Kitabı oku: «Hot Docs On Call: Healing His Heart», sayfa 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

THE BACK OF a taxi was a luxury compared to the packed trains or buses at rush hour. The busy streets somehow seemed further away from the sanctity of their private black carriage. It was a shame Quinn’s mind couldn’t defend against the outside stresses as well as the thick glass windows.

The tears had dried on Simon’s face now as he played with the stuffed animals on his lap. Finally sharing what had been troubling him seemed to have taken a weight off his mind, but it hadn’t eased hers any. She’d been digging for so long to find out the cause of his inner turmoil she’d imagined it would bring relief. That they would deal with it and move on, naively thinking it would make her better equipped to help him. Far from it. She knew all too well that fear of never belonging, never being loved, and how it never really left, not completely. Despite the efforts of those who’d eventually taken her in. She was always waiting for that moment of final rejection which repeated itself over and over. It had to be the same for Simon, even before his injuries were added to fears which weren’t completely unfounded.

Adoption was a long and complicated process and the odds of finding a family for him could well have been worsened with his serious medical, and probable future psychological, problems which not everyone would be willing to take on. Her heart ached for him, and between her and Matt, they had to work together to help him transition into the next phase of the process and find his for ever family.

Matt’s home was everything she’d expected it to be on arrival—modern, expensive and in the busy hub of the city—everything hers wasn’t. His apartment spoke volumes about their contrasting lifestyles and future plans. He was very much enjoying his freedom as a man about town, whilst her Victorian terraced house had been built with family predominantly in mind.

The floor-to-ceiling windows were impressive, as was the view of the river, but for her it lacked the personal touch, the evidence of family, to make it a home.

However, Matt did his best to make them comfortable for the short time they’d be here. She was certain he’d never intended for them to cross his threshold and this had been nothing more than an emergency stop to prevent her going home with the company of a distressed child to look forward to. Yet, here he was washing up after home-made omelettes and freshly squeezed orange juice as though he’d expected them for dinner all along.

‘Were you a Boy Scout? You’re always prepared, no matter what catastrophe I bring to your door.’ Literally, in this case.

Matt laughed as he stacked the dishwasher. ‘I’m no Boy Scout. I still do a big weekly shop, a leftover habit from having a houseful of ravenous teenagers, I suppose.’

‘Well, I appreciate it and apparently Simon does too.’ She passed him an empty plate. At least Simon’s appetite was improving despite the new drama.

‘It’s not a problem. Actually, it’s been a while since I cooked for anyone. I forgot how much I enjoy doing it.’ He leaned against the kitchen worktops and for the first time looked almost unhappy about living on his own.

‘Are you seriously telling me you haven’t brought women back to show all of this off? Most men would have photos of this as their profile picture all over social media.’ Not that he would need to use his money to draw interest. A man who could cook and clean, on top of everything else, was designed for seducing women, her included. No matter how much he tried to hide it, domesticity was very much a part of him.

‘I didn’t say that. I’ve just never cooked for any of them. That’s what expensive restaurants are for.’ The wink he gave her made her sick to the stomach thinking of the women who’d been here before her under entirely different circumstances.

‘I guess I’m more one for home-cooked meals than whatever’s fashionable.’ She sniffed, despising those who’d put more store in the material things Matt could give them instead of appreciating the qualities which made him who he was—a kind-hearted, generous man, with the patience of a saint. A man she was falling much too hard for and yet she was powerless to stop herself. She was unable to resist when there was still so much to discover about him, and herself.

He’d been generous with his time where Simon was concerned but his support had also boosted her confidence that she wasn’t the only stand-in parent in history who’d struggled. As everything in her life had been, this was a rough patch she simply had to fight her way through and that was something she was well practiced in.

‘Hey, I only break out the chef’s apron for very special guests.’ Matt held her chin between his thumb and forefinger and parted her lips.

Her eyelids were already fluttering shut before he settled his mouth on hers, much too briefly. She peered over his shoulder to see how much of this little moment Simon had witnessed. It wouldn’t do to have two of them confused about what was happening between her and Matt.

‘I think the excitement’s all got too much for him.’ Matt followed her gaze to the small figure hunched up on the end of the leather sofa.

‘How on earth am I going to get him home now?’ Although it was a blessed relief to see him so soundly asleep, she didn’t relish the thought of having to wake him to get him home and run the risk of him not getting back to sleep again.

‘You know what they say, let sleeping five-year-olds lie.’ Matt didn’t appear to be in a hurry for her to leave, unmoving from his position in the open-plan living room between her and her sleeping babe.

‘I think you’ll find that’s dogs,’ she said, gently nudging him aside so she could go and check on Simon.

