by Karin Baine
‘Not at all. Thank you. I hope everything’s okay with Fatima.’ How could he object to her stepping in when she was doing everyone a favour? It had simply come as a surprise to see Kaja like this, playing with his daughter and looking more carefree than he’d seen her since he arrived.
‘On the subject of family...’ Kaja was toying with the elasticated cuffs of her sweatshirt. Fidgeting was always an indicator of how anxious she was about something and there were no prizes for guessing what that was today. It wasn’t fair to keep her in the dark any longer.
‘Amy, why don’t you go and wash your face while I have a talk with Kaja?’
‘Will you play hide and seek with us after?’
‘Sure. Now go. Shoo.’ He clapped his hands and Amy scuttled off with a giggle.
‘You sure have a way of getting people to do what you want.’ Kaja’s sardonic tone was to be expected after their last encounter.
‘I’m sorry for the way I spoke to you earlier. I was out of line.’
‘You think?’ She folded her arms across her chest, fending off his attempt to apologise.
‘It wasn’t my place to tell you to leave the hospital but I promise I was doing it with the best of intentions. I didn’t want to think of you sitting in the corridors all day fretting about something you had no power to control.’ That was the main problem. He was worried he’d be distracted by thoughts of her so close by while he was busy saving her father’s life.
She waved away his explanation with the hand she’d now untucked from her defensive position. ‘All that aside, you didn’t call. Does that mean something went wrong? Are Papa and Bruno okay?’
‘Everything’s fine. I just wanted to tell you in person. The transplant went as planned and they’re both recovering now. Someone will page me when they’re ready for visitors and we can go and see them together.’ He waited for Kaja’s exclamation of relief, braced himself for her enthused gratitude, certain she’d forgive him now, but she remained stock-still and wide-eyed.
‘Kaja? Did you hear me? They’re going to be all right.’ He wished she would say something, even if it was to swear at him. Instead she’d gone into some sort of shock. Seth was contemplating shaking her out of her stupor when she suddenly burst into tears. Her whole body appeared to collapse into itself as she finally took in what he was saying. A tsunami of all that emotion she’d apparently been holding back.
‘Oh, sweetheart.’ Any resentment he might have subconsciously harboured over their break-up dissipated along with the notion that theirs should remain a strictly professional relationship when she was so clearly in need of a hug.
It was pure instinct that drove him to catch her in his arms and provide that comfort and support she must’ve been lacking to fall apart in front of him. She didn’t rail against his compassion, instead, crumpling against him in emotional exhaustion. He dreaded to think what it would have done to her if she’d had bad news.
‘Let it all out.’ Seth held her close, his arms wrapped tightly around her to keep her upright and let her tears soak through his shirt. That protective need to take care of her hadn’t left him. Even though these were tears of happiness he knew she needed someone to lean on who understood her. Someone who knew she hated showing any weakness and would hold her until it passed without thinking less of her. She needed him. That superseded his, probably futile, endeavours to emotionally detach himself from the only woman he’d ever truly loved.
‘All clean, Daddy.’ Amy burst in again reminding them that time and their relationship had moved on and comforting Kaja was no longer in his job description.
‘Good girl.’ He praised his daughter and ruffled her hair, giving Kaja time to wipe her eyes and take a step away from him.
‘What’s wrong with Kaja?’ Quick to notice all wasn’t well, Amy frowned at him as though he’d obviously done something to upset her. Seeing the thunderous look on her face, he had a hunch she’d take her new friend’s side if she had to choose.
‘I’m fine, honey. Your daddy just gave me some really good news.’ Kaja’s eyes and smile shone a bit too brightly as she faced Amy, making Seth inclined to hug her a little longer.
‘Is your daddy all better?’ Amy’s frown evened out into a smile and, though it would be easier to let her think everything was all rainbows and unicorns, he preferred to be honest with his daughter.
‘We hope so. He needs to stay in hospital for a while to make sure.’
Amy digested that new information before asking her next question cautiously. ‘Does that mean we can keep playing hide and seek?’
‘I don’t see why not.’ Kaja pulled her into an embrace, making Seth proud of the child he’d raised who’d consider someone else’s feelings before thinking of herself. Unlike her father this morning.
The squealing and running about that had woken him made more sense now. Hide and seek always made Amy excitable, though her hiding places required a high level of acting on his behalf to pretend he couldn’t see her feet sticking out from beneath the curtains.
‘Good. I’m it this time. You and Daddy go and hide.’
Seth and Kaja looked at each other with the same expression of horror before stumbling over each other’s excuses to avoid being paired for the game. Regardless that he’d lent her his shoulder to cry on, there were several layers of unresolved tension between them, which weren’t conducive to playing happily together.
‘I’m sure your daddy needs a rest after working all day—’
‘You and Kaja were having plenty of fun without me—’
Amy ignored their protests, putting her hands over her eyes as she began to count. ‘One, two, three...’
His daughter had a habit of getting him into all kinds of predicaments but this one topped the lot. Playing hide and seek with an ex-girlfriend who probably despised him more now than when she’d dumped him wasn’t awkward at all.
