Luke slid off the board and pulled it to shore. He placed his hand on Abby’s arm. ‘He was perfectly safe with me, Abby. I wouldn’t take risks with your son.’
She met his eyes
and swallowed hard. What she really wanted to do was shout and scream at him for taking her son out onto the ocean. She could see the bright orange life preserver wrapped around him, but right now she didn’t care. Anything could have happened. They could have been swept away. The tide could have turned, a current could have caught them or a rip-tide. A visible shudder swept down her spine.
A hand crept around her waist and a warm, wet body touched hers. Reuben was already bounding up the beach towards their parasol and towels.
‘He’s fine Abby.’ The breath from the words tickled the side of her neck. She watched the retreating figure. He was fine. He was safe.
So why was she so wound up? Was it the other kids, calling Luke Reuben’s dad? Or was it the thought of Reuben getting to do something special, something he’d asked to do for a long time, with someone other than her? The thoughts spun around in her head. Was it possible she was jealous of the connection Reuben and Luke were making? A connection that didn’t include her?
Abby pulled her white cardigan a little closer around her shoulders. It had taken longer than normal to get Reuben to sleep tonight. He’d been so excited by his day at the beach he’d been chattering for hours. She looked at the little sleeping figure in the bed in front of her. His hair lay on the blue pillow, his chest rising and falling lightly with every breath. Perfect. And hers.
She sighed and closed the door quietly behind her. Luke had said he would sort out dinner. He’d been tiptoeing around her for the last few hours. Probably trying to placate her after her outburst on the beach. Had she been unreasonable? She’d never had to consult anyone else on her parenting of Reuben. She’d thought she was all that Reuben would ever need. But as her son was getting older was that still the case? Or did a little boy really need a father figure in his life?
The smell of food was drifting along the corridor. She went down the stairs and into the kitchen but there was no sign of Luke. A light breeze caught her dress and made it dance around her legs, and she turned swiftly. The front door was open.
Luke was sitting on a picnic rug on the grass in front of her house. He smiled as she came down the steps and handed her a glass of chilled wine. ‘Cheers,’ he said, clinking the glass with his bottle of beer as she sat down beside him.
‘I thought we shouldn’t let this beautiful evening go to waste.’
A smile crept across her lips. Two plates of barbeque chicken and baked potatoes sat in front of her. Last time they’d eaten this meal, it had come from a take-out and they’d been sitting on top of a hill in Washington, watching the sunset. This time Luke had obviously spent some time mastering her outside barbeque. The smell was mouthwatering.
‘I wonder where you got this idea. This seems awfully familiar,’ she murmured as she saw the glint in his eye.
‘I wonder indeed,’ he replied as he gently ran a hand along her bare leg. ‘So what do you think?’
She gave him a little smile as the nerve endings in her skin caused her hairs to stand on end. She looked down at the plates. ‘I think your cooking skills have obviously improved over the last few years. But I’m a bit scared to ask who taught you.’
He leaned back onto one elbow and gave her a flirty smile. ‘I’m self-taught. You left me with one saucepan and a microwave. What’s a guy to do?’
He moved a little closer, slipping an arm around her shoulders as he lifted one of the plates onto her lap. ‘And that wasn’t what I meant.’
‘What did you mean, then?’ Somehow she knew exactly how this night was going to turn out. She took a bite of the barbeque chicken and gave a deep sigh. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had cooked for her. Right now it didn’t matter what Luke had served—anything would have been delicious.
He gestured towards the view in front of them. The sun was just beginning to set, sending deep oranges and red spilling across the ocean waves.
‘Washington or Pelican Cove, which has the best sunset?’
She spluttered as she took a drink from her wine glass. ‘How can you even ask that question? When did we ever get views like this in Washington?’
Luke took a drink from his beer bottle and leaned downwards, whispering in her ear. ‘I guess you’re right. The ocean view here is a clear winner.’ He took the plate from her hands and set it down on the grass next to them. Abby leaned back on her elbows, a smile across her face as Luke’s body crossed over hers, his hands on either side of her head, his body right above hers. ‘But there’s a view here that I’d much rather see.’ He bent forward and she tipped her head backwards, exposing the white skin at her throat again as he pushed her cardigan to one side and started to kiss the delicate skin.
Her heart fluttered. He still knew exactly where to touch her. How to connect with her. How to send her pulse racing at the slightest touch. ‘And what view might that be, Dr Storm?’
