The Australian's Bride: Marrying the Millionaire Doctor / Children's Doctor, Meant-to-be Wife / A Bride and Child Worth Waiting For

‘Dad!’

The voice was a distant shout but it was close enough to be audible. Susie could see the way Alex’s intent drained from his eyes. She could almost imagine a degree of the same disappointment she was feeling. His hand lingered in the space between her knee and her breast for just a second longer. And Alex smiled. A smile that was just for Susie. A promise that whatever had been ignited was still glowing. It could be fanned into life later. And then he turned, moving smoothly so that he was simply sitting beside Susie. Facing his daughter. That moment of connection and desire had been screened, Susie realised. Stella didn’t need to know there was anything between her therapist and her father.

Did Alex not want her to know?

Why not? Was it too soon or did he protect her from any relationship he might have so that it didn’t impact on her life when it was over?

Susie fought the stab of disappointment. This was crazy. She was expecting too much. Hoping for too much. She drew a deep, steadying breath as Stella and Jamie got closer.

She was in way over her head here.

‘Jamie’s cool, isn’t he, Dad?’

‘He seems like a very nice boy.’ Alex was actually watching Susie as she left the beach. Her T-shirt was covering her top but those endless legs moved under a very neat bottom with an action that was mesmerising. The boy just happened to be walking beside Susie.

‘Wait till he comes back with his surfboard. You should see him surf, Dad. Not that there’s real surf here. Jamie say it’s a millpond, whatever that is, but he can still stand up for ages. He’s awesome.’

‘I’ve got a cart up on the track. Didn’t you want to go for a ride up into the rainforest?’

‘Not now!’ The prospect was clearly not a contender when the opportunity of feasting her eyes on the sight of the boy riding baby waves was on offer, but Alex just smiled as Stella turned to face him.

He’d never seen her looking this happy.

He could feel almost envious of that pure joy. The kind of trust and devotion that you could only experience once in your life because, when it was broken, you knew that being hurt again was always a possibility.

‘OK if I hang out here with you for a while, then? I don’t have to go back to check on Danny for an hour or so.’

‘Sure.’

They both lounged on the sand, watching the surf and a group of children playing well down the beach. The silence was companionable and Alex didn’t try to engage his daughter in conversation. The secret smile he caught pulling at the corners of Stella’s mouth on more than one occasion was evidence of what she preferred to be thinking about.

Susie was right. Trying to interfere would only push Stella away, and that was the last thing Alex wanted. Especially now, with this new—wonderful—adult-type closeness growing between them.

It was only for a day or two. Let her enjoy the thrill of her first experience of being a couple. If he didn’t push her away, he could be there for her when she was separated from the boy by circumstances. He could be understanding. Sympathetic. Deepen this new bond even further.

‘You’re not getting sunburnt, are you?’ he asked eventually.

‘No. Jamie gave me some of his sunscreen.’

Had he put it on for her, too? It was an effort to suppress outrage. It was none of his business. Not really. Even if the boy had been brave enough to offer to cover the difficult areas like her back, it would have been an innocent experience.

Yeah…right! Alex couldn’t help imagining how it would have been to smooth sunscreen onto Susie’s brown skin, the feel of which was branded into his memory for ever. Not just the feel of it, either. She had smelt perfect. Tasted perfect. Responded in a way Alex had never encountered before.

He sucked in a breath that earned a glance from Stella, and he said the first thing he could think of.

‘How about dinner with me tonight, sweetheart? Something special over at the resort. Five-star stuff.’

‘Um…no, thanks, Dad. We’re having nachos at camp. That’s my favourite.’

‘Is it?’ Alex blinked. Since when had Mexican food become a favourite?

‘Yeah. And it’s movie night. We’re getting the new James Bond movie and popcorn and everything.’

And she would get to sit next to Jamie, no doubt. Holding hands.

‘Take Susie to dinner.’

‘What?’ Alex was even more startled. Had Stella seen something in their body language maybe before she’d called out to him earlier?

‘She’s really nice.’

‘I’m sure she is.’

‘She’d like dinner. And you don’t have to come back early. I’ll sleep in the dorm again.’

Was Stella trying to encourage him to date Susie or was this a means of getting her father out of the way for the evening? Alex’s hackles rose.

‘I don’t think that sounds like a very good idea.’

