It Started With a Pregnancy
Scarlet Wilson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

Copyright

‘So, Dr Roberts, what can I do for you?’ The mixed scent of his sweat and cologne instantly invaded her senses, making Missy’s head swim with memories of their night together.

‘Well, Sister Bell, I’m not quite sure,’ he said. ‘We seem to have got ourselves into a bit of a predicament.’

‘You’re a distraction,’ she said.

‘What?’

He flinched backwards and drew his gaze away from hers. She blinked twice. Apparently she was the only person caught in the memory.

‘You distracted me at work today, Cooper. It’s really difficult to be in a confined space with someone you last saw naked.’

He raised an eyebrow at her candour. ‘Get straight to the point, why don’t you?’

‘It needs to be said.’ Her fingers twiddled with a lock of her hair. She was trying to appear cool and casual. ‘I felt as if I couldn’t concentrate at work today, and that’s not me. I’m very good at my job.’

About the Author

SCARLET WILSON wrote her first story aged eight, and has never stopped. Her family have fond memories of Shirley and the Magic Purse, with its army of mice, all with names beginning with the letter ‘m’. An avid reader, Scarlet started with every Enid Blyton book, moved on to the Chalet School series, and many years later found Mills & Boon®. She trained and worked as a nurse and health visitor, and now currently works in public health. For her, finding Medical Romances was a match made in heaven. She is delighted to find herself among authors she has read for many years. Scarlet lives on the West Coast of Scotland, with her fiancé and their two sons.

For my own three personal heroes:

Kevin, Elliott & Rhys.

And to Nancy Holroyd, a valued critique partner,

with patience, insight and lots of good advice, and to

Rachael Johns for her support and encouragement.

CHAPTER ONE

COOPER noticed her straight away. The music throbbed in his ears as the dozens of bodies around him pushed and jostled to gain a better position at the oak-topped bar. She was standing alone, looking calm and serene, if a little awkward. He knew instantly she wasn’t used to being in a place like this. He watched as she sipped at her drink and glanced at her silver watch, her left forefinger twiddling with a strand of chestnut hair. He wished he could reach out and tuck it behind her ear.

‘Why don’t you go and speak to her?’

The voice made him start. He turned to face his friend Jake, who was pointing in her direction. ‘Go on, then. You’ve been staring at her for the last ten minutes. Go talk to her.’

Cooper frowned. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. She might be waiting for someone. I can’t go and speak to her.’ He shook his head in a decided way before picking up his drink again.

Jake put his hand on Cooper’s arm. Compassion showed in his dark blue eyes. ‘Coop, it’s been two years. It’s time to get back on the wagon. You’re in a new city, with a new job and nobody knows you. Nobody knows your history.’

He gestured in the direction of the beautiful woman.

‘Over there is a gorgeous-looking woman, who looks as if some fool has stood her up. This is your chance. Go and take it.’ He gave Cooper’s arm a little squeeze. ‘It’s time to start living again.’

Cooper’s stomach churned. He felt little beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. Jake was right. When was the last time he had actually noticed a woman? When was the last time he’d asked a woman out? He couldn’t even remember. Last time he could recall his stomach doing flip-flops like this had been at the Christmas dance at school when he’d gone to ask Clara to dance with him. That must have been fifteen years ago.

He glanced over at her again. She was beginning to look uncomfortable. He could take a chance and speak to her or he could go home and sit in his darkened, empty flat—just like he’d done for the last few months. What harm could it do? He took a quick drink from his glass and put it down on the bar. Jake was right. No one knew him here. No one would be looking at him with their sympathetic eyes. No one would describe him as that ‘poor consultant who’d been widowed’. No one would talk about the family he’d lost. Here he was just Cooper. It was time for change.

He walked over towards her, but as he neared her his footsteps slowed and his courage started to falter. She turned towards him and their eyes met. Stunning really and they caught him by surprise. Startling bright green. He had expected her eyes to be blue, or brown even, to match her glossy chestnut hair. The emerald-green eyes under long, lustrous eyelashes were bright and clear and for a second he wondered if she was wearing coloured contacts, but then dismissed the idea as he neared her.

The noise in the pub was prohibitive. He would have to be standing close to her if he wanted to speak to her.

She hadn’t moved. Her eyes were still fixed on his. He leaned over to whisper in her ear, his hand automatically resting on her hip. He felt her suck in a breath at his touch. She spoke first, turning her lips towards his ear. ‘You’ve been watching me for the last ten minutes. I wondered when you were going to come and introduce yourself.’

She leaned backwards, a smile dancing across her lips as she noticed the rush of colour in his cheeks. He hesitated for a second, caught off guard as he saw the glint in her eyes. She was teasing him.

He remembered his last thought. It was time for change. He could be a whole new different person. Someone who was confident. Someone who was bold. Someone who believed himself to be attractive and who never went home alone. Tonight, he could be Jake. He cut to the chase. ‘Hi, are you waiting for someone?’

She smiled and nodded. ‘Yes, my friend appears to have got lost in the ladies.’

He felt a surge of relief—she was here with a friend. She wasn’t waiting for a man. He frowned, his natural instinct taking over. ‘Maybe you should go and check on her, she might be unwell.’ This time the glint was in his eyes. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you.’

Her face broke into a wide grin. She raised her eyebrow at him. ‘Really?’

She was totally unaware of the captivating picture she made when she smiled. Cooper nodded, gesturing towards the ladies, while the hand that was resting on her hip decided to follow another story and unconsciously pull her closer to him. Her eyes dropped to where his hand was resting. ‘Are you planning on letting go of me?’

He pulled his hand back reluctantly and gave a little shrug. ‘Sorry’.

She shook her head. ‘Actually, I don’t think I need to go check on my friend.’ She pointed towards the bar. ‘She seems to have made her way to another engagement.’

He followed where her finger was pointing and saw a small blonde figure wrapped around a man standing next to the bar.

‘Looks like you’ve been left in the lurch.’ He smiled. He glanced at her empty wine glass. ‘So, mysterious woman, can I buy you a drink?’

She glanced at her watch, as if she was weighing up her options. Cooper caught his breath. Don’t let her decide to go home! It was only eleven o’clock. She hesitated for a second, before finally handing him her wine glass and fixing him again with her green eyes. ‘I’ll have a glass of rosé wine, please.’

Cooper took the glass, his fingers brushing hers. He felt the air around him sizzle. This was what it felt like. This was how other people lived. He had forgotten about this side of life. He had forgotten about the feeling in the pit of your stomach when you met someone you were attracted to. He shot her a quick smile and turned towards the bar.

Melissa breathed a huge sigh of relief, the breath hissing out slowly through her tensed lips. She hadn’t even realised she’d been holding it. She hadn’t believed it when she’d spotted him at the other side of the bar. He was gorgeous. What was he doing in here? Men who looked like that didn’t live around here. And what was he doing, talking to her? She took another deep breath, trying to calm the clamouring heart in her chest. She had tried to be blasé when he spoke to her. She had tried to act as if men as handsome as him spoke to her every day. But now she could feel panic setting in. She glanced over at her friend at the bar. Lynn was still wrapped around her latest victim. She would be no help whatsoever.

