Читать книгу Perfect Proposals Collection - Lynne Marshall - Страница 44

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE following morning, when Katrina got up, she could smell coffee. Clearly Rhys was up already. She showered and dressed swiftly, and walked into the kitchen. ‘Good morning.’

‘Morning,’ he replied.

‘And you’ve made coffee. Wonderful.’ She smiled. ‘I think I could get used to this.’

‘Ah, no. It’ll be your turn to make the coffee tomorrow,’ he said lightly.

‘Did you sleep OK?’

‘Very well, thanks.’

‘Good.’ She rummaged in the cupboard. ‘Cereals or toast?’

‘You don’t have to make breakfast for me or wait on me, Katrina.’

‘I know. But I’m making toast for myself, and it’s as quick to stick four slices of bread under the grill as it is two,’ she pointed out.

‘Then toast would be lovely. Thanks.’ He poured them both a mug of coffee, adding milk to hers. ‘Well. Cheers.’

‘Cheers.’

It had been a long time since Katrina had shared her space like this. But she actually found herself enjoying it—and it would be was good to have company on the walk to work.

After breakfast, she enjoyed walking in to work with Rhys; in the weeks since Madison had moved, Katrina had missed walking in to the hospital with her cousin.

Sharing a house somehow made them more in tune at work, too. ‘Can I borrow you for a minute?’ Katrina asked one afternoon, leaning against the doorjamb to Rhys’s office.

‘Sure. What’s the problem?’

‘Little girl, four years old, history of UTIs. No history in her siblings, but I’m wondering if there’s an underlying problem.’

‘Are you thinking VUR?’ he asked.

VUR, or vesico-ureteric reflux, was when the valve between the bladder and the tubes that led from the kidneys to the bladder didn’t work properly, allowing urine to flow back towards the kidneys.

‘It’s only a suspicion. I haven’t done any tests yet.’

‘Start with an ultrasound,’ he said, ‘though it’s very easy to miss any signs of scarring, depending on what grade of VUR you’re looking at and whether your patient has a fever. You might have to do a cystogram.’

‘I hope not,’ she said. ‘It’s unpleasant for little ones, even if you do some play therapy with them first to prepare them for the procedure.’ The cystogram meant putting a catheter in the little girl’s urethra and filling her bladder with a liquid that showed up on X-ray, then doing a scan to see if all the liquid was going through the urethra or if any was going back towards the kidneys.

‘Want me to come and have a look?’ he asked.

‘Please.’

Katrina introduced him to her patient, Annabel, and her mother, and Rhys explained what they suspected.

‘We’re going to take a magic picture of your tummy,’ Katrina said to Annabel. ‘It won’t hurt, but it might tickle a bit because I have to put some special gel on your tummy to help me take the picture.’ She showed the scanning head to the little girl and let her hold it so she wasn’t scared, then swiftly did the scan.

Rhys looked at the screen. ‘There’s definitely some scarring there,’ he said.

‘So the good news is that we don’t have to do any further tests that Annabel might find uncomfortable,’ Katrina explained to Annabel’s mother.

‘And even better news is that although it’s vesico-ureteric reflux, I can’t see any distension. We grade the condition from one to five, with one being the mildest,’ he said, ‘and this looks like a grade two to me. So it should clear up on its own without surgery.’

‘What causes it?’ Annabel’s mother asked.

‘With small children, it’s usually caused by the tunnel through the bladder wall not being long enough,’ Rhys said.

‘As she grows, the tunnel will get longer and the condition will improve,’ Katrina added. ‘But we need to make sure Annabel doesn’t get any more urine infections, or it might cause some damage to her kidneys.’

‘And to make sure she doesn’t get an infection, we’ll give her long-term antibiotic therapy—a very low dose every day until she’s five,’ Rhys said.

‘But doesn’t using antibiotics lead to bugs becoming resistant?’ Annabel’s mother asked.

‘If you don’t complete the course properly, yes. But this is slightly different,’ Katrina said. ‘She’ll need to give regular urine samples to your GP, and we’ll call her in for an ultrasound every six months to check that her kidneys are growing properly. And if you get any signs of a urinary infection, you need to take her straight to your doctor.’

‘So that’s if she starts needing to have a wee more often than usual or has accidents that just aren’t like her,’ Rhys said. ‘Or if she’s not very well and you can’t put your finger on what’s wrong, she gets a temperature, or her urine smells unpleasant or has blood in it.’

‘Will giving her cranberry juice help?’ Annabel’s mother asked.

‘Should do, but look out for the other signs as well,’ Katrina advised.

‘So she’ll definitely grow out of it?’

