Sue MacKay - Surprise Twins For The Surgeon

He’d prefer they were on his biceps. Kristof stepped closer so his arm touched hers. That was as close as he was getting, tantalising fingers or not. But hell, he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss that sadness away. Even when the man she’d want kissing her wasn’t him.

Alesha leaned into him, as though now she’d voiced what had happened the strength to stay upright had deserted her.

He couldn’t resist. His arm wound around her shoulders, to give her support. Nothing more. Or was it? A heady mix of gentleness, need and friendship closed around him. A totally foreign sensation. He lost track of how long they stood there, both staring out across the harbour with a myriad lights winking from the ships and the wharves, he holding her, she trembling.

Then she knocked him sideways with a whisper. ‘You don’t have to go. I could do with some company.’ When she turned to face him she was close so her breasts brushed against his chest. When her mouth touched his, those lips were soft and warm, exciting, just as he’d imagined. Talk about getting what he wished for.

Kristof lifted his chin and stepped back, his hands on her shoulders until she found her balance. ‘Thank you for asking but you’re feeling let down, unhappy, disappointed. Tomorrow you’ll regret having made that suggestion.’ He was already regretting not following through. As far as kisses went that one had barely got started, but every cell in his body was screaming out for more and for the follow-up rampant sex.

‘That’s a no, then.’

‘Yes, Alesha, it is.’ Give him strength, because the more he said no, the more he knew it was a lie, that he wanted to accept her invitation, to lose himself in her, give her a reason to let go the hurt plaguing her eyes for a few hours at least.

‘I could beg.’ Fixed on him, her eyes were enormous.

‘It wouldn’t become you.’ His lips grazed her forehead. He breathed in apples from her hair.

Go, while you still can.

Dropping his hands, he stepped further away. ‘Take care, Alesha. Whatever you do, enjoy your time in Croatia.’ And on that dry note he left, feeling her eyes boring into his back until he reached the bottom step and let himself out onto the street. He didn’t know if she watched from above as he walked up the road, wasn’t looking back over his shoulder to find out. Alesha had come into his life with a problem. Now the crisis was fixed and with every step he took he was leaving her further behind, safe, out of his life, out of the way of temptation. He couldn’t fix her bigger problem.

‘Kristof, wait. Stop. Look up the road.’ Alesha was running after him. ‘I think there’s a fire further up.’ She had his arm now, was pulling at him and pointing towards the area where his mother’s house was.

A red glow backlit a building. Not his mother’s, but close. Someone’s house was definitely burning. ‘I’m calling the emergency services. You go back inside.’ He didn’t need to be worrying about Alesha while he tried to assess the situation.

‘I’m coming with you. There could be people inside.’

Arguing wasted time. ‘What can you do to help?’ It was an honest question. If she was hanging around there might be something she could do to help.

‘I’m a nurse, remember?’

‘Come on.’ There wasn’t time to argue, and she was right, she might be needed. He began sprinting up the road. Hopefully she wasn’t going to be required at the scene of the fire.

Puff, puff, from beside him. Not a fit nurse, then.

The emergency dispatch for the city answered his call, preventing him saying something he’d regret. Rattling off what he knew about the location, nothing specific but once the emergency crews got close they’d work it out, he punched the red icon and shoved the phone deep into his pocket, hoping it stayed there while he got on with helping out at the fire. Losing all his work contacts was not on.

You don’t want to lose Alesha’s number either.

Best if he did, then he couldn’t be tempted into calling her, asking her to join him for a beer or a trip into town for a meal during the coming week.

Kristof really was trying to fool himself. Who needed a number when he walked by the apartment complex every day? Which reminded him. ‘Did you remember your keys?’

She gaped at him, her eyes wide and filled with disgust. ‘Guess it really isn’t my day.’

They weren’t going to call Karolina out a second time. ‘There’s a spare bed at my mother’s.’

Laughter filled the now smoky air. ‘I meant there went my opportunity to crash at your place. I have keys and phone buttoned into my back pocket.’

He looked. How could he not? Yes, there, on that smooth, curved outline of her backside, was the obvious shape of a phone and a bundle of keys. ‘Well done.’

Damn.

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