Leah’s gaze dropped uncertainly to his mouth. ‘Are you going to kiss me?’ she whispered.

  ‘I’d like to.’

  ‘Only kiss me?’

  He smiled wickedly. ‘And more besides...’

  She closed her eyes as his lips met hers and allowed everything else that was happening to just float away, untethered and unhindered. All that mattered right now was the feel of his lips against her own. The warmth of his hands upon her face, the gentleness with which he touched her.

  When he broke away to look at her, to see if she wanted more than this, she reached out and pulled him close.

  Yes. I want more.

  The intensity of the kiss deepened and she felt her body awaken in anticipation. She knew this man’s touch. What it was capable of. And she wanted all of it. The feeling of him. The warmth of him. His desire.

  This was no one-night stand, like it had been before. This wasn’t just lust and hitting the peaks. This was intimacy and knowing him more than she had known him before. He wasn’t a stranger. This was a man she liked. This was a man she cared for. This was the man who had fathered the baby within her womb. There was a connection. Something stronger than two strangers.

  She felt for the buttons of his shirt, undoing them, pulling at the material, eager to feel his skin beneath her fingertips. She could already feel heat and muscle and sinew and she needed more. Needed to feel all of him. To breathe him in. To know him once again now that their bond was stronger than before.

  Ben undid his belt, then helped her off with her top. Her skin felt alive with his touch. She wanted his hands on her, stroking her, touching her, teasing nerve endings that were electric.

  And suddenly she was lying back, naked, his body atop her, his long, lean length stretched out across the fullness of her, and it was one of the most delicious feelings in the world. And then, slowly, he began to trail his lips down her neck, licking the dip at the base of her throat, kissing her, tasting her, until he was holding her hips and his lips were over the skin below her belly button. Here he paused, as if considering what lay beneath.

  He licked once. Kissed her skin, her gently rounded abdomen, gazing upon her belly as if it held precious treasure that hypnotised him.

  ‘Ben?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘You won’t hurt me.’

  He looked up at her and met her flustered gaze before proceeding to drop his head lower.

  She’d meant to say he wouldn’t hurt the baby, assuming that was what he was worrying about, but had she meant something else? Had she been asking him a question? Or making a statement?

  But she didn’t have too long to consider that as his tongue expertly got to work. Her back arched away from the couch and she gasped for air as Ben sent her soaring to the heavens.

  When she opened her eyes his face was next to hers, and his mouth claimed her as his hardness pressed against her, teasingly close.

  ‘Ben...’ she breathed, urging him on, and he plunged into her.

  She gasped, clutching him to her. She was lost. Lost in a world of passion and desire and need. A need to envelop him, to hold him close, to be taken to the heights. But this joining was more than just that. It was a redefining of their relationship. A strengthening of their bond. They had made something physical. Now they were making something emotional.

  As he moved against her, lips on her neck, breathing hard as he thrust into her, she couldn’t help but groan and gasp aloud. She wanted him so much! Could feel her own excitement begin to peak with every delicious, delectable thrust. She pulled him towards her harder and harder as they both climaxed, calling out, breathing heavily, panting and slowing, their bodies slick with sweat, before they slowed to stillness and he kissed her again.

  That heat... That tingle where their bodies were still as one...

  Leah smiled, then began to chuckle. ‘Oh, my God... Wow.’

  Ben propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at her, kissing her once more. He stared deeply into her eyes. What was he looking for? What did he hope to see in her face?

  Leah stroked his face. ‘We do like complicated, don’t we?’

  He smiled and raised an eyebrow. ‘I guess we do. Want to get complicated again?’

  She laughed. ‘Really? Again?’

  ‘Why not? But it might be nice to move somewhere a little comfier.’

  ‘The bedroom?’

  He pretended to look as if he was thinking about it. Then, ‘I do believe that worked once before, so why not?’

  And he stood up and scooped her into his arms as if she was as light as a feather, and they both laughed as he carried her into her bedroom and lay her down upon the sheets.