‘I’m pretty sure she will,’ Rhys said. ‘If not, we’ll need to give her an operation to correct the valve problem—but try not to worry. In most cases the antibiotic treatment works really well and it’s more than likely she’ll outgrow the condition.’

‘We’ll need to scan her big brother and her little sister, just to check they’re not affected,’ Katrina added.

‘Because about a third of patients with VUR also have siblings with the condition,’ Rhys explained.

‘I can book them in for the scans now, if you like,’ Katrina said.

‘Thank you.’ Annabel’s mother smiled. ‘You’ve worked together for a long time, haven’t you?’

‘A little while,’ Rhys said.

‘I thought so.’

‘Why?’ he asked.

‘Because you finish each other’s sentences.’

‘Do we?’ Katrina blinked. ‘I hadn’t—’

‘Noticed,’ Rhys continued with a grin. ‘It’s called teamwork.’

‘Everyone on the ward does it,’ Katrina said. Though even as she spoke, she wondered. Did they? Or were she and Rhys just that little bit more in tune?

She was still wondering on the Saturday morning, in a world of her own, when she walked into the bathroom, shrugged off her robe, pulled the shower curtain back from the edge of the bath—and saw Rhys there, showering off the last suds.

‘Oh, my God. I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise…I didn’t hear…I’m so sorry.’ She felt colour shoot into her face; mortified, she grabbed her robe and fled from the room.

It felt as if everything was happening in slow motion. The curtain being dragged back, the look of shock on Katrina’s face as she saw him, followed swiftly by embarrassment, and then she rushed away.

Clearly he hadn’t locked the door properly and she hadn’t heard the water running. And the last thing Rhys wanted was for Katrina to feel embarrassed about her hearing or be awkward with him because of it. He turned off the shower with one hand and grabbed a towel and wrapped it round himself with the other as he climbed out of the bathtub. Heedless of the fact he was still wet, he went after her, catching up with her in the corridor by her bedroom door. ‘Katrina, wait.’ He put a hand on her arm to get her attention and make her face him.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said again, biting her lip. She looked embarrassed and close to tears, and he hated it. He couldn’t let her shut herself away in her room, feeling that upset and miserable.

‘It’s all right,’ he said, making sure that she could see his face. ‘It’s my fault—I couldn’t have locked the bathroom door properly. You didn’t hear the water running?’

‘No. I wasn’t concentrating.’ She gulped. ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘Cariad, please don’t keep apologising. It isn’t your fault. You weren’t expecting me to be there and I should have made sure the door was locked so you knew I was there.’ He stroked her face. ‘I’m sorry—you said you weren’t profoundly deaf, and I didn’t realise quite how much hearing loss you have.’

‘It’s the family joke that I’m always the one who sleeps through thunderstorms.’ She gave him a brittle smile. ‘It’s just as well I’m a lark instead of an owl like Maddie, or I’d never hear the alarm and be up in time for work. Mum bought me one of those ones that uses a light instead of sound and gradually gets brighter like the sun, and Dad made sure my smoke detectors are really loud so I’m safe, and Maddie bought me one of those gizmos that flashes when the phone or doorbell rings.’

She was gabbling, and they both knew it.

‘Maybe you should sing in the shower in future or something,’ she said. ‘Very, very loudly.’

Katrina was clearly trying to make light of the situation, but Rhys heard the slight crack in her voice. She was really upset. And embarrassed. And feeling she was lacking in something. No doubt she was thinking about Pete and his cruel, unfair comments.

‘Katrina, never, ever apologise for being you. You’re fine just the way you are.’ Even though he knew it was dangerous and he really shouldn’t do it—he wanted to comfort her and make her feel better. Which meant putting his arms round her, holding her close.

She was wearing a soft white towelling dressing-gown; when he pressed his cheek against hers, her skin felt even softer.

Irresistible.

He couldn’t stop himself. He turned his face very, very slightly until the corner of his mouth was touching hers. The lightest, sweetest, gentlest kiss. And then everything seemed to blur. He wasn’t quite sure when or how it happened, but then Katrina was holding him back, her arms wrapped just as tightly round him as his were round her, and her mouth was against his properly. Warm and sweet and soft and responsive, opening under the pressure of his mouth so he could deepen the kiss.

He could feel the blood pulsing through his veins. Feel his heart beating, strong and quickening as he kissed her. Feel every sense magnifying, blooming.

This was exactly what he’d thought it would be like, kissing Katrina.

Amazing.

Even though part of him told him to stop, that he was in grave danger of making the situation much worse, his need for her was stronger. He couldn’t remember ever wanting anyone so much. And it was as if a dam had broken, the feeling rushing through him, powerful and unstoppable.

