200 Harley Street
Surgeon in a Tux
Carol Marinelli
Girl from the Red Carpet
Scarlet Wilson
The Proud Italian
Alison Roberts
American Surgeon in London
Lynne Marshall
The Soldier Prince
Kate Hardy
The Enigmatic Surgeon
Annie Claydon
The Shameless Maverick
Louisa George
The Tortured Hero
Amy Andrews

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Table of Contents

Surgeon in a Tux

Praise for Carol Marinelli

Excerpt

Dear Reader

About the Author

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Epilogue

Girl from the Red Carpet

Excerpt

Dear Reader

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

The Proud Italian

Praise

Excerpt

About the Author

Dear Reader

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

American Surgeon in London

Excerpt

Dedication

Dear Reader

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

The Soldier Prince

Praise for Kate Hardy

About the Author

Dear Reader

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

The Enigmatic Surgeon

Dear Reader

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

The Shameless Maverick

Praise for Louisa George

About the Author

Dear Reader

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

The Tortured Hero

Praise for Amy Andrews

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

Endpage

Surgeon in a Tux

Praise for Carol Marinelli:

‘A heartwarming story about taking a chance and not letting the past destroy the future. It is strengthened by two engaging lead characters and a satisfying ending.’

—RT Book Reviews on THE LAST KOLOVSKY PLAYBOY

‘Carol Marinelli writes with sensitivity, compassion and understanding, and RESCUING PREGNANT CINDERELLA is not just a powerful romance but an uplifting and inspirational tale about starting over, new beginnings and moving on.’

—cataromance.com

‘A compelling, sensual, sexy, emotionally packed, drama-filled read that will leave you begging for more!’

—Contemporary Romance Reviews on NYC ANGELS: REDEEMING THE PLAYBOY

200 HARLEY STREET

Welcome to the luxurious premises of the exclusive Hunter Clinic, world renowned in plastic and reconstructive surgery, set right on Harley Street, the centre of elite clinical excellence, in the heart of London’s glittering West End!

Owned by two very different brothers, Leo and Ethan Hunter, the Hunter Clinic undertakes both cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. Playboy Leo handles the rich and famous clients, enjoying the red carpet glamour of London’s A-list social scene, while brooding ex-army doc Ethan focuses his time on his passion—transforming the lives of injured war heroes and civilian casualties of war.

Emotion and drama abound against the backdrop of one of Europe’s most glamorous cities, as Leo and Ethan work through their tensions and find women who will change their lives for ever!

200 HARLEY STREET

Glamour, intensity, desire—the lives and loves of London’s hottest team of surgeons!

Begin your sensational eight-book journey with …

200 HARLEY STREET: SURGEON IN A TUX by Carol Marinelli

Dear Reader

I so enjoyed writing the first book for this wonderful 200 Harley Street continuity.

I am very glad that the editors choose who writes which story, because I confess, had it been left to me, I would have struggled to choose between the two brothers—Leo and Ethan Hunter. Actually, had it been left to me, I’d have probably gone for the deliciously dark and tortured Ethan—but the editors do know best because had I been given Ethan I’d never have fallen in love with the reprobate Leo—and fall in love I did.

Yes, he was reeling me in by the time my gorgeous heroine, Lizzie, first picked up the phone and spoke to him. He’s sexy, snobby, funny and, in his own way, just as tortured as Ethan. I hope you love him too!

I can’t wait to read the rest of the stories and get back to the glamour and heartbreak at 200 Harley Street and find out what happens to the rest of the characters (especially Ethan!).

Happy reading!

Carol x

CAROL MARINELLI recently filled in a form where she was asked for her job title and was thrilled, after all these years, to be able to put down her answer as ‘writer’. Then it asked what Carol did for relaxation. After chewing her pen for a moment Carol put down the truth—’writing’. The third question asked: ‘What are your hobbies?’ Well, not wanting to look obsessed or, worse still, boring, she crossed the fingers on her free hand and answered ‘swimming and tennis’. But, given that the chlorine in the pool does terrible things to her highlights, and the closest she’s got to a tennis racket in the last couple of years is watching the Australian Open, I’m sure you can guess the real answer!

PROLOGUE

‘ACCOMMODATION PROVIDED’ WAS starting to take on a whole new meaning!

Lizzie Birch took the lift to the fifth floor with her heart in her mouth, sure that there must have been some mistake—that this couldn’t possibly be her new home.

When she had been given the trendy Marylebone address Lizzie had convinced herself it would be something like the rather drab nursing accommodation she had shared in earlier days—a stunning old building, divided into bedsits perhaps …

This was anything but that.

As she turned the key Lizzie stepped into a tastefully furnished, high-ceilinged flat and caught the scent of flowers. Turning, she swallowed when she saw an elaborate bouquet and a basket of luxurious nibbles and wines there to greet her.

Lizzie walked over and inhaled the gorgeous fragrance of spring, but on a cold January morning. They must have cost a fortune.

The place must be worth a fortune, Lizzie thought, biting into a chocolate champagne truffle and closing her eyes in bliss, but when she opened them she blinked, completely overwhelmed at her new surroundings. Only now was she starting to fully realise the true coup of becoming Head Nurse at the Hunter Clinic at 200 Harley Street.

There was a note to say that the uniforms she had sent her measurements in for were waiting for her at the clinic. It was a far cry from the usual package of white dresses or theatre scrubs that Lizzie was rather more used to. It was all as rich and as expensive as the voice Lizzie had so far only heard on the other end of a telephone.

Leo Hunter.

‘You come highly recommended.’ There had been an edge to his voice that had made Lizzie frown; after all, the recommendation as to her suitability for the position had come from Leo’s own brother, Ethan.

‘Thank you.’ Lizzie hadn’t really known what to say. ‘I was very flattered when Ethan suggested that I apply. He said to call and hopefully arrange an interview—’

‘The job’s yours,’ Leo had interrupted. ‘There’s no need for an interview, unless you want to hop over to Switzerland.’ Lizzie hadn’t been sure if he’d been joking or had meant it. She’d heard the sound of rich laughter in the background and Leo had apologised for the noise—explaining that, like all good cosmetic surgeons, now that the Christmas rush was over, he was skiing—and then Lizzie had frowned in confusion as he’d told her that he looked forward to seeing her in the New Year.

Was that it?

He hadn’t even asked about her employment history! He didn’t seem to care that her work with Ethan had simply been agency work and that she was, in fact, a senior nurse in Accident and Emergency.

He’d given the job as easily as that!

‘Oh,’ Leo added, just before he rang off. ‘Did you want accommodation?’ As easily as that he tossed it into the conversation—his clipped, well-schooled voice delivering the offer almost as an afterthought. ‘As Head Nurse of the Hunter Clinic, we can offer you that.’

‘Offer it?’ Lizzie checked.

‘A furnished flat …’

Lizzie clutched the phone as he thanked someone, presumably for a drink because she could hear the chink of ice cubes as his attention came back to her. ‘I’m not sure which one, we’ve got a few within walking distance of the clinic.’ Lizzie was about to decline—anything within walking distance of 200 Harley Street would be way out of her price range—but then Leo continued, ‘It’s part of the package, though if you already have somewhere to stay, we can come to—’

‘That would be great.’ It was Lizzie interrupting now. Trying and failing to sound blasé, but a furnished flat within walking distance would save a fortune, not just on rental but on travel. Lizzie had moved from Brighton to London a couple of years ago and had found it fiercely expensive, especially with all her parents’ nursing-home bills. She wasn’t used to perks and certainly not one of this magnitude. ‘The flat would be marvellous.’

‘Good,’ Leo clipped. ‘Gwen, the clinic manager, will be in touch with all the details and I’ll see you in the New Year.’

Happy New Year, Lizzie thought as she looked out of the window, marvelling at the glimpse of Regent’s Park, unable to believe all this was really happening to her.

Leo’s brother, Ethan, had been a patient of Lizzie’s. He had returned injured from Afghanistan and Lizzie had been making home visits, treating his badly injured legs. She’d known Ethan was a doctor but had had no idea of his dazzling family history. Ethan had been silent and brooding and, knowing some of what he had been through, Lizzie hadn’t taken it remotely personally. Instead she had filled the long silences with chatter about her own life—her aging parents, her mother’s Alzheimer’s, the on-going concern she had for them despite the fact they were both in a home. How the decision to sell the family home had been a hard one. How expensive it all was. How she tried to get down to Brighton to visit them most of her days off.

How it hurt that her mother rarely recognised her.

Her tongs had paused in mid-dressing, she had been talking more to herself, but it had been Ethan who had, for once, broken the silence.

‘They’re lucky to have you.’

‘No.’ Lizzie had smiled, glad to hear him engaging. ‘I’m lucky to have them.’

Slowly Ethan had started talking and when he had told her that he was thinking of working in the family business, heading up the charity side of his brother’s cosmetic and reconstructive clinic, Lizzie had taken an interest, more because she’d been glad that Ethan was finally communicating.

It had never entered her head that he would put her forward for the position of Head Nurse at the clinic. More than that, she had never thought she would be accepted.

Lizzie was plagued with insecurity about the sudden change in her career, sure that one look at the very fresh-faced Lizzie and Leo Hunter would change his mind.

She wandered through the flat and to the gorgeous bathroom and stared at her reflection in the large mirror, wondering what head nurse to a renowned cosmetic surgeon ought to look like.

Lizzie looked at her light brown wavy hair and brown eyes and a face that rarely wore make-up and thought of all the celebrities and beauties she would be facing come Monday.

She thought too of facing Leo.

Of course she had looked him up and life hadn’t been the same since!

It was rather like the day her blushing mother had told a very naïve Lizzie the facts of life. The autumn crocus in her elderly parents’ lives, Lizzie had been cosseted and protected from such things. The day they’d had the talk, suddenly it had seemed that periods and sex were everywhere—from adverts on television to full pages in magazines.

It was the same with Leo Hunter—he was everywhere now.

He was the chiselled-jawed, blue-eyed hunk that cavorted on snow-capped mountaintops behind royalty as they were photographed.

Black hair brushed back, he was that beautiful face on the table next to a celebrity, he was that man walking beside a stunning model as she tripped on her way out of a nightclub.

Lizzie had just never paid attention till now.

Leo Hunter was a heartbreaker, surgeon to the stars, irredeemable playboy and, as of Monday, he would also be her boss.

CHAPTER ONE

‘I HIRED HER, didn’t I?’ Leo’s response to his brother was terse. ‘So why wouldn’t I be nice to her?’

‘You know what I mean, Leo.’

Rarely was Ethan the one to walk away. He turned on his heel and attempted to stalk out of his brother’s plush office but despite the simmering anger, despite ten years, no, a lifetime of rivalry, Leo’s jaws clamped together at the painful sight of his brother’s attempt to stalk off.

God only knew the mess of Ethan’s legs, Leo thought. Ethan certainly never spoke about them and Leo had only read about them. Leo could still remember the pain and humiliation of having to learn from a news article that his brother was recovering in hospital.

So much for being next of kin.

Ethan’s time in Afghanistan was something Ethan chose not to discuss but his pain was evident and, yes, Leo wished his brother would share, open up, but why would he? Leo thought.

They’d never been close.

Their father had seen to that long ago.

‘You’re not proving anything by refusing to use a walking stick.’ Leo watched as Ethan’s shoulders stiffened but, hell, if his older brother couldn’t say it then who could?

‘If I want a further opinion I’ll go to someone who …’ Ethan didn’t finish, he didn’t have to—that was the dark beauty of being brothers, there was enough history to know exactly what the other meant without having to spell things out. As Ethan’s disdain for Leo’s work briefly broke through the tense, simmering surface, exposing the rivalry beneath, Leo merely shrugged.

‘Mock it all you like,’ he said, as Ethan turned to face him. ‘But I’ll tell you this much—my patients walk out of here feeling one hell of a lot better than they did when they first walked in, and,’ he added, ‘might I remind you that it’s my work and subsequently my patients’ word of mouth that have pulled the Hunter name out of the gutter. While you were busy playing soldiers …’ Leo broke off, wishing he could retrieve his own words, because Ethan hadn’t been playing at anything. Ethan’s injuries were a product of war. He was a hero by anyone’s standards—especially Leo’s. ‘That was below the belt,’ he admitted.

‘Yes, and so is the shrapnel.’

Leo just stood there silent for a moment. His appalling playboy reputation combined with a passion for fast living meant that having a wounded soldier for a younger brother needled on so many levels. ‘While you’re peering down your nose at your celebrity surgeon brother, just remember that my work allows the charity side of things to happen,’ Leo pointed out. ‘Without the money coming into the Hunter Clinic those charity beds at the Lighthouse Hospital and Kate’s wouldn’t be funded and you wouldn’t be working here.’

‘I get it,’ Ethan growled.

‘You abhor it, though …’ Leo said, as his eyes drifted to the crystal decanter that sat on the walnut table in his office. ‘But you don’t seem to mind extravagance when you’re knocking back the hundred-year-old malt …’ He walked over and lifted the decanter. ‘I must remember to replace the stopper more carefully in future.’ His voice was dripping with sarcasm. ‘It seems to be evaporating at a rate of knots.’

Ethan said nothing. It was Leo who chose not to leave it. ‘Don’t you have a home to go to, Ethan? I’m assuming that you crashed here again last night …’

It was an obvious assumption. Ethan was wearing the same clothes as yesterday and was the antitheses of the impeccably groomed Leo who, despite a late night at an A-list function and an energetic romp with yet another blonde beauty in his bed, had been out for a run at dawn, before showering and heading to work.

Ethan, it would seem, had crashed again on Leo’s leather sofa.

‘I was working late.’ Ethan offered the same excuse as he had on several occasions since coming to work at the Hunter Clinic.

Leo could feel the tension in his jaw, heard his own hiss of breath as he felt the pages of history turning. Yes, Ethan may be a hero but he was very much a wounded one and it wasn’t just his legs that were injured, Leo was sure of it. But even if Ethan’s mental scars ran deep there was no way that Leo was about to let history repeat itself. He could still remember, as if it had happened yesterday, the time when everything had finally come to a head—their father, James, turning up for work drunk and causing a scene in front of the clients.

Of course he had been sent home, disgraced, but instead of sleeping it off James had carried on with his bender, eventually collapsing and dying. The Hunter reputation had fallen like a house of cards and it had been Leo who had painstakingly rebuilt it brick by brick, client by client, personal recommendation by personal recommendation.

He’d sacrificed way too much to see it fall again.

Leo felt the heavy weight of the stopper in his palm for a moment before he replaced it in the decanter. ‘If you ever—’ Leo started, but Ethan broke in.

‘It’s not going to happen.’

‘You’re quite sure about that?’ Leo’s eyes were as blue as the ocean and, despite the seemingly decadent lifestyle, just as clear. Unlike Ethan’s—his hazel eyes were bloodshot and although Leo appeared unshaven it was designer stubble on his chin, whereas Ethan looked like a man who had spent the night on a sofa—albeit an expensive one.

‘I shan’t be making excuses for you, Ethan.’

‘Learned your lesson, have you?’ Ethan asked. Yes, there was a dark beauty to being brothers, because in that short question Ethan had demanded answers to the impossible. Why had Leo kept such a lid on things with their father? Why had Leo constantly smoothed over the gaping cracks? Why, when Ethan had wanted to confront their father, had Leo insisted otherwise as their father had spiralled further out of control?

Even as children, Leo had been the same, defusing situations with wit and humour—even pouring his father a drink at times just to knock him out.

Ethan would have preferred different methods to produce the same result.

His fists.

‘I don’t think now is the time or the place,’ Leo said.

‘There never has been a right time and place,’ Ethan responded, then turned the conversation from the impossible to the practical. ‘Just make sure that you’re nice to Lizzie.’

‘I can’t wait to meet her,’ Leo clipped. Despite wanting the conversation over, Leo just couldn’t help himself, he simply could not resist a dig. Oh, there was history, so much history that threaded every word of his taunt. ‘She must be pretty amazing if she’s got into that cold black heart of yours.’

‘I’m just asking you to go easy on her,’ Ethan said. ‘Lizzie isn’t one of your usual tarts.’

‘You really do have a thing for her …’ Leo drawled. ‘Good in bed, is she?’

Had Ethan thumped Leo it wouldn’t have been in defence of Lizzie. Both men’s minds had turned now to the woman who had ultimately divided them—so much so that Olivia might just as well be standing in the room watching them, listening to them fight, just as they had ten years ago, almost to the very day.

‘How sad that that is your measure of a good woman,’ Ethan responded.

‘Do I look sad?’ Leo’s lips sneered into a smile. ‘I’m not the one who’s turning into a recluse. I’m out every night, I’m living …’

‘Really?’ Ethan had heard enough. It had been a stupid idea to come back and an even more stupid idea to expose Lizzie to the toxicity. There was a fight waiting to be had, an explosion about to come sometime soon and, were his legs not about to give way, Ethan might have dealt with it then. He looked at Leo—so arrogant, so assured, so, despite his insistence otherwise, messed up.

What had he been thinking, coming to work here?

‘It’s not living, Leo, it’s existing—I should know!’ Ethan walked out then, calling over his shoulder as he left, ‘Just keep it in your pants for once. Lizzie deserves better than that.’

Leo stood there as the door slammed.

Their voices hadn’t been particularly raised and the walls were thick but the tension in the clinic was almost palpable and the staff must surely be noticing it by now. Had it been a mistake to ask Ethan to come and head up the charitable side of the business? Leo truly didn’t know. There was no doubt that his brother was a brilliant surgeon and that his skills could be well utilised, but there was just so much water under the bridge between them.

‘Leo …’ Gwen, the clinic manager, interrupted his train of thought as she buzzed through on the intercom. ‘I’ve got—’

‘Send her straight in,’ Leo broke in, bracing himself to meet Saint Lizzie—the woman who had got under his brother’s skin.

‘Leo.’

Leo’s head jerked around at the sound of a low, sensual voice and, no, it wasn’t the new head nurse who stepped into his office, instead it was what he had hoped was finished business—Flora Franklin, who was as far removed from a saint as it was possible to be!

Incredibly beautiful, Flora was dressed in a long expensive coat and her heels were so high she was almost as tall as Leo, who stood stock still as she walked towards him. ‘You didn’t return my call,’ Flora reproached him.

‘Because there’s nothing more to say. We’re finished.’ Leo didn’t like to have to repeat himself and he already had, once, but twice was one time too many. ‘We’ve been through this …’

‘Well, this might change your mind.’

Flora opened her trench coat and let it fall from her shoulders to the floor. Leo looked down at the sight of her spectacular body almost on full display in the sexiest of red underwear, her nipples peeking out between lace, and what man wouldn’t be tempted?

Yes, his body might be, there was no denying that fact, but Leo’s mind certainly wasn’t. Even as she rained kisses on his face and her hands got to work, Leo reminded himself that he was through with Flora. Yes, it had been fun while it had lasted but it was over. He had tried to let her down gently, but it was time to make things very clear.

‘Flora …’ Leo’s voice was as detached as it was firm. ‘You really need to …’ His voice trailed off to the sound of gentle knocking and as the gap in the partially open door widened and Lizzie stepped in, all Leo could think was that this was so not how he had wanted to greet the new head nurse.

‘Dr Hunter, I presume?’ He saw her tight smile, saw colour flood her rounded cheeks as she took in the situation, and though Lizzie didn’t actually say, your reputation precedes you, her eyes most certainly did.

‘Mister.’ Even in the most compromising of situations, Leo corrected mistakes. He’d worked hard for his fellowship after all. ‘You must be Lizzie.’ Leo returned an equally tight smile as he attempted to peel Flora off, not that Lizzie hung around to watch. With a brief shake of her head she turned and walked out of Leo’s office and, unlike Flora, Lizzie did think to close the door properly. There was no door slamming but, just as it had with Ethan, Leo could feel the lingering disapproval.

‘Where were we?’ Flora purred, not in the least embarrassed by the interruption.

Rarely, Leo was.

‘The same place we were a few moments ago,’ Leo answered brusquely, getting straight to the brutal point. ‘Finished.’

‘Leo …’ Flora attempted, grabbing the arm that was trying to retract itself, but Leo shook her off—he was in no mood for debate.

‘Cover yourself up, make sure that you are out of here by the time I get back. I need to go and sort out this mess.’ He marched out of his office and through the plush corridors and because, unlike Lizzie, he knew his way around, Leo had caught up with her before Lizzie made it to the changing rooms.

‘Your timing’s impeccable,’ Leo offered, and gave a wry smile to Lizzie as he tucked in his shirt. ‘I’m serious,’ he added as she shot him an incredulous look. ‘I was actually trying to get rid of her.’

‘Really?’

She had a very soft but exceptionally clear voice, though it was, Leo noted, her eyes that did most of the talking and what they had to say was less than flattering—especially as they briefly drifted down and, with a slight purse to her lips, returned to meet his cool gaze. Without needing to check, Leo knew, just knew what she had seen—his flies were undone.

Leo could have blushed.

Or cursed.

Perhaps he should have chosen to ignore it.

His response was far less forgivable.

He laughed.

A shameless, deep laugh as he deftly rectified the situation.

Lizzie, he noted, didn’t laugh.

He noted a few other things too. She was incredibly … Leo’s mind hesitated. As one of Britain’s top cosmetic surgeons he was usually able to sum up a woman’s looks in an instant. It came as second nature to him to notice any work that might have been done or, perhaps more pointedly, to guess what work a woman might be considering. As a patient walked into his office, Leo’s eyes were already assessing their features and had guessed by the end of that first handshake what was on the patient’s mind.

He just couldn’t work out what might be on Lizzie’s.

Rather than noticing very slightly protruding teeth, Leo saw only her full lips. Her creamy complexion didn’t come from a bottle—if it did, Leo would have held the patent, and as for that body … With Flora his response had been automatic, clinical, but with Lizzie it was far from that. He’d had no idea what to expect from the new head nurse, but it certainly hasn’t been this ball of femininity.

‘Flora and I recently broke up,’ he explained. ‘She just hasn’t got used to the idea yet.’

Lizzie really didn’t want to hear about his love life. Her cheeks were on fire—a mixture of coming into the warm clinic from a cold January day, nerves at starting her new job, and the sight that had greeted her.

Right now, all she wanted was to get as far away from Leo Hunter as possible to attempt to get her head together. ‘If you will excuse me, I’d like to get changed and then I’ll come and introduce myself and we can hopefully start again—more professionally this time.’

‘Sure,’ Leo responded, realising that in very few words she had stated her case. Lizzie Birch was far from impressed, but right now he had other things to deal with—namely, a near-naked, scorned woman who, Leo thought as he heard the sound of sobbing, was not going to go quietly.

Lizzie was so far from impressed.

She stepped into the staff changing room, which looked as if it might belong in some exclusive gymnasium rather than a medical clinic. There were huge mirrors, showers and wall-to-wall fluffy towels. Lizzie half expected an attendant to come out and offer to take her coat.

Thankfully it was empty and Lizzie dragged in a breath. Oh, she was so far from impressed, not just at the scene in his office but at her own response to Leo.

Did he have to be so good-looking? So overpowering, so completely male?

Yes, she’d seen photos but not one of them had adequately captured the beauty or the overwhelming charisma of Leo Hunter close up.

She had expected a slightly older version of Ethan, but instead he seemed younger, lighter and far more reprobate then his serious younger brother. And, unlike Ethan, Leo’s eyes were blue but, more than that, they beckoned to bed.

‘Oh, no!’ Lizzie actually said the words out loud. For all her misgivings about the new position, for all her worry and concern about taking on such a prestigious role, never had it entered her head that on sight her stomach would be doing somersaults and it actually had very little to do with the compromising situation she had found him in.

He’d laughed.

At what should have been the most embarrassing, awkward of moments, when anyone else would have been cringing and red faced, he’d had the audacity to do what, to Lizzie’s surprise, she found herself doing now. As a shocked gurgle of laughter filled the room Lizzie’s eyes widened in brief surprise at her own reaction to her new boss but then the smile faded.

‘He would crush you in the palm of his hand,’ Lizzie told her reflection. She was here to work, to make decent money, to finally get ahead.

There was no way she would allow herself to even think of fancying him.

Lizzie was far too sensible for that.

In her new role, Gwen had explained that she would be expected to wear a suit. Lizzie unzipped it from its cover and pulled on the slim charcoal-grey skirt. There was also a cream blouse with a cowl neck and small buttons at the back.

Hardly practical, Lizzie thought, changing from boots to low heels, slipping on the jacket and then stepping back to check her reflection.

Even though she was thirty-two years old, Lizzie felt like a child trying on her mother’s clothes. They were tailored, fitted … elegant.

Lizzie didn’t normally bother with make-up at work but, having seen Gwen and a couple of the other staff on her entrance, she wished she had thought to bring some.

She walked towards Leo’s office, wondering how best to face him.

As it turned out, it wasn’t facing Leo that proved to be the problem.

Instead it was Flora!

CHAPTER TWO

‘I’VE GOT THIS …’ Leo said.

He was attempting to cover Flora with her coat and guide her from the sumptuous reception either out the main door or towards his office. Lizzie wasn’t sure which. But, as stubborn as a mule, Flora dug in her stilettoes and stood beneath the chandelier in the reception, telling anyone, who had no choice but to listen, what a bastard Leo was.

‘Not here.’ Leo was attempting to smooth things and steer her away.

‘Yes, here!’ Flora insisted.

Leo had been making a coffee, trying to give Flora the chance for a somewhat dignified exit, when the one-woman protest had started.

There was something quite unattractive about a near-naked woman furiously ripping off jewellery and tossing it at a very calm man, Lizzie thought.

‘And he was worried about me creating a scene …’ Ethan walked out of his own office and made the dry comment as Lizzie joined him. ‘Welcome to 200 Harley Street, Lizzie. You’ve met my brother, I presume?’

‘Is it always like this?’ Lizzie asked.

‘That depends.’ Ethan shrugged. ‘They’ve been together for a few weeks, including Christmas, which is a bit of a record for Leo. I hope to God he gets it sorted before patients start to arrive.’

Lizzie was starting to doubt it.

‘Flora!’ Leo was trying to calm Flora down and failing. ‘You’re being ridiculous.’

‘No.’ She hurled a necklace at him and Lizzie realised she was holding her breath as it flew through the air and thankfully missed its target. ‘What’s ridiculous is you throwing away all we have. Why can’t we work on it?’

Leo opened his mouth to say something but then changed his mind and Flora carried on. ‘Do you remember what you said when you gave me this?’ she demanded, as she wrenched off a ring.

‘No,’ Leo admitted shamelessly.

‘Bastard.’ She tossed the ring and this time it did meet its mark. If a diamond could cut glass then it made light work of Leo’s cheek—a gash opening as Leo stepped forward to restrain Flora. She was clearly about to hit him but Lizzie got there first. She took the woman’s wrist and held it, and for the second time Leo heard the calm ice of Lizzie’s voice.

‘Now, that really would be stupid,’ Lizzie said. ‘If this doesn’t stop right now I shall have the police called.’ Absolutely she meant it. ‘I thought I’d left the fights in Accident and Emergency behind when I came to work here.’

‘It’s not like that,’ Flora attempted.

‘It’s exactly what it’s like,’ Lizzie said, releasing Flora’s hand and watching the woman’s anger turn to horror as she realised what she had done. ‘Now….’ Lizzie quickly put on Flora’s coat and did up the buttons, then tied the belt as she spoke. ‘I think we’ve all seen enough drama …’ She looked briefly over at Ethan and at Leo, who had blood pouring down his cheek. Seeing Lizzie had control of things, they both gave a brief nod at her dismissal of them but before they disappeared into Ethan’s office Leo had a very quiet word with Lizzie.

‘See that she gets home okay.’

‘Sure.’

All the fight had gone out of Flora and Lizzie couldn’t help but feel sorry for her and perhaps embarrassed for her too.

‘You need to go home and calm down,’ Lizzie said.

‘I can’t believe it’s over.’ Flora said. ‘He told me—’

‘I don’t think going over things will be very helpful now,’ Lizzie interrupted.

‘I thought we were going to get engaged!’ Flora sobbed. ‘I thought it meant something …’

‘This is a medical clinic.’ Lizzie kept her voice practical. ‘It’s not the place to cause a scene. Whatever is going on between you and Leo is to be sorted well away from here.’ Lizzie simply refused to prolong the conversation. ‘I’ll call a taxi for you.’

‘I’ll take her home.’ Gwen walked down the corridor and gave Lizzie a tight smile. ‘Come on, Flora.’

‘Hold on.’ Lizzie picked up the jewellery that was scattered over the floor. ‘You don’t want to leave these behind.’ She was warmed to see a very pale smile on a dazed Flora’s lips as Lizzie carefully slipped the jewellery into her coat pocket. ‘That really would be a stupid mistake.’

‘Thank you.’

Lizzie just nodded.

Before Gwen headed off with Flora she told Lizzie there was someone watching the front desk as patients would soon be arriving.

Luckily none were here yet.

For a moment Lizzie wondered how to play it when she saw Leo—whether to pretend that it hadn’t happened, carry on as if nothing had, or face things.

There really wasn’t a choice—yes, she wanted this job but she couldn’t work in, let alone be head nurse of, a clinic with this type of thing going on and not state her case.

Lizzie knocked once and opened the door.

‘Don’t you wait to be called in?’ Leo asked, his tone telling Lizzie he was joking. He was leaning back in his leather chair as Ethan opened up a suture pack.

‘I don’t think there’s much point.’ Lizzie’s response was dry. ‘I’ve seen far more than I wanted to already.’

‘Yes, well, sorry about that.’

He gave a slight wince as Ethan probed the wound. ‘You need a couple of stitches.’

‘I don’t.’

‘It’s deep,’ Ethan said. ‘If you don’t want it opening up …’

‘Just do it, then,’ Leo snapped, and then his blue eyes opened to Lizzie. ‘Things are normally far calmer …’

‘He’s lying.’ Ethan was opening up a vial of local anaesthetic. ‘My brother tends to bring out the worst in women.’

‘Don’t bother with the local.’

‘Suit yourself.’ Ethan shrugged.

‘Why do women always say they want to work on things?’ Leo pondered out loud, saying now what he’d been sensible enough not to say to Flora. ‘I save work for work.’

‘Just what did you say when you gave her the ring?’ Ethan asked.

‘I said that it wasn’t an engagement ring. I made it very clear.’ Lizzie winced for Leo as Ethan put in a stitch, then she winced for Flora as Leo thought for a moment and then spoke on. ‘Actually, I can remember what I said, I said that it was the closest I’d come to one …’

‘Leo!’ Ethan’s exasperation was clear but for the first time since she’d met him, even if Leo couldn’t see it, Ethan was actually smiling.

‘I didn’t mean it like that. What I was trying to say …’ Leo jumped to his own defence then gave in. ‘Bloody hell, I think I must have had too much Goldschläger or something.’

‘What’s that?’ Lizzie checked, and Leo actually smiled as the second suture went in and Lizzie picked up some scissors and cut for Ethan.

‘Cinnamon schnapps,’ Leo said. ‘Lethal stuff.’

‘How was Switzerland?’ Ethan asked, putting in the third.

‘Far more romantic than intended, it would seem.’ Leo sighed. ‘I’ll ring her and apologise …’

‘Don’t,’ Lizzie said, and one blue eye peeped open and for the first time she properly met his gaze. ‘False hope.’

‘Okay.’

‘Just leave it,’ Lizzie said. ‘I think she’s got the message.’

‘You think?’ Leo checked.

‘I’m quite sure she’s worked out what a top bastard you are.’

She smiled sweetly as she said it.

‘Thank you.’

‘You’re welcome.’ Lizzie snipped the stich and then made herself say it. ‘Keep arguments away from work.’

‘Leo never argues,’ Ethan said. ‘He ends things long before arguments start.’

‘Well, I don’t want to walk into that again.’ Lizzie knew she had to address it and as she did so he opened the other eye and stared back at Lizzie as she spoke on. ‘I’m not just talking about the scene in Reception, I’m talking about what I walked into before—I could have been a patient.’

‘But you’re not.’

‘Even so.’ Lizzie put down the scissors as Ethan, tongue in cheek as his brother got a scolding, applied a small dressing. ‘It’s not very professional.’

‘I’m extremely professional,’ Leo smarted.

‘I can only go by what I’ve seen.’ Lizzie retorted. ‘Am I being hired to merely smile or am I to be the head nurse of the clinic?’

‘Head nurse,’ Leo said through gritted teeth.

‘Then let there be no repetitions.’ She gave him a smile and then smiled at Ethan. ‘I’ll go and show myself around.’

She walked out, again closing the door behind her, and let out a long slow breath as, on the other side, Leo did the same.

‘You didn’t tell me I was hiring an old-school matron,’ Leo grumbled, picking up the mirror he usually held up for patients and examining the damage to his cheek as he mimicked Lizzie’s voice. ‘“Let there be no repetitions”—I feel like I’m back at school.’

‘God help Lizzie then,’ Ethan said, but then the smile faded from his face as he watched Leo’s gaze briefly drift to the door Lizzie had just walked out of. Ethan watched as, simply on instinct, Leo dragged in the last dregs of the feminine scent lingering in the air and, not for the first time, Ethan wondered if, by seeing she got this job, he had been doing Lizzie a huge disservice.

Yes, the money might be great but if Leo set his cap on her …

Ethan let out a worried breath. He knew better than most the true cost of a broken heart.

CHAPTER THREE

LIZZIE DID SHOW herself around and chatted to a couple of the staff, who were very friendly.

‘Welcome to the Hunter Clinic.’ Charlotte, one of the nurses introduced herself. ‘I’m just heading over to Kate’s or I’d show you around.’

‘Kate’s?’ Lizzie checked—she’d heard that name mentioned a few times in conversation.

‘Princess Catherine’s Hospital,’ Charlotte explained and, as she spoke on, Lizzie was fast finding out how little she knew about her new role. ‘Day cases are normally done here but anything other than a twilight sedation is done either at Kate’s or the Lighthouse Hospital.’

‘Do you do a lot at the Lighthouse?’ Lizzie asked, because that was a children’s hospital.

‘Loads.’ Charlotte smiled. ‘Rafael De Luca, one of our paediatric surgeons, has a theatre list there this morning and I’m—’

‘Charlotte!’

She was interrupted by rather gruff but very good-looking man who popped his head out of a treatment room like a handsome bear peering out of a cave, holding his gloved hands up in front of him and asking in a rich Scottish accent if he might have a hand.

‘I’m just on my way out …’

‘I can help.’ Lizzie smiled, glad of the chance to be useful.

‘Lizzie’s the new head nurse,’ Charlotte explained as she dashed off.

‘Hi Lizzie, I’m Iain MacKenzie. I’m removing sutures,’ he explained, ‘but Jessica, the patient, is very distressed. I need a hand to keep her still. She doesn’t want any sedation.’

Jessica was very distressed; she was on an examination table and curled up.

‘Can we do it tomorrow?’ she begged.

‘The sooner they come out the less it will scar,’ Iain explained. ‘It’s not going to hurt, there will just be a little bit of tugging. This is Lizzie …’

‘Hi, Jessica.’ Lizzie smiled. She was about to ask what had happened but Iain shot her a warning look and Lizzie decided otherwise. Instead, she made the woman as comfortable as she could and put a small sterile towel over her face so that she couldn’t see the blade Iain was using to remove the numerous tiny sutures from her neck and behind her ear.

‘You’re doing grand …’ Iain said every now and then, but he was a silent type and was concentrating hard so it was Lizzie who did most of the reassuring as the tiny threads were removed.

‘How does it look?’ Jessica kept asking.

Iain was concentrating and it was Lizzie who spoke for him.

‘It’s very swollen and tender at the moment,’ Lizzie said, ‘but the wounds are …’ She hesitated. How could she describe them as amazing? Yet she had never seen anything so intricately repaired. ‘It’s a marvellous job.’

She looked up and Iain gave a grim smile.

He was a man of few words but his work clearly spoke for itself. As he held up the mirror and Jessica carefully examined the wounds, Lizzie was relieved for the patient that she could see an improvement.

‘It looks so much better but—’

‘Just let it settle and I’ll see you in a couple of days and we’ll start with ointments and massage, but for now I just want the wound left. How are you?’

‘I don’t know,’ Jessica admitted. ‘The thing is …’ She glanced over at Lizzie and when it was clear that she’d prefer privacy Lizzie made her excuses and left.

‘How is she?’ Leo was walking past as Lizzie came out.

‘Sorry?’

He nodded in the direction of his office and Lizzie followed. The corridor was perhaps not the best place to speak. ‘How is Jessica?’ Leo clarified. ‘I was going to suture her when she came in but I knew it was going to take hours and I had a function to attend …’ He watched as Lizzie’s lips tightened a fraction. ‘You’ve been spending far too long listening to my brother about me.’ Leo gave a wry smile. ‘Anyway, Iain is brilliant for that type of injury. I’m just interested to hear how Jessica is.’

‘Her sutures are out,’ Lizzie said. ‘She’s just speaking with Iain. I think she wanted me to leave.’

‘You don’t recognise her, do you?’

‘Should I?’ Lizzie said, and then her eyes widened as she recalled the news last week and realised she’d just been looking after the wife of a celebrity who’d been taken in for questioning after a heated argument with his wife.

‘From her injuries I thought she must have been in a car accident.’ Lizzie closed her eyes for a moment. ‘I thought that working here would be …’ She halted, realising Leo might not be the best person to reveal her thoughts to, but he was already one step ahead.

‘You thought that it was all fake boobs and antiaging?’ Leo finished for her. ‘Domestic violence isn’t just for the working classes.’

‘I know.’ Lizzie’s voice was rattled, cross, but more with herself because, yes, Leo was right, people assumed that if you were rich and beautiful of course those sorts of things didn’t happen and so, when they did, it was somehow more shocking.

‘You’ll know it for certain after a couple of months here,’ Leo said. ‘Right, would you mind stepping outside and then walking in again?’ He saw her confusion. ‘I’d like to start again.’

‘It’s really not necessary.’

‘It really is,’ Leo said. ‘Go on, knock and this time wait till I call you in.’

‘This is ridiculous,’ Lizzie said, walking out and closing the door. She knocked and waited for his summons.

‘Come in.’

But kind of fun, Lizzie decided as she opened the door to his smile.

‘You must be the new head nurse.’ Leo stood from his desk, walked over and shook her hand.

‘You must be Mr Hunter.’ Lizzie smiled. ‘It’s lovely to meet you … Oh, what on earth happened to your cheek?’

He smiled, and Lizzie’s stomach did what it had done at the door to the changing room and simply folded over on itself.

‘Oh, that,’ Leo said. ‘Just a little tumble, skiing.’

‘Ouch.’ Lizzie winced. ‘Poor you!’

Then Leo was serious. He offered her a seat and moved behind his huge walnut table. It really was a lovely office, which looked out onto Harley Street, and Lizzie had to snap her eyes back to Leo when he spoke as she found herself staring out of the window, unable to believe she was actually here.

‘I think you’ll enjoy working here,’ Leo started. ‘I have an amazing team —all the staff I have personally chosen for their excellence. From surgeons to receptionists I have hand-picked each one.’

‘Except me.’

She didn’t mince her words, Leo noted.

‘Except you,’ Leo admitted. ‘But, then, I trust my brother’s judgement.’ He didn’t add it had been a condition of Ethan’s that if he was to take the role then Lizzie must be employed. ‘So, what made you want to work at the Hunter Clinic?’

Lizzie wondered just how honest she should be—she could hardly admit that it was the dazzling salary that had first attracted her. Neither could she say that the chance for an apartment in such a beautiful part of London had been too good to pass up and that the chance to finally get ahead financially had clinched the deal for her.

‘It’s a very prestigious clinic,’ Lizzie settled for instead.

‘It is.’ Leo’s eyes never left her face. ‘You haven’t worked in cosmetic or reconstructive surgery, though?’ he checked, and watched as her cheeks darkened. ‘What attracts you to it?’

‘People like Jessica,’ Lizzie answered. ‘It’s wonderful that such an appalling injury—’

‘I’m talking about the cosmetic side of things. People who come to the clinic for purely cosmetic reasons. Vanity even …’

‘I’m all for it,’ Lizzie said.

‘Really?’ Leo raised an eyebrow. ‘You don’t sound very sure.’

Lizzie was really struggling. Had she had a formal interview she would have given this question some thought prior to the event, but now it had been thrust upon her. There was no escaping Leo’s eyes as her mind raced for a more convincing response.

‘Why wouldn’t I be all for it?’ Lizzie said. ‘I’ve had a little work done myself.’

‘Really?’ Leo frowned. ‘What?’

Lizzie let out a slightly shrill laugh. ‘I don’t think you’d really expect me to answer that.’

Leo frowned. He could usually spot any work—it was his job after all—and Lizzie had to sit there burning with mortification as his eyes skimmed her face and then dipped briefly before returning to meet her gaze.

‘Can I ask who did your work?’

‘No,’ Lizzie said.

‘Well, whatever he did, it was an excellent job.’

‘She,’ Lizzie said.

‘Now you’ve got me really curious.’

Leo soon got back to being serious as he explained how the clinic ran. ‘I take great pride in my work. My patients often live their lives, or have lived their lives in the spotlight,’ he explained. ‘Like it or not, the world can be a very judgmental place and I do my best for my patients. I respect them immensely for taking care of themselves.’ Lizzie looked up at the determination in his voice. ‘Though I’m seeing fewer clients now as I focus more on the business side of things.’

‘Can I ask why?’ Lizzie was curious. ‘You’re clearly in demand …’

‘Two-fold.’ He nodded his approval of her question. ‘The more elusive I’ve become the more in demand I am and, on a more serious note, I really do want to build the charitable side of things. That’s the reason I’ve persuaded Ethan to come on board. The Hunter Clinic provides many people with very nice lifestyles but we do give back. It’s not just about donating a doctor’s time, though, it’s the hospital beds, the rehabilitation, the family …’

‘I can imagine.’

‘Fundraising is a serious part of my role. I’m very good at the social side of things.’

‘I had heard.’

‘Someone has to be,’ Leo said. ‘I can hardly send in Edward.’

Lizzie frowned.

‘Renowned micro surgeon, absolute genius, lives with his books,’ Leo said. ‘Then there’s Iain.’

‘MacKenzie? The Scottish one?’

Leo nodded. ‘Another brilliant surgeon but useless at small talk. And can you imagine Ethan drumming up business at an A-list function? He drips disdain.’

Lizzie felt guilty doing so but she did give a small laugh because, yes, Ethan wouldn’t be wonderful at schmoozing up to anyone.

‘For all he disapproves …’ Leo mused out loud, and then halted himself and turned the focus back to Lizzie. ‘Ethan said something about you supporting your parents …’

‘He shouldn’t have.’

‘He wasn’t gossiping,’ Leo said. ‘It must be quite a drain on you.’

‘I look out for my parents,’ Lizzie said tartly, embarrassed to be discussing this. ‘The same way that they have always looked out for me. Like you, there comes a time when it’s right to give back.’

‘Okay.’ He wrote on his pad and Lizzie frowned. ‘I was just reminding myself not to go there again.’ He turned her visible discomfort into a smile. ‘Right, I’d better get on. I do have a patient at two who will expect only the most senior staff.’ He opened up a folder and Lizzie saw that despite the effortless small talk this meeting really had been planned because it contained all her paperwork. ‘You’ve signed the confidentiality clause?’ Leo checked.

‘Yes.’

‘You fully understand what you signed?’

‘Of course.’

‘Good. I’ll see you just before two, then. The patient I’m seeing is Marianna Dupont. Have you heard of her?’

Lizzie swallowed. You’d have to be living under a rock not to have heard of Marianna. Since her engagement to Prince Ferdinand of Sirmontane had been announced, their romance had filled the gossip columns. As first in line to the throne, his future wife would one day be queen and from the way Leo was talking, Lizzie was about to meet her.

‘I have heard of her,’ Lizzie said, attempting nonchalance and failing miserably. The wedding wasn’t till next year but it would seem some discreet preparations were being put in place for a woman who would spend the rest of her life living in the eye of the public and on the cover of every magazine.

‘Good,’ Leo said, and as Lizzie went to go his voice caught up with her at the door.

‘The salary.’

‘Sorry?’ Lizzie turned around.

‘You could have just answered that it was the salary that attracted you to the role and I wouldn’t have minded. There’s nothing wrong with wanting nice things.’

‘I know.’

‘And a lot of people have no idea what goes on in a clinic like this till they actually work in one.’

‘I’m already finding that out.’

‘You have to know it to love it,’ Leo explained.

She possibly already did.

CHAPTER FOUR

MARIANNA WAS SERIOUSLY beautiful.

Gwen showed her through and Lizzie tried to quieten the flutter of nerves in her stomach, telling herself that all patients wanted, rich or poor, was simply to be well cared for.

It didn’t help.

‘Leo!’ Marianna was charming and greeted him like a friend. ‘It’s lovely to see you again.’ Her voice dropped in concern when she saw the dressing on his cheek. ‘What happened there?’

‘Just a small tumble, skiing,’ Leo said, as he kissed her on both cheeks and gave Lizzie just the tiniest wink. ‘How are you?’

‘Nervous,’ Marianna said in her rich accent.

‘This is Lizzie Birch,’ Leo introduced them. ‘Our new head nurse.’

‘It’s lovely to meet you, Lizzie.’ Marianna smiled but she gave a nervous swallow when she turned back to Leo. ‘I am sure that I was photographed coming in.’

‘You used the basement?’

‘I did, but when I was in the car—’

‘You’ll leave by the front door,’ Leo said. ‘Did you wear dark glasses on the way here, like I told you to?’

Marianna nodded. ‘If anyone finds out that I’m having work done, it will be awful.’

‘No one shall find out from us,’ Leo assured her. ‘We’re very used to dealing with this type of thing, though, as we’ve discussed, there are always going to be rumours.’

‘Of course,’ Marianna sighed. ‘I have already been pregnant five times.’

‘You’ve kept your figure well,’ Lizzie joked, and then blushed, but Marianna just laughed.

‘How has it been?’ Leo asked, pulling up some images on his computer and then coming over to Marianna to take a closer look.

‘Your work is amazing,’ Marianna admitted. ‘Even I struggle to notice what is different about my nose—I just know that it looks so much better.’

‘Marianna had rhinoplasty six weeks ago at Kate’s,’ Leo explained to Lizzie as he examined the soon-to-be-royal nose. He then took a couple of photos, which he transferred to his computer, and Lizzie marvelled at the change. It was almost imperceptible, yet the difference was very telling.

‘I shaved a fraction here …’ Leo told Lizzie, using his pen to point to what he had done. ‘And then just tweaked the tip and lifted it a millimetre …’ He turned to Marianna. ‘It’s going to just keep getting better,’ he said. ‘It’s still a touch swollen.’ He gave his patient a very nice smile. ‘You’ve done the hard part now. The next surgery we can do here. It will just be local anaesthetic and light sedation. We’re going to do a blepharoplasty,’ Leo said, and then, seeing Lizzie blink, he translated. ‘Take away some of the excess on Marianna’s eyelids.’ He turned back to the images on the screen and addressed Marianna. ‘Taking just a sliver will open your eyes up and it will look amazing, especially for profile shots …’

Marianna nodded but she had questions. ‘What about the scars?’

‘We’ll use laser to minimise, but there will be a small scar. It will be easily covered with make-up but if you don’t want your staff to know …’

‘I do my own make-up,’ Marianna said with a nod, ‘and I will continue to do so.’

‘Well, it won’t be a problem, then. The scarring is in the natural crease anyway …’ He looked at Lizzie. ‘Marianna has to think about constant close-ups.’

‘I feel very vain,’ Marianna admitted. ‘My sister says that I am being ridiculous, but the pressure, honestly …’

‘I completely understand.’ Leo nodded. ‘A little bit of work now will make a huge difference to your confidence.’ He looked at Lizzie. ‘Can you imagine the whole world watching your every move?’

‘No,’ Lizzie admitted. ‘I’d be terrified.’

‘There can be no relaxing when you are out,’ Marianna sighed. ‘You are always on show.’

‘No getting caught with your pants down!’ Leo said, and Marianna laughed as Lizzie blushed furiously, wondering if that little reference was in regard to what had taken place earlier. ‘When would you like this done?’ Leo asked his esteemed patient.

‘How soon can you do it?’ Marianna asked. ‘I am going away at the weekend for a fortnight. I know we were looking at May, but this vacation has just come up and the place is very secluded. Ferdinand says there will be no cameras. I know it is very short notice for you.’

‘That’s not a problem.’ Leo went to his diary and it was decided the minor surgery would take place at six a.m. the following morning.

‘You’re to have nothing to eat or drink after midnight,’ Leo said. ‘That’s just as a precaution, though—it will just be very light sedation.’

‘So it will be done here?’

‘Yes.’ Leo nodded. ‘Come in at five, while it’s still dark. I’ll keep you here for the day and then we’ll have you back in the hotel by evening. Gwen, our manager, will liaise with the hotel …’ He was completely at ease with her, Lizzie noticed—still in charge, despite who he was dealing with. ‘Right,’ Leo said. ‘Before you go I just want to take a closer look at that eye of yours.’

Marinna smiled and leant back in the chair as Leo opened up a small pack. Lizzie was too embarrassed to ask if he needed anything, she didn’t have a clue what he was doing! ‘Marianna’s fiancé bought her a puppy,’ Leo said as he opened up a small packet and an eye dressing.

‘How lovely,’ Lizzie said, frantically trying to work out what was happening. Maybe he had to check her eyes before he operated or something?

‘He’s a basset hound,’ Marianna said. ‘He talks to me, I swear.’

‘I had a parrot that did that,’ Leo said, and it was such a silly joke that Marianna started to laugh and so did Lizzie.

‘You didn’t have a parrot?’ Marianna checked as he put two fluorescein drops into her eyes—it was an indicator and any scratches to her eye would turn green.

‘Of course not.’

The laughter mixed with the drops had brought tears to Marianna’s eyes and Lizzie watched as the bright orange liquid ran down the side of her face. ‘No, there’s no scratch,’ Leo said. ‘Still, keep it covered for a few days, antibiotic drops and mild painkillers if you need them. A scratch to the cornea can be extremely painful. And watch that puppy’s claws!’

Lizzie had stopped even trying to hide her frown now—hadn’t he just said that she didn’t have a scratch?

Leo put a large eye patch on and taped it over Marianna’s eye. ‘Okay, dark glasses back on.’

‘Thank you.’

Lizzie saw a little of the stain running down Marianna’s cheek and went to wipe it but Leo halted her, his hand lightly dusting hers, and Lizzie pulled her hand back just a little too quickly to even try to pretend his touch hadn’t been noted. ‘Just leave it …’ Leo said.

Only then did Lizzie realise the lengths Marianna had to go to in order to keep this procedure a secret. The puppy, the small smear of fluorescein coming from beneath the eye patch and now the dark glasses. It wasn’t her ignorance that had Lizzie’s cheeks burning, though, but the brief contact from Leo.

‘Thanks, Lizzie.’ Marianna smiled as Leo walked her out to the foyer. ‘Will I be seeing you in the morning?’

‘Of course,’ Leo answered for Lizzie.

Well, it looked like she’d better set her alarm early, Lizzie thought as she made her way to her office, but she was excited at the prospect of Marianna arriving under the cover of darkness and just thrilled to be a part of the big charade!

‘I assume the future princess was just in?’ A terribly handsome man dressed from head to toe in black leathers and carrying a crash helmet under his arm was walking towards her. ‘I’m Declan Underwood.’ He shook her hand.

‘Oh, yes, Leo did tell me about you.’ Leo had said that Declan was his second in command. ‘I’m Lizzie Birch.’

‘I know.’ Declan smiled. ‘Leo called earlier and told me that you’d started. I hear Flora kicking off was your welcome!’

Lizzie really didn’t know what to say but settled for a noncommittal smile as Leo walked over to join them.

‘I’m guessing that was Marianna,’ Declan said to Leo. ‘Lizzie wouldn’t tell me.’

‘You could be anyone,’ Lizzie pointed out.

‘Fair enough. But I knew it must be someone if Leo was actually rolling up his sleeves to see a patient. He pinches all the good stuff.’ Declan smiled. ‘Or rather he takes only the good stuff.’

It was good-natured teasing, Lizzie being quite sure that Declan would have more than his fair share of glamorous patients.

Declan headed off to get changed and returned a few moments later looking very suave in a suit. Leo watched as Lizzie, not knowing he was watching, rolled her eyes.

‘What?’ Leo frowned in fleeting concern. The last thing he needed was his head nurse not getting on with Declan.

‘Nothing,’ Lizzie said, then, knowing she’d been caught, admitted the truth. ‘When you hand-pick your staff …’ she shook her head in exasperation ‘… do they have to be good looking?’

‘Do you find me good looking, Lizzie?’ Leo teased.

‘I think you know that you are.’

Leo just smiled. ‘Well, if that is part of my selection criteria then know that you …’ He halted. It was her first day and he was determined to heed Ethan’s advice and get through it without flirting, but it was starting to prove an impossible ask. ‘It’s not all about looks, Lizzie,’ he scolded.

‘That a bit rich, coming from a cosmetic surgeon,’ Lizzie retorted lightly.

‘Tell me, Lizzie …’ He was dying to know. ‘What have you had done?’

His finger came and lifted her chin, just slightly, and no there was no teeny scar beneath. She could feel the heat from his fingers and told herself it was second nature for Leo to examine a face.

It just made the air trapped in her lungs burn.

‘If I guess correctly, will you—?’

‘I still won’t tell you.’

Leo dropped the contact and Lizzie was glad that he did but she blushed when she saw the reason he had. A very boot-faced Ethan was walking past.

‘Isn’t it your home time?’ Leo said to Lizzie.

‘I was just going to—’

‘Go,’ he ordered. ‘I want you here tomorrow at four. ‘I’ll have a driver pick you up.’

‘A driver?’

‘You’re not walking alone at that time,’ Leo said.

‘You don’t have to do that.’

