Carol Marinelli - The Best Of The Year - Medical Romance

The fear was gone now.

Yes, she was confused and exhausted and nervous about how she would provide for two children, but the terror was leaving and, after such a wonderful day’s reprieve, she was starting to feel a little more like herself.

‘Thank you for a lovely day,’ she said.

‘Do you want a cup of tea?’ he offered, and she nodded.

‘Make yourself comfortable.’

‘Ha-ha,’ she said, and stood and watched him make the tea instead.

Meaning …

She lifted her top and showed him the straining zipper that had simply refused to go all the way back up.

Only Steele didn’t really see that. He saw pink lace and a teeny flash of jet hair and the stomach that his mouth had kissed over and over.

And as she put down her top Candy looked at the teabag he was squeezing the hell out of with his spoon and, yikes, there was a sort of gravelly note to his voice as he asked her how many sugars she had in her tea.

‘The same as last time,’ Candy said.

‘Sorry, I’m a bit distracted.’ Steele smiled. ‘Two?’

‘Two.’

‘Do you really want tea?’ he checked.

‘No.’

‘Because I don’t,’ Steele said. ‘I want a glass of wine but I’m driving.’

‘Poor Steele.’ She smiled. ‘It really is a problem.’ Candy thought for a moment. ‘I know!’ she said brightly.

‘Do tell.’

‘Why don’t you have a glass of wine and drive me home later?’

He turned and faced her. ‘That’s so clever, but you’re stuck in those uncomfortable jeans. I insist you take them off …’

They started to kiss, the best kiss ever, because she’d got so lost in babies and feeling massive and unsexy but his tongue swiftly took care of that.

It hadn’t really entered her head that he might want her again in that way. Now his fingers were at her zipper and somehow she felt back to the woman she had been.

Out of her jeans, she moaned in relief.

‘Nice?’

‘Nice,’ she said to his mouth.

‘That bra looks a bit tight too.’

He unhooked it and took it out through her arms and it was lovely to be all loose and floppy and to rest a moment in his arms.

‘Feels so good,’ she said.

‘It does,’ he said. There would be no rushing. He loved feeling her all relaxed against him.

‘Get your wine.’

They headed over to the sofa and it was nice to be back there. Steele sat and Candy lay down as he drank his wine and played with her hair. It was good not to talk. She remembered the mornings with Macey and her nonna , and the bliss of hush when words could only serve to make you sad.

‘Are you all packed for Hawaii?’ he said finally.

‘Nope.’ Candy sighed. ‘We’re here to get my case, remember?’

This time tomorrow she’d be at Heathrow.

‘Can I paint your toenails?’ she asked.

‘Er, why?’

‘It relaxes me and my mum’s still sulking at me so I haven’t been able to do hers.’

‘Do you have some nail varnish with you?’

‘In my bag.’

He was so laid back and yet so austere. It was a lovely mixture that made her stomach curl and also gave her a peace that she could be herself.

And she was.

He lay down and she sat on his calves and started on his right foot. ‘I like men’s nails,’ Candy explained, ‘because they’re bigger.’

‘Have you painted a lot of men’s nails?’ he asked, and then let out a moan of surprise. ‘Oh!’

‘What?’ She smiled as she painted his big toenail.

‘I have nail-painting jealousy issues,’ Steele said. ‘I just felt it burn. I’m looking at your bum and enjoying the view when I suddenly got the Annie burn that you had.’

‘I’ve never painted another man’s toenails from this angle.’ Candy smiled again.

‘Take your knickers off, then.’

She did as told and then got back to painting the toenails on his left foot but she made a terrible mess of his long second toe because she heard his zipper slide down.

‘I’m making a bit of a mess here, Steele,’ she said.

‘I forgive you,’ he said.

‘Steele.’ She was arguably the most turned on she had ever been. She had never thought she’d feel sexy again, had never thought sex would ever be fun again, and yet here they were and it was bliss. ‘Can I turn around?’

‘You’ll finish what you started,’ Steele warned.

She gritted her teeth and did the last three toes really quickly. ‘Done.’ She turned around on his calves to the delicious sight of him and she moved up to sit on his thighs and lowered her head and they shared a long, deep kiss. Her breasts flattened against his chest and she could feel his erection pressing against her stomach.

She brought the kiss to a giddy halt and stared at him. He looked right back at her in a way that had her almost feverish. She started placing small kisses over his cheeks as his hands moved to her breasts, working her nipples.

‘Candy …’ Steele nearly said something he shouldn’t. Today wasn’t a day for confusing her, today wasn’t a day for declarations, it was about keeping it light and he felt her sudden tension at the tender tone to his voice. ‘Time for your hula lesson,’ he said, and got the reward of her laugh in his ear.

She lowered herself onto him and he held her hips and had her sway a little and circle, and then Candy could not play any longer and she started moving of her own accord. His hands exploring her breasts had her greedy for more and she leant forward, lowering her breasts to his mouth, dizzy with the sensation of his hands now on her hips, grinding her down a little harder as his mouth worked her tender nipples.

‘Steele …’ There was almost panic in her voice, a delicious panic because her body wasn’t hers any more but was moving into a rhythm of its own.

His mouth left her breast and she looked down at him. His lips were slightly parted and there was tension in his expression, just as there was in hers.

Steele adjusted the angle of his thrust just a fraction and she let out a sob. It was an actual sob as Steele started to come.

And then another sob and it was one of relief as somehow, some way, as she came to him, all she was at that moment was Candy.

Not pregnant, not scared, not worried at all.

The world felt a lot better when she was in Steele’s arms.

STEELE STARED AT the morning light as she lay in his arms.

It was the last morning they would share in this room.

‘Excited?’

‘Very.’ Candy nodded.

Despite her misgivings at times, now she was looking forward again to going on holiday. There was so much more to sort out now and Candy truly wanted to get on with it.

Right now, though, here was where she wanted to be, and she lay stroking the crinkly hair on his stomach that she loved so.

‘What date do you get back?’ Steele asked.

It was the first day of his new job.

‘Do you want me to see if I can get away this evening and take you to the airport?’

‘No, because then we’ll have to say goodbye again.’ She looked up at him. He’d been so lovely to her. Her time with Steele had been the most wonderful time of her life but she wasn’t foolish. Two weeks away from each other, him starting a new job, very soon he might look at things in a very different light. She didn’t want to find out a few weeks or months from now that, despite best intentions, they hadn’t worked out … A very big part of Candy wanted it left at this. She wanted it to end while they were crazy about each other, while it was fun and sex and romance—before it all got too hard.

They got out of bed and got ready and he picked up her case and when they got to her flat he carried it in and he laughed when he saw the lock she’d put on.