Cooper turned back around and handed her the wine glass, his fingers brushing hers. She felt the electricity streak up her arm in a delicious buzz. She hadn’t been mistaken first time round and she could sense he felt it too. He shot her a beaming smile. ‘So, mystery woman, are you going to tell me your name?’

‘Melissa,’ she replied, before giving a little shake of her head, ‘well, Missy.’ Her breathing had finally slowed and her heart had stopped hammering on the wall of her chest. She gathered herself and her confidence grew. She could do this. She could talk to the most handsome man for miles. ‘My friends call me Missy,’ she explained, holding out her hand to shake his.

‘Missy,’ he repeated, nodding his head as if in approval. His strong hand caught her slim wrist, giving it a firm shake. And for a few seconds it stayed there, held in an automatic pause because neither party wanted to let go.

‘What’s yours?’

For a fraction of a second he seemed to hesitate. ‘Cooper,’ he answered, before regaining his composure and saying, ‘Well, actually, my friends call me Coop.’

Her hand reluctantly pulled away from his, her fingers lightly dragging down the palm of his hand, sending delicious shockwaves down his spine. His breath caught in his chest. For a second there he had nearly told her a lie. Just for some wild second he had almost told her his name was Jake. Jake, his friend at the bar, who had no history, no past to haunt him. Jake, who never went home alone. The person he had wanted to be tonight. But he couldn’t do it. Not when he was looking into those beautiful eyes. The eyes that were fixed on him right now.

‘Pleased to meet you, then, Coop.’ She had moved a little closer to him now, the noise in the bar making it difficult to be heard. He caught a waft of her perfume. Not what he’d expected. Something subtle, with a hint of orange. Most women that he knew wore floral scents, but this was something much more scintillating. He inhaled a little deeper, trying to catch her essence.

‘What brings you here, Coop?’ Her eyes flickered up and down the length of his body. ‘I’ve definitely never seen you around before.’

No. Melissa was absolutely sure she’d never seen him here before. Because he wasn’t someone that you’d forget in a hurry. Black shirt tucked into black jeans. Wide shoulders, tapering to a slim waist with long legs and a very watcher-friendly bottom. Then there was his hair. Light brown, slightly longer than normal, which sort of flopped over his right eye. His rich chocolate-coloured eyes. The kind that once you started looking at they drew you in, further and further, until you could almost feel yourself enveloped by the warm hues.

Melissa gave herself a shake. What was she doing? She never had thoughts like this! Even if the man in front of her looked like something from a jeans ad. This was the first time in months she’d felt even vaguely attracted to a man again. Had it really been that long? Had it really been six months since David had stalled once again on starting a family together? Something he knew Melissa desperately wanted. Had it really been six months since Melissa had finally had the courage to call off their engagement? Melissa gave herself another shake. The time span hadn’t even registered with her. It was definitely time to move on. Time to move from the lost-in-space zone she’d inhabited for the last six months. And here, right in front of her, was the perfect opportunity.

Cooper gave her a lazy smile, showing off perfect straight white teeth and a little dimple in his right cheek. It made him look like a cheeky schoolboy.

‘You’re right, I’m not from here. I just moved up this week.’

She quickly glanced at his left hand, cursing herself for not doing it earlier. Relief, no wedding band. ‘Did you move up yourself?’

Cooper nodded swiftly, taking another quick gulp of his drink. His right hand slipped into his pocket and subconsciously started to touch the cool metal band. He hadn’t worn it on his finger for the last few months but he just couldn’t bring himself to put it back in the box yet. So he kept it in his pocket, where every now and then he had the urge to reach in and touch it.

‘Whereabouts are you staying?’

He nodded towards the right. ‘In the new flats, next to the marina. They’re only about five minutes from here.’

Melissa felt her stomach flip. She’d seen them. She’d walked through the show flat as if she’d been in a dream world. Or a nightmare, once she’d seen the price. It had been gorgeous, a silver bespoke kitchen with appliances to die for, the most luxurious red velvet sofa she’d ever seen, with cushions you could just sink into, matching curtains with a view over the spectacular marina where all the million-pound boats were moored. And the pièce de résistance, the huge white bedroom with mahogany four-poster bed. Every little girl’s dream bedroom. The kind of carpet so white you were scared to step on it in case you left a mark. She remembered the blue plastic covers they had been forced to put on over their own shoes before they had been allowed in the show flat. Once she’d seen the white bedroom Melissa had completely understood. He must be a millionaire to own a flat like that.

‘So what brings you to Kessington?’ she asked curiously. One of the largest towns in the North of England, Kessington had a thriving marina and affluent business district. She wondered what he did for a living. Her interest was definitely piqued.

A frown flickered across his brow. It was the second time she’d seen that moment of hesitation from him. What was he hiding?

His eyes met hers again. Heat flared between them. ‘This and that,’ he answered dismissively. The noise in the bar swelled again as another crowd of revellers surged through the door. His hand automatically went to her waist again, pulling her closer so that his lips were brushing the top of her earlobe. The movement sent tiny electrical impulses down her spine, leaving the little hairs at the back of her neck standing deliciously on end. Melissa could hear imaginary voices in her head screaming, He’s gorgeous. Go for it, girl! She could feel her knees start to tremble. When was the last time someone had tried to chat her up? She couldn’t even remember. For the first time in her life she felt as if she was about to be swept off her feet, like some damsel in distress being rescued by a white knight on a beautiful stallion. A smile danced across her lips as she stared at the gorgeous man in front of her. If only he could see the picture inside her head right now, he would probably run screaming from the room! She pulled her mind from her fantasy and brought it back to the present. What did ‘this and that’ mean? Their eyes connected again, leaving her in no doubt that the feelings were entirely mutual.

Cooper gave her a wide smile. This was just what he needed. The last two years at work had been painful. The last year had been especially painful as his colleagues had seemed to decide that the official ‘mourning period’ should be over. That had resulted in a procession of female colleagues under his nose who had obviously decided he was an eligible bachelor again. It had become almost painful to have a conversation with a member of the female staff. It hadn’t helped that hospitals seemed to have an unending supply of women. Heavy hints had been dropped all around him, telling him it was time to move on.

But this was different. This was his decision. To see a beautiful woman in a bar and have a conversation with her. To know that he felt attracted to her. There was freedom in this that he’d never experienced before and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He didn’t even want to think about work right now. He gave a little sigh. His eyes swept downwards. The thin fabric of her green dress clung to her curves, showing just enough of her cleavage to give him a hint of what lay beneath. He found his voice again. ‘What about you?’

Melissa was conscious of his fingers at her waist. Tingles swept along her skin where his hand lay, causing her to suck her breath in again deeply. There was something enticing about the mystery between them.