He looked at Kaja but she shrugged her shoulders, apparently unwilling to help him find a way out of this. When she took off running his competitive nature rose to the fore with his pride at stake if he couldn’t outwit a four-year-old.
At the adorable sound of Amy trying to count, sometimes stumbling over her numbers, missing a few, and repeating others, he did his best to find a suitable hiding place. It wasn’t easy at his size but Kaja hadn’t had a problem since she’d disappeared completely from view.
He dived under his bed only to be met with a painful roadblock, forgetting he’d stashed his suitcase there.
‘Ready or not, here I come!’ Amy sing-songed with glee.
Crawling back out from his failed hiding place, Seth searched frantically around his room for a last-minute alternative. He yanked open the wardrobe door and jumped inside as Amy’s footsteps echoed down the hall.
It was only when he closed the door it became apparent he wasn’t alone. Before his eyes managed to adjust to the dark he heard the distinct sound of someone breathing next to him. He batted his way through the row of hanging shirts seeking the source.
‘Kaja?’ he whispered. ‘I hope to goodness it’s you in here and not some creepy stalker hiding in my closet.’ It was disorienting in the cramped dark space. Not to mention unnerving knowing he wasn’t alone.
‘Do you get many of those?’
‘You’d be surprised.’ He didn’t care that she was making fun of him if it took her mind off everything else that had gone on today.
‘Where are you? It’s disconcerting hearing a disembodied voice in the dark.’
‘Tell me about it.’
He heard her shift position, then felt hands patting across his chest and up to cup his face. ‘Ah, there you are.’
She inched closer until he could see the twinkle of her eyes shining in the shadows as she toyed with him. The soft touch of her hands on his skin made him temporarily forget to breathe. All he could do was stare at her be
autiful smile and remember how it used to be to wake up next to it in the morning.
‘Kaja... I really am sorry about the way I behaved at the hospital today. I didn’t mean to upset you.’ When they were here, so close to one another, it was impossible to maintain that detachment he’d been striving for. He wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all himself.
‘I was too full on, fussing around Bruno and my father when you were just trying to get on with your work.’
He reached out and brushed his fingers along the side of her cheek. ‘It wasn’t your fault. This is on me.’
‘Well, you’ve apologised, more than once, and held me while I cried like a baby.’
Seth saw the sheen of tears in her eyes again and he had no choice but to reach out to her so she knew she had some support. ‘That’s nothing to be ashamed of when you’ve been dealing with so much. I’m always available for hugs should you need them.’
‘I’m going to hold you to that.’ She sniffed as she leaned her head against his chest and wound her arms around his waist with a sigh.
His attempts at being emotionally closed off from Kaja were short-lived when her every tear was a hit to his solar plexus. He couldn’t bear to see her hurting and when she was clinging on to him like this, trusting him to provide her with some comfort, he could almost forget they’d ever parted. A treacherous path to venture down with someone who’d almost destroyed him once before.
‘Come out, come out, wherever you are...’ Amy’s Child-Catcher-like song encouraged Kaja to giggle. A sweet, welcome sound in the aftermath of today’s stresses.
When she looked up at him he placed a finger on her smiling lips. ‘Shh!’
They locked eyes in the darkness, their bodies still entwined with only the sound of their synchronised breathing to be heard. Although, he was sure it had become more ragged over the course of the past few minutes. This wardrobe had suddenly become their whole world. Population two.
Kaja’s mouth parted beneath his touch, her breath hot against his skin. He remembered the honeyed taste of those lips and the way they moulded perfectly to his even though it seemed so long ago now. Tentatively, he drew his finger down, slowly uncovering her delectable mouth. He wanted, needed to kiss her when she was looking up at him with equal longing, drawing him down towards her, encouraging him to act on his urge.
‘Found you!’ Bright light infiltrated their cosy cocoon once Amy discovered them, flinging both doors open wide. Kaja’s arms fell away from the embrace, leaving him bereft. It had been so long since he’d felt that intimate interaction it came as a shock to be reminded he wanted it. That beneath his roles as a father and a doctor he was simply a man with needs of his own. Her touch had reawakened feelings he’d put on hold in the pursuit of being the best parent he could be for his daughter. Only Kaja had the ability to do that.
Since she was an ex who’d rejected his marriage proposal and he was currently treating her family members, he knew exploring that route would only lead to trouble. Especially when they were living under the same roof and now sharing his daughter’s care. Renewing their relationship would be a bad move for all manner of reasons, primarily that she’d already broken his heart and he couldn’t go through that again. Nor would he inflict that pain on his daughter when she was growing closer to Kaja by the minute. As far as Amy was concerned, once his patients had recovered they’d be flying home. He wanted to keep it that way rather than let her think Kaja was going to be part of their lives only to have her run out when it all got too real.
Seth stepped out into the real world leaving Kaja in the land of make believe where a kiss was possible and wouldn’t cause a multitude of problems.