‘I’m not. It will all go on Prince Ferdinand’s account. Oh, and if you come in and someone’s crashed on my couch, you have my permission to kick them off.’

‘Okay.’

‘It’s like Piccadilly Circus in here at night,’ Leo said, but didn’t elaborate. ‘Welcome aboard, Lizzie.’

CHAPTER FIVE

WAKING TO HER alarm, Lizzie struggled to remember the last time she had enjoyed waking up way before dawn and looking forward to going to work quite as much as she now was.

Yes, it had only been a day, Lizzie thought as she dressed and tied back her hair and, yes, maybe she had got the job by pure default, but it was all so glamorous, and exciting. She was also incredibly impressed with the charitable side of the clinic as well as the care and concern that had been shown to Jessica—the work really was diverse.

As promised, her intercom buzzed at five minutes to four and Lizzie headed down to the car, sinking back into the leather for the impossibly short trip to the clinic.

She felt looked after.

Lizzie blinked at her own admission.

For the first time in an awfully long time she felt as if she was being looked after, rather than the other way round.

It was a guilty admission.

As she’d been growing up, Lizzie’s parents had doted on her.

Her mum would even warm her school uniform every morning in the winter. Lizzie had been wrapped in love by her parents.

Supported.

Stifled.

A bit, Lizzie conceded as she thanked the driver and stepped out of the warm car into the freezing morning. The pavement was icy and the air blew white as she let herself in.

Not stifled in any terrible way, Lizzie guiltily amended as she keyed in the security code to turn off the alarm. Her parents had been wonderful, supporting her in everything, but even her leaving home to do her nursing training had caused such a marked change to their many routines that it had been then, almost at that point, that Lizzie had been more a carer than cared for.

She had worried endlessly about them, telling herself not to as she’d prepared for a trip overseas with her boyfriend.

Her first.

It had never happened.

She had found out at the airport that her mother had had a serious fall and, to Peter’s displeasure, she had backed out of their trip and returned to her family, racked with guilt for even thinking of leaving, and had stayed to take care of her mother.

When her mother had gotten to the stage that she’d barely recognised her, and both her parents had gone into a home, Lizzie had realised that it was now or never and had made the move to London, much to her father’s distress.

Families, Lizzie thought as she turned on the lights and watched the glittering chandelier sparkle above her, were complicated—even the straightforward ones.

And as for the not so straightforward …

‘Ethan!’

He was crashed out on the sofa in Leo’s office and she was grateful to Leo for having had the foresight to tell her how to deal with this because otherwise she might have wondered whether it was best to leave Ethan and set up in another office.

‘Ethan!’ He stirred and, deciding there was only one kind way to wake him, Lizzie went off and made them both a coffee and then woke him as she always had when she had come to do his dressings—by turning on every light.

‘Lizzie …’

‘Like the old days, isn’t it?’ Lizzie smiled, handing him the coffee.

‘I was working.’

‘Hmm …’ Lizzie wasn’t convinced.

‘This time I actually was.’ Ethan almost smiled at her doubtful expression. ‘I had a conference call at three with a doctor in the Solomon Islands. I thought Leo’s office might be a better background than me at home …’ He watched as Lizzie turned on Leo’s desk lamp and checked all his investigation and prescription pads as Ethan took a grateful drink of his coffee. ‘How are you finding it?’ Ethan asked.

‘Interesting,’ Lizzie said. ‘I actually really enjoyed yesterday and the flat is amazing.’

‘Good.’

‘I really am grateful to you for putting me forward for the job.’

‘You don’t need to be grateful, Lizzie,’ Ethan said. ‘You deserve a break and after all you did for me I should be the one who’s grateful.’

‘I did nothing!’ Lizzie said. ‘Except dress your legs.’

‘And talk,’ Ethan said, and Lizzie paused, remembering how he had been so shell-shocked, so deep into himself, that she’d just wittered on about her family, her parents, what she was making for dinner. Just every little inane thing as it had come to mind and slowly he had started to converse.

‘You helped bring me back from hell.’

‘You’re still there, though,’ Lizzie said, and she turned her back and started pulling back the drapes so that Ethan couldn’t see the tears stinging her eyes. Yes, he had come a long way but there was still such a long way to go.

‘How come you’re in so early?’ Ethan asked.

‘Leo’s got surgery early. Marianna is coming in soon …’

‘Ah, the cloak-and-dagger stuff,’ Ethan said. ‘You might want to leave the curtains closed, then.’

Good point, Lizzie thought, turning around.

‘I think he keeps a red carpet in the cupboard in the hall,’ Ethan said, and Lizzie heard the slight trace of bitterness.

‘She’s lovely.’

‘I’m sure she is.’ Ethan shrugged. ‘Lizzie …’ Ethan was hesitant, he didn’t really know how to play this, but he had seen Leo yesterday, seen his fingers on Lizzie’s chin. As much as he had tried to deny it, Ethan had read the instant attraction, not just from Leo but Lizzie too. ‘I didn’t really tell you much about my brother …’

‘He’s been great,’ Lizzie said, taking a drink of her own coffee. ‘Of course, we didn’t get off to the best start …’

‘You soon get used to that sort of thing with Leo,’ Ethan said, and watched a dull blush spread on her cheeks as she resumed needlessly tidying Leo’s desk. ‘He’s a rake, Lizzie. He goes through women like …’ He glanced at the pad she held in her hands. ‘That new prescription pad will outlive his next conquest.’

‘That’s none of my business,’ Lizzie pointed out. ‘I’m here to run the clinic, not manage his sex life.’

‘I’m just letting you know. Leo is what he is …’ How did you describe a sun that burnt? ‘He’s an amazing surgeon, not that he uses it much …’

‘He explained all that.’

‘Leo likes the fast lane, there’s nothing more to him than that.’

Lizzie wasn’t so sure. Brilliant surgeon or not, you didn’t get to be where Leo was by chance and she was quite sure there was far more to Leo behind that very smooth exterior.

‘Lizzie …’ Ethan liked Lizzie and decided to get straight to the point. ‘He’s a bastard. Leo—’

‘Ethan,’ Lizzie broke in, ‘I don’t need a big brother looking out for me.’

‘Neither do I,’ Ethan said, and gave a wry smile. ‘I’ve told him the same thing many times.’ Yet she was right. He thought of Lizzie more like a brother would and he didn’t want her to get hurt. Ethan knew the damage Leo so easily wreaked and he could not stand that for Lizzie so he pressed on when, with anyone else, he wouldn’t have. ‘I’ve never known Leo serious about anyone …’ Ethan hesitated and then corrected his lie by omission. ‘Actually, there was one …’ Lizzie glanced up at the tentative note to his voice ‘… but they were never serious.’ God, Ethan hated talking about personal things and he certainly wasn’t going to tell Lizzie about Olivia. ‘All you need to know is that Leo—’

‘I get the message.’

‘Good,’ Ethan said. ‘So long as you do.’

They both fell silent as they heard a car pull up and a few moments later Leo stepped in.

His hair was damp and he smelt as fresh as if he’d just that second stepped from the shower and sprayed cologne on himself.

‘Bitching about me?’ he said, for his entrance.

‘It’s so very easy to do,’ Ethan responded.

‘Don’t believe a word,’ Leo quipped to Lizzie, but he was unusually rattled, a smidge jealous at the sight of Ethan and Lizzie gossiping over coffee, and not for the first time he wondered about the nature of their relationship.

‘I’ll get you a coffee.’ Lizzie headed off and Leo took off his heavy coat and hung it up.

‘Here again?’ he said to Ethan.

‘I had a conference call,’ Ethan said. ‘So you’ve got Marianna coming in for major surgery this morning?’

‘I do.’ Leo refused to be drawn; he knew how little Ethan thought of his work and that his skills could be far better utilised. Leo certainly wasn’t about to justify himself, especially not at this hour!

‘Have a look at this,’ Leo said, as Lizzie returned with coffee. ‘Hot off the press.’

‘Oh, my goodness!’ Lizzie smiled. There was a picture of Marianna wearing her eye patch and a white arrow pointing to the streak of fluorescein running down her cheek. There was an extraordinarily long piece about corneal scratches and how she would have to keep her eye covered and wear dark glasses. The Sirmontane royal spokesperson neither confirmed nor denied the reports that Marianna had been scratched by the puppy Prince Ferdinand had bought her.

‘There’s even a photo of her puppy!’

She couldn’t help but laugh but a less than impressed Ethan limped off. He could hear them laughing and chatting through the empty clinic, hear their easy conversation as Lizzie set up for the surgery, and he wondered if he’d been clear enough in his warning.

No, he wasn’t overreacting and it wasn’t far too soon, he’d seen the way Leo had first responded to her.

They’d known each other close to twenty-four hours now.

For Leo, that could be considered contained!

Gwen arrived early too and then, a short while later, Marianna arrived via the basement, with her security, and very soon the procedure would be under way.

Marianna really was delightful.

‘Well done!’ she said to Leo as he marked her eyes with his purple pen for the procedure. ‘I read the article on the way here.’

‘Good, isn’t it?’ Leo smiled. ‘By the time most people are waking up to read it, you’ll already be done. I’ll let you know how many journalists we have calling to make an appointment with the ophthalmologist.’

‘Do you have one here?’ Lizzie asked, and Leo nodded.

‘He comes in twice a week. It works out great for this type of thing. They’ll all be ringing to make appointments, just trying to catch us out. They won’t, though.’

Leo really did have everything worked out, Lizzie was fast realising.

He was very good with Marianna. She lay down and he chatted with her easily as he put in an IV. Incredibly stoic, she asked for only minimum sedation.

‘You’re sure?’ Leo checked. ‘You can sleep through it.’

‘I’d really rather not.’

‘That’s fine,’ Leo said. ‘I’ll give you lots of local and just enough sedation to make sure you’re relaxed. You can always change your mind.’

‘Thank you,’ Marianna said, but Lizzie guessed she wouldn’t be changing her mind. Marianna was a woman who clearly liked to be in control at all times.

Leo and Lizzie set up for the procedure, chatting to Marianna as they did so.

‘How are you enjoying your work?’ Marianna asked.

‘Very much,’ Lizzie said, keeping a careful eye on their patient as Leo administered the sedation.

‘How are you feeling?’ Leo checked.

‘Good.’

‘Okay. I’m just going to put in the local anaesthetic around your eyes.’

‘The things we have to go through …’ Marianna said, as Lizzie wiped a few tears away and they waited for the anaesthetic to take effect. ‘I am hoping once the wedding is over the press will get tired of me.’

Leo’s eyebrows rose above his mask and Marianna smiled. ‘Yes, I know they will go crazy again when we have children but, like you, I have my secret weapons.’

‘Do tell.’ Leo grinned.

‘Marco.’

Leo laughed and glanced over at Lizzie. ‘That’s Prince Ferdinand’s younger brother. He’s a bit of a wild card—I can see he could help take the spotlight off the two of you.’

‘Ferdinand is much quieter.’ Marianna yawned, the sedation making her feel a little drowsy. ‘Marco is the one who makes the headlines.’

‘I haven’t heard much about him lately,’ Leo mused, checking around Marianna’s eyes to be sure they were numb before starting. ‘What’s he up to these days?’

Marianna didn’t answer. Lizzie wondered if she’d dozed off but, no, she was still awake, telling Leo that she couldn’t feel anything as he dabbed at the area with a needle.

‘We’ll start then,’ Leo said. He had worked with celebrities and royalty long enough to know when a question was deliberately ignored—whatever Prince Marco was up to, Marianna did not want it discussed.

‘Okay, keep your eyes closed, Marianna, unless I tell you otherwise.’

Lizzie had never seen such steady hands as Leo’s. He was incredibly precise.

Leo too was enjoying working with Lizzie. The mood in the room was relaxed and he knew Marianna was being well taken care of as he focused on her eyes, removing the smallest sliver of her upper lids. Even as he tied off one long suture, Lizzie could see the difference.

‘Less is more,’ Leo explained to Lizzie as he worked. ‘In this case we’re not trying to change anything, just enhance.’

‘Will there be any more procedures?’ Lizzie asked now that Marianna was dozing quietly as Leo worked.

Leo shook his head. ‘I’ve already zapped a few capillaries and I’m sure Marianna won’t mind me telling you she had some work done with the most impressive ceramist. I might have to pay him a visit.’

Lizzie smiled behind her mask, Leo needed no work done on his teeth, which were white and very even, but not so falsely perfect that she really couldn’t be sure if he’d had work done.

‘Have you ever thought of having anything done, Lizzie?’ Marianna asked groggily.

‘I have.’ Lizzie refused to look at Leo.

‘Have you had anything done yourself?’

It was Lizzie who chose not to answer this time.

‘That’s what I’m trying to work out,’ Leo answered for her.

It was all good-natured teasing, just the sort of idle chatter that took place during a straightforward procedure, and in less than an hour Marianna was sitting up, a little woozy but looking into the mirror as Leo outlined what he had done.

‘You will get a little bruising and swelling but not too much, I think.’

‘Will I be able to cover it with make-up?’

‘No make-up yet,’ Leo warned. ‘It’s going to look worse before it looks better. We’ll keep you here for today …’ He wrote his operation notes and gave Lizzie his instructions. ‘Lots of iced eye masks and if Marianna can rest in a recliner, that would be great. I’d like her head up.’

‘Sure.’

Lizzie watched as he wrote on a small card. She assumed it was the instructions but he clipped it to the operation notes.

‘Okay, call someone to help you take Marianna to the recovery area.’

It was nothing like anywhere Lizzie had worked.

She didn’t even have to push the wheelchair.

Charlotte was waiting in the sumptuous recovery room, which was more like a day spa than anything Lizzie was used to. She welcomed Marianna and they helped her into a chair and checked her obs and then, as Marianna slept, Charlotte showed Lizzie a few things—such as letting the chef know that they had a patient back from Theatre after twilight sedation.

‘Iced water.’ Charlotte read Marianna’s choices to the chef and Lizzie hid her amazement—you even ordered water here! ‘Could you send some chamomile tea in half an hour and I’ll let you know when she’s ready for breakfast. Poached eggs and salmon and brown bread, no crusts, no butter.’

‘I want to get my eyes done just so I can lie in that chair and have poached eggs and salmon brought up to me.’ Lizzie smiled. ‘But I’ll have butter, please.’

‘You can,’ Charlotte answered. ‘Leo lets us have one procedure a year on the house … it doesn’t have to be you, you can use it for a family member.’

Lizzie wondered if she should get a T-shirt with ‘I LOVE MY JOB!’ printed on the front.

‘Usually a patient who has had a blepharoplasty would just stay till around lunchtime but Leo wants Marianna here all day and you’ll take her back to the hotel this evening.’

‘Okay.’

There was a knock at the door and Gwen came in, smiling. ‘Have you got something for me?’

‘I do.’

Charlotte removed the little card from the patient notes and handed it to Gwen, who headed off. ‘It’s just a note to attach to flowers,’ Charlotte explained. ‘Gwen will have them sent to the hotel.’

‘Do all patients come home to flowers and handwritten notes from the surgeon?’

‘Leo’s Ladies do,’ Charlotte said with a smile. ‘I’ll leave you, then.’

Lizzie was completely unused to doing nothing at work but, for this esteemed patient, the head nurse was with her at all times and Lizzie found herself checking cupboards for something to do.

‘You can sit and read,’ Leo said, when he came in later in the afternoon to check in on Marianna. ‘You don’t have to pretend to be busy. You may as well enjoy the quiet times, it’s not always like this.’

‘Thanks.’

He went over and checked on Marianna.

‘I think I can go back to the hotel now,’ Marianna said, and Leo agreed. Really, she could have gone home a while ago but naturally Leo had wanted to make sure everything was fine.

‘Lizzie will see you back to your hotel. If you have any concerns at all, don’t hesitate to call me. Otherwise I’ll see you tomorrow.’

He gave his instructions to Lizzie before they headed off.

‘Don’t worry about coming back,’ Leo said. ‘Thank you for coming in so early. It all went very well. I’ll give you a call a bit later.’

‘A call?’

‘To make sure the transfer to the hotel went okay.’

Why else would he be calling her? Lizzie thought, trying to tame a sudden blush.

The hotel ensured everything went seamlessly too and, completely unseen by any prying eyes, Lizzie transferred her patient from Harley Street to a gorgeous suite at the hotel, where flowers were waiting from Ferdinand and, of course, from Leo too.

‘How sweet!’ Marianna said as she read the card and whatever Leo had written made her laugh. ‘He says my puppy really needs his nails trimmed. Leo is gorgeous, isn’t he?’

Lizzie didn’t really know how to answer. ‘He’s a great boss,’ she said. ‘Well, so far …’ And then her voice trailed off. Really, their start had been terrible, she’d been thinking of walking out on the job there and then, but in less than two days somehow all had been forgiven.

Not forgotten, though.

As she slipped eye masks into the fridge for Marianna to use overnight Lizzie recalled Ethan’s words this morning—he’d been warning her, Lizzie knew.

He didn’t have to.

Of course Leo was gorgeous and of course she fancied him, but there was no way Lizzie was going to add herself to the list of Leo’s Ladies. And anyway, she told herself, as if someone as stunning and delicious and as in demand as Leo Hunter might be remotely interested in her.

He was, though.

Lizzie swallowed and then corrected herself.

Leo Hunter would have been flirting from the cradle—those blue eyes, that slow smile certainly weren’t exclusive to her.

Two days in and Lizzie was in love …

With her job!

And she had every intention of keeping it.

She applied some ointment to Marianna’s eyes and made sure she was settled before saying goodbye then heading out to the street and into a taxi and home.

Lizzie was just sinking into the bath with the last of the champagne chocolate truffles and wondering if it was true that she could have a procedure done, and what she might choose if it was, when her phone rang.

Of course she had to race through to the lounge and stood naked and dripping wet as the very unruffled voice of Leo came on the line.

‘Did I disturb you?’

‘Of course not,’ Lizzie lied.

‘How was Marianna?’

‘Fine. Everything went well,’ Lizzie said, trying to tell herself she was freezing, that it wasn’t his voice that had her shivering and made her toes curl.

‘Good.’

There wasn’t much to say really. It had been a very simple procedure and just as she thought she was done thinking about Leo Hunter for the day, he made sure that he would spend the rest of the night and days to come perpetually lodged in her thoughts.

‘Did Gwen discuss the ball with you?’

‘The ball?’

‘There’s a charity ball for Princess Catherine’s next weekend. You’ll be attending as my guest.’

‘Me?’

‘Yes.’

Lizzie just stood there as Leo calmly explained that as head nurse it was right that she accompany him.

It was pretty ironic that she was naked and soaked as he invited her to such a prestigious event—a fish out of water was exactly how she’d be, and she knew it.

‘I don’t think you …’ How could she explain that she’d never been to a ball in her life, let alone on the arm of someone as glamorous as he? How could she properly explain to someone as sophisticated and worldly as Leo that she would stand out like a sore thumb? ‘I think I’m away that weekend …’ Lizzie frantically attempted.

‘I’m not asking you if you’d like to go, Lizzie,’ Leo said, and she realised that she might have witnessed his might but only now was she glimpsing his power. No one said no to Leo, unless they had an exceptionally good reason. ‘There’s an important work function coming up—I’m hoping you’ll be able to attend.’

‘Of course,’ Lizzie responded.

‘Good.’

He rang off then and instead of running back to her bath Lizzie headed to her wardrobe and then the computer and logged into her bank account.

She might be working in the most luxurious surroundings but her pay didn’t go in till next Thursday and … Lizzie winced as she saw the damage Christmas had wreaked on her credit card, and her mother’s hairdresser was booked for this weekend and she charged like a wounded bull.

Leo might call it a mere work function but it was the renowned Princess Catherine’s Charity Ball he was referring to. It wasn’t just that she had no idea what to wear that had her head spinning, it was also that she would be attending with Leo.

No, Lizzie didn’t sleep well.

CHAPTER SIX

‘I THINK THAT Lizzie seems an excellent choice.’ Declan didn’t hold back on his praise. They were having a medical staff meeting and Leo was trying to wrap it up, yet the conversation kept turning to the new head nurse.

‘I agree.’ Rafael nodded. ‘I had a few problems with my schedule on Monday and it was all swiftly dealt with without anyone being upset.’

‘Okay, can we move things along? We’re not just here for the Lizzie Birch Admiration Society,’ Leo said, irritated and not sure why.

They discussed a few internal matters. With so many eminent surgeons working there, often they would talk about a particularly difficult case but this morning they were discussing the charity side of things. ‘How are things going?’ he asked Ethan.

‘Slowly,’ Ethan admitted. He loathed meetings and sat turning his pen over and over. ‘But then again, most people I need to speak to are still away for the Christmas break. Things should start to kick into gear next week but I’m having trouble deciding the next patient. I’ve narrowed it down to two possibilities and I’m waiting for some test results to come back for the insurance companies.’ They spoke for a little while longer but as the meeting wound up, despite Leo’s best efforts Ethan got back to the one topic Leo would rather not discuss. He looked at Leo, his eyes black with anger, and Leo guessed what was coming before Ethan even said it. ‘I hear that you’re taking Lizzie to the ball.’

‘Of course.’ Leo didn’t bat an eyelid. ‘It’s an important function, and I think that she should be there to represent the clinic.’ Rather abruptly Leo stood. ‘I’ve got a patient to see.’

He did have a patient to see but he was also questioning his decision last night. It had seemed an obvious choice at the time but as he saw Lizzie chatting to Charlotte in a treatment room as he walked past, saw her throw her head back and laugh at something that was being said, Leo knew the decision hadn’t just been about representing the Hunter Clinic well. But did he really need the complication of an aggrieved head nurse?

Yes, Leo had enough insight to know that she’d soon be aggrieved. The only thing he took seriously was work, not that Ethan could get that. Ethan seemed to think it all just magically happened, no one really understood the effort that he put in.

‘Darling Leo!’

His favourite patient stood when she saw him. Tiny, petite, she was trailing scarves and expensive scent as they walked to his office and past Lizzie, who, with a brief nod at them, was heading into hers.

‘Francesca …’ Leo helped her off with her luxurious coat. She had once been his father’s patient and more recently Leo had done a lot of work on her. Last year Francesca had had a full facelift and they both were thrilled with the result. She often popped in for a smudge of cosmetic filler or to have her lips plumped up a fraction. Francesca only ever saw Leo, even for the tiniest procedures. ‘It’s lovely to see you,’ Leo said.

‘And you, darling. It’s terribly cold.’ She shivered without her coat and Leo suppressed a smile. The routine never changed.

‘I can have the heating turned up.’

‘No, no …’ Francesca waved her hands. ‘I don’t want to cause trouble. I am always cold, you know that.’

‘Perhaps a small brandy might warm you?’ Leo suggested.

‘Just a small one maybe,’ Francesca said, and Leo duly headed to the decanter.

‘It really is freezing out there,’ he added, as he handed Francesca a drink.

‘How are you, Leo?’ Francesca asked once she’d taken a sip. ‘How’s the love life?’

‘You know I don’t have a love life, Francesca.’ Leo grinned. ‘The social life’s amazing, though.’

Francesca laughed and then got to the real reason she was there. ‘I have a wedding to go to in the summer,’ Francesca started, and Leo sighed inwardly as he realised that she wasn’t just there for a little top-up. Francesca knew enough about procedures to know she would need a few months for the swelling and bruising to go down fully and the effect to show properly, except Leo didn’t want to do any more surgery on her. Francesca looked amazing as she was.

‘Just here …’ Francesca ran her fingers along nonexistent jowls. ‘And I think if I had more volume in my cheeks—’

‘Francesca,’ Leo interrupted, ‘you never had much volume in your cheeks even when you were younger.’ Leo came over and examined Francesca’s face carefully.

Objectively.

He tried to ignore the fact that he had done her previous surgery and to look at Francesca as if she were a new patient who was coming to see him for the first time. He asked himself what he would advise if that were the case.

Nothing.

Leo had taken care of everything in last year’s surgery. He was incredibly proud of his work. Francesca, from a distance, could pass as a woman in her late forties or early fifties, thanks to the amazing care she took of herself. Even examining Francesca close up, even scrutinising her features carefully, the work she’d had done, combined with her already breath-taking features, meant that she looked two decades younger then she was.

‘Francesca.’ Leo went and sat back behind his desk—he knew this was going to be difficult, knew just how volatile Francesca could be. ‘You don’t need any work.’

‘I want it, though.’

‘You don’t need surgery.’ Leo would not budge. Ethan might consider most of Leo’s work unnecessary but what his brother did not understand was that Leo would never put a patient through an unnecessary procedure. Yes, he catered for vanity but not insanity and in this case absolutely nothing needed to be done. ‘We can maybe do a small touch-up with fillers before the wedding and naturally I will see you a month before so that your cosmetic filler is at its optimum, but—’

‘Leo!’ Francesca interrupted impatiently. ‘I want this surgery. This wedding is very important to me. Tony is going to be there. I haven’t seen him in years. I want to take his breath away.’

‘You’ll more than take his breath away if you look like Cat Woman.’ Leo could be very direct when needed, though he did try to soften it with a touch of humour. ‘He’ll choke on his hors d’oeuvre.’

‘Leo, you are not listening to me.’

‘You are the one who is not listening to me, Francesca. Do you remember when I took over your care from my father? You made me promise that no one would ever be able to guess that you’d had some work done. I’ve kept that promise. You look stunning. Even knowing the work you have had done, I still can’t really see it and I’m the surgeon. What you’re asking me to do will have everybody knowing that you’ve been under the knife and that you’ve got a face pumped up with fillers, and I’m just not prepared to put my name to it.’

‘Leo, please!’

‘Francesca, we can arrange for some skin treatments in the lead-up to the wedding and as I said I will make sure that your—’

‘I want to have the surgery.’

‘And I’m not prepared to operate,’ Leo said. ‘There are risks with any surgery, Francesca, and at seventy-two years of age …’ Don’t mention the war, Leo thought as he watched her furious eyes widen, but Leo simply would not be swayed and he continued on with the truth. ‘It would be foolish at best to operate for absolutely no reason.’

‘So you are saying that I’m too old for surgery?’

‘For completely unnecessary surgery, yes,’ Leo said. ‘Francesca, why don’t we—?’

But Francesca wasn’t listening. First making sure to drain the last of her brandy, angrily she stood. ‘You can’t say no to me.’

‘I can,’ Leo answered. ‘I just have. But I will—’ He didn’t get to finish. Francesca didn’t want to hear about fillers or skin treatments, she wanted surgery and she wanted it booked now! She stormed out in rage, hurling out her anger as she left.

‘I have been good to you, Leo! This is how you repay my loyalty, this is how you treat me …’

Lizzie heard the fracas and chose not to ignore it. ‘Is everything okay?’ Lizzie checked, popping her head in.

Leo rolled his eyes.

‘No jewellery to pick up?’ Lizzie checked.

‘Not this time.’ Leo gave a tight smile.

‘Not another lovers’ tiff, I hope!’

‘God, no.’ Leo actually laughed. ‘I do have some morals. Not many …’ Then his face went serious. ‘I refused to do the surgery she wanted.’

‘Oh.’

‘I did a full facelift on her last year. Francesca is seventy-two!’

‘Oh, my …’ Lizzie blinked. She could not believe that the woman she had seen was in her seventies. ‘I knew you were a good surgeon but …’ She shook her head. ‘She looks amazing.’

‘I’d love to take all the credit but, the fact is Francesca has the most amazing bone structure I’ve ever seen and still exercises daily and keeps herself in shape. She was a prima ballerina,’ Leo explained. ‘When I took over her care we both agreed to keep it minimal. Part of the reason she looks so good is that she doesn’t look as if she has had surgery—her face moves, she’s got lines …’ He let out a sigh. ‘Not for long, though.’

‘Meaning.’

‘The trouble with saying no to someone like Francesca is that she’ll find someone who is only too happy to say yes. The double trouble is …’ he shrugged ‘… she’s my favourite patient and I can’t stand to think of anyone else treating her. I know I’m the best and I want the best for her. I really do think a lot of her.’

‘Really?’ Lizzie smiled.

‘She’s so eccentric.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘She tells me all about Tony, the love of her life. How he wanted her to give up dancing yet she refused to. He wanted lots of bambinos and she wanted the stage so she ended it. There have been numerous young lovers and husbands since then but Tony is the love of her life. It turns out Tony is going to be at a wedding and she wants to look like she did the day she left him.’

He headed over to a huge bookshelf and pulled down a ballet programme. ‘Signed.’ Leo smiled. ‘I asked her to bring in old photos to work from …’ He laughed at the memory. ‘I’d still be looking through them now if I hadn’t narrowed it down to this. She’s as neurotic and vain as most dancers are, and twice as temperamental. God, I hope she doesn’t go anywhere else.’

He really did care about her, Lizzie thought, looking through the programme. Francesca was seriously beautiful now and in her day had been breath-taking. ‘A major part of her appeal is her gamine features,’ Leo explained, still flicking through the photos. ‘Look at that symmetry.’

‘Look at those eyes …’ Lizzie said.

‘They weren’t looking so doleful a few moments ago,’ Leo said. ‘She’s furious with me.’

‘But surely Francesca knows that you’ve got her best interests covered?’ Lizzie said, but Leo shook his head.

‘She determined that this is what she needs and, believe me, when Francesca sets her mind on something …’ He replaced the programme then chewed around the base of his thumbnail, pondering what to do. ‘Will you give Francesca a follow-up call?’ Leo asked. ‘See if she will come in and speak with me again—she’ll just hang up on me if I try to call.’

‘Sure.’

‘Women,’ Leo said.

‘Men,’ Lizzie sighed.

‘We’re not all bad.’

‘You are!’

‘I’m afraid so.’

It was a warning and Lizzie heeded it but they stared at each other for a very long moment, a moment when Lizzie felt he might just lower that head and kiss her.

She was imagining things surely.

Except she was having to hold onto her tongue just to stop herself licking her lips in delicious anticipation.

How did he do it? How, with just a look, could she almost taste his mouth?

The door knocked and Ethan came in. Lizzie could feel the crackling tension between the brothers and she didn’t really understand Ethan’s slightly disapproving look that he shot in her direction.

‘I wanted to talk to you, Leo, about the patients I’ve got in mind. We can only take one and it’s proving impossible to choose …’ He had two files with him and on the front were images of two terribly disfigured children. ‘Burns,’ Ethan explained to Lizzie. ‘There aren’t any too many fireguards where they come from. Both need surgery, it’s just hell trying to decide …’

‘That one.’ Lizzie blinked as Leo’s finger jabbed at an image.

‘Why that one?’ Ethan asked.

‘Why not?’ Leo shrugged.

‘You’re an arrogant jerk …’

There had always been tension between them, Lizzie was in no doubt as to that, but it was the first time she’d actually witnessed such a terse exchange. Maybe it was because Leo assumed Ethan and she had actually spoken about him, but in truth, till the morning of Marianna’s surgery, Ethan never really had.

‘No,’ Leo said evenly. ‘I’m practical. You can’t save the world, Ethan.’ He glanced at Lizzie. ‘Go and get your coat.’

‘My coat?’

‘I’ve got a couple of house calls to make.’

As Lizzie went to get her coat, Leo pulled his on as Ethan stood there.

‘Since when have you taken the head nurse on house calls?’

‘I’m seeing Marianna,’ Leo hissed. ‘Continuity of care.’

‘And you’re taking Lizzie to the ball.’

‘I’m trying to be more serious about our charity work,’ Leo said. ‘I thought it might be more professional to take staff …’ He turned. ‘Does it bother you?’

‘You know it does. I warned you to leave well alone.’

Leo needed to know more. There was a part of their past they both avoided discussing, but if Ethan had dated Lizzie, well, she was off limits.

‘Are you worried history might repeat itself?’ Leo said carefully, loathed, even now, to mention Olivia’s name.

Leo had fallen hard for the paediatric plastics nurse but she’d only ever seen him as a friend.

It had been Ethan that Olivia had fallen for.

Leo closed his eyes for a brief moment, recalling the terrible row that had erupted and Olivia’s horror when she had walked in on it in time to hear Ethan telling Leo that he was only using her anyway.

Leo and Ethan’s already fractured relationship had from that point seemed broken beyond repair.

Maybe it was, Leo thought as he opened his eyes to his brother.

‘There’s nothing between Lizzie and I,’ Ethan said. ‘But she’s probably the best thing that could happen to this place and I don’t want my elder brother screwing it up.’

‘I don’t screw,’ Leo said. ‘I make love …’

‘It’s all a joke to you,’ Ethan said. ‘I’m warning you, Leo.’

‘I don’t take warnings from my little brother.’

‘Take this one!’

‘We really are very protective of Lizzie,’ Leo sneered.

‘Of course I am—she was the one who got me talking, she was the one—’

‘Ethan.’ Leo was serious now. ‘What the hell happened to you out there?’ But Ethan didn’t answer. ‘You’ve changed …’

‘War tends to do that to you.’

It was all Leo was going to get because Ethan moved back to the original conversation. ‘Why are you taking Lizzie to the ball? Why can’t you just leave her alone?’

This time it was Leo who was evasive.

Without answering, he walked out into the foyer where Lizzie was waiting and they stepped out into the grey wintery morning. Lizzie shivered and stamped her feet as they waited for a taxi. Leo knew full well the answer and it was a very inconvenient one.

He wanted Lizzie in bed.

CHAPTER SEVEN

THEY TOOK A taxi and he felt her eyes on him and Leo knew she thought he had been unkind to Ethan about choosing the charity patient. ‘If you thought about it you’d never be able to choose and my brother proves my point.’ He looked at her tight lips. ‘I don’t have to beat myself up to do charity work.’

‘Okay.’ Lizzie turned and gazed out of the window but Leo prolonged the conversation. ‘Was he as cheerful when you were looking after him?’ he asked, and sighed when Lizzie didn’t answer. ‘I’m not asking you to break confidence, I’m just making idle conversation …’

‘Terrible weather,’ Lizzie said. ‘That’s idle conversation.’

Leo was wise enough to know that Lizzie wasn’t going to reveal anything and so they drove in silence to the hotel. Leo spoke to a receptionist and Lizzie noticed he didn’t use his title and neither did he give the patient’s name.

It was just all very smooth and discreet.

They walked to the lift and Leo explained that it wasn’t just Marianna they would be visiting but Jessica too.

‘Hello.’ Leo smiled at Jessica as she let them in. ‘As Gwen explained, Iain’s in Theatre all day but I wanted to see for myself how you are doing.’

‘I’m feeling much better.’ Jessica smiled and she really did seem a whole lot better than she had on Monday. ‘And thank you, Lizzie, for the other day, I’m sorry—I was in a right state.’

‘You did really well,’ Lizzie said, because Jessica had—it had taken ages to remove the tiny sutures and even though Iain had soaked them, it had still been uncomfortable and unpleasant, on top of everything else Jessica was already going through.

Leo washed his hands and Jessica lifted her hair as Leo examined the wound carefully.

‘Iain has done an amazing job,’ Leo said. ‘How are you?’

This time she didn’t look at Lizzie to leave, and it was good to see Jessica looking far more relaxed.

‘Better. My mum’s staying with me and I’ve spoken to a lawyer …’ Then she did glance at Lizzie.

‘Lizzie’s fine,’ Leo said.

‘It wasn’t the first time,’ Jessica admitted.

‘It rarely is,’ Leo said.

‘That time I said that I fell down the stairs …’ Jessica said, and Leo nodded. ‘Did you know?’

‘I asked you outright.’

‘I know.’ Jessica screwed up her face. ‘I just wasn’t ready to tell anyone. I am now, though.’

‘Good for you. You know that if there’s anything we can do …’

‘Thank you.’

‘I mean it,’ Leo said. ‘And not just with paperwork for lawyers—we’ve got a marvellous psychologist at the clinic, Tanya is …’

‘I spoke to her.’

‘Good,’ Leo said. ‘Keep speaking to her.’

He was extremely nice to Jessica and they chatted some more but Leo declined when she offered to ring down for coffee.

‘I’m afraid we have to go.’ He glanced at his watch but still didn’t dash off.

‘Of course you do.’ Jessica smiled. ‘It’s just so nice to have company. I’m getting cabin fever.’

‘Have you been out?’

Jessica shook her head.

‘You should go for a little walk.’

‘I’m worried I’ll be seen or photographed. It’s all over the papers, it’s just all so embarrassing …’

‘Not for you it isn’t.’ Leo stood. ‘You have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about.’ He did stand then. ‘Put a big scarf on and go for a walk with your head held high.’

He wasn’t smiling when they took the lift.

‘Bastard,’ Leo grumbled. ‘I re-set his nose once. I’d love to break it again.’ Instead of going down, they were going up.

‘Are we going to see Marianna?’

‘Why else would we be going up to the top floor?’ Leo winked. ‘Unless …’ He didn’t finish. He saw her blush and, unbelievably, Leo almost did the same.

Though, of course, it must be the heating!

‘Come on, now for the nicer part of the job,’ Leo said.

He really loved his work, and there was so much more to it than Lizzie had realised.

‘I can’t believe how good it already looks!’ Marianna exclaimed. ‘I thought I would have two black eyes …’

‘I’m just brilliant.’ Leo smiled and carefully checked them. ‘I’m really pleased.’ Marianna was flying out to join Ferdinand the next day and they chatted for a little while longer before Lizzie and Leo headed back to the clinic, but as they walked through the hotel foyer and reached the doors, Leo suddenly changed his mind.

‘How about afternoon tea?’

‘We’ll never get a table,’ Lizzie said, because she’d rung up at the weekend and found out that if you weren’t a guest you had to book weeks in advance.

Not if your name was Leo Hunter, apparently.

‘They should pay me commission.’ Leo grinned as they took a seat. ‘I’ve sent more clients their way than I can count.’

Lizzie wasn’t used to being spoiled.

Afternoon tea was sumptuous and Leo was very good company. ‘Do you do this a lot?’ Lizzie asked.

‘Not too often,’ Leo said. ‘It’s nice to pause sometimes.’

She felt dreadfully gauche. It was a pause in Leo’s day and yet Lizzie felt tempted to whip out her phone and take a photo as afternoon tea was delivered to their table and the china cups filled. ‘My mum would have loved this.’ She glanced up. ‘Sorry, that sounds really maudlin. My mum loved anything to do with food—she was a wonderful cook.’

‘Was?’

‘She has Alzheimer’s.’

‘How bad is she?’

‘She had good days and bad,’ Lizzie said. ‘Mainly she has no idea who I am but every now and then her face lights up and we talk, though it’s mainly a teenage Lizzie she’s talking about. It’s good to know that she does recognise me sometimes.’

‘What about your father?’

He’s in the same home as Mum. He’s relatively well, though …’ She didn’t really want to discuss it. Yes, she’d chatted away to Ethan about how her father, despite her best efforts, refused to even come out for a coffee with her. How he didn’t even want to go out to the shops. But she just didn’t want to bore Leo. ‘This is lovely.’ She looked at the gorgeous surroundings. ‘It’s a big change from my old job.’

‘You’re from Brighton?’ Leo checked, recalling her résumé.

‘I came to London a couple of years ago, once my …’ She stopped. All her conversations seemed to lead back to her parents. ‘Mind you, I’m seeing a different side to things since I started the job. I’ve never been to a formal ball.’

‘It will be fun,’ Leo said, taking out a sweetener and flicking it into his tea.

Lizzie let out her breath and asked the question that had been plaguing her, though of course she knew the answer. She was just fishing for a hint about what Leo would expect her to wear. ‘What’s the dress code for the ball?’

‘Evening wear, formal.’ Leo was spreading jam on a scone when he glanced up. ‘You’ll be fine.’

It was all so easy for him.

‘I’m just a bit worried—’

‘You’ll look stunning,’ Leo interrupted, doing his best to put her at ease and failing miserably.

For Lizzie things came to a head just before home time when she heard Kara, one of the plastic surgeons, talking about the ball. She kindly tried to bring Lizzie into the conversation. ‘Do you know what you’re wearing yet, Lizzie? I hear Leo’s taking you.’

‘That’s right.’ Lizzie nodded. ‘I haven’t decided yet.’

God, she had to say something to him. She wouldn’t just be letting herself down. Leo expected glamour on his arm and later in that afternoon Lizzie finally caved, knocking on his door.

‘Who is it?’

‘Lizzie.’

‘Come in.’ He turned briefly from the basin as she entered. ‘I’m surprised you bothered knocking.’

‘What are you doing?’ Lizzie asked, and if she sounded brusque it was to cover up her embarrassment at the sight of Leo. He was naked from the hips up, his suit pants sat low on his hips and there was a fresh shirt over the chair. He had, she presumed, just finished shaving and was now trying to take out his own stitches. ‘You can’t take your own stitches out.’

‘It’s harder than I thought,’ Leo admitted.

They were tiny sutures, and Leo was having more trouble than he’d expected, getting the tiny blade to snip the thread, but, given where he was going, it was essential he looked his best.

‘I’ll do it.’ Lizzie sighed.

‘Sorry to trouble you!’ Leo quipped, and well he might. After all, he was paying her extremely well, but only as he sat down and put his head back did he realise her discomfort, only then was he suddenly aware of his own naked skin, because Lizzie was leaning over him, and trying not to touch him as she soaked the wound to soften it so that the stitches wouldn’t stick or catch on their way out.

Breast implants? Leo wondered as one hovered above his view, and he desperately tried to quash that thought, not just because it was inappropriate but rather more the effect it was starting to have on him. ‘Just take them out.’

‘I’m going to.’

No, there were no implants, Leo knew his silicone from his saline and these were just soft and ripe, and his jaw clamped down as he focused on the blade in an effort to keep things down!

Lizzie’s hands were shaking slightly. She could smell his cologne and his bare arm seemed to burn her skirted thigh as she leant over and tried to slip the blade beneath the suture.

‘Stay still,’ she warned.

‘I am staying still,’ Leo snapped, because ninety nine per cent of him was, it was just the flood to his groin that was the problem. He lay there refuting the body surface area charts he’d studied in his medical training, because that part of his anatomy certainly accounted for more than one per cent right now.

He did his twelve-times table backwards and breathed in the scent of antiseptic rather than focusing on the fresh smell of her, and when that didn’t work he reminded himself that Lizzie could be sleeping with Ethan.

Olivia.

With just one word he averted disaster.

‘Done.’

‘Thank you.’

‘You need a little adhesive strip here,’ Lizzie said. ‘It’s a teeny bit open in the middle.’

‘It’s fine.’

‘Whatever.’ Lizzie shrugged.

No!

Both said it in their heads as their eyes met.

This is so not going to happen.

‘You should keep it dry …’

‘I know the drill.’

‘Of course.’

‘Lizzie?’

‘What?’

He didn’t know how to ask her, yet he had to know if there was more between her and Ethan, but the time wasn’t right now—there was somewhere else he needed to be. ‘I’d better get on.’ He stood and pulled on his shirt as she cleared the dressing pack away and put the blade in the sharps box.

‘Are you going somewhere nice?’ Lizzie asked, as he opened a bag and pulled out three new ties, with the extortionate price tags still on.

‘Somewhere very nice,’ Leo said. ‘And I’m actually nervous.’

‘Oh?’

‘Which tie? I asked them to send a selection.’

‘Grey …’ Lizzie said, then changed her mind. ‘I like the silver one.’

‘Nope.’ Leo shook his head. ‘Too much.’

‘You really are nervous!’ She grinned. ‘So where are you going?’

‘I actually can’t tell you,’ he admitted. ‘I’ve another house call to make.’

‘You’re going to see a patient?’ Lizzie frowned because he truly did seem tense.

‘Yep.’

He was knotting his tie and kept having to redo it.

‘So why can’t you tell me?’

‘Completely confidential,’ Leo said.

‘Isn’t everyone?’

‘Of course.’

He wasn’t saying any more and Lizzie loathed herself for being so curious, but who on earth could it be? After all they’d had Marianna, you didn’t get any more prestigious than a soon-to-be European princess … maybe another royal?

‘What time do you have to be there?’

‘Six,’ Leo said. ‘On the dot. How’s that?’ He stood there, looking absolutely stunning, his hair brushed back, his suit to die for and, yes, his tie was perfect.

‘Can’t beat a good old Windsor knot,’ she said, and gave him an almost imperceptible wink. ‘Though maybe you should have gone for royal blue.’

Still he refused to be drawn but she did see his tongue roll in his cheek as he suppressed a smile. ‘See you, Lizzie.’

‘Good luck,’ she called out to him as he headed off, and, rather than nervous now, Leo was actually smiling.

Lizzie was far too perceptive!

CHAPTER EIGHT

INSTEAD OF WORKING out what she would be wearing for the ball or getting a pedicure and her nails done, Lizzie’s weekend was spent in Brighton.

‘I’m going to a ball next weekend,’ Lizzie told her mum, chatting away as she sorted out her mother’s clothes for the week.

‘Do you hear that, Faye?’ her father, Thomas, asked. ‘Lizzie’s going to a ball in London.’

But Faye wasn’t interested in anything other than the thought that someone had taken her watch.

‘It’s being fixed, Mum,’ Lizzie attempted again, but Faye wouldn’t accept that. Today everyone was a thief, including Lizzie—who she thought was a stranger rifling through her wardrobe in broad daylight.

‘It’s Lizzie,’ Thomas said when Faye angrily confronted her.

‘Mum, I’m just trying to sort out your clothes,’ Lizzie explained patiently.

‘I’m not your mother,’ Faye shouted, and then walked off and Thomas followed her. It was normal that she didn’t recognise her, Lizzie more than knew that, and the anger and aggression was part of her illness too, but it hurt to see her mother so angry and fearful, and to not even be recognised was an agony that couldn’t always be rationalised away.

‘She’s having a cup of tea with the nurses.’ Thomas came back and gave Lizzie a smile. ‘So, you’re going out next week to a ball?’

‘It’s a work function,’ Lizzie said, ‘but it sounds very glamorous.’

‘Are you going with anyone?’

‘My boss.’

‘And does your boss have a name?’

‘Leo,’ Lizzie said. ‘Leo Hunter.’ She saw her dad’s eyebrow rise and Lizzie frowned but then realised that, of course, her dad would have heard of Leo. Even before Faye had taken ill they had lived their lives through magazines and newspapers.

‘Watch yourself, Lizzie.’

‘Leo’s lovely.’

‘Hmmph,’ her dad said. ‘He comes from bad stock. I remember reading about his mother. Above all the rules everyone else lived by, out partying …’

‘It’s a work do.’

‘Even so,’ her dad huffed. ‘I don’t want you getting hurt again. I remember Peter …’

Lizzie bit her tongue. Peter had been her boyfriend nearly ten years ago and, yes, the break-up had hurt but life hurt sometimes whether or not you lived it.

Her father just chose to live his life reading about everyone else.

‘Why don’t you come over to see the Hewitts when Mum’s resting this afternoon?’ Lizzie asked. ‘Just for a coffee.’ The Hewitts were old family friends who ran the bed and breakfast Lizzie stayed at when visiting, but her dad shook his head. ‘What about a walk on the beach, then?’ Lizzie attempted. ‘It would be nice to get some fresh air.’

‘I like to stay close to your mum.’

‘I know but …’

Lizzie gave in. Even a small walk was a major event for her father. It was a long weekend and a depressing one. She loved her parents dearly and the Hewitts were lovely people too, but they were almost as locked in the past as her parents and Lizzie was guilty with relief at how nice it felt to be back in London. As she headed to 200 Harley Street on Monday morning she was certainly looking forward to work, and, even though she was trying hard to deny it, she was also looking forward to seeing Leo.

‘How was your weekend?’ Leo asked her as she took off her scarf and coat.

‘It was fine,’ she answered. ‘How was yours?’

‘I need another one to recover from it.’ He yawned.

‘Any house calls today?’ Lizzie asked.

‘Nope.’

‘You never did tell me how things went the other evening on your house call,’ she fished.

‘I deliberately didn’t.’

‘Please …’ Lizzie whimpered. ‘I have to know where you went.’

‘I’ll tell you if you tell me who did your surgery.’

She poked out her tongue and then stopped because banter was just too easy with Leo and it was starting to look a lot like flirting.

Leo had actually had an unusually quiet weekend. Yes, there had been drinks after work on Friday and he’d been out to a very glamorous dinner on Saturday but, unusually for Leo, he’d returned to his apartment alone and on Sunday he’d found himself racking his brains for a reason, or rather an excuse, to ring Lizzie.

It would be a terrible idea, Leo knew that. Especially as he didn’t yet know the full extent of her friendship with Ethan. Yes, his brother had said it had all been professional but Ethan seemed terribly keen to look out for her.

All morning the question built for Leo. He simply could not get Lizzie out of his mind and, as lunchtime approached, Leo came up with a very simple solution.

He’d just ask her, Leo decided.

But not here.

‘Do you want to go out for lunch?’ Leo didn’t mince his words, he was very used to asking women to join him, it was Lizzie’s response that he wasn’t used to.

‘Er, no,’ Lizzie said. ‘I’ve got plans …’ She frantically searched for an excuse because she was already struggling to keep things professional. ‘I’m going to the zoo.’

‘The zoo?’

‘I’ve been meaning to since I got here. It’s so close …’

‘It’s freezing,’ Leo said, ‘you won’t see anything.’

‘How do you know?’ Lizzie asked. ‘Have you ever been to the zoo in January?’

‘ No.’

‘Then don’t comment on what you don’t know.’ Lizzie said. ‘It will be nice without the crowds. Anyway, I’m not going to look at the animals today, I’m taking out a membership.’

She turned to go and Leo watched her, saw the curve of her bottom and with two words he confirmed the mood in the room.

‘Buttock implants?’

It was a little game they’d invented—Leo was still trying to guess what work Lizzie had done, but even he inwardly cringed as he said it. He was either outright flirting with Lizzie or being completely inappropriate with a colleague, and he held his breath as he leapt over the line, wondering what her reaction would be.

It surprised him.

More pointedly, it surprised Lizzie.

‘Maybe!’ She didn’t turn around, just paused momentarily and gave a little wiggle that sent all his blood rushing south··

What on earth was that?

Lizzie almost ran to her office and retrieved her coat, astounded at her own brazenness, asking herself how, with one smouldering look, he so easily tripped the switch.

No! she told herself as she took a taxi to the zoo.

No, no, no, she thought as she filled in the forms and paid for her membership, which would give her unlimited visits for the year.

The zoo actually served as a very pertinent reminder.

Do not feed the lions.

Especially one called Leo.

‘How was the zoo?’ Leo asked when she returned an hour later.

‘I’ll tell you when I’ve been properly.’

‘Leo …’ Gwen knocked on the open door. ‘I’ve got Francesca on the telephone—she’s terribly upset. I can’t make sense …’

‘Put her through,’ Leo said, dismissing them both, but a few minutes later he found Lizzie and brought her up to speed.

‘Francesca had surgery on Friday and she thinks it’s infected. She’s completely hysterical and she won’t go back to the surgeon who did the operation and she’s refusing to go to Kate’s. I’ve told her to get into a taxi and come here. I’ll see her in one of the treatment rooms. She won’t be long.’

Francesca wasn’t.

Gwen went out to help her in and Leo gave a small eye roll to Lizzie. ‘Hold onto that while I examine her, please.’

‘Hold onto what?’

‘My ego,’ Leo said. ‘And you have my permission to kick me if I look like I’m about to say, “I told you so”.’

In fact, he was nothing but kind to her.

Francesca was absolutely distraught and sat huddled behind dark glasses and with a scarf around her face.

‘Please don’t be cross with me, Leo.’

‘Why would I be cross?’

‘Disappointed, then.’

‘I’m not a parent for a reason, Francesca. I don’t do guilt trips.’

‘No, you don’t,’ Francesca conceded.

‘Tell me what happened.’

‘I had surgery on Friday; he was able to fit me in the next day as he had a cancellation. I didn’t go to just anyone. He comes highly recommended …’ She gave the surgeon’s name.

‘Geoff’s a fantastic surgeon,’ Leo said. ‘Right, I need to take a look at it.’

Lizzie helped Francesca with her glasses and scarf as she told them the work she’d had done. ‘He said it was just a small lift and some fillers but now the wound is oozing.’

Leo washed his hands as Lizzie checked Francesca’s temperature and pulse—both were high—then Leo sat on a stool opposite Francesca and examined her face very carefully.

‘I agree it looks terrible at the moment but …’ As Francesca started sobbing Leo overrode her. ‘From what I can see, Geoff has done a good job.’

Francesca’s eyes snapped open.

‘I wouldn’t have done it, but, then, I possibly go overboard on subtle and natural, but he hasn’t gone over the top. There’s a lot of swelling and a lot of bruising but when that all settles, I think it will be far better than you’re now expecting.’

Not for the first time, Leo surprised her—he didn’t criticise the other surgeon. If anything, he spoke well of his work and, as promised, he didn’t take Francesca on a guilt trip, he just slowly calmed the terrified woman down.

‘What about the infection?’ Francesca asked.

‘Unfortunate,’ Leo said, ‘but it happens sometimes …’ He took a swab. ‘I want to have a listen to your chest …’ He took her pulse for quite a long time and then looked at Lizzie. ‘Actually, could you help Francesca into a gown? I’d like to examine her properly.’

‘Leo …’ Francesca shook her head to decline but Leo was adamant.

‘I’m not arguing with you again, Francesca. I want to examine you and I’ll be honest—I think you need a couple of days in hospital.’ When Francesca started to argue Leo pushed on. ‘My only criticism, and this isn’t just Geoff, but people seem to think surgery like this is a day procedure.’

‘Leo, I don’t want to go to hospital. I don’t want anyone seeing me like this.’

He would not be swayed. Buzzing through to Gwen, he asked her to order a private ambulance for the short trip to Kate’s as, behind a curtain, Lizzie helped Francesca into a gown and onto the examination table.

‘I’m a stupid old fool,’ Francesca said, as Lizzie pulled off her boots, but a very agile Francesca needed no help swinging her legs up.

‘I think you’re amazing,’ Lizzie admitted.

‘You just say that to be kind.’