She liked the fact that someone, especially a tall, dark handsome someone, was interested in her. She decided to play him at his own game.

She threw back her head, tossing her chestnut curls over her shoulder. ‘I’m a bit like yourself,’ she teased, a twinkle in her eyes, ‘a bit of this and a bit of that.’

Cooper almost laughed. He could see the flicker of panic that whizzed across her face. He knew she wasn’t used to this. But then again, neither was he. He hadn’t felt this good in a long time. It made him determined not to let this night end. He leaned forward, his breath on the skin at the side of her neck. ‘So, mysterious Missy, let’s have some fun.’

She delighted in the shivers that quivered down her spine and the thoughts that were immediately conjured up in her mind. His voice was rich and husky; it made him all the more attractive to her. Boy, he was sexy.

Her bright eyes fixed on his. ‘What do you mean?’ Was it time for her to start panicking? How had he interpreted what she’d just said? This was so unlike her. She wasn’t used to meeting men in pubs and having flirtatious conversations. But there was just something about him that was irresistible. And she knew she didn’t want this to end.

‘Well, I don’t know much about you—you don’t know much about me. How about we remedy that?’ His hand around her waist had tightened its grip, turning her around to face him. Her breasts were now skimming his chest. She could feel the response of her nipples underneath the confines of her clingy dress. On an ordinary day she would have been horrified and embarrassed, but tonight she didn’t even look down—she didn’t have to—she just moved a little closer.

His right hand came out from his pocket to rest on her other hip. ‘I’ve got a suggestion. Some questions—but only completely truthful answers.’ His smile was a little crooked, so he wasn’t quite so perfect after all.

She raised herself up on her tiptoes, her hands resting on his broad shoulders as she whispered in his ear, ‘I think I’m up for that.’

He looked quickly round the crowded bar. ‘It’s too noisy in here. Let’s take a walk,’ he said, turning her towards the door. He lifted her thick black coat and held it open for her to slip her arms inside. Melissa glanced around the bar. She couldn’t see her friend at the bar any more and didn’t want to waste time looking for her. She’d probably already left without her. Her stomach fluttered a little. She didn’t do this. She didn’t meet strange men in pubs and leave with them. She was Melissa. Reliable. Dependable. Great in a crisis. Sister in the labour ward and the most sensible person that even she knew. No one would believe her if she told them about this. Part of that was the attraction. Missy instinctively felt safe with him and her instincts had always been good. She’d spent the last six months eating, sleeping and working. There was more to life and she knew it. It was time to throw caution to the wind and act on instinct. And it felt delicious.

His hand pressed gently on her back as he ushered her through the crowd and out the door. The biting cold wind hit her immediately and she fastened her coat up round her neck. He stood next to her, patiently waiting. ‘Give me a second,’ she said, pulling her mobile from her pocket. ‘I’m just going to send my friend a text to let her know I’ve left.’ She dabbed quickly on the keypad, her fingers rapidly going white with cold, before finally pressing ‘Send’. She lifted her hands to her mouth, blowing on them to try and revive them. In an instant she felt his warm hand encircle hers and she stuck the other hand deep in her pocket, pushing her phone away safely. A smile danced across her face as she pictured her friend receiving the text Left with the gorgeous man in black WOO HOO!

Lynn would be stunned. She hadn’t met the new, reckless Melissa. She was used to the sensible friend who made sure she got home safely at the end of the night. Another little wave of excitement ran through Melissa. This felt good.

‘Let’s go this way,’ Cooper said as he automatically turned towards the marina. She felt her heart quicken in her chest. The roads and pavements were glistening with frost that was starting to form on the cold winter’s night. She grasped his hand a little tighter. Her beautiful black high-heeled shoes were a joy to look at, but not so much of a joy to walk in. She teetered along precariously next to him, shooting him a smile and pretending to walk with confidence.

‘So, Missy,’ he said, ‘tell me a bit about yourself. Do you often leave pubs with strange men?’

‘Oh.’ She was caught off guard. She stopped walking abruptly. ‘Of course I don’t!’ The words came out more harshly than she’d expected. Did he think she was easy?

‘Calm down,’ he said quietly, moving his arm around her waist. ‘It’s all right, Missy. I kind of guessed this was all new to you.’

‘You did?’ Her wide eyes met his steady gaze. His deep eyes pulling her in even closer.

‘Yes, I did,’ he said assuredly. ‘Would it help if I told you I was new at all this too?’

‘You are?’ She could hardly believe it. Surely women were beating down his door with a stick?

He gave her a nod, pulling her a little closer. ‘Now relax. You’re safe with me. Tell me something unusual. What’s the one thing most people don’t know about you? Something that only your good friends would know.’

Her mind was spinning and her heart was beating frantically in her chest again. How did this man do this to her? How could one man cause her body to be all aquiver and turn her brain to mush? She’d expected him to ask her something mundane. Her befuddled brain blurted out the first answer that came into her head. ‘I’m a sci-fi freak.’

‘Wow!’ He stopped walking and turned to look at her under the yellow streetlight. Nothing could change the glow coming from those beguiling green eyes. He couldn’t hide the amusement on his face. ‘Really? Well, you’ve certainly surprised me.’

‘Why?’ She tried to look offended, before adding defensively, ‘I think they’re the most exciting films in the cinema. Give me anything with a laser gun and spacesuit and I’m sold. Take me to see a chick flick and you’ve had it.’

‘Mmm.’ He looked her up and down.

‘What?’

‘I’m just imagining you in one of those really short space dresses.’ He nodded approvingly. ‘I’m liking what I see.’

‘Get lost!’ She thumped him through his thick grey jacket. ‘Right, my turn. Are you the chick-flick type?’

She waited for his answer while silently scolding herself. She needed to get some more imagination if she wanted to win this game.

‘Westerns,’ he said decisively. ‘All that testosterone, horses and guns blazing. Any boy’s dream.’

A testosterone-loving man. She wondered how much she should read into that. ‘My turn this time.’ As they came to an icy puddle on the pavement, he wrapped his arm further around her waist and pulled her towards his hip.

She felt oddly comfortable tucked under his protective hold. She lifted her head as she heard some people pass by on the other side of the street. From over there they would look like a couple in love, wrapped around each other on a cold winter’s night. A couple of young women walked around them on the pavement, both women’s eyes automatically running up and down Cooper’s body with unhidden admiration. Melissa smiled. Look all you want, ladies, this man is with me. From this position she raised her head, her nose brushing against his cold cheek, and looked straight into his magnetic eyes. The smallest of gestures. The most intimate of gestures. She wanted this night to last forever. Her brain pulled itself into focus. It was time for another question. ‘What do you like to read?’

He nodded in recognition of the question, taking a few seconds to decide on his answer. He let out a big sigh. ‘Is this the point I’m supposed to tell you I don’t read much? Because I fear I’m about to reveal a childhood secret.’

Her face lit up with a bright smile. ‘Then I think I will too, so go ahead.’

