Читать книгу The Mills & Boon Sparkling Christmas Collection - Kate Hardy - Страница 67

THE night before the balloon trip, Madison couldn’t get to sleep.

She must have been crazy, agreeing to this in the first place. Quite apart from the fact she wasn’t a morning person and she’d arranged to meet Theo at the crack of dawn, Theo Petrakis wasn’t relationship material.

Sure, he ticked all the boxes. He was an excellent doctor, kept the team working beautifully together, and his calm, confident manner on the ward managed to calm even the most nervous parent-to-be. And, as just about every female in the hospital would attest, Theo Petrakis was drop-dead gorgeous.

But he was only here on secondment, covering Doug’s sick leave for six months or so. Then he’d move on, and Madison was perfectly happy here in London.

She’d already made the mistake of rushing into a relationship without a future, and she had no intention of repeating it and letting her world fall apart all over again.

All the same, she couldn’t get Theo out of her head. Those dark eyes with the unexpected green and gold glints—eyes that always seemed to be full of sunshine. That incredibly sexy smile. The dark hair, brushed back neatly from his face, that made her want to slide her fingers through it and make him look all sexily rumpled. His incredibly gorgeous mouth…And even though it had been a week and a half since the ball, she could still remember exactly how his lips had felt against the pulse point in her wrist.

‘Stop being ridiculous and go to sleep,’ she told herself loudly, plumping her pillow and keeping her eyes firmly closed, even though she felt wide awake.

A feeling that didn’t last when her alarm shrilled at an unearthly hour. She had to hit the snooze button three times before she could drag herself out of bed, and she was only just ready when the doorbell rang.

‘Kalimera, Maddie. Good morning.’

Oh, lord. Theo always wore a suit, shirt and tie at work under his white coat. In jeans, a sweater and a black leather jacket, he was absolutely stunning. Touchable.

And she really, really wanted to touch.

She hadn’t felt a pull this strong since Harry. And that in itself was a warning: look where that had got her. She pulled herself together and unglued her tongue from the roof of her mouth. ‘Good morning, Theo.’

‘Ready?’ he asked with a smile.

She nodded. Theo had given her the pre-flight instructions from the balloon company: to wear long sleeves and trousers, preferably in natural fibres; a hat to protect her head from the radiant heat of the burner; and sensible shoes. And although she felt slightly frumpy, wearing a thick fleece over one of the strappy camisole tops she favoured outside work, she understood the logic, and she didn’t want to scrape her arms on the wicker basket.

‘Let’s go, then.’

She locked the front door behind her and walked with him to the tube station. It was still dark outside, and so early that the train was practically empty, apart from a couple of bleary-eyed commuters who looked as if they still wished they were in bed.

‘So are balloon flights always this early in the morning?’ she asked.

‘Apparently the air’s at its most stable in the first two hours after dawn and the last two hours before dusk,’ Theo told her. ‘So most flights are around sunrise or sunset. The ones over London are at sunrise, though we could have gone for a different take-off point and had a later flight.’ He smiled. ‘I take it that you’re an owl rather than a lark, then?’

‘Usually,’ she admitted. ‘Though I’m never late for my shift.’

He laughed. ‘Hey. We’re not at work now.’

‘No.’

‘But since you’ve got my head back in doctor mode, there’s something I forgot to ask you—do you have any medical condition that means you shouldn’t fly?’

‘I’m disgustingly healthy,’ she said.

‘Good.’ He paused. ‘I’m sorry, this is a very personal question…but there’s no chance you could be pregnant?’

She felt the colour wash into her face. ‘No.’ She hadn’t actually slept with anyone for two years—and she’d regretted that. Not that she was going to admit either fact to Theo.

‘OK. And I’m sorry I offended you.’

‘No offence taken.’ Though there was one problem. Because of what he’d asked, she was thinking about sex. Specifically, sex with him. Which her common sense told her would be a very bad idea, although her libido was turning a series of cartwheels at the thought.

In accordance with Theo’s instructions, they reached the meeting place near Tower Bridge at a quarter past six for the pre-flight briefing. Madison’s attention was caught by the balloon itself. An enormous wicker basket with six rigid poles going up to hold the burner, and then the most enormous piece of…what? Silk? Nylon? She had no idea. But it was fascinating to watch the balloon flight team putting everything together and inflating the balloon, first with a fan and then the flames shooting into the mouth of the balloon to warm the air and make the balloon envelope rise.