‘No.’ Lizzie shook her head, forgetting that Leo was listening as she did her best to put Francesca at ease. ‘Even before my mum got ill, my parents were always acting older than they were—always set in their ways. My father won’t even go for a walk. At least you do things,’ Lizzie said. ‘You live your life and make mistakes …’ She said it so nicely and gently that even Francesca smiled. ‘I think you’re glamorous and wonderful and everything I’d like to be when I’m—’

‘Careful!’ came Francesca’s friendly warning.

‘Fifty-two,’ Lizzie said, and both women laughed.

‘What’s wrong with your mum?’ Francesca asked, but just as Lizzie went to answer, the other woman started to cough. ‘Here,’ Lizzie said, ‘let me help you sit up.’

‘I can’t …’ Francesca was struggling to get in air.

And just at the moment Lizzie thought that she had a handle on her job and knew more or less what to expect, she was in the middle of an emergency. ‘Leo …’

He must have heard the concern in Lizzie’s voice because he was behind the curtain in an instant.

‘It’s okay, Francesca,’ he said immediately, and he sounded so calm that for a second Lizzie wondered if he’d actually noticed that Francesca’s lips were blue and her skin a deathly grey.

‘I can’t breathe …’ Francesca gasped.

‘I know,’ Leo said, his fingers taking the pulse on her neck as his other hand reached for his stethoscope. ‘Don’t try and speak. Just nod or shake your head. Do you have pain?’ Leo asked.

She shook her head. ‘Leo …’

‘Press the intercom,’ Leo said once Lizzie had put on a probe to read Francesca’s oxygen levels—and they were dire. ‘Gwen!’ His voice was calm and clipped. ‘Call 999 and see who else is around.’

Lizzie slipped an oxygen mask on Francesca as Leo inserted an IV. Despite his calm demeanour, Lizzie could see the flare of worry in his eyes as more and more it looked as if Francesca was suffering from a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism—a complication that sometimes happened after surgery when a clot deep in the veins of the leg flicked off and travelled to the lung.

‘What have we got?’ Mitchell Cooper, an American surgeon who Lizzie had had few dealings with, came in with the crash trolley and set to work pulling up emergency drugs.

‘Query PE in a seventy-two-year-old, three days post facelift and fillers. The wound looks infected …’

‘When was she last seen?’ Mitchell glanced up from the syringe he was filling.

‘I’m not sure.’ Lizzie saw Mitchell frown at Leo’s irregular response because post-operative care was taken very seriously at the Hunter Clinic.

‘What do you mean, you’re not sure when she was last seen?’ Mitchell demanded—he clearly had no qualms questioning Leo about something as serious as this.

‘I didn’t do the surgery,’ Leo said.

But he was dealing with the consequences of it.

Still, they didn’t think of that now, they just concentrated on keeping Francesca as comfortable as possible until the ambulance arrived. Francesca was gripping tightly onto Leo’s hand as she struggled to get air in. ‘It’s okay, Francesca.’ He just kept saying it over and over and from the way she was holding onto him, it was clearly helping. ‘The ambulance is here.’

The paramedics were skilled and calm and soon had her on the stretcher.

‘Who do you want me to contact?’ Leo asked Francesca. ‘Your niece?’

‘No.’ An exhausted Francesca shook her head, still determined that no one must ever find out.

‘Francesca, your family need to know what’s happening. This could be serious. Amelia would want to know that you were ill. It would be awful not to know …’ Lizzie looked up as Leo fell silent, surprised because he seemed to be struggling, but he soon regained his composure. ‘You must let me tell her.’

Clearly Francesca trusted Leo because she gave a weary nod.

‘Can you text Amelia’s details to me?’ Leo looked over at Lizzie. ‘I’ll call her when we get to the hospital.’

‘You’re going with Francesca?’ Mitchell checked.

‘Of course,’ Leo said. ‘She’s my patient.’

Lizzie was shaken and terribly worried for Francesca. She turned to see Ethan and Rafael, who had just come back from the Lighthouse Hospital to the sight of a blue light ambulance leaving the clinic, and Mitchell quickly brought them up to speed.

‘Didn’t Leo do a full facelift on her just last year?’ Rafael asked, and Mitchell nodded.

‘Leo didn’t do the surgery this time.’

‘He refused to,’ Lizzie said.

‘Well, we all know what that means at times …’ Mitchell’s face was grim, in fact, all three surgeons seemed very concerned. ‘I’d better go and speak with Lexi.’

‘Why Lexi?’ Lizzie asked, as Mitchell headed off to speak to the head of PR for the Hunter Clinic.

‘The proverbial is about to hit the fan,’ Ethan said darkly. ‘Mark my words.’

CHAPTER NINE

LIZZIE DID HER best to get on with her day, but she was very worried. Not about the publicity, given Leo hadn’t been the surgeon who’d operated, but about Francesca. Late in the evening, long after the patients had gone, she was still reluctant to go home till she knew what was happing.

‘Why don’t you call Leo?’ Gwen suggested, as she headed out the door.

‘I might,’ Lizzie said, but when she tried she just got his voicemail.

It felt strange to be alone in the clinic. Lizzie tried to find something to do but there wasn’t much. She took the files of the patients Leo would be seeing tomorrow into his office and placed them on the table. She couldn’t help but walk over to the shelf and take down the ballet programme. She started to flick through it then became so engrossed she hardly heard Leo coming through the door.

‘She’s stable.’

Lizzie turned around at the sound of Leo’s voice.

‘Several clots, but small ones, thank God.’ He closed his eyes briefly. Both had worked in medicine long enough to know that had it been a large clot, nothing anyone could have done would have changed the outcome. ‘I’m just so glad she came to the clinic. Had that happened at home …’ He walked over and looked at the programme Lizzie was holding. ‘It’s not often that I question my work but on days like today …’

‘Leo, you didn’t even do the surgery.’

‘I know that, but I could easily have. There is a risk. I say it every day but on days like today you just question things.’

‘Lexi seems to think it might look bad for the clinic if it gets out.’

‘It’s already out,’ Leo said. ‘Lexi just rang and told me. She’s had two journalists call in the last hour.’

‘She’s telling them that Francesca didn’t have the surgery here?’

‘No,’ Leo said. ‘I never comment on any patients.’

‘But—’

‘No buts,’ Leo said. ‘You can’t play that card only when it suits and I’m certainly not going to put the blame on Geoff. It’s a post-operative complication—it could be any one of us.’

‘Even so,’ Lizzie said. ‘It’s your reputation …’

‘My reputation can take it,’ Leo said. ‘It’s par for the course, Lizzie. If I couldn’t handle this sort of thing I’d have given up on surgery ages ago.’ He sounded so assured and confident but she could tell he was deeply concerned.

It was all just so unfair.

‘Do you want a drink?’ Lizzie offered.

‘I’d kill for a coffee.’ Leo yawned. ‘I’ll give Francesca’s niece another call and see how she is and then I’m going to ring Geoff and speak with him.’

‘I meant …’ She looked at the decanter.

‘That’s for the patients, oh, and Ethan,’ Leo said, then nodded. ‘Go on, then, if you’ll join me.’

She shouldn’t be joining him, both knew that. They were heading into dangerous territory and it had been a long and emotional day, but she wanted to talk to him more than she wanted to go home.

Lizzie poured them both a drink while Leo scrolled through his tablet.

‘Have you seen this?’

As she walked over Lizzie wondered which of their famous clients she was about to see, or whether it was something about Francesca, but instead it was an article she had read several months ago.

‘That’s how I found out about Ethan,’ Leo said. ‘From a news article. That’s why I was so insistent that Francesca ring Amelia—I know how it feels not to be told. How could the hospital not tell me?’

Lizzie said nothing, though she knew much more. Not that Ethan had ever been particularly effusive, but he had opened up a little to her and of course she’d read his notes.

What had happened to Ethan was so much worse than the little Leo knew.

‘I don’t know how we grew so far apart,’ Leo mused. ‘Actually, I do. I never wanted him to go into the military,’ he admitted. ‘I wanted him here, working in the family business …’

‘It means a lot to you, doesn’t it?’ Lizzie offered. ‘The family name.’

‘Didn’t you look me up before you came to work here?’ He loved it that she blushed as she admitted that she had. ‘You should have read back further. The Hunter name was mud for years. I wanted Ethan to help rebuild it.’

‘Mud?’ Lizzie frowned. ‘Your father was an esteemed surgeon and your mother …’ She blushed again, remembering her own father’s less than complimentary description of Leo’s mother, though she could hardly say that now, but Leo got in first.

‘My parents’ marriage was a disaster. Not to the outside world at first, but they soon got to see it, warts and all. You really don’t know about them?’ Leo asked, and Lizzie admitted to having done a little research before plucking up the courage to ring him. ‘I read his obituary.’

‘Obituaries tend to gloss over certain things. Yes, the Hunter name was prestigious, yes, we catered to the rich and wealthy and had a stunning reputation, till my father forgot to leave the less pleasant side of his personality at home.’

He didn’t mean to elaborate further, he had already said far more than he usually did, but, yes, Leo told himself, it had been a long day and so he continued.

‘You know how people say they build a place from nothing?’ He looked directly at her and normally she averted her eyes but tonight she felt as if she was looking at the real Leo Hunter and instead of looking away she nodded.

‘I built this from less than nothing. Not that your lover seems very impressed …’

Had she agreed to lunch he’d have asked the question far more nicely. Instead, his eyes were just a touch accusing as he awaited her response.

‘He’s not my lover.’

‘Has he ever been?’

‘No! Anyway, what is it to you?’ Her voice trailed off because it was a stupid question, a very stupid question given the attraction crackling between herself and Leo, and this time Lizzie did pull her eyes away. ‘What is it with you and Ethan?’ In a desperate attempt to distract Leo from her previous question, she asked what few would dare. Something needed to be said—even Ethan had joked that he had thought his days of unexploded land mines were over. ‘Why don’t the two of you get on?’

‘Is that the head nurse asking?’

‘No,’ Lizzie said. ‘It’s me.’

He wanted to tell her, or maybe he just needed to speak with someone, Leo rationalised, because having Ethan working here was proving way harder than he had thought it would. He felt as if someone had taken a rake through the clinic and turfed every inch of it. The only thing that had made coming to work bearable lately was sitting in front of him now.

‘All the time we were growing up—’ Leo was clearly uncomfortable discussing it ‘—I did everything I could to appease my father. I guess that’s the best way to describe it. He was a mean drunk and for all our mother’s dazzling ways she wasn’t exactly a stable parent—there were endless parties, affairs, all glossed over, of course. After our mother died there could be no glossing over. It just got worse.’

‘His drinking?’

‘That and the moods and the anger. Ethan loves confrontation, I rely on smooth talk …’

‘I had noticed.’

He gave a thin smile. ‘I spent my life trying to keep him calm, trying to smooth things over, stop the whole thing from exploding, and Ethan loathes me for it.’

‘Why were you the peacekeeper?’

‘Honestly?’ Leo asked, and Lizzie nodded. ‘If confronted, I thought my father might kill him.’

Lizzie swallowed. It was just so far from the love she had known growing up.

‘I remember one time when I was thirteen and we were home for the school holidays.’ Leo shook his head, not wanting to go there ever again. ‘Ethan was ten years old!’ He offered little by way of explanation but the agony was clear. ‘That was no match for my father in a rage.’

‘Ethan needs to get over himself,’ Lizzie said. ‘He’s lucky to have had an older brother looking out for him—who would light the tail of a lion and send someone they love in to deal with it.’

‘I guess.’ Leo pondered on that for a moment then pulled his phone from his pocket. ‘I’d better ring Francesca’s niece and then Geoff.’

‘I’ll go when you’ve rung Amelia.’

She waited while he made the call and it was clear even from the one-sided conversation that Francesca was doing well, though she was being carefully monitored in ICU and given medication to disperse the clots.

‘I’m so pleased to hear she’s improving,’ Leo said to Francesca’s niece. ‘Let her know that I’ll come in and visit …’ He chatted a moment longer and then ended the call.

‘She’s stable.’

‘I heard,’ Lizzie said. ‘That’s great news.’

‘Tony’s on his way!’ Leo grinned. ‘Things looked pretty grim for a while when we first got to Kate’s and Amelia ended up calling him and he wants to see her. I doubt Francesca will be too pleased! She’s certainly looking nothing like she’d hoped to for the wedding.’

‘You really do have a soft spot for her.’

‘I do.’ Leo nodded. ‘She’s got the same name as my mother—who I’m turning into, apparently …’ He gave a black smile. ‘She was a bit of a party girl and, as I said, there were a lot of affairs.’

‘That sounds like one of Ethan’s comparisons,’ Lizzie said, and Leo’s eyes jerked up.

‘Actually, it was.’

‘You’re not married, Leo. You’re not being unfaithful to anyone.’

‘Just a top bastard.’

‘I was wrong about that,’ Lizzie admitted. ‘It was Flora who got the wrong idea about things. From what I’ve heard since then, you don’t make any promises that you don’t keep.’

‘Never,’ Leo said, and he watched the swallow in her throat as he spelt things out, as he always had and always would. ‘I’ll never have an affair because I’ll never be with one person long enough. I’ve seen first hand what a bad relationship can do.’

‘There are good ones too.’

‘I have no intention of finding out,’ Leo dismissed. ‘I like the nice things in life,’ he continued. ‘I don’t wait for things to turn sour.’

Her eyes never left his face as she stood up.

‘I’m going to go,’ Lizzie said.

‘Sure—I need to ring Geoff.’

He didn’t blame her in the least for going—he had pretty much told her how they would be and he didn’t blame Lizzie in the least for wanting no part of it.

He just didn’t want her to go.

‘Night, Leo …’

‘I’ll walk you out,’ Leo offered, standing up to do just that.

‘There’s no need.’

She should go, simply walk, yet instead she stood there. Lizzie didn’t do mixed messages but Leo was certainly mixing her up.

‘ Night, Lizzie.’

When still she didn’t move his hand lifted to her cheek and Lizzie had plenty of time to turn but instead her cheek met his skin and moved into it like a cat nudging his palm.

‘You should go,’ Leo warned, but his hand remained.

‘I am going,’ Lizzie said. ‘But first …’

Lizzie had never made first moves, always she held back, but tonight she did not. Slowly, softly she touched her lips to his.

His hand slid to her waist and her mouth opened, and the first taste of his tongue was more potent than brandy. It warmed but it did not comfort; instead, it made her crave. It was a kiss that lingered and with reason—for Leo, never had the darkness been lit by a kiss.

She wanted the bag that was on her shoulder to slip to the floor and for the hand that was on her waist to pull her further into him, she wanted him to press her with his mouth and lead her to his sofa.

In a kiss that remained a kiss there were so many thoughts to be had.

He smelt of that expensive cologne, yet there was a base note that was exclusive to Leo and was driving her wild, along with the knowledge that right now he could easily have her on the floor.

She pulled back, knew she had to play it casual if they were going to continue as normal at work.

‘What was that?’ Leo smiled, running the tip of his tongue over his lips and tasting her over again.

‘A kiss,’ Lizzie said. ‘Just a kiss,’ she said, trying to pretend a kiss was all their bodies required. ‘You looked like you could do with one.’

He was about to make one of his usual quips, how he’d do better with two, or that it would be very thoughtless to leave him like this, to drag her hand to feel the strain of his erection, to push her head back to his mouth and let his tongue in detail tell her what he wanted to do, except he wanted more than that from Lizzie. He actually wanted the conversations, the meals and the moments, getting to know each other.

Yet he did not.

And certainly he didn’t want the fall-out afterwards.

‘’Night, Lizzie.’

It was why he let her go.

CHAPTER TEN

WHAT HAD SEEMED not just appropriate at the time but natural was worrying her by the time Lizzie had got home.

She loved her job.

More than that, for the first time in a long time she was panicking about what to wear to a ball, rather than panicking about the bills from the nursing home and making the month’s rent.

More than that, though, she liked Leo and had no idea how things would be at work if they—

Stop.

Over and over she told herself not to go there, but working alongside him the next week and pretending their kiss hadn’t happened, or that it had meant very little, would be hard enough. Imagine what it would be like if they—

Stop.

By Thursday Lizzie wondered if she should just walk around with a stop sign to hold up at five-minute intervals throughout the day. She was finishing up some notes on a patient when Leo walked past and paused to give her an update on Francesca. ‘She’s been moved to a ward and is improving.’

‘And Tony?’

‘I didn’t actually see Francesca, I just called.’

Lizzie noted his tense features and didn’t blame him in the least for not adding fuel to the fire by visiting Francesca. The press were all over it and the interest wasn’t abating—the Hunter name was, yet again, being held to question. Only, as it turned out, that wasn’t the reason he hadn’t visited his favourite patient.

‘She’s really upset,’ Leo explained. ‘Francesca’s no fool and she’s really upset by all the drama and, on top of everything, now the whole world knows she’s been under the knife. Amelia said she’d just burst into tears and get all upset if she saw me.’

‘I could go in and visit.’

‘Would you?’ Leo seemed to like that idea. ‘That would be great and, please, tell her she’s not to worry about me.’ He looked at Lizzie. He wanted to speak with her, he wanted to take up where they had left off, but in a rare occurrence his conscience was pricking.

Ethan was right.

Lizzie wasn’t his usual type—far from it. He was now more than questioning his decision to ask her to the ball. It was hard enough just stopping by and chatting to her.

‘I meant to ask you something,’ Lizzie said, before he walked away. ‘I’ve had a couple of patients asking when Abbie would be back. I assume she’s a doctor here?’

Leo nodded. ‘She’s a paediatric surgeon. Abbie de Luca …’

‘Oh!’ Lizzie’s eyes widened in question because de Luca was Rafael’s surname.

‘They’ve got a very sick baby.’

‘Oh, no …’ Lizzie really hadn’t had too many dealings with Rafael. His theatre list was spilling over and he was constantly at the hospital or closed in behind his office door. ‘Is there anything we can do …?’ She didn’t really know how to broach it—but shouldn’t he be home more with his family than working around the clock? ‘He seems to have a terribly heavy workload.’

‘Yes, well, he’s taken on a lot of Abbie’s patients.’ Leo felt uncomfortable discussing something so private but as head nurse Lizzie perhaps ought to be told. ‘We’re not keeping him from his family. Abbie is in America, there’s a new treatment but it’s …’ Leo gave an uncomfortable shrug, it was a very sensitive topic. ‘It’s probably better that you don’t ask Rafael how things are going. If he chooses to talk …’

‘Sure.’

‘And as for the patients, just say if they ask that she’s taking care of their daughter,’ Leo said, ‘which she is.’

‘Fine.’

‘Lizzie, about the ball …’ Leo hesitated, He really couldn’t retract his offer and anyway, apart from good manners, he assumed she’d already bought her dress and booked the million appointments women did before a ball such as this one. ‘I’ll pick you up at six.’

‘We could meet there.’

‘I’ll pick you up at six,’ he repeated.

Even though her pay had gone in, instead of venturing to the shops after work Lizzie headed over to the private wing at Kate’s and braced herself for tears and drama, but instead it was a beaming Francesca who greeted her!

‘Lizzie!’ She held out her arms. ‘Thank you so much for all you did for me.’

‘It’s just lovely to see you looking so well.’ It was—Francesca was sitting up in bed with her eyeliner and red lipstick on and even with an IV pump attached to her she still looked rather stunning. ‘Do you ever not wear make-up?’ Lizzie asked.

‘Never.’ Francesca laughed. ‘How is Leo?’

‘He’s just concerned about you,’ Lizzie said. ‘And he’s told me to let you know that you’re not to worry. It will all sort itself out. Leo wanted to come in and see you himself but thought it might cause you more upset …’

‘You haven’t heard, have you?’

‘Heard what?’ Lizzie frowned.

‘I just did a radio interview.’ Francesca beamed. ‘I said that Leo didn’t do the surgery. I said that he had operated on me in the past and I was thrilled with his work but why would I be faithful to my surgeon when I couldn’t even manage to be faithful to my husbands and lovers …’ She gave a wicked laugh. ‘I said that I was not ashamed to admit that I accept a little help for my appearance. I also told them that when I felt unwell last Monday, I went to the man I trust most with my health. I said that darling Leo took wonderful care of me and that it tears at my heart that he is being blamed for something that had nothing to do with him. Leo saved my life.’

‘Oh, Francesca!’ Lizzie’s eyes filled with tears. ‘You didn’t have to speak to the media.’

‘Of course I did.’ Francesca shrugged. ‘And it wasn’t so bad …’ Her face brightened into a beaming smile as she looked over her shoulder. ‘Lizzie, this is Tony. The cause of all this.’

A very dashing, very elegant man came into the room. ‘It’s all my fault, of course,’ Tony said, smiling as he shook Lizzie’s hand.

‘Of course it is,’ Francesca happily agreed. ‘I had to nearly die to get him to come and see me.’

Lizzie could just imagine the tempestuous rows—Francesca and a fiery Italian was a passionate combination.

‘You could have just picked up the telephone,’ Tony said, then turned back to Lizzie. ‘Thank you so much for saving her. Thank you to all at the Hunter Clinic.’

‘We really did very little.’

‘Nonsense,’ Francesca scolded. ‘Tony, can you give us a minute?’ The moment Tony had left, Francesca asked for Lizzie to fetch her bag. ‘Can I ask you to do a couple of little jobs for me?’ She was a star, a diva, and she made Lizzie smile. ‘Amelia has to go and look after her children but I have run out of my body lotion and naturally I don’t want to ask Tony.’

‘Of course.’

‘And I need my favourite hair conditioner.’ She wrote quite a list as she spoke on. ‘I hope it’s no trouble.’

‘It’s not,’ Lizzie answered truthfully. ‘I have to get a few things anyway. I’m going to a ball …’

‘The Princess Catherine’s ball?’ Francesca beamed. ‘What are you wearing?’

‘I’m not sure,’ Lizzie admitted. ‘I’ve got my black dress …’ Francesca’s rather shocked features weren’t helping matters.

‘You’re not getting something new to wear?’

‘I’m going to look for something tonight,’ Lizzie admitted. ‘I’ll make up my mind then. I might find something I like …’

‘Who’s doing your hair and make-up?’

‘Me.’

‘No, no,’ Francesca, rather frantically, shook her head. ‘You have to plan this. It’s not just a dress, think of it as a costume, think of who you are going to be that night … If I wasn’t so drained I could help you with your make-up.’

Lizzie smothered a smile as she imagined Leo’s expression if he picked her up in full prima ballerina make-up mode. ‘I’ll manage,’ Lizzie said, but she had lost her audience. Francesca was looking over her shoulder and beaming again and Lizzie assumed that Tony was back but jumped slightly when she heard Leo’s voice.

‘You didn’t have to do that.’

‘Leo!’ Francesca dismissed his concerns with a flick of the wrist. ‘As I said to Lizzie, it wasn’t so bad. I nearly died on Monday and I am vain enough that, dying or not, the last thing I wanted was Tony to see me looking as I did. It was embarrassing, it was awful, but I survived it. I don’t think anything could embarrass me after that.’ She gave a cheeky smile. ‘According to the lady who interviewed me, I am the new face of ageing apparently—seventy is the new fifty!’

‘You’re scandalous!’ Leo said.

‘I intend to be to the day I die.’

‘I’m going to go.’ Lizzie gave Francesca a kiss as she took the list and an awful lot of cash. ‘I’ll pop in later with your things.’

‘Thank you, darling.’

When Lizzie had gone, Leo came and took a seat. ‘Thank you,’ he said. Despite insisting to everyone he was fine and that his reputation could handle it, the week had been hell. An unnamed source had gone to great lengths to tell the press that he’d long thought the surgeons at the Hunter Clinic were a touch over-zealous and Leo’s gut had churned at the thought of the ball and facing so many peers with his integrity up to such public scrutiny. Still, now that Francesca had spoken to the press, it would be all false smiles and hand-pumping.

‘You’re sure you’re okay with people knowing?’ Leo checked.

‘I like attention.’ Francesca smiled then turned serious. ‘Thank you, Leo—you saved my life but, even so, I am cross with you.’

‘Why?’

‘Sending that beautiful woman into that snake pit when she hasn’t a clue. Lizzie is talking about doing her own make-up and hair and she still hasn’t worked out what she will be wearing.’

‘Lizzie’s not some hick.’ Leo was surprised by the defensiveness in his voice. ‘Stop trying to control the world from your hospital bed.’

‘You have no idea about women.’

‘Hey,’ Leo snapped. ‘I work with women, I know exactly—’

‘I’ll tell you exactly,’ Francesca interrupted. ‘Sort this, Leo.’

‘How?’ Leo asked, just a little bit worried now and not for himself, more for the stress he would have caused Lizzie. ‘I can’t tell her I’m worried that she’s not going to look the part …’ He rolled his eyes. ‘I can’t do this without offending her.’

‘Of course you can,’ Francesca said. ‘And you will do it now.’

Lizzie answered her phone just as she was buying body lotion for Francesca—the price of which would feed a family of four for a week and it certainly wasn’t available at the chemist!

‘Where are you?’ Leo asked, and Lizzie frowned at his response when she told him the name of the iconic store. ‘That’s convenient.’

‘Why?’ Lizzie asked. ‘Do you need something?’

‘You’ve got an appointment on the fourth floor.’

‘With who?’

‘Her name’s Melinda, she’ll help you pick a dress and make appointments for make-up and things.’

‘Excuse me?’

He tried a fib. ‘Francesca said that you are worried about going to the ball.’

‘I never said that I was worried,’ Lizzie said tartly. ‘I think it’s Francesca who’s worried about me.’ Her face was on fire in embarrassment. ‘Don’t worry, Leo, I shan’t let the side down.’

‘So you don’t want a new dress and shoes and your hair and make-up done on the day, all paid for by the boss?’ Leo said. ‘What woman wouldn’t want that?’

‘Well, if you put it like that …’ Her angry blush was fading, a smile stretching her lips at the deep purr of his voice.

‘Goldilocks, you shall go to the ball.’

‘It’s Cinderella.’ Lizzie laughed.

‘Yes, well, I don’t think reading fairy-tales was my mother’s forte. Enjoy yourself, Cinderella,’ Leo said. ‘That’s an order! ‘

CHAPTER ELEVEN

TO THE LETTER!

Lizzie stood back from the mirror. She had followed Leo’s order to the letter to enjoy herself and had taken Melinda’s advice, because never in month of Sundays would she have even tried on this dress and coat, and that was aside from the price tag!

It was either beige or pink, Lizzie couldn’t decide which. The fabric was the softest velvet and it clung everywhere and was so low at the back she had been worried it bordered on indecent.

‘It’s stunning,’ Melinda had assured her.

It was. And seeing it with her new hair and make-up, Lizzie couldn’t believe that the woman in the mirror was really her.

Her body had been waxed and massaged and that had been just the start. Her brown hair had been curled and pinned up and her make-up was amazing—Lizzie’s eyes had been dressed in smoky grey eye shadow and her lips … well, she couldn’t decide if they were beige or pink either.

She was shaking, she was nervous and excited too, but that had more to do with the fact that in ten minutes she’d be facing Leo. And then there was the question of dancing with him …

Stop.

She didn’t need an evening bag, she needed a table-tennis bat to flick away the thoughts about dancing with him. Even spraying on her perfume, she imagined his face in her neck, inhaling it …

No.

Again she said it to herself.

This week had been awkward enough and it had just been a kiss. Imagine if they …

The buzz of her intercom had her heart beating faster and Lizzie didn’t know whether she should say she was on her way down or invite him up.

‘I hope I’m getting asked in?’ Leo said, making the decision for her.

‘Of course,’ Lizzie said. ‘After all, you’re my landlord.’

She opened the door and Leo rather wished she’d settled for her usual black dress—it would have certainly been safer.

‘Oh, my!’ he said, and Lizzie squirmed at the approval in his eyes.

‘Oh, my, to you too!’ He was wearing a tux and he was so clean-shaven she wanted to put her hand to his jaw, or run her fingers through his silken black hair, or just smother his collar in her lipstick.

‘Come through …’ Lizzie settled for that instead.

He passed the coat and boots that she wore for walking to work and followed her, getting the sight of her bare back, and she could feel the tingle the length of her spine as it blistered under his gaze.

‘Do you want a drink?’ Lizzie had splurged and bought some decent whisky, just in case he wanted one, but Leo declined.

‘Not for me.’ He stood by the fireplace and saw the pictures of her family and friends, and small talk was supremely difficult when all he wanted was to pull her into his arms.

‘I’m ready whenever …’

‘No rush,’ Leo said. ‘We’ll be in plenty of time.’ He tried again. ‘Your dress is lovely.’

‘Thank you,’ Lizzie said. ‘And thank you for …’ She stopped when Leo gave a brief shake of his head. ‘I’m not sure if it’s beige or pink.’

He didn’t answer.

‘Look at my shoes.’ She lifted her dress a fraction and Leo looked at her ankles and the smooth skin of her calves rather than the shoes, and he couldn’t manage small talk. If he did it would be something like, ‘Fancy a quickie before we go?’ She was wiggling her feet and he wanted the shoes off, he wanted that foot in his mouth and, before he put his own in his, he glanced at his watch. ‘Actually, I think we should get going.’

He helped Lizzie on with her coat as much as he could without touching her, smelling her, turning her round or just taking her against the wall, and then there was the agony of the lift and he couldn’t not touch her.

‘Rapunzel,’ Leo said, gently lifting a curl.

‘She had long blonde hair,’ Lizzie corrected him. His fingers weren’t even touching her skin but she could feel their energy and warmth and she tried to joke her way out of it. ‘You need to go on a fairy-tale workshop.’

She did feel like something out of a fairy-tale, though, as the driver came round and she climbed into the back and then sat with Leo as the car swished through the London streets. Never had she looked more beautiful and neither had Lizzie.

‘The Christmas lights are gone,’ Lizzie said. ‘If I’m still living here next year, I’ll be able to—’

‘Why wouldn’t you still be living here?’ Leo asked, and she just kept on looking out of the window because the answer was an impossible one to give.

‘Lizzie?’

She was aware of the glitter of tears in her eyes, a combination of tension and passion and the absolute unfairness of it all. God, she wished she’d met him in a bar or something—why did he have to be her boss? But, then, she didn’t frequent the type of bars that Leo Hunter did, and if she had, Lizzie frantically thought, she’d still have run a mile if someone as drop-dead gorgeous as Leo had approached her.

‘Are you okay?’

‘A bit nervous,’ Lizzie said, which was a lie. His presence meant she’d forgotten her nerves about the ball.

‘You’ll be fine.’

She was more than fine, Leo soon realised. Heads turned for all the right reasons. Lizzie was as in demand as he was because, as soon as he introduced her as a work colleague, you could see male smiles widen.

‘Bit of a scare for you this week.’ A woman who’d introduced herself as Matilda batted her eyelashes at Leo.

‘A scare?’ Leo frowned, pretending he had no idea what Matilda was referring to.

‘Of course it all turned out well.’

But Leo remained noncommittal and, as the conversation progressed, Lizzie realised Matilda was, in fact, a journalist and of course Leo would never talk about his patients. He did, though, Lizzie noticed, give a subtle nod for Lexi to come over. She saw too his tight smile as a friend patted him on the back and said he’d never doubted him for a moment.

‘His name should be Janus,’ Leo said when they were briefly alone. ‘He was one of the experts that chose not to be named but were only too happy to talk to the press.’ Though he did smile a little while later when Janus asked Lizzie to dance and she politely but rather publicly declined him.

She didn’t decline everyone, though.

‘So you’re not …?’ one particular rake checked with Leo, before taking Lizzie off to dance.

Unfortunately not, Leo thought as he did duty dances with the women he must.

Lizzie danced and danced, just not with the man she wanted to be with.

It was work, Lizzie reminded herself, making her way over to the bar, where she sat on a stool and watched the room, though her eyes were drawn all too often to Leo.

He worked the room so well and, Lizzie realised, apart from a very occasional sip, more often than not he replaced his full glass and got a fresh one. Lizzie glanced over and saw Kara and Declan. Kara looked amazing in a long gold dress, her blonde hair in curls and worn loose. Declan was stunning in the requisite tuxedo. They were doing tequila shots at the bar and Lizzie was about to go over and say hi but, almost as soon as she thought it, Lizzie realised that they didn’t look as if they’d appreciate being disturbed!

She had never noticed anything between Kara and Declan till now.

She watched as they headed to the dance floor and just as she was starting to feel like a wallflower an astonishingly good-looking man asked her to dance.

It was just the wrong good-looking man, though, Lizzie thought. Her eyes drifted around the room, seeking Leo, but instead they landed on Declan and Kara, locked in a searing kiss, and Lizzie wanted to be as bold as them, to not care what tomorrow might bring.

Or maybe they did care because suddenly Kara left, leaving Declan standing on the dance floor, a what the hell was that look on his face.

Lizzie couldn’t dwell on others, though, all she could think about was Leo and, no, she didn’t want a second dance with this good-looking stranger. Politely she declined and as she did so Lizzie turned, and it was to Leo. Finally she got to dance with the one she wanted.

‘You look as if you’re enjoying yourself,’ Leo said to her hair.

‘I am.’

‘Not so scary after all.’

It wasn’t, Lizzie thought. She liked being back in his arms.

All the self-enforced warnings were diminishing—for both of them.

Leo could feel her spine beneath his hand and he resisted the urge to run the pad of his fingers along it.

Then he stopped resisting.

She felt her stomach curl over as his fingers lightly dusted her back and then hesitate, and she breathed deeply and sank further into him which was permission for Leo to gently resume his exploration.

‘I’ve wanted you all night,’ Leo said.

‘I’m here now.’ She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, feel the wobble in her voice as she tried to keep it light.

‘I wasn’t just talking about dancing.’

Leo didn’t need to look down to know that Lizzie was blushing—he felt the heat race up her exposed back and he stroked the blushing skin with the pads of his fingers, his touch subtle yet almost indecent.

‘What’s stopping us, Lizzie?’

‘Your track record,’ she admitted. ‘My job.’

‘It would never jeopardise your job,’ Leo said. ‘But I can’t do a thing about my track record. It’s there for a reason—I don’t do for ever.’ He thought how best to proceed. ‘Lizzie …’ He had to make things clear. He had to do the ‘I’m a bastard nothing will ever come of it’ talk, right here right now, but she halted him.

‘Leo, I’m thirty-two, I don’t need to hear the warnings.’

‘They’re not warnings, Lizzie. They’re certainties.’

‘Heeded. This,’ she said, ‘is going nowhere except bed.’

‘You’re sure?’

Till now, sex had been pleasant at times, at others a chore.

With Leo she knew she was heading towards bliss.

She felt bold, she felt wanton, she felt sexy. Francesca was right—it wasn’t just a dress and make-up, tonight she was in costume. Tonight, Lizzie realised, she could be anyone she wanted to be. And she wanted to be a woman who could do the no-strings thing, who could give in to want because … she could.

And so she answered him.

‘There’s nothing stopping us.’

She felt the warmth of his body as he pulled her in closer and closed her eyes in decadent bliss as they both stopped fighting their attraction.

‘I know what colour your dress is.’ His mouth was close to her ear and she wanted his tongue, her eyes closing as Leo stopped holding back and it was sublime. ‘It’s the colour of your skin when you get out of the bath.’ His fingers were still working her back. ‘Were you in the bath that night I called?’

‘You know that I was.’

‘I did know and I was right about Rapunzel,’ Leo said, ‘because all I want to do is let down your hair.’

She felt almost dizzy, her body a hand grenade, and as his hand moved to her hair, if he pulled even one pin Lizzie thought she might just explode.

As might Leo.

‘We’ve got to go.’

‘It’s too soon,’ Lizzie said.

‘I don’t care.’

For the first time in forever his focus wasn’t on the Hunter Clinic; for the first time in forever there was a woman who came before it.

Even if just for tonight.

They didn’t care about the driver and they were too far gone for seat belts. They were a tangle of arms and tongues, both desperate to get to Leo’s home. And to tomorrow’s shame for Lizzie, she had no idea if there was anyone in the lift when they entered because, quite simply, their lips could not be parted.

Keys were very inconvenient things.

Condoms too.

They were at his door, Lizzie patting him down as if she was about to arrest him, Leo honestly wondering if they were going to make it inside and would it matter if they didn’t, and then sense drifted in and he pulled out the key.

‘Here …’ He put the key in upside down, for his next attempt he used the Harley Street one, until finally he located the correct key and they were in.

Then a triumphant Lizzie located the second essential item, if Leo wanted in!

Still they kissed. She held his face in her hands and for a moment she moved him back just a fraction from her and met his eyes.

Leo thought she was about to halt things, to say too fast, too soon, but he smiled at her stern warning.

‘If you tear my dress …’

It was her favourite thing in the world, apart from this. She shrugged off her coat and then as his hands roamed her body Lizzie’s were equally as direct. Unzipping him, freeing him, she held him in her hands for a brief slice of time, and as she slid the condom down his delicious length it was as if the word shy had never been invented. Lizzie actually felt as if she knew who she was as he lifted her dress and hauled down her panties.

‘I’ll fall …’ Lizzie said, not exactly used to being taken up against a wall.

‘I won’t let you.’

He lifted her onto him and she wrapped her legs around him. It had to be fast, they were both on the edge of orgasm and there could be no other way, but as he filled her, as she wrapped her legs tightly around him and he pressed her down, Lizzie knew it had had to be this way for another reason—there was no changing their minds now, whatever the future, they had a past. There was no turning back.

‘Lizzie.’ His teeth were gritted in an effort to hold on but holding her buttocks in his hands, hearing the squeal escape her throat as she started to come, Leo gave in. She felt him swell further inside and Leo heard the tiny scream that had his seed race to fill her.

Lizzie had never felt anything like it—had never been taken with such force and passion. As she came she was less than a lady and when he lowered one of her legs, as her lovely shoe hit the floor, he was able to thrust more deeply. So deeply he demanded an encore, her orgasm dashing back from the wings to take centre stage. So deep and long was the second time Leo was able to open his eyes to watch, before kissing her back to the world.

By the time she walked, on shaky legs, into his lounge, they were already lovers.

CHAPTER TWELVE

LEO HAD BEEN right—it was Goldilocks.

After a blissful night of lovemaking Lizzie woke to a silver-grey morning and lay warmed by Leo’s body spooned into hers. As she felt him stir and wake up she then felt him become still as he perhaps realised just who was sleeping in his bed.

And was still there.

Lizzie stared at her dress. Her beautiful dress, which lay like a puddle on the floor, and she remembered him taking it off. She thought of her coat still on the floor in his hallway and she hoped its magic would last, that the costume she had worn last night, where she had been so bold and brave, could see her through this morning.

They had to face each other at work on Monday, which meant things had to play out well today—it was that or run screaming into the woods, never to be seen again.

She could do this, Lizzie decided. In the painful times when her mum had first been diagnosed Lizzie had learnt how to act. How to not notice her mum’s errors in conversations, how to say nothing except thank you when her third birthday card appeared in the post, because her mother had forgotten that she’d already sent one.

Yes, Lizzie could act.

‘Morning.’ She didn’t turn, just stared out of the floor-to-ceiling windows. ‘I won’t ask how you slept, given you’ve had as little as me.’

‘Coffee?’ Leo asked, and Lizzie nodded.

‘Two sugars, please.’

It was an unusual request from a bedfellow! Normally, Leo thought, yawning as he spooned sugar into her cup, it was black coffee and a sweetener, or green tea. He thought of Lizzie’s curves and last night and, really, there was no regret.

Now came the awkward part.

He walked into his bedroom and she was still gazing out of the window and the view from behind was stunning. Her hair fell in thick, still-lacquered curls and as he put her coffee down he was treated to the sight of Lizzie with panda eyes and a mark low on her neck and a slow smile on a mouth that now knew him intimately. Recalling last night’s surprising lack of inhibition, the furthest thing from Leo’s mind now was feeling awkward.

‘Your view is so amazing,’ Lizzie said. ‘I feel like I’m on the London Eye.’

‘If at any time you require assistance …’ Leo made her laugh as he put on an automated woman’s voice ‘… press the button at either end of the capsule …’

‘What happens then?’

‘I’m not sure.’ Leo climbed back into bed and took a very welcome drink of coffee. ‘How much champagne did we have?’

‘Well, I had three glasses so there goes my excuse …’ She rolled over and he watched as the sheet slipped and one breast beckoned him but he took another sip of his drink instead. ‘And you had about two sips …’ His cup hesitated as he realised she’d rumbled his game. ‘You just keep taking a fresh glass …’

‘I like to stay sharp.’

‘So I noticed.’

A smile spread his lips and Lizzie found she was biting down on hers. God, he looked sexy in the morning, unshaven, rumpled and, despite his attempts to halt it, one hand was playing with her breast, which had slipped out from under the sheet.

‘Do you want to go out for breakfast?’ Leo asked, because maybe it would be easier to clear the air for Monday somewhere public. He wasn’t concentrating very well in bed. ‘We could go to Drakes,’ he suggested, then gave a brief shake of his head. ‘Actually, that’s not such a good idea. Half of the Hunter Clinic will be there, nursing their hangovers and trying to work out who got off with who last night.’

‘And we don’t want to fan the flames …’ Lizzie said.

‘No,’ Leo agreed.

‘Where shall we go, then?’ Lizzie asked.

‘How about here?’ He put down his coffee and suggested that she do the same. ‘Beside mine,’ Leo said, and he slid down on the bed as she leant over him, caught the breast with his mouth and Lizzie, one hand beside his head the other on the bedside, knelt and revelled in the sensation, tried to remember to breathe as he pulled her hips so she was over him.

She wanted him to pull her down, she loathed how he had to stop a second to put on another condom, she almost told him not to bother, that she was on the Pill, she just wanted him inside her now.

‘Where were we?’ Leo said, and pulled her down onto him, his hands working her breasts and then down to her hips and then back to her breasts because she rode him so perfectly he could just enjoy and watch her enjoyment too.

‘So much for feeling awkward …’ Leo said, loving her breathless laugh, loving looking down and watching, then cursing as he saw the condom wrapped low around his thick base. ‘Lizzie …’ She was coming as he grabbed her hips and lifted her off him; she didn’t want to get off, didn’t really understand what was happening till she looked down to the gorgeous sight of Leo pulsing over her.

‘More …’ She just said the first thing on her mind.

‘Here.’ He stroked more out onto her and then rubbed it in with his fingers and for Lizzie it was shockingly intimate and it was the same for Leo too.

He rubbed in silver, he looked up to eyes that looked golden, and for the first time Leo wanted more too.

More of the same.

Over and over.

He drove them to Lizzie’s apartment but this was no awkward car ride home, they were just going so that she could change into jeans and boots, and brunch had been well earned, it was no wonder they were starving.

This should be ending about now, both knew it, but walking along the Thames a little while later Leo wanted to keep pulling the scarf she had over her face down just so he could see her mouth.

So he did.

And warmed it with his.

‘Shouldn’t we be regretting this about now?’ Leo checked as they walked alongside the river.

‘Probably,’ Lizzie said. ‘How on earth am I going to face you at work tomorrow?’

‘You won’t have to,’ Leo said. ‘I’ll just turn you over your desk …’

She hit him with her hand; he made her laugh, and she hadn’t laughed like this in a very long time.

Ever.

‘Do you want to go to the zoo?’ Leo asked.

‘The zoo?’

‘You’re a cheap date,’ Leo said, ‘given you’ve got a life membership.’

They had lunch there and just walked and talked and she gave a wry smile at the do-not-feed-the-lion sign.

‘Too late for that,’ Leo said.

‘Where to now?’ Lizzie asked.

‘The reptile house?’ Leo suggested.

‘I don’t like snakes.’

‘What are you doing here, then?’ It was the closest they’d come today since broaching the subject.

‘You’re not a snake,’ Lizzie said. ‘You won’t hurt me, Leo. We can just enjoy it while it lasts.’

Enjoy it they did.

They watched as three female gorillas attempted to gain attention from one very impressive silverback male and the irony was lost on neither of them.

‘I’d make a terrible gorilla,’ Lizzie said, and she gave her one warning. ‘I don’t like to share.’

‘You’ll never have to,’ Leo assured her, and he looked at her profile—saw that she was tense for the first time today and he told her how it would be. ‘I’ve told you I don’t stay around for the rows to start, and it’s served me well—it’s the reason I can still be friendly with my exes.’

‘Apart from Flora.’

‘Yes, apart from Flora.’

Who had been foolish enough to read more into them. This was Leo, like it or leave it, take it or not, he made no excuses and Lizzie was grateful for that, she truly didn’t want them. She would far prefer the painful truth than cruel lies.

She watched the huge silverback gorilla assert himself. ‘He’s so arrogant.’

‘I think he’s rather magnificent,’ Leo said.

So too did Lizzie.

It was evening, their magical wonderful night, extended by a day, except they were heading to his apartment and, yes, a drink would be nice.

‘I could call ahead,’ Leo said. ‘Have some dinner delivered.’

‘Sounds great.’

‘Do you want to stop by your place?’ Leo suggested. ‘Let the fish out?’

A small joke and Lizzie laughed but they both knew what they were there for.

Lizzie collected her uniform, her toothbrush and hairbrush …

‘Is that it?’ Leo was incredibly impressed by the paltry size of her overnight bag.

‘I’m hardly moving in.’

Yes, the view from his apartment was like being on the London Eye as later that night, lying on his couch, she watched the moon drift across London as he stroked her hair with one hand and slid down the zipper of her jeans with the other.

Yes, he had been right, it was Goldilocks.

Too soft the beats of pressure on her clitoris, and he loved it that she was open enough in the bed to tell him that.

Too hard the erection at her entrance to even think of getting off the sofa and finding condoms—after all, he used them all the time and Lizzie was on the Pill.

And as he slipped inside her, she didn’t care about tomorrow and how difficult things might be at some future time.

For now, right now as Leo spilled inside her, it was just right.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

‘YOU’RE LOOKING VERY pleased with yourself,’ Ethan commented as Leo arrived at the Hunter Clinic.

‘Have you seen some of the donations raised?’ Leo said, and gave a brief nod to Lizzie, who was trying to remember how she usually acted when Leo was around.

Oh, yes—blushing and on edge! Strangest of all, now that she’d slept with him she was neither of those things.

‘How did you enjoy the ball?’ Ethan asked, as Leo headed for his office.

‘It was great,’ Lizzie answered, then excused herself, but she felt a little like she had when her father had asked questions when she’d first gone out with Peter.

‘I’m allowed to be concerned, Lizzie,’ Thomas had said. ‘I know his type and I just don’t see any good coming from it.’

Ethan didn’t need to be concerned, Lizzie told herself.

She knew what she was getting into. If anything, there was less tension between Lizzie and Leo, there was no flirting, it was all very business-like now.

Until home time.

Lizzie was wrapping her scarf around her neck and chatting with Rafael about her parents as Leo walked past.

‘I’ll go and see them at the weekend.’

‘You go each weekend?’ Rafael asked.

‘Not every weekend,’ Lizzie said, but there was guilt, because the build-up to Christmas had been crazy and then between moving and starting her new job, she hadn’t been going so much lately.

Leo headed for his office and tried to ignore what he was thinking because he had been hoping to see her again at the weekend. While, of course, Lizzie had to do what was right for her, it just left no time for them, unless …

‘Night, Leo.’ Lizzie smiled and walked past his office.

‘ Night, Lizzie.’

She wanted him to call her back.

He didn’t.

She got home and peeled off her coat and then ran a bath and ate a bowl of cereal for dinner. Exhausted, and seriously so, after the most incredible weekend of her life, it was blissful to slip into bed and finally catch up with her thoughts.

Leo.

She waited for guilt, for self-recrimination, for common sense to make her bolt upright with an anxiety attack. Instead she lay in bed actually smiling, laughing, just on the crest of a wave and riding it, wherever it might take her. Such was her sudden longing for him it came as no surprise when her phone rang and it was Leo.

His apartment was lit by the moon. On coming home Leo had scanned the apartment for a piece of Lizzie, but the cleaners were thorough and very used to tidying up after one of Leo’s weekends.

‘Loser,’ Leo muttered to himself as he found himself picking up her deodorant can and spraying it.

What was the problem again? Leo checked.

That’s right, her weekend was taken.

‘Hi, there …’ He was almost brusque when he called her.

‘Hi, Leo.’

“What are you doing?’

‘I’m in bed.’

‘It’s eight.’

‘I’m tired.’

‘About the weekend …’

‘I’ve got plans.’

‘I know that,’ Leo said. ‘What about Thursday?’

‘I’ve got drinks with friends,’ Lizzie said, which was true—it was her friend Brenda’s birthday. They’d shared a flat when Lizzie had first arrived in London and they got together now and then. Though not one of her friends would mind in the least if she stood them up for such a glorious cause.

‘What are you wearing?’ Leo asked. ‘And if it’s one of those awful all-in-one things you have my permission to lie.’

‘I’m not,’ Lizzie said.

‘Good.’

‘I’m not wearing anything.’ She waited, closed her eyes and almost willed his reply.

‘Well, I’d suggest you amend that,’ Leo said. ‘I don’t want you scaring my driver.’

It was the serious bonking time of a new romance, Lizzie told herself. That time when you just can’t bear to be apart.

And they used every minute.

It was dizzying, enlightening, freeing, and between steamy encounters as they waited for rancour to hit and for both of them to admit to it all being a terrible mistake, sometimes they actually managed to talk.

‘You were at the airport?’

Leo was watching her get ready for birthday drinks with Brenda. It had meant another trip to her flat to get more of her things and very soon she would have spent more nights at Leo’s than her own home. He had suggested they go to Paris for Valentine’s Day, which was looming, and Lizzie was explaining why she didn’t like to be too far away.

‘Yes,’ Lizzie said, pulling down her lower eyelid and applying black kohl on the inner rim. ‘We were going to travel for a year—see the world.’ They had spoken about exes and, as innocent as Lizzie was compared to Leo, it had come as a surprise to both that neither had lived with another person. Not that they were living together, both had hastily agreed, it had been just little while after all.

But it was heading into record time for Leo.

The lack of condoms was already a new record.

So too making plans that fell into next month.

He lay on the bed, half listening, half thinking, as Lizzie spoke on.

‘My neighbour called and said that Mum had fallen,’

‘What did Peter say?’

‘Not much,’ Lizzie admitted, putting down her eyeliner, remembering that awful time. She had been so excited about her trip but also so nervous to leave her parents—sure that something would go wrong. And it had. She hadn’t even made it onto the plane. ‘Mum had fractured her hip and was going to Theatre. Peter seemed to think I should ring and see how she was doing when we landed …’

‘Clearly, Peter didn’t know you very well.’ She turned and gave a pale smile at his comment because in the short time they had been seeing each other Leo seemed to understand her more than anyone else ever had.

‘He said that it was him or them. That if I didn’t get on the plane …’

‘Hadn’t he heard of rescheduling?’ Leo drawled. ‘Didn’t you have flight insurance?’

‘It was a bit more complicated than that,’ Lizzie said, but he did make her giggle about even the most serious thing.

‘So you chose your parents?’

‘Of course,’ Lizzie said. ‘I could never have gone away knowing my mum was about to have surgery. Now do you see why I don’t want to go to Paris?’

‘No.’ He came over and looked at her. She was all dressed up and ready to go out and her freshly painted lips really begged to be made naked by his mouth. ‘If anyone should have a hang-up about going to Paris then I win—my mother died in a helicopter crash, coming back from a party there.’ He took her cheeks in his hands as she gave a shocked gasp. ‘Does that mean I’m supposed to boycott France?’ Despite the dark subject matter, he still made her smile. ‘Only take the Euro Tunnel just so that history never repeats itself?’

‘I don’t know,’ Lizzie admitted. ‘I just remember the guilt, how awful I felt. I don’t expect anyone to understand but I’m all they’ve got. Even my moving to London was so massive to them …’ She was truly shocked at what he had just told her. ‘Do you miss them?’

‘I’ve never really had the time to miss them,’ Leo said. ‘I’ve been too busy cleaning up after their mistakes.’

Lizzie looked at him for a long moment. No wonder he dreaded the thought of commitment—he was still bearing the cost of his parents’ lack of commitment to anything other than themselves.

‘Not all relationships are like your parents’, Leo.’

‘Of course not,’ Leo quipped. ‘Take …’ He pretended to think for a moment then gave a very wry smile. ‘I can’t think of too many shining examples. Think about Paris …’

‘I already have.’ It was getting late, she had to go. ‘The answer’s no.’

It wasn’t a row, it wasn’t even close to one, but as Lizzie sat in the taxi on her way to visit her friends she felt as if the clock was ticking towards the end of them. They were both so completely different. Leo often said his only responsibility was to his patients and he intended to keep it that way. She had been born responsible.

‘Where have you been?’ Brenda scooped her into a hug. ‘Have you dropped off the planet or something?’

‘I’m here now.’ Lizzie grinned, handing over her present and ordering a drink.

‘You’re seeing someone.’ Haley was straight onto it. ‘Come on, Lizzie, who?’

And she almost told them but changed her mind, because that would make what she and Leo had more real—maybe in a few weeks she could tell them about her crazy time with Leo Hunter, maybe she could sob into her margarita with friends, but for now all Lizzie wanted to do was protect whatever she had with Leo, instead of handing it over to others for discussion.

It was the same with her parents.

Lizzie walked along Brighton beach at the weekend, trying to come up for breath after a dizzying time with Leo.

It was so cold that her teeth were chattering as she looked out to the grey churn of the sea. Lizzie had always loved this time of year in her home town—the summer tourists were long gone, the Christmas shoppers had left and it was just bare and beautiful and recovering, getting ready to start all over again.

She wanted to share it with Leo, she wanted to walk along the pier and go on rides that would be almost empty now. She wanted to take him to her favourite coffee shop and share this part of herself with him.

She missed him and it was just a weekend, Lizzie thought. Soon she’d have to miss him for the rest of her life.

How are they?

