from a stunning woman. He’s being polite in leaving and I will thank him for it tomorrow.’
Flick blushed as Tristan pulled out a chair for her next to him.
As they chatted over the fine wine and the key lime dessert that arrived a short time later, she found she had his complete attention and he had hers. Then later, as she rested back against his strong hand in the curve of her spine as he guided her effortlessly around the dance floor, she felt there was definitely more than just a professional connection between them. There was chemistry and sparks. Everything that had been missing with the men who had held her before was obvious in Tristan’s touch. He was bringing her body alive with little effort.
‘Would you allow me to drive you home tonight?’ he whispered, as she rested her head on his shoulder during a slow number. ‘Or do you have a limousine booked?’
Flick had seen Sophia leave the ball half an hour before. Her friend had waved and sneaked out early, and Flick felt so deliciously comfortable she didn’t lift her head as she spoke. ‘There’s no limousine. I would love you to take me home.’
‘It was a wonderful night,’ Flick said casually as she waited with Tristan for the valet to bring his car.
‘Yes, it was so much more than I had expected.’ His voice didn’t give away too much, neither did his eyes, as the car arrived and he opened her door and waited for her to climb in. After she lifted the hem of her dress inside, he closed it again and went to the driver’s side. He tipped the valet and took off into the night with her.
She considered his handsome profile for a moment and was curious if the entire evening had been an improvement on what he had envisaged or if it was spending time with her that had lifted the night. She wasn’t sure why she hoped it was their time together as she barely knew the man driving her home but there was something special about him.
Flick smiled and looked from the passenger window at the people walking along the still busy Melbourne city street to their cars. Many had obviously attended the same grand event that they had just left. The men were all in tuxedos while the women wore varied styles. Some had chosen floor-length gowns while a number of the younger female guests had chosen stunning cocktail dresses that skimmed their knees. All of them looked gorgeous with their sparkling jewellery and beautifully styled hair. Flick loved the glamorous feeling of the evening.
She felt a little like Cinderella but she hadn’t run anywhere at midnight; instead she was being driven home by a gorgeous and intriguing surgeon. She was glad the darkness of the car masked the colour that rushed to her cheeks.
‘I’m very glad you came over to my table.’
‘It was Sophia’s idea. She said you two looked much too serious and were probably discussing the latest in vitro surgical procedure and, although that in itself is incredibly important, she thought tonight should be about fun. I honestly didn’t want to interrupt.’
‘So it wasn’t your idea?’ he asked, keeping his eyes on the road. ‘Now I get the picture. Sophia forced you to sit with me?’
‘Gosh, it did sound that way, didn’t it?’ She laughed. ‘It’s as if I’m making Sophia take responsibility for my actions and I’m not. I did want to spend some time with you.’ Flick suddenly felt comfortable enough to be honest. It may have been fate or an accident that had brought them together that morning, but that evening, she had admitted, was of her doing.
‘Whatever the catalyst, I’m glad you did.’ His voice was deep and husky and eyes left the road and lingered on Flick long enough to make her heart skip a beat. ‘And thank you for inviting me up for coffee on your balcony.’
‘You mean my slightly shabby herb-filled ledge!’
Tristan smiled at her. He doubted that she realised how beautiful she really was and how captivating he found her. ‘Let’s agree it might be small but in terms of view it’s a perfectly positioned balcony.’
Flick smiled nervously. She had never felt drawn to a man so quickly. The chemistry was both unexpected and undeniable and made her pulse quicken and her stomach fill with butterflies. He had always been aloof when she had passed him in the hospital corridors. There was no doubting how attractive he was but he’d seemed distant. Flick hadn’t taken it personally as she’d surmised a role such as a neonatal cardiothoracic surgeon would be high pressured and he probably didn’t even see the medical staff around him at times, let alone a student midwife on placement, who randomly popped into the hospital between home visits.
She’d try not to think about him after he left her sight when she returned to MMU but she knew the nurses and midwives all spoke about him. Many had crushes from a distance but none appeared to have had first-hand experience. She admired him for keeping his personal and professional life discreet and separate.
But as she sat beside him in the privacy of his car, she didn’t want to think about the hospital, the midwives, or whether he had a little black book. Instead, she channelled Megan’s words. Tonight would be hers. It was time she took a risk.
Tristan’s gaze was very intense, his mouth only inches from hers when he said goodnight to her. The chemistry between them was electric and couldn’t be ignored. The gentleman in him had insisted on parking his car and taking the stairs with her to her door. Then the gentleman was no longer when, without warning, and without resistance, he took possession of her lips and then her willing body. When Flick fumbled with the keys, Tristan took control and opened the door, scooped her up in his powerful arms and then kicked the door closed with his foot. With his mouth still hungering for hers, he carried her through her streetlamp-lit apartment to her bedroom.
With desire steering every move of his skilful hands, he unzipped her dress and threw it to the floor. His kisses trailed from her mouth down her bare neck as he laid her on the bed. Standing before her, he removed his jacket and tie, unbuttoned his shirt, all the while admiring the beautiful, nearly naked woman now reaching for him. His tanned torso was bare and Flick’s fingers needed no encouragement to explore his warm, firm skin as together they removed the rest of his clothes and then her strapless black lingerie.
Tristan was in no hurry as he gently lay down with her in the softness of her bed. His hands took their time slowly roaming her eager body, bringing her to a peak then letting her desire settle for the shortest time before teasing her back to the brink. Flick had never been so ready and so sure of anything when he finally took her and they became one for the first time that night.
The morning light slipped through the gap in the curtains and found Flick lying naked in her bed with Tristan asleep beside her. She was happier than she could ever remember. But also unsettled when she realised the enormity and repercussions of what she had done. She had slept with Tristan on the first night. It had been amazing and he was a wonderful lover in every way.
The feeling of his skilful hands caressing her body had filled her senses and fought with her doubts that it was too soon. They should have waited, her practical side told her. Her mind was spinning as she slipped from the warmth of her bed and into the shower. She needed space. Room to gather her thoughts without the scent of Tristan lying beside her and making her have crazy, romantic thoughts about the way he had made love to her. The way no man had ever done before.
The warm water felt good as it washed over her body and she tried to make sense of what had seemed natural only hours before. Rushing in so impulsively was nothing that Flick ever did but when he’d kissed her at the door she’d been unable to resist him. She just needed a few moments alone to sort out how she felt about the night … and the man still lying in her bed.
Tristan