‘You are too good, Amy Davenport. I think you deserve a prize for finding us so quickly. Why don’t I take you out for a special treat?’ He put his hand on his daughter’s back and ushered her out of the door. Thankfully, she was so jubilant at having found them she hadn’t picked up on the tension between the adults. He wished it were going to be so easy for him to put the incident out of his mind and dismiss what could have ended up as their second first kiss.
* * *
Kaja was tempted to close the closet doors and slink back into the shadows. Seth was making it clear he didn’t want to spend any more time with her. He couldn’t even look at her. She knew why. A moment together, unguarded and isolated from their responsibilities outside this room, and old feelings had been given space to breathe. Another second alone and she knew they would have given into temptation to kiss, to touch and taste one another again.
She’d been on her own for too long. Well, she’d been living with her family and the entourage of staff her father insisted upon, but she’d been short of actual company. Why else would she have turned to an ex in her hour of need? Clearly, she was confusing her gratitude for the surgeon who’d saved her father’s life with desire.
She’d known from the start having Seth here was going to be difficult, but she’d thought putting her father’s health above her failed romance should take precedence. That was until she’d become aware that the physical attraction between them hadn’t lessened over the years. She’d wanted him to kiss her and if Amy hadn’t busted them she was pretty sure he would have.
‘Can Kaja come too?’ Amy’s plea for her to be included put a stop to any thoughts of slinking away unnoticed. It also prevented Seth from leaving the room as quickly as he’d intended.
Realising it would look strange if she continued to hide in the wardrobe, she had no choice but to step back out into the spotlight.
Gone was the passion burning in Seth’s eyes for her, replaced with a look of frustration. He didn’t want her hanging around with him and his daughter. Whatever that moment had been between them, it was over.
‘I’m sure Kaja would rather wait here until the hospital rings with news.’
‘I’m not really dressed for going out, Amy.’
‘Right, and it would take ages to organise cars and security.’ Seth was quick to add to the list of excuses why she couldn’t go with them but they both knew the real reason he didn’t want her tagging along. They’d almost kissed in there and he wanted to put some distance between them so they’d forget it had ever happened. It stung to have him reject her so casually when the moment had literally made her go weak at the knees. There hadn’t been anyone since Benedikt. She hadn’t even been tempted. Until now. Probably because she knew the passion of Seth’s kisses, wanted them and was surprised he still looked at her with that same burning desire. After everything she’d done to him, she knew he would never hurt her and for a lonely divorcee that was the greatest aphrodisiac of all.
‘We don’t have to go out, Daddy. Me and Kaja made cookies. Can’t I have some of those for my treat?’
Amy always had an answer for any obstacles preventing her from getting what she wanted. It was a credit to Seth how smart she was, and determined. He’d raised a strong daughter and Kaja bet there was never a dull moment in the Davenport household.
‘I...er...’
‘I did promise Amy we could sample some once they’d cooled.’ She watched with increasing amusement as Seth tried desperately to come up with another counter argument and failed. They were only going down to the kitchen to scoff a few biscuits. It wasn’t as if they were on their own and about to act out some erotic scene from the contents of the fridge. Not unless he asked her to...
CHAPTER SIX
‘THEN I SUPPOSE we have no choice...’
Amy was Seth’s conscience as well as his get-out clause. He had tried to use her to run away from his resurging feelings for Kaja. He’d wanted to kiss her and he’d come close to it. When they’d been fooling around, the only thought in his head had been that need to be with her again. The time he’d spent worrying where she’d gone, what he’d done wrong and how he was going to live without her dismissed all too easily. Worrying when she had the power to make him f
eel as rejected and unwanted as his mother had by her absence in his life.
What he didn’t understand more than his own reaction was why Kaja had been leaning in for that kiss in the first place. Not only because he’d been abrupt with her today, but she was the one who’d ended their relationship. While he might have unresolved emotions and issues, Kaja had made her feelings pretty clear five years ago. She didn’t want him. What had changed in their time apart? Nothing as far as he knew. It was possible she was simply lonely out here and had been confused by his company and their romantic history.
He wasn’t going to mistake his feelings towards Kaja for anything other than a want for her, which apparently hadn’t died simply because she’d left him. More than that, left him open to be hurt all over again.
They were different people now but the problems that had taken Kaja away from him in the first place remained. He didn’t belong as a permanent feature in her life any more than she did in his. She lived in a different country, moved in higher social circles, was born royal. Their backgrounds couldn’t be more different or incompatible. Rejection had been an all too common feature in his life and he’d sworn not to put himself in a position to let it happen again. If this trip had been the ultimate test of that vow, he was failing miserably.
Thankfully, Amy’s appearance snapped him back to his senses and made him willing to forget the incident ever happened and redouble his efforts to protect his battered heart. Except Kaja apparently had bewitched his daughter too, preventing total escape. There was no way he could forbid contact between them simply to prevent himself from making any further potentially disastrous decisions. It wouldn’t be fair to either Amy or Kaja and would give them both cause to despise him.
Tensions were already running high around here without doing anything to upset either princess in his presence.