A text from Leo maybe meant he was missing her at this moment too but as she answered Lizzie kept the details sparse. Leo was out with some prominent people tonight and he was being interviewed on television tomorrow about the hazards of cosmetic surgery and people who went overseas for cheap procedures. She didn’t share that her mum had broken her watch again and kept forgetting it was being repaired and so was frantically searching for it, or that her father kept asking questions about the ball and Leo. Lizzie knew as she fired back a suitably upbeat reply that Leo didn’t need to hear it and she also knew something else—he’d been right about Paris.

Her world really was too small.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

‘WE COULD JUST keep it simple—red roses and chocolates.’ Leo only briefly looked up as Lizzie walked in. It had been a couple of weeks since she’d visited her parents and she was going again this weekend for her mother’s birthday. ‘Shan’t be a moment,’ he said to Lizzie, then resumed his conversation with Lexi.

‘Won’t it be an issue if their partners don’t know that they’re coming to the clinic?’ Lexi said.

‘They can always say no,’ Leo commented. ‘I’m not having gifts sent to their house or anything.’ He looked at Lizzie. ‘We’re discussing Valentine’s Day,’ he explained, and Lizzie gave a wry smile, because Leo had no problem giving his heart to his patients. ‘Lexi’s worried that I’m going to upset a few husbands.’

‘Well, it wouldn’t be the first time.’ Lexi smiled and stood. ‘I’ll have a think and get back to you.’

‘Would you have liked flowers and chocolates on Valentine’s Day if you’d had your surgery scheduled then?’ Leo asked when Lexi had closed the door.

‘Keep trying, Leo,’ Lizzie teased as he resumed their game. ‘I’m never going to tell you.’

‘Tonight.’ Leo’s blue eyes turned black as he looked at her, lust turned on like a laser that in an instant made her burn. His voice was very matter-of-fact as he told her exactly what he was going to do. ‘All lights on, I’m going to strip you naked and I’m going to explore every inch of you, and this time,’ unlike the countless other times, ‘I won’t get distracted. I am going to find out.’ He opened a desk and pulled out his ophthalmoscope. ‘I haven’t used this in a while.’ He pressed the intercom on his desk. ‘Gwen, could you bring me some batteries for my ophthalmoscope, please?’ He gave her a wicked smile. ‘Every inch,’ he said, and Lizzie stood there, heat washing through her at the thought of Leo exploring every inch of her skin. ‘So, what do you want to do for Valentine’s Day—or do I have to surprise you?’ Leo asked.

‘Actually …’

‘I assume Paris is still out of bounds?’

‘Leo …’ She tried to get back to the reason she had come into see him in the first place. ‘I actually came into say that I needed that afternoon off. My mum’s having a small procedure and it’s scheduled for four p.m. on that day …’

Leo just looked. He wanted to say ‘It’s Valentine’s Day’ but he knew it wasn’t his place, that would sound like a ten-year-old whining. It was her mother, for God’s sake, but he certainly wasn’t used to spending Valentine’s Day alone.

‘I can pick you up from Brighton.’

‘Leo, she’ll be confused. I’ll probably spend the night there …’ It was actually a tiny procedure her mother was having—the removal of a tiny basal cell carcinoma on her forehead—and in truth Lizzie probably didn’t even need to be here. Yes, she was hiding because she didn’t want the hearts and roses and to be made love to, didn’t want the perfect Valentine’s Day to happen because every one after that would be a pale comparison.

With each passing day and certainly with each passing night, Lizzie was becoming more aware that every single Valentine’s Day, no matter her future, would not compare to one spent with Leo.

‘Lizzie.’ Leo was struggling, he wanted her in a way he never had another woman, and that unnerved him too. An ever-efficient Gwen came in with the batteries for his ophthalmoscope and a message for Lizzie, and he registered Lizzie’s rapid blink as she read it.

‘Is everything okay?’

‘I’m not sure,’ Lizzie said, as she read the brief message. ‘I’d better get on.’ She saw his concern and moved to reassure him. ‘It’s nothing to with the clinic.’

Which should reassure him, but this time it didn’t.

He shouldn’t be getting so involved, Leo told himself, but he sought her out a little while later and found her hiding in her office, trying to pretend everything was okay, though it was clear to Leo she was close to crying.

‘It’s nothing too major,’ Lizzie said when pressed. ‘They think Mum’s got a UTI.’

‘A urinary tract infection can be serious in the elderly,’ Leo said. ‘How bad is she?’

‘More confused than ever,’ Lizzie said. ‘They’ve got a nurse specialling her and they’ve started antibiotics, but if she gets worse they’re going to have to transfer her to hospital.’

‘Are you going to go and see her?’ He didn’t understand the shrill laugh that came out of her mouth. ‘Lizzie, if your mother’s not well …’

‘She’s never well,’ Lizzie said. ‘Yes, maybe I should go and see her now or do I wait till she’s worse and see her in the hospital or do I …?’ Her shoulders were shaking as he took them in his hands, glimpsing the never-ending quandary she was in. ‘I can’t drop everything all the time but the one time I don’t dash to see her I know it will be the time …’

‘Get your coat,’ Leo said.

She gave a weary nod. It was almost four. If she left now she might miss the worst of the traffic and if she left really early tomorrow she could be back in time for work …

‘What are you doing?’ Lizzie asked, as Leo came back, his jacket on, telling Gwen he was going on a house call and wouldn’t be back, and then he led her to his car. ‘I live two minutes away.’

‘I’m taking you to see your mother,’ Leo said. ‘You’re upset, I don’t want you driving.’

‘No.’ Lizzie shook her head. ‘I was going to stay the night and drive back in the morning. You wouldn’t want …’ She couldn’t imagine him at the Hewitts and she couldn’t imagine the Hewitts if she and Leo shared a bed! ‘I stay at a bed and breakfast, they’re old family friends.’

‘Why don’t we just see how she is first?’ Leo was practical. ‘If you need to stay you can make a booking; if not, we’ll come back. We can stop at home and get our things just in case …’ He pulled out into the heavy London traffic and, realising what he had just said, corrected himself. ‘Do you want to go to your place first?’

‘No.’

There wasn’t any point—everything she needed for an overnight stay was already at Leo’s.

It was a long, slow drive but they were chatting so much that a traffic jam didn’t really matter. She showed him the bed and breakfast they might be staying in that night and forewarned him about the nylon sheets and the rules of the kitchen.

‘Last booking is at seven-thirty,’ Lizzie said. ‘I always want to tell them that I’ll eat out but they take it so personally.’

‘So you eat there to please them?’ Leo grinned.

‘No,’ Lizzie corrected. ‘I eat there so as not to offend them.’

They pulled up at the nursing home and Lizzie hesitated as Leo turned off the engine and went to get out.

‘You don’t have to visit.’

‘I know.’

‘It might just …’ She didn’t know how to put it delicately. ‘Dad might have some questions.’

‘I’m a friend,’ Leo said. ‘I’m also your boss. Won’t your father be pleased to know that you didn’t have to drive yourself? Won’t it help him to know that you’ve got people who care about you?’

He did care, that much he was more than willing to admit.

‘Of course,’ Lizzie lied.

Leo simply didn’t get it. The only person he answered to was himself and his mere presence would set off a whole load of questions—not tonight but in the future.

‘Lizzie!’ Shelby, the nurse, gave her a beaming smile as Lizzie and Leo walked in, and went a little bit pink when she saw Leo. ‘Your mum’s actually picking up a bit. The antibiotics seem to be kicking in and we’ve been giving her lots to drink. I’m so sorry for scaring you …’

‘Don’t be,’ Lizzie said. ‘I’d far rather you rang and let me know what’s happening than not. Is the nurse still specialling her?’

‘No. Your dad’s in there with her. She’s a lot more settled and her temperature has started to come down.’

A little bit more gingerly than usual, Lizzie went in.

‘Lizzie!’ Her dad stood, clearly shocked at the sight of a man with his daughter, but, then, Lizzie reasoned as she made the introductions, her dad would be shocked if she’d had her hair cut—he simply loathed any change in routine.

He always had, Lizzie thought as she approached Faye.

‘Hi, Mum.’

‘Have you got my watch?’

‘I’m trying to find it,’ Lizzie answered patiently. ‘I hear you haven’t been feeling well.’

‘Who are you?’

Even the ten thousandth time hurt and Leo saw the brief flicker of pain in her eyes.

‘It’s me, Lizzie.’

‘And who are you?’ She looked at Leo. ‘Have you got my watch?’

‘I haven’t got your watch, Mrs Birch,’ Leo said. ‘I’m Leo, a friend of Lizzie’s.’ He could see the tension in her father’s face. ‘She was upset so I offered to drive her.’

‘Are you staying at the Hewitts’?’ her father snapped to Lizzie, but it was Leo who answered.

‘Lizzie was going to stay if her mother wasn’t well but I have to get back tonight.’

‘Oh,’ Thomas huffed, only slightly appeased, but then he turned to his wife when she surprised everyone.

‘Lizzie!’ Faye’s smile was wide.

‘Hi, Mum.’ Lizzie went over and kissed her again as if she’d just walked in. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Not so bad …’ She looked at Leo. ‘Who’s this?’

‘I’m Leo,’ Leo answered again. ‘I’m a friend of Lizzie’s.’

‘It’s lovely to see you with someone …’ Faye said to her daughter, and Lizzie cringed. She usually craved her mother’s rare moments of near-lucidity—the times when Faye actually recognised her daughter, and they could have an almost normal conversation, but did she have to do her reminiscing in front of Leo? ‘Better looking than that Peter,’ Faye said. ‘He was no good for Lizzie,’ she told Leo. ‘Lizzie has wanted a husband and children since the day she was born and all Peter wanted …’ Her voice trailed off as she lost her train of thought. ‘Have you seen my watch, Lizzie?’

Leo was actually fantastic with them but, then, naturally he would be, Lizzie reminded herself. He had a fantastic bedside manner. He chatted with her father about the traffic and it was a relief for Lizzie not to have to go over and over every detail of the journey down to Brighton for once. She left it to Leo and sorted her mum’s hair and encouraged a couple of drinks of lemonade into her.

‘Has she got any cranberry juice?’ Lizzie asked, because she always brought some with her but yet again it had gone missing.

‘I’ll go and get some,’ Leo offered.

‘The shop will be closed.’

‘I’ll find somewhere.’

He did. Leo was back ten minutes later.

‘The garage had some.’

Lizzie could only smile. Leo would have no idea how much cranberry juice cost, let alone care that it was double the price at the garage.

It was all these tiny things that constantly rammed home to Lizzie that their worlds were completely different.

The drive home was a slightly strained one. Leo might not know much about the cost of cranberry juice but he did know the cost of other things. The home her parents were in would cost a small fortune and, as they chatted, he soon worked out that, no, it hadn’t all been covered by the sale of their house and Lizzie was paying for a lot of things.

‘It must be a strain.’

‘It is.’ Lizzie could now admit it. ‘But growing up they gave me everything—it’s the least I can do.’

Her selflessness unnerved him. That she would give everything she had to ensure her parents’ comfort, that she would drop everything for what had turned out to be a simple UTI.

‘Well, at least you won’t have to go this weekend.’ He turned and briefly looked at her. ‘Given that you’ve already been. Which is good because I’ve got a dinner to go to on Saturday and—’

‘Today was a bonus visit,’ Lizzie interrupted, with an edge to her voice. ‘Of course I’m still going this weekend, it’s Mum’s birthday.’

‘You are allowed to have a life, Lizzie.’

‘I do have a life,’ Lizzie snapped back. ‘And this is it.’

It wasn’t a row, it was an almost row.

Both confirmed it when, for the first time, that night they didn’t make love.

Or have sex.

Or whatever Leo told himself it was.

He lay on his back as she slept beside him, going over all that her mother had said about Lizzie wanting a husband and babies.

Lizzie, Leo decided as he finally drifted off to sleep, really had terrible taste in men, because if it was a husband and babies she wanted, what on earth was she doing here with him?

Lizzie woke to the sound of Leo’s phone buzzing and listened as he took a call from Ethan.

‘I can see them when I get into work …’ Leo yawned, his hand moving to Lizzie and stroking her bottom, their almost row forgotten, his mouth working the back of her shoulder as Ethan spoke on. ‘I don’t care if it’s the end of the working day in the Solomon Islands …’ He put his hand over her mouth to stifle Lizzie’s giggle. ‘Okay,’ Leo snapped. ‘I’ll take a look now.’ He let out a long sigh as he ended the call. ‘Ethan wants me to go over some details on a patient he thinks the clinic might be able to help.’

‘Is he coming over?’

‘I’m afraid so. My brother with a cause is like a …’

‘A what?’

‘I don’t know.’ Leo yawned. ‘I haven’t had a coffee yet.’

‘I’ll get us one.’ Lizzie would far prefer he got back to kissing her, but she could use a coffee too.

‘Actually …’ Leo’s voice was rarely tentative. ‘He’ll be here soon.’

‘Getting kicked out without so much as a coffee!’ Lizzie kept her voice light but there was an edge to it she couldn’t hide as she climbed out of bed.

‘You’ve said many times that you don’t want anyone at work knowing.’

‘I know.’

She didn’t want anyone at working knowing.

What was the point?

It would be over soon. It was bad enough trying to get over a guy like Leo, without the world watching, guessing your reaction, asking how you felt.

They were in this strange arena.

Caught somewhere between a fling and a relationship.

Only relationships Leo didn’t really do, except it was starting to feel a lot like one. Lizzie was staying at his place most nights and when they decided otherwise, when Lizzie had gone out with friends and come home to her apartment, Leo had caved at one a.m. and called her and ended up coming over to hers.

And as for a fling, yes, it might feel like that way to Leo, but her heart was saying otherwise.

Stupidly Lizzie was close to tears as she took her toothbrush from his cupboard and her deodorant and, after the quickest wash, pulled her dress on.

‘Lizzie …’

He was at the bathroom door, two coffees in hand as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and fiddled with it for something to do. She was wearing a tight black dress with a high neck. Last night she’d had a smoky grey top over it, but now he could see her bare arms and the slight shake of her hand as she pulled a couple of strands of hair out and tried to make herself look, to commuters’ eyes, as if she was going to work, rather than going home after a night not spent in her own bed.

‘I found this.’ He handed her a missing earring.

Yes, they were at the precipice and it had come far more rapidly than either had thought it might.

All or nothing and neither wanted to make that choice.

She put in her earring and then fiddled with her hair as he stood behind her in the mirror, his trousers on, his chest bare, though she did everything she could not to look. She would give anything rather than have him see her with tears in her eyes over them.

‘Have your coffee.’ He put a mug down beside the sink.

‘It’s fine,’ Lizzie said. ‘I’ll grab one on the way.’

‘Lizzie.’

Her teeth gritted but to prove she wasn’t upset she took a drink.

‘Would it be so terrible if Ethan found out?’ Leo asked.

‘I don’t think terrible is the word,’ Lizzie said. ‘More …’ she thought for a moment, ‘… awkward.’

‘I’m sure he’s not going to go shouting it to all the staff …’

Which was the whole damn point, Lizzie thought, and she turned to him. ‘Would it be so terrible if he did?’

‘No,’ Leo said carefully. ‘As you said, it might just make things a bit awkward.’

‘Why?’ Lizzie frowned. ‘Is it awkward when Abbie and Rafael are there?’

‘Of course not,’ Leo said. ‘They’re a team, they’re married …’ He closed his eyes, not sure where this row had come from, not sure he deserved the label of bad guy here. ‘I’m just thinking of you,’ Leo said. ‘You’re the head nurse and—’

‘It might not look so good that I’m shagging the boss?’

‘Lizzie.’

‘You’re right.’ Lizzie turned around. ‘It is better that I go before Ethan gets here—it would make things terribly awkward if he found out, so thanks for the coffee but, no, thanks.’ She brushed past him and sat on the sofa and pulled on her boots and then added the grey top and coat and scarf. ‘We should have done this in summer.’

‘Sorry?’

‘It’s not very easy to make a rapid exit in the middle of winter. I’ll be climbing down the fire escape at this rate,’ she said, picking up her bag.

‘I don’t know what’s going on here, Lizzie.’ As always, he got to the point. ‘I’ve said stay, I’ve said let Ethan know …’

‘I know.’ She breathed out loudly. This anger in her stomach just had to be released, she just wanted to get away from him.

‘Come over tonight,’ Leo said, and he did something he never had before. ‘I’m operating this afternoon.’ He took a key from the dresser in the hall. ‘Just …’ Those stupid tears were back as she watched him close her fingers around the metal. ‘Let yourself in.’

She wanted to argue, wanted to tell him she didn’t want his key, that it was killing her to get closer, that there was more and more she’d have to give back—the key, the suit he’d left at her flat, the cufflinks, the tie, and there were her favourite shoes under his bed. She couldn’t end it and leave them here. And there were a couple of movies she’d brought over …

‘See you.’ She almost turned her head as he went to give her a kiss but he captured her cheeks and kissed her properly, nicely, deeply, and then, before he asked her a question, he wisely held her wrists.

‘Are you getting your period?’

She almost went to lift her hand but his grip tightened and she gave a wry smile at his foresight. She was in a dangerous mood, an unpredictable mood.

‘Are you worried that I might be pregnant?’

‘No,’ Leo said. ‘I’m just trying to account for your mood.’

‘It’s not very twenty-first century to ask a woman—’

‘I don’t care.’

‘Yes, Leo,’ Lizzie duly said. ‘I have raging PMS, of course that’s what’s wrong.’ She pulled her hands away and opened the door. ‘I’ll see you at work.’ She heard the lift and guessing it could well be Ethan she headed for the stairs, but Leo halted her.

‘You’re not, are you?’

And she looked at him, a man who, no doubt, could not think of anything worse.

‘No, Leo. I’m not pregnant. Your carefree days aren’t over.’

She loathed the breath he let out and the relief in his eyes at her answer and ran down the stairs as if someone was chasing her.

Something was.

Lizzie stepped onto the street and the tears she’d been holding back tumbled out there and then. So much for dressing for the commuters. There was a mad woman sobbing as she walked, because, of all the stupid things to go and do, she was head over heels in love with him.

Real love.

A few weeks in and despite her best efforts not to she was thinking stupid things—like a life with Leo, and babies and having that heart to herself. And it was stupid, it was mad, and she’d waited this long because she wanted Mr Right.

She’d just never known Mr Right would also be Mr Completely Wrong and Never Want to be Tied Down.

It wasn’t his fault.

Leo was who he was.

She just happened to love him.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

IT WAS A bad day at the office.

Leo and Ethan were bunkered down in Leo’s office for most of the day but the tension from behind the door seemed to seep out and attach itself to everyone.

Rafael looked almost grey as he dashed back between theatre cases to check on a child who had a post-operative fever. Lizzie was trying to calm the mother down more than the baby when a grim-faced Rafael pulled her aside.

‘I asked you to tell her to take the baby over to the Lighthouse for me to examine him.’

‘I know that,’ Lizzie said, ‘but she thought I said we would see him here and then, if needed, transfer him to hospital. It was a simple miscommunication.’

Lizzie could see he was holding onto his temper—a simple miscommunication, with Rafael’s heavy operating list, was something he simply did not need. On top of that he had a wife in America and a very sick baby of his own to worry about.

‘Will you give him his first dose of antibiotic and arrange for him to be admitted?’ Rafael asked.

‘Of course,’ Lizzie said. ‘Rafael …’ She wanted to ask how things were but Leo had said not to and she saw too the warning in Rafael’s eyes for Lizzie not to go there so she changed what she was about to say. ‘I am sorry for the mix-up.’

His anger dimmed then and he gave a small nod of thanks for her about turn and gave a wry smile and Lizzie saw a glimpse of the real Rafael—gorgeous, passionate, and terribly Italian. He apologised for his non-outburst with his smile and his eyes. ‘That’s not a problem—it was a simple miscommunication.’

It was more of the same all day. Ethan left looking boot-faced and then Leo headed over to Kate’s, where he had surgery scheduled into the evening, but he did stop by her office to say goodbye.

‘I don’t know what happened this morning.’

Lizzie looked up at him.

‘I think …’ He just looked at her and she looked back at him—a man who didn’t hang around waiting for the rows to start, a man who saved work for work, not relationships.

‘Maybe it’s better not to think sometimes,’ Lizzie said.

Leo nodded.

He didn’t want to think about that morning’s row, he didn’t want to acknowledge they’d lain in his bed together but apart last night, bristling with rancour—like some miserable married couple who saved sex for birthdays and anniversaries.

It was just one night, he reasoned.

Couples rowed sometimes.

He just didn’t want to be half of that couple that rowed sometimes.

‘That function I have to attend on Saturday,’ Leo said. ‘Lexi’s pushing for a response …’

‘I told you.’ Lizzie looked up at him. ‘I’m seeing my parents this weekend.’

Leo just looked at her. ‘These things are bad enough at the best of times,’ he attempted, ‘without having to go alone.’ He was trying to keep his voice even, what the hell was the point of having a plus one if she couldn’t even attend? What the hell was the point in committing to a relationship if she was never around?

And Lizzie looked at him. Why should she drop her visit to her parents for a man who was going to drop her any time soon?

It was unsustainable.

The both knew it.

‘Come over tonight,’ Leo said, but she shook her head. ‘Come over,’ Leo repeated. ‘You know that we need to talk.’

‘Talk, then.’

‘We can’t here.’

She blew out a breath and nodded. They had to work together after all so they had to end it, and neatly.

Nicely.

Lizzie did consider just heading home, maybe they should write today off as a bad one, yet she knew it was more than that.

Cracks were appearing and Leo wasn’t one for papering over them, whereas she had the sudden image of her rushing around with a trowel in a frantic attempt to repair them before everything was broken.

It had to be over, Lizzie knew that.

How, though?

How did you end something so wonderful just because you knew it couldn’t last?

Wait till it’s horrible, wait till the rows start?

They were almost there.

Lizzie took the lift up to his flat and as she stepped out she blinked as she saw a huge bunch of roses and chocolates there and was reminded just how very nice Leo could be—that in the middle of a very long day he had taken the time to think of her.

Of them.

Lizzie wasn’t really one for red roses but she read the card.

‘Seeing as you can’t make it for Valentine’s I thought we could have our own tonight. Lx’

They couldn’t make it.

Both of them knew.

Oh, God.

They were over, and both knew it.

Tonight was their goodbye, their Valentine’s. Before they took to fighting, before things turned bitter, they would end it nicely.

She wasn’t overthinking things—in the little time they’d been together they had come to know each other well.

Too well perhaps, Leo thought as he finished operating and headed to the changing rooms.

Rafael was there, getting changed to head over to the Lighthouse, he told Leo.

‘How are Abbie and Ella?’ Leo asked, but Rafael was in no mood to talk. He just gave some vague answer and then said he was in a rush.

Leo wished Rafael would speak with him but really he couldn’t blame him for not doing so. After all, the last thing Leo wanted to do was discuss his feelings for Lizzie with anyone.

Maybe Ethan?

Yeah, that would go down well.

He and Lizzie were too close for comfort, Leo thought as he drove home.

The traffic was bad, he’d have been quicker walking or at least taking the Tube, but he was actually glad of the pause before he got home to Lizzie.

Home to Lizzie.

He was growing far too used to that and Leo wasn’t used to relying on anyone.

How, in just a few weeks, had she come to be such a part of his life? Leo didn’t like it, loathed the thought that he might ever need another person.

As he pulled up his phone rang and, seeing it was Lexi, Leo took the call.

‘I need a response for Saturday,’ Lexi said. ‘I’ve been putting it off.’

So had Leo.

‘Yes, I’ll be attending.’

‘Who’s your guest?’ Lexi asked. ‘They need it for the table plan.’

He sat and stared out of the window. The wipers were still going and he watched the light bouncing off the black roads and he paused for a long moment before answering.

‘I’m not sure yet. I’ll let you know in the morning.’

Lexi didn’t turn a hair. It was a regular response from Leo. He always left things like this till the last minute—his low attention span with women ensured that names could not be given weeks in advance.

He’d asked Lizzie, but she’d said no.

You could always go alone, a voice that sounded like his own told him.

‘Why?’ Leo said to the silence. ‘Why should I?’

Because that’s what relationships are about, that small voice told him.

Compromise.

It wasn’t something he did well.

As the door opened Lizzie’s back was towards him. He saw her putting roses in the vase, he could see her slender arms and the curve of her bottom in the fitted skirt, and he just wanted to go over, turn her around and just bury himself in her, yet he held back.

‘They’re for you.’

‘I know,’ Lizzie said, ‘but for all the time I’m at home …’ She halted, saw the brief look in his eyes and simply didn’t want go there just yet. Neither did Leo. ‘Let’s just enjoy them tonight.’

She walked towards him, smiling, and he pulled her into his arms, inhaled the fragrance of her hair, held the woman he had come home to and hated it that he wasn’t capable of making their relationship last but he just did not believe in forever.

He was hurting her. Every day that they were together would simply make the parting harder, and so instead of diving into a kiss he headed over to the dresser and, rarely for Leo, poured a drink. ‘Do you want one?’ he offered.

‘Not if I’m driving.’

He hesitated but poured two.

‘It’s not working, is it?’ Lizzie was the one who broached the subject. ‘It hasn’t been since you visited the nursing home.’

‘It’s not that.’

Lizzie didn’t believe him. ‘Leo, what my mum said about a husband and babies was a ten-year-old Lizzie she was remembering.’

‘So you don’t want that?’ Leo glanced over.

‘I do.’ Lizzie was honest enough to admit it. ‘But I know that’s not for you—I know what she said freaked you out.’

He held his breath. It had freaked him out but not in the way Lizzie was thinking—it was more that she deserved someone who could give her all that she wanted when he honestly didn’t think he could. ‘Why would it freak me out?’ he asked. ‘I already told you it’s not for me.’

They stood there and the usual response would have been, So where are we going, then? Except Lizzie had always known the answer.

Nowhere.

‘I don’t want to fight,’ Leo said. He loathed arguments more than anything, loathed the sound of raised voices as people hurtled out of control.

Leo was always in control—always a step ahead, always making sure that it never came to that.

It had possibly saved Ethan’s life.

It had certainly messed up his own.

He looked at Lizzie, so loving and warm, so where he wanted to be, yet the gap between them was a chasm he could not breach.

‘We’re not fighting, Leo, we’re talking.’

Ah, but about their relationship, he thought.

‘Can you come on Saturday?’ he asked. ‘I have to give Lexi the name of the person accompanying me by the morning.’

She could do it, Lizzie knew that. She could head down to Brighton on Friday instead of Saturday, hit the worst of the traffic, and then race back Saturday afternoon, but they had birthday cake after dinner at the nursing home. Her father would be devastated if she wasn’t there—and for what?

Another night in Leo’s bed, then perhaps another.

For a glimpse of a future, she’d do it, but he denied them both that.

‘Leo …’

As she went to answer he walked over to her. He didn’t want to hear that, no, she couldn’t come, neither did he want the question about where they were heading, because it was a path he’d always refused to take.

So he kissed her.

A kiss that offered more escape than the brandy he’d barely touched.

‘Leo …’ She pulled back a bit and then gave in, because she wanted him so much, wanted that mouth that was on hers, that was kissing her top lip, over and over. Lizzie wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her.

They were frenzied as they set themselves free from an impossible conversation. He pushed her down so they were half leaning on the sofa, half kneeling on the floor, so their mouths barely need to part to undress each other. Frantic, deep kisses, till Lizzie was down to her bra and shoes and Leo was kissing her chest and up to her neck. He should rise, should get out of his trousers, but the taste of her skin and her hands pressing into his back were the only things Leo could think of.

His lips trailed a path from her neck to a mouth that was waiting and then he moved back down, over and over, tasting her skin till her neck was arching. Just inhaling her and crushing her as she pulled at his zipper and freed him, and continuing to kiss her. Concentrating on the same areas over and over—the neck he would never again kiss, the breasts that would tease and the mouth that would, from tomorrow, forever taunt him.

He didn’t do for ever, Leo reminded himself, except he wasn’t listening to himself now.

Lizzie wrapped a leg around him and sobbed as Leo stabbed into her. She rose to him, tightened her leg around him, and she almost just wanted this done, because his mouth was driving her crazy. Dizzy and crazy, because how could he kiss her with such passion when soon he would want her gone?

Lizzie curved into him, pressed herself to him, but then he slowed things down, thrusting slowly and deeply inside her, his mouth to her ear as her body urged him on.

‘Please …’ Lizzie said.

She wanted this done.

She lied.

‘Please …’ she begged to a groin that thrust slowly, to a mouth that was roaming her ear. She was coming and Leo refused to and she hated his control. Hated it that he could now look down and watch her come as he still moved deep inside her. Hated how his blue eyes could reproach her as they made love, as if it was she who was messing with his head, rather than the other way around.

Then she saw him, felt him briefly still, and watched the moment when Leo gave in—the grimace and the pleasure and the bliss of escape as he moved now and filled her with the most intimate part of him.

She didn’t want it to end.

It just had.

‘Lizzie …’ He looked down at her. He didn’t even know what it was he was going to say, he had never wanted to hurt her and whatever way it went now, surely he would.

He kissed her eyes and her cheeks and then met her gaze, and he could see the tears in her eyes that he’d put there.

She wriggled from under him, but he didn’t let her go.

The trowel had been passed to him now—it was Leo frantically plastering over the cracks. ‘I was thinking, if you went and saw your parents early and then came back …’

‘Leo, it’s Mum’s birthday on Saturday.’

Leo’s jaw gritted.

‘They do a cake at dinnertime,’ Lizzie explained.

‘Can’t they do it at lunch?’

He let her go then, sat on the sofa as she moved for her clothes, it was all so easy for him.

He tried, though. ‘I’m not saying don’t go, just that you were there yesterday, you could be there for her birthday—you don’t have to drop everything …’

‘But I do,’ Lizzie said, and stood to pull on her skirt. ‘And I will continue to do so. Leo, you seem to think yesterday was an anomaly, a brief inconvenience, but the last few weeks have actually been very quiet for me. Often I’m there every weekend with one drama or another …’

‘You make it harder on yourself.’

‘I never said it was hard.’

‘Actually, you did.’ Leo could be a bastard sometimes. ‘Several times.’

‘Oh, I’m to drop everything because you’ve got a dinner on Saturday with the directors of Kate’s?’

‘You drop everything for them.’

‘And I will continue to do so.’ Lizzie was dressed now. ‘For as long as they’re alive I will drop everything if they need me.’

‘That’s your choice.’

‘Yes, it is.’

‘If you ask me—’

‘I’m not.’ Lizzie just stood there. ‘I’m not asking your opinion on family. I’m not asking someone who’s so royally screwed up every relationship he’s ever had to tell me how I should handle mine. Yes, my parents are a huge part of my life, yes, I might have not much to show for it, but I’m content with my choices.’

‘Content.’

‘Too boring for you, Leo?’ Lizzie challenged. ‘I happen to like content, I happen to like sleeping and waking and living guilt-free. I’ve always known what I wanted—whether I’ll get it might be another thing, but I wanted to be a nurse and I wanted a family of my own, and a career, not screwing and partying and trying to outrun hell. It catches up, Leo …’

‘Not if you don’t let it.’ Leo shrugged. ‘I was right the first time.’

‘What?’ Lizzie’s head snapped round as she picked up her bag to go, to walk out. ‘Yes, I’m running into the woods, never to be seen again,’ she snarled. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be fine at work.’

Only Leo wasn’t referring to a fairy-tale, he was referring to a conversation that had taken place even before he’d met her.

‘Saint Lizzie …’ Leo drawled, his scalpel sharpened, ready to lance this once and for all. ‘You’re a martyr, Lizzie …’ He could be very scathing at times. ‘You really do need to get out more …’

‘Oh, I’m getting out, Leo,’ Lizzie said. ‘Just a little too late.’

She walked away and he wanted to call her back, to catch her and turn her around, but he just stood there.

He heard the door slam.

The lift bell pinged and he should run and stop her, tell her they could sort something out.

But what?

He looked at the roses, taunting him because romance was the only part he could do. The compromise, the rows, he did not.

Ah, but the making up afterwards?

It had never dawned on him that you could.

Leo wrenched open the door, went to run down the stairs, but for what?

Lizzie knew what she wanted from life.

He walked back into the apartment to the scent of her mingled with roses and he unleashed his anger at himself, slamming the vase from the table with his hand. The crash and splinter of the glass barely registered, such was the noise in his head.

Back to being single.

Again.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

STEPPING INTO 200 Harley Street the next morning was amongst the hardest things Lizzie had ever done.

Thankfully the door to Leo’s office was closed and remained so.

She got through the morning as best she could but, of course, Ethan noticed.

‘Are you okay?’ Ethan checked, and Lizzie forced a smile.

‘Of course I am,’ Lizzie said. ‘Mum’s been a bit unwell,’ she offered, and then halted, very aware she was using her parents as an excuse.

When Ethan had gone she sat at the desk in her office and the tears came, not about the row the previous night but because, damn him, Leo was right. Oh, he’d put it terribly, but she was hiding behind her parents. Of course they could have had cake at lunchtime and, yes, she could have had her mother’s surgery rescheduled, of course she didn’t have to stay overnight. It had been the excuse she’d needed to shield her from the full blaze of Leo, the distance between them necessary if she was somehow to protect her heart.

It hadn’t worked, though.

Her heart, for the first time ever, was truly broken.

Ethan heard her tears from behind her closed door and, incensed, marched into Leo’s office.

‘What’s going on with Lizzie?’ Ethan demanded.

‘Nothing, as far as I know.’

‘Come off it, Leo. I know you two are on together—everyone knows.’

‘Were on,’ Leo corrected him. ‘We just finished.’

‘I told you to back off.’

‘And I chose not to listen.’ Leo shrugged, guilt at his handling of things making him more cutting than usual. ‘Anyway, what does it have to do with you?’ Leo frowned. ‘Is there something I’m missing here? Because you seem terribly attached to your little nurse. Did a bit more than dressings go on during the home visits?’

‘You know they didn’t.’

‘Was she taking care of more than your legs?’ Leo jeered, and, war hero or not, injured or not, Leo had his brother against the wall.

‘What does it matter to you?’ Ethan taunted. ‘You just said you two were finished.’ They were stepping into very dangerous territory, the same anger and jealousy that had ripped through Leo when he’d found out that the woman he had fallen hard for had been on with Ethan was coming between them again. ‘Go on,’ Ethan goaded, ‘hit me.’ Leo raised his fist. ‘We both know you won’t.’

‘You’re not worth it,’ Leo snarled, dropping his fist.

‘Backing off, are you, Leo?’ Ethan’s lip curled. ‘Let’s see how you smooth this over. Let’s see you charm your way out of it, or,’ he said, talking now about Leo’s handling of their father, ‘why don’t you pour me a drink?’

Leo nearly did hit him then, but instead he fought with his mouth.

Ethan would have far preferred his fist.

‘You know what, Ethan, for all that you loathe me, your anger’s misdirected. I stopped him—I wasn’t enabling him, I preferred him unconscious at times. Do you really think I wanted that drunk bastard’s temper unleashed on you?’ Leo had him back up against the wall again but this time with words. ‘You’re my brother—my younger brother. Do you really think I’d just step back and let you at him?’

Ethan’s face screwed up in fury but Leo didn’t relent. ‘Hate me all you like, Ethan.’ He thought of Lizzie, there wasn’t a moment that he wasn’t thinking of her but right now it was as if she was in the room, her words replaying, Leo’s truth coming out now. ‘At least you’re alive. You blame me for talking him down or knocking him out with his beverage of choice, instead of letting the whole mess blow up. Would you light the tail of a lion and send someone you love in to deal with it?’

Ethan stood there as Leo said, in the most backward of ways, that he loved him. ‘Would you?’

Still Ethan said nothing, so Leo answered for him.

‘No, you’d do everything in your power to keep someone you love safe. Hate me if you must, get your kicks that way if it suits you. Just know I stopped that drunk from exploding, not because I’m ignorant or a fool. Instead, I played him, I smooth-talked him round, not because I wanted to appease the drunk but because I was trying to protect you.’

‘Okay, I get it …’

‘Sure about that?’ Leo stepped back. He was breathless. He felt as if his head was exploding, not just from all he had revealed but at the taunt from Ethan about Lizzie.

Ethan was a bit stunned himself to find out that behind Leo’s mask there were feelings, and perhaps not just for him. He’d never seen Leo explode like that. Oh, he’d come close, but beneath the vitriol there had been real anguish in Leo’s voice. At least there he could put him out of his misery.

‘Nothing has ever happened between Lizzie and I,’ Ethan said.

‘It doesn’t matter anyway. We’re finished.’

‘Because?’

‘Lizzie’s a bit busy with her parents for the next decade.’

‘She’s not going to change things for someone who’s not going to change.’

Leo gave a bitter laugh. ‘Since when did you get so wise?’

Ethan wasn’t going to answer that question. Instead, he answered the other one. ‘I promise you there has never been anything at all between Lizzie and I. I think of her more like a sister—I care about her because she was there when I was in a dark place.’

‘It’s looking pretty black now,’ Leo said, looking at his brother who worried him so.

‘Yeah, it’s black now but I was in hell then, Leo, maybe I still am. Lizzie used to come over to do my dressings and she’d talk and I wouldn’t answer, but I did listen. She’d tell me about her parents, little things, normal things, real things. She brought me back to a world that I’d forgotten existed.’ Leo wanted to know more but knew better than to push for now—it was the most Ethan had ever spoken about the effects of Afghanistan. ‘You know what? You can’t keep going like this, Leo.’

‘Like what?’ Leo said. ‘You’re the messed up one, remember?’ And then let out a mirthless laugh. He was through talking his way out of it, through fighting it, through pretending that everything was okay. ‘I think it’s far safer for Lizzie that I carry on as I have been, rather than testing my heart out on her. I should have listened,’ he conceded. ‘I should have stayed well away.’

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

TOO LATE, LEO stayed well away.

A pale-faced, red-eyed Lizzie did her best to avoid him as he threw himself back into work and his social life, got straight back on the horse and asked a favourite blonde who knew the rules to join him on Saturday.

And Lizzie did the same.

Or rather she checked herself into the bed and breakfast and spent a weekend trying to assuage the guilt that she’d rather be with Leo than with her parents.

She walked on the beach and remembered getting a text from him, recalling all the thrill and excitement that had been there then, and, instead of crying, she lugged her broken heart into a wheelbarrow and left it sitting there for a little while as she thought about Leo without pain in the mix. She walked and thought of dancing and dressing up and the bliss of that night and every night she had spent with Leo.

With her heart on hold she could examine it without pain. Their time together had been amazing, for the first time she’d had a glimpse of freedom, had tasted exhilaration—how could she possibly regret that?

So she fetched the wheelbarrow and replaced her heart and, yes, she was still better for her time with him.

One big cry, Lizzie decided.

Tonight, after she’d had birthday cake with her parents, she’d head to the shops and get supplies. With chocolate and wine and her favourite movie, she’d lie on nylon sheets and howl, but on Monday, if she valued her job, she’d better work out rather quickly how to face him better.

‘I’ll be up on Friday.’ Lizzie kissed her father goodbye.

‘We’ll look forward to it, won’t we, Faye?’ Thomas said to his wife. ‘Lizzie’s coming up early next weekend. We’ll have three days of her.’

‘No.’ Lizzie’s face was on fire. ‘I’ll be going home on Saturday morning. I’m just coming up for the procedure.’

‘I just thought …’ Thomas huffed. ‘We haven’t been seeing so much of you lately.’

‘I’ve got a new job, Dad,’ Lizzie said. ‘Sometimes I have to go to work functions …’ And she just stopped making excuses to her father for actually having a life. ‘I need to catch up with some of my friends too.’ She gave him a kiss. ‘I’ll see you on Friday.’

No, she would not be a martyr, Lizzie told herself on Monday as she walked past Leo’s office. The door was open and there he was, looking a little seedy.

‘Busy weekend?’ Lizzie smiled.

‘Er, a bit.’ He was caught unawares. She’d been busily avoiding him late last week and Leo had been only too happy with that, but it was a very together Lizzie who greeted him now.

She saw his slightly guarded expression as she unbuttoned her coat. ‘It’s okay, Leo, I’m not going to do a Flora.’

He was surprised at how easily she still made him smile and he bit back his response because he’d been about to say, ‘Pity.’

‘You’re okay?’ Leo settled for instead.

‘I’m fine.’

‘I mean …’ Leo wasn’t brilliant at apologies. ‘I was a bit harsh,’ he admitted. ‘The things I said about your parents …’

‘Were spot on.’ Lizzie rolled her eyes. ‘I just want to be clear about one thing—you won’t get a better head nurse than me.’

‘I know that,’ Leo said. ‘Ethan’s worried I’ve upset you.’

‘You can tell Ethan to call off the firing squad. I just needed a few days to lick my wounds.’

‘And you’re really okay?’ Leo checked, not sure if he was actually pleased that she seemed to be.

‘Of course,’ Lizzie said. ‘I know it sounds like a line, but it really was good while it lasted.’

‘I hate it that it ended in a row,’ Leo admitted.

‘It didn’t.’ Lizzie did the hardest, bravest thing she had ever done. She went over to Leo and with a smile she bent over and gave him a very brief kiss.

‘That’s how it ended,’ Lizzie said.

‘How?’ Leo frowned. ‘Show me again.’

‘Nope.’ Lizzie stood straight and then headed to her office and breathed out loudly. Yes, it had been amongst the hardest things she had ever done but it had been necessary.

Very necessary to appear completely fine, but it was terribly hard at times.

The chocolates for the patients were delivered on Wednesday, the scent of them driving her crazy, and, of course, Leo had to catch her when she caved in.

‘What’s behind your hand?’ Leo asked as he knocked and without waiting walked into her office.

‘Nothing!’ But it didn’t come out very well with a mouth that was full.

Leo actually had to stop himself from going over and having a little wrestle to get to the chocolates or prising her mouth open with his tongue to get a taste.

Instead, he remembered what he had come in for. ‘I need a new prescription pad.’

Not even chocolate on her tongue could disguise the bitter taste as she went and replaced the pad she’d outlived only marginally.

Ethan had almost been right.

Valentine’s Day dawned and Lizzie had to get there early and watch as the florist and her assistant carried bucket after bucket of red roses through the clinic.

It hurt.

She just couldn’t let it show.

Though Leo made her laugh when he saw all the roses. ‘God, I hope no one’s got hay fever.’

‘You’d better check the expiry date on the adrenaline shots,’ Declan said, and then asked Lizzie what she was up to for Valentine’s Day.

‘I’m visiting my mum,’ Lizzie said. ‘So it’s not exactly a romantic one for me.’

‘Oh, well, you can always do Valentine’s tomorrow,’ Declan said. ‘Free and single in London is a very nice place to be.’

‘It is.’ Lizzie smiled and Leo felt his back straighten a touch. She was trying to make him jealous was his first thought, but, then, Lizzie didn’t have to try, he already was.

‘You’re staying the weekend in Brighton?’ Leo asked.

‘Nope.’ Lizzie kept that smile on. ‘Just tonight. I’ve been a bit absent of late with my friends …’

Leo loathed the thought of Lizzie let loose in London and paced his office floor, stopping as she popped her head in to say goodbye before leaving early for the weekend.

‘You’ve got Francesca at two,’ Lizzie reminded him. ‘Have a great weekend.’

‘Don’t forget your flowers,’ Leo said, because he’d made sure there was a bouquet for each of the women who worked at the clinic, but, realising it might be a bit insensitive, he added, ‘You could take them for your mum.’

He stood there, rigid, as Lizzie just laughed and because it was Friday she let rip just a little some of the hurt she was holding onto, just enough to confuse him.

‘If you weren’t such a good boss, Leo, I’d tell you where you could shove your flowers. Happy Valentine’s Day!’

Wry was the smile on his face when he watched from the window as Lizzie walked down the steps and into the street.

No, she hadn’t taken her flowers but, of course, she’d taken the chocolate! He was so busy watching her that he didn’t even notice, till he heard a voice, that Ethan had come in and was standing behind him.

‘Lizzie,’ Ethan said, ‘would be the best thing that ever happened to you.’

‘I thought you wanted me away from her.’

‘It’s way too late for that, but if you do love her …’

‘What do you know about love?’ Leo quipped. Ethan had so easily admitted to Leo that time that he’d only been using Olivia. Ethan’s heart was pretty much closed.

‘Oh, I know …’

Something in Ethan’s voice was enough to tear Leo’s gaze from the spectacular sight of Lizzie’s rear end and turn round. ‘Ethan?’

‘Leave it,’ Ethan said.

Which meant leave it.

It really did.

Francesca had all her sparkle back.

‘Leo!’ she greeted him warmly. ‘Where’s Lizzie?’

‘Lizzie’s got the afternoon off.’ Leo had to stop himself from snapping out his reply.

‘Getting herself ready for Valentine’s night?’ Francesca asked. ‘I hope you are taking her somewhere nice.’

‘Francesca, the ball we attended together was a work function.’

‘Please!’ Francesca rolled her eyes but he moved the conversation on. ‘What can I do for you, Francesca? And please tell me it doesn’t involve surgery.’

Francesca gave a little shiver. ‘It’s cold.’

‘It’s a beautiful day,’ Leo corrected her, but headed over to the brandy and poured her one.

‘Of course I don’t want surgery,’ Francesca said, ‘but I was reading in my magazine abut cosmetic tattooing. My hands are a little shaky these days …’

‘You could just have one of these before you put your make-up on,’ Leo teased, handing her the brandy.

‘It has nothing to do with brandy.’ Francesca laughed. ‘It is age.’

When it suited her, Leo thought dryly. ‘I don’t do tattooing.’

‘I thought not—it’s hardly a tattoo parlour. I just hate Tony seeing me without my eyeliner on,’ she said.

‘I can give you a name,’ Leo said. ‘How are you two doing?’

‘That’s the real reason I’m here.’ Francesca smiled. ‘We’re getting married, Leo!’

He was over in an instant. His favourite patient was getting married, this time to a man she loved, and he couldn’t be happier for her.

‘I’m thrilled for you.’ He gave her a hug. ‘Hell, you didn’t need to make an appointment to come in and tell me that!’

‘I know. It’s just a small wedding,’ Francesca said, and she took out an invitation. ‘I put Leo and Lizzie …’

‘Just change it and put Leo plus one.’

‘I want Lizzie to come.’

‘Well, invite Lizzie, then,’ Leo said, but his collar suddenly felt tight at the thought of Lizzie’s plus one.

‘Leo, please listen.’

‘Francesca, you are one of my most valued clients but that doesn’t mean—’

‘I remember your father, Leo. I remember waiting for the first of many facelifts and him falling down drunk. He was a fool.’

‘You’re not telling me anything I don’t know.’

‘And I remember your mother.’ Francesca would not stop. ‘Her affairs and her social life and all the things she put before your brother and you.’

‘Just leave it.’

‘Is that how you want to be?’

‘I don’t have affairs.’

‘I’m not talking about cheating, I’m talking about family. How old are you, Leo?’

‘A lady never asks a gentleman his age …’ Leo smiled but he was smarting a little inside. Thirty-eight and a brilliant career to show for it, but a reputation with women that had had Lizzie running off into the woods, or rather choosing a weekend in a nursing home than being in Paris with him.

‘I regret and I regret and I regret,’ Francesca said, ‘because I was too stupidly proud to admit what a fool I’d been and too vain and too young …’

Leo stood to halt her, to let her know his valuable time was up, but Francesca stood too.

‘I am your friend, Leo,’ Francesca said, ‘which is why I’m going to tell you this. Do you know one of the reasons I’m so scared of getting old?’

Leo didn’t answer.

‘There is no more a selfish profession than that of a ballerina … although a surgeon might come a close second.’ Leo swallowed as Francesca spoke on. ‘I’m not talking about the back end of a chorus line, Leo. I’m talking about being centre stage. These hands …’ she held hers up to him ‘… this face, this body, this neck … do you know how many people were counting on me to be on form?’

‘I get it.’

‘No, you don’t,’ Francesca said. ‘Because I didn’t and now that I am old I realise all the love I let slip through my hands.’

‘So, what?’ Leo wasn’t going to be swayed by Francesca’s dramatic musings. ‘I’m supposed to marry Lizzie and have lots of children so when I’m old and mad I’m not alone?’

‘No,’ Francesca said. ‘So when you’re old and sane you don’t spend every day regretting the choices you made.’

‘Thanks for the lecture, Francesca.’ He was not about to be dictated to by some eccentric patient, but he softened his abruptness with a smile and it was back to doctor mode. Carefully he examined her face. ‘Geoff has done a good job,’ Leo admitted, but still held his own. ‘I wouldn’t have put in as much filler, though.’

‘I like it,’ Francesca said, ‘but I think the glow isn’t from Geoff’s filler, more Tony and I making—’

‘I get the picture,’ Leo interrupted. That image he really didn’t need! ‘Right, I’ll give you that name of the tattooist and if you decide you need something done for your wedding, I hope, this time, you’ll listen to me.’

‘I will come in and see you.’

‘And if I say no, will you listen?’

‘Yes, Leo.’

‘Because there’s no point otherwise,’ Leo scolded. ‘If I know you’re just going to take yourself off to someone else every time you don’t get your own way …’

‘I will listen to you, Leo.’

‘Good.’ He went to walk her out then realised he’d almost forgotten. ‘Happy Valentine’s Day, Francesca …’ He kissed his favourite patient on the cheek as he handed her her flowers and chocolates. ‘Of course I shan’t be offended if you don’t take them—I don’t want to cause any friction between you and Tony.’

‘Ah, a little mystery is a good thing in a relationship.’ She held the bouquet and inhaled the scent, just as if she were accepting the accolade on stage. ‘But isn’t there someone else who you should be giving these to?’

Leo didn’t have the heart to tell Francesca the staffroom was filled with the blooms. ‘As I said …’ Leo gave a tight smile. ‘I don’t need you to sort out my love life.’

‘Love life?’ Francesca checked. ‘I thought Leo Hunter only had a social life.’ She shook her head before walking off. ‘You’d be mad to let her go.’

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

LIZZIE DROPPED OFF her things at the bed and breakfast and told Mrs Hewitt that, no, she didn’t want dinner tonight, before heading off to visit her parents.

It was the tiniest procedure.

A visiting surgeon was there for lumps-and-bumps day and Lizzie held her mother’s hand as the small lesion was removed.

You missed Valentine’s Night in Paris with Leo Hunter for this.

She watched as a small sticking plaster was applied, and stupid tears filled Lizzie’s eyes.

‘It’s not hurting her,’ Shelby, the nurse, said. ‘He put in lots of anaesthetic.’

‘I know,’ Lizzie answered. What was hurting was the full realisation that she had been hiding, had been trying to stop the hurt—and causing it in the end.

Lizzie took her mum back to her room, helped her into bed and then brought her in some biscuits and tea.

‘So you’re off in the morning?’ Thomas asked.

‘Yes, but I’ll come and see you before I go,’ Lizzie said, dunking the biscuit and feeding it to her mum and seeing her smile from the simple pleasure of a tea-soaked biscuit.

‘Nice?’ Lizzie asked her mum.

‘Lovely,’ Faye said. ‘Thank you for being here today, Lizzie.’

As clear as a bell Faye said it and Lizzie started to cry because, yes, she’d missed Valentine’s night in Paris with Leo but it was now actually worth it for this.

Worth it to see her mum to take out a tissue and wipe her daughter’s tears—worth it for a brief moment with her mum that was how it should be.

Not how it was.

‘Have you got my watch?’

‘Actually, I do.’ Lizzie could only laugh. ‘I picked it up this afternoon.’ She put the watch on her mother’s wrist and wished that she could superglue it there. ‘I love you, Mum,’ Lizzie said, but Faye was back to wherever it was she went.

When the residents had all had dinner and her mum was settled, Lizzie said goodnight.

Lizzie waved to a couple of the other residents as she left and then headed back to the Hewitts’, drained and exhausted from a week of pretending to be fine with Leo, and then the sound of her mother’s clear voice.

One more big cry, Lizzie decided, and stopped for supplies—she already had chocolate but she bought some more and a nice bottle of wine too.

Oh, and a DVD.

Oh, and a big box of tissues with aloe vera in them so her nose wouldn’t be all cracked on Monday.

‘Evening, Lizzie.’ Mrs Hewitt’s eyes lingered on the bag as if she was smuggling in contraband. ‘You just made it. Howard was about to close the kitchen.’

‘I didn’t want dinner,’ Lizzie said, even though she was starving, but sitting alone on Valentines night really was about the limit. She could hear the sound of laughter and the chink of glasses coming from the dining room.

‘Howard waited for you,’ Mrs Hewitt said. Which meant, in her oh-so-passive-aggressive way, “get through there now and eat your dinner!”

‘Okay, thanks …’ Lizzie said. ‘I’ll just go and put my coat away.’ And sign up for a course on self-assertion, Lizzie thought darkly as she climbed the stairs. She just wanted to be alone and to think about Leo.

Oh, Leo.

She missed him.

Missed his snobbish sense of humour and missed being the other person in his life.

She understood Flora totally now because it would be terribly easy to make a fool of herself, Lizzie thought as she took her phone out of her bag.

Terribly easy to text him and plead for that helicopter to come and whizz her away and to promise she could handle it for a little while longer, even though it could never last.

Put down the phone, Lizzie!

She did as pride told her and put some lip-gloss on instead then chewed it off as she made her way down to the dining room, bracing herself to enter couple’s world alone on Valentine’s night.

She was sure she was seeing things.

There, rising to stand as she walked in, was Leo.

‘He told me to say nothing,’ Mrs Hewitt said.

‘What are you doing here?’ Lizzie asked, trying to tame her heart, trying not to rush over and burst into tears and read far more into this than there was.

‘I felt like splurging,’ Leo said. ‘I ordered three courses and we get a free bread roll and coffee.’

‘Stop it.’ Lizzie laughed.

‘I haven’t told you the best bit.’ His face was completely deadpan. ‘Howard made rum balls with our coffee, given it’s Valentine’s Day.’

