The Doctor's Baby Secret (9 page)

She stared at the hand held out before her. He could feel her hesitation, see her waver. ‘Come on, Corrine,' he said softly.

She slid her slim hand into his and he closed around it quickly and pulled her up. She tugged her skirt back down and tried to smooth her hair as he led her to the doorway.

He pushed open the door and strode down the corridor. Drayton and Michael were standing in a corner together. Neither of them looked entirely surprised to see Corrine and Austin hand in hand.

Adam acknowledged them with the slightest nod of his head.

There were no questions to be answered. It was clear from the mood that training for today was finished.

Taryn was crying and Lewis, the marine, had his arm wrapped around her. He shook his head as they walked past.

Austin took Corrine out into the streaming Texas sunlight. He walked over to his motorcycle and lifted his spare helmet. He held it out to her and she shook her head.

‘What?' He ruffled her hair with his hand. ‘It's too late to worry about helmet hair. You've already got it.'

She pointed to the bike and looked down at her skirt. ‘I can't get on that.'

He pulled her close. ‘Come on, Corrine. Live a little. No one will be able to see anything—just a little bit of leg.' He handed her his leather jacket.

After a few seconds she fastened the helmet and pulled on the leather jacket. He'd already started the engine and was sitting astride the bike, waiting for her.

The first time she tried to swing her leg over, her skirt wasn't high enough. He smirked as she hitched it higher and tried again. This time she swung into the pillion position and fastened her arms tightly around him, snuggling up against his back.

He put the visor on his helmet down and took off. For him the journey was smooth. His motorcycle was his preferred mode of transport, particularly in the Texas heat. His bike hugged the road and Corrine quickly learned to lean with the bike and go with the flow.

The miles between the base and her house were quickly eaten up, but instead of taking the turn towards her winding road he took another turn, leading to a lake he'd passed on the run between her house and the base.

He pulled the bike to a halt and turned the engine off. After a few seconds she swung her leg off the bike and pulled off the helmet. Her hair was sticking up in every direction imaginable.

‘I thought you were taking me home.'

‘I decided we needed some R & R time.'

She looked at him and then the lake, the corners of her mouth turning upwards. ‘You're joking? Right?'

He pulled off his helmet. ‘Nope.' He started to unbutton his shirt. ‘What do you want to do? Sunbathe? Swim? Or a little game of hide and seek?'

She shook her head and stepped towards him as she shrugged her way out of his leather jacket and let it drop on the grass. ‘You know you're crazy.'

He slid his hand through her hair, anchoring his hand at the side of her head. His eyes glanced one way, then another. ‘I figure we're all alone. There's no one around. Who owns this lake anyway? Is it you?'

She shook her head. ‘It's definitely not me. But I have come here a few times. This place is usually deserted.' She looked up at him. ‘I've never been in this lake without a swimsuit.'

He brushed his fingers down the front of her bright blue shirt. ‘Well, in that case...' He gave a little tug, freeing her shirt from the waistband of her skirt.

She kicked off her shoes and smiled. There wasn't a single trace of make-up left on her skin. But she'd never looked more beautiful.

She was still looking around. He stepped a little closer. He got that what he was suggesting wasn't normal behaviour for Corrine. He had to know she was all right with this. He put his hand on her hip and put on his best movie voice. ‘Lieutenant Commander Mitchell, ma'am. At your service. I'm an astronaut and I'm going to take you to the stars.'

She threw back her head and laughed. ‘This is your line?'

He kept going and waved his hand in the air. ‘Let me introduce you to a whole other world.' He nuzzled in at her neck. ‘First times can be fun. First time you left a diner with an astronaut and took him home. Now it's time for some skinny dipping.'

She put her hands on his shoulders and murmured in his ear, ‘If we get arrested for this I'm letting you take the rap.'

His answer was instant. ‘I'm in.'

He threw his shirt onto the grass and tugged his belt from his trousers, glancing up at the sun in the sky. ‘It's pretty hot out here. Are you feeling the heat?'

He toyed with the buttons on her shirt, slowly starting to undo the first one. ‘Maybe I can help you with this.'

She grinned as she slid her hands around to the back of her skirt, unzipping it and letting it fall onto the grass. His fingers started working quicker. The shirt parted easily, revealing matching bright blue lacy underwear. He blinked. Corrine Carter was full of surprises.