  CHAPTER NINE

  ‘LEAH? THERE’S A lady here to see you,’ said Richard, poking his head through the cubicle curtains.

  ‘Who is it?’ she asked as she applied the last sterile strip to her patient’s wound.

  ‘Er... I think she said her name was Sally Lombard?’

  Sally!

  Leah had called her that morning after Ben had left, wanting some privacy to make the call. She’d felt very nervous about calling her friend, and then Sally had been out and she’d had to leave a message, saying she needed to speak to her in person so she’d call again later.

  She hadn’t expected Sally to turn up at her work!

  Still, it was nice, and Leah was due her lunch break, so it would give them the opportunity they needed to talk.

  Her patient hobbled out of the cubicle on crutches, and with a set of instructions on how to take care of his wound, and Leah hurried off to write up her notes. She would only have an hour for lunch and she didn’t want to waste it.

  Ben was at the doctors’ desk, just coming off the phone, when she arrived.

  ‘Hey, are you free for lunch?’ she asked.

  He checked his watch. ‘I can be. You want to grab a bite somewhere special?’

  ‘No, no. It’s just that...well, Sally’s here and I need to tell her about the baby, and I thought it might be a good idea if you could join us later and she could meet you.’

  She saw him hesitate.

  ‘Your surrogate?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Sure. What time do you want me to interrupt?’

  ‘About one-thirty—in the cafeteria? That should give me time to tell her the basics.’

  ‘Perfect. I’ll see you then.’ He got up and walked away, leaving her watching him go.

  Leah quickly filled in her notes and filed the patient’s record, and then headed off to find Sally, who was sitting in the waiting room with all the patients.

  ‘Sal!’

  Her best friend looked wonderful! Swollen-bellied and amazing. After she’d given her friend a hug and a kiss she took a moment to lay her hand on Sally’s belly and felt her baby give a strong kick in response.

  ‘You’re looking good. And this one is growing so fast!’

  ‘It sure is. It’s a kick-ass, like it’s mama. I swear it’s taken up kick-boxing in there. My bladder is being used as a punch bag.’

  Leah couldn’t help but smile. She’d been speaking to Sally often on the phone, but they hadn’t seen each other for a month or two and the physical difference in her friend was astounding. And to think that soon she too would look this big. If not bigger!

  ‘The hospital has a cafeteria that sells pretty decent food, if you’re up for it?’

  ‘Always starving with this one inside me. I can’t remember getting this hungry carrying my own kids.’

  Leah threaded her arm through Sally’s and they waited for a lift to take them up to the cafeteria floor. Before long they were choosing food from the long display and settling down in a small booth.

  ‘So, how are you? How have you been?’ asked Sally. ‘I’ve missed seeing you, but it’s been so hectic at home. Andrew’s rehearsing for his role in the school play and I’ve been helping out, making the sets for the drama department. I swear, if I hear another speech from Hamlet I’m going to go crazy!’

  ‘Andrew’s playing Hamlet? That’s brilliant news!’

  ‘Well, he’s very dramatic—as you very well know. The theatre is in his blood, darling!’ She sipped at her decaf cappuccino. ‘But enough about him—tell me what’s going on with you. What’s this big news you want to tell me?’ Sally leaned in, grinning. ‘Have you met someone?’

  Leah coloured as the moment of truth came upon her. Why did she feel so guilty about telling her this? Sally was her best friend! She wouldn’t be upset—she knew the turmoil Leah had been through. But this news—the pregnancy—somehow felt like a sort of betrayal and she didn’t know why.

  ‘I have met someone, yes.’

  Sally’s eyes widened in glee and she squealed. ‘Really? What? Here? Who is he? What’s he like?’

  ‘His name’s Ben. Ben Willoughby. He’s a doctor.’

  ‘Willoughby? Like from Sense and Sensibility? Tell me you fell over in the rain and he rescued you on his white steed? Oh! This is so exciting!’