She’d put her bathrobe back on but he knew she was naked underneath. In that brief moment when she’d slipped off her robe in the bathroom, he’d seen just how lovely she was. And he needed to see her again. To touch her. To taste her. He needed that so very, very badly. Still kissing her, he undid the belt of her robe in one fluid movement and pushed the fabric off her shoulders—and then he broke the kiss. Brushed his mouth against hers, just to tell her he had every intention of kissing her again. And then he stepped back far enough to look at her properly.

Lord, she was gorgeous.

He stroked his palms over her shoulders and down her arms, gliding his hands upwards again over her hips and settling in the curve of her waist.

He made a small sound of pure pleasure. ‘Cariad, you’re so beautiful. You take my breath away.’

She said nothing, just looked at him, her blue eyes huge and full of wonder and fear; and Rhys knew in that moment that she felt exactly the same as he did. Wanting this so much, but scared in case everything went wrong and crashed down around them.

Maybe it was time to be brave.

He dipped his head and traced a line of kisses round her throat. Her skin was so soft, so sweet. And he wanted more.

As she tipped her head back, he let his mouth drift lower, then took one nipple into his mouth.

She breathed a little, ‘Oh’ and slid her fingers into his hair. The gentle pressure of her fingertips against his scalp urged him on, telling him she liked what he was doing; he switched his attention to her other nipple, teasing it with his tongue and his lips until she was pushing against him, clearly wanting more.

‘You’re gorgeous,’ he said huskily, stroking over her rib-cage to the flat planes of her stomach. Her breathing was fast and shallow, much like his own. ‘And I want you, Katrina. I need…’ He straightened up again so he could look her in the eye. ‘I think we both need this.’

‘Yes,’ she whispered. She opened her door and walked through it, leaving her towelling robe where it lay on the floor in the hallway.

The soft light filtered through her bedroom curtains and he could see her very clearly. ‘You’re amazing, Katrina,’ he said, following her and closing the door behind him. ‘Stunning.’

She actually blushed.

Did she really not know how lovely she was?

And then she smiled and he lost his head completely. He pulled her back into his arms and kissed her again, stroking her back and the curve of her buttocks. She felt perfect. ‘I want to touch you, Katrina. I want to touch you all over,’ he said between kisses. He wanted to learn what she liked, what gave her pleasure, to make her feel as amazing as she made him feel.

Almost shyly, she tugged at the edge of his towel. It fell to the floor—and then at last there was nothing between them. Skin to damp skin. And it felt so very, very good.

He wasn’t quite sure how they got there or who led whom, but then they were lying facing each other in her bed, the cotton sheet cool against their bodies. Right at that moment he felt as if he was burning up with need for her. He let the flat of his hand slide over her curves, moulding itself to the dip of her waist and the swell of her hip.

‘Perfect,’ he breathed. Then he remembered: she wouldn’t hear what he was saying. He shifted so she could read his lips, and repeated, ‘You’re absolutely perfect.’ His fingers trailed along her outer thigh, then gently brushed upwards again, this time against her inner thigh. Katrina shivered and moved slightly, allowing him the access he craved so badly. He cupped her sex, then let one finger glide along the soft, sweet folds.

She gasped as his fingertip skated across her clitoris.

‘You like that?’ he asked.

‘Yes.’

He did it again.

‘Oh-h-h.’ The word was a breath of pure pleasure.

He bent to kiss her, still stroking her and teasing her until she was making little incoherent noises.

And then a truly awful thought struck him.

‘Katrina.’ He touched her shoulder to get her attention.

‘Hmm?’ She opened her eyes, blinking to help her focus. ‘What?’

‘Do you have any condoms?’

‘Condoms?’ she echoed. Her eyes widened; clearly she realised exactly what his question implied. ‘No.’

‘Ah.’

‘Are you telling me you don’t either?’

‘I don’t either,’ he said ruefully.

‘And I’m not on the Pill.’ She took a deep breath.

But there was a slight wobble in her voice, telling him that she was as disappointed as he was. That he’d brought her to this pitch of arousal and now he was going to let her down.

Well, he wasn’t going to let her down.

‘There’s another way,’ he said softly, and leaned over to kiss her, sliding one hand back between her thighs.

‘Rhys…’

‘Shh. It’s OK,’ he soothed, and kissed his way down her body, nuzzling all the way down her sternum, drawing a line of teasing kisses around her navel and finally stroking her thighs apart.

He drew one finger along the length of her sex, and she quivered.

He did it again and again, taking it slowly, feeling the heat build between them.