She tilted her head at him and looked towards the lake. ‘Fancy a swim, Lieutenant Commander?'

He kicked off his trousers. ‘So, we're back to titles, then?'

She nodded as she took a few steps towards the lake. He sucked in a breath at the back view. She glanced over her shoulder. ‘I guess so, since I haven't seen you for a week. You have to earn first-name privileges.'

The sun started to warm his shoulders. There was a gentle breeze in the air. The lake was entirely surrounded by trees and greenery. The path he'd driven along was really a footpath. It looked as if their only companions would be the fish.

That suited him just fine.

Corrine stepped calmly out into the lake; his gaze was fixed on the eyeful of backside only covered with a thin strip of blue. She walked until she was waist deep then turned around to face him. ‘What's wrong, navy boy?' she teased. ‘You scared?'

She leaned back into the water, floating on her back.

He didn't hesitate. He jumped straight in.

The cold knocked the wind from his lungs in shock. It was the last thing he had expected. Texas wasn't just warm. Texas was so hot it must be approaching one hundred degrees. For some reason he'd expected the lake water to be mild—not icy cold.

He emerged from the freezing water, coughing and spluttering after accidentally sucking in some water. As he shook the droplets from his hair all he could hear was the sound of laughter. ‘Got you!' shouted Corrine.

He cleared his eyes and took a few strokes towards her. ‘You knew it was this cold?'

She nodded. ‘It's always this cold.'

He shook his head. ‘Why?'

She floated on her back again. ‘I have no idea. There must be a scientific reason. I'm just too lazy to find out. I just think of this place as my own ice-cold plunge pool.'

He dived underneath her and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her under next to him. ‘Help!' she squealed.

He pushed them both back to the surface and laughed. ‘Just wanted to make sure you got the whole experience.'

She shook her hair, splattering him with little droplets as she began to tread water next to him.

She arched her eyebrows at him. ‘What's the whole experience, then?'

He laughed and swam closer, his hands skimming her waist again. ‘You have such a way with words, Dr Carter. You make them sound so
dirty
.'

She kept a straight face. ‘I think we should make a bet.'

He was surprised. ‘What's the bet?'

She smiled. ‘Loser makes dinner. I might have all the ingredients, but I'm not the best cook. I can give you a personal guarantee that I'll burn anything I attempt to make. So, let's make a bet and the loser makes dinner.'

He'd never had any doubt they'd end up back at her house. It seemed like a given. But this was a direct invitation. And that felt a little different.

But Austin loved a challenge. ‘What's the competition?'

Her smile was triumphant. ‘What we're doing—treading water.'

He laughed out loud. ‘You think you can out tread me?' She must be crazy. She'd watched him in the pool a few weeks ago. She knew how good he was. Ten minutes treading water in his flight suit and tennis shoes had been no problem. He could do this all night.

He started treading water next to her. ‘What else we going to do to pass the time?'

She was keeping pace with him, her head and shoulders easily above the water. ‘Will I tell you what I've got in my refrigerator and cupboards and you can decide what to make?'

He nodded. ‘Okay, cheeky. Impress me.'

‘I have chicken.'

There was silence. He turned in the water to face her. Her nose was wrinkled as she stared up at the sky.

‘Is that it?'

She was still concentrating. ‘I think I might have some green beans—and maybe some salad.'

‘You've got to have more than that.'

She shrugged her shoulders in the water, then her eyes lit up. ‘I have chocolate.'

‘Chocolate and chicken? Sounds like a disaster. What else? You must have some cans in the cupboard.'

She nodded. ‘I'm sure I do. Maybe some tomato soup? Some beans.'

He swam right over to her. ‘Don't you eat? Who has so little in their cupboards?'

‘Rice!' she squealed. ‘I've definitely got some rice.' She gave him a wicked glance. ‘Getting tired yet? Are your muscles starting to burn?'

‘I haven't even heated up yet,' he shot back.

‘Want some help?'

‘I think, Dr Carter, you're trying to distract me.'

She swam forward with one stroke and wound her arms around his neck. ‘Is it working?'

He pulled her under the water with him. ‘It might be,' he whispered before the water covered them both.

* * *

Two hours later they were lying next to each other in Corrine's bed. No food had been made but they'd made use of her takeaway menus.