When the balloon was finally upright, the pilot put the instruments and maps on board, and then it was time for the passengers to board. As they drew closer, Madison realised just how big the basket was. How deep. And, not for the first time, she wished she’d inherited the family height gene like her cousin Katrina, rather than being the shortest member of the family.

‘Want a hand in?’ Theo asked.

Part of her wanted to stand on her dignity and say, no, she could manage. But the sensible side of her knew what that would mean: a head-first, embarrassing dive into the balloon—even if she managed to negotiate the footholds. ‘Thank you. That’d be good,’ she said.

‘I apologise in advance for the caveman bit,’ he said, and scooped her up into his arms; she was forced to slide her arms round his neck for balance until he sat her on the edge of the wicker basket. Then she twisted her legs round and slid into the basket.

‘Thanks. I think even high heels wouldn’t have been enough to help me climb in,’ she said brightly, trying to keep her mind off the fact that she’d just had her arms round his neck and his body had been very, very close to hers.

‘Apart from the fact they wouldn’t be sensible footwear.’ Theo looked all the way down her body. Head to toe and then back again to meet her gaze. And the sultry look in his eyes made Madison’s heart beat just that little bit faster.

It was noisy in the balloon, with the burners still heating the air inside the balloon envelope—and then she realised that they were off the ground. Considerably off the ground.

She blinked. ‘Wow. I was expecting it to be—well, bumpier than this,’ she said. ‘Like being on a boat going out to sea.’

‘We’re moving with the wind, so that’s why we can’t feel the currents. And a passenger basket this size is really, really stable. It shouldn’t rock or sway at all.’

‘Either you’ve done this before or you looked it up on the Internet.’

‘Both,’ he admitted. ‘I was in Australia last year and took a trip across the desert at sunrise. The sand was red and there were kangaroos bounding along, and as the sun rose the light turned all the grey saltbush to green. It was incredible.’

‘Sounds it. Mind you, so is this. London in the early spring—look, you can see all the trees starting to turn green over again.’ She looked down, keeping her hands firmly on the edge of the basket. The burners had gone off again, and they were just floating in the air. Everything around them was still and silent. She could hear the sound of traffic below, and gulls squawking over the Thames.

‘I’ve never seen London like this before,’ she said softly. ‘Even going on the London Eye is nothing compared with this. Thank you so much for sharing this with me, Theo.’

The burners sprang into life again, and Theo was forced to bend closer to her so his mouth was close enough to her ear for her to hear his reply. ‘My pleasure. Though, as one of the main organisers of the ball, you’re the best person for me to share it with anyway. You deserve a treat for all that hard work.’

‘Maybe.’ She rested her hands on the rim of the basket and looked out as the pilot pointed out more landmarks. Theo was standing behind her, and it felt natural for him to be looking over her shoulder, his hands resting against the basket on either side of hers. And even more natural for her to lean back slightly against him.

The gap between their hands narrowed imperceptibly, and he moved slightly closer, cradling her body against his. And she wasn’t sure which of them moved first, but then her left hand was covering his, and his right hand was covering hers, and she was aware of every nerve end in her skin.

‘Would you like me to take a picture of you together?’ one of the other passengers asked.

‘Thank you. That would be lovely.’ Theo fished his mobile phone from his pocket and set it to camera mode before handing it to her.

‘Stand a bit closer together—I can’t quite get you both in.’

Theo stood behind Madison and slid his arms round her waist, pulling her back against him.

‘Now, smile.’

Smile, when her knees had just melted and her temperature had risen about ten degrees? But she managed it. Just.

The woman took a photograph, and a second ‘just in case’, then smiled at them. ‘You make a lovely couple.’

‘Thank you,’ Theo said.

For the return of the phone?

Or for the compliment?

Maybe they’d just hit a patch of particularly thin air, because she definitely couldn’t think straight. ‘Thank you,’ she mumbled.

Theo stayed close to her for the rest of the balloon trip. And although they’d been warned that in four out of five flights the balloon landed on its side, and they’d braced themselves for the impact, she still wasn’t prepared for the fact that the basket tipped over and she landed on top of Theo.

