Midwives On Call: From Babies To Bride. Kate Hardy

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СКАЧАТЬ on to someone else.’

      ‘Don’t you ever follow your patients up and see what happened?’

      ‘I’ll talk to the crew that transports them. Or, if I’ve travelled in with them, I might hang around in the emergency department and see how it’s handled from there. Some of the docs are great. If I’m ending a shift, they let me go into Theatre or talk over the results of a CT scan or something. If I can learn something that’s going to help me manage better next time, I’m in.’

      ‘You should poke your nose into the MMU some time. You’re a bit of a hero up there after that cord prolapse job the other day.’

      Aiden shook off the compliment. ‘We were lucky.’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘How’s that baby doing? Do you know?’

      Sophia laughed. ‘Of course I know. I’m still doing daily visits. His name is Isaac and he’s doing extremely well. Claire and Greg are over the moon.’

      ‘Good to know. Did he get a thorough neurological check?’

      It was Sophia’s turn to raise her eyebrows. ‘Are you kidding? We’ve got the best doctors there are. He passed every test with flying colours. He might turn out to be a brain surgeon himself one day. Or the prime minister or something. You’ll see him on television and think about what might have happened if you hadn’t been there the day he was born.’

      ‘I might have a bit of trouble recognising him.’ But Aiden was smiling and Sophia felt … relieved? He did have a connection with his patients that wasn’t purely technical. Maybe he didn’t want to revel in that connection like she did but it was there—whether he wanted it to be or not.

      And the idea of him being a maverick medic who rode around the city saving lives and touching those lives only briefly added to his attraction, didn’t it? Gave him a kind of superhero edge?

      Oh, yeah … the attraction was growing for sure and it didn’t seem to be one-sided. Eye contact was becoming more frequent and held for a heartbeat longer. Their fingers brushed as they shared the platter of food. The butterflies in Sophia’s gut danced up a storm as she wondered if he would kiss her at the end of this date.

      But then what?

      She could hear an echo of Em’s voice in the back of her mind. You don’t have to marry the guy. You don’t even have to tell him anything. Just have fun …

      Maybe the connection was even stronger than it felt. She could see a flicker in Aiden’s eyes that had nothing to do with the candles around them.

      ‘I should warn you,’ he said, ‘that I’m not looking for anything serious.’

      Good grief … was that shaft of sensation disappointment? Or shame even? Was there something about her that wasn’t attractive enough to warrant any kind of emotional investment?

      His smile suggested otherwise. So did the way his hand covered hers, touching her skin with the lightness of a feather—the fingers moving just enough to sound a deliciously seductive note.

      ‘It’s not that you’re not absolutely gorgeous,’ he murmured. ‘But I have rules. One rule, anyway.’

      ‘Oh?’ This was confusing. His words were warning her off but his eyes and his touch were inviting her closer. Much closer.

      ‘A three-dates rule.’

      ‘A … what?’

      ‘Three dates. I’ve discovered that’s the perfect number.’

      ‘Perfect for what?’

      ‘To get to know someone. To have fun but not to let anything get out of hand. You know … to get … serious.’

      He made the word sound like some kind of notifiable disease. Sophia’s head was spinning. Wasn’t this exactly what she was looking for? Fun with a gorgeous guy but within limits. Limits that would mean there was no need to tell him anything about herself that could impinge on the fun. She could pretend there was nothing wrong with her. That she was as desirable as any other young woman who was out there dating. That it was only because of ‘the rule’ that it wouldn’t go any further.

      ‘I love it,’ she whispered with a smile.

      ‘Really?’ Aiden’s eyebrows shot up. His fingers tightened over her hand.

      ‘Really.’ Sophia nodded. ‘I’m not looking for anything serious either. Three dates sounds like exactly the rule that’s been missing from my life.’

      ‘Wow …’ Aiden’s gaze was frankly admiring. ‘You’re even more amazing than I thought.’ He stood up, still holding Sophia’s hand, so that she was drawn to her feet as well. ‘You do realise that means we’ll have to make the most of each and every date, don’t you?’

      The butterflies had congregated into a cluster that throbbed somewhere deep in Sophia’s belly like a drumbeat. She couldn’t look away from Aiden’s gaze, even when he dropped her hand and raised his to touch her face. A finger on her temple that traced a gentle line around her eye, across her cheek and down to the corner of her mouth. Her lips parted in astonishment at the wave of sensation the touch was creating and it was then that Aiden dipped his head and kissed her.

      Right there—in a noisy, crowded garden of a trendy bar. Their corner was secluded enough but it was a long way from being private. Not that the kiss got out of hand or anything. The control of those soft, questioning lips on hers suggested that Aiden was a very experienced kisser. The teasing touch of his tongue hinted at where this kiss could go at any moment. Oh, yeah … it ended far sooner than Sophia would have chosen.

      What now?

      Would Aiden take her home to his place? Should she suggest that he came to hers?

      On a first date?

      The idea was shocking. Okay, she was doing this to have fun but jumping into bed with someone this fast made it feel wrong. But they only had three dates to play with, didn’t they? Did ‘making the most of them’ imply that they shouldn’t waste any time?

      But Aiden was smiling again and Sophia had the feeling that he knew the argument she was having with herself.

      ‘Let’s plan date number two,’ he said. ‘And give ourselves something to look forward to.’

      ‘So … how was it, then?’

      ‘What?’

      ‘Date numero uno with the cute midwife?’

      Aiden shrugged as he looked away from his brother to stare over the veranda railings into the garden of the old house. He upended his bottle to catch a mouthful of his beer. ‘Not bad.’

      ‘Score?’

      Aiden frowned. Nate loved to hear about his love life as much as his job and he’d always been happy to share the details. He couldn’t remember who had come up with the scoring system but it had become a tradition. This was the first time it had occurred to Aiden how degrading it would seem if the women he dated ever knew about it.

      Not that he would ever tell СКАЧАТЬ