The Doctor's Baby Secret (5 page)

Blair shook his head again. ‘If you say so, Corrine. I'm not the expert in chemistry. I'm just the payload specialist. But when you two are in the same room...' His voice tailed off.

‘What?' She couldn't help the edge in her voice. It was bad enough trying to ignore the buzz in her body whenever he was around. The last thing she wanted was for anyone else to notice it too.

Blair gave her a huge grin. ‘Let's just say it's best not to have combustible materials in space.' He pointed to the stats. ‘And it looks like this guy isn't going to be flunking out.'

She sighed and folded her arms across her chest. Austin had aced it. Not only that—his was the fastest time of any candidate ever. Great. Once he knew that, he'd be even more unbearable. Blair gave a little shrug. ‘My guess is he's in it for the long haul.'

She looked over at the pool. The rest of the candidates were just emerging from the water—their ten minutes of treading water over. Her stomach flip-flopped. They were right at the start of the process. How many of them would actually make it into space?

‘They're all in it for the long haul,' she said quietly. She reached over and pressed a hand on Blair's shoulder. ‘I'll see you later. The benefits of being a doctor mean I've got special permission to see Frank.'

‘Tell him I'll visit tomorrow.'

She nodded. ‘I will.' She had one last glance across the pool. All the candidates were now stripping out of their flight suits. She hated the fact that her eyes were drawn to one body.

She could tell even from here he was still mad. His jaw was set and he was barely making eye contact with the rest of his colleagues. For all his bravado it seemed that Austin Mitchell ran a little deeper than she'd first suspected. It didn't matter that he and Michael had finished first out of his group of candidates. He'd no idea how previous candidates might have performed and it was obviously playing on his mind.

She couldn't prevent a small smile from playing around her mouth. Finally, she knew which buttons to press with Austin Mitchell.

Useful information. Very useful.

* * *

Frank looked a hundred times better than he had the last time she'd seen him.

His room was filled with yellow flowers and the sun was streaming through the blinds. She nodded at the flowers. ‘I thought they were banned from hospitals now.'

He winked at her. ‘I have a private room. And a wonderful physician who says there're no problems with my chest.' He shifted on the bed. ‘Even though it feels as though someone's been using me as a punchbag.'

She winced as she sat down next to his bed. ‘Sorry, Frank. Needs must.'

He rolled his eyes. ‘I would much rather you'd been the one doing the mouth-to-mouth instead of Bates.'

She laughed. ‘I think he would probably have preferred that too. But have you seen the build of that guy? If I'd let him do CPR he probably would have broken all your ribs.'

Frank leaned over and squeezed her hand. ‘Thank you, honey. I won't ever be able to repay you.'

She shook her head as her heart swelled. ‘You already have—you're still here. You don't know how grateful I am for that.'

He leaned back against his pillows. ‘Guess I'll need to thank Lieutenant Commander Mitchell too.'

She shook her head. ‘Don't. It'll only go to his head.'

Frank looked at her carefully. ‘Still smarting that he asked you to dance?'

‘Of course not.'

But Frank wasn't convinced. He waggled his finger at her. ‘I like that. It takes guts.' He paused for a second. ‘Anyway, last woman I asked to dance married me.' He gave a little smile. ‘She refused the first time too.'

Corrine sat back a little. She'd heard a lot about Frank's wife and daughter but she'd never heard this. ‘Mary refused to dance with you?'

He nodded and held out his hands. ‘Apparently I was too flashy for her. Too confident. She couldn't see that my knees were knocking under my trousers or that I was about to be sick on the floor.'

Corrine couldn't stop grinning. When she'd first met Frank he'd been newly widowed. He'd talked about Mary all the time and showed her lots of pictures. They'd always seemed like a match made in heaven. It was kind of fascinating to know that she'd originally turned him down.

‘If she said no, how did you manage to persuade her?'

Frank smiled and his gaze drifted off. ‘Persistence. And lots of it.' He took a few seconds then looked back at her again. ‘Austin Mitchell reminds me of myself. I was exactly the same. Focused. Confident. Smart. Thought I could rule the world. It took a good woman to show me different.'

Corrine shifted uncomfortably in her chair. He was giving her that look again. The one that said he had things all mapped out for her.

She tried to keep things light. ‘The candidates in this rotation are excellent. I just hope they all make it to the end of the training.' She reached into her bag and pulled out a plastic container. ‘Here. I brought you something.'

Frank put his hand on his chest. ‘Oh, no. Tell me you didn't bake.'