‘It won’t do him any harm to sleep there for a while. I swear I’ll take you both home as soon as he’s awake.’ He crossed his heart. ‘Scout’s promise.’

She narrowed her eyes at him but he did make her laugh. ‘He can’t be comfortable in that position though.’

He was curled into the foetal position, his head bent awkwardly over the arm of the chair. It was cramp waiting to happen. Worse, it could aggravate his injuries if he lay like that too long.

‘I can move him into the spare bedroom. There’s plenty of space for him to stretch out there and sleep undisturbed.’

‘You’ll have to be careful not to wake him.’ She hovered as Matt scooped him up into his big strong arms as though he weighed nothing.

‘Don’t worry, he’s sound asleep.’

Simon didn’t so much as flinch as they transferred him down the hall, his arms and legs hanging limply from Matt’s hold. The fresh air had obviously done him the world of good.

Matt elbowed the door open and Quinn couldn’t have been more surprised about what lay behind it if she’d found an S&M dungeon rigged up. The room was decorated in pretty pinks and purples, flowers and fairies, and everything he’d said he’d despised in home décor growing up. At the far side of the room next to a mountain of children’s toys and teddy bears was a child-sized bed and a white wooden cot. The perfect little girl’s room and nursery.

‘Is there something you want to tell me?’ He’d made such a big production about not wanting family responsibilities, she hoped she wasn’t about to discover he was, in fact, a divorced dad of two little girls. She didn’t think she could handle it if he’d lied to her about who he was when that was the very man she’d fallen for.

He carefully laid Simon on top of the bed covers and pulled a comforter over him before he attempted to explain himself.

‘I told you I have sisters. Anne, the eldest, is married with two daughters, Jaime and Lucy. Sometimes they come visit.’ He fussed around, closing the curtains and making sure the floor was clear of any debris Simon could trip over.

It was a far cry from the self-centred bachelor he’d portrayed and she wondered why he’d withheld this snippet of information. Perhaps his family situation would have put off a different type of woman, one who’d have been horrified at the thought of being required to babysit or change dirty nappies someday. Not her.

She backed out of the room with a snigger. ‘So, basically, you’re a granddad?’

Matt rolled his eyes and closed the door softly behind him. ‘See? This is why I don’t generally share the details of my personal life. It changes the way people see me. I have two sides. To the outside world I’m a young, single, successful surgeon. To my family, I’m an agony aunt and a doting uncle. I don’t tend to let the two worlds collide.’

‘And which side am I seeing?’ They were standing toe to toe in the hallway and Quinn was sure he could hear her heart thumping against her ribcage. The more she got to know the real Matt, the more she wanted to believe they stood a chance of making this work.

‘Well, Quinn, you are an anomaly.’ He reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. ‘Somehow you’ve managed to set a foot in both camps and I’m not sure how I feel about that.’

It was the kind of honesty she appreciated. He wasn’t promising her the world to get what he wanted, only telling her that she’d made him think about what they were getting into and that was enough for now.

‘Me either.’ She didn’t know what each step further into his life meant for her down the line except more heartache but for now the one thing she was sure of was that she wanted him.

She leaned closer but Matt was already there to meet her, meshing his lips with hers as though they’d always meant to fit together.

Her conscience drifted between taking him by the hand and leading him to the bedroom, or setting up camp outside Simon’s door in case he needed her. ‘What about Simon? What if he wakes up and doesn’t know where he is?’

She couldn’t blame Matt for wanting to avoid ready-made families when they were such a passion killer at the most inopportune moments. Every time their make-out sessions got steamy it seemed to trigger the baby alarm.

No hanky-panky! You have a child to think about!

Not what any hot-blooded man wanted interrupting his love life and Matt wouldn’t have any trouble finding a willing partner elsewhere if he kept getting sex-blocked by a five-year-old and his panicky mum.

She was already preparing herself for the ‘This isn’t going to work’ speech as Matt took off towards the living room. She trudged behind him and wondered how they were going to put the time in during Simon’s unexpected nap now. A game of chess perhaps? Or maybe he had a photo album of all of his glamorous, readily available exes she could flick through while they waited. If she’d had a coat she would’ve fetched it.

‘I have one of these.’ Instead of his sex life in pictures, he produced a baby monitor and set it on the coffee table with a proud flourish as if he’d solved the world’s hardest equation. For her, he had.

No matter what obstacles crept up he always found a way over them. He didn’t quit at the first sign of trouble and that was new to her as far as men were concerned. It was difficult not to get too attached to someone who, so far, had done everything possible to show her she could trust him. Rely on him.

‘Of course you do,’ she said with a great big grin.

All the signs were pointing to a brother and uncle who took his family duties very seriously even if he didn’t want people to know. He was a loving family man whether he liked it or not. It was the idea of taking on someone else’s which was the sticking point for him, and prevented any notion of a relationship between them.

