Alison Roberts - Hot Docs On Call - Healing His Heart

‘Can-Matt-come-too?’ He wasn’t giving in without a fight.

Quinn’s features flickered with renewed panic. This wasn’t in the plan but they knew all hell would break loose again if he left and denied this request. Their silence forced Simon’s eyes open and Matt had to act fast or get stuck here all night trying to pacify him.

‘Sure.’ He glanced back at her and shrugged. What choice did he have? With any luck Simon would forget the entire conversation altogether. Especially since the required answer sent him back to sleep with a smile on his face.

This time they made it out of the room undetected and Quinn released a whoosh of breath from her lungs as she eased the door behind them.

‘I thought we’d never get out of there alive.’ She rested her head against the back of the door, all signs of tension leaving her body as her frown lines finally disappeared and a smile played upon her lips. It was a good look on her and one Matt wished he saw more often.

‘We’re not off the hook yet but hopefully we’ve stalled the drama for another day.’ Preferably when he was far from the crime scene.

‘I appreciate you only agreed to the zoo thing to get him to go to sleep. Don’t worry, I won’t hold you to it.’ She was granting him immunity but he remembered something she’d said about people letting her down and he didn’t want to be another one to add to her list.

‘It’s no problem at all. I told you, I love the zoo.’ It just wasn’t somewhere he’d visited since his sisters had entered their teenage years. An afternoon escorting the pair around the sights wasn’t a big deal; he’d been the chaperone on a few organised hospital trips in his time and this wouldn’t be too dissimilar. It would be worth a couple of hours of his free time to see them happy again.

‘Thanks for the idea, by the way. I kind of fell apart when he said he didn’t have a home to go to.’ The crack in her voice was evidence of how much the comment had hurt.

‘He’s frightened and it’s been another tough day for both of you. It’s easy to hit out at the ones closest to us. I’ve lost count of the amount of times my sisters told me they hated me and they couldn’t wait to move out. They didn’t mean it, and nor does Simon. It’s all part of the extras package that comes with parenthood, I’m afraid.’

There’d been plenty of rows over the years as teenagers rebelled and he’d been the authority figure who’d had to rein them in. However, they were still a close family and he was the first person they’d call if they needed help.

‘I’d hate to think I was making things worse for him. He seems so unhappy.’ The head was down as the burden of guilt took up residence again on her shoulders.

He crouched down before her so she had to look at him. ‘Hey, I don’t know Simon’s background but I do know he’s a lucky boy to have you as a foster mother. You’re a wonderful woman, Quinn, and don’t you forget that.’

She fluttered her eyelashes as she tried to bat away the compliment but he meant every word. The burden she’d taken on with Simon’s injuries and her determination to make a loving home for the duration of his time with her took tremendous courage. A strong, fiery soul wrapped up in one pretty package was difficult not to admire.

Now free from the responsibilities of work and away from the stares of co-workers and impressionable youngsters, Matt no longer had anyone to stop him from doing what he’d wanted to do for a long time.

He leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers, stealing the kiss they’d been dodging since their time in the pub. It wasn’t his ego make-believing she wanted this too when her lips were parted and waiting for him.

Away from the hospital they were more than an overattentive doctor and an anxious parent. In another time, in different circumstances, he wouldn’t have waited a full day before taking her in his arms the way he did now.

He bunched her silky hair in his hands and thought only of driving away the shadows of doubt already trying to creep in and rob him of this moment. The instant passion which flared between them was a culmination of weeks of building tension, fighting the attraction and each other. Every fibre of his being, with the exception of several erogenous zones, said this was a bad idea. She was a single mother and this went against all of his self-imposed rules. This new carefree lifestyle was supposed to mean he went with the flow, free to do whatever he wanted. And in the here and now, Quinn was exactly what he wanted, so he ignored the voice that told him to leave and never look back, and carried on kissing her.

Either Quinn had died and gone to heaven or her exhaustion had conjured up this mega-erotic fantasy because it couldn’t possibly be happening. It was beyond comprehension that she was actually making out with her foster son’s surgeon in her own house.

The tug at her scalp reminded her it was very real.

Matt took her gasp as an invitation to plunge his tongue deeper into her mouth, stealing what was left of her breath. He was so thorough in his exploration, yet so tender, he confused her senses until she couldn’t think beyond his next touch.

His fingers wrapped around her hair, his mouth locked onto hers, his hard body pressed tightly against her—it was too much for her long-neglected libido to process at once. It was as though every one of her forgotten desires had come to life at once, erasing the loneliness of these past man-free months.

Her ex’s betrayal had devastated her so much she’d convinced herself romance in her life didn’t matter but Matt McGrory had obliterated that theory with one kiss. It most certainly did matter when it reminded her she was a hot-blooded woman beneath the layers of foster mum guilt. She’d forgotten how it was to have someone kiss the sensitive skin at her neck and send shock waves of pleasure spiralling through her belly and beyond. In fact, she didn’t remember ever swooning the way she was right now.

Today, Matt had successfully operated on Simon, talked sense into her when she’d been virtually hysterical, held her when she’d cried, supported her when she’d fallen apart and carried a sleeping child to his bed. He was perfect. It was a crying shame the timing was abominable.

He slid a hand under her shirt and her nipples immediately tightened in anticipation of his touch. If he ventured any further than her back she doubted she’d be able to think clearly enough to put a stop to this. As enjoyable as the feel of his lips on her fevered skin was, this wasn’t about her getting her groove back on. Simon was her priority and she wouldn’t do anything to jeopardise that.

Matt was his surgeon and this could lead to all sorts of complications regarding his treatment and the fostering authorities. That wasn’t a risk she was willing to take. She wanted to break the cycle of selfish behaviour which had plagued her and Simon to date, and if it kept her heart protected a while longer, all the better.

‘I think we should probably call it a day.’ She dug deep to find the strength to end the best night she’d had for a long time.

With her hands creating a barrier between their warm bodies, she gave him a feeble push. Her heart wasn’t in the rejection but it did stop him in his tracks before he kissed his way to her earlobe and discovered her kill switch. His acquiescence did nothing to ease her conscience or the throbbing need pulsating in her veins.

‘You’re probably right.’ He took a step back, giving them some space to think about the disaster they’d narrowly averted. Then he was gone.

One nod of the head, a meek half-smile and it was Goodnight, Josephine.