‘I love to read. I always have done. So it’s absolutely got to be any of the old-fashioned detective novels. But I mean really old, long before everything became so scientific and crimes were solved with DNA and microscopic evidence. I always loved them as a child. Even now as an adult I still sometimes pick them up. I love the characters.’

She gave him a curious smile. ‘Okay, now I’m intrigued. What’s so good about the characters?’

‘Everything. Their intelligence. Their wit. Even their complications. Sometimes even their mistakes. I loved them all.’ She was staring at him again with those luminescent eyes. Her chestnut curls were waving gently in the wind. It was all he could do not to reach up and run his fingers through her tresses. Then his hand would be at the back of her head and he could pull her towards him…

Her face was shining. ‘For me it was the classics, particularly Little Women, which I still read on occasion. The copy I have is so tatty and dog-eared that some of the pages are about to fall out. I still cry every time I read it. It breaks my heart when Beth dies.’

He watched. She was so caught up in what she was saying her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. Something tugged at his heartstrings. Something almost primal. When was the last time he’d felt this protective towards a woman?

She caught the expression on his face and it stopped her as she was about to continue. She sensed the deep emotions that were smouldering inside him. But what were they? Was it a memory? Or was it something more primitive, like lust?

They’d reached the marina and were now standing next to the barrier, looking out over the array of million-pound boats, all costing more than Melissa would earn in a lifetime. His arm was still locked firmly around her waist.

His voice cut through the darkness. ‘Let’s go with the dream theme. What would be your dream job?’

Instantly her voice caught in her throat. Missy had her dream job. Being a midwife was the only job she had ever wanted to do, and would ever want to do. But for some reason she wasn’t inclined to tell him that. He’d been coy about work earlier. He didn’t want to talk about it. So she intended to be coy too.

It was easier to stick with the sci-fi theme. ‘My dream job would be an astronaut.’ She waved her arm above her head. ‘To fly amongst the stars would be magical.’

‘And the reason you didn’t train at NASA?’ he queried playfully.

She heaved a huge sigh and turned, releasing herself from his grasp and leaning backwards against the railings. ‘What can I say? I failed physics at school and I think it was a basic requirement of astronaut training. So that put me out.’

‘What a shame,’ Coop said, standing directly in front of her and putting a hand on either side of her hips. He pulled her gently towards him. ‘I could have met you there.’ He lowered his face towards hers, his breath visible in the cold night air.

‘You’re telling me that was your dream job too?’ she whispered. Her face was only inches from his.

‘Absolutely. Just look at how much we have in common. We were obviously destined to meet.’ He ran his hands around her hips, cradling her bottom. She caught her breath at the intimacy of the movement. A word sang in her head. Destiny. She knew it was crazy but it certainly felt like that. What if somewhere, in some lifetime, this gorgeous man was indeed her perfect match? What if she hadn’t spoken to him? What if she’d gone home early? What if she’d been too scared to throw caution to the wind and leave with him—something she would never normally have done?

But everything about this felt perfect. She felt as if she was meant to be there, in his arms, at this moment. Everything about this just felt so right.

He gave her a slow smile. ‘See,’ he whispered, ‘we’re a match made in heaven.’ She moved closer, her hips pressing against his, her hands resting on his shoulders. She shivered. ‘It’s really cold out here.’ Her eyes met his.

‘We could go inside.’ His lips brushed against her ear. ‘You might have failed physics at school but how did you do at biology?’

Melissa’s heart stopped. ‘I got first prize,’ she said breathlessly.

The words hung in the darkness for a few seconds. Both knew where this was leading. Melissa could feel the heat between their bodies. She knew she should say no. She knew she should walk away. But she didn’t want to. She hardly knew anything about Coop. She didn’t even know his second name. But, then, he didn’t know hers. Most of all, she didn’t want to walk away. She wanted to have this one night of reckless passion with this mysterious stranger. She wanted to break free from the ‘sensible’ sign that followed her wherever she went. She wanted to follow her destiny. After all, who would ever know? She dropped her hand from his shoulder and placed her hand in his.

He led her wordlessly to the front door of the flats she had viewed earlier that year. They entered the lift and she stifled a gasp when he pressed the button for the top floor. Moments later he opened his front door into the flat of her dreams.

‘You bought the show flat?’ she asked in astonishment.

He nodded nonchalantly. ‘It seemed easier just to buy the one with the furniture included.’ He spread his arms out around the wide space. ‘I was never any good at that sort of thing anyway.’

He gestured towards her and she handed him her thick coat, which he hung in a nearby cupboard. Melissa walked in awe around the open-plan kitchen, running her finger along the black marble worktop, her heels clicking on the slate floor. Cooper turned and opened the blinds in the living area to show the view over the marina. If she’d thought it was stunning downstairs, up here it was breathtaking. The boats glistened, gleaming white against the black water. Her fingers automatically went up to touch the red curtains. They were thick and luxurious, just as she’d imagined. She pointed towards the sumptuous sofa that she’d admired from afar. ‘Can I?’

Coop looked puzzled. ‘Of course.’

She sank into the huge cushions, closed her eyes and let out a huge sigh. ‘Oh, it’s just as gorgeous as I imagined.’ She snuggled her shoulders deeper into the soft fabric.

‘What are you talking about?’

Her eyes flickered open. ‘I came to see this flat when it was the show flat for the development and I really, really wanted to do this.’

‘You wanted to sit on the sofa?’ His right eyebrow rose in amusement.

‘Well—yes, but the woman that was showing us around was a bear and I was too scared to touch anything. I think she could tell just by looking that I could never afford to stay anywhere like this.’

Cooper let out a laugh. It was deep, warm and rich. Not what she had expected.

Her train of thought hadn’t shifted. ‘So how can you afford this?’

He lowered his eyes slightly. ‘I came into some money and I earn a relatively good salary.’ He plumped down next to her on the oversized sofa.

Melissa nodded. She could tell when not to press him. She turned sideways to face him. ‘Whose turn is it to ask a question?’

He ran his finger down her arm, causing her skin to come out in tiny goose-bumps. ‘I’ve lost track,’ he whispered, leaning forward and twisting a finger in her chestnut curls, pulling her face towards his.

She expected his kiss to be light, gentle, and it was anything but. It was hard and passionate, instantly setting her body alight with desire. She felt the heat spreading throughout her being. Heat she hadn’t felt in months—no, heat like this she had never felt. His other hand came up and caught the other side of her head, cradling her face. He drew his head back from hers, looking her in the eye. ‘I didn’t have any plans like this tonight,’ he said sincerely, ‘but right now I’m going to ask you if you want to come through to the bedroom with me.’

Melissa went to speak but he placed one finger on her lips. ‘Shh. Missy, if you want to leave I won’t stand in your way. But I would really like it if you’d stay.’ His breath was slightly ragged now, as if he was trying to fight the fire building inside him.

Her heart was pounding. This was sexual chemistry like she’d never felt before. She reached her hands around his neck and whispered in his ear.