Full length.

Plastered against him.

His arms automatically came round her. It was the obvious thing to do, to keep them stable—but then again he’d spent most of the balloon ride with his arms round her.

If she lifted her head from his shoulder, she was close enough to kiss him.

And if they hadn’t had the other passengers from the balloon and the pilot with them, she knew she would have done it. Teased that gorgeous, sexy mouth until he was kissing her back and his hands were sliding underneath her fleece and her camisole to encounter bare skin. And she would’ve been just as quick to rip his clothes off.

Oh, lord.

She could feel her face burning, but Theo didn’t make any comment. He merely joined the others in helping to roll up the surprisingly heavy balloon and loading it into the back of the Land Rover that had followed the balloon across London to Alexandra Palace and obtained clearance for them to land.

‘So, did you enjoy your first balloon ride?’ he asked as they walked through the park towards the tube station.

‘It was amazing. I’ve lived in London for twelve years now, but it’s made me see the city with new eyes. There are so many places I haven’t explored.’

He waited a beat. ‘Maybe we could explore them together,’ he suggested.

It shocked her how just much she wanted to agree. ‘Maybe,’ she said.

When they were sitting on the tube, he slanted her a look. ‘Are you doing anything special for the rest of the day?’

‘Does an appointment with an ironing board and a pile of laundry the height of K2 count?’ she asked wryly.

‘That,’ he said, ‘doesn’t sound like fun. How about having lunch with me first?’

‘As long as you let me pay,’ she said. ‘My treat—seeing as you shared your prize with me.’

He smiled. ‘I didn’t mean in a restaurant. I don’t live far from a tube station. Come and have lunch with me.’

Go to his home?

She’d have to be crazy, especially given the way her body had reacted to his on the balloon. ‘It’s a bit early for lunch.’ It was barely eleven.

He shrugged. ‘We were up early. I’d say it’s lunchtime.’ He raised an eyebrow, as if challenging her. He couldn’t make it any clearer that he thought she was being a coward.

Well, she wasn’t. ‘Lunch,’ she said, lifting her chin, ‘would be lovely.’

‘Good.’

He unlocked the front door of a tiny Victorian terrace with a pocket-handkerchief-sized front garden. The décor was neutral—which she’d expected from a rented house—though a brief glance into the living room as she passed the open door showed framed photographs clustered on the mantelpiece. So clearly he was trying to make the place home rather than just somewhere to live.

‘Anything I can do to help?’ she asked.

‘You can put the kettle on, if you like.’ His eyes glittered with amusement. ‘Don’t worry—I have English coffee.’ He retrieved a cafetière and a bag of ground coffee from the cupboard above the kettle, and sliced open the seal. ‘If I was going to make proper coffee—the way I drink it—I’d use a briki.’ It must have shown on her face that she didn’t understand, because he said, ‘It’s a Greek coffee-pot—you use it straight on the stove.’

He’d already removed his jacket and hung it on the newel post, but now he stripped off his sweater to reveal a white V-necked T-shirt. One that clung in all the right places.

He’d looked hot in a suit. Gorgeous in that leather jacket and sweater. But now, in jeans and that white T-shirt, he was completely edible.

Madison only just stopped herself touching him.

But no way could she keep her fleece on. She was melting as it was. ‘It is OK if I put my fleece on top of your jacket?’

‘Sure. Now, let’s see.’ He was rummaging in the fridge and stacking a pile of ingredients on the worktops. ‘Anything you don’t eat or you’re allergic to?’

‘I like all food.’ As long as she didn’t have to cook it.

‘Good. So we’ll start with toasted pitta and hummus, then chicken and salad.’ He handed her a bottle of milk. ‘No sugar for me, please.’

It felt oddly domestic, making coffee for them both while he chopped salad. She’d never done this with Harry. Then again, she and Harry had hardly ever been at home together. They’d nearly always eaten out, neither of them being particularly fond of cooking. ‘Anything else I can do to help?’ she asked when she’d filled their mugs, added milk and returned the bottle to the fridge.

‘You can lay the table in the dining room, if you like. The cutlery’s in the top drawer and plates are in the cupboard next to the kettle.’ Meanwhile, he was whisking lemon juice and olive oil and fresh herbs in a bowl as if he were a born chef.