  Leah sipped at her orange juice and smiled nervously. ‘Not quite. I didn’t know he was a doctor when I met him. He’s that guy I told you about. The one-night stand?’ She blushed.

  ‘Your hot stud is your new beau?’

  Leah flushed. ‘Yes.’ Then she giggled. Nerves.

  Why, oh, why had they left it so long to talk like this? It had been ages! She’d missed chatting with Sally. But guilt had kept her away, and talking on the phone had seemed easier, because Sally wouldn’t see the lies on Leah’s face.

  ‘I’ve asked him to join us in a minute because I want you to meet him.’

  Sally looked at her in surprise. ‘So it’s serious, then?’

  ‘Yes. At least I think so.’

  ‘You think so?’

  ‘Well, it’s complicated...’

  Sally pointed at her own stomach. ‘You mean this complication?’

  ‘Kind of...’

  ‘What do you mean? Have you told him about the baby? Oh, please tell me you’ve been honest with the guy, Leah! He needs to know before he walks in here and sees this belly of mine!’

  ‘He knows. I’ve told him. But that’s not the complication I wanted to mention.’

  Her friend frowned. ‘Why? What else is going on?’

  Leah let out a big sigh, not sure how to say it. Just come straight out with it? Just blurt it out? Or gently sow the seeds?

  ‘Our one-night stand... Well, it kind of led to something more than just a relationship.’

  ‘He gave you an STD?’ Sally whispered, shock peppering her voice.

  ‘No!’ Leah felt her face colour again. ‘But he did give me something.’

  Sally frowned, waiting.

  It was so hard to say the words. But they needed to be said. ‘I’m pregnant, Sal. I’m carrying a baby.’

  Sally sat back, stunned, her face a picture of total shock and disbelief. Her lower jaw moved as if she were trying to formulate words, questions to ask, but no sounds came out.

  Leah reached over and grabbed her friend’s hand. ‘I’m just over three months pregnant.’

  Sally continued to look at her, open-mouthed, her hand resting protectively over her belly. Eventually she managed to find the power of speech. ‘But...how? I didn’t think... You said that...’

  ‘The usual way.’

  ‘But what about...?’

  Leah shook her head. ‘I don’t know. I didn’t think it was possible. But it happened, and I’ve had a scan and...’ She reached into her bag and pulled out her scan picture. ‘And the baby has implanted in a good place. I might be able to carry to term! It has a good chance of surviving!’

  Sally picked up the scan picture and stared at it. ‘Leah, this is like a miracle! How do you feel?’

  ‘Terrified! But...happy.’

  Then her friend frowned. ‘And do you still want...?’ She rubbed at her own swollen abdomen, unable to finish the sentence.

  ‘Of course I do! Don’t even think that.’

  At that moment Leah saw Ben walk into the cafeteria. She gave him a little wave.

  ‘Here he comes.’

  Sally looked around and saw him. She turned back to her friend, blushing madly. ‘That’s him? Bloody hell, Leah...’

  Leah couldn’t help but smile as Ben approached.

  ‘Hi. You must be Sally. I’m Ben.’

  ‘Pleased to meet you.’

  ‘Have you...er...?’ He looked down at Leah.

  ‘Yes, I’ve told her.’

  Ben nodded. ‘Good. That’s good. And how is everything?’ He slid into a seat next to her.

  ‘Good!’

  They all looked at each other, unsure what to say next.

  ‘Well, this is a huge surprise...’ said Sally.

  Leah frowned. ‘You don’t mind?’

  Sally looked surprised. ‘Why would I mind?’

  Leah shrugged. ‘Because I’m putting you through a pregnancy that you never wanted?’

  Sally waved her hands in dismissal. ‘That’s ridiculous! You could never have foreseen this happening! This is a wonderful miracle, Leah. You’re going to have two babies!’ She beamed a smile and glanced at Ben. ‘How do you feel about that?’