‘It’s a great idea,’ Stella said firmly. ‘Susie’s been great. I wouldn’t be walking like I am if it wasn’t for her, and it would be a nice way to say thank you.’

‘True. So you should come to dinner with us.’ Alex raised an eyebrow. ‘You could bring Jamie along if you want.’

‘Wewant nachos. And the movie. Besides…’ Stella’s grin was impish ‘…if I’m there, you won’t be able to talk about me and how well I’m doing. I might get a big head.’

The reminder of how well Stella was doing was enough to make Alex relax. To make a concerted effort to embrace the encouragement she was getting, rather than his suspicions of the boy’s motives.

And he was a nice boy. Responsible. Caring. Plus, he must know after that first meeting that Alex would kill him if he did anything to harm Stella. The camp was well supervised and the dormitories were full of kids. It was perfectly safe.

‘Fine,’ he said with only a hint of resignation. ‘I’ll take Susie to dinner, then. By myself.’

‘It’s only dinner, Dad.’ Stella’s tone was soothing. ‘I know she’s not your type.’

‘Oh? What is my type?’

‘Dark and kind of brooding. Like those pictures of Mama. Like…you know…Greta.’

Yes. Dark and sultry. Or should that be sulky? Funny how that didn’t seem remotely appealing any more.

‘Susie’s different,’ Stella concluded.

‘Yes. She certainly is.’

But Stella wasn’t listening any longer. Jamie had reappeared, with a surfboard under his arm, and Stella’s face was glowing—her eyes alight with joy. Starstruck.

Alex understood. Too well maybe. It might be totally hidden but there was a part of himself that was feeling the same way. Blown away.

Touched by magic.

And his daughter, bless her, had just ordered him to spend the evening—the whole night, in fact— exploring more of that magic.

CHAPTER SEVEN

AN EVENING with Alex.

Dinner at the elegant resort restaurant—the Rainforest Retreat—a vast conservatory that blended into the rainforest behind the hotel. With huge indoor palms and ferns blurring the transition even further.

Dancing.

And Alex had said Stella intended staying in the camp with her friends. Why would he have told her that unless it was an invitation to spend the whole night with him?

‘It sounds wonderful,’ was all she’d said.

Could he have guessed what a mastery of understatement her response had been? Anticipation was an astonishingly powerful drug running through her veins now. Having a physio session to get through with Jack Havens before she could shower and change and indulge in the luxury of thinking of nothing but the evening ahead was doing little to dull the underlying thrill.

How could it, when Alex was in the same room, doing an examination on young Danny? The curtain between the beds was pulled but Susie could still hear the clear sound of Alex’s voice.

‘Wake up, Danny! Open your eyes for me.’

Susie kept her voice down so she wouldn’t be a distraction to the medical team on the other side of the curtain. ‘You can turn on your side now, Jack.’ She bent to pick up one of the large, extra pillows she had brought with her. She could see Alex’s feet. They weren’t the only set of feet around Danny’s bed and it wasn’t unusual to see a doctor wearing sandal-type footwear, but those were Alex’s feet.

Bare toes. Impossible not to remember the sight of him discarding his clothes last night—the hard, lean lines of his naked body illuminated by the soft light of the moon coming through the unshuttered glass wall of the penthouse suite. Maybe it wouldn’t be quite so overwhelming tonight. She could take the time to savour what she saw. Tease them both by helping him undress…slowly…

Susie shut her eyes for a second, clutching the big, soft pillow in her arms.

‘Bright light, Danny,’ she heard Alex say. ‘Keep your eyes open and look at my nose.’

‘It hurts…’ Danny’s voice was uncharacteristically pathetic, but at least he was talking now.

‘What hurts, buddy? Your eyes?’

‘No. My head.’

‘Whereabouts? Can you show me?’

‘No. Can’t. It’s inside.’

‘All over inside, or just in one place?’ Susie could hear the smile in Alex’s voice and it made her own lips curve as she tucked the pillow behind Jack.

‘All over.’ Poor Danny sounded miserable.

‘OK,’ Susie whispered to Jack. ‘Turn back over now, sweetheart.’

Jack flopped, ending up at a forty-five-degree angle because of the cushioning. Automatically, he lifted his arm on that side and tucked it over his head, well used to the position that gave his therapist good access to the middle lobe of his left lung. She cupped her hands, conforming the shape to match the chest wall and trapping a cushion of air to soften the impact as she began the rhythmic percussion.