His eyes lit up with wild excitement. ‘What was that?’ he asked in amazement.

‘My next question,’ Melissa said with quiet assurance. ‘I just decided what I wanted to ask.’

Cooper looked at her with his steady brown eyes, a smile forming across his lips. ‘In that case, this takes me back to show and tell from school, and this answer is definitely a show.’ And he took her by the hand and led her to the white bedroom.

CHAPTER TWO

Eight weeks later

MELISSA had just finished zipping up her tunic when she heard the shouting at the top of the labour ward. Hurrying to pull her newly washed curls back into a ponytail, she straightened her tunic, and set off down the corridor at speed.

Melissa had been one of the sisters in the labour ward for nearly three years and when she was on duty she prided herself on the calm running of the ward. Today, though, the midwives station at the central point in the labour ward seemed to be in chaos. Melissa tried to make herself heard above the rabble surrounding her. Two junior doctors appeared to be having an argument, two midwives were trying to deal with telephone calls, one consultant was angrily trying to attract the attention of anyone at all, and in the midst of it all stood a man, holding an empty jug of water. He was holding it out gingerly, saying, ‘Excuse me, excuse me?’

Melissa shook her head, lengthening her last few strides as she reached the station. ‘Enough!’ Her hand thudded on the desk and immediately silenced her bickering colleagues. ‘You two…’ she pointed at the junior doctors ‘…take your discussion elsewhere. My midwives are trying to deal with telephone enquiries.’ She grabbed one of the passing nursing auxiliaries, ‘Fran, can you assist this gentleman, please?’ she asked, gesturing in the direction of the bewildered man.

Finally she turned to the consultant standing at the desk. ‘Dr Mackay, can I help you with something?’

He nodded and pointed towards the nearby room. ‘I need a set of notes for the lady in Room 4, Katherine Kelly. I’m not happy with her presentation.’

Melissa nodded and walked around to the other side of the midwives’ station and retrieved a set of case notes from the trolley. It was the same place where notes had been kept on the labour ward for the last twenty years. She handed him the buff-coloured folder. He took them with a sigh of relief, ‘Thank God you’re on duty today,’ he muttered as he turned and headed back down the corridor.

Melissa watched his retreating back with a smile on her face. Had that been a compliment? Dr Mackay was not famed for his compliments. He was nearing retirement and becoming increasingly grumpy with age. A new consultant had been appointed but Melissa hadn’t met him yet.

She waited until one of the midwives at the desk had hung up her phone. ‘Carrie, what’s going on in here today?’

‘Just what you’d expect. The new junior and senior doctors have started today and the place is in chaos. We seem to have more women in labour than usual and we’ve had a few late presentations with complications.’ She pointed in the direction of the midwifery suite. ‘Sister Baird is in charge of the midwifery side today—she can update you on the admissions. Jen Connell was in charge of the medical side—she’s still in Room 4 with the patient Dr Mackay just collected the notes for.’

Melissa nodded and set off towards the midwifery unit to touch base with her colleague. The labour ward was divided into two sides: the midwifery side, where women with routine pregnancies and routine labours were looked after by a team of midwives from start to finish; and the medical side, where women with high-risk pregnancies were looked after by a team of doctors and midwives. Both sides of the labour ward had a midwifery sister or senior midwife on duty at all times, along with a team of more junior midwives to help support all women through the labour process. Melissa had always worked on the medical side. She had been diabetic since childhood and in this hospital all women with diabetes were automatically under the care of the medical staff. Knowing how single-minded the medical staff could be made Melissa all the more determined that women like her had the best possible birth experience. The only way that would happen was if experienced midwives like her worked hand in hand with their medical associates.

She heard her colleague’s voice and pushed open the nearest door. ‘Hi, Andrea.’ Her colleague looked up from the foetal monitor she was watching. ‘Just letting you know that I’ll be taking over in the medical side. Let me know if there are any patients you need to discuss.’

Andrea tucked a stray piece of short blonde hair behind her ear and shot her a quick smile as she pressed a button on the monitor for a printout of the foetal heart. ‘Any word on our lady with the breech presentation yet?’

Melissa shook her head. ‘I haven’t had a report yet from Jen—I’m just going to see her. It was bedlam at the midwifery station when I arrived.’

Andrea gave her a big smile. ‘So you haven’t seen the new consultant yet? I believe he’s in with that patient. She arrived less than an hour ago, already in labour with a breech presentation. We had to transfer her over to the medical side.’

She crossed the room away from the patient she was dealing with and whispered under her breath, ‘He’s spent the last month covering all the outlying areas, but he’s here permanently now. Hunk, total hunk.’

‘What?’

‘You’ll see. Let me know how the patient does, will you?’

Melissa gave her a quick nod and ducked back out of the door. The three midwives she would be working with were waiting at the midwives’ station and she assigned them each to an area of the ward before going to take over from Jen.

‘Hi, Jen,’ she said breezily as she entered the room, crossing behind the curtains to join Jen and the patient. ‘I’m here to take over from you—can you give me a report?’

Jen looked up from the notes she had just finished writing and put her pen down. ‘Hi, Missy, that’s great. Thanks.’

The woman lying on the bed was pale and sweating. Her dark hair lay limp in a cloud around her white face. She was breathing shallowly, small rapid gasps, leaning forward at first and then sagging back against the pillows whenever another contraction took hold. As an experienced midwife Melissa could tell from the shape of the woman’s abdomen that the baby was in the wrong position.

Jen continued quickly, ‘This is Katherine Kelly. She’s twenty-two and this is her first pregnancy. She missed her last two antenatal appointments and presented in labour just under an hour ago. Her contractions were only four minutes apart when she arrived and it was noticed on admission that baby was in the frank breech position. Her blood pressure had also spiked so she was transferred through to the medical side.’ She handed the observation chart she was holding over to Melissa, who cast her eyes over it rapidly.

‘She’s 40 weeks’ gestation. We’ve just done an ultrasound to confirm the position and size of the baby. Everything looks normal. Her contractions are now two minutes apart. We are too late to turn the baby, and Dr Mackay had been considering Caesarean section, but thankfully our new consultant…’ she gestured into the corner of the room ‘…has plenty of experience of this type of delivery and is happy to take the lead.’

Melissa nodded, assimilating all the information she’d just been given. If Katherine had attended her last two antenatal appointments it was likely that the breech presentation would have been picked up beforehand and dealt with. Now it meant that the baby was going to come out bottom first instead of head first. Some congenital malformations could result in a breech presentation but the ultrasound must have ruled that out. This meant that all that was really left to do now was to assist the new consultant in the delivery of this baby.

She sat on the bed next to Katherine and took her hand. ‘Hi,’ she said, ‘I’m Melissa and very soon I’m going to help you have this baby.’ She turned to face Jen again. ‘Is the paediatrician on his way?’

Jen nodded. ‘He said he’d be here in the next five minutes.’

