The Greek Doctor's New-Year Baby. Kate HardyЧитать онлайн книгу.
shrugged. âMy grandparents are English. I wanted to spend some time getting to know them.â
âYou didnât see them much of them when you were growing up?â
âNo.â
Something in his tone warned her that this was a sore spot, something to be left alone.
âWhat about you?â he asked.
âI trained in London, but my familyâs from Suffolk. My cousin Katrina lives a couple of doors down from me, so if weâre on the same shift I see her quite a bit out of work.â
âIs she a doctor too?â
Madison nodded. âSheâs in paediatrics. And sheâs brilliant.â She smiled. âSheâs practically my sister, seeing as we grew up together. Our dads have a family business and our mums are best friends.â She paused. âHow about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?â
âThree younger sisters and a brother.â He went over to the mantelpiece and took a photograph down to show her. âThis is Sophroniaâsheâs the next one down from me. Melinaâs next, then Thalia, and this is Stefanos.â
She could definitely see the family resemblance, though all had darker eyes than Theo. âAre any of them doctors?â she asked.
âJust me,â he said. âSophronia was trying to be a stay-at-home mum, but she missed her job too much.â He smiled. âAnd sheâs very, very good at PR. So sheâs gone back part time. Melinaâs a chef, Thaliaâs an interior designer, and Stefanos is in his last year of an economics degree.â He replaced the photograph on the mantelpiece.
On impulse, she joined him there. âAnd who are they?â she asked, pointing to another photograph.
âSophieâs childrenâmy niece Arianna and my nephew Petros.â
It was a candid shot, clearly taken by someone they knew rather than a posed professional picture, and the smiles on their faces were infectious. âTheyâre gorgeous,â she said, meaning it.
He was standing close enough for their arms to touch, and a shiver went through her at the feel of his skin against hers. Lord. She couldnât remember when sheâd last been aware of someone in this way. Maybe not since Harry.
He must have felt the shiver, because he turned to face her. âThey are,â he said softly. Gently, he touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers. âSo what are we going to do about this, Maddie?â
âAbout what?â
It was a complete fib, and she knew he knew it. He meant about them. About the weird pull between them.
âThat night at the ballâ¦I did this.â He lifted her right hand and skimmed her inner wrist with his mouth. âAnd then I wanted to kiss you here.â He kissed the soft skin of her inner elbow. âAnd here.â He kissed the curve of her shoulder, bare except for the spaghetti strap of her top. âAndâ¦â
She closed her eyes and tipped her head back, offering him her throat. His mouth brushed against it, and heat sprang up wherever his lips touched her.
And when his mouth finally connected with hers, her knees went weak. His mouth was soft and sweet and persuasive, and she couldnât help sliding her hands round his neck, opening her mouth under his to let him deepen the kiss.
Time seemed to stop, and all she was aware of was Theo. The strength of his body against hers, the warmth of his mouth, the seductive flicker of his tongue against hers. She couldnât remember ever wanting anyone this much before, even Harry.
Harry.
That was where everything had gone wrong last time.
Too much, too fast.
And an almighty mess at the end.
When he broke the kiss, she opened her eyes. âTheo. This shouldnât be happening,â she whispered.
He took one step away. âSignomi. I apologise.â
It would be sensible to accept his apology and stop this right now. Except she couldnât. The need was too strong. âTheo, I⦠That wasnât quite what I meant.â
âNo, you were right in the first place, Maddie. We shouldnât do this.â He dragged a hand through his hair.
It only made things worse because, ever so slightly rumpled, he looked sexier than ever and she wanted him even more. âI think my blood pressureâs just gone up ten points,â she said.
âMine, too.â He shook his head in apparent exasperation. âThis is crazy. Apart from the fact that Iâm only here for six months and dating colleagues is usually a bad idea, Iâm not in a position to offer you anything more than an affair. And thatâsâ¦â He grimaced. âWell, itâs not particularly honourable, is it?â
She didnât quite understand. âWhatâs so dishonourable about seeing each other?â
âBecause,â he said softly, âusually when youâre over thirty, when you start seeing someone youâre thinking about settling down. So a relationship doesnât mean just having funâit means getting to know each other, seeing if you suit each other, seeing if you could be happy growing old together.â
âThat makes it sound as if everyone of our age is on the lookout for a life partner,â Madison said dryly.
âSo are you saying you donât want to settle down?â
âNo. When I meet the right person then Iâll want to settle down,â she admitted. âI want what my parents haveâwhat Katrinaâs parents have, too. A good, strong marriage. A relationship that will last.â Not like her previous marriage, which had collapsed within six months. She paused. âBut how do you know when you meet the right person?â
He spread his hands. âNo idea. But Iâm not looking.â
The word âdishonourableâ filtered back into her head. âYouâre already involved elsewhereâyour partnerâs back in the Midlands or in Greece?â
âNo.â He frowned. âOtherwise I wouldnât have asked you to come with me on the balloon.â
Divorced, then, she guessed. âShe hurt you that badly?â Madison asked. She could sympathise with thatâHarry had left her feeling burned and with major trust issues. If Theo had been involved with the female equivalent of Harry, it was hardly surprising that he was equally wary of relationships.
âItâs nothing to do with an ex.â
She blinked. âPerhaps Iâm being stupid, here, but if youâre not involved with anyone else, whatâs the problem?â
âI canât offer you a future, Maddie. I donât want to get married and have children. So seeing me would stop you meeting someone else, someone who would be able to give you what you want.â
âAnd what do you think I want?â
âYouâve already told meâyou want a relationship that lasts. Marriage. And, given the look on your face when I showed you the photographs of my niece and nephew, Iâd say you want children as well.â
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