She laughed. Her colleagues had learned quickly that baking wasn't her best skill—even though she liked to try. She peeled the lid off the box. ‘Of course I did. Low fat apple, sultana and cinnamon muffins. I thought they might cheer you up.'

Frank leaned over and looked in the box. They were her third attempt. The first two had ended up in the trash can. They were uneven and looked a tad lumpy.

He smiled and clicked the lid back on the container. ‘Well, it's the thought that counts. Thanks, honey. Now get back to the base. You've got some astronauts to lick into shape.'

The expression changed on his face at his choice of words, then he tipped back his head and laughed as Corrine got to her feet and headed towards the door.

‘Watch out, Dr Carter,' he called after her as she scurried down the corridor. ‘One of these guys might be lighting up your world in more ways than one!'

Corrine shook her head. Austin Mitchell was already giving her sleepless nights. She just didn't want anyone to know that.

And she certainly didn't need Frank teasing her. Next time she'd make him eat one of her muffins. Or maybe all of them.

CHAPTER FIVE

S
HE
WAS
STARING
at the trace on the EKG machine. As well as being special monitor for four of the astronaut candidates she also took her turn in the WSSA health centre. She could see any of the personnel from the site that had a medical query.

She frowned at the monitor and walked over to Bruce, one of the tech guys who had just finished in the gym and had come in because he was a little short of breath.

‘I'm going to draw some blood.'

‘What? Why?' He sat up and swung his legs off the examination bed.

She pressed her arm against his shoulder. ‘I didn't say you could get up, did I?'

He frowned and lay back. ‘What do you need blood for?'

She gave him a smile. ‘I think you're a little unusual.'

The edges of his lips turned upwards. He obviously liked the sound of that.

‘What were you doing exactly?'

He shrugged. ‘I was training with someone. You know, on the treadmill, on the rowing machine, lifting some weights.'

She nodded. ‘When was the last time you ate or drank?'

He frowned and looked at the clock. ‘It was a while ago. Breakfast time, around six, I think.'

She gave a little shake of her head. That was six hours ago. ‘Did you push yourself more than you normally do?'

Sweat was still running down from his forehead and his shorts and gym vest were already saturated. She'd had to wipe him down to attach the electrodes for the EKG.

He gave a half-smile. ‘Sort of. I've been training with one of the new guys. We push each other. He's super fit.'

She frowned. ‘Who is it?'

‘One of the astronaut candidates. Austin Mitchell.'

There it was. The little surge inside her whenever she heard the name. The guy just seemed to be everywhere. She bit her lip. ‘I guess I'll need to have a word with Lieutenant Commander Mitchell.'

She wrapped a tourniquet around Bruce's arm and slid a needle into a vein near the crook of his elbow. ‘I suspect that you're dehydrated. That's why I'm checking your bloods.'

Bruce wrinkled his nose. ‘But dehydration is nothing. It shouldn't make me feel like this.'

She finished drawing the blood and pressed a cotton ball against his skin. ‘Dehydration can cause a heart arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation. I think that's what's happened to you. It's an electrical disorder affecting the upper chambers of the heart, which means it's not pumping as regularly as it should. Did you feel anything strange?'

He gave a slow nod. ‘I felt I had palpitations for a minute or so. But it wasn't sore. There was no pain.'

She put her hand on his arm and pointed to the monitor. ‘Dehydration can cause atrial fibrillation. There can be a few other things, which we can rule out with some tests. Your heart rate seems to have gone back to normal now, but I'd like to keep an eye on you for another hour or so.'

He gave a little sigh and leaned back against the pillow. ‘Will you let my boss know where I am?'

She gave him a nod and a smile. ‘I will, and, Bruce? I think you need to find another training partner. Austin Mitchell might be a bit too serious for you. I'm just about to give him a new training plan and I don't think he'll be happy.'

Bruce leaned back against the pillows and closed his eyes, a smile painted across his face. ‘May the force be with you.'

* * *

‘What?'

Austin stared at the colour-coded programme in front of him. Usually he liked timetables. Usually he liked training plans. This one he didn't like one bit.

He held up the piece of paper. ‘Is this a joke?'

Dr Carter stared up at him with those big green eyes of hers. She was sitting behind her desk. It was almost as if she were trying to ensure he knew who was in charge here. ‘Why would you think it's a joke, Lieutenant Commander Mitchell?'

She had that clipped tone in her voice. The one she used when she was being the boss. Sometimes he liked it, but today it was like a red rag to a bull.

She was using his proper title. Other candidates got called by their first names. She'd hardly ever said his first name out loud. It was almost as if she were trying to force a distance between them.