When he pushed one finger inside her, she gave a gasp of pleasure. ‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘Oh, Rhys—please, yes.’

He circled her clitoris with his thumb as he moved his hand, gradually quickening his pace, kissing her deeply until he felt her go rigid.

‘Open your eyes, cariad,’ he said, stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers.

She did. And it gave him such a kick to see the wonder in her eyes, the sheer pleasure, followed by the soft, sweet aftershocks of her climax rippling over his skin.

‘Oh. My. God,’ Katrina said, her voice shaky. Her pupils, he was pleased to note, were absolutely huge. ‘Rhys, that was… I mean…’

He loved it that he’d been able to reduce this clever, capable woman to incoherent mush. That he’d made her feel so good she lost it completely.

‘Good,’ he said, and stole another kiss.

She dragged in a breath. ‘My turn.’

‘You don’t have to.’ He moved so that he was lying on his side. ‘That’s not the way it works, cariad.’

‘But I…Rhys, you made me feel amazing just now.’

‘Good. That was the point. Because you are amazing, Katrina.’

‘And I should do the same for—’

He silenced her with a kiss. ‘There’s no shoulds in this.’ He couldn’t resist kissing her again. ‘That wasn’t actually supposed to happen. It certainly wasn’t planned. I just couldn’t keep my hands off you. Once I’d touched you, kissed you—I couldn’t stop.’

‘So what now?’

That was the big question. And trust her to face it head-on rather than skirt round the issue. ‘I like you, Katrina. A lot. And I feel different when I’m with you.’

‘But?’ She said the word for him.

‘But I don’t know if I can offer you what you deserve.’ He grimaced. ‘I’m not good at relationships. I start out with good intentions and then somehow there’s this glass wall between me and the woman I’m falling for, and it all goes horribly wrong. I don’t want to do that to you—especially after what happened with Pete. I don’t want to hurt you.’ Even though he knew he really ought to resume the distance between them, try and go back to how things had been before, he needed her back in his arms. He wrapped his arms round her and shifted so that she was lying with her head resting on his shoulder and her arm wrapped round his waist. ‘But we’ve crossed a line here. I don’t think we can go back to how it was. Not now I know how it feels to touch you.’

‘Me, too,’ she admitted. ‘And I want to make you feel the way you just made me feel. Incredible.’

‘You don’t have to.’

‘I want to.’ She stroked his hip. ‘I want to touch you, Rhys. I want to make you lose it, the way you made me lose it just now. I want to blow your mind.’

‘Carry on like this, cariad, and I’m going to forget all about being sensible,’ he warned her softly.

She removed her hand. ‘Sorry.’

‘Don’t be.’ He stole another kiss. ‘We discussed it. We agreed to stay apart. And it didn’t work.’ He paused. ‘So let’s try it the other way.’

‘You mean—be lovers?’

‘Yes. I want to be your lover,’ he said, drawing the pad of his thumb along her lower lip. ‘I want to take you to the very edge of pleasure.’ He wanted to lose himself within her and forget the world.

‘Lovers.’ She shivered slightly as she said the word, but he knew she wasn’t cold. Very, very far from it. The thought clearly excited her as much as it excited him. Her pupils were huge and her lips were parted and it was all he could do not to kiss her again.

She dragged in a breath. ‘This scares the hell out of me, Rhys.’

‘Me, too,’ he admitted. ‘But maybe it’s time we were both brave. See where this takes us.’

‘But keep it just between us for now,’ Katrina said.

While this was all so new. He knew exactly where she was coming from. ‘Yes.’ He kissed her lightly. Just to seal the deal. ‘If I stay here with you any longer, Katrina, I’m going to do something reckless.’ He kissed her again. ‘So I suggest we get up. I’m going to finish that shower. I’d prefer it to be with you wrapped round me, but I’m going to show restraint and shower on my own—because I’m rapidly running out of willpower where you’re concerned.’

‘Uh-huh.’

‘And that wasn’t the first brick going up in the glass wall,’ he reassured her, seeing the sudden worry in her expression. ‘Because, after you’ve had a shower, we’re going out. I don’t mind where we go or what we do, but I’m going to make a very necessary purchase at some point today. And then I plan to take you out to dinner. And tonight, Katrina Gregory, I’m going to make love with you properly. The way I’ve wanted to since practically the first moment I met you.’

She looked at him, half-shy and so achingly sweet he very nearly forgot himself and made love with her anyway. ‘I sincerely hope that’s a promise,’ she said.

He smiled. ‘Oh, it is. And, Katrina?’

‘Mmm?’

‘Just so you know…I always…’ he kissed her, just for emphasis ‘…always keep my promises.’