‘I’ll just nip in and turn on the one in the bedroom so we can hear if he gets up. I’ll be two seconds.’

Quinn took a seat on the sofa to wait for him coming back, fidgeting with the hem of her dress and unable to sit still, thinking about what was going to happen next as if she was waiting for her first kiss.

Things with Matt had gone far beyond that. This would be the only quality time they’d spent together alone and she was afraid it mightn’t live up to the hype of that fevered embrace in the dark corner of the zoo.

He wanted her to stick around. He’d told her there was more to come. Surely the next step they were about to take wasn’t all in her head?

‘Would you like a drink?’ Matt was back, padding into the kitchen.

‘A glass of water would be nice, thanks.’ Suddenly, her tongue was sticking to the roof of her mouth and her hands were clammy. Just what every guy was looking for in a hot date. Not.

She thought of all those other women he’d had here who’d never seen the kitchen. They were probably too busy ripping his clothes off in a frenzy to get to the bedroom to care. She must seem so dull in comparison but she no longer saw herself as sexy, spending her days watching cartoons and washing dirty clothes, lucky if she’d had a chance to brush her hair that morning, so why should she expect a man to?

At least with advance warning she’d be spending the day with Matt, she’d been able to put an effort into her clothes and make-up today. It couldn’t hurt to try and reconnect with her inner sex siren, who’d disappeared under a mountain of paperwork and rejection.

The sofa dipped as Matt sat down next to her and handed her a glass of water. She took a sip and flicked her tongue out to wet her parched lips, fully aware he was watching her every move. He reached up to rub the back of his neck and Quinn seized the opportunity to get physical.

‘Turn around and I’ll give you a quick massage. You’ve earned one after all the carrying you’ve done today.’ She set her glass on the floor and kicked off her shoes so she could kneel on the couch beside him.

‘I probably should have stretched before I started bench pressing dead weights.’ He turned around so she was faced with the solid wall of his back. She bit back the comment about bench pressing her anytime in case that bordered more on the side of desperate and crass rather than sexy and irresistible. This too-long abstinence had really brought out the worst in her.

With trembling hands she kneaded his shoulders, the thick muscle resisting her attempts to manipulate the tissue.

‘Perhaps you should…er…take your shirt off. You’re really knotted up in there.’ Not very subtle and as bold as she dared but he complied nonetheless, shrugging the shirt off over his head.

‘Wow,’ she mouthed as she got to see the impressive physique beneath for the first time in the flesh, albeit from the back. If only she could find the excuse to start massaging the pecs she knew would be on the other side of that muscular frame.

She worked her fingers over his warm skin, smoothing her hand down the length of his spine until she reached the waistband of his jeans. With a sudden burst of bravado, or lust, she slid her hand beneath and reached around until she felt that smooth V of taut skin leading down to…

Matt sucked in a sharp breath and clapped his hand over hers, stopping her pathetic seduction attempt dead in its tracks.

‘I’m sorry…I…’ What? How the hell was she going to pass this off as anything other than a blatant grope?

She rocked back on her heels, contemplating a commando-style roll onto the floor so she could crawl away without having to look him in the eye again, but he had too firm a grip on her wrist.

He spun around so she had no option but to face him. Okay, it wasn’t all bad; she’d got a sneak peek at the goods, but she would need something good to remember anytime she replayed this humiliation in her head. For the record, she was pretty sure they’d used a mould of his chest and abs for those superhero costumes with the fake muscles.

‘You don’t have to try so hard, Quinn.’ He was smiling, not recoiling in disgust, which she took as a good omen.

‘Wh-what do you mean?’ She tossed her hair back, aiming for the nonchalance of a woman who stuck her hand down a man’s pants whenever she felt like it.

‘You don’t have to force this. Let it happen naturally.’ In slow motion he moved closer until his breath whispered on her lips, turning her to a rag doll liable to slip off the furniture in a cascade of molten limbs. She closed her eyes and let nature take its course.

He captured her in a soft kiss, leaned her back against the cushions as he took possession of her. It was true—there was no need for planning or acting out a part she thought she needed to play when chemistry did all the work.

Quinn was lying flat out beneath him, clinging to him, although there was no chance of going anywhere with his weight pinning her down. They were both where they needed to be.

She’d surprised him by taking the lead when, to date, she’d been the one reluctant to let this go further than snatched kisses. It wasn’t unwelcome, parts of him were throbbing with delight, but he’d needed to take back some control. Not of her, or the situation, but of himself.

He was getting too caught up in her and Simon. Although bringing them back here had been more of an intervention than an invitation into his personal life, the result had been the same. They were invading his personal space, and his heart.