‘What are you doing here?’ Lizzie asked, after Howard had served them their tomato soup, with a very wobbly cream heart drizzled on top.

‘I miss you,’ Leo answered simply.

‘You saw me this morning.’

‘You know what I mean.’

She did.

‘Mrs Hewitt wouldn’t let me into your room …’ He always had and always would make her smile. ‘I’m across the hall. Can I sneak over?’

‘I can’t have sex here, Leo. It would be like doing it at home.’

‘We’ll be very quiet,’ Leo said, pressing his knee into hers, ‘but we’ll have to do it on the floor or we’ll self-combust with those nylon sheets.’ He saw the glitter of tears in her eyes even as she laughed. ‘How was your mum?’ he asked, as the second course was served.

‘I was just sitting there feeling sorry for myself that I’d missed Paris with you, but then she smiled and thanked me for being there. She really did recognise me.’

‘Worth it, then,’ Leo said, and it was without even a trace of sarcasm.

‘Yes.’

‘But it doesn’t make it easier.’ His insight shocked Lizzie. ‘That she does know that you’re there sometimes must make you wonder if she misses you when you’re not.’

Lizzie nodded and she felt his hand on her cheek but she moved her face, she just couldn’t pretend it wasn’t agonising. ‘The thing is …’ Soup was a terribly hard ask and she shredded her roll instead and wondered how best to tell someone you desperately wanted to be with that it hurt too much to pretend. How to tell him that she loved him, which meant she couldn’t have sex with him because it came with her heart attached and it was soul-destroying, trying to guard it. ‘The thing is,’ Lizzie started again. ‘You remember when we said it might be awkward, us working together—I think, if we prolong things, we could get to that stage and I still want to work at the clinic so I think we need to—’

‘It isn’t awkward for Rafael and Abbie.’

‘No,’ Lizzie said, ‘but they’re a real couple. Leo …’

‘If we were married, would it be less awkward?’

Lizzie’s eyes jerked up, sure he was teasing, that she was supposed to give some witty reply—but she was all out of them.

‘Please, don’t joke.’

‘If you knew how nervous I was, you’d know I wasn’t joking. Look.’ He showed her a small mark on his chin. ‘I cut myself shaving.’

‘Wow!’

‘I mean it,’ Leo said. ‘I want you to marry me.’

‘Leo?’ She didn’t understand. ‘You don’t want to get married. You don’t want be tied down …’ She giggled at his expression. ‘You know what I mean, Leo. I have commitments.’

‘I know,’ Leo said, and Lizzie blinked because he didn’t seem fazed.

‘Of course, I have to get the mix better, I realise that, but when my parents need me …’

‘You’ll be here when they do,’ Leo said. ‘Lizzie, I’m never going to ask you to choose me over them.’ He saw the doubt in her eyes and decided to smooth-talk his way around it. ‘Lizzie, look at the positives—I have no parents, yours are in a home, we’re never going to have to do that awful juggle-the-parents on Christmas Day that other couples have to. I am selfish, but I’m not that selfish that I would keep you from them. We can do it,’ he said. ‘I’m here, aren’t I? On Valentine’s Day.’

He was.

‘I want to be with you,’ Leo said. ‘That’s all I know. I’ve never come close to feeling the way I do and I never thought I would. It’s true, what you said. I’ve messed up every relationship I’ve ever been in—I just know that I’m not going to mess things up with you.

‘I love you,’ he confessed. ‘I don’t know what you do to me, Lizzie—I practically told Ethan I loved him last week …’

‘You should tell him properly.’

‘Yeah, one day.’ He looked at her. ‘You know there can be no secrets between a husband and wife …’

‘Oh, Leo, you shan’t get me that way, I’ve been nursing long enough to know there are plenty of secrets between most husbands and wives.’ Then she was serious. ‘Please don’t ask me about Ethan.’

She watched his jaw tighten, wondered if he’d falter at their first hurdle.

‘I won’t.’ He gave her his word and looked up as Howard came over with their desserts.

‘Not for us, thanks,’ Leo said.

‘But you ordered three courses.’

‘We’re full.’

Leo took her by the hand and led her up the stairs. ‘You can’t do that,’ Lizzie hissed.

‘Well, if I’m going to be staying here at times, they’d better get used to me—I can do that!’ Leo said, and Lizzie glowed inside as she realised he’d meant every word he’d said back there. The thought of him staying here with her, through all the difficult times to come, made the world suddenly so much easier.

‘Let’s melt those sheets,’ Leo said, as she let him into her room. ‘Oh, Lizzie.’ He tutted as he went through her bag of contraband and found her wine and chocolate and tragic movie, and she winced when he pulled out the tissues. ‘You did miss me.’

He kissed her to the bed, and she wasn’t sure if it was the nylon sheets or just the Leo effect but every hair on her skin stood up as he undressed her as they slid into bed.

‘Like an old married couple,’ Leo said, only he wasn’t leaning over to turn off the lamp; instead, he was picking it up.

‘What are you doing?’ Lizzie asked.

‘I forgot my ophthalmoscope. I’m going to find out what you’ve had done and then you’re going to tell me who did it.’

He parted her legs and the Hewitts would have had a fit if they’d known where he shone that lamp. ‘Labiaplasty?’ Leo said. ‘If it was, she did a fantastic job.’ Lizzie was laughing so hard, turned on so much and so just happy that she nearly forget to tell him the truth.

‘No,’ Lizzie said, as his fingers admired the handiwork. ‘I mean, no, I haven’t had any surgery.’

‘You lied?’ Leo was a touch incredulous. Of all the things he’d wondered, Lizzie lying to him hadn’t entered his head, and to Leo’s surprise he found himself smiling. ‘You looked me in the eye and you lied.’

‘I did!’ Lizzie smiled back.

‘Why?’

‘I wanted the job, I thought you might think I would be a bit more empathetic to the patients.’

He laughed and then he was serious because a more empathetic person you could not meet.

Only Lizzie could have saved his heart.

Yes, the bed creaked terribly and Lizzie didn’t come quietly. She wanted to wear dark glasses as they sat the next morning eating breakfast.

‘What time are you checking out?’ Mrs Hewitt asked, as Lizzie blushed into her scrambled eggs.

‘Actually, if there’s availability,’ Leo said, ‘we’d like to stay tonight. Just the one room, though.’

‘Tonight?’ Lizzie glanced up at him. She’d been sure they’d be leaving tyre marks in his haste to get away. Instead, he wasn’t rushing her.

Leo took himself off after breakfast and, just a little back to front, did the right thing, asking Thomas for Lizzie’s hand in marriage.

He couldn’t blame Thomas for his caution.

Leo knew his own reputation.

‘I understand your reservations,’ Leo said, ‘but I love your daughter and I want you to know I would never hurt her.’

‘See you don’t, then.’

It was her perfect day—they walked along the beach and went on all the rides on the pier and then she took Leo for coffee at her favourite place. They walked past the house where she had grown up and, after a suitable pause, returned to the nursing home, where Lizzie shared the lovely news with her parents. Then it was back to the Hewitts’ B&B for an afternoon in bed and to the future that was waiting for them.

‘I miss our game,’ Leo said.

‘What game?’ Lizzie asked, as he started to undress her, those beautiful blue eyes examining her.

‘Our game.’

‘Oh, that one.’ She smiled. ‘There’s nothing to miss, Leo. We’ve only just started.’

EPILOGUE

‘NERVOUS?’ ETHAN ASKED as Leo pulled on his jacket, and Leo paused.

‘Not in the least.’

For the first time that black churning in his gut was gone. A rapid wedding should be stressful to arrange, yet it had been seamless. When Lizzie had realised that a wedding in her home town and her father giving her away was causing Thomas so much stress, Leo had suggested they marry at Claridge’s and that they could go and visit her family before their honeymoon.

‘I never thought I’d see the day,’ Ethan said as he checked that he had the rings.

‘Neither did I,’ Leo admitted.

‘I’m pleased for you,’ Ethan said. ‘I always felt bad about—’

‘Not today,’ Leo interrupted. He didn’t want to think about Olivia on his wedding day and he didn’t need Ethan’s apology. All Leo wanted was for his brother to know the peace and happiness that he himself had found, but happiness, for Ethan, still seemed a very long way off.

‘Can I ask one thing?’ Leo watched as Ethan’s face shuttered as he braced himself to answer one of Leo’s many questions on this his wedding day.

‘You can try.’

‘It’s been bugging me.’ Leo looked at the tension in his brother’s face. There was so much he wanted to know, just not today. ‘Why does everyone always end up crashing on my sofa?’

He watched as Ethan’s face broke into its first genuine smile of the day.

‘I mean,’ Leo continued, ‘everyone’s got a sofa in their office, the place is littered with them, yet you all end up on mine.’

‘It’s longer,’ Ethan said. ‘And wider. When you’re over six foot there aren’t many sofas where you can actually stretch out.’

‘Oh.’

‘And you keep your drinks topped up.’

‘Okay,’ Leo said. ‘Good to know.’

‘Come on, then,’ Ethan said. ‘You don’t want to keep Lizzie waiting.’

It was Leo who was kept waiting.

Lizzie actually felt sick at the thought of all eyes being on her, and even though she was relieved that her father didn’t have the stress of her wedding to deal with, today, especially, she missed them.

‘Have a brandy,’ Brenda, who was her bridesmaid, suggested. Lizzie was booked into a hotel suite, where nothing was too much trouble and a brandy was soon poured.

She took a sip and felt the burn but it did nothing to calm her and she took another. ‘I’m scared I’ll be sick or faint,’ Lizzie admitted. She knew all brides were nervous on their wedding day but this was ridiculous.

She stood and looked in the mirror, worried she wasn’t a suitable society bride.

‘You look beautiful,’ Brenda said. ‘I’m so jealous I could be sick.’

Lizzie smiled—she loved her friends so much.

‘Your dress is perfect,’ Brenda said.

It had been the first one Lizzie had tried on—instantly she had known it was the right one. Very simple, it had delicately capped sleeves and was tied with a very thin silver belt. It was stunning in its simplicity. She carried white roses and her hair had been coiled and everything was perfect, except … Lizzie closed her eyes and took another sip of her brandy. She didn’t want to dwell on the sad parts today.

‘Come on,’ Lizzie said, or she’d start panicking again.

She made her way down the steps and as the huge doors were opened she was briefly aware of all the people—nothing in Leo’s world was small. There were people from the clinic and some terribly impressive people and there, smiling widely, was Francesca. Just one look at her and Lizzie straightened her back and walked forward.

Then she saw Leo standing beside Ethan—two brothers for today united. They both looked beautiful, but she only had eyes for Leo—a man who, even when she was completely and utterly petrified, could still make her smile. ‘Been drinking, darling?’ he said, as he caught a waft of brandy when she finally stood beside him. Then he took her hand and squeezed it. ‘You look beautiful.’

When Leo was beside her, she knew that she was.

‘About time,’ he muttered when he was told he could kiss the bride, and then, very nicely, he kissed her.

There were photos and congratulations and as they stepped outside, Lizzie assumed it was for more photos, except she was being ushered into a car.

‘Where are we going?’

‘More photos.’

‘Won’t the guests mind us disappearing?’ Lizzie asked. She knew he was up to something.

‘It’s our wedding, we can do what we want to.’

‘Are we going to have photos at the zoo?’

‘Nope,’ Leo said, watching her face as she realised they were about to get into a helicopter. ‘We’re going to where you want to be.’

Lizzie had never been in a helicopter before and had never thought her first ride in one might be in her wedding dress.

In less than half an hour they were there, walking into the nursing home. All the guests and even the staff were dressed up for a wedding. There was sparkling apple juice and sandwiches and a stunning wedding cake.

‘Catering by the Hewitts,’ Leo said, out of the side of his mouth.

It could not have been more wonderful, especially when her mother took her hand and looked at the ring and then admired her dress.

‘You look beautiful,’ Faye said.

‘So do you,’ Lizzie said, because the staff had been busy, making sure Faye was a very beautiful mother of the bride, even if Lizzie couldn’t be sure her mother knew that she was one.

A photographer had also been arranged and the photos he took of Lizzie and Leo with her family on their actual wedding day were ones that would be treasured for ever.

‘Where are you going for your honeymoon?’ Thomas checked a little while later, as they got ready to leave.

‘Not far,’ Lizzie said.

Finally she would see Paris.

‘Take care of her,’ Thomas warned Leo as they said their goodbyes.

‘I will,’ Leo said.

He meant it.

From the helicopter Lizzie looked down as London came into view and she thought of the dancing and the fun night ahead, while Leo looked at his bride and thought of the hours after the dancing and that part of the fun night ahead.

‘Happy?’ Leo asked, as they drove back to the hotel.

‘Very,’ Lizzie said. ‘You?’

‘Very,’ Leo said. ‘It’s nice to already know who I’m going to be getting off with tonight.’ He nodded to the door, where their reception was waiting. ‘Unlike most of that lot.’

Oh, and there would be scandal, of course there would be scandal tonight—there were too many guests from 200 Harley Street for there not to be.

‘I was right,’ Leo said, giving her a kiss before they walked in.

Lizzie looked up at him.

‘It is like Goldilocks.’

‘No.’ Lizzie shook her head. ‘She ran off at the end.’

‘What happened to Cinderella?’

‘She married her prince.’

‘Rapunzel?’

‘She lived happily ever after …’ Lizzie said. ‘I’m not Goldilocks.’

‘You are,’ Leo said, taking her hand. ‘When you ran into the woods a big lion chased you and caught you for life …’

He wasn’t joking, though he sort of was, but Lizzie knew he had never been more serious in his life.

‘I’m rewriting the ending,’ Leo said. ‘If Goldilocks agrees?’

She most certainly did.

Girl from the Red Carpet

200 HARLEY STREET

Glamour, intensity, desire—the lives and loves of London’s hottest team of surgeons!

For the next four months enter the world of London’s elite surgeons as they transform the lives of their patients and find love amidst a sea of passions and tensions …!

In April, renowned plastic surgeon and legendary playboy Leo Hunter can’t resist the challenge of unbuttoning the intriguing new head nurse, Lizzie Birch!

200 HARLEY STREET: SURGEON IN A TUX by Carol Marinelli

And glamorous Head of PR Lexi Robbins is determined to make gruff, grieving and super-sexy Scottish surgeon Iain MacKenzie her Hunter Clinic star!

200 HARLEY STREET: GIRL FROM THE RED CARPET by Scarlet Wilson

In May, top-notch surgeons and estranged spouses Rafael and Abbie de Luca find being forced to work together again tough as their passion is as incendiary as ever!

200 HARLEY STREET: THE PROUD ITALIAN by Alison Roberts

And one night with his new colleague, surgeon Grace Turner, sees former Hollywood plastic surgeon Mitchell Cooper daring to live again …

200 HARLEY STREET: AMERICAN SURGEON IN LONDON by Lynne Marshall

Then, in June, injured war hero Prince Marco meets physical therapist Becca Anderson—the woman he once shared a magical forbidden summer romance with long ago …

200 HARLEY STREET: THE SOLDIER PRINCE by Kate Hardy

When genius micro-surgeon Edward North meets single mum Nurse Charlotte King she opens his eyes to a whole new world …

200 HARLEY STREET: THE ENIGMATIC SURGEON by Annie Claydon

Finally join us in July, when junior surgeon Kara must work with hot-shot Irish surgeon Declan Underwood—the man she kissed at the hospital ball!

200 HARLEY STREET: THE SHAMELESS MAVERICK by Louisa George

And brilliant charity surgeon Olivia Fairchild faces the man who once broke her heart—damaged ex-soldier Ethan Hunter. Yet she’s unprepared for his haunted eyes and the shock of his sensual touch …!

200 HARLEY STREET: THE TORTURED HERO by Amy Andrews

Experience glamour, tension, heartbreak and emotion at 200 HARLEY STREET in this new eight-book continuity from Mills & Boon® Medical Romance™

These books are also available in eBook format and in two 200 HARLEY STREET collection bundles from www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dear Reader

I’ve always loved the Medical Romance™ linked books. Long before I started to write for Mills & Boon® I used to seek out every book in a series and read them from start to finish. There have been some great serials recently, set in Australia and the US, and I couldn’t wait until it was time to set a story in the UK again and I might get to be involved.

Taking part in a series is great fun. I was asked about the kind of hero and heroine I would like and I requested a big Scottish hero who looked like Sawyer from Lost and a heroine with fake boobs! I was lucky—I got both my requests. Fake boobs are a general no-no in romance novels. If they are there at all they tend to belong to the villainess in the piece. So I was delighted to write about a heroine who, even though she might have been pressured initially, wasn’t embarrassed about the decision she’d made and was happy with her new shape.

Mills & Boon® are books that move with the times and reflect the modern women around them. I’m proud to be part of an up-to-date publisher!

Please feel free to contact me via my website: www.scarlet-wilson.com

Scarlet

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the newest addition to our family, Lleyton John Hyndman, a beautiful boy for whom I’m wishing a long, healthy and happy life.

Welcome to the family!

CHAPTER ONE

LEXI TAPPED HER pink fingernails on the desk with impatience. The clinic was in complete darkness. All caused by a little ‘phoof’ when she’d tried to switch on the lights in one of the consulting rooms. If only she knew where the main trip switch was.

She squinted at her watch, using the light from her phone. Just after eleven o’clock at night. Where was he? He had to be here somewhere—his car was parked just down the road. She’d already phoned the few members of staff that were currently in Drake’s wine bar and he wasn’t with them.

She spun on her heel, a new determination causing her stomach to clench.

‘Iain McKenzie, you can run but you can’t hide.’

He’d been avoiding her all day.

She knew that.

And he knew that.

But two could play at that game. No one escaped Lexi Robbins, Head of PR at the Hunter Clinic. She’d got tired of dodging his lame excuses via his devoted and sergeant-majorish secretary. She’d looked at his theatre lists today and knew exactly when he’d be available.

Except he’d been in a meeting, then taking a conference call, then out buying a sandwich. The final straw had been when his secretary had said he’d left to pick up his dry-cleaning!

So she’d waited. Lexi Robbins could be very patient. She was also very persistent. So far she’d been through the three operating theatres, the recovery room and the anaesthetic room—even though there were no patients in the building—all in her search for Iain.

She’d checked his room four times today. She’d checked the waiting room, the kitchen, the changing rooms and the treatment rooms. She’d been down to the gym and private swimming pool too—the thought of catching Iain McKenzie in a state of undress wasn’t exactly unappealing. Now she’d started checking the other consultants’ rooms in the hope she’d catch him hiding somewhere.

As a kid she’d been the best at hide and seek and she’d no intention of being beaten now.

Iain McKenzie had met his match.

It was infuriating. He was infuriating. She was only trying to do her job and help raise the profile of the clinic to try and attract some more overseas clients. So far, she’d managed to persuade several celebrity friends, a few TV film stars, an international politician and the sheikh of Amal to use the services of the Hunter Clinic. Interviewing and filming some of the staff members would help her publicity drive to even bigger audiences.

And with his shaggy hair, muscular build and Scottish accent Iain McKenzie was to die for. Women would love him and flock to this clinic from miles around if only she could get him on screen and online.

She’d worked hard for this job and had no intention of failing. Leo Hunter had just let her know that they were linking with a charity, so raising the profile and income of the Hunter Clinic would be even more crucial than before. She was determined not to let him down, not when he’d given her an opportunity that others hadn’t.

Being the daughter of a family constantly in the media meant she had her own cross to bear. If she had a pound for every time someone had said the words ‘You’re Penelope Crosby’s daughter?’, usually with an expression of disbelief in their eyes, she would never need to work again. Being the daughter of a former famous model with one of the world’s top-selling range of beauty products was tough—having a father who interviewed all the top celebrities in the world, along with his billionaire status, was even tougher.

No one in her family had respected her decision to go to university and get her degree. No one in the family respected the work she did at the Hunter Clinic. The only time her parents had ever been happy with her choices was when she’d spent a few summers doing charity work because it had given them more good publicity than they would ever need.

That’s why she was so determined not to let Leo down.

No matter how hard Iain McKenzie tried to hide from her.

She could see it in her head right now. The publicity shot she wanted to use—Iain McKenzie in that dark grey suit he wore, with a white shirt and red tie, arms folded across his chest in front of the Hunter Clinic sign. He would look fabulous.

Or maybe she should put him in a set of navy scrubs—all his athletic muscles would be clearly on show. Or maybe she could persuade him to wear a kilt.

No. Scratch that. Old prickly guts would never agree to wear a kilt for her.

She pushed open the door to Mitchell Cooper’s room. Even though the lights were out there was plenty of light from the outside streetlights in Harley Street. She could see around the room easily. Empty. Just like all the others.

There was only one place left. Leo Hunter’s office. The boss.

She felt a flutter of excitement. Leo’s office was the most gorgeous in the building. Spectacular views over Harley Street, hand-picked opulent furniture and gorgeous soft furnishings.

She turned the handle carefully. It almost felt wrong, creeping into the boss’s office while he wasn’t around. But she was determined to check every inch of this clinic.

But something was wrong. There were no gentle lights from the street bathing the office in a partly orange glow.

The curtains were pulled tightly, leaving the office in complete darkness. She fumbled with her phone, trying to pull it from her pocket and use the torch to see her way around.

A flicker of nerves danced across her skin. What was that faint noise? She held her breath, leaning forward a little and straining to hear. But after more than sixteen hours in stiletto heels her balance had deserted her. She tripped on the large Turkish rug Leo kept in the middle of his floor. She fell forward and let out a gasp, reaching out towards the blackness in front of her and hitting the edge of the chesterfield lounge—and a whole lot more.

There was movement. Sudden, powerful movement and none of it was hers. Lexi felt the breath leave her body as she found herself spun around and pushed flat on her back onto the chesterfield lounge.

Her heart pounded in her chest, the thudding reverberating in her ears. She tried to reach out and fight her attacker as an adrenaline surge hit her body. Fight or flight had never seemed more apt. But the arms holding her down were fierce. Fierce and strong, very strong.

Her breath seemed caught in her throat, her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. Her attacker’s weight was pressing down on her chest, affecting her ability to take a deep breath.

She still couldn’t see. It was just darkness, pure and utter darkness. Like your worst nightmare and most hated horror movie all rolled into one.

She heard a grunt. And it gave her the faintest glimmer of hope.

It was a grunt she thought she recognised. Usually when she was trying to persuade him to acknowledge her existence.

She fought to push the word from her throat. ‘Iain?’ she croaked.

Iain had finally managed to grab a few minutes’ precious sleep. There was no point in going home. No matter how exhausted he was—or how many hours he’d spent in theatre, making the world look ‘more beautiful’—sleep evaded him the second he stepped through his doorway.

Too much quiet. Too much time to let his brain spin around and around, going over all aspects of his past. Every decision made, every conversation, every cross word, every pleaded case. If only he’d taken the road less travelled.

It didn’t matter that he’d moved from Edinburgh to London. His house had too many memories and too many familiar knick-knacks that he couldn’t face putting away. That would be like a betrayal.

So he’d spent half the day playing cat and mouse with Lexi Robbins. The woman wouldn’t give him a moment’s peace. Boy, was she tenacious—his gran would have loved her. All over an interview that he’d cancelled at the last minute and publicity that he couldn’t really care less about.

And just when the muscles in his body had finally started to relax—just when the last remnants of tension had finally managed to exit his body—this.

Noise. In the Hunter Clinic in the middle of the night.

Noise. In a place where he was supposed to be alone.

The assailant was smaller than he expected. Lighter than he expected too. Probably in search of drugs or the elusive cosmetic fillers that Harley Street was so famous for.

Then it hit him. That smell.

The smell that had been haunting him around the clinic for the last few days.

Strike that. Actually, for the last few months. Ever since Lexi Robbins had started working there.

Sensual woody amber distinctive notes with gentle floral notes of jasmine. Along with the feel of some very distinctive soft curves that only a plastic surgeon could recognise merely by touch.

He could feel the assailant’s soft breath beneath him, along with the strangled voice. ‘Iain?’

‘Lexi?’ He sprang backwards, moving swiftly to the door and trying to flick on the light. Nothing. Still darkness.

‘I think I blew the lights,’ came the whisper from the couch. She was still breathless. He’d obviously winded her.

After a few seconds she fumbled for her phone and pressed the button to light up the room. She held it towards him. ‘Do you know where the master switch is?’

Rage was circulating in his belly. What on earth was she doing? He snatched the phone from her hand and strode down the corridor towards the electricity box, opening it quickly and flicking the master switch, allowing instant illumination in parts of the clinic.

Bright. White. Everywhere.

Sometimes he could groan out loud about the décor in the clinic. Leo Hunter had wanted brilliant white and clean lines everywhere—thank goodness he’d been allowed to decorate his office to his own taste.

But now that he could actually see what he was doing he was furious.

‘What were you thinking of, Lexi?’ He stormed back into the room.

But Lexi hadn’t moved. Even though the room was now flooded with light she was still lying on the couch, her hands pressed to her chest, her face as white as a sheet. One shoe was twisted on the floor, the other dangling from the end of her foot. Her usually pristine suit was a little askew and it looked as if the top button had popped from her shirt.

Yikes! He’d thought he was tackling a burglar. Maybe he’d been a little more forceful than he thought.

‘Lexi? Are you okay?’ He stood over her, giving her a few seconds to collect herself.

After what seemed like an age she finally blinked. Colour flooded into her face and she pushed herself up. ‘Wow. Talk about sweeping the legs from under a girl.’

Iain felt colour come to his own cheeks. He was trying hard not to stare at Lexi’s cleavage. He was a plastic surgeon. He spent his days with his hands on women’s breasts. But he’d never clocked Lexi Robbins as a boob job kind of girl. She’d surprised him.

In all the time she’d been around him in the last few months, wearing her designer suits, he’d never noticed her additions. But then again, he’d never seen her undressed.

He pushed the thoughts that sprang to mind aside instantly. He sat down on one of the leather armchairs and put his head in his hands. ‘What on earth are you doing here at this time of night, Lexi?’ He was tired. And he was definitely feeling crabbit.

She straightened on the couch, looking down at her shirt and frowning at the missing button. ‘I could ask you the same thing.’

She was obviously feeling a bit better. Lexi Robbins could give as good as she got. He raised his eyebrows at her and gave her a cheeky smile. ‘Avoiding you?’

She shot him a glare.

He held up his hands. ‘Seriously, Lexi. I thought you were a burglar. You’re lucky I didn’t do you some permanent damage.’

‘Who says you didn’t?’

She was adjusting herself on the couch and he felt instantly uncomfortable. What did she mean? He hadn’t done anything more than push her onto the couch and hold her down. There was no way he could have damaged her implants.

Her blonde tousled hair fell over her face as she shuffled on the edge of the couch. Iain was torn between panic and embarrassment. It didn’t help that his curiosity was naturally piqued.

He’d heard of Lexi before she’d started work here. Even for a man who had as little interest in celebrities as humanly possible—other than to contemplate what procedures they’d had done—it was impossible to miss Lexi Robbins.

If there was an event she was at it. Albeit usually trying to fade into the background behind her mother and father, but dazzling all the same. He’d instantly dismissed her as a wannabe and had been more than a little surprised when Leo had hired her as their head of PR.

But Leo Hunter only hired the best. And Iain could vouch for that as Leo had pursued him relentlessly to get him here.

She lifted her head and gave her hair a shake, catching him with her blue eyes and winking. ‘Gotcha!’

He couldn’t stop the instant smile that appeared on his lips. Even this late at night, after pursuing him all day, she could still joke with him.

She slid off the chesterfield and moved over towards him, folding her arms across her depleted shirt. ‘So, Iain McKenzie, your mission to avoid me has failed. Resistance is futile.’

He raised his eyebrows. Surprised by her knowledge of his favourite TV show. Lexi Robbins did her homework.

‘You’re going to have to agree to the interview and to me shadowing you for a few days. I mean, after all, some people could be very upset about being mishandled.’

He sighed. ‘Ms Robbins, are you trying to blackmail me?’

She gave a perfunctory nod. ‘You bet I am.’

He shook his head. ‘Lexi, find someone else. Some happy, shiny person who likes doing this kind of thing. I just want to do my job.’

‘And so do I. Believe it or not, Ethan Hunter is even more difficult than you. Would you call him happy and shiny? Because he’s my other potential interviewee.’ She raised her eyebrows at him.

His head was spinning. She’d moved closer and he was getting a waft of that perfume again. Predator perfume. At least that was what his brain was telling him.

It was making him uneasy, on edge. Or maybe it was just reminding him of how up close and personal they’d just been.

When was the last time he’d been up close and personal with a woman?

He didn’t even want to think about that. He’d known from the second he’d laid eyes on her that Lexi Robbins meant trouble for him. His body reacted in ways it shouldn’t when she was around. The sound of her voice, the smell of her distinctive perfume, even the sound of her stiletto heels clicking along the corridor were enough to send his imagination into overdrive and remind him of why he’d been avoiding her at all costs.

He rubbed his sleep-heavy eyes. Maybe his nightmares had taken a new turn and an alien was about to burst from her stomach and eat him alive. Nope. She was still there. Still staring at him with her big blue eyes and pink lips.

She held out her hand towards him.

‘What?’

‘Let’s go, Iain.’

For a second he was confused. ‘Go where?’

She shot him a dazzling smile. ‘Home. I’m going to take you home.’

CHAPTER TWO

SHE WAS TRYING not to show her nerves. Trying to pretend that this was an everyday occurrence.

But Iain McKenzie wasn’t helping. His brow was wrinkled, deep furrowed wrinkles that marred his handsome complexion.

She leaned forward and grabbed hold of one his hands, bending down in front of him. ‘Iain, I’m worried about you. You spent hours in surgery today, then you spent another few hours avoiding me, and now I catch you here …’ she held up her other hand ‘… fast asleep in another office.’ She looked up into his face, seeing tiny lines of exhaustion around his eyes that instantly tugged at her heart. ‘It’s not good, Iain. You are one of our greatest assets. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t take you home.’

The confused and uptight expression on his face relaxed a little. Oh, no. What had he thought she’d meant?

She patted his hand. It was meant to be reassuring, motherly. But it wasn’t working for her, and she doubted it was working for him. It was only making her sluggish veins pick up tempo and send the blood flowing more quickly back to her heart.

The long day had obviously caused her brain to become fuddled. The sooner she got Iain McKenzie home safely the better.

He stood up next to her and she was instantly swamped by his large athletic frame. ‘Don’t be silly, Lexi. You’re not going to drive me home. My car is down the street. I’ll go and get it.’

That accent. That Scottish burr sent shivers down her spine. She could happily listen to it all day. And she could bet that potential clients could too. She had to persuade him to take part in the publicity campaign. Iain was pure gold.

It was time for a firm approach. ‘Iain, I meant what I said. From what I can gather, you’ve put in a sixteen-hour day so far. You were sleeping soundly before I disturbed you.’ Then she wrinkled her nose. ‘And, truth be told, I’d already staked out your car. It looks as if it’s got a flat. There’s no way you’re changing that at this time of night.’ She gave a little laugh. ‘Not in the dark anyway, with those surgeon’s hands. How much are they worth?’

She saw his shoulders sag a little and it gave her a spurt of hope. Maybe tomorrow he could forgive her little white lie? In the meantime, she had to use her best tactics to persuade him to take part in the publicity.

He gave his forehead another rub and arched his back. ‘Okay, Lexi. Thanks for the offer. I guess spending the night in the clinic isn’t ideal.’ He bent over and picked up his jacket, which was lying across a chair, then held the door open for her.

She gave a little nod, straightened her blouse and jacket and slipped her feet back into her shoes. It only took a few minutes to reach her car, which she’d moved near the clinic entrance.

He nodded in approval. ‘Sports car? Nice, Lexi. Did you pick this yourself?’

She gave an embarrassed shake of her head as she pressed the button to open the doors. ‘Not exactly. It was a birthday present.’

He let out a sigh as he sat down in the passenger seat, folding his long legs into the small footwell. ‘That’s some birthday present. From a man?’

The question hung in the air between them. Was he curious about her love life, or was he just making small talk? The air in the car seemed to instantly close around them as she slammed her door. Iain McKenzie was a big man in the small space. The sleeve of his jacket was brushing against hers.

Her brain was ready to drift back to the office. To the feel of the hard planes of his chest against her firm breasts.

She pushed the gearstick into reverse and looked at him sideways. ‘The car was from my father. I’d like to think he spent hours thinking about it, but the reality is his PA probably picked the make, model and colour and all he had to do was sign the cheque.’

She pulled out into the street. It was practically empty at this time in the morning and her natural instinct was to floor it. Talking about her parents brought out the worst in her.

Iain surprised her. He let out a deep, hearty laugh. She glanced over, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

‘So you’re a cynic, then, Lexi Robbins. I never had you down for that. I thought you lived a remarkably charmed life.’

Her instant reaction was to bristle and put him promptly in his place. But this was her chance to work on him—not alienate him. Plus with that face she was still curious as to why a man as hard working and good looking as Iain didn’t have someone to rush home to. Why on earth would anyone like him want to sleep at the clinic? It just didn’t make sense.

‘I know you’ve been avoiding me. I’m not an idiot, you know.’

‘I’m sorry. I just don’t have the time. And to be honest, I can’t really see the point. Get someone else to do it. Someone who likes a bit of the limelight on them.’

‘Like who, Ethan?’

She let the question hang in the air. If Iain was prickly then Ethan Hunter was a floating underwater mine.

A former soldier, who was still recuperating from an injury he really refused to acknowledge. His heart was in the right place and he was committed to all the charity work the clinic was involved in—most of it he’d referred himself. But putting Ethan on screen for the clinic’s publicity would be a complete no-no. She’d already tried to interview him twice with no success. Ethan just wasn’t a people person.

Whatever had happened in his past meant he just wasn’t ready for this kind of thing, and Lexi knew enough about people to know when to leave it alone. Hence her relentless pursuit of Iain. He was her current golden goose—whether he liked it or not.

Iain eventually let out a long sigh. ‘Okay. Agreed, Ethan probably isn’t the best person right now. He asked me to be involved in his charity work and obviously I agreed—who wouldn’t? I can make a real difference to some of those patients’ lives. I’m happy to help. I’m happy to give up my time and do the surgery free. It’s just the rest of the stuff I don’t like so much.’

Lexi lifted her hands off the steering-wheel of the car and made quote marks with her fingers in the air. ‘You mean the “rest of the stuff” like me?’

Iain ran his fingers through his dark hair. It was obvious he was tired and she was putting him on the spot. But maybe, just maybe, in a moment of weakness he would relent and agree to what she wanted.

She indicated and turned the car into the nearest street. It would only be a few more minutes before they reached Iain’s townhouse. It was time to turn the screw. ‘I don’t think you understand how hard I’m working at all this, Iain. You might do the surgery for free, but what about everything else? We need to pay for theatre time, equipment use, other staff salaries and all the aftercare. We need the publicity to raise funds for all other aspects of the charity work. These interviews are really important.

‘Leo has just agreed to take on another charity for one of his friends. Did he talk to you about Fair Go—Olivia Fairchild’s charity? She’s doing some stellar work in Africa. There are children out there who really need our help. Kids who’ve been victims of the violence—victims of war. The kind of kids who fall through the cracks. Their conditions aren’t life-threatening or emergencies—but think of the difference we could make to their lives by doing what in this country would be seen as basic surgery. If we can do some interviews with staff members, focus on their special skills and surgeries, get the information out there for the world and media to see, it could really raise the profile of the Hunter Clinic. The more international customers we have, the more disposable income the clinic can use to help aid these charities.

‘The Hunter Clinic has finally managed to regain its reputation and polish. Things are looking even better now people know that Leo and Ethan are working together. It does wonders for the whole ethos of the place. Just think, Iain, if a clinic that’s known as the best of the best is going all out for some of these charities, don’t you think that will make people stop and think? It’ll make people look more closely at these charities and wonder what they could do to help too. That’s exactly the kind of publicity that they need, Iain. This isn’t just about your surgical skills and time, it’s about the bigger picture. It’s about what everyone else can do to help.’

She couldn’t stop the enthusiasm and passion that was coming through in her voice. She was excited just thinking about this and the huge realm of possibilities. She could tell she was getting to him. He wasn’t so quick to answer back, as if he were mulling over what she’d just said. Exactly the way she’d hoped he would.

Her brain was whirring again and her tongue itching to fill the silence in the car. But this was exactly the time to be quiet. To leave him with no excuse but to mull it over.

She changed gear and her hand brushed against his thigh. Wow. Now there were a hundred reasons for a girl not to concentrate on the road.

For a second she felt a little panicked. She could smell him. His scent was invading her senses and she was starting to feel swamped by his presence in her car. She could remember his firm hands on her shoulders, holding her down on the couch. It had been terrifying. All rational thought had flown out of the window.

Of course it had to have been Iain. He was the person she’d been hunting for in the clinic—who else could it possibly have been?

And once the terror had left her, all she’d been left with had been the whoosh.

That feeling of being close to a man again. How long had it been since she’d let a man touch her? And how much had her senses fired in Iain’s powerful arms?

She tried to shake the intimate thoughts from her head. She was a professional. She had a job to do. And Iain McKenzie was part of that job.

Her PR head started to buzz. Should she have concerns about Iain McKenzie? Why on earth was one of their top surgeons sleeping at the clinic? She’d read the information in his personnel file. She knew he was originally from Edinburgh and had a broad general experience before specialising in plastics. He’d printed several professional papers, spoke at conferences and conducted scientific clinical studies into different techniques for various types of plastic surgery. Technically, he was brilliant.

So why did she feel as if something was wrong? More importantly, why did it make her stomach twist?

That was the thing about Iain’s personnel file. There was hardly a ‘personal’ thing in it. All professional. It just didn’t sit right with her.

She pulled up outside his townhouse.

‘How did you know where I stay, Lexi? I never told you.’

The frown was etched on his brow again. If he wasn’t careful it would become a permanent fixture.

She smiled. ‘I’m the Head of PR, Iain. I know everything about everybody.’ She looked up at the dark townhouse. It wasn’t exactly welcoming.

Bleak and sombre. A bit like Iain.

She’d expected him to more or less jump from the car the second they arrived but he didn’t. He sat for a few moments then turned to face her. With so little space between them in the car she was almost afraid to turn round.

‘I appreciate what you’re trying to do for the charities. Really, I do, Lexi. And if Leo hired you then he must think you’re good at your job.’

‘And you don’t?’ Was that the implication? Because that train of thought alarmed her.

He shook his head and lifted his hand. ‘Don’t be so defensive. What exactly is it you want from me?’

She took a deep breath. Finally. She was going to get somewhere with him.

‘I want to shadow you for a few days. See your consultations with patients. Watch you perform surgery. Once I’ve had a chance to get to see the real you, I’ll interview you on camera. It will work better that way, I’ll know you—you’ll know me. The interview will go more smoothly.’

He frowned. ‘That’s a bit more in-depth than I expected. I can’t have you disturbing things with my patients. If they don’t want you around you have to leave.’ His words were absolutely definite.

She nodded quickly. ‘Agreed.’

‘And I’ll need my patients’ consent for you to watch any surgeries.’

‘Will that be difficult?’

He let out a slow stream of air through his lips. ‘Not tomorrow it won’t. I’m performing surgery on Aida Atkins. You know how fame-hungry she is. She’ll be falling all over herself at the mere thought of some publicity for herself.’ He paused. ‘You signed a confidentiality agreement when you started at the clinic?’

She nodded.

‘I think you’ll find with Aida Atkins you may as well throw it out the window.’

Aida Atkins. The latest model-cum-actress-cum-trophy wife. Lexi had seen more of them than she’d eaten home-cooked meals. Hardly difficult.

‘This publicity is really about the clinic, the work you do and the associated charities.’

‘Aida won’t care. If she gets her five minutes of fame she’ll be happy. Her type are all the same.’

‘What does that mean?’ There was a horrible little gnawing feeling at the pit of her stomach. She could almost predict what he was about to say.

‘Vain. Pretentious. Fixed ideas about what a perfect body should look like.’

‘If you feel like that, why are you operating on her?’

‘Because it’s what she wants. Because she’s medically and psychologically competent to make a decision about surgery and she’s not an anaesthetic risk. As simple as that.’

Lexi could feel a wave of disappointment sweep over her body. Was that what he thought about all his plastic-surgery clients? That they were all superficial and vain? Was that what he thought about her because she’d had a boob job?

He shook his head as if he realised his words sounded unnecessarily harsh. ‘Wait until tomorrow. You’ll understand then. There’s a reason I’m doing Aida’s surgery instead of a general plastic surgeon.’

Iain put his hand on the door handle. ‘Princess Catherine’s. Seven a.m. tomorrow. And bring something to eat. It will be a long day.’ It took him a few seconds to release his long legs from the foot well. He straightened up and pulled some house keys from his pocket.

She watched as he looked over at the house. There was no look of relief to finally be home. More a look of resignation. He bent back down. ‘Thanks for the lift, Lexi. See you tomorrow.’ Then he slammed the door and trudged up his steps.

Lexi took a deep breath. There was so much more hidden behind the handsome façade of Iain McKenzie. The question was, how much did she want to find out?

CHAPTER THREE

THE DARKNESS PERVADED him as soon as he set foot in his house. It was such a shame as it was a beautiful home and, in theory, all his dark memories should have been left behind in Edinburgh.

Coming to London was supposed to be the start of something new for him. He just couldn’t seem to shake off the big black thundercloud of guilt that hung permanently above his head.

He flicked on a light and looked out at the road. Lexi hadn’t pulled away yet. Should he have invited her in? Had he been impolite? It had been so long since he’d done any of the social niceties with women that he’d probably forgotten what most of them were.

He watched as she indicated and pulled out onto the quiet street. It was after midnight. If he’d invited her in it might have been misconstrued as something else entirely. And whether he admitted it or not, he was trying to avoid the woman who was causing uncomfortable flarings in his libido, not invite her into his home.

He paused at the dark polished sideboard, which held a photograph of himself and his wife, Bonnie. They were sitting on the grass in their garden in Edinburgh, her back leaning against him and his arms wrapped around her enlarged abdomen. Bonnie had the most contented look on her face. The look of a woman who had finally got the thing she’d always dreamed of. They both looked like that, but Iain knew the truth behind that photo.

One of his friends had suggested he put that picture away. A friend who’d been close enough to both of them to know what had actually happened.

But Iain couldn’t do that. His guilt didn’t matter. This was still his favourite picture of them both. They looked so relaxed. They looked so happy. As if they had their whole lives ahead of them.

If only he’d known …

His fingers touched the glass in front of the photograph. ‘Three years, Bonnie,’ he whispered. And not a single day had gone by that he hadn’t thought of her.

They’d been childhood sweethearts. Destined to be together for ever. Or so they had thought.

When Leo Hunter had pursued him to work at the Hunter Clinic he’d thought the guy was crazy. His world had just collapsed around him and Leo had wanted him to up sticks and move to another part of the country?

But Leo had understood him better than he’d understood himself. He’d known he would never be able to pull himself up if he stayed in the family home, with the same work colleagues with their averted eyes and sad expressions. The move to London had been exactly what he’d needed at the time. Apart from Leo, no one knew about his wife. He’d skirted around the edges of any potentially difficult conversations, avoiding any personal details.

London was easy to lose yourself in. And the clientele coming to and from the Hunter Clinic had more to worry about than the personal background of their surgeon. And it was better that way. It really was.

Iain walked into his vast kitchen and pulled a glass from the cupboard, pressing it against the dispenser on his stainless-steel fridge. A beautiful kitchen that he hardly used. Just like the rest of this house.

He climbed the staircase to his bedroom, peeled off his jacket, trousers, shirt and tie, not bothering to hang them up. He’d have to be up in a few hours to get to Princess Catherine’s for surgery and he had a whole rail of identical business suits in the cupboard.

He sank into the bed with white Egyptian cotton sheets. Praying that tonight—even for a few hours—he might get a few hours’ precious sleep.

But it wasn’t to be.

It seemed that it wasn’t only the scent of Lexi Robbins that had pervaded his memory. He sat bolt upright in bed, sweat pouring from his body.

This was why he’d purposefully been avoiding Lexi Robbins.

He’d known it. Right from the first time he’d seen her and he’d felt a skitter of impulses across his shoulders that he couldn’t be around her. He couldn’t be near her.

He leant forward and wiped the sweat from his brow. Erotic dreams weren’t the norm for Iain. But when Lexi’s firm breasts had pressed against the planes of his chest it had left an indelible imprint. Not just on his skin.

Those tiny, fleeting thoughts that hadn’t even taken up a second in his brain when he’d had her pressed down on the examination couch had just taken front and centre stage in his mind in all their erotic beauty. Dreams like that had more than one obvious effect on the body.

He’d never be able to look Lexi Robbins in the eye today. It was almost as if he could smell her here, now.

He jumped from the bed and walked through to the en suite, flicking the switch on the shower then coming back and gulping the glass of water at the side of his bed. Was he going crazy? He could smell Lexi Robbins.

Then he remembered how close they’d been. He snatched his crumpled shirt from the floor and pressed it to his nose. There. Not the smell of his own aftershave. The smell of her.

That heady, exotic smell that left an invisible pied-piper trail wherever she went. That was what had caused the dream. Nothing else.

The shirt had been lying at his bedside and her scent had obviously drifted up and around him while he’d slept. How could this woman find a way into his dreams?

Guilt flooded through him, seeping in through every pore on his body. The hot sweat instantly turned cold, chilling his skin. Bonnie. That’s who he should have been dreaming about. No one else.

Steam was starting to billow from the shower. He stalked back through and instantly turned the switch to cold. That was what he needed. Icy, cold, blasting water to wash away any unwanted thoughts or feelings.

He stepped into the freezing water, shuddering as it came into contact with his skin. There was no point going back to sleep now.

Not if Lexi Robbins was going to feature in his dreams again.

CHAPTER FOUR

‘MORNING, MORNING.’ LEXI nodded at the sea of faces in and around the theatres at Princess Catherine’s, or Kate’s, where the Hunter Clinic had an arrangement to perform adult surgery. Children’s surgery was carried out at the Lighthouse Children’s Hospital.

Lexi had thought she’d be in good stead, turning up early. But early seemed to be normal in the theatres here.

She’d followed all the instructions carefully. Even though she wouldn’t be near any patients, she’d removed the nail varnish from her fingernails, ensured her face was scrubbed clean of any make-up and left her perfume and jewellery at home. She didn’t want to give Iain McKenzie any reason not to let her shadow him today.

And her stomach was churning a little. Nerves. Lots of them. Most of the world saw Lexi Robbins as a together, sorted woman. She didn’t reveal the insecure woman that hid away underneath. The person who was horrified to be here with a bare face and pulled-back hair.

It was odd, but she felt strangely safe here. No paparazzi were going to jump out from a corner and snap her, showing the world she wasn’t as beautiful as her mother. No one here cared. Everyone here had one purpose in mind—excellent patient care. It was almost a relief to know she could fade into the background.

Kate’s was buzzing. There was a rainbow of coloured scrubs around her. She’d been under the illusion that everyone wore the same-coloured scrubs, but Kate’s had scrubs in every colour, shape and size. One of the theatre nurses had pointed her to a laundry cupboard and told her to help herself. So she had, and she was currently sporting pale pink scrubs and white clogs.

‘Ready?’

The deep voice behind her made her jump. ‘Oh, Iain. Great. I was waiting for you.’

The words seemed to come out all wrong and she could feel the colour rushing into her face. She might have guessed it. Even dressed in navy scrubs there was no disguising his broad frame and muscles. If she was going to have to watch that muscled back all day she might as well just go and lie down in a corner now.

‘I’ve already spoken to Aida. She signed a disclaimer. She’s more than happy for you to watch her surgery—you can even film it if you like.’

Lexi cleared her throat. ‘Actually, it’s you we would be filming, Iain. We don’t intend to focus on the patient. Just let people see your expertise at work.’

‘Whatever.’ He gave a shrug and pushed open the door to the theatre. ‘After you …’

She nodded and brushed past his arm as he held the door open for her. No contact. That’s what she’d been telling herself all night. Seems like she’d broken her first rule already.

She tried to back herself into a corner as the rest of the staff moved in perfect unison around the theatre. Iain and one of his colleagues scrubbing meticulously at the sinks. The nurses opening up theatre packs, the anaesthetist and his assistant bringing Aida into Theatre and talking to her quietly and calmly as they put her under.

Lexi could feel herself holding her breath as the drapes were placed around Aida and her skin cleaned with betadine. Wow. Scars like she’d never seen before.

Iain’s brown eyes connected with hers above his mask. He nodded towards her. ‘Step a little closer, Lexi.’

Her feet moved forward, even though her body wanted to remain pinned against the wall.

‘This is the reason that Aida isn’t being operated on by a general plastic surgeon.’ His gloved hand pointed at her scarring. ‘She has significant scarring caused by her previous surgery. This operation isn’t just about replacing her implants, it’s about reducing the scarring and trying to give her the best possible outcome.’

Lexi nodded behind her mask. ‘Why does she have scars like that?’

Iain spoke slowly. ‘All patients react differently to surgery. Some form thick, keloid scars, others hypertrophic scars like these. It’s to do with collagen in the skin. The most important aspect for Aida isn’t what I do today—although that’s obviously important—it’s more about her aftercare to minimise scarring.’

‘But if she’s prone to scarring, is there anything you can do to avoid it?’

‘We’ll monitor Aida very closely. We can use various things after surgery to reduce inflammation and scarring. A series of steroid injections might be appropriate or silicone gel sheeting used to flatten the scar. Aida knows that she has to follow my instructions to the letter for her aftercare. It was the only reason I agreed to do her surgery in the first place.’

Lexi could feel the hairs rise at the back of her neck. Iain wasn’t joking. She could just imagine how stern he’d been with Aida before agreeing to her surgery. The scarring was a complete surprise to her. She was sure she’d seen semi-naked pictures of Aida before, and nothing had been noticeable. How had she managed that?

Of course. The beauty of photographic touch-ups. She knew better than anyone how fickle the beauty industry was. As long as they got the picture they wanted it didn’t matter how they got it—or whether it was an accurate portrayal of the person or not.

Her feet moved slowly backwards, edging towards the wall again. She wished she’d known about the surgery beforehand and had given herself a little time to prepare. Watching breast surgery and having breast surgery were two entirely different things. In a way she was glad she’d slept through her own surgery and had never had to think too much about it all. She had to press her hands against the cool wall to stop herself automatically lifting them and holding them against her breasts.

She glanced downwards. There they were. Perfect, in every way.

If only she’d got them because she’d wanted them and not because someone else had criticised her. It almost made her feel like a fool.

But she was stronger now. More resilient.

She was happy with her shape and regardless of anyone else’s opinion she had more confidence like this.

Iain’s concentration was intense in Theatre. Woe betide anyone who interrupted the master at work. But the theatre staff were comfortable with him, obviously used to his techniques and procedures. He hardly needed to utter an instruction.

The surgery flew past. Quickly followed by another, more standard breast enlargement. He turned to face her as he scrubbed for yet another surgery.

‘Now would be a good time to grab a quick bite,’ he said to Lexi.

As if on cue, her stomach gave a low rumble. ‘Haven’t you finished yet?’

He shook his head. ‘Not by a long shot. I’ve got some reconstructive surgery to do on a professional football player’s knee and then some facial surgery on a lady with head and neck cancer. That one will last around four hours.’

Lexi tried to stop her jaw from hitting the floor when she realised exactly how long Iain would be in Theatre. ‘I didn’t know you did things like that. If that surgery will take so long, shouldn’t it have been done first?’

He gave a little nod of acknowledgement. ‘You’re right. We normally do the most complicated surgery first but Carol Kennedy has enough on her plate. She wanted to keep things as normal as possible. She wanted to drop her kids at school today and has told them that she’s got business in the city for a few days.’

Lexi felt a little tug at her heart as she recognised the name of the well-known TV presenter. ‘She has head and neck cancer?’ Her voice came out as a squeak, even though she was trying to be as professional as possible. News like that usually spread like wildfire and she was surprised she hadn’t heard a thing.

Iain gave a curt nod. ‘I’ll talk you through it later. Now, go and eat.’

One of the theatre nurses gestured towards the door and held it open for her as she walked towards it. ‘Come with me. I’ll show you where you can grab a coffee. We’ll have to be quick, mind. Iain will be starting again within ten minutes.’

Lexi followed her quickly to the nearby kitchen. This would be an ideal time to see how much she could find out about Iain from his colleagues. She hadn’t really met many of the staff from Kate’s before.

She gave a grateful smile as the nurse poured out some coffee and handed her a cup. ‘Take some biscuits. They’re on the table. It’s a free for all in here.’

Lexi smiled. ‘Thanks for that. Have you worked with Iain long?’

The nurse lifted her eyebrows. ‘Happy Harry?’

Lexi nearly choked. ‘Is that what you call him?’

The nurse laughed. ‘Actually, he’s not the worst. Leo Hunter used to be much more grumpy but since he’s met Lizzie he’s all smiles. His brother Ethan seems to have taken on the mantle of biggest bear.’ She walked over to the table and sat down next to Lexi. ‘But to be fair to him he’s still not recovered and he works far too long hours—they all do—but Ethan’s trouble is he’s far too stubborn to use his stick.’

Lexi frowned. ‘I’ve never seen Ethan walking with a stick.’

‘Exactly. I’ve worked in orthopaedic theatres for too many years not to know when someone should be using a stick.’

Lexi pressed her lips together. It was time for a subject change, but the nurse was already back on her feet and washing her cup. No one got to hang around for long here. ‘Let’s go, Lexi.’ She gave her a quick wink. ‘Let’s not keep our Scots laird waiting.’

Lexi followed her pale green scrubs out the door. Iain was near the end of scrubbing and his premiership footballer was being wheeled in the door. She almost couldn’t believe the range of operations that Iain was involved in.

The surgery on the footballer player took several hours and her legs were already beginning to ache by the time a very nervous-looking Carol Kennedy was wheeled in. It was obvious she recognised Lexi immediately, and if she was surprised to see her she didn’t show it. Instead, she gestured to her to come over.