She had a warm glow inside. It was foolish. This didn't really mean anything. Austin had only been looking out for her today after how difficult things had been. And she appreciated it. Probably a little bit more than she should.

Austin was currently tracing one of his fingers down her spine. She giggled as the tiny tremors across her skin tickled. ‘Feeling better?'

She sighed and nodded. ‘I don't want another day like today.'

He pressed his forehead against hers. ‘Me either.'

His fingers started to tangle through her hair. ‘Zero-gravity training tomorrow.'

She smiled and leaned towards him. ‘Oh, yes, the vomit comet.'

He frowned. ‘I'm not sure that I like that name.'

She laughed. ‘I'm not sure you'll like the clean-up either.'

His hand started skimming its way across her skin again. ‘Wanna take bets on who'll vomit first?' His lips started teasing around her ear. ‘Or would that be considered unprofessional?'

She nudged a little closer. ‘Too late. Me and the other instructors placed our bets already.'

He pulled back. Surprise was written all over his face. ‘You're joking?'

She shook her head. ‘Of course not. We always do it.'

His gaze narrowed. ‘You bet on me to win, didn't you?'

She rolled over in the bed. ‘Now, that would be telling. And I don't kiss and tell.'

He tugged at the cover she'd rolled herself in. ‘But you'll tell me, won't you?'

‘Never,' she teased.

‘In that case, I'll just have to make you,' he said as they both rolled off the bed and onto the floor.

CHAPTER TEN

S
INCE
THE
DEPARTURE
of Lisa it seemed as if the training instructors had upped the ante for the rest of the candidates. The contents of training manuals about the space station and all its functions were drilled into them. Their Russian language tutor worked them hard, conducting some classes and some experiments completely in Russian. Since the Russian Soyuz spacecraft was the only way to the space station it was essential that the astronauts could communicate clearly and effectively with their counterparts.

The vomit-comet trip had been eventful. The plane journey was designed to simulate microgravity by a number of parabolic climbs and descents to give its occupants the sensation of zero gravity. A bit like being on a giant roller coaster. Ultimately it meant that the candidates could experience periods of sustained weightlessness for around twenty-five seconds, interspersed with periods of acceleration as the aircraft pulled out of its dive and readied for the next run. That was why the plane got its name of the vomit comet. Few astronaut trainees came out unscathed. As usual, the clean-up hadn't been fun. One trainee had even spent the next day in bed.

Today, they were somewhere entirely different. Today, they were preparing to be SCUBA qualified. It seemed odd—since they were going into space. But a large part of their training would be spent in the neutral buoyancy laboratory. This huge water tank was used to simulate space walks mimicking weightlessness in space, and had huge full-size mock-ups of the space station, parts of its modules and some of the vehicles used in space.

But, before they could set foot in the neutral buoyancy laboratory, they had to gain their SCUBA qualification—and there were more than one.

The first few sessions had been learned poolside. Today, they were at one of the lakes in Houston, Texas. It was specifically designed for people who loved diving, with numerous dive schools around the edges and a whole host of diving wrecks sunk in the lake for people to explore.

The early-morning sun was rising in the sky as the scuba instructor started giving them instructions.

Austin was restless. He hadn't slept much last night. Too distracted. He'd like to have pretended that his mind had been full of instruction manuals and diagrams. Instead, he'd spent most of the night wondering what on earth he was doing with Corrine Carter.

She was here today, standing at the side with Blair, sipping coffee while the rest of them geared up. She and Blair had been offered the chance to join the diving class but Corrine had declined. It was the most casual he'd seen her dressed while officially at work. She had on a pair of navy Capri pants, flat sandals and a white shirt covered in pale yellow birds. Her blonde hair was tied back and, even though it was early, she had her sunglasses on her head and a WSSA skip hat in her hand.

She was pointing things out around the lake to Blair and showing him on his map what they corresponded to. Austin zipped up his wetsuit and adjusted his mask. Learning the basics of scuba diving wasn't enough. They were going to spend prolonged amounts of time in the neutral buoyancy lab, and while they weren't required to dive to particularly deep levels to work in the lab, they did have to be comfortable underwater for a considerable period of time.

Corrine settled on a bench overlooking the lake. She was here in her capacity of doctor overseeing the astronauts during this particular exercise. If she felt awkward about it she didn't show it at all.