He’d raged inside today after Simon had been bullied by those kids, ached for him, and Quinn, who’d had to deal with the fallout. All he’d wanted to do was take some of that pain away, regardless that it meant compromising himself in the process.

If he took his own advice and simply let this thing take its natural course he could find himself saddled with more parental duties he hadn’t asked for. That’s why he needed a clear head, to focus on something other than his own pleasure—Quinn’s.

These big blue eyes peered up at him with such trust and longing it was a test of strength not to take the easy route to instant gratification and sod the consequences. Even though it was killing him, this self-punishment would serve as a reminder to him not to start something he couldn’t finish. Like getting involved with a single mother.

Quinn didn’t have any such reservations as she pulled him ever closer until his chest was crushing hers, her soft mounds rubbing against him and undoing his restraint bit by bit. Eager to feast his eyes on her naked flesh, he slipped the shoestring straps of her dress down her arms and peeled away her strapless bra. Her cherry-peaked breast fit easily into the palm of his hand, so ripe and ready he couldn’t resist a taste. He took her in his mouth and suckled her sweetness.

He shifted his position slightly so the evidence of his arousal wasn’t so uncomfortable for either of them but Quinn tilted her hips so it nestled between her thighs instead. He released her sensitive nub with a groan as his resolve eroded by the second, clearly underestimating the effect she’d have on him even with his trousers firmly buttoned up. A fact which hadn’t gone unnoticed by a partner who was doing her best to address that problem, popping his buttons open one by one.

This woman was driving him crazy and if he wasn’t careful his good intentions would soon give way to lust, a short-term solution to his current predicament but undoubtedly with long-term consequences. He needed to bring this to some sort of conclusion which made her feel good without giving too much of himself in the process.

He inched his hand up her thigh and, with a quick tug, divested her of her undies. Her giggle as he tossed them onto the floor only spurred him on in his devilment. With a trail of kisses, over her clothes this time, he made his way down the centre of her body and ducked his head under the skirt of her dress.

‘Matt—’ she gasped, her hands immediately lighting atop his head, but she didn’t ask him to stop.

He took his time savouring that first taste of her, teasing his tongue along her folds before parting her to thrust inside her core. She bucked against him, drawing him deeper between her thighs. He cupped her buttocks, holding her in place so he could direct his attention straight to that sweet spot.

He circled that little nub of flesh, sucking and licking his way to heaven until her breathy pants almost brought him to climax too. She tightened around him and he could sense that impending release. Her fingers were digging into his shoulders, her body rising and falling with the clench and release of her inner muscles.

She was slick with arousal, inviting him to join with her on the climb to that final peak but he couldn’t take the chance he’d never want to come back down to earth. He withdrew, only to plunge back inside her again, and again, until she came apart beneath him. It was a shame he couldn’t hear her cries of ecstasy as she slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. There was nothing he wanted more than to hear and see her completely undone, not holding anything back and without a trace of self-consciousness, but he understood why she couldn’t turn off that mothering instinct. When he was long gone, she still had Simon to think about.

He sat back, giving Quinn space to recover as she fought to catch her breath, and a chance to regain his own composure. Not an easy task when her face was flushed, her pupils dilated and she was still half naked.

The lights on the baby monitor flashed, accompanied by the sound of rustling sheets, saving Matt from himself. Simon was stirring and he’d made a vow to get them home the minute that happened. It was his get-out clause before he did something even more stupid than falling for this beautiful woman he’d just ravished on his sofa.

‘I’ll go check on him,’ he told her, keen to get a minute alone to gather his thoughts now both of their worlds had been rocked.

‘Thanks.’ Quinn sat up and adjusted her clothes to cover her nakedness, suddenly bashful. She’d no need to be embarrassed. He was the one who’d screwed up.

Whether he’d given in to temptation or not he’d still fallen for the one woman he couldn’t have. Quinn came as part of a package deal, and although he was fond of Simon, there was every chance her foster brood could expand later on and he wasn’t signing up for that. He hadn’t left his family to move out to London only to have his longed-for independence curtailed by someone else’s children.

He and Quinn were on completely different paths but they couldn’t seem to stop intersecting and complicating things. Something had to give and it sure as hell wasn’t going to be his freedom. Whilst he was treating Simon, cutting off all contact was out of the question, even if he thought he could.

The whole day had been an eye-opener for him but his resistance had been stretched to breaking point for now. If he didn’t get his house guests back to their own home soon, he’d find this slipping into a long-term arrangement and this was supposed to be his time, a new start. He wasn’t going to fall into the same old trap.

Matt McGrory was young, free and single, and that was the way it would stay. He just had to keep chanting that mantra to himself so he’d start believing it, or find someone else to take his place in Quinn and Simon’s affections.