Lexi’s stomach was churning. She’d met Carol at numerous charity events over the years and had always found her to be as charming in person as she was on television. She reached over and gave Carol’s hand a little squeeze. ‘I’m so sorry to see you here, Carol.’

Carol nodded nervously, tears pooling in her eyes. ‘Iain spoke to me beforehand about the filming. It’s fine with me. I’ll have some time to explain to the children when I go home.’

‘Are you sure, Carol? The last thing I want to do is invade your privacy. If this is something you want kept out of the media, I completely understand. You know that my lips are sealed and I’ll never breathe a word.’

Carol nodded gratefully. ‘I appreciate that, Lexi. I’ve been fighting this cancer in private for quite some time. But after the surgery today I’ll have some scars. Iain will do whatever he can, but I will have some scars around my neck that I don’t want to have to spend my life telling lies about.’ She shook her head. ‘In a few days’ time I’ll be home and will have told my children. If filming the surgery helps other people and helps raise the profile of the clinic for the charities, it’s fine with me.’

Carol gave a little nod as the anaesthetist signalled to her to lie back against the pillow. Lexi gave a final squeeze of her hand as the anaesthetist started slowing injecting the milky substance into her vein. A few seconds later Carol’s body relaxed and her breathing was assisted. Lexi watched as Carol’s head was tilted backwards but instead of sliding a tube down Carol’s throat, as she’d expected, the anaesthetist slid a tube down her nose.

Iain saw the expression on her face. ‘When we’re doing surgery on the head and neck we often use nasotracheal intubation. It means we can maintain the patient’s airway but still have access to do surgery in and around the face, mouth and neck.’

Lexi nodded. It made sense. If Iain needed access to the inside of Carol’s mouth, it would be virtually impossible if a tube was down her throat.

‘So what are you going to do for Carol?’

There was something so strange about seeing someone she knew lying on the operating table. Even though she’d recognised the footballer from earlier, she’d never met him before in person.

Iain and his team were positioning themselves around the table, a wide variety of surgical instruments around them. Even though Iain’s mask was in place and all she could see were his brown eyes, his thick Scottish accent carried clearly across the theatre. ‘All head and neck cancers are different. The extent of the surgery depends on the size of the cancer and where it is. If it’s a small cancer of the mouth, there is often no scarring. But if the cancer has spread from the head or neck, the most likely place for it to go to is the lymph nodes in the neck—that’s what has happened in Carol’s case.’

It sounded so ominous when he said it like that. She couldn’t bring herself to ask the obvious question. If this cancer was curable.

Iain was pointing inside Carol’s mouth. ‘I’m going to do to two types of surgery on Carol today. Transoral laser surgery is used to treat smaller cancers on the lip, mouth or throat. The laser removes the tumour using a high-power beam of light. The light is attached to a microscope so that I can see the tissue in detail when I’m operating. Carol’s tumour is near the back of her throat near her larynx. We need to be very careful and precise. Anything we do could affect her speech. Once we’ve dealt with that tumour we need to deal with the spread.

‘Neck dissection is necessary to remove all the affected lymph nodes in both sides of the neck. Tests have shown the cancer has spread to both sides. The nerve that helps move the lower lip can sometimes be affected. This can cause weakness on one side of the mouth and could potentially make her smile crooked. It would usually return to normal after a few months but I want to avoid that for Carol if I can.’

Lexi nodded. He was thinking about his patient and the impact this surgery could have on her livelihood. If Carol had problems with her speech, it would affect her ability to do her job. Things would be hard enough with her scarring. She didn’t need any further complications.

She watched as the team draped Carol’s skin and cleaned it prior to any incision. Iain attached the light and microscope to his visor and positioned himself at the entrance to her mouth. He gave his registrar, who was assisting, a nod and then looked around the theatre. ‘People, I don’t need to tell you how important my concentration is right now. No noise. No interruptions.’

For the next twenty minutes Lexi was scared to breathe. The theatre was eerily quiet. Occasionally Iain spoke quietly to his registrar and they adjusted their positions. She could see the intense focus of the laser. It was almost unthinkable that the slightest movement could mean the laser hitting healthy tissue instead of the tumour.

How could the theatre staff remain so calm? How could Iain keep his nerves in check? She felt sick just thinking about it, and from the look of her cameraman, he felt exactly the same.

Eventually Iain lifted his head, gave a nod and removed his head and eye set. He leaned back as far as he could, his back giving a painful crick.

Even beneath his mask she could see the corners of his eyes lift as he smiled. ‘That’s it, folks. You can talk again. We’ll move on to the next part of the surgery.’ The sigh of relief around the room was audible. Tense shoulders sagged and bad jokes started to circulate around the room again.

But Iain was in no way finished. He was joined at one point by Carol’s cancer specialist and the two of them reviewed the earlier CT scan to ensure Iain would capture all the lymph nodes affected. The surgery was painstaking. Iain was more exacting, more precise than she could have ever have imagined. The surgery that had been expected to take four hours actually took six, all because Iain was determined not only to remove every possible trace of cancer but also to give Carol the best cosmetic outcome possible.

When he finally finished he inserted a small plastic drain on either side of her neck. After the care and attention to detail Lexi was surprised. It seemed almost unsightly. Iain caught her expression and gave a little shake of his head. ‘We’ll need to keep these in place for the next twenty-four hours to help drain any excess fluid. It will give Carol a better result overall, even though it doesn’t look too pretty right now.’

He gave a final nod at the anaesthetist. ‘All yours, Tony. Let’s get some analgesia in and bring Carol round. I’ll be around for the next two hours if you have any concerns.’ He peeled off his gloves and mask. ‘Thank you, everyone, for your hard work and attention to detail today. Let’s do it all again on Thursday.’

It was almost as if his words gave her permission to sag against the wall. She’d found the day long, tiring, even though she’d been standing virtually in one spot. And this was just one day out of her life. Iain did this most days—sometimes every day—as well as seeing patients at the Hunter Clinic. No wonder he fell asleep in the office.

She watched as Iain moved back over to the theatre sinks to wash up. She could see the way the thin navy scrubs clung to every muscle, every sinew of his lithe body. He was chatting away to one of the scrub nurses as she cleaned the theatre around him. Not flirting. Just easy banter, the way they must act every day.

He was more relaxed in here than he was at the Hunter Clinic. And it didn’t take her long to realise why. This was home for Iain. This was his comfort zone.

Iain wasn’t renowned for his charm or easygoing manner. Quite the opposite, in fact. He was known for being gruff, sometimes downright blunt with colleagues and occasionally with patients. But his surgery spoke for itself. As did his patient recovery stories. No one could argue with those.

But if she wanted to increase publicity for the Hunter Clinic she was going to have to dig beneath the surface a little. Reveal a little of what she’d seen in Theatre today. The question was—how to do that? Iain was fiercely private and she was going to have to persuade him to lower his barriers just a touch to let their patients see the human side of the brilliant surgeon.

With the filming today she’d had a clear demonstration of his surgical skills and his commitment to the task. They’d even managed to capture some of his lighter moments with the theatre staff. All of this would be pure television gold, if only she could capture a little of the man as well.

She arched her back, just as he had done earlier. It didn’t make the same alarming cricking noise but it certainly stretched her aching muscles. She dragged her eyes away from Iain. From the shaggy hair that had been released from the theatre cap. The hair that she was imagining running her fingers through.

This would never do. She was a professional.

She was always a professional. She’d met numerous celebrities throughout her life and very few of them had impressed her. Very few of them had made her imagination run wild. Not like the way it was at the moment. It must just be fatigue. She was tired—that was all. She’d had a late night last night, after dropping Iain home, and then an early start again this morning. It couldn’t be anything else, could it?

She pushed open the door to the changing room and stripped off her pink scrubs and jumped into the shower. It only took a few minutes for the cool water to wake her up a little and she pulled on her red business suit and untied her hair, turning her head upside and down and giving it a good shake. After being confined up all day in a theatre cap, it felt good to finally have it loose again. Last she took her perfume from her bag and squirted liberally, finishing with her red lipstick.

There. Barely human again after how long? She checked her watch. Nearly twelve hours. Her stomach gave a loud rumble.

She was starving. And getting food—preferably of the unhealthy kind—was first on her list.

Iain was waiting at the changing-room doors, hoping he hadn’t missed her. Lexi Robbins had been on his radar all day. It was the first time anyone had been in his operating theatre who had actually threatened his focus.

Iain McKenzie was a surgeon who slid into ‘the zone’ whenever he operated. The patient was his absolute focus—and nothing else penetrated.

But today had been a little different. Even though his focus had still been on his patients, for the first time he’d been conscious of his peripheral vision. The set of pale pink scrubs and wide blue eyes that had occasionally caught his attention.

It had been like a constant, persistent itch. And in Iain’s mind the only way to deal with an itch was to scratch it. Maybe if he bent just a little and gave Lexi the interview she wanted she would move on to the next person on her hit list and he could return to a little sanity.

He smelt her first. Her scent permeating through the female changing-room doors. Seconds later the door opened and Lexi, a vision in red with her blonde hair tumbling around her shoulders, appeared.

He hesitated for a second. Lexi Robbins might have spent the day hidden in shapeless scrubs with her hair tucked away and no make-up on, but half an hour later the transformation into gorgeous sex princess was complete.

‘Oh, Iain. I wasn’t expecting to see you again. Is something wrong? Is Carol okay?’

He smiled. It was nice that her first thought was for the patient that she knew. He nodded his head. ‘Carol is doing fine. I’m happy to leave her for the evening and check on her again in the morning. I think she’ll have a comfortable night. Tomorrow we’ll get her drains out and her husband will bring her kids in for a visit. A few days’ rest with staff who will take good care of her will do her the world of good.’

Lexi’s face brightened, the smile reaching from ear to ear. It was obvious her concern was genuine and he liked that about her.

‘So what can I do for you, Iain? I thought you would be exhausted and want to get home.’

‘I do. I mean, I would. But I’d like to get our interview over with first.’

‘Really? After the day you’ve had?’ She seemed genuinely surprised.

He nodded. ‘Is that OK? Can we do it now?’

She seemed momentarily stunned then she reached into her bag to fumble with her phone. She pulled it out and stared at it for a second.

‘Something wrong?’

She shrugged. ‘Just the usual. Seventeen messages, I’ll get to them later.’ She looked around. ‘John, the cameraman, will still be about. I’ll send him a quick text. Is there somewhere around here we can set up?’

He pointed down the corridor. ‘I’ve already sorted it. The staff at the Hunter Clinic have the use of some office space here. We can use a room just down the corridor.’

‘Perfect.’ She pressed the details into her phone, sent the message to John and followed him down the corridor.

The office space was standard for any hospital. Not particularly big, with a desk, a phone and a chair. But the pièce de résistance was a picture window with a stunning backdrop of the Thames. Iain watched the expression on her face as she knew instantly it was the ideal setting for the interview. Not only did it give a really traditional view of London, it let patients know the setting for their potential hospital stay if they used the Hunter Clinic. What better selling point could there be?

He should have mentioned it to her earlier, but it hadn’t even crossed his mind until his registrar had realised he was going to be interviewed and mentioned the spectacular view.

Lexi started pulling a chair over to the window, nodding at John as he appeared with his camera and instantly began setting up. ‘The light will fade soon. We’d better be quick.’

Lexi, ever the professional, nodded and pulled out her notebook. She gave Iain a cheeky wink. ‘Want me to sort out some make-up for you before your big screen debut?’

He laughed. ‘I think I’ll stick with the natural look.’

‘And the scrubs?’ She pointed to his navy scrubs. He hadn’t even given them a second thought. For the sake of the clinic Lexi would probably have preferred him polished and scrubbed in his business suit. More associated with a Harley Street clinic. But that wasn’t for Iain.

He lifted his hands. ‘I’d prefer it if patients see me the way that I spend most of my day. They don’t expect me to operate with the business suit on.’

She nodded. ‘True. But I might need you to put on a business suit for some publicity shots later. Deal?’ She lifted her eyebrows as her cheeky smile got even wider. ‘Or how about a kilt, Iain? Because once the ladies have heard that Scottish accent …’

He lifted his hand. ‘Enough. I might agree to the suit, but that’s it.’

She sat down and waited for the signal from John to say that he was ready. ‘How about we negotiate on the kilt?’

He tried not to laugh. Did she have any idea how appealing she looked right now? With her designer red suit, black stilettos and red lipstick? Lexi Robbins didn’t look like a girl who’d just spent the last twelve hours on her feet. Especially with those loose waves of blonde hair and sultry perfume floating in the air.

‘I’ve negotiated on the interview. That’s enough for now.’

John gave Lexi the nod and the light came on at the top of the camera. Iain adjusted his position under its glare.

‘Let’s start simply,’ Lexi said. ‘Start by telling us your name, what you do at Hunter Clinic and how long you’ve worked there.’

Iain nodded and took a deep breath. If he could get this over and done with tonight then this could be the end of his contact with Lexi Robbins.

This itch just didn’t need scratched. It was like a chicken pox. It needed the head knocked clean off it.

He looked towards the camera. Smiling just wasn’t his natural instinct. ‘I’m Iain McKenzie and you might guess by the accent that I’m from Edinburgh. I’ve worked at the Hunter Clinic for the last two years, specialising in reconstructive surgery.’

Lexi nodded. ‘Iain, can you tell us the difference between general plastic surgery and reconstructive surgery?’

He nodded curtly, trying to choose his words carefully. Trying to use terms that people would be familiar with instead of medical jargon. ‘I can do all the things that a general plastic surgeon can do—face lifts, tummy tucks, breast enhancements—but I specialise in surgery that’s a bit more complicated. For example, lots of my patients have had surgery in other places—other countries—that might not have given them the outcome they wanted or expected. Some of the surgery I do would be termed corrective surgery.’

Lexi made some circling motions with her hand, urging him to continue.

He took a deep breath. ‘I also deal with a number of patients who’ve had cancer that’s affected various parts of their bodies. That can be anywhere, their breasts, their faces, head and neck. All areas that might require reconstruction after the cancer has been removed and treatment has been completed. Often these surgeries require rebuilding, reshaping or prosthetic implants to give the patient back the body that they want.’

‘Is it purely cosmetic reconstructive surgery that you do at the Hunter Clinic, Iain?’

He shook his head. ‘I also specialise in functional surgery. I’ve treated a number of patients with oral and cleft-palate defects. In this country, most children would have surgery done at a young age. The same facilities aren’t available in all countries and I’ve dealt with a number of adult patients who’ve come to the Hunter Clinic to have these corrected later in life. It can make a huge difference to their ability to eat and to their speech to have these corrected later in life.

‘Of course, we also have a number of rehabilitation services, such as speech therapists and dieticians, available to support the care of these patients. All our services are about giving people the best possible outcome from their surgeries.’ He shook his head firmly. ‘I wouldn’t perform any surgery that I didn’t believe would have a positive impact on the patient.’

He was trying his absolute best not to say anything that would make Lexi throw her hands up in horror. He didn’t want to have to repeat this interview over and over again because he’d been way too blunt about some of the vanity-driven requests of clients.

Lexi shifted in her chair, crossing her legs and giving him an unexpectedly good view of her shapely calves and thighs.

‘That’s great, Iain, thanks. Now, can you tell us a little more about yourself?’

She was staring at him with those big blue eyes. Smiling, with her open face and manner. He could almost forget that the camera was in the room with them.

‘Well, there’s not much to tell. I grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland. I did my university and medical training at hospitals in Edinburgh. I was a Scout—though not a very good one. I could never master the art of lighting a fire.’ He raised his eyebrows at Lexi, who let out a little laugh.

‘Our patients would like to know a little more about the man behind the surgeon’s mask. How about I ask you some questions?’

He shifted in his chair a little uncomfortably. From this position it was still too easy to keep his eyes on Lexi’s legs.

She leaned forward a little, as if she was trying to encourage him. It also gave him the slightest hint of her cleavage down her firmly fastened white blouse. Cleavage that he would love to get his hands on—to see who had done her surgery and whether it met with his approval. To see whether it was right for Lexi.

Those legs again and the thoughts of having his hands on her breasts was causing a familiar sensation. One that a camera certainly shouldn’t see. He shifted his position.

‘Let’s try some quick-fire questions.’

‘Yes, let’s.’ The words came out almost unconsciously. It must be fatigue. That must be why he was being so pliable. That, or the fact he needed to try some distraction techniques right now. Normally, by this point he would have got up and walked away. Personal questions really went against all his principles.

‘Movies—action or drama?’

He shook his head. ‘Neither. Sci-fi. Every single time.’ These kinds of question were fine. They were harmless. Inane.

‘Italian, Chinese or Indian food?’

‘Depends entirely what day of the week it is—and, what I’m doing the next day. Italian, with no garlic, if I’m operating the next day. Chinese if it’s heading towards a weekend. And Indian food on a Saturday night, preferably with a pint.’

‘A pint?’

‘You know.’ He lifted and gestured with his wrist. ‘Like all good Scotsmen. A pint of beer.’

She smiled again. ‘Just the one?’

He shrugged. ‘Normally, depends on the company.’

She paused, as if taking in those words, then glanced back down at her notes. ‘Best job—apart from the Hunter Clinic, of course.’

He frowned, racking his brain. ‘There are two—completely different from each other. One, as a trainee I spent two months with the mountain rescue team in the Swiss Alps. Learnt more in those two months than I did at any other point in my training. It was fabulous.’

Lexi nodded. ‘And the second?’

‘Voluntary work. I visited one of the Romanian orphanages a number of years ago and did some of the specialist cleft-lip and palate surgeries that I described earlier.’ His voice lowered. ‘It was a real eye-opener. And a really rewarding time. I’m planning on going back next summer.’

Lexi was looking excited. ‘The Hunter Clinic will be supporting some charity work and has just joined up with Olivia Fairchild’s charity Fair Go. Will you be available to do some work for that charity, Iain?’

The way she said the words was so innocent. So off the cuff. But he knew fine well she was capturing him on tape. Just as well he’d already had this conversation with Leo Hunter and had agreed to help in any way he could. ‘I’m happy to help the Hunter Clinic in any charity that they choose to support—just as they are happy to help me, in any charity I choose to support.’ Touché. These things worked both ways.

Lexi was still leaning forward. Still making him feel as if it were only the two of them in the room. It was starting to fire his imagination again. Make him remember the things that had kept him from sleeping last night.

She gave him her dazzling smile. ‘What about your favourite holiday?’

It was an innocent question. A completely innocuous question. But for Iain it hit a nerve he was unprepared for. Pictures were instantly conjured up in his mind. Pictures of a perfect honeymoon in Venice, with thousands of images of the multicoloured houses, the islands, the canals, the gondolas and the wonders of St Mark’s Square. If he breathed in deeply enough he could practically smell the place. The words formed on his lips without him even thinking. ‘Venice, for my honeymoon. It was beautiful. The most perfect city in the world.’

‘You were married?’

The surprised tone in Lexi’s voice brought him to his senses. He knew he should answer this casually. It had been a slip. His fault, something he didn’t normally reveal, and he could have kicked himself for saying the words out loud.

But there was something else. Something hanging in the air between them. Something that he hadn’t quite yet managed to fathom.

And as Lexi sat there in the dimming light, with her wide blue eyes, designer red suit and long, lithe limbs, all he could remember was the Lexi from his dream last night. The one who had been straddling him with those long legs. The one who had danced those red lips across his forehead and chest. Taking him to a whole place he hadn’t visited in a long time.

His reaction was automatic. He stood up, causing both Lexi and John to start in their positions. Trying to erase all those thoughts from his head and trying to push the aroma of her perfume from his senses.

He needed to get out of there. He needed space. More importantly, he needed to get away from her. As far away as possible.

‘Iain? Iain, what’s wrong?’ She stood up, straightening her skirt and taking a step towards him.

He couldn’t let her touch him. He couldn’t let her be near him at all right now.

‘Interview over,’ he growled as he strode to the door and flung it open, letting it slam off the wall as his steps ate up the corridor outside.

CHAPTER FIVE

‘AS IF THIS day could get any worse.’ Lexi let out a sigh as the buzzer sounded loudly again. It was almost as if someone upstairs was laughing at her, waiting until her toe was perfectly poised above the millions of lavender-scented bubbles and her satin dressing gown had just hit the floor.

The buzzing was becoming more incessant, more desperate. So she picked the dressing-gown back off the floor and knotted it tightly around her waist. ‘This had better be good,’ she muttered as she made her way to the door.

She swung the door open, fatigue stopping her from putting her sensible head in place. The one that would make her put all her locks in place and check through the peephole before opening the door, half-dressed.

‘Iain!’

The very last person she had expected to see tonight.

The cool night air swept around her thin dressing-gown, making it billow against her legs. She tried to grab it, tried to hide the swathes of skin it was threatening to expose.

Iain was leaning against her doorjamb, his shaggy hair looking as if he’d spent the last two hours running his fingers through it.

Twenty minutes. That was how long the interview had lasted. And while what she’d captured initially was just what she’d hoped for and would be perfect for the publicity campaign, the ending had been more than a little abrupt.

She’d been left standing with her jaw bouncing off the floor as John had shrugged, packed up his camera and left for the night. Iain had vanished. No one in the hospital had known where he was and Lexi had been left to make her way home wondering what on earth she’d done wrong.

A long hot bubble bath, a glass of wine and a mountain of pizza had been on the cards.

‘Can I come in?’ His manner was still abrupt but he was looking at her with those big brown eyes that sucked you in and made you forget how to give appropriate answers. It didn’t help that every hair on her skin was standing on end and she couldn’t bear to look down and see the effects on her nipples.

She stood aside. ‘If you want,’ she muttered, unsure whether this was a good idea or not.

Iain walked into her flat, instantly filling it with his large frame. It wasn’t as if she lived somewhere small. By most people’s proportions Lexi’s London flat was positively comfortable. But just having Iain in it seemed to make the air close in around her. She was feeling completely and utterly underdressed.

He was pacing. Pacing around her flat. He had the obligatory grey suit on, with a dark blue shirt, his top button open and tie askew. ‘Look, Lexi, about earlier—’

‘What about earlier?’ she interrupted, folding her arms across her chest as it seemed the safest position for them.

He stopped pacing and took a step towards her, closing the space between them in an instant. His voice was low. ‘I’m not very good at this.’

‘Not very good at what?’ Was that her voice that sounded all squeaky? How embarrassing. He was too close. She could reach right out and put her hand on the plane of his chest. So not a good idea. It was better to keep her eyes fixed on her dark wooden floor and bare feet with their painted toenails.

She heard him sigh. ‘Saying sorry.’

Her head snapped back up in time to see him run his fingers through his hair and fix his brown eyes on hers. So not what she was expecting.

Being this close to Iain McKenzie was more than a little disconcerting. Particularly when she was partially dressed.

‘Lexi?’ he said softly.

‘What?’

‘Would you mind putting some clothes on? It’s kind of distracting, seeing you like this.’

She felt the colour rush into her cheeks. On one hand she should be glad that he found her distracting—on the other? She wasn’t entirely sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

‘I was just about to step into the bath,’ she said by way of explanation.

‘Have you eaten?’ He glanced at the clock.

She shook her head. ‘Ordering pizza was next on my list.’

He reached over and touched her arm, his warm hand circling her cold wrist. ‘Then let me take you out to dinner.’

She pulled back a little, trying not to focus on the electricity shooting up her arm. ‘It’s nearly nine o’clock. Where are you going to find somewhere that still has a table?’

He gave her a knowing smile and tapped the edge of his nose. ‘Leave that to me. Will you come, Lexi? We need to talk.’

For a second she hesitated. Was this a good idea? Maybe she could persuade Iain McKenzie that the job she was doing was actually a worthwhile one. Maybe she could persuade him to be a little more involved. Anything that would help the charity work of the clinic would surely be worth a dinner. No matter how blunt her dinner partner was.

She looked down at her pink toes. ‘What do I need to wear?’

‘You could wear a plastic bin bag, Lexi, you’d still look good.’ The words tripped off his tongue as easily as could be. He didn’t even seem embarrassed by them.

She walked off towards the bedroom. ‘That didn’t help!’ she shouted over her shoulder.

Fifteen minutes later he walked her down a street in London she’d never visited before. A warm and enveloping smell started to surround them as Iain walked towards a red-painted door and pushed it open. There was no traditional restaurant window looking out onto the street and advertising its presence. Instead there was a winding staircase up to what felt like the top of a private townhouse.

The smell was intriguing her. ‘What is this place?’ She looked around for a restaurant name or menu but there was nothing obvious.

A man appeared at Iain’s side and pulled a curtain aside for them, revealing a small intimate restaurant. ‘Nice to see you again, mate. Find yourself a table.’

She smiled at the rich Australian accent and informality of it all. The restaurant was busy, with only a few free tables.

Then reality started to hit and she took a little step backwards. ‘Isn’t that Georgie Perkins, the Oscar-winning actress?’ The woman was dressed in a green suit and drinking wine with her husband and another couple.

Iain gave a nod and pulled out a chair for her. Lexi smoothed the front of her red jersey dress as she sat down, yet again feeling instantly underdressed.

‘Hey, Iain.’

‘Hey, Kevin, nice to see you.’ He gave the man on their right a curt nod.

Lexi leaned forward and gritted her teeth. ‘Sir Kevin Bain? Chairman of the richest football club in the country?’

Iain reached over and grabbed some bread out of the basket sitting on the table. ‘Yup, him and wife number three.’ He leaned forward and winked. ‘She’s one of ours, you know.’

‘What is this place?’ Lexi asked, looking around and realising she still hadn’t seen a name anywhere.

‘It’s Frank’s,’ he said simply.

‘And who is Frank?’ she asked. ‘And how come I’ve never heard of this place?’ She pointed over at the other diners. ‘Other people obviously have.’

‘Take it from me, this place is for good eating and good wine. You won’t find any paparazzi hanging around outside the door, and it never needs to advertise.’

Lexi settled back into her chair. He was right. The place had a certain ambience about it, as if the celebrities who were there knew their privacy would be guarded. She had dined around lots of people like this, but she’d never seen them quite so relaxed—quite so unguarded. Would the same rules apply to Iain? Was this why he’d brought her here?

The guy from the door appeared and handed them menus. He looked at Lexi and held out his hand. ‘I haven’t met you before, have I?’

She shook her head and met his firm handshake. ‘Lexi Robbins. I work with Iain.’

‘Lucky man. I’m Frank. If it’s not on the menu—just ask and I’ll make it for you. I can handle all the allergy quirks, all the special diets, but if you’re a crazy who just doesn’t want any calories then I’ll pour you a glass of water and charge you a hundred bucks.’

She laughed, instantly liking the big Australian, then grabbed her stomach as it let out a little grumble.

He looked skyward. ‘My favourite noise in the world. What will it be, lady?’

Lexi handed him back the menu. She’d barely even glanced at it but felt as if she could trust his judgement. ‘I’m a chicken girl. Do anything you like with it—except give me bones.’

Frank blew some of his hair off his forehead. ‘Amateur!’ He turned to Iain, ‘Go on, master of the universe. Surprise me.’

Iain rolled his eyes. ‘If you keep talking to me like that, I won’t come back.’

‘Fat chance.’

He nodded and handed over his menu. ‘You’re right. I’ll have the usual.’

Frank disappeared muttering, only to reappear and plonk a bottle of red wine on the table along with a couple of glasses.

Iain lifted the bottle and gave a smile. ‘Are you okay with red, or would you prefer something else?’

She lifted her glass towards him. ‘Red’s fine. Just not too much.’

Iain filled her glass part way then did the same with his own.

‘To Frank’s?’

She smiled and clinked glasses with him. ‘To Frank’s. Here’s hoping the food is as good as you promised.’

Iain nodded with confidence. ‘You’ve nothing to worry about here.’ He looked around at their surroundings. ‘This place is all about chilling and relaxing. That’s why I brought you here. We could have gone to Drake’s but the food, and the company, are infinitely better here.’

She smiled. Drake’s would be packed to the rafters right now—probably with most of the staff from the Hunter Clinic and St Catherine’s. It was unlikely they would have managed to have any kind of conversation in there.

‘Who is Frank?’

‘Just a sad Australian who needed an op one day. He told me he owned a restaurant and invited me for dinner after that.’

‘You’re not going to reveal?’

He shook his head. ‘Only if you get me drunk.’

There it was. That little hint of humour that appeared on the rarest of occasions. She liked it. It proved that the gruff exterior of Iain McKenzie wasn’t as rock solid as it first seemed and the man could actually laugh at himself.

He set his glass on the table. ‘So, Lexi Robbins. I’m curious about you.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I don’t know much about you.’

She sighed. ‘Haven’t you ever read a newspaper or a gossip magazine? My life’s been pretty much an open book since the second I was born.’

‘Yeah, but that’s not the kind of thing I want to know.’

She leaned forward a little. ‘So what do you want to know, Iain McKenzie?’

She hadn’t meant it to come out that way. Slightly flirtatious. Slightly coy. But they were sitting in a darkened candlelit restaurant in the middle of London after a stressful day. She really didn’t want to have to think too hard. She was only doing what came naturally.

His eyes skimmed over her. She could feel them. Taking in her loose curls and comfortably fitted dress. She hadn’t bothered with much make-up, only reapplying her lipstick and adding some mascara.

His finger ran round the rim of his glass. ‘I’m curious why Leo Hunter hired you to be the head of PR. You must be good—you must be very good, because everyone working at the clinic was handpicked by Leo.’

‘And the implication is that I don’t seem that good?’ Her reaction was instant. She could get angry. She could get upset and tearful. But to be frank she’d heard it all before and was far too tired to fight. She leaned back in her seat and took a sip of her wine.

‘I didn’t say that.’ His voice was quiet. Controlled. As if he was trying to get the measure of her.

She let out a sigh. ‘You didn’t have to, Iain. A million others have implied it before you.’

His eyebrow rose ever so slightly. ‘Why would they do that?’

She took another sip of wine. It was official. A few sips were definitely hitting the right spot and relaxing her. That’s what happened when you hardly managed to eat all day.

‘Let’s start at the very beginning. You might have guessed I was a bit of an accessory to my parents.’

‘That seems a bit harsh.’

She let out a snort. ‘Try living it. It gets a bit much when they constantly tell you you’re not pretty enough or good enough.’

Iain leaned forward, his eyes practically smoking. ‘Your parents did that?’

She shook her head a little. ‘Not in so many words. It was implied—in a lot of ways. I was constantly in the press, being compared to my mother, the supermodel. What girl really wants to spend her life being told she’s not as pretty as her mother?’ Lexi lowered her eyes. ‘I focused on other things. I was academic. I liked school, I guess in that respect I took after my father. Then I had a bit of an accident and I was out of school for a while.’

‘What happened?’ She could see the concern on his face and felt a lump forming in her throat. So much time had passed. It had been so long ago. She’d got over this and put it behind her, she didn’t feel the need to go into details.

‘I had a horse-riding accident and needed some major surgery.’ It was best to leave the specifics out. ‘My mum and dad were there for a few days, but they were busy. They both had contractual obligations. So once they knew I would live but need some serious recuperation, they handed me over to my Aunt Jo.’

Iain wrinkled his nose. ‘I thought you said your family was permanently in the papers. I’ve not heard of your Aunt Jo.’

Lexi smiled. ‘I bet you have. Josephine Kirk. She’s my father’s sister.’

His eyes widened. ‘Wasn’t she an ambassador for children for the UN?’

Lexi nodded. ‘After I recovered from surgery I still wasn’t really fit for school. I spent the summer with Aunt Jo—and almost every summer after that. We’re close.’

‘Closer than you are to your mum and dad?’

‘Absolutely.’ There was no hesitation in the word.

Iain sucked in his breath. He had a great relationship with his mum and dad. They’d been his absolute backbone when he’d lost his wife. He couldn’t imagine not knowing that they would always be there for him. Lexi had described herself as an ‘accessory’—what kind of parents did she have?

He watched her in the flickering candlelight. She seemed totally at ease, totally oblivious to the casual, admiring glances she was receiving. He’d never given Lexi much thought. Even when she’d started working at the clinic he hadn’t really taken much notice of her credentials or her work ethic. But she was rapidly turning into the most interesting woman he’d met in a long time.

Lexi was tempted to fill the silence. Should she tell Iain more?

He was a doctor. He would understand.

But she wasn’t really ready to share any personal details. Her aunt was the wisest woman she’d known. Lexi’s surgery had been extensive—a horseshoe in her lower abdomen had caused tremendous damage to her young body, meaning that she would never be able to have children of her own. But her aunt had taken her to a place to show her the little children in this world who would need someone like her—someone to love and care for them in future years.

And it had helped Lexi move on. To stop thinking about the fact she’d never be pregnant and give birth, but to realise that not everyone became a mother in the same way. To realise that if her dream was to have a family then the possibility was there.

Very few people knew that detail about her. And even though Iain was watching her with those big chocolate-brown eyes, lulling her into a false sense of security that might make her reveal her innermost secrets, she just couldn’t say anything else.

This was about protecting herself and protecting the decisions that she made. She’d learned from her mistakes. So no matter what spark she currently felt towards the sexy Scot, it wouldn’t make her reveal her most intimate secrets.

‘Here we go, folks. Chicken with no bones, and my own special concoction, and the usual for you.’ Frank placed the plates down on the table with a flourish and then melted into the back ground once again.

Lexi leaned forward and breathed deeply. ‘Oh, this smells great. I’m starved. What have you got?’

Iain smiled. ‘Pulled pork with spicy sauce and hand-cut chips. Can’t beat it. It’s perfect every time I come here.’ He picked up his knife and fork. ‘What did Frank make for you?’

Lexi smiled. ‘I think he secretly switched on his telepathic powers and invaded my brain. He’s given me something that I’ll love, chicken with mushrooms and some spicy potato bravas. I can’t wait.’

Iain nodded. ‘Frank always seems to get it just right.’ He waved his fork at her. ‘Dig in.’

She did. And Iain watched with enjoyment as she cleared her plate and then sat back and gave a sigh. ‘That was much better than pizza.’

A woman who wasn’t scared to eat. What a relief. At least fifty per cent of the women he saw at the Hunter Clinic had some weird ideas about diets and eating. Some of them were even refused surgery because their BMIs were so low it made them anaesthetic risks. It was nice to be in the company of a woman who seemed comfortable in her own skin.

The strange thing was, it obviously hadn’t always been the case. She’d already told him about her experiences of being compared to her mother, and there was the fact she’d obviously had implants. Why would someone like Lexi think she needed to have surgery?

But the more time he spent in her company the more he was drawn to her. She was warm and charming with a good sense of humour. And even though she’d spent part of her life in the spotlight she certainly wasn’t the vacant blonde she was sometimes portrayed as in the press.

Lexi was highly intelligent, well read with an opinion on everything. And pushing aside the breasts and fabulous legs, there was just more and more to like about her.

‘What did your parents think about you doing your degree?’

She stared at him and the edges of her lips curled upwards. ‘Why do I get the impression that you already know?’

‘I’m just guessing your mother might have had other plans for you.’

‘Oh, she did. And they all involved being her personal assistant and PR girl. She was most annoyed when I passed my exams with flying colours and got a place to study international business.’

Iain nodded slowly. ‘Interesting choice.’

‘It was fabulous. And in the final year you had a placement in a real business for six months. I loved it. They offered me a job straight after uni.’

‘And did you take it?’

‘I did for a few years.’ She took another sip of her wine. ‘Funny thing was, I actually found myself drawn towards PR work. Maybe my mother knew me better than I knew myself all along.’

‘So did you work for her?’

Lexi smiled. And it was the best smile of the evening, reaching all the way into her eyes and giving her a cheeky sparkle. ‘Not a chance.’

He laughed. There were so many qualities here that he hadn’t seen before. Hadn’t taken the chance to see. All because from the second he’d set eyes on Lexi she’d woken up his libido like a shrieking alarm clock. Something he definitely hadn’t been prepared for. And something he definitely hadn’t been ready to acknowledge.

‘So how did you end up being head-hunted by Leo Hunter at the clinic?’

She nodded. ‘Leo is very persuasive. I was working for a variety of charities when he approached me. At first I wasn’t interested in trying to raise the profile of a private clinic. It seemed almost the exact opposite of what I was currently doing. But Leo told me about the work they wanted to fund and the people he wanted to help by increasing the client base of the clinic …’ Her voice tailed off and Iain smiled.

‘I get it. Leo is very persuasive.’

She smiled again, her blue eyes fixed on his face. He pushed his wine glass aside. Lexi Robbins was beginning to wreak havoc on his senses.

‘I like the clinic. I’m proud of the job I do. I want to be known for me, Lexi Robbins. I hate it when a newspaper article starts, “Lexi Robbins, daughter of…”’ She shook her head. ‘I’m my own person. But I’m also wise enough to know that some of the clients I’ve brought to the clinic saw me in the first instance because I’m my father’s—or my mother’s—daughter.’

Iain lifted his glass and held it up to her. ‘Well, in that case I want to make a toast. To Lexi Robbins, PR genius of Hunter Clinic, who will bring in thousands of pounds to help fund the charity projects.’

She lifted her glass and gave him a wink. ‘Tens of thousands of pounds.’

They clinked glasses.

‘Dessert?’ Frank appeared at their side again, clearing their dinner plates. ‘Could I tempt you with a beautiful pear tart with chocolate sauce?’

Lexi shook her head. ‘It sounds heavenly, Frank, but I’m all chickened out.’

‘Too much?’ he asked.

‘No, just perfect. But I honestly couldn’t eat another bite.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘It’s been a long day and I’m feeling kind of tired.’ She looked apologetically at Iain and he stood immediately to come to her side and pull her chair out.

‘No problem at all.’ He pulled some money from his wallet to pay Frank and gave him a wave as he helped Lexi on with her coat. It was late. He should have paid more attention to the time. Not everyone was an insomniac like him. Not everyone did anything possible rather than go to bed and stare at the ceiling, hoping to have a dreamless night.

‘I hope you don’t mind, Iain.’ She spun round to face him and her big blue eyes and blonde curls were directly under his nose. Just inches away from him.

‘Of course not, Lexi. I’ll walk you home. I should have kept my eye on the time.’ He held out his arm as they walked down the stairs and out onto the street and was secretly glad when she slid her arm through his.

He was telling himself he was only being polite. It didn’t mean anything else. It didn’t mean anything at all.

But walking through the darkened London streets with a beautiful woman on his arm gave him a little buzz. And not in the traditional sense. As a surgeon Iain knew better than most that true beauty came from the inside. And tonight he’d been well and truly exposed to the true beauty of Lexi Robbins.

He’d watched a programme once where people sat behind a screen and described how they looked to an artist who drew a picture of them from their description. Then one of their friends described them to the same artist. The programme ended with the pictures hanging side by side. It truly reflected that people often didn’t see themselves the way others saw them. The pictures where the people had described themselves were nowhere near as beautiful as the ones where their friends had described them. And the friends’ pictures were a much more accurate reflection of the individual.

Why had this sprung to mind? Because he could tell—just from tonight and their conversation—that Lexi couldn’t see the beauty he could, both inside and out.

It still intrigued him why she’d felt the need to get implants. But it seemed too personal a question to ask. It could be that Lexi had had other reasons for surgery and the implants were a consequence of that.

They rounded the corner into her street.

‘You’re awfully quiet, Iain. Something wrong?’ Even her voice sounded merry. Lexi was a pleasure to be around.

‘Not at all. I’m just enjoying the company.’

‘That’ll be a first. You’re usually playing hide and seek with me.’

Yes. She was nobody’s fool, even if she was usually too polite to say so. It seemed the wine had loosened her tongue.

He stopped and spun her round, catching her around the waist. ‘Lexi Robbins, I have no idea what you mean,’ he said in mock horror.

She pointed her finger at his wide chest. ‘I’ll have you know, Iain McKenzie, that I was the champion hide-and-seeker as a kid.’ She lifted her hands in the air. ‘You can run but you can’t hide.’

‘Who says I want to hide?’ he said, closing the space between them in an instant and pulling her hard against his chest.

This time the sensation of her firm breasts wasn’t a surprise. But the way her body melded into his was. It was almost as if she … fitted.

This time her hands rested on his shoulders. The initial flash of surprise disappeared from her eyes and her gaze remained steady on his.

Her voice was a little breathless. ‘Admit it, Iain, you have been hiding from me.’ There wasn’t another person on the street. It was just the two of them. Nothing and no one to interrupt them.

‘And all of a sudden I can’t imagine why,’ he said quietly.

Silence. The tension between them was almost palpable. The air was practically crackling.

Then she almost tipped him over the edge. Her tongue ran along her red lips, moistening them and making them glisten in the dim light. Her voice was hoarse. ‘Neither can I,’ she whispered, as her fingers pressed into his shoulder bones.

He didn’t think. He didn’t stop to think for a second.

This was all about instinct. And his instinct was to make her his.

He bent his head, taking her lips as his own. Claiming them in every way possible. His hands pulled her hips close against his then he lifted them and wound them through her blonde hair. So soft, so silky between his fingers.

She let out a little gasp and raised herself up on tiptoe, trying to get herself even closer to him. Her hands left his shoulders and slid around to the back of his neck, curving themselves across the expanse of his back.

There was nothing tender and gentle about this kiss. This was pure and utter unbridled lust. That scent was under his nose again, drifting through his senses. It had followed him for days, driving him slowly and utterly crazy with the thoughts it evoked in his brain.

Lexi was matching him every step of the way. He pushed her back from the pavement towards the entrance of her flat. His hands were drifting under her coat, up the sensual curves of her waist and hips, relishing the feel of the clingy jersey dress beneath his fingertips. Then his hands met her breasts, the rational part of his brain wondering if she would react to his touch but the sensual part of his brain already on a mission he had to complete. Beneath the thin material her nipples reacted in his palms, making him stifle a groan in the back of his throat.

He pressed her further against the wall, one of her legs rising up and hitching on his hip, his hardness pushing against her core. His head had fallen to her neck now, to the source of that delicious sensual scent. He could taste it under his lips as his tongue moved around the soft skin at the bottom of her neck and along her fine clavicle. Her hands were moving in one direction—with a distinct purpose—and his back arched towards her.

His fingers were following suit, pushing up her dress and edging along the inside of her thigh.

‘Iain,’ she panted.

‘What?’ He didn’t even look up, didn’t want to stop what was happening.

Her body was reacting to his every touch, completely and utterly responding to every single move he made.

A cool breeze danced across his skin where she’d opened a few buttons on his shirt and the sweep of air caused him to stiffen.

He looked up. Lexi’s gaze was fixed on his. Part of it passion, part of it confusion. He could see the wealth of emotions behind her blue eyes and it brought him crashing to earth with an almighty thump.

Lexi. It was Lexi Robbins standing in front of him now.

It was Lexi Robbins who had stoked his emotions so high he’d almost choked on them.

Blonde hair, blue eyes. Staring at him with a look of expectation, a look of reciprocation of the feelings that were bubbling inside him.

It was like a bucketful of ice chips tumbling over his body. The horrible, stomach-churning realisation that not once this evening—not once—had he given Bonnie a second thought.

He stepped backwards, trying to put some distance between him and Lexi. Distance that had already formed in his mind a mile wide.

For the last few years he’d thought about Bonnie every single day. Every single day.

Whether it was first thing in the morning when he woke up, at some quiet time snatched in the middle of the day, or late at night when he was home alone, Bonnie had appeared in his thoughts every day. Sometimes the memories were good ones, happy thoughts of places they’d been, things they’d experienced together.

Other times he was in Theatre when he relived those horrendous moments. Losing his precious wife and losing his twins in one fell swoop.

Other times he was racked with guilt, replaying conversations when he’d persuaded her to give IVF one last go. To give that particular chance of having a family that way one last try.

So many steps in his life that he wanted to rewind. Wanted to turn back the clock and do differently.

But no matter what the thoughts, no matter whether the memories were good or bad, they had been there. Every single day. Until now.

The guilt was horrendous. From the second he’d got up that morning he’d thought about Lexi, knowing that she was meeting him at Kate’s.

He’d even thought about her at some points today during surgery. Unthinkable.

The only time today he’d given Bonnie any thought had been the tiniest fleeting moment at the end of the interview when he’d walked out.

But it had vanished in a flash when he’d realised his reaction had been over the top and his priority had been to apologise to Lexi. Not to sit down for a few seconds and wonder why he was so mixed up. Wonder why he was reacting in such an irrational way.

Somewhere along the way an invisible line had been crossed without him even realising it. A line that he’d drawn in the sand years ago to protect himself from taking actions that could affect the life of another. The consequences were too big a cross to bear.

Casual relationships were fine. But Lexi was no one’s casual relationship. And he’d known that from the second he’d seen her and realised the affect she had on him.

Avoiding her had been a self-preservation technique—one he should have stuck to.

‘Iain? Iain, what’s wrong?’ Her voice was still breathy, panting, as if she was full of pent-up frustration. The last thing he needed right now. What he needed right now was space. Distance. As much as possible.

‘This was a mistake. A big mistake.’ With every word he stepped back a little further, as if it helped him say the words.

A splash of rain landed on his nose and he looked upwards at the dark sky above him. Clouds were circling above his head in more ways than one.

‘I have to go. I’m sorry, Lexi. Let’s just leave it. Just leave it alone.’

She started to shake her head. Utter confusion was painted across her face and his gut clenched at the fact he’d hurt her. It had never been his intention. Things had just got out of control.

‘But, Iain—’

He whipped away as the rain started to deluge the pavement around him, his stride lengthening with every step.

He didn’t care about the weather, he didn’t care about the rain.

He just needed to get away from her. Get away from her intoxicating scent. Even as he walked down the street he could still smell her—smell her perfume on his clothes.

He lifted his hand and something reflected under the orange streetlight. A strand of shiny blonde hair, glittering like a moonlit stream. She was everywhere.

Not just in his head.

Guilt ground away at him. He should be thinking of Bonnie and his lost children. He should be remembering the terrible impact he’d had on three lives, all because he’d persuaded his beautiful wife to give IVF one last try. She hadn’t been sure. The previous two attempts had been tougher than either of them had anticipated, and they’d almost resigned themselves to the fact that they wouldn’t have a family by a natural means.

And he’d felt fine about that.

So, why, why had he pushed for one last try? Even he couldn’t fathom out the details now. The decision seemed so ridiculous, so misguided. And that had been before the eventual outcome.

Carrying two tiny white coffins next to his wife’s had been the end of Iain McKenzie.

It had been the end of the light-hearted, laughter-filled man that he’d become thanks to Bonnie. She had always been the person to lift his sometimes dark moods. She’d always been the glass-half-full kind of girl.

She’d been his shining light. And look what he’d done to her.

‘Beloved Wife. Beloved Son. Beloved Daughter.’

The words etched in gold on the black granite, along with the three red poppies, were forever in the back of his mind.

Maybe he’d been wrong to come to London. Maybe he should have stayed in Edinburgh, where he could have visited the grave every day?

But the smoky strands of depression had been circling around his brain. Creeping up on him with their strangulating hands. His parents, his friends and his family had all urged him to go with Leo. They had told him it was for the best. They had told him he needed a fresh start.

They hadn’t counted on Lexi Robbins.

And, three years later, neither had he.

CHAPTER SIX

THE DEMONS WERE whispering in Lexi’s ear again. Those horrible little voices of self-doubt and self-deprecation.

She’d fought hard to keep them at bay as it seemed as if there had been constant reinforcement of them in her life.

First from her parents. Then from her boyfriend. The one who’d liked her name and standing instead of Lexi Robbins the person, Lexi Robbins, the human being.

Jack Parker had spent most of his time mocking her bedroom performance and mocking her flat chest. It had taken her a long time to get the measure of him. And it had been at his insistence that she’d gone for the boob job.

Her hands went automatically to her breasts. Automatically to the over-sensitised skin that Iain McKenzie had just been touching.

The rain was pelting down, soaking straight through her thin raincoat and even thinner jersey dress. But Lexi didn’t care about the rain.

She was feeling a surge of anger in her belly.

It had taken too long, too many years for her to come to terms with who she really was and not who people thought she should be. The gentle, steady support from her aunt had been invaluable. She wasn’t about to stand back and let those old feelings invade her life again.

She was strong now. She was determined.

She leaned back against the wall as her legs gave way a little under the maelstrom of emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her.

She could see her ex’s face in her mind. The super-confident Jack Parker squeezing her small breasts contemptuously and comparing them to the latest model in the newspaper. Telling her that she’d never look good in their holiday shots in the Bahamas. The ones that he’d tipped the newspapers off about.

And his caustic, consistent putdowns had chipped away at her already low self-esteem.

She had already worn two sets of chicken fillets in her bra. She hadn’t particularly liked her body shape herself. Dresses that had fitted her around the hips and thighs had sagged over her chest—unless she’d worn her chicken fillets. But she could have lived with that because the rest of the world hadn’t seen her naked.

Only Jack had. But he hadn’t liked what he’d seen.

It had taken all her strength and resilience to get rid of him. Once she’d had the breast implants he’d started suggesting other improvements. So she’d made the ultimate improvement and got rid of him—tossing his clothes out onto the street—before he’d dragged her down any further.

She would never, ever let another man do that to her.

Let another man make her feel that way.

Not even Iain McKenzie.

It had taken her time to accept the changes to her body. To finally realise that she did actually like the shape she had now. She only wished she’d made the decision for herself. She wouldn’t let anyone chip away at her self-esteem again.

She started to walk in the rain. Striding down the same street that he’d taken, following the road to his townhouse. She didn’t care that it was late at night. She didn’t care that she was the only person crazy enough to be out in weather like this—right now it matched her mood.

And as if to magnify her building temper, there was a flash of lightning above her, closely followed by a rumble of thunder.

Her anger built with every step she took.

She knew there was something between them. Any fool could see that.

How dared he call what had just happened a mistake?

He’d felt every single thing that she’d felt. He’d felt every tiny little spark and electric current that she had.

He’d been every bit as turned on as she’d been.

Did he think this was something she did every day—in the middle of the street?

No. She wouldn’t let him treat her like that. Not for a second. Not in this lifetime.

Her footsteps quickened. Her normally bouncy curled hair was drenched, hanging in bedraggled ropelike swaths around her head. She reached up and rubbed her eye, coming away with a dark-washed smudge. What little mascara had been there was now obviously streaked down her face. But she didn’t care.

She had no desire to go home and get changed. To strip off her wet clothes and climb under a warm duvet. The lightning flashed again. It was spurring her on, guiding her path straight to his door.

She climbed up his steps and put one finger on his doorbell, pressing hard and leaving it there. The other hand she clenched into a fist and banged on the door. She wouldn’t be ignored. She wouldn’t let Iain ignore whatever this was between them.

The door creaked open just as a rumble of thunder sounded overhead again and the dark clouds pitched above her.

Iain was bare-chested, obviously in the middle of stripping off his clothes. The dark circles under his eyes and shadow along his jaw only fed her fury even more.

‘Lexi! What are you doing here?’

She pushed past him—not waiting to be asked to come in, and stood in the middle of his wide hallway, letting a huge puddle of rainwater form at her feet.

She clenched her jaw. ‘You. Won’t. Treat. Me. Like. That.’ Every word was forced. Every word angrily controlled.

His hands were trembling as he closed the door behind her, shutting out the storm outside but not the one inside.

She said nothing. Stared him down. Watched the changing emotions on his face. She was strong enough for this. Whatever it might be.

She could see the pulse throbbing at the base of his neck, see every dark, curly chest hair standing on end.

But he didn’t say a word. Not a single thing.

He just moved. And started kissing her like she’d never been kissed before.

CHAPTER SEVEN

IT WAS FIVE O’CLOCK in the morning and the first early streams of light were edging their way through the gap in the curtains. Lexi turned over in bed, her hand coming up automatically and touching her still-damp hair. It seemed impossible to believe that shaggy-haired Iain didn’t possess a hairdryer, and her thick, long hair held the dampness, causing her to spend most of the night turning her pillow over.

‘Wanna swap?’ Iain was watching her with his dark brown eyes.

‘Absolutely.’ She smiled. ‘I’m ruthless when it comes to bedding.’ She grabbed the pillow he offered and sank down into the soft dryness, pushing the still-damp one in his direction.

He picked up a lock of her blonde hair. ‘Doesn’t matter if your hair is damp, Lexi. You still look beautiful.’

She shifted in the bed, instantly uncomfortable. ‘You don’t need to talk me into bed, Iain, I’m already here.’

His eyes widened. ‘Why on earth would you think that?’

She pulled the light sheet a little closer to her body and sighed. ‘I know I’m not beautiful, Iain. I’ve spent my life living in the shadow of the “world’s most beautiful woman”,’ She lifted her fingers in the air to make imaginary quote marks. ‘You just learn to accept that will never be you.’

Ian lifted his head and propped it up on his hand. ‘What do you see when you look in the mirror, Lexi?’

She frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

He shook his head. ‘I’m betting you don’t see what I do. Not even close.’

She pulled the sheet up above her breasts, as if shielding herself from him. She was almost too scared to ask the next question. ‘What do you see?’ she whispered.

He lifted a finger and traced it lightly down the side of her cheek. ‘I see a gorgeous young woman, with beautiful skin, perfectly intact—not damaged by the sun in any way.’ He ran his finger over her eyelids. ‘I see the most beautiful blue eyes. There’s a little hint of turquoise and they remind me of the sea next to a Caribbean island.’ His finger dusted her eyelids. ‘I see thick, dark lashes that most women would give their eye teeth for and a pair of lips that were exclusively designed for kissing me.’

She smiled and he leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. She closed her eyes a little. ‘Okay, so I’m starting to like that.’

His hand drifted under the sheet and she felt herself tense a little. He hadn’t mentioned her surgery. Hadn’t mentioned it at all. And it struck her as strange. He was a surgeon. He’d known from the very first time their bodies had made contact that she’d had surgery. And he had certainly appreciated her breasts last night.