She collected the cutlery and went through to the dining room. There was a small dining table with four chairs, and a computer table with a desk lamp and laptop; next to it was a bookcase, stuffed with textbooks she recognised and other books that were printed in Greek and could have been anything from medicine to poetry. There were more photographs on the mantelpiece and a stunning watercolour of a Mediterranean seascape.

She’d just finished laying the table and was about to take a closer look at the photographs when Theo walked in, carrying a plate with hot pitta bread and a bowl of hummus.

‘Lunch. And I’m really ready for this. Must be the fresh air.’ He gave her another of those knee-buckling smiles.

The hummus was good—to the point where she suspected it probably hadn’t been bought from the deli counter of the local supermarket. And when he brought in the next course—a salad of cucumber, tomatoes, olives, red peppers and salty feta cheese, to go with chicken he’d marinated briefly in that dressing before grilling it—she knew for sure that he’d made it himself.

Theo Petrakis was simply gorgeous. Body, mind and heart—she’d seen him in action in the department enough to know he was kind and clever. And he was a great cook to boot.

If she wasn’t careful, she could really fall for him.

‘That was fabulous,’ she said when they’d finished. ‘You’re an excellent cook.’

‘That wasn’t cooking,’ he said. ‘That was throwing stuff together from the fridge.’ He held her gaze, his dark eyes flecked with green and gold and grey. ‘One evening I’ll cook you a proper Greek meal, if you like.’

Oh, she’d like. ‘Thank you.’

And again her heart felt as if it had done one of those odd little flips. She decided to take refuge in a safer topic: work. ‘So where did you train?’ she asked.

‘With a surname like Petrakis, where do you think?’ he teased.

Greece? ‘Your English is perfect and you barely have an accent.’ Just enough to be exotic. Sexy as hell. ‘And England’s a pretty multicultural place. So I’m not going to presume to guess.’

‘I trained in Greece,’ he said. ‘But I came to England five years ago. I’ve been working in the Midlands.’

‘Job enrichment?’ she guessed.

He shrugged. ‘My grandparents are English. I wanted to spend some time getting to know them.’

‘You didn’t see them much of them when you were growing up?’

‘No.’

Something in his tone warned her that this was a sore spot, something to be left alone.

‘What about you?’ he asked.

‘I trained in London, but my family’s from Suffolk. My cousin Katrina lives a couple of doors down from me, so if we’re on the same shift I see her quite a bit out of work.’

‘Is she a doctor too?’

Madison nodded. ‘She’s in paediatrics. And she’s brilliant.’ She smiled. ‘She’s practically my sister, seeing as we grew up together. Our dads have a family business and our mums are best friends.’ She paused. ‘How about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?’

‘Three younger sisters and a brother.’ He went over to the mantelpiece and took a photograph down to show her. ‘This is Sophronia—she’s the next one down from me. Melina’s next, then Thalia, and this is Stefanos.’

She could definitely see the family resemblance, though all had darker eyes than Theo. ‘Are any of them doctors?’ she asked.

‘Just me,’ he said. ‘Sophronia was trying to be a stay-at-home mum, but she missed her job too much.’ He smiled. ‘And she’s very, very good at PR. So she’s gone back part time. Melina’s a chef, Thalia’s an interior designer, and Stefanos is in his last year of an economics degree.’ He replaced the photograph on the mantelpiece.

On impulse, she joined him there. ‘And who are they?’ she asked, pointing to another photograph.

‘Sophie’s children—my niece Arianna and my nephew Petros.’

It was a candid shot, clearly taken by someone they knew rather than a posed professional picture, and the smiles on their faces were infectious. ‘They’re gorgeous,’ she said, meaning it.

He was standing close enough for their arms to touch, and a shiver went through her at the feel of his skin against hers. Lord. She couldn’t remember when she’d last been aware of someone in this way. Maybe not since Harry.

He must have felt the shiver, because he turned to face her. ‘They are,’ he said softly. Gently, he touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers. ‘So what are we going to do about this, Maddie?’

‘About what?’

It was a complete fib, and she knew he knew it. He meant about them. About the weird pull between them.