Some of the other candidates had shot a few looks between him and Corrine. But Michael was the only one who'd actually asked what was going on. Austin had blown him off. ‘Nothing.' He'd shrugged off the question. ‘She was upset the other day. That's all.'

He didn't care that Michael had rolled his eyes and obviously not believed a word of it. He was still trying to get his head around things himself.

Austin Mitchell had never doubted his actions before. And he hated that this time he might be questioning them a little. Was it really such a good idea to have been so brazen about the developing relationship between him and Corrine? At the time he hadn't been thinking clearly. He'd been so worried about Lisa and about how upset Corrine was that he'd prioritised. If there were going to be consequences he'd have to live with them.

Corrine didn't seem worried at all. She was relaxed and laughing around Blair and the candidates as if nothing had happened. Maybe in her head nothing had happened. This was just a casual fling as a result of some chemistry between them both. Chemistry that would ultimately fizzle out. At least that was what he was telling himself.

Each time he took even the slightest glance at her it just reignited every sense in his body. The chemistry on his part hadn't diminished at all. He hated not being sure about things. Relationships had never been a huge focus in his life. They'd come. They'd gone. They had only ever been interludes in his plans to get to space.

He watched as Corrine flung back her head and laughed at something Blair had said, spilling her coffee from her cup. A tiny spike of jealousy flared inside him.

That was a new experience. He'd never really been invested in anyone enough to worry about jealousy. He smiled wryly as he pulled his oxygen tank onto his back. That was probably a pretty lame thought. It made him sound selfish and self-obsessed. He'd always felt focused but maybe others saw it differently.

But what was Corrine to him anyway? He hadn't phoned her since their last encounter. Not because he hadn't wanted to. Just because he didn't want to give her the wrong idea. He hadn't come to WSSA to form a relationship. He'd come to fulfil his life's ambition.

At least that was what he kept telling himself. Corrine was starting to invade most of his thoughts, most of the time. Being around her constantly was definitely distracting.

He liked her nature. He liked the fact she was completely and utterly invested in the astronaut training programme and had worked hard to get there. It made him respect her more; she wanted to work at WSSA too—just not in space.

He liked the business persona she had at work, along with the power suits, and the much more comfortable and sexy way she was at home. It made him smile.

But what he liked best was the way she was quick to answer him back. Corrine Carter gave as good as she got. She wasn't impressed by his Top Gun skills. She wasn't impressed by his career record.

But he knew he'd impressed her when he'd got down on the floor next to her and attempted to help resuscitate Frank—even though he clearly hadn't been that comfortable. Austin wasn't afraid of a challenge. It didn't matter what the task was—he would always do his absolute best.

But his biggest issue with Corrine was the chemistry. The spark that flared between them. It was off the charts. And that was the thing that had surprised him most. He definitely hadn't expected it.

A little voice in the back of his head—namely his grandmother—kept conjuring up an old story. It concerned how his grandparents had first met; his grandfather had pointed to his grandmother across a street and told his friend he would marry her, and his grandmother had gone home to her mother and said they should start on her wedding dress.

He'd always thought these were made-up fairy stories. That kind of thing didn't happen in real life. Not to anyone he knew. Thunderbolts didn't really exist. It wasn't rational. It was always overrated.

In the last few years every woman he'd dated had introduced him to their friends as ‘Austin Mitchell, Top Gun pilot,' usually with a look of supreme smugness on their face. It seemed that being plain Austin Mitchell wasn't enough. That never sat entirely well with him and he usually managed to extricate himself from the relationship within a few weeks.

For the next five to six years he planned to concentrate solely on getting into space. There was no point in forming any long-term attachment when he could be away for three or six months at a time. Lots of guys in the army, navy and air force did. Life in the forces was like that. But that just wasn't Austin's style.

A wife and family had its place in his future plans in a few years' time. But not right now.

The instructor signalled them to enter the lake with some last-minute instructions. Austin took one last look at the map to see what underwater relic he was to explore. Perfect. He'd been given an old wrecked aircraft. He was actually quite interested in seeing what it looked like at the bottom of the lake. The others were spread between an old fire engine, an old boat and part of an old fairground ride to explore. Today should be fine. They weren't going to be bombarded with technical specifications as they were when studying the space station. They weren't going to be drilled on calculations and theories. He just had to do his tasks underwater and let them monitor his health.