The pads of his fingers caressed her shoulders then followed the curves of her body. He pulled the sheet back a little. ‘I’d ask you who did them, but I might get a little jealous. Because they’re perfect.’ His finger danced along the almost invisible scar under one of her breasts.

‘You really think so?’ Her voice was hesitant. She’d expected him to criticise. For all he was a surgeon himself, he didn’t seem to rate cosmetic surgery very highly.

He nodded slowly, his eyelids still heavy with fatigue. ‘I just wonder why you felt as if you needed them.’

It was a natural question, particularly for a surgeon, but it instantly caused her to bristle.

For a second it crossed her mind to lie. To act with a whole lot of bravado. But she was done with pretending to be something she was not. She was Lexi Robbins and she was proud of who she was.

‘I didn’t want them. Not to begin with. My ex—Jack told me to get them. He wore me down, kept telling me my flat chest did nothing for him and it made me feel as if I wasn’t worthy of our relationship.’

Anger flared instantly in Iain’s eyes. ‘What?’ He sat up, his voice incredulous. ‘Why on earth would he do that? You’re gorgeous, Lexi—and I’m sure you were absolutely perfect. What a complete—’

Her hand reached up and cut him off. ‘Iain. Don’t. I’ve spent a long time coming to terms with this. Jack never really loved me and it took a long time for me to understand that. Jack loved the idea of me. Who my parents were. The fact my name attracted attention. The fact my name meant we got invited to every fancy party in town.’

Iain’s expletives filled the room. ‘Of all the low-down, monkey-brained—’

‘Stop that. Don’t insult monkeys. They’re highly intelligent creatures.’

But she could see the fire was still burning in his belly. ‘I don’t get it, Lexi. Why would you let anyone persuade you to have surgery? Didn’t your surgeon ask you questions about why you were there? I thought he’d done a good job but now I’m not so sure.’

She shook her head. ‘I gave him all the right answers, Iain. He didn’t do anything wrong.’ She sighed and lay back against the pillow again, her hands coming up and resting on her breasts. ‘I’ve come to like my boobs. They’ve given me more confidence. They’ve made me feel better about myself. Deep down, I was never really happy with my shape—Jack just amplified my own feelings in a cruel way.’

There must have been something on her face, something about the way she said the words.

Iain’s face darkened even further. ‘Was that all he did?’

She hesitated as she felt a little flush of colour come to her cheeks. It seemed ridiculous. She’d just spent the night with Iain, was lying naked in bed with him, and she was embarrassed to say the words.

‘What is it?’ he coaxed, intertwining his fingers with hers.

‘He said other things too. He didn’t just comment on my breasts—or lack of them. He told me I should be taking lessons … for other things.’

It took a few seconds for the penny to drop and Lexi was cringing. It was bad enough that Jack had said those things in the first place. She’d never told another living soul about them.

Iain looked incredulous. ‘He said what? How dared he?’

She looked down and shrugged her shoulders. ‘I’m not the most experienced. I’ve only ever had a few long-term relationships.’

‘And he thought he would criticise you?’ Iain’s voice was aghast. ‘Lexi, he should have been grateful, honoured even that you let him get that close to you. That you trusted him enough to share yourself with him. He shouldn’t have been criticising your technique!’

The fury of his words made her want to bury her head under the pillow. She kept her eyes averted. ‘This isn’t normal for me, Iain. This isn’t what I do. I don’t do—this.’

He put his finger under her chin and tilted her face up to look at his. ‘I get that. And I didn’t get that because I thought you were inexperienced.’ He gave her little smile. ‘I have no complaints at all—quite the contrary, in fact. I enjoyed every second. You were perfect.’

Was it wrong that those words gave her a little buzz all the way down to her toes? Was it wrong that she couldn’t help but smile? Smile at the gorgeous, handsome, strapping man who was lying next to her in bed, telling her that he thought she was perfect?

Even though she hadn’t realised she’d been holding it, her breath came out in a long, steady stream.

She looked back into his eyes. ‘Everything has changed. I’m a different person than I used to be—and not just physically. I like how I look now. I’m comfortable in my own skin. I love the fact that I’m doing a job that makes me happy. I don’t care that my parents don’t appreciate it. I know the value of the job I do. I’ve raised more money in the last few weeks than even I thought possible. I’ve got another few trips overseas to speak to some more potential clients.’ She ran her fingers along the stubble on his jaw. ‘And I’ve got a whole host of plans for raising the profile of the Harley Street clinic, some of which include a hunky Scotsman …’ she gave him a wink ‘… who might even wear a kilt for me.’

He rolled his eyes and she laughed, before rolling back onto her back and putting her hands on her breasts again. ‘This is me, Lexi Robbins. Take me or leave me.’

Iain’s hand came over and rested over one of hers. ‘So you’re happy?’

She nodded. ‘Yes, Iain, I’m happy.’

His hand ran down the outside of the sheet, resting on her hip. She wondered if he was about to ask other questions about her abdominal scar. Would she answer truthfully? Did she feel as if she could?

He wrinkled his nose at her. ‘Well, I’m not.’

Her stomach gave a little clench. What did he mean?

‘I want to find Jack Parker and wring his neck with my bare hands until I squeeze every last breath out of him. I want to bang his head off a wall to try and knock some sense into him. I want to take a walk down a dark alley late at night and show him what I think about how he treated you.’

She was struck by the intensity of his words. Maybe it was the aftermath of their lovemaking that had provoked such deep emotions in him but she could tell from the sincerity in his brown eyes that he’d meant every word.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered. ‘But this was about me dealing with things. I had to learn for myself that he wasn’t what I thought. I had to value myself enough to not allow him to treat me that way. He was never physical, he never laid a hand on me. But his constant comments on my face and figure wore me down. I’ve never felt so free than when I flung him out of our flat and dumped his designer wardrobe out of the window. At that point, it was probably the best moment of my life.’

Iain lifted his hand and rested it between her breasts. ‘But we both know that all beauty is superficial. I can make the most hideous person in the world look stunning on the outside. But it doesn’t change what’s in here. Who that person really is. There have never been truer words than “Beauty is only skin deep”.’

There was genuine warmth in his words, a warmth that swept around her like a comfortable blanket, shielding her from everything else. She could get used to this. She could get used to being shielded by Iain McKenzie.

‘I want you to know, Lexi Robbins, that you are one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met. Both inside and out. And no matter what happens in the future, where we both end up, I want you to keep that with you. And if any time you’re feeling down, if you’ve had a bad day and can’t face things, I want you to come back and remember this moment, here and now.’

In one way the words were a comfort, and in another they made her stomach clench again. She’d no idea what she expected from Iain—none of this had been planned. But there seemed to be a little edge to those words. As if he knew there would never be a future for them so he was just giving her this moment instead.

And the fact was she’d never felt so perfect as she did at this moment. She’d never felt so valued.

He stroked his fingers down her face again. ‘We need to talk. There are some other things I need to tell you. But first I want to show you just how special you are.’

And for the next few hours he did.

By the time Iain woke up the sun was streaming through the windows. He turned to face Lexi. She was smiling. A real, genuine smile of contentment.

‘How long have you been awake?’

She looked over at the clock. ‘About ten minutes.’ She lay back and stretched her arms above her head. ‘I was waiting for you to make me breakfast,’ she said with a glint in her eye.

‘Do you have any preferences?’

‘Do you have any food?’

He cringed. ‘Have you already been up and looked through my cupboards?’

She touched his chin. ‘You just strike me as a guy who doesn’t do a weekly shop.’

He laughed. ‘You’re right. If you wanted dinner right now we’d be in trouble. But breakfast I can do. How does poached egg, toast and bacon sound?’

‘Heavenly.’ She glanced towards his en suite. ‘Can I use your shower while you make breakfast?’

‘Of course.’ Iain pulled on his dressing-gown and headed to the kitchen. His stomach was churning. He’d never brought a woman back to his London house before, let alone back to his bedroom. He’d spent so long partitioning these parts of his life and keeping himself away from people.

Of course he socialised when he had to. He kept in contact with some of his old friends in Edinburgh—but those were fleeting hello-goodbye moments. But since moving down to London he hadn’t really been seeking the company of friends. He wasn’t really looking for friends. He was only looking for partial distractions. And his gut told him Lexi Robbins could never fit into that category.

He started boiling water in one pan, put the bacon under the grill and the bread in the toaster. The coffee was easy, he had a bright and shiny machine he hardly used. All he had to do was flick a switch.

He turned, his eyes catching on a photo on the window ledge. A photo of Bonnie, sitting on top of a hill in Edinburgh on a sunny day. She had wrapped her long pink flowered dress around her legs to stop it flapping in the wind and her hair was completely windswept.

Something curled inside him. It was going to be the three of them sitting in this kitchen, having breakfast. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for that.

Everything with Lexi was so new. Attraction aside, he didn’t even know how he felt about her yet. Sure, she was beautiful. Sure, she was intelligent. But did that add up to anything else?

For a split second he considered putting the photo in a drawer. But as quickly as the thought flew into his head he pushed it aside. He could never treat Bonnie as if she hadn’t existed. He owed her so much more than that.

And Lexi was no fool. She knew nothing about his past. She would ask about the photo on the window ledge. It was if a dozen little pinpricks started on his shoulders at once. He would tell her. He would tell her about Bonnie. She’d been a big part of his life and she deserved her place there.

The bacon sizzled just as the coffee machine started to splutter and the water in the pot boiled. He dropped in the eggs and pulled out some plates and cutlery.

Lexi appeared a few minutes later, looking like the kind of pin-up poster a teenage boy would have on his bedroom wall.

She’d clipped her hair haphazardly on top of her head and pulled one of his long-sleeved blue shirts from his cupboard. The bottom buttons were fastened and the top two left tantalisingly open. Along with her long legs and pink toenails, the effect was stunning.

She shrugged. ‘I don’t think my dress will ever recover. It’s spent the night on the floor in a sodden mess. Hope you don’t mind.’

‘Of course I don’t.’ He set the coffee on the table. ‘Cappuccino okay for you?’

‘Of course.’ She lifted the coffee cup to her lips and smiled. ‘Don’t be too good at this. I might get comfortable.’

There was that little tumble in his stomach again. He didn’t know how to react to that. The toast popped and he buttered it and placed it on the table, alongside the bacon and the newly poached eggs.

Lexi started piling food on her plate and Iain watched with pleasure. It was the second time he’d eaten with Lexi, and for all her slim frame she wasn’t afraid to eat. Thank goodness. He couldn’t stand being around a picky eater.

Iain took a few mouthfuls then set his fork down. He didn’t even get a chance to say a word.

‘You said you wanted to talk, Iain. What is it? Is this where you tell me this is a wham-bam, thank you, ma’am?’

Boy, she was direct. Another thing he liked about her. This was getting harder all the time.

He shook his head and took a quick drink of his thick, strong coffee. He took a deep breath, but when he exhaled it came out more like a sigh.

‘Spit it out, Scots boy.’

He nodded and pointed to the window ledge before he changed his mind. ‘I wanted to introduce you to someone.’

Lexi looked up at the photo of the pretty dark-haired woman. ‘She’s lovely. Who is she? Your sister?’

‘My wife.’

Lexi set her cup on the table, her face frozen. ‘Please tell me you’re not still married. I don’t sleep with married men.’ She was deadly serious and her face was deathly pale.

‘I’m widowed,’ he said quickly.

There was a visible sigh of relief from across the table. She took a deep breath, her eyes full of sympathy for him. He wasn’t sure that was what he wanted. He’d had enough darned sympathy to last a lifetime. He just wanted her to understand.

‘I’m really sorry about your loss, Iain. I can’t imagine what that feels like.’

There was a tight feeling in his chest. A kettlebell from the gym had just positioned itself on his chest, pushing the air out of his lungs and making him struggle for breath. He was going to see this through. He was. Once he’d told her, that was it—it was out there.

‘It won’t surprise you to know I don’t talk about my personal life much. That’s why I came down to London. To get away from things. The only person who knows what happened is Leo.’

‘Don’t worry. I won’t breathe a word.’

He tried to find the words in his head. He wasn’t just doing this for himself, he was doing it for her too. ‘Bonnie—my wife—died giving birth to our twins. There were complications. My son and daughter died too.’

Her hand had gone automatically to her mouth and her eyes had widened in shock. This wasn’t your everyday conversation.

He put his elbows on the table for a second and put his head in his hands. He was trying not to let the familiar wave of emotions wash over him. He needed to keep himself together.

He ran his tongue along his dry lips. ‘I wanted you to know that when I walked away last night—I wasn’t walking away from you. It wasn’t about you.’ He pressed his hand to his chest. ‘It was about me feeling guilty. I haven’t been with anyone since my wife died.’

‘Oh, Iain …’ There were tears glistening in her eyes and in a second she was up on her bare feet, walking round the kitchen table and standing behind him, linking her hands around his neck and resting her head on his shoulder.

They stayed like that for a few minutes. He could feel the rise and fall of her chest behind him, feel her warm breath on his cheek. He lifted up his hand and linked it with hers.

‘Lexi, I just want you to know—’

‘Don’t say it.’

He pulled her hand, adjusting his position in the chair until he was sitting sideways and could pull her onto his lap.

‘I don’t know about anything. I can’t promise you anything. Because I don’t know if I’m ready. I don’t know if I’m there yet.’ She looked so young, so vulnerable. The very last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

He put his finger under her chin and pulled her head up to meet his eyes. They were almost nose to nose and he had the clearest view he’d ever had of her beautiful blue eyes. ‘I want you to know that I think you’re gorgeous. I think you’re very desirable. And if I make a mess of things here, it’s because there’s something wrong with me, not you. You’re every man’s dream come true.’ He lowered his voice. ‘But not every man deserves you, Lexi. And not every man is ready for you.’

There was a waver in her eyes, a sign of hesitation. Then she took a deep breath, her chest rose and her shoulders straightened. Her fingers wound their way through his shaggy brown hair. ‘Thank you for telling me about your wife, Iain. I appreciate this is hard. And it’s new. I won’t tell anyone about your wife. And I guess we can just wait to see how things go.’

She smiled at him, and it was an older, more resigned smile. ‘I’m not looking for you to save me. After my last experience I’m just looking for someone to treat me with respect and value my opinions. How about we go from there?’

He could see she was holding back. He could see there was something in her eyes that she was keeping from him. Guarding herself and guarding her heart. The sensible option. And he respected that. He could live with that, because he hadn’t told her everything yet. That might come later.

She stood up. ‘You’re still going to be grumpy at the clinic, though, aren’t you?’

He took a bite of his toast. ‘Obviously. Why change the habit of a lifetime?’ He looked at the clock. ‘Are you due there today?’

She nodded and looked down at the pale blue shirt. ‘I don’t have any appointments until later today—and then some into the evening. I have a few interviews lined up with some national papers and I still need to edit your interview. Oh, and get you to pose for some publicity shots.’

‘I am not wearing a kilt.’

She tilted her head to the side and folded her arms. ‘I might be able to think of a way to persuade you. How much time have you got?’

‘A few hours. I need to go to the Lighthouse to check on one of my patients. But they aren’t expecting me until around eleven.’ He abandoned the toast. He much preferred the other offer. ‘How do you think you can persuade me?’

‘Have you got a bath? A big bath?’ She had that gleam in her eye as she took his hand and led him towards the stairs.

Her voice drifted along the corridor. ‘And what I’d really like is some bubbles …’

CHAPTER EIGHT

IAIN GLANCED AT the clock on the wall. ‘Lexi, are you ready?’ He didn’t want to be late.

She appeared instantly at his side. He tried not to let his eyes automatically run up and down the length of her body—but, boy, was it hard. Her perfume was already assaulting his senses and rejigging his memory from the night before.

It was making his skin prickle and resurrecting a whole host of feelings of guilt. He tried to push them away. She was dressed conservatively. A plain cream blouse, knee-length navy skirt and flats. But she still managed to carry it off with panache. The sooner he finished with this the better. He hated the fact he didn’t think he could control his body’s responses around her. The last thing he needed was other people suspecting something was going on.

This was the last part of the filming—a review of a little Chinese boy he’d performed surgery on a few days ago. He stopped just outside the door and nodded to the cameraman, who started filming.

‘Okay, today we’re going to look in on An. He’s a six-year-old Chinese boy with a facial deformity—hemifacial microsomia. It’s a condition that affects the bone, muscle, fat and nerves of the lower part of the face. The deformities are on a spectrum. They can range from a mild presentation with slight asymmetry to severe absence of facial structures. It’s a progressive disorder and becomes more apparent as the child grows.’

‘How common is it?’ asked Lexi.

‘It’s the second most common facial deformity and affects around one in five thousand six hundred births. It’s equally common in males and females.’

Lexi halted at the door and he wondered about her reaction. Please don’t let her grimace when she sees the child. An’s asymmetrical features were apparent, even at a young age. He had many more years of surgery ahead of him.

He tapped her shoulder as they walked in and kept talking to the camera. ‘One side of An’s face is growing normally. The other isn’t. The surgery I did a few days ago was a mandibular correction to allow for normal maxillary growth. It means An’s dental structures and jaw will be in better alignment.’

He was still watching Lexi from the corner of his eye. She had her head tilted to one side and looked as if she was concentrating fiercely. She was watching An and his mother talk in hushed voices. He glanced towards the doorway again, waiting for the translator. Speaking Chinese was not in his repertoire.

But it appeared to be in Lexi’s.

She walked over and knelt next to the little boy and his mother, trying a few hesitant words. The woman’s eyebrows shot skywards and after a few seconds she replied haltingly.

Lexi smiled and tried again. This time she was a little more relaxed and the words flowed more freely. The exchange lasted a few minutes. Iain couldn’t believe his eyes. How did she know Chinese?

He took a few steps closer. ‘Lexi?’

She looked up. ‘I thought I recognised the language. It’s Gan with a Nanchang dialect.’

‘How on earth do you know that?’

A wrinkle appeared across her brow. It was obvious she was choosing her words carefully. ‘Do you remember I told you I spent the summer with my aunt?’

He nodded.

‘My aunt did lots of charity work. At that time most of her work was in some of the Chinese orphanages. She took me over there for a whole summer. It was the best summer of my life.’

‘You learned a Chinese dialect in one summer?’

‘I still go back,’ she said quietly. ‘Away from the spotlight. Every few years Jo and I go back to that same orphanage. I feel a real connection with it. I’ve spent a long time learning the language, the particular dialect. It makes the work so much more rewarding when I can converse with the children.

‘Some of those children were taken away from their parents against their will. The parents couldn’t afford to pay the fine for having more than one child. It’s awful. But we’ve tried to make things better. We have links with social services around the world and some of the children get adopted internationally.’

‘So, An is from the same area?’

She nodded. ‘Yes. I’m not completely fluent, but I can easily make myself understood. You don’t need to wait for an interpreter.’

Iain hesitated for a second. He was trying not to let his mouth hang open. But Lexi had just rendered him speechless.

This was not what he had expected. And he was almost ashamed to think that.

He’d been up close and personal with her. He knew she was much deeper than people assumed. But it was obvious he’d only scratched the surface—only got to know a little about the woman underneath the pretty façade.

From her teenage years Lexi had spent summer after summer helping out at a Chinese orphanage. This was more than charity work for her. She was committed to this. Committed enough to learn the language.

He’d spent a summer at a Romanian orphanage himself, operating on children with cleft lips and palates. He knew how much it sucked you in. How you would do anything to help. How you could think about nothing else.

This was a whole new part of Lexi Robbins he hadn’t counted on.

‘Iain? Are we doing this?’

He nodded, embarrassed by his long silence. ‘Of course … thank you.’

He knelt down next to An, who was perched on his mother’s knee. The stitches on the skin along the little boy’s jaw had healed well. ‘Ask him how he’s managing to eat.’

Lexi nodded and spoke quietly to his mother, listening to her reply and letting An answer too. She turned to Iain. ‘He’s fed up with soft foods.’ She gave him a smile. ‘He wants some chips.’

Iain smiled. ‘Can you ask him to open his mouth so I can have a look at his dentition? Some of his teeth have been affected by the repositioning of his jaw.’

Lexi only took a second to ask the question and An opened his mouth a little hesitantly. Iain bent down and looked inside, using a small torch, ‘Everything looks as though it’s healing well. I see no reason he can’t have a more substantial diet.’

Lexi translated quickly. An’s face was still bruised and slightly swollen and his attempt at a smile lopsided. But it was the most satisfying thing that Iain could see.

‘Can you ask him about pain relief? If he’s going to eat a bit more he might need his analgesics adjusted for the next few days.’

Lexi took a few minutes, taking her time while she spoke to An and his mother. She made it seem like the most natural thing in the world. It was obvious she wasn’t completely fluent, but she had more than a grasp of the language, and An and his mother seemed to appreciate being able to communicate with a member of staff.

Lexi turned around from where she was kneeling on the floor and touched Iain’s leg. The warmth of her hand startled him, as did her position. He moved quickly out of her reach, before her touch could have any affect. ‘An hasn’t been talking too much as he finds the jaw movements painful. He probably does need his analgesics adjusted.’

Iain nodded. ‘Let them know I’ll take care of that now.’ He lifted the chart and walked over the nurses’ station to talk to the nurse allocated to An. Lexi stayed where she was, continuing to talk to An and his mother.

They loved her already. It was obvious. She was writing a few things on a piece of paper along with a little picture and telling them what they meant. It was obvious there had been a few key things they had wanted to communicate to the staff and hadn’t been able to. Lexi was doing her best to facilitate that. She was doing her very best for an unknown mother and child she’d just met.

It made his stomach twist. Lexi’s nature was sweet and kind. This shouldn’t be unexpected for him. But seeing it, right before his eyes, was just a little different.

He was used to Lexi Robbins, Head of PR. He’d also experienced Lexi Robbins, sultry, sexy woman.

But Lexi Robbins, humanitarian, was a whole different ball game. Now he understood where the passion in her eyes came from when she spoke about the charity work. It wasn’t just all part of her PR game. It was how she really felt.

And that made him uncomfortable.

It made him feel too close.

She was unsettling him, in more ways than one. She was much more than a pretty face.

But the thing that worried him most was just how much more he wanted to know.

The knock on the door work her up. Eek! She’d overslept.

She dashed to the door, trying to shove her arms into her dressing-gown. She pulled the door open. ‘Iain. I’m sorry. Give me five minutes and I promise you I’ll be ready.’ She didn’t wait for an answer, just dashed to the bedroom to throw on some jeans and a jumper.

A few minutes later she found him in her kitchen, stirring a cup of black of coffee. ‘Inside or out?’

‘What?’ He looked confused.

‘You haven’t told me where we’re going. What kind of jacket do I need?’

He smiled. ‘Dress up warm.’

She raised her eyebrows and ducked back into her bedroom, pulling out a pair of red leather gloves and a red woolly hat with a huge pom-pom on top and big flaps to cover her ears. She stuffed it on top of her blonde hair and pulled on a thick black jacket and fleecy black boots.

It was freezing in London. Not wet or drizzly. It was completely dry, just very, very cold.

‘I’m ready.’ She marched into the kitchen and took a quick drink of the coffee Iain had made for her. It wasn’t a skinny caramel latte, but he’d made it perfectly. Maybe this was all just a little too good to be true.

Iain held the door open for her. ‘Then let’s go. Time to have some fun.’

They rode on the Tube and got off at Tower Hill. They walked out of the Tube station and round the corner to face the impressive façade of the Tower of London.

‘We’re going sightseeing?’

He nodded. ‘I haven’t been yet. I’ve been in London two years and I’ve hardly seen a thing.’ He walked up to the ticket booth. ‘Do we want to see the Crown Jewels too?’

She didn’t hesitate for a second. ‘Absolutely. It’s my favourite part.’

He took their tickets and reached out to take her hand as they walked towards the main entrance, where impressive Beefeaters in their black and red outfits stood.

Iain stopped for a few seconds. ‘Wow. It’s some place. Have you been here much?’

She nodded. ‘Not as much as you think. Last time was around eight years ago.’ She stopped and looked back at the impressive White Tower. ‘Why did you pick here?’

He looked a little sheepish. ‘I actually wanted to go to Buckingham Palace but I didn’t realise it’s only open in the summer for tours.’

‘It’s fabulous.’ Something tickled in her stomach. July would be the time for the tours to start at Buckingham Palace. That was five months away. ‘Maybe we can go some other time.’

‘Maybe.’ It sounded so noncommittal and she tried not to feel disappointed. Iain had already told her he didn’t know where this would go.

She pulled him further along where she could see a small crowd gathering. ‘Let’s listen to one of the Yeoman tours. They know everything about the Tower’s history, it’s great fun.’

They joined the crowd and waited for a few minutes for the tour to start. Lexi was right. It was fascinating. He’d never realised just how treacherous a place the Tower of London had been. He watched as the Yeoman showed them where the boats used to moor with their prisoners and royal victims at Traitor’s Gate. He showed them the place where the two young princes were supposedly imprisoned and perhaps killed.

Lexi leaned her head against his shoulder as they listened to the tour. There was a young woman next to her, trying to juggle three kids—a baby in a pouch next to her breasts, a toddler strapped into a buggy and a four-year-old who was looking distinctly bored and kept wandering off. The woman looked tired and was struggling to hear what the Yeoman was saying. Lexi touched her arm and gave her a smile. ‘If it’s okay with you, how about I entertain your oldest for a little while?’

The woman nodded and gave her a grateful smile. They were standing on Tower Green. Lexi could walk about freely and still be safely in the mother’s sight.

She walked over and bent down next to the dark-headed little girl. Her heart gave a squeeze. The little girl was gorgeous. Her hair was in bunches and wearing a purple coat. ‘Hi, there. I’m Lexi. How about I tell you some stories about this place?’

The little girl scowled at her. Lexi pointed over at her mother. ‘Your mum says it’s okay.’ She gave her mother a wave. ‘What’s your name.’

‘Lucy.’

Lexi held out her hand. ‘Good. I’m Lexi. Pleased to meet you.’

Lucy gave a sigh. ‘My feet are sore and Damian is in the buggy.’ She rolled her eyes.

Lexi held out her hands. ‘Fancy a carry?’

Lucy’s eyes brightened and she let her herself be lifted into Lexi’s arms. As the tour moved along little by little, Lexi stayed only a few feet away from the mother, whispering in Lucy’s ear and pointing out various things along the way.

Iain watched carefully. Lexi seemed so at ease. She was obviously used to children. She’d already told Iain about her work at the Chinese orphanage and everything she did showed him her natural affinity for children.

A heavy feeling started to descend over him. Lexi was his first step back to a normal life. He’d promised her nothing.

She spun Lucy backwards in her arms, letting her lean back and throw her arms out, imitating the ravens around about them. Their hair flew outwards as they spun, the smiles on their faces completely and utterly spontaneous. Lexi was a natural.

And he didn’t like it.

It was a horrible admission. But Iain hadn’t planned on thinking such thoughts on what he’d wanted to be a nice day out.

But watching Lexi was making him ache. He was wasting his time with her. Here was a woman who had the word ‘mother’ stamped all over her. What would she think when she found out what he’d done? If she’d any sense at all she would run in the other direction.

What woman would want to be with a man who’d persuaded his wife to take the final chance of IVF that had led to her death?

He looked around Tower Green. Families everywhere. Families happy and smiling. And he knew. He knew he could never set foot in a delivery room again. Not after his last experience.

And Lexi would want a family of her own. How could he explain? She was kneeling on the ground with Lucy right now, telling her some long and obviously gory tale by the actions she was doing. Right on cue, Lucy’s mouth formed a wide O. She slapped her hand across her mouth as Lexi let out a peal of laughter.

Right before his eyes was the reason he should stop all this. He could never be the man that she needed.

But Lexi turned and pushed her hat further back on her head. Her blonde hair was sticking out all round and she shot him the most dazzling smile. The Yeoman was reaching the end of the walking tour at the Medieval Tower.

She mouthed over to him, ‘Crown jewels?’

He nodded. She’d already told him it was her favourite part. They joined the queue with Lucy’s mother behind them. She was looking calmer, more relaxed. She leaned over and whispered to the two of them, ‘It’s dark in here, isn’t it? The two little ones will fall asleep as soon as we get inside.’

They queued quietly as Lexi started to whisper stories of secret princesses to Lucy. The inside of the display was dark, surrounded by armed guards, who were happy to talk to the visitors about some of the jewels on display.

Lucy’s little face gaped at the huge glittering Cullianan diamond in the sovereign’s sceptre.

‘I don’t think there is a magical fairy kingdom inside the stone,’ Iain whispered.

‘Shh!’ Lexi put her finger to her lips, ‘Spoilsport,’ she whispered.

They oohed over the Imperial state crown and Lucy was highly disappointed she couldn’t try it on. ‘But I’m a princess too,’ she said huffily.

‘I know you are,’ said Lexi, ‘and I’m sure when we get to the gift shop I’ll be able to buy you a crown of your own.’

And sure enough she did. It was early afternoon by the time they’d finished at the Tower. ‘I’m sorry our afternoon got hijacked,’ she said to Iain as they made their way to the exit.

‘No, you’re not,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘You looked like you were having the time of your life. What stories were you telling her?’

Lexi smiled. ‘Stories about the evil ravens stealing fairies and the fairies fighting back by hiding in the crown jewels.’

‘All totally based on reality, then?’

She nodded solemnly. ‘Based on a four-year-old girl’s reality.’ She tapped the side of her nose. ‘That’s the trick to keeping them quiet.’

‘Well, you certainly managed to master that.’

She smiled up at him as he reached for her hand and gave it a little squeeze. ‘Let’s go for a walk down to Tower Bridge,’ she said.

Even though it was still cold, the day was bright and sunny. The path down next to the bridge was busy, filled with street acts and various parties on tours. They bought coffee from a street vendor and sat on a bench, people-watching.

Lexi seemed relaxed and happy next to him. If they looked along the river a little they could see Kate’s. ‘Are you going there today?’

Iain nodded. ‘I’ll go in later. I have a few patients to check over. It won’t take long.’

She ran her tongue along her lips. Her hat was sitting in her lap now and her blonde hair was blowing in the breeze. She didn’t seem to mind at all that it was all over the place. In fact, for the daughter of a supermodel, Lexi didn’t seem to care at all about her appearance. She hadn’t looked in a mirror once since they’d met today.

She was gorgeous, of course. But it helped him realise how far down the list she put superficial things. Another plus point for Lexi.

If only that didn’t make him squirm. Because every good point about Lexi made him realise how they couldn’t really be a match. There must be a whole host of guys out there who would want to snatch her up. To admire her beauty, good spirit and work ethic. A hundred guys out there who want to settle down with her and have a family.

She leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. There was a kind of glazed look behind her smile. She was squinting at him in the sunshine as she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair.

‘It’s not exactly the usual look, is it?’ she said, tugging at his shaggy hair.

‘What do you mean?’ He was distracted by her lips and blue eyes and only looked up when she gave his hair an extra tug.

‘Most surgeons go for the ultra-short look.’

‘I’m not most surgeons,’ he growled.

‘I get that.’

‘Just imagine me shipwrecked on a mysterious island. This is the natural look for me.’

‘Good, because I like it. It suits you.’ She gave him a cheeky wink. ‘Now, don’t ever cut it. I might go off you.’ She stood up. ‘So, fancy a late dinner at mine?’

She said the words so easily. Probably never expecting him to hesitate. But he did. This was his chance. This was his opportunity to let her spread her wings and fly. To stop any chance of him hurting her. But there was still a little something in her eyes. Still a little lack of confidence.

So he smiled, standing up and taking her hand. ‘I think I can manage that.’ He changed his mind, dropping her hand and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. She was closer this way.

Eventually he would have to let her go.

Eventually he would have to tell her the truth.

Just not right now.

CHAPTER NINE

‘LEXI, CAN I speak to you a minute, please?’

Ethan Hunter was leaning on her doorframe. He’s still not using his stick. It was her first thought and she quickly pushed it out of her head. It was none of her business.

She pushed her chair back and stood up, walking over towards the door. ‘No problem, Ethan. What can I do for you?’

She was very busy, and between an influx of high-profile clients, thanks to her PR campaign, her nights with Iain and her charity work, she hardly had a moment to think. But Ethan very rarely bothered her and she wanted to give him the attention he deserved.

Ethan looked a little uncomfortable. Was that his leg again, or was he just choosing his words carefully?

‘Lexi, I wanted to ask you about something. I’ve seen some paperwork lying about and heard some of the other surgeons talking about Fair Go. Can you tell me what it is?’

Lexi straightened her shoulders and put on her brightest smile. ‘Why don’t you come and sit down, Ethan? I’m happy to fill you in on all the details of Fair Go. Can I get you some tea or coffee?’

Ethan shook his head and sat down in the leather high-backed armchair opposite her desk. He probably didn’t even realise the visible sweep of relief that came across his face as he took the weight off his leg.

Lexi shuffled some papers on her desk until she found what she was looking for. ‘Here it is. Fair Go—it’s a great name, isn’t it? Named after Olivia Fairchild, the nurse who started it.’

She looked up in time to see Ethan visibly pale. Maybe his leg gave him more pain than he let on?

She moved on. ‘It’s an African-based charity focusing on helping adults and children affected by war. It’s a small charity right now, but with our backing Olivia is hoping she will be able to assist more victims. She has several cases already that could do with transport to the UK for specialist surgery.’ She smiled over at Ethan. ‘I take it you’ll be keen to take part?’

It seemed an obvious question. She knew that Ethan had been a victim of war himself so it seemed only natural he would want to help others. It just seemed odd his brother hadn’t mentioned it—but, then again, she couldn’t really fathom the relationship between the brothers. And she knew better than to interfere in other families’ problems.

Ethan’s voice was strained. ‘Of course I’ll take part. I knew another charity was being proposed for the clinic—I just hadn’t heard the details yet. That’s why I asked Iain if he’d be willing to participate too. I take it he was happy to help?’

Lexi felt an odd rush of colour to her cheeks. Oh, no. Just the mention of Iain’s name was causing her to blush. Talk about giving herself away.

‘Yes, yes. Well, you know Iain. I had to persuade him a little.’ Had she really managed to say that without turning beetroot red?

‘I’m sorry I haven’t done your interview yet, Lexi.’ Ethan had the good grace to look a little shame-faced. ‘It’s just not really my thing. I prefer to stay out of the spotlight. I am happy to support the charity work, though.’

He was staring at the paper on her desk—the one with the details of Olivia Fairchild’s charity. And he was looking at it with such ferocity that she knew something else was going on entirely. She wouldn’t like to be in Leo Hunter’s shoes right now.

She decided to give him an out. ‘I spent three weeks chasing you for an interview, Ethan—I can take a hint. Iain gave in after two. I think we’ll be able to use his interview for some very effective publicity. I finished the edits on it last night and we’re ready to release it online in a few days. So I think I can release you from your obligation.’

She saw a little tension sag out of his shoulders and he stood up from the chair. ‘Lexi, just to let you know. We had news yesterday of some other big-name clients. Sheikh Abdullah’s wife, Lydia Jones the newscaster and Violet Ingram the equestrian who fell in the recent Games, to name a few. They’re all coming here for surgery. I don’t know what you’ve been doing out there—but it’s obviously working.’

His dark hazel eyes were full of sincerity. ‘Thanks, Lexi. This will make a world of difference for us, particularly around our charity work.’

‘That’s why you pay me, Ethan. I’m just happy you think I’m doing a good job.’ She watched as he walked to the door, his limp still visible.

This was the longest conversation she’d ever had with Ethan Hunter. She didn’t know if he’d always been this quiet or if it was since his return from his tour of duty in Afghanistan. It was obvious he’d been injured in the field. But she wasn’t entirely sure what those injuries were. Just that while it was obvious he wasn’t back to full fitness yet, it was equally obvious that he wasn’t really ready to accept that.

She just hoped she hadn’t stoked some still-smouldering fire between the brothers by telling Ethan about the Fair Go charity.

It seemed ridiculous. A number of other members of the clinic knew about Fair Go. Any one of them could have told Ethan about it.

So why was she hoping against hope that he wouldn’t tell Leo it had been her?

‘Time for coffee?’

The voice at the door startled her and she smiled as Carrie, one of the receptionists, appeared. Truth was, she didn’t really have time to breathe let alone have coffee but she needed a break. And she needed some fresh air. She nodded. ‘How about the coffee house at the end of the street? I could do with a walk.’

Carrie nodded and waved the purse she was holding in her hand. ‘I was hoping you might say that. Let’s go.’

They walked down the street swiftly. Lexi never did anything slowly and she was trying her best not to glance at her watch.

‘So where have you been? I’ve hardly seen you these last few weeks.’

‘I know. I’ve been rushed off my feet with the publicity campaign for the clinic and the charities.’ She counted off on her fingers. ‘In the last fourteen days I’ve been to Spain, Switzerland, Dubai and Belgium. I’m frazzled. And I’m due to launch the video interview of Iain in the next few days.’

Carrie nodded. She was smiling but Lexi could tell she wasn’t really taking in everything she said.

She pushed open the door to the coffee house at the end of the street and grabbed the only free table. Neither of them needed to look at the menu. Lexi smiled at the waitress. ‘Usual coffee—skinny latte with sugar-free caramel and …’ she smiled over at the cake counter ‘… I’ll have the raspberry and cream sponge, please.’

‘And I’ll have a cappuccino and a piece of the carrot cake, please.’

Lexi smiled as Carrie adjusted herself in the chair. ‘Ooh, you’re eating today. You never normally eat mid-morning.’

Carrie fumbled in her bag and pulled a white envelope out and pushed it across the table with a nervous smile.

Lexi felt her stomach flip over. Keep smiling, she told herself. She already knew what would be in the envelope. This had happened to her too many times already.

She went onto automatic pilot. She pulled the scan image from the envelope and let out a little gasp of surprise, trying the whole time not to think about how this moment would never be hers. She placed the black and white print out down, easily seeing the shape of the little baby with its curved spine, larger than average head and little limbs pointing upwards. She leaned over the table. ‘Congratulations, Carrie, I’m delighted for you. When is your due date?’

Carrie’s face flushed with pleasure. ‘Tenth of September. I had my scan last week when I was twelve weeks.’

‘And are you keeping okay?’

Carrie shrugged. ‘I can’t eat first thing in the morning because I feel really lousy. But by now—mid-morning—I’m ravenous.’

‘So that’s why the change in eating habits.’

The waitress appeared and put the coffees and cakes on the table, and Carrie didn’t waste any time in digging in.

Lexi pressed her lips together. She was happy for her friend. She really was. And she’d been through this a dozen times before. She’d resigned herself years before to the fact she wouldn’t have kids naturally. She kept close ties with the orphanages—adoption would be her way to a future family. And she was looking forward to it—when the time was right.

But something had happened in the last two weeks, since she’d sat in that kitchen with Iain and looked into his eyes as he’d told her about losing his wife and twins. Her heart had broken for him. It truly had.

But something else had happened.

Her confidence and inner strength now had a tiny chip in the armour.

Iain and his wife had obviously wanted to have a family. Which meant that Iain had wanted a family of his own. Logic told her that even though his wife was gone, eventually his brain would go down that path again. That path of wanting to share his life with a woman who could have his children.

A path it wasn’t possible for her to go down.

Carrie was guzzling her cake and coffee. And she did look different. Lexi wondered why she hadn’t noticed. Carrie had a little glow about her, her hair was thick and glossy and there was added sparkle in her eyes.

Carrie looked up. ‘I wanted to tell you first before I tell anyone else. I know they will be fine about maternity leave and everything, but I just wanted to talk to you first.’

Lexi reached across the table and squeezed her hand. ‘Thank you. I’m delighted for you—really I am.’ Even though there were a million tiny butterflies taking flight in her stomach. The raspberry and cream sponge was beautiful but she could barely touch it.

She hated herself right now. She’d never felt more than a fleeting pang before when a friend had told her they were pregnant.

But what she hated more than anything right now was the remote possibility that because of her budding relationship with Iain, she might be feeling a tiny bit jealous.

Jealous. What a horrible word.

‘What’s going on with Iain McKenzie?’

‘What?’ She dropped the fork she’d been holding for the last few minutes.

Carrie was smiling. ‘Our grumpy Scotsman isn’t quite so grumpy. We’re all wondering what’s happened. Do you know anything?’

‘Me? No.’ The words came out too quickly, falling over themselves in their haste.

Carrie put her fork down. ‘Lexi?’ Her eyebrows were raised.

Oh, no. Carrie had that look on her face. That you’d-better-tell-me-everything-right-now look.

Lexi started shaking her head and focusing intently on the raspberry sponge, which all of a sudden she could eat easily. ‘I’ve no idea what’s going on with Iain. I’ve just told you I’ve not been around. I’ve been flying everywhere and barely had a minute to myself.’ She popped a big piece of sponge into her mouth to stop herself saying anything else.

‘Whatever you say, Lexi. But it’s a remarkable coincidence that Iain appeared to get a whole lot brighter after your interview.’ She lifted her hand and gave Lexi a wink. ‘But if you say you know nothing, that’s fine with me.’

The waitress came over and placed the bill on the table and Carrie had it in a flash. She waved it at Lexi. ‘But it’ll cost you!’

Lexi grabbed the bill and swallowed the big lump of cake in her throat. Everything was still so new with Iain. She didn’t want to tell Carrie that in between flights to here, there and everywhere she’d either been sleeping at Iain’s or he’d been sleeping at her place.

And if carrot cake was the price of Carrie’s silence, that was good enough for her.

Lexi knocked on the door of Leo’s office. She was trying to put all thoughts of the last time she’d been in here out of her mind. The thought of ending up with Iain lying on top of her made her blush. She only hoped the colour she felt flooding her cheeks would not be obvious to Leo.

‘Come in,’ came the deep voice behind the door.

She opened it. Leo was sitting behind his desk with the phone cradled between his shoulder and face, while he scribbled furiously in front of him. He gestured to Lexi to come in and sit down in front of his desk.

She gave him a wide smile and settled into the comfortable chair. Leo had a smile on his face, and it was so nice to see.

There had been so many changes in him over the last few weeks—all to do with his engagement to Lizzie Birch, the head nurse at the Hunter Clinic. Leo had always been good at his job but his personal life and his relationship with his brother had always seemed rocky. It was so nice to see him with a genuine, permanent smile on his face.

He put down the phone. ‘Sorry about that, Lexi.’ He shuffled some papers on his desk until he found what he was looking for. A printout of the accounts and charitable donations that Lexi had sent him. He stood up. ‘That’s quite a pile you’ve sent me.’ He looked around his desk. There was barely any of rich wood surface visible. ‘What do you say we go through to the conference room and spread these out?’ He smiled. ‘Lizzie left us some doughnuts for the meeting.’

Lexi stood back up. ‘Perfect. You get the doughnuts, I’ll get the coffee.’

She walked through to the conference room and left her papers on the desk, then crossed the corridor to the kitchen and loaded the pods into the machine. Perfect cappuccinos in two minutes flat.

She could hear voices as she approached the conference room. Its doors were wide open. Her steps slowed as she recognised Ethan’s voice.

She hesitated. She was reluctant to go and interrupt them, even though she was supposed to be having a meeting with Leo right now. Tension seemed to emanate from both of them as soon as they were in the same room.

Leo sounded happier today. She could hear his deep voice easily. ‘I wanted to let you know that Lizzie and I have set a date.’

‘What? That’s great. Congratulations, Leo. When is it?’ Lexi felt relieved. Ethan did sound happy for his brother. Maybe things had eased between them?

‘It’s the last Saturday in April at Claridge’s.’

‘Wow. You don’t hang about. Something else you want to tell me, brother?’

‘What? No. Not yet, anyway.’ There was a little edge to his tone. As if there was a smile on his face as he was saying the words.

‘And are we going to have to remortgage the clinic to pay for it?’

Leo let out a laugh. ‘No, that’s all under control.’ His voice went a little quieter. ‘It was Lizzie’s dream to get married there and I plan on giving her exactly what she wants.’

There was a little pause then Ethan replied, ‘Making Lizzie happy is exactly what you should do.’

The edge of the cups had heated up and Lexi shifted her fingers to try and avoid being burnt. Maybe it was safe to go in now? She stepped closer to the door.

‘So—I wanted to ask you a question.’ Her foot stopped mid-air. Maybe not.

‘What is it?’

She was close enough now to see both men. Ethan was leaning heavily on the table—still not using the walking stick that he should. Leo was sitting opposite him, his hand pulling at the edge of his ear. The way he did when he was uncomfortable.

‘I wanted to ask you to be my best man.’ The words came out in a rush.

There was a pause. A heavy silence in the air.

Just say yes, Lexi willed Ethan. She shifted her fingers on the cups again. Say yes before I burn myself.

‘I don’t think so, Leo.’ Ethan’s voice was low, so low Lexi couldn’t believe he’d just said those words. She must have misheard.

‘Why not?’ She cringed. She could hear the tension in Leo’s voice, no matter how he tried to hide it.

‘I just don’t think it’s a good idea. Ask Declan or Edward—you’ve known them for a long time. They’d do a better job than me.’

Lexi could almost hear the long intake of breath from Leo. She could only imagine how hurt he felt right now. Even if he wasn’t showing it.

From this angle she could see him paste a smile on his face. ‘You never were very good at speeches, were you, Ethan?’

‘Rubbish. Whether you wrote them for me or not.’

It was an easy let-off. Even though he was obviously hurt, Leo had decided not to enter into a spat with his brother. His voice went a little lower. ‘I just thought I should ask you first. You were the one to tell me to get my act together and sort out things with Lizzie.’

‘That’s because I’m the smart one in this family—and don’t you forget it.’

Ethan had turned and headed towards the door. The conversation was clearly over.

‘Sorry, Lexi, didn’t see you there.’

She pasted a fake smile on her face. ‘You’d better not have eaten my doughnut, Ethan Hunter. You could be in big trouble.’

He winked. ‘Why break the habit of a lifetime?’

Lexi walked into the room and put the cups on the table. ‘Sorry I took so long, Leo.’ She didn’t want to let on that she’d heard any of the previous conversation. It seemed wrong to hear private business between the brothers. It made her uncomfortable.

Leo grabbed a cup and took a drink, pushing the plate with the doughnuts on it towards her. ‘Go on, dive in.’ He looked down at the papers spread in front of him and gave a sad kind of smile. ‘The income of the clinic has skyrocketed since you got here, Lexi. We’re going to be able to support Olivia Fairchild’s charity much more than I originally thought. I want you to know you are worth your weight in gold.’

Lexi bit into the doughnut, blowing her calorie count for the whole day. It was as if the whole conversation before hadn’t happened. However hurt Leo must currently be feeling, he wasn’t showing it.

But Leo was good at that. He’d switched from personal to professional mode in an instant.

It was up to her to do the same. No matter how hard she found it.

She pulled out the spreadsheet she was looking for. ‘I’m glad you’re happy, Leo. There’s just a couple of other things we have to discuss.’ She laid them out on the table and opened a laptop, which had Iain’s interview loaded and ready to be released.

Leo’s eyes focused on the first shot. Iain in his dark suit, white shirt and red tie, standing in front of the Hunter Clinic sign with his arms folded across his chest. He let out a laugh. ‘Lexi Robbins. How did you manage to get that shot?’

She raised her eyebrows and tapped her nose. ‘I have my ways. But I’ll never tell.’

Leo leaned back in his chair as he watched, shaking his head in wonder as the video finished. ‘Wow, Lexi. You’ve done a fantastic job.’ He glanced outside. ‘I’d better hire a new receptionist. Our phones are going to ring off the hook.’

She nodded. ‘I think you’d better.’

‘It goes out tonight?’

‘Yes.’

‘Does Iain know? He’s very private. I’m surprised he agreed to shoot it.’

She gathered up her papers, a knowing smile on her face. ‘Let me handle Iain. I am the PR person after all.’

Leo nodded and gave her an appreciative smile. ‘You certainly are.’

Iain was deep in surgery. He was grafting skin taken from the thigh onto a patient’s cheek. His registrar was driving him crazy with all the questions she was asking.

‘But why did you select the thigh area?’

He took a deep breath under his mask. ‘We looked at the other traditional areas. The skin on her arms was too freckly, the skin on her buttocks wasn’t suitable to transfer to her face. The skin on her thigh was the best option.’

The registrar let out a little sigh. ‘It just seems so odd. Most people are more conscious about skin cancers these days—particularly on the face. Why didn’t she see about it sooner?’

‘And why didn’t you read the case notes?’ Iain snapped.

There was silence in the theatre. He could sense the rest of the staff cringing but he was tired of this lazy registrar with her enquiring mind. She asked thousands of questions without once looking for the answers herself.

And what’s worse was that this patient had seen her doctor. She’d seen several doctors, several times, none of whom had referred her to get a biopsy until it was too late. Her cancer could still be treated, but if she’d been referred the first time she’d worried about the pale brown mark on her face, the surgery she would have needed would have been minimal. A tiny scar. Rather than extensive surgery into the surrounding tissues that required a skin graft. And if the registrar had bothered to do her job she would have known all that.

He gritted his teeth. He was getting to the most important part. He’d just separated the epidermis and part of the dermis layer ready to transfer to the face. His first surgical steps had been to remove the cancer thoroughly, ensuring margins wide enough to capture all the cells but small enough to allow the best outcome for the patient. Stitching the graft into place required steady hands, tiny stitches and intense concentration.

Concentration had never been a problem for Iain before. But then again he’d never been in a relationship with Lexi Robbins before.

And something was bothering him. Even though he’d almost been upfront and honest with her, something wasn’t right with Lexi.

She was busy doing her job and flying around the world, drumming up publicity for the clinic and the charities. He’d taken her back to Frank’s twice and she’d enjoyed it just as much as the first time.

But something was still wrong. He could sense it. He could feel it.

But it had been so long since he’d felt something, he couldn’t rely on his instincts.

It didn’t matter that he did his best to try and build Lexi’s confidence. It didn’t matter that she seemed happy at work and happy in his company. There was still just something.

And he didn’t know what.

But what made matters worse was that he had no idea why this bothered him so much. Lexi was getting under his skin. He’d told her right from the start that he didn’t think he had anything to offer her. But even as he’d said the words he’d felt conflicted. He’d wanted to give her an out. A way to walk away with no commitment. But he wasn’t that type of guy. And Lexi wasn’t that type of woman.

He snapped his attention back to his work. What was wrong with him? He never lost focus.

Twittering. The registrar was twittering in his ear again. He honestly couldn’t stand it.

He turned to face her. ‘What is it exactly that you don’t understand now? Because right now I’m busy. Right now I’m trying my hardest to make sure I line up the skin edges perfectly to give the best possible outcome for this patient. If I make a mess of this, she’ll be left with permanent scarring on her face. If I do it well, after a few months the scars will fade and although they won’t be invisible they won’t be very noticeable to the average person. So what do you suggest I do? Should I allow myself to be distracted by you? To answer every question that you should have researched before you set foot in my theatre? Or should I just ignore you and get on with the job?’

Even beneath the mask he could see her mouth was hanging open. He waited for a noise, a loud clearing of the throat from the anaesthetist or the theatre sister. That was the general sign from them that it was time for him to wind it back in.

But no. There was nothing. They were obviously as fed up with the registrar as he was. She started to speak—to splutter behind her mask. ‘But I’m here to—’

‘No.’ Iain held up the needle and suture that was in his hand. He shook his head. ‘Just no.’ He pointed towards the door and after a few seconds she stormed out in a huff.

There was nothing ominous about the silence that fell in the theatre. He could almost hear the collective sigh of relief.

Most of the time he was criticised for his directness. Today wasn’t going to be one of those days.

He gave a smile as he looked over at the theatre sister. ‘Now, where were we?’

She gave an almost approving nod. ‘We were about to make Mrs Abbott look beautiful again, Iain. So let’s get on with it.’

With the theatre quiet, he finished within an hour. He nodded at the theatre sister. ‘The notes I write will be pretty extensive. I want to take these stitches out myself. I also want the dressing left in place until tomorrow and I want to be there when it comes off. I think Mrs Abbott will be a bit shocked and I want a bit of time to reassure her.’

‘No problem, Iain. I’ll pass that on to the ward staff. What’s wrong with you these days?’ She gave him a teasing smile. ‘I thought you were returning to form earlier, but it seems someone has affected your bedside manner.’ She was in her late fifties and had worked with Iain for the past two years. She was one of the few who could get away with saying that.

He peeled off his mask, gown and gloves, ignoring her last statement. ‘I’m also going to write up some notes about moisturiser and massage for Mrs Abbott’s post-op recovery treatment. Can you give me five minutes?’

But the theatre sister wasn’t finished with Iain. She brushed past him, peeling off her own mask with a big smile on her face. ‘So, are you going to tell me her name?’

On one hand he was amused, but this kind of light-hearted banter wasn’t normal for Iain in Theatre. He knew that they called him the grizzly bear behind his back.

‘I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.’ He smiled. Then leaned over as he started to rescrub his hands. ‘And if I catch you speculating about me you’ll get a whiff of anaesthetic gas,’ he added wickedly.

‘I think after all these years I’m probably immune. But do your worst, Iain. I’ll find out.’ She tapped the side of her nose. ‘I always do.’

Iain finished washing and walked through to the changing rooms, dumping his scrubs and pulling his suit out of the locker. He was due back at Harley Street within an hour.

Was he really worried about anyone finding out about him and Lexi?

He wasn’t sure. It wasn’t a position he’d been in before. And he hadn’t even discussed it with Lexi. He wasn’t sure how she would feel about other people knowing about their relationship. It wouldn’t make much difference to the staff at Kate’s—most of them didn’t know Lexi well. But the staff at the Hunter Clinic? That could be different. He would have to talk to her about it.

His pager went off as he fastened his tie. He frowned as he glanced at the number. His secretary rarely paged him unless it was an emergency. Carol Kennedy, the television presenter he’d performed surgery on a few weeks ago. Everything had been going so well. Lexi had even interviewed her again as she’d recovered. Carol wanted to use the film to show people what she’d been through and that there was light at the end of the tunnel.