The piece of paper started to crumple in his hand. ‘I have my own training regime.'

‘Not any more.' She stood up and folded her arms across her chest.

‘Excuse me?' He was getting irritated now. Irritated because as soon as she'd stood up he'd caught a glimpse of those shapely legs and they were distracting him.

She walked around the desk towards him and took the crumpled paper from his hand. ‘I'm in charge of all candidates' training plans. Think of it as a prescription.'

He pointed to the plan. ‘But that's kids' play.'

He saw the little flicker next to her jaw. She was mad. But right now he didn't care. He was religious about his exercise regime. He didn't want anyone interfering with it.

She reached over and prodded his bicep. ‘Your training programme has been specially formulated. We need all our candidates to be fit. We usually recommend one hour of cardio and one hour of resistance training every day. But you have more muscle bulk than the rest of the candidates.' She stared at him hard. ‘You must realise that muscle wastage is one of the biggest problems for our astronauts.' For the first time today a smile hinted at her lips. ‘If your muscles are overdeveloped you'll suffer from more muscle wastage in space. You'll be up in space, Lieutenant Commander, where will all that lactic acid go?'

Boy, she was cute when she flirted. But he wasn't going to get distracted.

‘I'm already in top shape. This programme will bring me down. Why would anyone want to do that?'

‘Because this isn't just about you. If you stay in your current shape your muscles will atrophy quicker than everyone else's and you'll feel the effects. It will affect your performance on the team.'

Boy, she was good. She seemed to know exactly what to say to stop him arguing. And she wasn't finished. ‘You do a lot of weight training, don't you? And you probably take those protein drinks too? We'll need to have a look at that to check if that's really the best for you. This is all about forward planning, you know. Space is the ultimate goal. It's my job to make sure you'll be fit enough to take all the effects a no-gravity environment will throw at you.' She took the crumpled sheet and smoothed it back out on her desk, then pushed it back across to him. ‘So, let me do my job. Follow my instructions.'

She was back to her no-nonsense approach. He stood for a few seconds, letting her aroma of scrubbed-clean soap and light floral perfume drift around him. She was wearing a pale yellow shirt with some kind of print on it. It was tucked tightly into her skirt, but he was imagining it knotted at that slim waist of hers along with a very hot pair of denim shorts. Now, that would be perfect.

‘Lieutenant?' She was looking at him suspiciously, as if she'd just guessed exactly what was going through his mind.

He shot her a smile. ‘You're right,' he said as he took the plan from her hand, brushing his fingers against hers. ‘Space is the ultimate goal.' He headed towards the door and spun back round just before he left. ‘As for the plan...' he waved it at her ‘... I'll let you know.'

He laughed as her chin dropped but didn't wait for her response. He had other plans for that.

CHAPTER SIX

I
T
WAS
THE
most chilled she'd felt in a week. Things had settled down a bit. Austin Mitchell wasn't there every time she turned around. Her stomach had stopped doing flip-flops and had reduced itself to a steady buzz.

Her senses had stopped being in a state of overdrive. The skin on her fingers had finally stopped tingling and she'd stopped licking her lips whenever he was around.

The rest of the team had finally finished with the quips. Because there wasn't anything to quip about. Really.

She didn't lie in her bed at night and think about Austin Mitchell. He didn't cross her mind at all on the drive to work in the morning. And now, her favourite part of the evening, sitting on her porch on her rocker drinking a glass of wine, he definitely didn't feature on her radar.

She rested her feet up on the white railing and looked out onto the fields beyond. The old farmhouse was her dream come true; she might not own all the land around it, but at least she had the pleasure of the view of rolling fields.

She rested her head back and sipped her wine. There was a tiny speck in the distance. She watched carefully. The farmer and his workers were rarely around at this time of night—and if they were, they were usually in some kind of tractor.

She kept her eyes on the figure. It wasn't as if there were anything else to do. Her book was lying on the deck and she wasn't a big fan of TV.

She took another sip of her wine. It was definitely a guy and he was running at some pace. She frowned. This was a good way off the beaten track. Who on earth would be running out here?

Her heart rate quickened a little. The runner was definitely heading in this direction. She wasn't exactly dressed for guests. As soon as she got home from work the power suits were back on their hangers and she pulled on whatever she could find. Today's wardrobe was an old pale pink T-shirt and even older skimpy pink shorts. Perfect for being home alone. Not so perfect for giving some lost runner directions.

She pulled her feet down from the railing and leaned forward. Her eyes narrowed. Something about this runner was looking vaguely familiar. If he had a T-shirt it had disappeared. All she could see was the defined muscles on his chest and sculpted legs. Something prickled down her spine.