He swam beneath the water's surface. It was clear near the surface and murkier as he reached the bottom. The SCUBA gear was fine. The breathing equipment was fine. In a few weeks he'd be in the neutral buoyancy lab dressed in a full spacesuit. It wouldn't be as easy to move then. Apparently the water helped mimic space but nothing could truly replicate the experience—he'd only know that when he finally got there.

The body of the aircraft emerged from the murky depths. It was an old World War II aircraft bomber. His heart gave a little leap. He felt like a schoolkid. He had a picture on his wall of his grandfather standing next to one of these. His aircraft had been nicknamed Ruby Bell and had a picture of a voluptuous redhead in a beautiful red dress painted on the side. He swam around to the side of the plane, trying to make out what was painted on its side. It was difficult to see. The corrosion from being underwater was evident. Most of the plane was so rusty it was a wonder it hadn't just fallen to pieces. He flickered the little torch attached to his wetsuit. It was hard to pick anything out at the bottom of the lake.

There. Something blue. A frill of a dress. He smiled. This aircraft must have been similar to his grandfather's, with a long-forgotten girl painted on the side. He raised up his hand and touched the side of the plane. It was odd doing his little ritual underwater. He closed his eyes for a few seconds. How many guys had flown in this? How many missions? And had it finally been shot down?

It would be interesting to find out. The monitor attached to his shoulder beeped and flashed red. His time was up. He'd met the allotted amount of time underwater and he'd reached the point he was supposed to.

He started to swim upwards to the surface. Something flashed before him. What was that? He slowed his ascent.

There was turmoil in the water above him. That definitely shouldn't be happening. The diving part of the lake was cordoned off from motorboats, jet skis and kayaks. Safety was a priority here.

He waited a few seconds then pushed upwards. The surface was in turmoil. He shook his head to clear his ears. A voice screamed at him from the side of the lake. ‘Austin! Austin!'

His eyes skimmed the lakeside. He was at least fifty metres from the water's edge. Corrine was shouting at him. ‘Austin, a boy's caught in the water. Can you help?'

On the water around twenty metres away was an abandoned jet bike. It wasn't supposed to be in this part of the water.

He looked around for the rider but no one was in sight. ‘I can't see him!' he shouted back to Corrine.

‘He was thrown off. I think he landed somewhere over there.' She was pointing at an expanse of water. Austin pushed his mask back over his eyes and put his mouthpiece back in place before diving back under the water.

He hadn't paid much attention to the map of the items sunk under the water. He'd only really looked for the plane he was supposed to reach. It took a few seconds for the structure in front of him to emerge through the dark.

It was the roller coaster. Part of the track was still in place with the roller coaster sitting at the bottom of one of the loops. Austin pulled out his light again and tried to sweep it over the area.

There. He could see something flailing in the water. He swam quickly. A teenage boy was trapped and panicking. Austin felt like panicking too when he saw the state of the boy's arm. It was obviously broken with blood trailing through the water. The boy must have catapulted from the jet bike and hit his arm off the metal frame.

Austin removed his mouthpiece and held it out towards the boy. He was still panicking, still flailing. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt him by grabbing onto him, but it was important he try and get some oxygen into him. He had no idea how long this guy had been underwater.

The boy was tugging at his shorts. That was what was caught—the drawstring around his waist seemed to have entangled in the metal frame.

Austin caught the boy's hand in his. He was in sheer panic mode. His legs were kicking wildly, his wide eyes turned to Austin's. This time Austin was more forceful. This time he pushed the mouthpiece right up to the boy's mouth. Now, he understood. He made a grab for it and sucked in some air.

Austin turned his torch light on the drawstring of the shorts. He couldn't believe they were caught so tightly. It seemed ridiculous but no matter how hard he tugged at them they wouldn't free. What he really needed was a knife to cut the string, but since he was dressed in a wetsuit a knife was the last thing he had.

He started to feel the pressure on his lungs. He needed to breathe. The young boy was still panicking, so Austin shrugged off his oxygen tank and left him with it as he pushed to the surface.

‘Have you got him?' Corrine screamed.

He nodded. ‘Just taking a breath. He's caught. His shorts are tangled on the roller-coaster framework. I've given him my oxygen tank. Give me a few minutes to free him.' He could see some of the lake first-aiders hurrying towards Corrine carrying a stretcher and some supplies. ‘He's broken his arm. It looks nasty.'