The sound was almost an approving hum and Georgia felt as if her body was shifting itself a bit closer, even though she knew she hadn’t moved. And then her mouth opened without giving her time to think about whatever words she wanted to produce. What did emerge was vaguely appalling.
‘A martini? Yes, please... Extra-dry—with an olive.’
She saw the flash of surprise in those chocolate-coloured eyes but then it vanished in the wave of laughter that Georgia managed to join in with, making her ridiculously flirtatious comment no more than a joke.
‘This is Georgie,’ Kate said. ‘My paramedic partner.’
It seemed the most natural thing in the world to fall into step beside Matteo as Kate and Luke led the way to the bar where everyone was going to wait for the scenario list and start times to be handed out.
She felt small beside this solid male figure. And a bit embarrassed, to be honest, after her overly enthusiastic response to their introduction.
Matteo seemed perfectly at ease. He bent his head so that his voice was like a soft, teasing growl intended only for her ears.
‘So...you and me, then?’
Oh, help... If her response to their introduction had been flirtatious, this was more like blatant seduction and the reaction of her body to both the sound of his voice and the implied invitation was like nothing Georgia had ever experienced. She’d met this man less than a minute ago and already the attraction was so powerful she wanted...
An upward glance gave her direct contact with those extraordinary eyes.
Oh, man...she wanted everything. The sheer force of such an unexpected response to a stranger was actually alarming enough to make her break the eye contact within the space of a heartbeat.
And she didn’t trust herself to say a single word.
Even more disturbingly, she could feel a faint fluttering sensation that she recognised only too well.
Hope...
That this was it. That perhaps she had found the person she had been searching for. Her person.
The mental stamp was forceful enough to squash the flutter.
How many times? It wasn’t even that long since her heart had been broken for what she had sworn would be the very last time. She was not going to be stupid enough to take even a single step down that path. The one that ended with someone waiting inside a pretty church, bathed in all the promise of happily-ever-after.
No and no and no.
‘The competition,’ Matteo offered helpfully into the short silence. ‘We’re in the same category. We both have a doctor for a partner.’
‘Oh...that’s true.’ There was a very different sensation dampening the flicker of desire now. Disappointment?
For heaven’s sake, Georgia told herself firmly. Get a grip...
Matteo paused by the entrance to the bar to allow her to go in first. He smiled at her.
‘I intend to win,’ he said.
Georgia couldn’t help herself. ‘So do I,’ she warned.
This time she didn’t look away. Neither did Matteo. He was still smiling.
‘Do you always get what you want, Georgie?’
The way his accent changed her name into something rather more exotic sent a shiver down her spine. The gleam in his eyes suggested amusement but there was a warmth there, too, that made her feel like he would be more than happy to help her get what she wanted, even if it meant sacrificing something he wanted himself.
She shook her head sadly.
‘Not always.’
But she was smiling as well.
Maybe—this time—she would. The question was simply what she wanted more.
The first prize in this competition?
Or Matteo Martini?
‘WHAT’S THE TIME?’
‘Five past eight.’
‘We’re early.’ Matteo Martini sighed. Waiting had never been his forte.
It was an exercise in self-control. A tightrope to balance on between the need to follow rules and gather information and the desire to act. To help someone in trouble. To save a life perhaps...
This wasn’t a real life situation, however, which made it impossible to gather any clues about what was to come from a radio conversation or updated pager messages. All they had was a minimal briefing sheet that had given them the GPS coordinates for the scene and that they would be assessing a thirty-five-year-old woman with abdominal pain.
Their tasks were listed as well and they had to assess the scene, examine and treat the patient, define a working diagnosis and means of transport if necessary, within a time limit of eleven minutes.
This was all about following rules. Waiting in their vehicle until it was their turn to enter what looked like a very ordinary village house to face their first scenario of this emergency response competition.
‘Doesn’t look like much.’ Luke sounded disappointed. ‘You sure we’re in the right place?’
‘Sì. Assolutamente.’ Matteo pointed through the windscreen. ‘That car parked over there is a competitor. It’s got the numbers. And a light on the roof, like ours. And the flags are...’
‘Scottish,’ Luke murmured.
The tension of having to wait had just got a whole lot easier as Matteo felt himself being pulled back into the unexpected delight of meeting Georgia Bennett last night. What a stroke of luck it had been that her partner for this competition was an old friend of Luke’s. He didn’t even have to make an effort to get an introduction to a woman who would have caught his eye no matter how big a crowd she was in.
There was a glow of energy about Georgia that made him think of adventure. Fun. In combination with that tumble of dark blonde curly hair and those hazel-brown eyes that had rather fascinating flecks of gold, she was irresistible. Given their passion for a shared career, that easy conversation over a drink or two had been a bonus. And by the end of the evening, when they’d split up to study the lists of scenarios that had been handed out to the waiting teams, Matteo had been left with the conviction that the attraction he’d discovered was mutual.
Whether they would have the chance to explore that attraction any further was an enticing possibility but Matteo wasn’t going to allow it to distract him for any longer than a delicious minute or two. He had, in fact, dismissed it from his mind completely well before their start time of eight-fifteen a.m.
Until he saw the two women emerge from the house, that was. Until Georgia spotted them waiting in their vehicle