‘Squeeze my hands, Danny,’ Alex said behind her. ‘Good boy. And this hand?’

‘Danny had a fit,’ Jack told Susie.

‘I know. I was there. He’s not very well, poor wee guy.’

‘He’s been really sleepy since he came in here. I heard the nurse talking to one of the doctors. They think there’s something wrong with his head.’

‘Just let your leg go floppy,’ Danny was being instructed. ‘I’m going to tap it with my special hammer. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt.’

Susie stopped the percussion and flattened her hand to shake the lung segment and try to encourage the movement of mucus.

‘Big, deep breath,’ she instructed.

The action started him coughing and Susie waited until he had finished.

‘Excellent! You’re doing really well, Jack. Do you remember what the next position is?’

‘Pillow between my legs and I put my arm down.’

‘Cool. Let’s go.’ Susie moved the pillow. ‘You’re sounding a lot better.’

‘My temperature’s down. I’m going to be allowed to go back to camp.’

‘That’s great. Did they say when?’

‘Tomorrow.’ Jack twisted to look up at Susie hopefully. ‘They might let me go back tonight if you said it was OK. They’re having a movie.’

‘It would be fine by me. As long as you take things quietly. You might not be able to run around too much for a day or two.’

‘I don’t mind. I’d like to see the movie, though. It’s been really boring in here. I thought I could play with Danny but he’s just sleeping all the time.’

‘He’s sick.’ Susie started percussion on the lower lobes of Jack’s lung, staying quiet to try and hear what Alex was saying to his medical colleagues. Was it unprofessional and selfish to hope the little boy would be well enough to give them an uninterrupted evening? She may not know Alex very well but Susie was quite confident that personal pleasure would be postponed if he was needed by one of his patients, even out of hours.

‘Where are those baseline recordings we did?’

‘Here.’ There was rustle of paperwork and a moment’s silence as Alex scanned the information again. ‘I’d like another full set,’ he said. ‘Including a head circumference. I’m not happy with this blood pressure, either.’ He had moved to the foot of the bed and his voice was lowered. Danny was quiet. Had he fallen asleep again?

‘Systolic pressure’s stable enough.’ It wasn’t really a surprise that Charles hadn’t been content to leave Alex with nursing staff to share the consultation. Did anything happen in his domain that he didn’t involve himself with?

‘Yes, but the diastolic pressure’s dropped. Widening pulse pressure could be sign of rising ICP. It needs watching. I’d like thirty-minute recordings. Have we got a cardiac monitor available?’

‘Yes.’

‘Pulse oximetry and automatic BP?’

‘Of course.’

Alex still didn’t sound happy. ‘GCS is down at least a point. He’s still drowsier than I’d expect. He hasn’t had another seizure since being admitted, has he?’

‘No.’

‘Has someone been with him all the time?’

‘Not every minute. We’ve been flat out with another three admissions. We’re calling in extra staff but until now we’ve been run off our feet.’

‘I want someone with Danny at all times,’ Alex decreed. ‘It’s possible he’s had another seizure that was short-lived enough to go unnoticed.’

‘Jack’s been here.’ That was Marcia’s voice.

The curtain was twitched back. For a split second Alex caught Susie’s gaze and his look of intent focus softened. Susie’s hands stilled as she felt the delicious tingle of being noticed.

Acknowledged.

‘Hey, Jack?’ Alex tilted his head, his attention on the boy now lying on his stomach with the pillow under one side. ‘I’m Dr Vavunis. You haven’t noticed Danny doing anything strange, have you?’

‘He’s just been asleep.’

‘Not twitching or making funny noises?’

‘You mean, like having a fit?’

‘A seizure. Yes.’

‘Nah.’ Jack shook his head, caught his breath and then started coughing, which ended the exchange. Alex turned back and Susie held Jack’s ribs to support him because he was beginning to sound tired.

‘We’re almost done,’ she encouraged. ‘You’ll feel a lot better when we’ve got your chest clear.’

Alex was almost done, too, it seemed.

‘It would be good if we can get Danny’s temperature down a bit further,’ he said to Marcia. ‘Tepid sponge bath, perhaps. And a fan. When’s the next dose of paracetamol due?’