Iain headed over to the nearest phone. If something was wrong with Carol he wanted to deal with it straight away. He never left his patients waiting. Never.

CHAPTER TEN

LEXI LOOKED AT her phone for the third time. Need to talk to you later.

What did that mean? Her stomach had been churning ever since Iain had sent the message late that afternoon. She’d tried to call him back but he hadn’t been answering his phone and his grim secretary had only told her that there was an emergency with a patient.

It was after eight now. Surely he would be home by now? She rang the doorbell and let her stomach do some flip-flops while she waited for an answer.

Iain answered the door. He hadn’t had time to change out of his suit. He looked tired, but smiled when he saw her.

‘Hey, Lexi, I was just about to call you.’ She felt a little surge of relief. ‘What happened?’ He held open the door and gestured for her to come inside.

Lexi stepped into his house. ‘Is it someone I know?’

He nodded. ‘It’s Carol Kennedy. She had some haemorrhaging. I had to take her back to Theatre.’

‘Oh, no. What happened?’ She walked through to the kitchen and started emptying the bag on the kitchen table.

Iain gave a rueful smile as he picked up the crusty loaf she’d just unpacked. ‘One of these. Or something similar.’ He shook his head. ‘She’d been warned about what to eat but thought she was doing better and could manage something she enjoyed. Unfortunately her throat wasn’t completely healed.’

Lexi stared at the bread in his hand. ‘Wow. I never knew a crusty loaf could cause damage to a throat.’

‘Not normally. But after delicate throat surgery you have to be careful what you eat.’ He picked up the cheese, pickle and cold ham she’d set on the table. ‘Are we having a picnic tonight?’

Lexi smiled. ‘I can’t really cook. I try—but there’s a real danger of food poisoning. So I decided not to even try.’ She held up her hands. ‘I don’t want you to start getting false expectations about me.’

He crossed the room and put his hands on her hips. ‘Oh, I’ve no false expectations about you, Lexi. You meet every single one of my expectations.’

‘I do, do I?’ She raised herself up on her toes and wound her hands around his neck. There it was. The picture still sitting on the window ledge. How could she have expected anything different? Of course the picture of Bonnie would still be there. There were pictures of her scattered throughout the house.

So why did it make her stomach curl so much? Bonnie wasn’t here any more. And there was no question she had Iain’s undivided attention. So why didn’t it feel as if it was enough?

His hands were working their way around to her stomach. He still hadn’t mentioned her abdominal scar. She’d already told him she’d had surgery as a child, maybe he just didn’t want to pry.

It was still there. It was still eating away at her. The fact that Iain would eventually want a family of his own—one she couldn’t provide. This was a fling. This was a fleeting event. And she had to keep reminding herself about that. Otherwise she could end up being seriously hurt.

Iain was paying particular attention to her neck. And their feet were moving slowly but surely in the direction of the bedroom. She pushed all the other thoughts from her mind. It was time to focus on the here and now because for the next few hours Iain was hers and hers alone.

And that was just the way she liked him.

Iain’s pager sounded first thing in the morning with a shriek that made Lexi sit bolt upright in bed.

Iain’s hand was on the phone in seconds, dialling in the number and listening for a few minutes. It couldn’t be good. The only words he muttered were expletives.

‘What’s wrong?’

He shook his head. ‘Can you spare some time today?’

She wrinkled her brow, trying not to think about the appointments she had, the calls to return and the final edits she had to do. ‘I can try. What’s wrong?’

‘It’s Carol Kennedy.’

‘Did she have a bad night? Does she have post-op complications?’

Iain blew out a stream of air. ‘Of the worst kind. Someone has blabbed to the media. One of the tabloids has been on the phone to Kate’s, wanting a statement.’

Lexi cringed. ‘Oh, no. Carol wanted the time to break the story herself. I’ve nearly finished editing the interview we did together. It’s great. She comes across exactly as she is in real life, a woman with compassion and concern.’

‘Well, by tomorrow she will be headline news on every front page.’

‘Poor Carol. That’s exactly what she didn’t want.’ Lexi put her head into her hands. ‘I wonder …’

‘Wonder what?’

Lexi stood up and walked around the bed. ‘I hate to ask my parents for anything but if I could speak to my father, he has a show lined up for tonight. I could speak to him about screening Carol’s interview.’ She couldn’t stop pacing. ‘My father is quite mercenary. The thought of breaking the story would probably appeal to him.’

Iain nodded. Normally he would have hated anything like this but Carol had made her wishes clear. She wanted to break things on her terms. ‘Can you talk to Carol this morning? Ask her how she wants to handle things?’

Lexi nodded. ‘I take it you’re happy with her recovery?’

He was picking up his clothes, pulling on his trousers. ‘I’ll come with you.’ He paused from fastening his trousers. ‘You can come this morning, can’t you?’

Lexi nodded. She was Head of PR at the Hunter Clinic and this could rapidly turn into a PR nightmare. Everything else would have to wait. Including another viewing of the perfect interview with Iain. She’d watched it constantly since they’d filmed it. He was perfect. Just like a film star. And as soon as he opened his mouth and that Scottish accent came out—along with the slightly shaggy hair, good looks and toned body—he was going to be a sensation. The commercial had been let loose on the media last night. Neither of them had had time to think about it then—other priorities had taken over. She reached over and grabbed her phone. Dead as a doornail.

Iain was tucking his shirt in. ‘What’s wrong?’

She waved the phone at him. ‘Out of charge.’

He pointed to the nearby table. ‘Mine’s plugged in over there—use it.’

She moved across the room and plugged in her phone. It vibrated instantly and she felt as if her eyes were bugging out her skull. Four hundred emails. Sixty messages. One hundred and thirty-two texts. Was somebody dead?

Then a smile crept across her face as she opened the first email. Just as she’d predicted. The world at large loved Iain McKenzie. He was going to be the latest internet sensation. She could see him in the bathroom, brushing his teeth. Better not tell him now. He’d probably freak. She could save it till later.

She sat on the edge of the bed and dialled her father’s number, sighing when it went straight to voicemail. ‘Hi, Dad, it’s Lexi. I’ve got a bit of news for you—and an exclusive interview. Can you give me a call back?’

She put on her clothes and washed her face, pulling her hair back in a clip. Ready in less than five minutes.

Iain smiled. ‘Let’s go and see what we can do to help Carol.’

Six hours later Lexi hadn’t stopped. And she’d had no chance whatsoever to respond to all the emails, messages and texts. Carol was making a good recovery following her op the day before and had given approval for her interview to be used on Lexi’s father’s show that night. She’d also recorded a new segment saying how she wanted to raise awareness of the type of cancer she had, and to say that her hand had been forced by the media to reveal her diagnosis before she’d wished to. It was skilfully done. Lexi’s father had jumped all over the story, delighted to have the breaking news.

But even though she’d essentially done him a favour, he’d hardly even acknowledged the part that Lexi had played. It was nothing new to her. The thing that astonished her was that she still felt a tiny modicum of hurt about her father’s actions. Or lack of them. Still, she had enough on her plate right now.

As for Iain McKenzie—internet sensation—she was so glad the interview had gone out the day before. If the Hunter Clinic was going to hit the news it was better to do it on her own terms. In a matter of minutes the footage of the hunky Scotsman had gone viral—just like she’d suspected it would. The phones at the clinic were currently ringing off the hook.

It seemed like she wasn’t the only one who found Iain attractive. The rest of the female population were inclined the same way.

Needless to say, Iain hadn’t been impressed. When they got back to the Hunter Clinic the amount of couriers with deliveries had staggered them all. Agencies looking to represent him had sent champagne and designer suits. Department stores wanting to use him for their advertising campaigns had sent their entire men’s ranges. Aftershaves, flowers, bottles of whisky, ties, shirts and mountains of underwear were all waiting for him in his over-stuffed office.

Iain looked as if he might explode, but Lexi smiled. This was exactly what she’d expected. Fabulous publicity for the clinic and its attached charities.

And as a plus point the bookings had soared.

Now, if only she could get him into a kilt …

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE SILVER ENVELOPE was lying on her desk, the courier logo across the top. She picked it up and stared at it. Who on earth was this from?

‘When did this arrive?’ She walked out of her office towards Rose, one of the secretaries.

Rose looked up and gave her a wary smile. ‘About an hour ago. I signed for it. Is something wrong?’

Lexi shook her head. ‘I don’t think so.’ She tore open the envelope and pulled the thick invitation out, letting out a little yelp when she realised what it was.

‘Me? Me?’ She couldn’t believe it.

Rose jumped to her feet. ‘Lexi? Lexi? Is something wrong?’

‘What? Oh, no. Everything is wonderful!’ She gave a little spin, waving the invitation above her head. ‘I’ve been nominated for a PR award; one of the biggest awards in PR!’ She let out an excited squeal, ‘I can’t believe it. I’ve dreamed about this since I was at university. Every year we used to study the people who’d been nominated. I can’t believe I’m one of them.’

The secretary gave a smile. ‘Well, congratulations. That’s fabulous news. For you, and for the clinic. Do you want me to let Leo know? He’ll be thrilled for you.’

‘What? Oh, yes. Thanks very much.’ She kept the invitation close to her chest lest someone try to snatch it away from her. It was hers. It was really hers.

She couldn’t wipe the smile from her face. It felt too good.

Finally, recognition for the job that she loved. Recognition that someone, somewhere thought she was doing a good job. There were hundreds of nominations for the PR award every year, only a few making it to the final cut. A panel had studied her work closely after the nomination. Thank goodness she hadn’t known about that beforehand, it would have made her break out in a cold sweat.

She walked down the corridor, heading towards Iain’s office. He was the first person she wanted to tell. Was that weird? The other people she really wanted to know were her parents. But she didn’t want to have to tell them herself. She didn’t want to give them the ability to shrug off her news as if it was meaningless.

If she kept quiet long enough, the press would eventually break the story. Maybe her parents would pay more attention then? Was it wrong to know that her parents would be more likely to celebrate her success if it brought them good promo?

She shook the thought from her head.

‘What are you looking so happy about?’ Iain had crept up behind her, placed his hands on her hips and was escorting her into his office, shutting the door with his foot.

‘This!’ Lexi spun around, waving the silver envelope.

Iain smiled, leaned against the door and folded his arms. ‘Okay, you got me. What is it?’

She couldn’t help it. She started jumping up and down on the spot. Even wearing stilettos she couldn’t contain her excitement. ‘It’s such a big a nomination. I can’t believe I got it. I can’t believe I got nominated. I don’t care about winning. Just getting nominated is so, so fabulous!’

‘You finalled? Really? That’s brilliant! I knew you would!’

He bent down and kissed her thoroughly. His kisses took her breath away. The feel of his hands on her body made her forget everything else—including the fact they were in the clinic.

Well, not quite everything. In the currently messy recesses of her mind a little alarm bell had gone off.

She pulled back. ‘You don’t seem surprised.’

‘Maybe I believe in you. Maybe I value the work that you do. Maybe I think the world should know how good you are. Look at the fabulous job you did with Carol Kennedy. Everyone is talking about her. Everyone is talking about the warning signs of cancer.’

She felt a little warmth spread through her chest. ‘It was you, wasn’t it? You nominated me for this award?’

It was an incredible feeling. A swelling of pride. Something she rarely experienced in this life—not with the parents she had.

It made her feel special. It made her feel worthy. All things she’d spent this life striving for. And in a few short weeks Iain had made that happen for her. There was no getting away from the fact that she could happily spend the rest of her life like this. Happily spend the rest of her life with Iain—if only he didn’t want kids so badly.

He touched her face. ‘Of course I nominated you for the award. I’ve seen the hours you put in. I’ve seen the changes you’ve made in the last few months. The number of celebrity clients has gone through the roof. You know they’re not my favourite kind, but if they help the clinic, and help with the charity work we can do, I can live with that.’ He pulled her even closer. ‘You did this work, Lexi. You did. I just nominated you for the award. The panel scrutinised the work that you’ve done. They found it worthy to give you a place as a finalist. You should be proud of yourself. The work you’ve done here is amazing.’

The silver envelope was still trapped between them, against the hard planes of his chest and the firm curves of her breasts. She looked down at it and smiled. ‘I think this is all a ploy.’

‘A ploy?’ Iain arched his eyebrows.

‘Definitely. You must know this invitation is for two people. You’re trying to trick me into going out in public with you.’ It was risky. It was more than risky. They hadn’t let anyone at work know about their relationship. Everything had been kept tightly under wraps. This would blow things out of the water.

She felt her heart flutter in her chest. Beating much faster than it should. Didn’t they have a special name for this? AF? Didn’t this normally require medical treatment? Just as well she was in a doctor’s arms.

She was pretending to breathe normally. Pretending that this was an everyday question. Pretending that she didn’t feel sick asking it.

She could see Iain thinking. She could almost hear his brain ticking. Trying to decide what to tell her. Did he want to let her down gently? Because, frankly, that would kill her.

But just when she thought he was going to break her heart, he leaned forward and gave her a kiss. It was lighter than before, a little more formal.

‘It would be my pleasure to be your date. I think you’ll knock them out.’

She tried not to let the hiss of relief from her lungs be audible. Her smile was back, pasted from one ear to the other. ‘So,’ she said as she wound her hands around his neck, ‘what are my chances of getting you in a kilt?’

Lexi looked in the mirror and tried not to let her hand tremble as she took the large rollers from her hair. It fell in loose curls, just the way she’d wanted. Everything should be perfect.

But inside her chest her heart was pitter-pattering the fast beat of nerves. This wasn’t about Iain. This wasn’t about the award ceremony. This was about being her.

She shrugged the satin robe from her shoulders, immediately averting her eyes from the full-length mirror in front of her.

Her breasts were perfect. There was no denying the fantastic job her plastic surgeon had done. But although she liked them, she was still naturally shy about her body shape. She wasn’t the kind of girl who’d ever go topless on a beach. She stepped into her pink satin underwear and fastened her bra around her back. There. Now she looked up.

Her hand rested on her stomach. The line of her panties didn’t quite hide the scar on her abdomen. The scar that Iain had never asked about.

Just that thought sent the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. It was inevitable. At some point he would ask and at some point she would tell him. And that time was creeping closer with every day.

Within a few seconds she’d pulled her dress over her head. Better, much better. Now her body was covered. It was almost as if she’d pulled on her suit of armour.

The dress enhanced her shape, covered all the parts of her she wanted covered. And let her move past the things she didn’t want to think about.

She sat down in the chair and fastened her jewel-encrusted sandals. She could almost see the headlines. The Lexi Robbins who appeared in the press was so different from the Lexi Robbins who stared at her in the mirror.

These last few weeks had been easier. She was little more relaxed. A little more confident. She fastened her earrings. Iain. He was the difference here.

He never failed to compliment her. He never failed to tell her how good he thought she looked.

She looked up again. She liked the pale pink and silver dress. Not too much cleavage, not too much leg. She was comfortable in it. Some people might call her a princess in it.

Too bad that wasn’t how she felt.

She fixed a smile on her face. There. That was better.

Iain would be here soon. Her stomach gave a little flip. She pushed the nerves away and finished her make-up with some rose-coloured lipstick. It wasn’t dark enough, she would need a second coat. That could wait until Iain was here.

She flicked the switch on the radio and tuned in to some classic tunes. Anything to distract her right now. Anything to take her mind off the sea of cameras that would be waiting for her in the next hour.

Iain would be right next to her. And with him there, everything would be all right—wouldn’t it?

Iain knocked on her door, the London wind whistling about his knees. This wind was for amateurs. If he was in Edinburgh right now the wind would have his kilt dancing somewhere around his ears. It had been a long time since he’d taken his kilt out of its carrier. A very long time. He used to love wearing his kilt on special occasions. Then again, he used to love going out—something he rarely did in London.

Lexi opened the door and let out a squeal. ‘You did it! You wore the kilt!’

Her face was a picture. For a second he was transfixed by the sparkle in her eyes and broadest of smiles.

Until he became distracted by the floaty pale pink chiffon of her dress. A sleeveless dress with broad straps and a cross-over bodice, scattered with silver sequins that skimmed down across her hips. Her waist was accentuated by a pale pink ribbon cinched around it, giving her a perfect hourglass shape. The dress skimmed her knees. There was nothing revealing about it. Nothing to attract undue attention. But the way it clung to her body and accentuated her curves was attention-grabbing enough for Iain. That, along with how the dress rippled in the wind, made her look like a butterfly, waiting to be captured.

She’d left her blonde hair in loose curls over her shoulders, there was a light tan on her skin, and her feet were encased in red-soled silver sparkling shoes. She’d never looked so beautiful.

‘Wow, Lexi. Just wow. You don’t need to win the award tonight. No one will be able to take their eyes off you.’

She waved her hand and picked up her evening purse. ‘Sure they won’t. They’ll be more interested in the free food and free bar.’ She paused in front of the mirror and applied some more pink lipstick, giving him a cheeky wink. ‘I, on the other hand, will spend the whole night wondering if you’re a true Scotsman or not.’

‘Wanna find out now?’

‘Naughty.’ She batted his hands away, picking up the silver invitation and tucking it into her bag.

His hands caught her around the waist. There was no way he was leaving here without a kiss. He bent forward and nibbled at her neck, catching the aroma of her trademark perfume. It sent his pulse racing. What kind of underwear did she have on under that beautiful dress?

‘So, Lexi. Make me pass out with shock at the price of that dress. You look stunning.’

‘This?’ She shook her head. ‘I bought it on the high street. I’m sure the fashion press will have plenty to say about that tomorrow.’ She lifted her leg and extended her sparkling shoe towards him. ‘These, however, would probably make me remortgage my house.’

‘Really? Shoes?’ He stared for a few moments. Sure, they were pretty. And they matched the dress. But crazy money—on shoes?

He shook his head and watched as she fastened some glittering earrings on her lobes. ‘Are you ready?’

She took one last glance in the mirror then picked up her bag. Her hands were trembling slightly. Lexi Robbins was nervous. He couldn’t believe it. She looked a million dollars and her work spoke for itself. Just about every newspaper in the country had covered Carol Kennedy’s story after her interview had appeared on Lexi’s father’s show.

Carol had shown great courage, though not without a tear or two. She’d let the cameraman film her drains being removed, the initial scars. The post-op complications. Every time she spoke there was a tiny waver in her voice that was overcome by her courage and the message that she wanted to share with others. It was media gold and everyone knew it.

The only thing that had irked Iain had been the glossing over of Lexi’s role. Her name had appeared in the credits of her father’s show, but very little had been said about the work she had done. That was part of the reason he’d nominated her for the award. He wanted the world to know about the sterling work that she had done.

And that was without mentioning the current waiting list of clients he’d had since his interview for the Hunter Clinic had exploded all over the media. If it had been anyone but Lexi, he might have been annoyed to be in the public eye. But it would only be for a few weeks then they would move on to someone else. Or so he hoped.

The flashlights exploded as they stepped from the car outside the prestigious London hotel. For the first time in his life Iain could hear people shouting his name, vying for his attention. And he didn’t like it. He didn’t like it one little bit.

‘Dr Sexy! Look over here first!’

It didn’t help that the hotel had laid a red carpet outside and set up sponsorship banners for photographers. Iain kept his arm tightly around Lexi’s waist and tried to steer her directly inside.

‘Lexi, are you dating Iain McKenzie? Is that why you did the interview?’

‘Lexi, where’s the dress from?’

‘Dr McKenzie, what’s your relationship with Lexi Robbins?’

He grimaced. Ignorant journalist. He was a surgeon. He was Mr McKenzie, not Dr. And he couldn’t even begin to say what his intentions towards Lexi were—because he didn’t know himself.

The hotel was stunning and after the first glass of champagne Lexi’s nerves seemed to settle. She moved into professional PR mode, working the room, circulating and talking to everyone, without letting Iain leave her side.

After around half an hour he felt Lexi stiffen. He didn’t even need to ask why. Her mother and father had entered the room to a round of applause. They moved through the crowd effortlessly. And after a few minutes’ fascination he quickly came to the realisation that they were their own biggest fans.

They barely even glanced at their beautiful daughter and Iain could feel the fire surge in his belly.

Lexi was pretending not to notice. She was smiling and talking politely to those around her, even though it was blindingly obvious to the whole room that her parents hadn’t even taken the time to acknowledge her.

She pressed her hand on Iain’s arm. ‘You’ll need to excuse me a minute, Iain, I need to check my make-up.’ He could see unshed tears hiding behind her eyes. She needed a little time out. A little space to collect herself.

‘No problem,’ he muttered, watching her cross the room in her fluttering dress. As soon as she was out of sight he walked directly over to the bar, where her father was ordering champagne.

He held out his hand. ‘Steve Robbins? I’m Iain McKenzie. I’m here with your daughter tonight.’

Lexi’s father frowned then switched into false mode and shook Iain’s hand. He could tell the man wasn’t the least bit interested, but Iain hadn’t even started yet.

Lexi’s mother sidled up to the bar in a blue silk sheath dress, her eyes watching her own reflection in the mirror behind the bar.

‘I nominated Lexi for the award this evening. She’s done some really fantastic work at the Hunter Clinic.’

Penelope Crosby lifted her eyebrows. He could tell it was because the conversation wasn’t directly focused on her. What a sad woman. But she couldn’t deter him.

‘Lexi has raised over a hundred thousand pounds in the last few weeks for the charity work of the clinic.’

‘Charity work, huh?’ Lexi’s father shook his head. ‘More likely lining the pockets of you and your colleagues.’

Iain stilled the fire in his belly. ‘I don’t need anyone else to line my pockets. I probably earn more money than you do,’ he shot back, without the slightest hint of embarrassment. ‘I think you should appreciate the wonderful job that your daughter does. She gave you that breakthrough a few weeks ago with my patient Carol Kennedy. None of that filming would have taken place if I hadn’t agreed to it. And the only reason Carol spoke to Lexi was because Lexi was genuinely concerned about her and showed her some compassion.’ He took a drink from his whisky sitting on the bar. ‘A trait that obviously doesn’t run in the family.’

Lexi’s mother looked horrified. She’d spent her life with people fawning over her and obviously wasn’t used to be spoken to like that.

Iain finished his whisky. ‘Tell me, Mr Robbins, exactly how much of a rating boost did that interview give your flagging show? And have you thanked your daughter for it yet?’

Lexi’s father’s face started to turn beetroot. ‘How dare you?’

‘Oh, I dare.’

‘Who do you think you are?’

‘I think I’m the person who knows your daughter is beautiful, inside and out.’ He replaced his glass on the bar. ‘I’m the person who thinks she works hard and deserves recognition for the job that she does. That’s who I think I am.’

The beetroot colour was settling on Lexi’s father’s face. It was turning to an embarrassed dark glow.

‘It’s such a pity that Lexi still looks for your approval.’ He paused, there was so much more he could say here. But the truth was it really wasn’t his business. He’d probably already overstepped the mark.

It was time to leave her parents’ company. Lexi’s mother had stopped being horrified and was back to checking her reflection in the mirror behind the bar again. And as beautiful as her reflection was, she had nothing on Lexi.

She didn’t have Lexi’s heart. Or Lexi’s soul. She didn’t have any of the compassion or humility that Lexi showed. She was so self-centred. Iain couldn’t bear to in her company a second longer.

He watched as Lexi came out of the ladies and gave her a wave. He didn’t want her to come over here. To listen to the indifference of her parents. He gave them a quick glance. ‘I just want you to know that I’m proud of Lexi, even if you aren’t.’

But no matter what he thought, Lexi was on her way over, with a tilt to her chin that proved she was ready.

She walked over, sliding her hand into his and smiling as he gave it a squeeze. She angled her cheek as her father gave her a kiss. ‘Congratulations on your nomination, Lexi.’ His eyes shot to Iain. ‘You know that we are proud of you.’ Her mother hadn’t moved from the bar, almost as if she was waiting for her cue.

And there it was. ‘Lexi, darling, you look wonderful!’ She stepped over from the bar with her arms in the air, her blue sheath-style dress barely allowing her to move. Her arms closed around her daughter’s neck just as there was the flash of a camera.

Iain cringed. It was obvious she’d orchestrated the whole thing. Lexi was spun around and positioned between her parents just as one of the photographers from a national magazine appeared. ‘Oh, perfect!’ the photographer shouted. ‘I don’t know who is more beautiful, mother or daughter!’

It was pretty obvious to Iain, but he waited a few moments as the photographer positioned them all exactly as he wanted them and snapped away. Lexi’s mother spent most of the time throwing back her head and laughing—obviously the way she wanted to be captured on film. When the photographer nodded that he was finished, Lexi slid out from under her parents’ grasp and took a few steps back to Iain.

He bent to give her a kiss. Raspberries. She tasted of raspberries. ‘Let’s go and mingle,’ he said to her, guiding her away from her parents. She didn’t even glance in their direction. They’d moved on to speak to another TV personality with barely a few words to their daughter. And he could tell from the tension in her body and the sheen in her eyes that she hadn’t quite collected herself yet.

He glanced at his watch and scoped out the bar on the other side of the room. ‘How about a little cocktail before they announce the awards?’

She jerked to attention. ‘Is it that time already?’ She looked stunned, almost as if she’d forgotten why she was there. He loved that about her.

They made their way to the bar and Iain grabbed the cocktail menu. ‘What’s your favourite? Vodka? Rum? Whisky?’

She wrinkled her nose. ‘Whisky cocktail? Yuck.’ Her eyes ran down the menu. ‘I’ll have a raspberry daiquiri.’

He smiled. ‘I should have guessed. You taste of raspberries already.’

She smiled and ran her tongue along her lips. Boy, just that tiny action could drive him crazy. He gave their order at the bar and waited while the bartender mixed the frozen cocktails. Then they stood quietly for the next half-hour, his arm around her waist as they drank their cocktails.

Then the lights in the room dimmed and the compère appeared on the stage, giving a short presentation about the awards and past recipients. The PR award was one of the first to be announced. One by one the nominees appeared on screen, along with a presentation about their work. Then Lexi’s face appeared on the screen ahead of them.

She flinched. ‘Oh, no. I don’t like my face in high definition.’ She burrowed her face into his shoulder. ‘It shows all the blemishes.’

Iain took a deep breath. There it was again. The fact that Lexi didn’t see what he did. On the screen ahead of him he saw a beautiful fresh-faced woman. Long eyelashes around clear blue eyes, luscious pink lips and long blonde curls. She could out-supermodel her mother any day of the week.

He slipped his finger underneath her chin and tilted her head up towards his. ‘Trust me, Lexi, there are no blemishes.’ He kissed her again, tasting the raspberries still on her lips and pulling her closer to him.

Clapping broke out around them and they both broke apart.

‘Is it over?’ Lexi asked, her hands pressed against his chest. She started to clap, even though he knew neither of them had heard the announcement of the winner. A face flashed up on the screen of one of the male nominees who worked for a newly opened fashion chain. They watched as he walked up on stage in his sharp suit and gave his acceptance speech.

Iain squeezed Lexi around her waist, his fingers catching the chiffon material and silver sequins beneath his hands. ‘You were robbed,’ he whispered in her ear.

She shook her head firmly. ‘No, I wasn’t. He’s done a good job. He deserves it.’ She kept clapping until he left the stage. ‘I feel lucky to be nominated. I never thought I was going to win anyway, so I’m not disappointed.’

He could tell she meant it. Her generous spirit was still evident, showing grace in defeat. ‘Well, I’m disappointed for you. I thought you deserved to win.’

She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. ‘Thank you, Iain. That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me all night.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘What do you say we get out of here?’

She had that gleam in her eyes. The ones that could send a sweep of sensation down to his toes, igniting all the parts of his body it needed to.

‘Let’s go now.’ Even he could recognise how husky his voice sounded. He only had one thing on his mind.

‘Give me five minutes to visit the ladies before we go.’ And before he could even answer she’d swept away and ducked into the nearest ladies room. All he could see was the flutter of her pale pink dress around her legs.

It was more than he needed.

CHAPTER TWELVE

LEXI STOOD IN front of the mirror and re-applied her rose-coloured lipstick. Her face was flushed. But it was excitement. Excitement over what would happen next with Iain.

He’d been fabulous with her tonight. Supporting her with her parents and keeping her close during the award announcements. But she wasn’t disappointed at all about not winning.

Truth was, she already felt as if she’d won because Iain had nominated her and brought her here tonight.

She took one final glance in the mirror. The dress he’d admired so much was nice. Much nicer than some of the dresses tonight that were ten times the price. It just went to show that pricier wasn’t always better.

She gave a little smile then walked back outside to meet Iain.

Her eyes swept the room. He was only a few feet away, talking to some man in a dark suit.

A voice breathed in her ear, ‘Well, what do we have here?’

Her stomach turned over, thankfully not all over her dress. A blast from the past. And one she certainly didn’t welcome.

She spun round in her sparkling shoes. ‘Jack, what an unpleasant surprise.’

Jack Parker was standing in front of her, his arm around a buxom blonde who looked as if she was being strangled by her bright blue dress. How on earth she’d managed to contain her oversized breasts in a dress two sizes too small was anybody’s guess. His tie was askew and his hair rumpled. What a surprise—Jack Parker was drunk.

He leaned forward and she got the whiff of alcohol on his breath. Any closer and he could anaesthetise her.

‘I saw you up on the screen. Close up doesn’t do you much good, does it?’

She took a deep breath. ‘I could say the same about you, Jack,’ she shot back.

He raised one eyebrow. What had she ever found attractive about this guy?

Her stomach was churning. He was saying out loud the thoughts that had sprung into her mind the second she’d seen her face on the screen. Jack Parker was still inside her head. Still circulating little horrible thoughts. It made her angry. It made her angry that she was still allowing him to influence her thoughts, and have a little bit of control over her life.

She ran her eyes up and down his rumpled suit. ‘Did you pick that one straight up out of the garden after I dumped it there?’

His eyes narrowed. He wasn’t used to Lexi standing up for herself. He wasn’t used to it at all. She’d always found a way to try and avoid any arguments with him. Had spent most of her time trying to placate him. More fool her.

And for a time it had seemed his greatest pleasure was to make her cry. Well, not tonight.

Jack’s drunken girlfriend swayed and turned to him. ‘What’s she talking about, baby? I thought you dumped her?’

Her hand rested on his chest. There was something vaguely familiar about her. Lexi’s eyes dropped to her obviously over-implanted breasts. Of course, she was a glamour model. But her breasts stood out like sore thumbs. Lexi could tell just by looking that they were obviously too large for her slim frame. And her implants had been placed over her chest muscles instead of under, causing obvious ridge marks at the tops of breasts. Oh, dear. Even Lexi could tell this woman would need reconstructive surgery at some point. Had Jack made her do that?

She could feel the fire building in her belly. On any other day if she’d seen Jack Parker she would have ducked and hidden. She didn’t like conflict. She didn’t like attention being on herself. It didn’t matter that she’d picked up the courage to throw him out. Even one glance of Jack brought back the overwhelming surge of not being good enough. It brought back the seeds of doubt and the memories of his cruel words and actions.

She looked across the room. She wasn’t panicking—she was just looking for some reassurance. Iain was still in conversation with another man just a few feet away. He obviously hadn’t realised anything was wrong.

These last few weeks with Iain had given her some new-found confidence. She felt appreciated. She felt respected. She felt … loved?

Something she’d never felt before. Either with Jack or her parents. Her aunt was the only person who’d ever shown her love.

It was a startling realisation. It almost made her feel giddy.

Jack was wrinkling his nose at her, mumbling under his breath. She couldn’t stand him. She couldn’t stand to be in the same place as him. Even now he treated her with disdain. How dared he?

She straightened her shoulders, gave a smile to his girlfriend and extended her hand. ‘Pleasure to meet you. I’m Lexi Robbins. Jack’s never had any manners and that’s obviously not changed.’ As she took the action she was aware of Jack’s eyes on her bust. Even though she was perfectly happy with her figure, it could clearly never compete with his new girlfriend’s. And she’d never want to. She couldn’t imagine the health problems the woman was likely to have in the future.

The blonde’s eyes widened as she took the hand in front of her and gave it a limp shake. Jack was spluttering over his drink but Lexi ignored him.

‘Brandy,’ she slurred.

Brandy. It figured.

‘And just so we’re clear, you’re wrong,’ Lexi continued. ‘I dumped Jack. In fact, I threw his clothes out of our flat and changed the locks. That’s because he’s a weasel. You’d do well to remember that.’

The colour started to rise in Jack’s face. ‘Rubbish, Lexi. That’s rubbish. You were too boring for me.’ He glanced back at Brandy, obviously desperate to save face. ‘In more ways than one. And, obviously, not pretty enough.’ He pulled Brandy closer to him. Was that to reassure her? Or to stop himself from swaying?

‘Get a life, Jack,’ Lexi sighed, and gave a shake of her head. ‘You’re not worth it. Not for a second.’

She spun on her heel and walked back into the ladies. She didn’t want to let him have a minute more of her time. She didn’t want all the little self-doubts to find their way into her mind and thoughts again. She stood for a second in front of the mirror, taking a few deep breaths.

She wanted to get of here. She needed to get out of here. She needed to find Iain and stick to their original plan. The original plan that made her knees quiver and her heart race.

The door banged behind her and before she could even lift her head to look at who had entered she was grabbed roughly from behind. There was no time to think. No time to act.

She was pushed against the wall, the cold tiles pressing against her back. Jack had one hand on her shoulder, the other around her throat.

She tried to move her arms, her hands, but his full weight was on her. He leaned forward. ‘Who do you think you are? Don’t you dare speak to me like that.’

She turned her head away, trying to avert the smell of alcohol that was coming from his breath.

‘Look at me!’ he growled.

She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. ‘Get off me, Jack. This is a public restroom, any minute now someone will walk in and see what you’re doing.’

He snarled. ‘Who’s going to stop me?’ He lifted one hand and waved it around, laughing as she took the opportunity to try and escape his grasp. ‘There’s no one here but you and me.’

He pressed his hand back to her body, this time reaching up and squeezing her breast. ‘You should be thanking me. Thanking me for telling you to get some shape.’ He gave another little laugh. ‘But you’ll never compare to Brandy.’

She winced under his grasp. Jack had never been physical with her in the past, but the amount of alcohol he’d consumed—along with his bad temper—made her glad things had never been like this.

She opened her eyes and looked him straight in the eye. She didn’t even notice the door open in the background. She was too focused on her task.

Fight or flight. The surge of adrenaline powered through her body.

‘That’s just it Jack, I don’t want to be anything like Brandy.’ She leaned towards him, ignoring the stench of alcohol. ‘But you’re right. It’s just you and me.’

She lifted her knee and hammered it straight into his groin. His reaction was instant. He released her and crumpled to the floor, clutching at his groin.

She stepped over him in her fluttering dress. ‘Don’t you ever put a hand on me again.’

There was a movement beside her. A dark flash of something. It took her a few seconds to register that Iain had appeared.

And she didn’t recognise the expression on his face. She’d never seen Iain angry before.

He lifted Jack clean off the floor and slammed him against the white tiles where he’d just held Lexi. If she’d thought Jack had been snarling at her before, he’d had nothing on Iain. The steam was practically coming out of his ears.

‘Don’t you dare touch Lexi ever again.’ His eyes flicked to Lexi. ‘Are you okay? Do you want to press charges?’

She shook her head. She just wanted to get out of there.

Jack had shrunk back against the tiles. He wasn’t so brave when confronted by a six-foot-four angry Scotsman.

Iain spun him round, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and the back of his trousers. Jack’s feet were skimming the floor as Iain thrust him towards the door. A woman opened it and walked in, letting out a little shriek when she saw the two men in the ladies. Wordlessly she held the door open as Iain escorted Jack from the building.

He was quietly efficient about it, stopping only once to pull out his card and hand it to an astonished Brandy. ‘Chronic back pain?’

She nodded in a stunned silence.

‘Come and see me some time and we’ll chat about what’s best for you.’

Jack was strangely silent. Any time his steps seemed to hesitate Iain just lifted him clean off the floor to help him on his way. They reached the outer door and Iain ejected him down the steps.

Lexi cringed as he tumbled down them into a puddle outside. Iain stood next to her and slid his arm around her waist. He pointed at Jack. ‘I’m warning you, Jack. I don’t want you within fifty feet of Lexi.’

He turned and steered her down the street, away from the event and towards the footpath to the Thames. She could see his hand still shaking slightly. She knew it was with rage. But she wasn’t scared around Iain. He was a big man, who could probably intimidate anyone in his vicinity. But the rage would never be aimed at her. She felt secure with him beside her. She felt safe around Iain. But that wasn’t all she felt and that’s what was bothering her.

His arms swept around her as he laid her coat across her shoulders. She hadn’t even realised he’d picked up her coat for her. She pulled it around her and slid her arms into the sleeves. March was cold in London, it wouldn’t do to be without her coat.

Iain pulled her closer as they walked along in silence. Her brain was whirring with a million thoughts that she just couldn’t even begin to compute.

Even though she’d tried her very best, the tiny little seeds of doubt were creeping into her brain. Seeds that Jack had initially planted and which had sprouted and grown. She’d thought she’d dealt with those. She’d thought she’d doused them with the weedkiller they deserved.

But seeing Jack again had brought them all flooding back, no matter how hard she tried. Except this time the thoughts weren’t about Jack. This time the seeds of doubt were all about her and Iain.

It was ridiculous. Iain had only ever treated her with respect. He’d never mocked her body—quite the opposite, in fact. He’d never let her think she wasn’t good enough.

So why were thoughts like that circulating in her brain?

Why would Iain be interested in someone like her? She wasn’t a supermodel. She was clever but not a genius. She’d done a good job with the publicity and charitable donations for the clinic.

A horrible startling realisation crept over her. Maybe he was just trying to keep her sweet? Trying to make sure the Hunter Clinic was known around the world?

No. Iain would never be like that.

He’d almost fought against the attraction between them. And he’d been more than supportive regarding her parents and her surgery.

So why was a whole host of doubts creeping into her head?

She leaned against him a little as they walked down the path to the Thames. It was beautiful at this time of night. The path next to the dark river twinkled with little lights leading towards the brightly lit Tower Bridge. If you wanted to find a romantic location in London at night, you really couldn’t do better.

It was cold enough to still see their breath in the air. Cold enough to have an excuse to snuggle closer.

But Lexi felt changed from before. The feelings of uncertainty were making her feel differently.

There was no getting away from it. She’d fallen hard for Iain. Hard and fast. She’d shared things with him in a way she’d never shared with anyone at all.

And he’d shared with her too.

Only not enough.

A wave of cold air swept over her body, sending a little shiver across her skin.

That was it. That was what was wrong.

She turned and looked at his profile as they walked along the path. She could almost sense he was in as much turmoil as she was. They weren’t talking. They were simply holding each other and walking. But at some point they were going to reach the crescendo of what was happening between them. Reach the tipping point.

Her velvet coat wasn’t giving her any warmth right now. The cold feeling wouldn’t leave her.

Iain had told her about his wife. He’d told her about his babies. It must have truly broken his heart. But there was more. There was more that he hadn’t told her.

And if they really had a chance at a relationship, she had to know what it was.

It was haunting them. It was a dark stormcloud permanently hanging over their heads. Because no matter how charming, how happy Iain seemed to be, the only time the shadows really disappeared from his eyes was when they were making love.

And it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough for her any more.

Her stomach twisted. Iain still didn’t know. He still didn’t know about the fact she’d had a hysterectomy and couldn’t have children. He’d accepted her story about being injured by a horse as a young girl and had never questioned her scarring.

This was a man who had wanted a family. A family that she couldn’t give him.

Maybe his past experience would have put him off. Maybe he would tell her that he could never go through that again. It was a possibility. But it was one they had never discussed.

She had to get things out in the open. They had to get things out in the open.

She wanted honesty from him. She wanted full disclosure. No matter what it was.

Iain McKenzie had rapidly turned into her dream man. But his constant reassurance and support was about to backfire. Her new-found confidence made her realise what she wanted in this life.

She didn’t want to be a bystander. She didn’t want to be known as someone’s daughter. She wanted to be loved for who she was. She didn’t want things to be hidden from her. And she didn’t want to have to hide anything from him.

And while she didn’t mind the photos of Bonnie in Iain’s house, she didn’t know what they meant for them. Would Iain ever lose the shadows in his eyes? It was a miserable, selfish thought but she couldn’t compete with a ghost. If Bonnie still had the biggest part of his heart then Lexi shouldn’t be here. She couldn’t allow herself to be second best. No matter how cruel it might seem. She deserved better.

If this relationship had any chance at all, it was time to take the big step.

She stopped walking. ‘Iain, we need to talk.’

He turned to face her immediately and she sensed him hesitate as he drew in a deep breath.

Had he heard the tremble in her voice? Or was he noticing the sheen in her eyes?

Then, before she had a chance to say anything, his arms swept her in and his lips descended on hers.

It was as if all the rage and pent-up frustration was being translated into his passion for her. His arms cradled her, but his lips devoured her. Their teeth clashed as his tongue slid into her mouth. There was no mistaking how he felt about her.

And there was no mistaking how she felt about him.

He pulled back, breathless, his arms gently releasing their grip on her waist. In this dim light his dark chocolate eyes looked almost black. Darker than the bottom of his soul.

He’d blindsided her with that kiss. For a second all her rational thoughts had vanished, as had the sinking feeling in her heart.

They stood together next to the Thames, their warm breath visible in the cold air as her rapid heartbeat quietened to a mild canter.

She had to stay focused.

She had to think of the future.

Hers. And Iain’s. She needed more than his passion. She needed more than his protectiveness.

She needed his heart and his soul.

His hands rested on her hips. ‘Lexi, I’m sorry about my behaviour. When I saw him touching you like that—assaulting you—I saw red. It just descended all around me. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on him. I couldn’t wait to get him away from you. I didn’t want him near you.’

There was tension in his words—as if he’d just taken himself back to the moment again. He thought she was angry. He thought she wanted to talk to him about the incident with Jack.

‘I was filled with rage. I wanted to punch him senseless.’

She lifted her hand and put it on his chest. ‘And I might have let you.’

He shook his head. ‘But I never behave like that.’ He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment then gave her a sorry smile. ‘But, with hindsight, you seemed to have got the better of him yourself.’

She nodded. ‘But that doesn’t mean I didn’t appreciate the help.’ This wasn’t the conversation she wanted to have. She didn’t want to waste a second of her life talking about Jack Parker.

She could tell Iain was nervous. Maybe he was worried about how he’d manhandled Jack in front of her. But Jack Parker and his welfare was the last thing on her mind right now.

He knew something was wrong. Even though his hands were on her hips, he couldn’t look her in the eye. They were fixed over her shoulder on Tower Bridge.

‘I need to ask you something, Iain.’

‘What is it?’ His eyes had met hers now. He looked worried. For the first time since she’d known him he looked afraid. What did Iain have to be scared of?

Maybe she should start slowly.

‘I need to ask you why. Why do you think you felt like that?’

Confusion swept his face. ‘Why do you think? Because he touched you, because he assaulted you. He should never have laid a hand on you.’

She breathed in slowly through her nose. ‘And you didn’t like that?’ She was trying to be controlled. She was trying to be measured. Iain meant the world to her and she was going to have to be strong to do this.

‘What about us?’

He stiffened, his shoulders pushing back and down, his body arching away from her. ‘What do you mean, “What about us?”’

She ran her tongue along her lips. All of a sudden her mouth was instantly dry. She could do with some of the wine she’d refused at the award ceremony. She knew exactly what she was doing. Even if Iain didn’t.

‘Where do you think we are going, Iain?’

He shook his head. ‘I don’t understand. Where did this come from?’ He reached up and touched her cheek. ‘You know how I feel about you.’

She held her breath, trying not to turn her head towards his cheek. She had to stay strong.

‘I care about you, Lexi. You know I do.’

Care.

A gentle word. A quiet word. A word without passion and without soul. Nothing like the passion he’d just shown her. Her heart could break in two right now.

Her gaze swept down to the wet street. Black, totally black. Just like the sensations that were coursing through her body.

‘Care. It’s an interesting choice of word.’ Even she could hear how detached her voice sounded. How disappointed.

He wasn’t looking at her again. She understood. He couldn’t look at her. He couldn’t give her any more. Put him on the spot and he just shut down.

This was pointless. She wanted more than Iain could ever offer her. It was time to walk away.

This was a disaster. This whole night had been a disaster and it was nothing to do with Lexi not winning the award.

She deserved better than him. He should have watched her more closely—kept an eye on her. Jack Parker would never have got his hands on her then. He shuddered to think what could have happened in there.

He hadn’t been able to protect her. Just like he hadn’t been able to protect his wife.

But now Lexi was asking him difficult questions. It would be so much easier to shrug them off and just continue as before. Their relationship was developing slowly. But he still couldn’t be honest with her. He wasn’t ready.

But her trembling lips were breaking his resolve—no matter how hard she was trying to hide them.

‘I don’t care about you, Iain.’

His head shot around to face her. ‘What?’

She shook her head firmly as a single tear trailed down her cheek. She lifted her hand and pressed it against her chestbone. ‘I love you. I didn’t want to. I don’t want to. But I can’t help how I feel.’ She looked at him with her big blue eyes. ‘But I know you don’t feel the same, Iain. I can tell. I can feel it.’

He opened his mouth to speak but she lifted her hand to stop him.

‘Don’t. Don’t make this any harder than it already is. You can’t share with me—not really. There are permanent shadows around your eyes. The only time they vanish is when we make love. And it’s not enough, Iain. It’s not enough for me. I can’t compete with a ghost.’

‘What?’ Her words resounded around his head. ‘You think you’re competing with Bonnie? Why on earth would you think that?’

‘Because you won’t let me in.’ Her answer came back straight away. ‘I need more. I want more. I want you to love me like I love you. We all have secrets, Iain. Things that we don’t share with anyone but the people we love.’

His eyes fixed on the black flowing water, rushing and tumbling past them. This was it. It was time to tell Lexi the truth. They had no future together. But she had to know it was because of him—not because of her. And not because of a ghost.

‘I don’t deserve you, Lexi. I don’t deserve anyone. All I do is hurt the people I love.’

Her brow wrinkled. ‘This is about Bonnie, isn’t it? Why on earth would you say that? You’ve told me about Bonnie, and about your children. That was a tragedy. A horrible thing to happen to anyone. But it was bad luck. Horrible, horrible bad luck. But why does that mean we can’t have a chance?’

Her words were swimming through his head. Juggling back and forth with the blackness and feelings of guilt. The horrible weight of responsibility.

It was almost as if someone had pushed a little button, flicked a switch somewhere inside him. He couldn’t think about the ‘right’ words to say.

He couldn’t think at all. He had to get this over with. Once Lexi knew the truth she would happily walk away.

‘Because it was my fault!’ he yelled.

The words echoed through the inky black night, carrying along the dark path and beyond.

Lexi flinched backwards, shock stamped all across her face.

There was silence. Iain couldn’t speak, he was surrounded by the steamy breath that he’d just shot out and his heart was pounding in his chest.

He said it. He’d got it out there. But instead of feeling the weight of relief he might have, he just wanted to crumple down into a ball. He’d lost his wife and children because of his selfish behaviour. Instead of protecting his family, he’d destroyed them completely. No wonder he had problems sleeping at night.

Lexi looked stunned. Her hand touched his sleeve. Her voice was quiet, almost whispering. ‘How? How can it be your fault? Your wife died during childbirth.’

He squeezed his eyes shut. ‘It’s my fault because Bonnie had wanted to give up IVF. We’d already had two attempts and she was done. She’d had enough.’ He opened his eyes again to face Lexi, pointing his finger at his chest. ‘It’s my fault because I persuaded her to give it one last go. We still had viable embryos. I wanted to give them a chance. I didn’t stop and think about the effects on Bonnie—mentally and physically. I was so fixated on getting a family. I thought with my love and support we would be fine.’

It was like scraping an iron claw down her back, digging it deep into her delicate flesh. He had no idea how much those words hurt. She didn’t believe it had been Iain’s fault for a second. But he’d just revealed how fixated he was on a family. A family she could never provide. Yet another reason to leave.

‘Are you honestly telling me that Bonnie was unhappy being pregnant?’

‘What? Of course not. She was delighted. She was over the moon to fall pregnant. And when we found out she was having twins it made everything she’d ever gone through seem worthwhile.’

‘So how does that make it your fault, Iain? Bonnie could have said no. She could have refused to be implanted again.’

‘But she did, Lexi. I persuaded her. I did.’ Even though he’d got the words out there, his frustration was still building in his chest. His voice was rising. ‘If I had left Bonnie alone she would still be here. If I hadn’t pushed for the final round of IVF Bonnie wouldn’t have died. She’d still be alive. Still here to breathe. Still here to do the things she loved with the people she loved. Instead, I see her every night in my dreams. I see the panic on her face as she realises something is wrong, something is very wrong. I watch the monitors around her as she starts to bleed out and her blood pressure plummets. Amidst the panic in the room I hear her whisper to save the babies as she squeezes my hand. She believed in me, Lexi. She trusted me to save our children.’

He leaned against the barrier to the Thames, putting his head in his hands. His legs were shaking. He was back in that brightly lit room again. Filled with more doctors and midwives than he’d ever imagined. Every time he turned he was in someone’s way. Watching the life drain out of his beloved wife, and watching the faces of the staff as they eventually delivered two still white babies.

‘I don’t deserve you, Lexi. I don’t deserve anyone.’ The words hissed out of his mouth.

He waited a moment then straightened up. Most of the anger had dissipated from his body, along with most of his energy. He stared at the black water. His shoulders sagged. He couldn’t peel his eyes away from the dark, churning water. It matched his mood. ‘You’ve no idea. To hear the words of the doctor telling you that he’s so sorry about your wife and your children.’ He turned to face her, to look into her blue eyes and catch the flutter of her sparkling dress in the cold breeze. His heart squeezed in his chest.

Lexi. His beautiful little butterfly. The first person he’d connected with in years. The first person he’d loved in years.

Words couldn’t begin to describe the rage he’d felt when he’d seen Jack with his hands on Lexi. He hadn’t been able to control himself. The red mist had just descended.

She was his. His. And he couldn’t bear the thought of someone hurting her.

But what right did he have to defend her, a woman who could clearly defend herself?

And more importantly, what right did he have to expose her to his failings? He couldn’t protect the woman he loved. Life had already proved that.

He couldn’t do to her what he’d done to Bonnie. Lexi was the one bright thing in his life right now. He had to let her go. He couldn’t drag her down with him.

Lexi was the equivalent of a shooting star. He wanted her to reach for the moon and be free to fly. She deserved someone who could love her wholeheartedly and give her the attention she deserved. In his eyes she was more beautiful than she could ever imagine. Just her smile was enough for him. The smile that reached straight up from her heart and made her eyes sparkle.

But her eyes weren’t sparkling right now. Tears were marring her pretty face, tears of sadness and pity—pity he didn’t deserve.

He inhaled deeply. She had to understand this wasn’t about her at all. This was all about the encompassing guilt and grief that still filled him.

‘You’ve no idea what it’s like for the doctor to ask you if you had decided on names for your children.’

It was almost as if she could read his mind. She laid the palms of her hands on his chest. He felt his chest wall move against her. She knew. Lexi felt real empathy for people. It was the reason they reacted so well to her. Right now, she knew.

She knew how desperate he felt about naming his children without Bonnie. They’d had some provisional names but hadn’t agreed on any. To name them without her—to spend the rest of his life wondering if Bonnie would have agreed with his choices—had felt like the final nail on the single oak and two white matching coffins.

‘What did you call your children?’

She’d stayed exactly where she was. Touching him. Not running away in revulsion at his actions.

‘Isla and Ross.’ All he could see right now were the three red poppies etched on the grave.

Lexi nodded slowly. ‘They are beautiful names. I’m sure that Bonnie would have loved them.’ She looked up at him. ‘I can’t believe you’ve felt like this for the last few years. I can’t believe you’ve not spoken to anyone about this. It was not your fault, Iain. It wasn’t.’ She stepped back and put some distance between them. ‘I didn’t know Bonnie but she wouldn’t have blamed you for this. She wouldn’t have wanted you to be crippled by guilt. Bonnie loved you, Iain—she loved you. She wouldn’t have wanted this for you.’ She held her arms out. ‘She couldn’t possibly.’

And there she was, holding her arms open towards him. And after all that she’d said tonight, it was like an unspoken invitation. One that he just couldn’t take.

No matter how much he wanted to.

He stepped towards her. ‘It’s late. Let me walk you home.’

They stood under the streetlight and he could see the fleeting look in her eyes. The one that realised, no matter what he’d just revealed, there was no way forward for them. There was no noise. No sound. Just a drip of tears down her face.

He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t look at her. Otherwise he might cry too. Cry over the woman he’d already lost, and the woman he was about to lose.

‘I can’t offer you anything, Lexi. I’ve got nothing to give.’

He started to walk along the river path, giving her no option but to follow him or be left standing herself in the middle of the night. His gran would have killed him over his lack of manners. But right now he couldn’t even think straight.

Her heels caught up with him and then slowed as she stopped herself from walking alongside him, deliberately leaving herself walking a few steps behind. Maybe it was better this way?

The streets of London had never seemed so long or so bleak. Every step seemed to go nowhere. All the streets looked the same. Her footsteps never wavered behind him. She didn’t try to touch him or talk to him again.

What must she think of him? A thought flashed through his mind. If she quit right now, Leo would kill him.

Lexi was doing a spectacular job at the clinic. And work was the one thing that gave her confidence in her abilities. Maybe he should quit? Maybe he should just leave to let Lexi get on with her life and meet someone new.

The pain in his stomach was so sudden it almost stopped him dead. Lexi with someone else. Was that really what he wanted? And if that was really what he wanted, why did he want to be sick here and now?

All of a sudden her door loomed in front of him. He heard her fumble for her key and slot it into the lock. He couldn’t even look at her.

She wasn’t his. He couldn’t hurt her any more. He had to get away. He caught one last whiff of her heady perfume, the one that had driven him nuts for weeks.

‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered as he walked away.

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