Melissa fastened the blood-pressure cuff around Katherine’s arm and set the machine to record every five minutes. She turned to face the new consultant in the corner of the room and stretched out her hand towards him. ‘Pleased to meet you. I’m Melissa Bell, one of the midwifery sisters.’

He looked up from the notes he had been checking over and her heart froze. Time stopped. Cooper. Cooper was the new consultant obstetrician?

Cooper—the man who’d said he did a bit of ‘this and that’. Cooper, the man who lived in the show flat overlooking the marina. Cooper, the man who had taken her through to the glistening white bedroom with the mahogany four-poster bed and…

Cooper ran one of his hands through his floppy brown hair and reached his other hand out to meet hers. ‘Pleased to meet you, Melissa. I’m Cooper Roberts.’ Not a flicker of recognition. His actions were as smooth as silk, the consummate professional.

He stood up from his chair and pushed the bed table he had been leaning on away from him. Melissa hadn’t moved. She stood rooted to the spot. The last time she’d seen this man they’d both been naked and he’d been trailing his tongue around every part of her body, awakening sensations she’d never felt before. Her brain was spinning so fast that she thought she might fall over. She wrenched her hand free of his, conscious of the electricity that had just shot up her arm, and grasped the bottom of the bed. Cooper moved effortlessly past her and sat down on the side of the bed to talk to Katherine.

‘Is there anyone with you?’

Katherine shook her pale head. ‘No, it’s just me. My mum lives miles away. I phoned her early this morning but I don’t think she’ll be here in time.’

‘Is there anyone else I can phone for you?’

Melissa was still in shock. She knew what he was doing and why he was doing it. A breech delivery could be traumatic and it would be better if Katherine had someone to support her. He spoke soft, reassuring words to Katherine, whilst resting his hand on her abdomen and explaining how the delivery would proceed.

‘If my baby is the wrong position, shouldn’t I have a Caesarean section?’

Cooper glanced at her chart. ‘From your history you’ve been in labour for more than twenty-four hours. Your waters have broken and we’ve already examined you and established that you’re fully dilated.’ He held her hand reassuringly. ‘If we’d known about the baby’s position in advance we may well have considered a Caesarean section. But you’re pretty far along now and the baby is ready to come out. There’s no reason to think there will be any problems.’ He gave her hand a little squeeze as another contraction clearly gripped her. ‘Do you feel the sensation to push yet?’

Katherine’s face crumpled and she nodded. She was clearly growing tired. ‘I just want this to be over.’ She started to sob.

The blood-pressure cuff round her arm automatically started to inflate again and Cooper’s eyes followed the reading carefully. The door opened and the paediatrician appeared, pushing a special cot to allow assessment of the newborn. He gave Cooper a quick nod. ‘Nice to see you again, Dr Roberts.’ Then shot a smile over towards her. ‘And you, Melissa.’

Melissa started. What was she doing? She had to get hold of herself. Cooper had managed to keep his composure without any problems. But it was claustrophobic being in a room with a man she’d seen naked. Naked.

There was that word again. She couldn’t get it out of her head. But if she closed her eyes for a second she could see his broad torso and muscular arms, all with a little smattering of dark hair that curled downwards towards…

‘Sister Bell… Missy?’

She spun abruptly, caught by the informal use of her name. That was what she’d told him to call her that night. His dark chocolate eyes were watching her carefully. He was cool and composed. His gaze never faltered. The ultimate professional. He expected her to be the same.

‘Are you ready to assist me?’

Melissa gave a quick nod, tearing her eyes away from his. She moved swiftly over the bed to help assist Katherine into the most appropriate position for delivery at the end of the bed. The semi-recumbent position would allow space at the end of the bed for the baby to hang. Cooper washed his hands and pulled on some gloves before positioning himself at the end of the bed, while Melissa remained at Katherine’s side, monitoring the recordings from the foetal monitor and blood-pressure gauge. Cooper swiftly examined Katherine again.

‘Okay, Katherine. The baby’s bottom is right at the cervix. On your next contraction you can start to push. We’ll let you know if you need to stop. Just let us know how you’re feeling.’

Katherine nodded tensely as the next contraction took hold of her body. Cooper continued to talk to her quietly but firmly over the next few minutes. ‘Good, Katherine, keep pushing. That’s the posterior buttock, now the anterior buttock.’ The baby’s legs were spontaneously delivered. He nodded swiftly at Melissa and the paediatrician to let them know that things were proceeding smoothly. ‘Take a deep breath again, Katherine. Things are going well.’

Melissa watched carefully as Cooper delivered the baby’s shoulders then checked the position of the arms and umbilicus. If the baby’s arms were extended, that could cause problems with the delivery.

‘Get ready, people, the baby’s arms are flexed so they’ll be delivered on the next push.’ He shot Katherine a big smile. He had managed to put the patient at ease and was clearly confident in his clinical abilities. ‘We’re nearly there now, Katherine, just another few big pushes.’

Katherine grimaced and gathered herself for the next push, gripping Melissa’s hand so tightly that she thought her bones might break. Melissa sat down on the bed, wrapping her arm around Katherine’s shoulders. ‘Do you know what you’re having?’ she asked, trying to distract her into letting go of her other hand.

Katherine shook her head fiercely. ‘I didn’t want to know. I wanted a surprise.’

Melissa nodded in understanding. Her view of the earlier ultrasound had revealed the baby’s sex but she wasn’t about to let Katherine know. She felt Katherine’s abdominal muscles begin to tense again. ‘Another big push now.’

Cooper positioned his hand to check the position of the baby’s head. ‘Okay, it’s going to be the Burns-Marshall manoeuvre,’ he said, clarifying the position to the waiting team. ‘This might be a little uncomfortable, Katherine, as we need to turn the baby one hundred and eighty degrees and we have to do it slowly to prevent sudden changes in pressure.’

With his focus entirely on the job in hand, Cooper grasped the baby’s ankles, waited for the hairline to appear and then slowly pivoted the baby until the nose and mouth were free. There was silence in the room for the two minutes while he carried out the procedure and the staff silently held their breath. When it was done Cooper handed the baby over to the waiting arms of the paediatrician, who made a quick assessment and used some suction to clear the baby’s airways. A quick whiff of oxygen later and the room was filled with the angry roar of a baby who was well and truly awake. The paediatrician gave Melissa a little nod and she picked up a nearby blanket to wrap round the screaming bundle, who was rapidly turning a nice shade of pink.

Just for a second she stopped. This was one of the moments that she loved. Those first few minutes where the baby adjusted to its new surroundings. Some hated the transition and screamed, others were mesmerised and looked around wildly with unfocused eyes. Those first few seconds were precious and it was one of the reasons Melissa loved her job so much. Her stomach gave a little squeeze as she stared at the little one in her arms. When would it be her turn? Would she ever be the person whose heart filled with joy at the first sight of her baby? Her biological clock was ticking and with no potential partner on the horizon, a baby was a long way off.