‘Fifteen minutes.’

By the time Susie was moving Jack into his final position on his stomach with the pillow under his hips, Alex was leaving the room.

‘I want to be called if there’s any change,’ he said. ‘Marcia? If you’re monitoring him, I’d like a full GCS check with the vital-sign recordings.’

‘You mean, wake him up and talk to him?’

‘Yes. I need to know if his level of responsiveness drops any further. At least ensure that he’s easy to rouse.’

It was torture.

Exquisite but almost unbearable.

If anticipation was a drug, Susie was in danger of falling victim to an overdose.

Could Alex not feel it? Or was he enjoying this? Doing it deliberately, in fact? Drawing out this public part of their evening together as a kind of foreplay?

The way he was looking at her certainly seemed deliberate. Susie couldn’t hold that gaze for more than a few heartbeats at a time. It was so…intense.

‘Interested’ was too pale a word for it. He seemed fascinated. Smitten even?

Wishful thinking, perhaps, but it would be far too easy to fall into that dark gaze. To lose herself and any control over what she might say. And that would be dangerous. Susie didn’t want to change the way Alex was looking at her. How awful would it be to see a hint of alarm or a cloud of doubt dulling that fierce approval? Or, worse, a gaze that slid over her shoulder to scan other women in the room.

There were plenty of them. The resort was full to capacity thanks to the quarantine trapping the guests. Many of the people using the restaurant were dressed up for the occasion and Susie was sure she was the only one wearing the same outfit as she had the night before. She hadn’t expected to be going out on a date, though, had she?

And she could never have expected Alex. Not in this lifetime. He was too good to be true and that gave a sense of urgency to this dinner. Any moment now he would wake up and realise how beautiful the other women in here were and wonder what on earth he was doing, sitting here so intent on Susie Jackson.

Or his phone would ring and he’d be called back to see Danny or some other patient. He’d work all night and by morning daylight would make him see clearly and realise that Susie wasn’t this special.

His touch contradicted her fears. Even more deliberate than his gaze, the way he rested a forefinger lightly beside her elbow and then traced the curve of the muscle all the way to the pulse at her wrist. A pulse that had to be telling him just how arousing his touch was, which made it even harder to hold his gaze. Susie had to use her tongue to dampen suddenly dry lips and she saw her own flare of desire mirrored in those dark eyes.

Yet he still appeared to be in no hurry to finish the meal. He picked up his fork again, speared an asparagus tip then added a shred of the braised lamb shank beside it, put it in his mouth and chewed carefully, his gaze barely leaving Susie’s face.

Her own fork felt as if it was made of lead and her appetite was waning rapidly. For food, at any rate.

‘So…’ Alex swallowed, put down his cutlery and reached for his glass of red wine. ‘You know about my early love life. Tell me about yours.’

Susie opened her mouth to protest that she didn’t know very much. He had married the girl next door— the love of his life. A marriage marred by tragedy. OK, maybe that was enough. Knowing more might be too scary.

‘Did you start early?’ Alex prompted. ‘Like my Stella seems to be doing?’

‘I got interested,’ Susie admitted, ‘but there were… ah…technical difficulties.’

Alex looked startled. ‘Sorry?’

‘I had a clone,’ Susie explained. ‘Still do, actually.’ She had to take pity on Alex’s deepening expression of bewilderment. ‘I have an identical twin sister. Hannah. Boys were either scared of us because they thought we were playing tricks on them or they went too far the other way and thought they could get both of us—at the same time.’

‘Oh…’ The slow smile of comprehension was gorgeous. Susie watched his lips curve and wanted to lean over the small table and kiss him. ‘Two of you,’ he murmured. The smile widened. ‘Yes, I can understand the attraction.’

‘We’re only alike to look at,’ Susie added firmly. ‘Quite different in other ways. Hannah’s the assertive one. She’s a kick-ass A and E specialist who works in a big city hospital in New Zealand. She recently married another ED doctor and…and she’s just found out she’d expecting her first baby.’

Oh, Lord, how had that slipped out? And with that edge of wistfulness that Alex surely couldn’t miss. Good grief—how to scare a man off in one easy move.

‘So I’m going to be an aunt,’ she finished—hopefully brightly. ‘It’s very exciting.’