‘That night at the ball…I did this.’ He lifted her right hand and skimmed her inner wrist with his mouth. ‘And then I wanted to kiss you here.’ He kissed the soft skin of her inner elbow. ‘And here.’ He kissed the curve of her shoulder, bare except for the spaghetti strap of her top. ‘And…’

She closed her eyes and tipped her head back, offering him her throat. His mouth brushed against it, and heat sprang up wherever his lips touched her.

And when his mouth finally connected with hers, her knees went weak. His mouth was soft and sweet and persuasive, and she couldn’t help sliding her hands round his neck, opening her mouth under his to let him deepen the kiss.

Time seemed to stop, and all she was aware of was Theo. The strength of his body against hers, the warmth of his mouth, the seductive flicker of his tongue against hers. She couldn’t remember ever wanting anyone this much before, even Harry.

Harry.

That was where everything had gone wrong last time.

Too much, too fast.

And an almighty mess at the end.

When he broke the kiss, she opened her eyes. ‘Theo. This shouldn’t be happening,’ she whispered.

He took one step away. ‘Signomi. I apologise.’

It would be sensible to accept his apology and stop this right now. Except she couldn’t. The need was too strong. ‘Theo, I…That wasn’t quite what I meant.’

‘No, you were right in the first place, Maddie. We shouldn’t do this.’ He dragged a hand through his hair.

It only made things worse because, ever so slightly rumpled, he looked sexier than ever and she wanted him even more. ‘I think my blood pressure’s just gone up ten points,’ she said.

‘Mine, too.’ He shook his head in apparent exasperation. ‘This is crazy. Apart from the fact that I’m only here for six months and dating colleagues is usually a bad idea, I’m not in a position to offer you anything more than an affair. And that’s…’ He grimaced. ‘Well, it’s not particularly honourable, is it?’

She didn’t quite understand. ‘What’s so dishonourable about seeing each other?’

‘Because,’ he said softly, ‘usually when you’re over thirty, when you start seeing someone you’re thinking about settling down. So a relationship doesn’t mean just having fun—it means getting to know each other, seeing if you suit each other, seeing if you could be happy growing old together.’

‘That makes it sound as if everyone of our age is on the lookout for a life partner,’ Madison said dryly.

‘So are you saying you don’t want to settle down?’

‘No. When I meet the right person then I’ll want to settle down,’ she admitted. ‘I want what my parents have—what Katrina’s parents have, too. A good, strong marriage. A relationship that will last.’ Not like her previous marriage, which had collapsed within six months. She paused. ‘But how do you know when you meet the right person?’

He spread his hands. ‘No idea. But I’m not looking.’

The word ‘dishonourable’ filtered back into her head. ‘You’re already involved elsewhere—your partner’s back in the Midlands or in Greece?’

‘No.’ He frowned. ‘Otherwise I wouldn’t have asked you to come with me on the balloon.’

Divorced, then, she guessed. ‘She hurt you that badly?’ Madison asked. She could sympathise with that—Harry had left her feeling burned and with major trust issues. If Theo had been involved with the female equivalent of Harry, it was hardly surprising that he was equally wary of relationships.

‘It’s nothing to do with an ex.’

She blinked. ‘Perhaps I’m being stupid, here, but if you’re not involved with anyone else, what’s the problem?’

‘I can’t offer you a future, Maddie. I don’t want to get married and have children. So seeing me would stop you meeting someone else, someone who would be able to give you what you want.’

‘And what do you think I want?’

‘You’ve already told me—you want a relationship that lasts. Marriage. And, given the look on your face when I showed you the photographs of my niece and nephew, I’d say you want children as well.’

‘It’s pretty hard not to get broody, working where we do and getting to cuddle newborn babies every single day,’ she pointed out.

‘I’m not broody,’ he said softly. ‘I’m perfectly happy just to be an uncle.’

Considering the expression on his own face when he’d talked about his family and the way he was on the ward, always cuddling newborns…‘That doesn’t quite stack up.’ The words were out before she could stop them.

‘What do you mean?’ He was very, very still.

They’d opened up this far to each other, she thought, so she might as well be honest with him. ‘You’re clearly proud of your family and you spend your working life with pregnant women and newborns. So it’d be logical for someone in your position to like babies and want your own family.’

