She waved her arm above her head. ‘To fly amongst the stars would be magical.’
‘And the reason you didn’t train at NASA?’ he queried playfully.
She heaved a huge sigh and turned, releasing herself from his grasp and leaning backwards against the railings. ‘What can I say? I failed physics at school and I think it was a basic requirement of astronaut training. So that put me out.’
‘What a shame,’ Coop said, standing directly in front of her and putting a hand on either side of her hips. He pulled her gently towards him. ‘I could have met you there.’ He lowered his face towards hers, his breath visible in the cold night air.
‘You’re telling me that was your dream job too?’ she whispered. Her face was only inches from his.
‘Absolutely. Just look at how much we have in common. We were obviously destined to meet.’ He ran his hands around her hips, cradling her bottom. She caught her breath at the intimacy of the movement. A word sang in her head. Destiny. She knew it was crazy but it certainly felt like that. What if somewhere, in some lifetime, this gorgeous man was indeed her perfect match? What if she hadn’t spoken to him? What if she’d gone home early? What if she’d been too scared to throw caution to the wind and leave with him—something she would never normally have done?
But everything about this felt perfect. She felt as if she was meant to be there, in his arms, at this moment. Everything about this just felt so right.
He gave her a slow smile. ‘See,’ he whispered, ‘we’re a match made in heaven.’ She moved closer, her hips pressing against his, her hands resting on his shoulders. She shivered. ‘It’s really cold out here.’ Her eyes met his.
‘We could go inside.’ His lips brushed against her ear. ‘You might have failed physics at school but how did you do at biology?’
Melissa’s heart stopped. ‘I got first prize,’ she said breathlessly.
The words hung in the darkness for a few seconds. Both knew where this was leading. Melissa could feel the heat between their bodies. She knew she should say no. She knew she should walk away. But she didn’t want to. She hardly knew anything about Coop. She didn’t even know his second name. But, then, he didn’t know hers. Most of all, she didn’t want to walk away. She wanted to have this one night of reckless passion with this mysterious stranger. She wanted to break free from the ‘sensible’ sign that followed her wherever she went. She wanted to follow her destiny. After all, who would ever know? She dropped her hand from his shoulder and placed her hand in his.
He led her wordlessly to the front door of the flats she had viewed earlier that year. They entered the lift and she stifled a gasp when he pressed the button for the top floor. Moments later he opened his front door into the flat of her dreams.
‘You bought the show flat?’ she asked in astonishment.
He nodded nonchalantly. ‘It seemed easier just to buy the one with the furniture included.’ He spread his arms out around the wide space. ‘I was never any good at that sort of thing anyway.’
He gestured towards her and she handed him her thick coat, which he hung in a nearby cupboard. Melissa walked in awe around the open-plan kitchen, running her finger along the black marble worktop, her heels clicking on the slate floor. Cooper turned and opened the blinds in the living area to show the view over the marina. If she’d thought it was stunning downstairs, up here it was breathtaking. The boats glistened, gleaming white against the black water. Her fingers automatically went up to touch the red curtains. They were thick and luxurious, just as she’d imagined. She pointed towards the sumptuous sofa that she’d admired from afar. ‘Can I?’
Coop looked puzzled. ‘Of course.’
She sank into the huge cushions, closed her eyes and let out a huge sigh. ‘Oh, it’s just as gorgeous as I imagined.’ She snuggled her shoulders deeper into the soft fabric.
‘What are you talking about?’
Her eyes flickered open. ‘I came to see this flat when it was the show flat for the development and I really, really wanted to do this.’
‘You wanted to sit on the sofa?’ His right eyebrow rose in amusement.
‘Well—yes, but the woman that was showing us around was a bear and I was too scared to touch anything. I think she could tell just by looking that I could never afford to stay anywhere like this.’
Cooper let out a laugh. It was deep, warm and rich. Not what she had expected.
Her train of thought hadn’t shifted. ‘So how can you afford this?’
He lowered his eyes slightly. ‘I came into some money and I earn a relatively good salary.’ He plumped down next to her on the oversized sofa.
Melissa nodded. She could tell when not to press him. She turned sideways to face him. ‘Whose turn is it to ask a question?’
He ran his finger down her arm, causing her skin to come out in tiny goose-bumps. ‘I’ve lost track,’ he whispered, leaning forward and twisting a finger in her chestnut curls, pulling her face towards his.
She expected his kiss to be light, gentle, and it was anything but. It was hard and passionate, instantly setting her body alight with desire. She felt the heat spreading throughout her being. Heat she hadn’t felt in months—no, heat like this she had never felt. His other hand came up and caught the other side of her head, cradling her face. He drew his head back from hers, looking her in the eye. ‘I didn’t have any plans like this tonight,’ he said sincerely, ‘but right now I’m going to ask you if you want to come through to the bedroom with me.’
Melissa went to speak but he placed one finger on her lips. ‘Shh. Missy, if you want to leave I won’t stand in your way. But I would really like it if you’d stay.’ His breath was slightly ragged now, as if he was trying to fight the fire building inside him.
Her heart was pounding. This was sexual chemistry like she’d never felt before. She reached her hands around his neck and whispered in his ear.
His eyes lit up with wild excitement. ‘What was that?’ he asked in amazement.
‘My next question,’ Melissa said with quiet assurance. ‘I just decided what I wanted to ask.’
Cooper looked at her with his steady brown eyes, a smile forming across his lips. ‘In that case, this takes me back to show and tell from school, and this answer is definitely a show.’ And he took her by the hand and led her to the white bedroom.
CHAPTER TWO
Eight weeks later
MELISSA had just finished zipping up her tunic when she heard the shouting at the top of the labour ward. Hurrying to pull her newly washed curls back into a ponytail, she straightened her tunic, and set off down the corridor at speed.
Melissa had been one of the sisters in the labour ward for nearly three years and when she was on duty she prided herself on the calm running of the ward. Today, though, the midwives station at the central point in the labour ward seemed to be in chaos. Melissa tried to make herself heard above the rabble surrounding her. Two junior doctors appeared to be having an argument, two midwives were trying to