She glanced down once more at the perfect little pink face in her arms and pulled her mind back into the present.

‘Here we go, Katherine,’ she said, handing over the precious gift. ‘Meet your son.’

Katherine seemed oblivious to the noise in the room and took him with trembling arms. ‘Isn’t he gorgeous?’ she breathed heavily.

Melissa sat down next to her on the bed. ‘Have you got a name picked out for him yet?’

Katherine nodded. ‘I’m going to name him James, after my dad.’

‘That’s lovely. I’m sure he’ll be delighted.’

She looked up as one of the junior midwives stuck her head around the door. ‘Just to let you know that Katherine’s mum has arrived.’ She caught sight of the little bundle lying Katherine’s arms. ‘Oh, great, the baby is here. Do you want me to send her in?’

Melissa turned to Katherine. ‘We’re not quite finished yet, but do you want her to come in and see the baby?’

Katherine nodded silently. Her eyes hadn’t left her baby’s. She was still in the newborn glow of motherhood.

Melissa looked at Cooper carefully. It had been her first experience of the new consultant and it was one of the smoothest breech deliveries she had ever seen. He clearly knew his stuff. Melissa went to leave the room and find Katherine’s mother. She brushed past Cooper, who was standing talking quietly to the paediatrician. It was a tight squeeze and her breasts brushed against the back of Cooper’s white coat. ‘Sorry,’ she muttered on the way past, and breathed a sigh of relief as she ducked out of the door.

Cooper finished his conversation with the paediatrician and had a few final words with Katherine before picking up her notes and carrying them out the room.

His registrar was waiting outside the room for him. ‘Anything I can do, Cooper?’

He nodded quickly. ‘Yes. Katherine still has to deliver her placenta. Can you go and supervise for me?’

Cooper didn’t normally like to leave a patient immediately after delivery but he was still getting over the shock of seeing Melissa in the room. He walked into the nearest consulting room and closed the door behind him. Sitting at the desk, his hand automatically went to his trouser pocket where he turned his wedding ring over and over in his pocket.

What on earth was she doing here? He’d been dumbfounded when she’d walked into the room. She hadn’t even noticed him to begin with, she’d been too focused on the patient. But when she had seen him she’d looked as if she’d been hit with a ton of bricks. It was obvious she hadn’t wanted to see him again. He’d realised that as soon as he’d woken up the next morning and she’d gone. No note. No nothing. Wham! Bam! Thank you, Ma’am!

She hadn’t seemed like that type of girl. He’d almost believed she’d never had a one-night stand before. But six weeks later and with no sign of her, his opinion had changed. The last place he’d expected to see her was on the first day of his new job. Why hadn’t she told him she was a midwife? He groaned and put his head in his hands. But he hadn’t told her he was a doctor either. She had been stunned to see him.

He’d come here to be a new person. He’d wanted to be in a new place where no one knew his history. He wanted to be in a place where he had no ties. Where he could just focus on the job. This was a nightmare. Once word got out he’d slept with the ward sister he would be at the mercy of the hospital grapevine. It had been bad enough at his old post, where everyone had seemed to have a ‘wonderful single female friend who would be just perfect for him.’ He didn’t want to mix business with pleasure. He hadn’t even really decided if he was ready for the pleasure side. Cooper sighed and leaned back in his chair. This was the last thing that he wanted. He’d had experience of the hospital grapevine. The whispered words ‘That’s the consultant whose wife died’ had haunted him for months. That was why he was here. In a new place where there would be no discussion about his personal life, no interference. And now this.

He couldn’t bear it. This was the job he loved. This was the one constant in his life. This was the thing that still gave him a reason to get up in the morning, because even after everything that had happened to him, this was the job he was good at. There were patients who needed him, patients that he could save. Other doctors might have hidden away, retrained and entered a different branch of medicine, but that had never even entered his mind. His own hospital had held too many painful memories to stay, but here it was different—here a whole new set of memories was waiting to be made and he couldn’t allow anything to spoil that for him. He had to be the ultimate professional. This was work and he could manage to maintain a professional relationship with Sister Bell. Couldn’t he?

Sister Bell—that was exactly how he would think of her. Not Melissa and certainly not Missy. No. He stood up and straightened his white coat. He could do this.

Cooper’s eyes scanned over the sports arena. He’d been too late to catch Melissa at work but one of the other midwives—Andrea, after wrinkling her nose at him—had told him that she usually came for a run after work. He spotted the figure at the other side of the running track. He’d recognise that body anywhere and that thought triggered a little twist in his gut.

Just as she’d caught his eye in the pub, so she caught his eye here too. She was wearing a bright red tracksuit with a grey running vest and white trainers. Her chestnut hair was pulled up in a ponytail and he watched as she finished her lap and checked the time on her watch. He started to jog slowly around the track towards her. He didn’t even know what he was going to say. That he was sorry? That this was awkward? That every time he saw her he had flashbacks to their night together?

He watched as she sat down on the arena steps and pulled her rucksack towards her, pulling a mini chocolate bar from it and eating it in two bites. Then she leaned forward and rested her head on her arms, obviously trying to catch her breath. He slowed as he approached her; there was no time like the present.

Melissa’s heart was pounding. She checked her pulse then wondered if her heart was pounding due to her exercise or the day she’d just had at work. The events of the day played over and over in her mind like some bad Groundhog day.

She felt her cheeks flush as she remembered when she’d had to brush past him. Just as well she’d been wearing a hideous sports bra under her uniform. She would have died if he’d noticed her nipples’ automatic response. She wasn’t used to being haunted by erotic thoughts at work. Which seemed strange since she used to work with her ex, David. But David hadn’t conjured up the wild responses that she’d experienced with Cooper. If this was what happened to her mind after one day, how on earth was she going to work with him?

Then there was the fact he hadn’t told her he was a doctor—worse, an obstetrician. She’d just come out of a relationship with a doctor and she certainly wasn’t looking for another! Why on earth did he have to be working here?

She groaned and stuck her head in her hands. Oh, wake up, Missy! She’d met him in a pub that was five minutes away from the hospital—a known haunt of hospital personnel. He’d picked a flat that was less than a ten-minute walk from the hospital. Most of the new staff tended to look for properties close by, until they had a chance to get to know the local area. And he’d been a new face, someone she’d never seen before. She should have known he was a doctor.

Junior doctors changed jobs every six months, some seniors did too, registrars usually every couple of years, but always around the same time of year. But he was a consultant. Come to think of it, he was pretty young to be a consultant obstetrician. But then again, what age was he?

She couldn’t remember if she’d asked him that—she was sure she hadn’t. And there weren’t many details about that night she’d forgotten. No, she’d spent the last six weeks reliving that night over and over in her head.