No way.
No way.

But yes. The short dark hair and tall frame were definitely familiar. The biceps were even more familiar. She picked up her wine glass again and took a quick slug. What on earth was he doing out here?

A tiny part of her brain tried to be rational. Maybe he was just out for a run and he'd got lost? This could all be some crazy kind of fate-ridden coincidence.

Her body was flushed with heat. But she couldn't make a single bit of sense of her thoughts. Was she angry? Curious? Or secretly delighted?

He was getting closer. She could see the confident expression on his face. The smile was already there. Oh, this was definitely planned. Austin Mitchell didn't get lost.

She took a deep breath and stood up, trying her best to act cool, leaning on the railing and holding her wine glass in her hands as he slowed down.

His whole body was glistening with sweat in the early evening sun. He pulled his T-shirt from its hiding place at the back of his shorts and wiped his face. His breathing was laboured. He hadn't sneakily parked his car somewhere—from what she knew of Lieutenant Commander Mitchell he'd probably run from the actual base.

She gave him a cool smile. ‘You seem to be lost, Lieutenant Commander Mitchell.'

He looked around at her clapboard house. Was he searching for a husband? Kids? No. He would have done his homework before he showed up at her door. He probably was secure in the knowledge that no one had quite met up to her exacting standards so far.

He was still breathing heavily. The cheeky grin was firmly in place. ‘So it seems. Nice place you got here.'

Darn it. That rich drawl sent a wave of shivery delight down her spine. ‘I like it,' she answered simply, doing her best to look cool even though every tiny hair on her skin was currently standing on end.

He placed his hands on his hips and just kept staring at her. She was feeling a little self-conscious. The T-shirt was old enough to be a size too small, pulled tight across her breasts. The shorts? Could probably do with her tugging them back down. But she refused to be intimidated by him—even though he was standing in front of her with his perfectly sculpted chest resembling some kind of Greek god. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to remember why she'd told him he had to lose some muscle.

‘I didn't tell you where I live.'

His comeback was just as quick. ‘I didn't ask.'

Now, she couldn't help but start to smile. It seemed to be infectious whenever this guy was around. The cheek just radiated from him a mile high. On occasion she could be annoyed by it. But out of the WSSA environment things were a little different. She wasn't assessing him right now. She wasn't instructing him—not yet, anyway.

Her eyes swept the landscape. There wasn't another person around for miles. It was part of the reason she stayed here. It meant that the possibilities were endless.

She bent over, picked up her wine and topped up her glass, laughing as she did so. She could practically feel his eyes searing into her backside. ‘So, it's pure misfortune that you've just happened to run miles into the countryside and land at my door?'

He gave her the kind of smile that could make any WSSA rocket take off on its own. ‘Maybe it's coincidence?'

She raised her eyebrows and held up her glass towards him. ‘Do you want me to estimate the probability stats for you of running randomly from the base—in any direction—for any distance and landing at my door?'

He took a step forward and leaned against her railing. ‘I guess it's just lucky I found you, then. Call it a homing beacon.'

She couldn't hide the shiver down her spine. The flirting was getting out of hand. But not one single part of her wanted to stop it. His scent drifted over in the evening air. Sweat, testosterone, remnants of antiperspirant. All just aromas of him. It was almost hypnotic. And it absolutely was having a direct effect on her senses. The air between them was pheromone city.

This would be on her terms. Her choice. And as long as he understood that, things would be fine.

She leaned down over the railing towards him. There was something kind of nice about being above the guy who normally towered over you. ‘So, Austin, what did you plan to do when you got here?'

He glanced around him. It was obvious he was making sure there was no one else around. No one to disturb them. The anticipation of what might come next made her tingle all over.

He tugged at his shorts. ‘I was thinking I could take a shower.'

She threw back her head and laughed at the bare-faced cheek of him. ‘I'm sure you have an excellent shower at home, Lieutenant Commander Mitchell. You didn't need to run all this way to use mine.' She turned to walk away but he was too quick. He jumped up on the outside of her railing and grabbed her arm.

‘So, it's back to Lieutenant Commander Mitchell, is it? A few seconds ago I was Austin.'

Her heart started thudding against her chest. She didn't have time to look down at where his hand was on her skin. Her whole body was too busy reacting to his touch. A little war had started somewhere in her stomach and she had no idea who was currently winning.

She couldn't look at his hand because his face was only inches from hers. Now, they were straight on. She wasn't looking up at him. She was looking straight at him. Straight into his eyes. Just as he was looking at hers.