He gave a deep, throaty laugh at the use of his title. She’d reverted back to their game-playing from years ago, when they’d both just qualified and been eager to use their titles. His head bent lower, inching her coral-coloured sundress away from her breasts. His heavy-lidded eyes met hers and he growled, ‘What do you think, Dr Tyler?’
She wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his short hair and then down the wide planes of his back, settling her hands on his butt cheeks and pulling him closer to her. Her legs opened naturally, letting him settle into the space between them as he pressed closer. She could feel exactly what she wanted.
Something about this was perfect. Five years ago, on a secluded Washington hill, they’d been in exactly this same position. His mouth tickled lower, pushing her bra aside and catching her nipple between his teeth. She let out a sharp gasp and thrust her hips against his.
There had been something about this before. Being out in the open air, at sunset in a place where no one could find them. This time they were on her front lawn, but her house was at the end of a secluded path that no one came down. She heard the sound of a zipper being released and felt him nudge her panties to one side.
There was wicked gleam in his eye. ‘So, Dr Tyler, since we’re re-creating a moment from our past, do you want to re-create the full evening or just part of the evening?’
It was a loaded question. The night in question had been long and eventful. She nibbled at his earlobe. ‘I was with a younger model then,’ she murmured. ‘I’m a little concerned the older version won’t be able to keep up.’
She felt a tickle at her throat as his evening stubble scraped her skin. His voice was heavy with desire. ‘Oh, no, this isn’t the older version, this is the new, improved version. With power settings.’
‘Is that right?’ She could feel his fingers, easing into her and taking her towards the place she wanted to be. ‘Let’s see these power settings, then.’
Her hips tilted upwards, readying herself for him.
‘Mommy!’ Her body stiffened instinctively. ‘Mommy, where are you?’
Luke groaned and rolled off her as she scrabbled to pull her clothing back into place. She leaned forward and dropped a kiss on his forehead. ‘Sorry, Luke, the joys of motherhood.’ She jumped up and ran up the steps inside the house. ‘I’m right here, honey.’
He heard her trying to placate the little boy who’d obviously woken suddenly, and he heaved a sigh, straining to adjust his zipper back into place. It would be a long time before she was back. If she came back.
Luke picked up his half-full beer bottle and took a long, hard swig. Pelican Cove was a gorgeous setting but it came with complications. Complications that he didn’t know if he could handle. Everything about Abby was perfect and the connection between them was still there. The chemistry. When they were together he felt complete. Something he hadn’t felt at any point in the last five years. Something he’d never managed to capture with anyone else.
But could he live like this? With constant interruptions? No more long lie-ins, no more lazy days in bed, with just themselves to worry about.
&n
bsp; For a few hours that afternoon he’d thought he could. He felt something towards Reuben. The little boy had hung on his every word. Wanted to impress him. Wanted to spend time with him.
But the question remained. Did he want to spend time with Reuben?
CHAPTER EIGHT
ABBY watched in wonder at the huge array of equipment being unloaded in the ambulance bay. All this for one baby?
She caught sight of a familiar face at the back of one of the crates. ‘Linc!’ she shouted, as she pushed her way through the jumble of people.
Lincoln Adams was the neonatologist she usually worked with at San Francisco Children’s Hospital. She gave him a quick hug and led him inside the emergency department.
‘Are you okay, Linc? You look really tired.’
He shook his head, his hands on his hips. ‘Let’s just say a certain man …’ his eyes followed James Turner as he strode through the department ‘…appeared at my door at 3 a.m. yesterday morning and told me I had to come to Pelican Cove. I haven’t slept in two days.’ He ran his fingers through his short, spiky hair. ‘He wouldn’t take no for an answer.’
Abby nodded. ‘I know exactly how you feel. I’m really sorry, Linc. He asked me for the best neonatologist that I knew. And you were the natural answer.’
Lincoln leaned over and gave her a hug, obvious fatigue making him hold the position a little longer than necessary. ‘It’s not your fault, Abby.’
‘Want to introduce me?’ Luke’s voice made Abby jump.
‘Yes, sure.’ She noticed the amused expression on Linc’s face. ‘Lincoln Adams, this is Luke Storm, he’s the President’s cardiologist and unfortunately for him he’s the only doctor at the moment to have met the security protocols required to treat the President’s family.’ Lincoln held out his hand towards Luke and the two men shook hands briefly, each sizing the other up. ‘Luke, this is Lincoln Adams, the best neonatologist at San Francisco Children’s Hospital. He’ll be the man looking after our imminent arrival.’