Twin Surprise For The Italian Doc. Alison Roberts

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СКАЧАТЬ below average stature. He was definitely good looking and there was a gleam in those blue eyes that suggested intelligence. As a bonus, his camaraderie with his teammates told her that he wasn’t any kind of sociopath.

      Dave seemed, on first impression, to be a very nice guy and Georgia experienced another pang of guilt that she could even be thinking along these lines. Was she really planning to cultivate a friendship enough to use someone for such a selfish purpose? Getting pregnant accidentally was common enough to be almost normal but it was more than a little disturbingly immoral to plan such an event.

      She glanced at Kate, almost hoping that enough telepathy existed between them that her friend would sense the secret list-ticking and deliver a hint of shock with some raised eyebrows and then a frown, or perhaps a headshake, of total disapproval.

      But Kate wasn’t even looking in her direction. She seemed to be focussed on her meal and wasn’t joining in with the conversation around her. Maybe she was more out of her comfort zone than Georgia had anticipated when she’d persuaded her to come to this competition. Kate was incredibly clever and hardworking and the best friend Georgia had ever had, but nobody could say she was overly adventurous. Or even spontaneous. If there was going to be a break in her normal routines, Kate liked to be able to plan how to cope with it. Making a plan that would turn her whole life upside down would be so unthinkable that Georgia had known instantly that it had been a mistake to even voice her idea of bypassing the search for a suitable partner and moving straight on to parenthood.

      Or maybe Kate was thinking about the old friend from medical school she thought she’d spotted in the crowd at registration. The news that he was now married had been disappointing. Thanks to the latest disaster of being unceremoniously dumped by Rick, Georgia was completely over the idea of finding the love of her life but her flatmate was still a believer and, if anybody deserved the happy-ever-after of the full package, it was Kate.

      Perhaps the vibe of wishing the best for her had transmitted itself to Kate because she finally looked up from her meal. She glanced from Georgia to Dave and back again, a subtle quirk of her eyebrow confirming what Georgia already knew—that Dave was interested and it would be very easy to turn this chance meeting into something more—but even that didn’t provoke any hint of disapproval.

      Kate started chatting to Sally and Ken then, clearly interested in hearing about what it was like to live and work in New Zealand. Seeing that she seemed more relaxed about being here allowed Georgia to release a small sigh of relief. Maybe Kate was making an effort to embrace this adventure and the next couple of days would be a lot of fun for both of them.

      And maybe that was exactly what Georgia needed to do. To focus on this competition for what it was—an opportunity to demonstrate her skills to the best of her ability. Kate was smart enough to be right most of the time and the plan that had seemed like an epiphany a few weeks ago, however half-baked it had been, was a hare-brained scheme.

      And wrong?

      With a small, inward sigh, she joined in the conversation and avoided looking at Dave again until she had finished her meal. By the time they all filed out of the dining room on the way to the pre-competition briefing she had decided that Dave, despite how cute he might be, was safe. After only one candidate, she was done with her personal profile testing.

      She didn’t need Kate’s disapproval because she had just tapped into plenty of her own.

      Men who contributed to sperm banks were doing so with the full knowledge that they could be fathering children they would never know. Making an assumption that what someone didn’t know couldn’t hurt them was irresponsible and...and unacceptable.

      All the men here were safe.

      She was done with any list-ticking. The master plan had been scrapped.

      * * *

      ‘Between eleven-thirty and midnight tonight, you will all receive your list of events.’

      Georgia felt her heart pick up its rate as a squiggle of excitement tickled her gut. This was really happening. She’d heard about this competition years ago, when she’d been training to become a paramedic, and it had always been a dream. This was why she was here and the crazy idea of hooking up with someone and possibly going home pregnant was no longer even remotely interesting.

      ‘You will be given the GPS coordinates of the scenario and a start time,’ the official continued. ‘Please be there at least ten minutes before that time. If you are late, you will not be admitted and you will not be marked in that section of the competition.’

      Georgia elbowed Kate, who was standing close beside her in this very crowded room. ‘No chance of that happening,’ she whispered. ‘Not when I’m with you.’

      The comment should have earned the kind of eye-roll that Kate bestowed automatically whenever she was reminded of her compulsion to obey rules but, instead, she received a quick grin. Maybe Kate was feeling as excited as she was now that this was actually beginning. Or would be in a few hours.

      Starting at six a.m. tomorrow, there would be twelve tasks for each team to complete within twenty-four hours, with time allowed for rest and meal breaks along the way. A final warning about possible elimination from the competition if any teams were found to be sharing information about the tasks completed the briefing and a babble of conversation broke out amongst a shifting audience.

      To Georgia’s surprise, Kate immediately turned to the man standing on her other side.

      ‘What section are you in?’ she asked. ‘All doctors? Doctors and med students?’

      Her body language suggested the ease of an old friendship so Georgia realised that this man had to be the one Kate had told her about. Luke?

      ‘Doctor/paramedic.’ He put his arm over the shoulders of his companion. ‘This is Matteo Martini. Italian paramedic extraordinaire.’

      Georgia’s gaze shifted. And then something a lot bigger shifted inside her chest.

      This Italian paramedic had to be the most gorgeous man she had ever seen in her entire life. Well over six feet tall, his strong features were softened by a frame of soft waves of black hair and his eyes looked like the darkest, most luxurious chocolate you could imagine. And that smile...just crooked enough to give a hint of playfulness. Mischief even?

      Whatever. The net effect was drop-dead sexy.

      ‘Ooh...’ The sound was almost an approving hum and Georgia felt as if her body was shifting itself a bit closer, even though she knew she hadn’t moved. And then her mouth opened without giving her time to think about whatever words she wanted to produce. What did emerge was vaguely appalling.

      ‘A martini? Yes, please... Extra-dry—with an olive.’

      She saw the flash of surprise in those chocolate-coloured eyes but then it vanished in the wave of laughter that Georgia managed to join in with, making her ridiculously flirtatious comment no more than a joke.

      ‘This is Georgie,’ Kate said. ‘My paramedic partner.’

      It seemed the most natural thing in the world to fall into step beside Matteo as Kate and Luke led the way to the bar where everyone was going to wait for the scenario list and start times to be handed out.

      She felt small beside this solid male figure. And a bit embarrassed, to be honest, after her overly enthusiastic response to their introduction.

      Matteo СКАЧАТЬ