Up close and personal was so different. Up close and personal away from the base was even more different. There was no one watching. No one to comment. No one to say anything. Just him. And her.

He was smiling again with those film-star straight white teeth. She could see a few tiny wrinkles around his eyes and some cute freckles across the bridge of his nose. All the parts of his skin she could see were lightly tanned. The palm of her hand itched to reach out and touch his chest. To feel his muscles under her hands. A tiny trickle of sweat slid down from his forehead.

He was still smiling at her. Waiting. As if he knew what would happen next. As if he was letting her give the sign of what would come next.

It was unconscious. She couldn't help it. But her tongue slid across her lips. His eyes darted to her lips and she held her breath.

‘Maybe it could be Austin again,' she whispered.

He leaned forward. ‘Maybe it could.' He gave her his trademark sexy smile. The one guaranteed to have a hundred teenage girls swooning when he became an astronaut. There was no doubt. Not a second's hesitation as his lips captured hers. His hand caught the back of her head, tangling through her soft hair and anchoring her in position. Not that she'd want to be anywhere else.

Her hands slid across his shoulders. She could feel his muscles quivering under her touch, and the sheen on his skin, still slightly damp. She inhaled deeply and all she could smell was...
him
.

He was like a drug. There was nothing sensitive and sweet about this kiss. Austin Mitchell
knew
how to kiss a girl.

His lips were all over hers. His teeth brushing against them, his tongue probing into her mouth. Teasing. Tantalising. Making her think illicit thoughts.

A mixture of pheromones and adrenaline was coursing through her body. It was addictive. She could
so
get used to this. So get used to the feel of his body next to hers.

He leaned her back just a little, moving away from her mouth and concentrating on the delicate skin around her neck and behind her ears. For the first time in her life she actually felt her knees tremble. It was like being a teenager all over again and dreaming about kissing that movie star from the latest film. Except she wasn't dreaming. She was living the whole experience.

And it was even better than she could have imagined.

His hands started to move. Leaving the back of her head and tracing little lines down her back and round to her hips. One moved lower, touching the bare skin at the back of her thigh, hovering around the edge of her shorts.

She pressed a little closer. It was awkward. There was a railing directly between them both. She didn't know whether to be happy or sad. She wasn't quite sure how far she wanted this to progress. Her body might be acting one way but her brain was definitely holding a little in reserve.

He was a candidate. There might not be official rules about them dating but she was sure it wouldn't go down well.

His hand swept around towards her stomach and she sucked in a breath and laughed. It was automatic. He laughed too and pulled his lips apart from hers, pressing their foreheads together.

It gave her a few seconds to catch her breath.

His fingers tickled around her belly button. For a minute she wondered if they were going to make an attempt to go lower. His other hand was now cradling her bum. If there hadn't been a railing between them she would have been able to feel every inch of his body against hers.

And the more she thought about that—the more she craved it.

His fingers moved along her bare skin, skirting upwards towards her breasts. It was like butterfly wings dancing against her skin. They hit the jackpot. Cupping her breast and playing with her hardened nipple. A wave of sensations swept over her body and she let out an involuntary moan.

It was like a firework going off in her brain.

Her body took a step back, her forehead still connected with his. She sneaked her hand under her T-shirt and closed it over his, gently pulling it down and out, resting it on her hipbone.

He didn't object, didn't make any attempt to persuade her to change her mind. And somehow she knew, deep down, that he wouldn't. That made him almost perfect.

‘This could get complicated,' she whispered, her breath ragged.

He smiled. ‘Yes. It could.'

After a few seconds he leaned back, then jumped down from the railing, standing on the ground beneath her. He grabbed his T-shirt and pulled it over his head.

The confidence was still there. He still had that assuredness that drove her crazy.

She didn't want to admit what it did to other parts of her system.

He gave her a wink. ‘We'll talk exercise programmes some other time, Dr Carter. In the meantime, let's see if we can come to a compromise about another kind of exercise.'

The implication was loud and clear. She couldn't have expected anything less—but he still shocked her.

She shook her head as he started off running again, moving quickly across the ground in the direction he'd come.

Her legs had gone all spongy and she half staggered back against the wall of the house, one hand across her belly, the other up next to her throat.

The skin that he'd touched was still tingling. It was on fire. Craving his touch again.

No one had ever kissed her like that. Ever.

She fixed on his figure as he disappeared into the distance, pressing her lips together to stop her calling him back.

Austin Mitchell was bad news.

Very bad news.

And she would have to keep telling herself that.

Over and over again.