  Ben looked at Leah and took her hand in his. ‘I’m happy about it. It’s a shock, but it’s something we’re determined to tackle together.’

  Sally nodded. ‘Okay. It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?’ She took another look at the scan picture on the table and smiled.

  * * *

  Leah sat biting the skin around her nails. She’d been doing that a lot lately. Her mind was running through a thousand thoughts—worrying about being in her second trimester, worrying about whether the scan really had been as accurate as they were hoping it was, terrified that somehow the sonographer had got it wrong and that each day was just a ticking of the time-bomb until the day her body failed her.

  Because that was what she’d always believed. That the one thing she was supposed to be able to do as a woman—carry a child—was not a choice for her. Her womb had developed badly...it wasn’t strong enough. But now she’d been told she was lucky, That one in a million chance...

  ‘Dr Hudson? We need you.’ Richard stood beside her.

  She looked up absently. What is it?’

  ‘Nail gun injury.’

  She got up, sighing. ‘Okay. I’m coming.’

  I guess a bit of blood and gore might take my mind off the mess that I’m in.

  She knew it was time to tell everyone in the department that she was pregnant. Or should she wait? Until she really began to show? When she felt safer about carrying this baby to term? She’d read an article online the other day, about the dangers of carrying a child with a bicornuate uterus, and even some of the success stories had still seemed pretty scary.

  She followed Richard through to her patient, who lay on a hospital bed, his modesty covered by a blanket, on his stomach. There was a strange peak in the blanket over the crest of his gluteus maximus.

  ‘How did you get shot in the bottom with a nail gun?’

  Her patient coloured. ‘It was an accident.’

  She lifted up the blanket. The nail had pierced the flesh of the man’s gluteus maximus and still stuck out from his right buttock. A small trickle of blood had crept down his thigh.

  Leah didn’t think it had pierced anything vital. If anything, he’d need a plaster and maybe a tetanus shot.

  ‘We’re doing a garage conversion. My parents are moving in with us and we decided to make them an annexe, so they can be independent. We were in there...working.’

  ‘And how did you get shot?’

  The patient’s wife answered. ‘Martin told me he’d been meeting up with his ex-wife.’

  Leah raised an eyebrow. ‘“Meeting up”?’

  ‘Yeah. It’s his code for sex. He gets all the fun of playing off two women and I get my in-laws moving in. Not exactly a fair trade, is it? So I shot him when he bent over to pick up a two-by-four. It was kinda fun, seeing him fall flat on his face.’ She smiled maliciously down at him, hatred filling her face. ‘Cheating swine!’

  ‘Hey! I didn’t—’

  Leah held up her hand for silence. ‘This constitutes assault—’

  ‘Hey, I’m the victim here!’ the patient’s wife stated, leaning forward, her hands on the bed. ‘He just got what he deserved!’

  ‘You can’t go around assaulting people. Especially with nail guns. They’re dangerous. You could have caused him some serious damage.’

  ‘But I didn’t! All he’s gonna suffer from is a painful backside every time he sits down and a bruised ego. I could have done a lot worse!’

  ‘I’m not gonna press charges...’ Martin mumbled.

  ‘Are you going to see your ex-wife again?’ she demanded.

  He looked up at his current wife and shook his head.

  His wife smiled. ‘Good. You’d better not. Because if you do there’ll be hell to pay.’

  Leah gave Martin a shot of local anaesthetic and removed the nail. It came out quite easily and she cleaned the wound, then put in a single stitch. She gave Martin a tetanus shot and told him to see his doctor in about five days to make sure he was healing properly.

  He pulled up his trousers, looking sheepish, and left with his wife.

  Leah watched them go. Were some people just prone to having bad stuff happen to them? Because so far she felt as if she’d had her fair share, and she was not content to roll over and let more bad stuff happen.

  She knew she had to fight for her happiness.

  For her baby and for her future with Ben.

  * * *

  Leah was stepping out of the shower, adjusting a towel around her hair, when she heard the doorbell ring.

 

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