at him. He glanced at Darcie and then away, muttering that he needed to check on another patient.
She frowned.
That look wasn’t anything that resembled a smiley face. And she had no idea who that “other patient” could be because there wasn’t anyone listed on the schedule board for another hour. There were a couple of patients in rooms, and she’d noticed one poor woman was curled on her side, sucking down nitrous oxide with a rather desperate air, but they all had other midwives attending them. After saying goodbye to Margie, she went into the hallway and glanced down the corridor, but there was no sign of him. Darcie had hoped to talk to him about how they were going to treat last night.
Already one of the other nurses had cornered her and asked why she’d left the nightclub so early. She’d feigned a headache and said she’d caught the train back to her flat. Not a total lie. But she certainly wasn’t going to tell anyone she’d dragged Lucas home with her. She couldn’t even bring herself to admit all they’d done together, much less admit it to anyone else. It would be much better if they had some kind of joint cover story to hand out to anyone who asked. Present a united front, as it were.
Even if they weren’t united.
Oh, well. Stepping outside the hospital to get a breath of fresh air, she heard her name being called. Not by Lucas but by a child. Darcie swung round in time to see Cora and her dad coming toward them on the footpath. Cora broke into a run and gave her a fierce hug as soon as she reached her, Felix trailing along behind. When he finally caught up he looked a bit shamefaced and maybe even a little shaken up. “Do you know where my brother is?”
“I don’t. We just finished up with a patient, though, so he’s here somewhere.” Darcie didn’t want to admit that she had no idea where he’d gone or why. Her stomach was beginning to do a slow dive to the bottom of her abdominal cavity, though.
“I can stay here with Darcie, Dad. She won’t mind, will you?”
Felix scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t know, Cora. I think we should just go home.”
“But you can’t! You promised me, and you promised Uncle Luke.” Cora’s voice came across shrill and upset.
If anything, her father looked even more unsure. “I know, but Chessa is sick and I’m not leaving you home alone.”
Darcie didn’t have any idea what was going on, but whatever it was sounded important, judging from Cora’s overly bright eyes. Tears? Looking to defuse the situation, she said, “Why don’t I try to reach his mobile and see where he
is?”
But when she tried to do that, the phone went right to voicemail. Strange. Unless he had it off so he wouldn’t have to talk to her. His behavior in Margie’s room had set her alarm bells ringing earlier. And now this. Her stomach dropped even further. She settled for leaving a message. “Hello, Lucas, it’s Darcie.” Why she felt compelled to explain who she was when he would know from the caller ID was beyond her. She went on, “Felix and Cora are here at the south entrance. Would you mind stopping round if you get this within the next few minutes?”
She pressed the disconnect button, only to have Cora tell her, “We tried to ring him too, but he didn’t answer.”
That didn’t sound like Lucas. He doted on his niece. “I could keep her here with me for a while. I have an office where she could hang out until Lucas turns up.”
A look of profound gratitude went through Felix’s eyes. “Are you sure it’s no trouble? I have an appointment and our childminder is ill.”
“It’s fine. Leave it to me.” She took Cora by the hand. “We’ll get on famously until then.”
Felix looked uncertain for all of five seconds then he nodded. “Okay, I appreciate it.”
“Bye, Daddy,” Cora said. “Maybe Uncle Luke can drive me home and get me an ice lolly on the way.”
Darcie’s heart twisted. So much for hoping he might want to come home with her. Again.
What? Are you insane?
Evidently, because her mind had, in fact, already traveled down that path and was trying to figure out a way to make it come true.
Giving Felix her mobile number and waving him off with what she hoped was a cheerful toss of her head, she made her way back inside the hospital, Cora following close behind.
Once in her office, the little girl found a pull-apart model of a baby in a pregnant belly that Darcie kept to show her patients. She’d forgotten it was on her desk when she’d offered to bring Cora here. “I’m not sure your dad would want you looking at that.”
“Oh, I know all about how babies are born. Uncle Luke’s a midwife. I have to know.”