Joanna Neil - Dr Langley - Protector or Playboy?

‘I hope they’re not after our lunch,’ she said, her mouth making a wry curve. ‘I’ve heard that gulls have been known to swoop down and take the food from people’s hands.’

‘Nah. They’re a better class of bird around here.’ He looked in the paper bag he was holding. ‘I’m sure they’re not partial to sausage rolls and Chelsea buns … a brown trout instead, maybe, or a tasty chub.’

‘That’s just as well, because I am. There’s something about sausage pasties that really gets my taste buds flowing.’ She flipped the lid on her coffee carton. ‘Mmm … this is good,’ she said, swallowing the hot liquid. ‘Just what I needed.’

He handed her a sausage roll wrapped in a serviette and she bit into it hungrily. ‘This is great,’ she said, savouring the taste. ‘It’s still warm from the oven, the way I like it.’ She laughed. ‘At least I get to eat it all to myself. If my brother’s around, and there are sausage rolls or pasties anywhere in the house, no one gets a look in.’

He smiled at her enjoyment of the food. ‘Do you have just the one brother?’

‘Actually, I have three altogether, and Ross, the one who likes pasties, is the youngest. The others are older than me.’

‘That sounds like quite a houseful.’

She nodded. ‘What about you? Do you have any brothers?’

‘A sister. She’s younger than me and works with my father in the business—it’s a packaging company. Sarah runs the office down in Hampshire.’

‘Is that where your family live—in Hampshire?’

‘That’s right. We have a rambling old house in a beautiful village down there. We’re close to the forest, and not too far from the sea.’

His expression was remote for a second or two, and she said quietly, ‘It sounds as though you wish you were back there.’

His mouth curved. ‘Yes, I think I do. It’s where I was born and brought up.’

‘Didn’t you think of doing your training back there?’

‘I did, but the programme that was offered here in London tempted me more. I suppose my parents instilled in me the need to be focussed, to achieve my full potential, and that’s what I’m trying to do.’

He was thoughtful for a while. ‘I have my sights set on specialising in paediatrics, possibly in paediatric A and E. It’s important to me that I get the very best experiences possible, so for the next year or so I’ll be working really hard at all my assessments. I want my e-portfolio to be filled with top-grade achievements. I don’t want to simply get by in medicine. I want to be at the top of my field.’

‘That’s a huge challenge.’

‘Yes, it is. And in the end, when the time’s right, I can always go back home to Hampshire.’

‘There is that.’ He was ambitious, that was for sure.

She studied him from under her lashes, amusement in her green eyes as a thought occurred to her. ‘So, with all that work, I imagine there’ll be no time for any serious romantic entanglements where you’re concerned, will there? All these nurses that are pining for you back at the hospital are going to be seriously disappointed, aren’t they?’

‘Are they really pining for me?’ He looked surprised, then shook his head. ‘Oh, I don’t know about that.’ He dipped into the paper bag and brought out a fruit bun. His expression was mischievous. ‘Still, a little bit of flirting here and there never hurt anyone, did it … especially with the right person. After all, life’s for living, don’t you think?’ He dangled the bun in front of her, tantalising her with the sweet, fruity aroma. ‘Can I tempt you?’

Her green eyes sparked with amusement. ‘If it’s buns we’re talking, oh, yes, please, definitely.’ She breathed in the scent of cinnamon spice, and her mouth began to water in anticipation. But then she realised she might be treading on dangerous ground, and she said softly, ‘Anything else, though, and you can forget it, I’m afraid. I’m not in the market.’

No way. Not even a tiny bit would she give in to any silly ideas that her wildly overactive hormones might be suggesting. A little flirting here and there? Not on your life. Not with him, at any rate … the stakes were far too high.

He passed the bun to her and gave a wry smile. ‘That’s a very definitive statement,’ he said slowly. ‘I’ll have to see if I can change your mind on that one.’

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