‘I do like babies—other people’s babies. I just don’t want my own.’ His voice was flat. As if an old, old pain had crushed it.

So it was more than just a messy divorce, then. And the sudden bleakness in her eyes made her guess exactly what had happened. He and his partner had lost a baby, and the relationship hadn’t survived the pain. ‘I’m sorry, Theo. I had no idea that…’ There wasn’t a tactful way to say it, and she didn’t want to make things worse for him. ‘That you’d gone through something painful.’ She rested her hand lightly on his arm, wanting to comfort him. ‘I really didn’t mean to hurt you.’

‘I know. And it’s not your fault. It’s not something I talk about, so you weren’t to know.’ He looked rueful. ‘But it’s the kind of thing you can’t talk about. Not without hurting other people. And my family’s had enough heartache. I can’t…’

Discuss it with them. She filled in the words automatically, and her heart ached for him. ‘How about friends?’ she asked.

He moved his head a tiny fraction to signify the negative.

‘Bottling things up isn’t good for you, Theo.’ She tightened the pressure on his arm momentarily. ‘So if you need a friend—if you want to talk at any time—then you know where I am.’

‘Thank you. But I don’t like dragging up the past.’

She smiled wryly. ‘I know what you mean. I don’t tend to talk about Harry either.’

‘Harry?’

‘My ex-husband. I thought we wanted the same things out of life, but it turned out he didn’t. And he didn’t want to be the one to tell me. Unfortunately, I found out the difficult way.’ That Harry most definitely hadn’t been ready for children. And although she’d agreed to wait, clearly he’d felt the pressure. In an attempt to escape feeling guilty about not giving Madison the baby she’d wanted, he’d turned to someone else. And Madison had been the very last to know.

It was Theo’s turn to rest his hand briefly on her arm. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘So am I. You know the old saying, “Marry in haste, repent at leisure”?’

He nodded.

‘It’s very, very true.’ She shrugged. ‘So. Yes, I want to settle down. But not until I meet the right one for me. I couldn’t bear another divorce.’

His dark eyes were very, very intense. And the silence stretched until he said softly, ‘So what are we going to do about this?’

‘Be sensible, I suppose. Ignore the chemistry.’

He smiled wryly. ‘Easier said than done. I’ve spent the last week and a half thinking about you. Since the moment I danced with you.’

‘I’ve never danced with anyone before who made me feel as if we were floating on air,’ she admitted.

He laughed. ‘I’m Greek. It’s what we do—dance.’

‘And plate-smashing.’

‘That, too.’ His eyes crinkled at the corners. ‘But being Greek means having a sense of rhythm.’

‘And how.’ The words came out before she could stop them, and she pressed her palms to her face. ‘Arrgh. I’m not usually this tactless or outspoken. I didn’t mean to say that.’

‘But you thought it. Just like I’m thinking it now. There’s something between us.’

There had been since the very moment she’d seen him. And she was glad he felt the same way—that it wasn’t just her being ridiculous or hormonal or desperate.

But acting on that attraction just wasn’t a good idea. Not when Theo was adamant that he didn’t want children. They didn’t want the same things out of life. She’d been there, done that—and no way would she ever get involved with another man who didn’t want children with her, didn’t want to share his life with her.

‘We’ll just have to be grown-up about it. We’re colleagues. And we like each other, so we’ll be friends,’ she said.

‘It’s a deal,’ Theo said. ‘And I’m going to walk you home before I’m tempted to do something I shouldn’t.’

‘No need,’ Madison said lightly. ‘I’ve spent the last twelve years living in London, it’s broad daylight, and I’m used to being independent.’ She paused. ‘But I’ll help you with the washing-up before I go.’

‘No. If you’re not going to let me see you home safely, you’re certainly not going to be my kitchen skivvy,’ Theo said with a smile. ‘Go home. And thanks for joining me on the balloon trip. I’d have felt a bit out of place, going on my own.’

‘It was my pleasure, believe me. I really enjoyed it.’ She retrieved her handbag and her fleece. ‘Thank you for today, Theo.’ On tiptoe, she reached up to kiss his cheek. ‘I’ll see you at work tomorrow.’

‘Kalispera, Maddie,’ he said softly. ‘See you tomorrow.’