How could she work with this man? The thought of seeing him every day sent delicious tingles along her spine. He was one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen. She’d seen him under cover of darkness before and through a haze of wine, and sometimes that hid a multitude of sins. But not for Cooper. No, he was just as much a Greek god in the cold, harsh light of day as he’d been on that crisp winter’s night. She knew that already he’d be the talk of the hospital. There weren’t that many handsome, unattached doctors in their midst. She could probably write a list of the names of colleagues who would attempt to ensnare him. That gave her a little flare of, what—jealousy? About someone she hardly knew?

She remembered the delicious excitement that night of leaving with the mysterious stranger. She remembered her thoughts about destiny. She remembered her thought, Who would ever know? Melissa groaned. Once. Just once in her life she’d thrown caution to the wind and acted on her instincts. Everything about that night had been magical. So much so that when she’d woken in the morning she’d picked up her clothes and crept out, reluctant to do anything to break the spell from the night before. But at work she was sensible Melissa. Reliable, dependable and good at her job, not the bumbling, distracted idiot she’d felt like today. She wanted to keep her personal and professional lives separate. She was going to have to speak to him. There really wasn’t any way around this.

She lifted her head at the slowing footsteps approaching her. Missy was startled. He was the absolute last person she expected to see right now.

He slowed his jog and walked the last couple of steps towards her in his navy jogging shorts and T-shirt. No other clothes could showcase his muscled legs so perfectly. A wicked thought filled her mind and instantly a smile danced across her lips as he thumped down next to her.

She leaned back against the steps. ‘So, Dr Roberts, what can I do for you?’ The mixed scent of his sweat and cologne instantly invaded her senses, making her head swim with memories of their night together.

That was it. That was what he’d loved about her. That had been the attraction—the fact she wasn’t afraid to say whatever was on her sassy mind. He leaned back against the steps next to her, ‘Well, Sister Bell, I’m not quite sure,’ he said. ‘We seem to have got ourselves into a bit of a predicament.’

He turned towards her, his face only inches from hers. And then she saw them, those chocolate eyes again. Those deep eyes. The type that drew you in and made you forget who you were and where you were. The same eyes that had mesmerised her on that long, hot night together.

‘You’re a distraction,’ she said.

‘What?’

He flinched backwards and drew his gaze away from hers and she blinked twice. Apparently she was the only person caught in the memory.

‘You distracted me at work today, Cooper. It’s really difficult to be in a confined space with someone you last saw naked.’

He raised an eyebrow at her candour. ‘Get straight to the point, why don’t you?’

‘It needs to be said.’ Her fingers twiddled with a lock of her hair. She was trying to appear cool and casual. ‘I felt as if I couldn’t concentrate at work today and that’s not me. I’m very good at my job.’

He nodded thoughtfully. ‘I’m sure you are.’ He ran his hand through his hair, catching the big brown strand that fell over his eyes. He looked sideways at her and gave a grin. ‘I’d hate to be responsible for your mind not being on your work.’

There it was again, that sexual tension that seemed to spring up whenever they were near each other. There was silence between them for a second as his words hung in the air. Did he really need a distraction at work? No, he didn’t. What he needed was to take some time to settle into his new position and find his feet again. His eyes darted around the empty jogging track. If he didn’t look at her then he couldn’t think illicit thoughts. He struggled to find the words he felt he had to say. ‘This is probably a bit awkward for us both.’

Melissa groaned. She raised her hand in disgust. ‘Please don’t give me the speech.’

This time his eyes did meet hers, and his brow furrowed in confusion.

‘What do you mean—the speech?’

She shook her head. ‘I’m too old for all this. It’s more than a little awkward. I asked you what you did for a living. You deliberately skirted the question. Do you think I would have gone home with you if I’d known I was going to spend the next year working with you?’ She was getting annoyed now. Her pent-up frustration from spending the last few hours in the labour suite with him was finally bubbling to the surface.

‘Well, I don’t know, do I?’ he answered calmly. ‘Would it have made a difference?’

Melissa gritted her teeth. What was that supposed to mean? That she would have gone home with him anyway? Did he think she was some kind of tramp?

‘Yes!’ she spat out. ‘I’ve learned from experience that work and pleasure shouldn’t mix.’

Did she really mean that? What she’d learnt from experience was that she, David and work shouldn’t have mixed. Or maybe she just shouldn’t have mixed with David, full stop. But Cooper was someone entirely new. Did she really just want to be his one-night stand? Or did she want something more? Her mind was in such a turmoil of emotions right now she didn’t know what she wanted. But the last thing she needed right now was another work-related romance. Last time around it had been a disaster, with everyone knowing every detail of her life. A private life should be just that—private. She took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure, and lowered her voice. ‘Please tell me you haven’t told all your new colleagues about the woman you picked up in the pub?’

Cooper sat wordlessly. She thought he would do that? He’d come here to tell her that what they’d had had been a mistake. He wanted to concentrate on his new job. A beautiful stranger had seemed like a great way to move back into the land of the living. But a beautiful colleague whom he’d see on a daily basis and would imagine in all sorts of ways would only confuse things for him. His gut twisted with the inevitable realisation that he wasn’t ready for this yet.

His stomach clenched into a tight knot. He lifted up his finger and brushed it momentarily against her cheek. He thought this was what he had wanted too. No complications. To forget all about it. But all of a sudden, as the woman he’d shared the most passionate night of his life with sat beside him, he wasn’t so sure.

‘Of course I haven’t said anything to anyone,’ he said softly. ‘I’m not that kind of guy.’

He heard her let out a huge sigh of relief. ‘Thank you, Cooper,’ she whispered. She saw the hurt expression on his face and gave her shoulders a little shrug. ‘I don’t know you, Cooper, I mean really know you. I had to ask.’ She leaned forward, picking up some of the red asphalt from the running track and letting it run through her fingers. ‘So what happens now?’

He turned to face her. Confusion spread across his face. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Cooper, you came halfway across town to come and speak to me.’ She put her red-tinged fingers on his arm. ‘What is it you want to say?’

Her heart was thumping in her chest. She knew what she wanted him to say, but from the expression on his face she knew he would never say it.

He bit his lip. He hated this. He wasn’t even sure how to say it. Maybe if he’d been here a few months and had met her at work, maybe if he’d been six months down the line and had met her in the pub, it would be different, but right now it just didn’t feel right and he had to tell her. ‘I’m not looking for a relationship right now.’

The words came out rapidly and for some horrible reason it had an effect on her that she hadn’t expected. It hurt. She’d been taught a valuable lesson years ago when her father had left her mother for another woman, and she’d spent months watching her mother break down. With that and David, she’d learnt never to depend on a man, only on herself. And she shouldn’t forget it. ‘I didn’t ask you for a relationship, Cooper.’

‘I know that but we’ve got to work together and—’

Melissa stood up, she didn’t need to hear any more. She patted him on the shoulder. ‘Don’t worry, Coop, we can work together.’

She picked up her rucksack and shrugged her shoulders into it, before glancing at her watch and starting to jog back along the track. She had to move quickly, before the tears that were filling her eyes threatened to spill down her cheeks. Some nights were best just forgotten.

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