‘Hmm.’ Alex was loading his fork again. Cutting his food with a precision that reminded Susie what he did for a living. Reminded her also of how skilful those long fingers were in other, more personal arenas. Hurriedly, she dropped her gaze to her own plate and stirred the wild mushroom risotto she had chosen for a main course.

Change the subject, she ordered herself sternly. Fast!

‘You would have been proud of Stella today.’ Good choice of topic, Susie congratulated herself. Appropriate and distracting.

‘I’m always proud of Stella.’

‘She was wonderful with the children in Benita’s group. She knew quite a lot about rainforest frogs and she’s a natural teacher.’

‘Is that so?’ She had definitely caught his interest. ‘Yes. Even when she was really sick in hospital, she took an interest in the younger children. It’s a shame she never had any siblings.’

Susie was grateful she had a mouthful of risotto that precluded a response. Was Alex suggesting he might want more children in the future?

‘Teaching wouldn’t be a bad career for her if that’s something she wants to do,’ Alex said. ‘Challenging but not necessarily too physically demanding.’

‘I don’t think anything is going to hold Stella back. She had a major hurdle to get over in accepting her prosthesis, but I think she’ll go from strength to strength now.’

‘Thanks to you.’ Alex discarded his fork and caught Susie’s hand, covering it with both of his. ‘I am very, very grateful for what you’ve done for my daughter.’

‘It’s been a pleasure.’ Susie loved the feeling of her hand being enclosed like this. It felt safe. Protected. A miniature version of what it would feel like to have her whole body held in Alex’s arms.

She wanted to be held. So much.

‘You’re very fond of Stella, aren’t you?’ Alex seemed to be watching her carefully.

It rang a warning bell. What was the real question being asked? Whether she could see herself being Stella’s stepmother? Surely not. Scared of reading too much into the query, Susie simply nodded in response. And smiled.

‘And you’re going to become an aunt.’ Alex let go of her hand to return his attention to his dinner. ‘Do you see yourself having your own children one day?’

Oh, help! The was getting heavy. A question as loaded as a shotgun. Susie tried to remember how he’d worded his comment about siblings for Stella. He’d used the past tense, hadn’t he? That meant he wasn’t considering the possibility.

‘I love kids,’ she said cautiously. ‘And, yes, I guess I did always see myself being a mother, but…’

‘But?’ Had Alex noted the way she had also used the past tense?

‘It would depend,’ Susie floundered. Somehow she had to avoid slamming doors. She also had to avoid putting Alex under unreasonable pressure by hinting how strong her feelings were. He couldn’t possibly share them. It was too soon. Too much the stuff of fairy tales.

He wasn’t going to let her off the hook, however. ‘On what?’ he asked.

‘On the partnership I was in.’ Susie abandoned her food in favour of her wine. She also gave up any mental gymnastics. This was important and she couldn’t be less than truthful.

‘I’m thirty-three,’ she said bluntly. ‘It’s quite possible that someone I meet will already have children and not want any more. Yes, I’d be sad not to have a child of my own, but if I meet the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, I’m not going to let that get in the way. It’s the partnership that’s the most important.’

Strangely, Susie was finding it easy to hold Alex’s gaze as she spoke words that came straight from her heart. ‘It’s the feeling of never being alone,’ she said softly. ‘Even if you’re miles apart. Knowing that someone is there for you, no matter what.’

‘Trust.’ Alex nodded. ‘Two halves of a whole.’

‘Yes.’ Susie still hadn’t looked away. Hadn’t even blinked. ‘And finding that is like the end of the rainbow. Anything else…everything else…has to be negotiable.’ She smiled, hoping to lighten the odd intensity surrounding them. ‘Whew! Does that answer your question?’

‘Indeed.’ But Alex wasn’t smiling. He was looking very serious. Digesting what she had said? Planning an early escape from a crazy woman who was planning to snare some poor man for a lifetime?

The waiter’s approach to their table was well timed. ‘Would Sir and Madam like to see the dessert menu?’

‘Would we?’ Alex raised an eyebrow at his companion and Susie had to lick her lips again and reach for her wineglass. Her whole mouth felt dry now.

Alex cleared his throat. ‘I think,’ he told the waiter, ‘that we might avail ourselves of room service if we require dessert.’

‘Very good.’ The waiter took their plates and moved away smoothly.