The Midwife's Christmas Miracle (12 page)

‘I’m not. Let’s just say that what happened had a huge bearing on how I view life these days.’

Lucy had no idea what to say to that. However, her heart was heavy as she mopped up the water and plugged in the kettle. Max must have been dreadfully hurt by the failure of his marriage if it had changed his whole outlook on life. The thought of him having loved another woman to such an extent was so painful that she felt tears spring to her eyes and quickly blinked them away. She had no right to feel hurt, no rights at all where he was concerned.

‘I imagine we’re all influenced by past experiences,’ she said quietly, refusing to dwell on that thought.

‘We are.’ He paused and she heard the question in his voice when he continued. ‘I get the feeling that whatever happened in your past has had a big impact on you, too, Lucy.’

Lucy bit her lip as she debated what to say. Should she tell him about Richard and the whole sorry mess? It seemed such a huge step to take and yet she realised
all of a sudden that she wanted him to know what had turned her into the person she was today.

‘It did. For one thing it led me to move here, and that’s something I certainly wouldn’t have done.’

‘Do you want to talk about it?’

His tone was so gentle that any doubts she had disappeared in a trice. Max obviously cared what had happened to her and the thought made it that much easier to open up.

‘There’s not a lot to say really. I was engaged to this guy when I discovered that he’d been cheating on me.’ She shrugged. ‘I’m not the first woman to find herself in that position and I doubt I’ll be the last, either.’

‘But that doesn’t make it any less painful.’

Tears prickled her eyes again when she heard the compassion in his voice. ‘No, you’re right. It doesn’t. I was devastated when I found out what had been going on. It completely knocked my confidence. I thought Richard loved me, you see, but it turned out that he’d been out with a string of women during the time we were together. That would have been bad enough, but what hurt even more was finding out that he’d been seeing my cousin, Amy.’

‘That must have been a terrible shock.’

‘It was. Our mothers are twins, you see, so Amy and I grew up together. We were always very close but when this came to light, it caused a huge rift not only between us but both our families as well. Mum naturally took my side while my aunt felt she had to defend Amy. It got to the point where they were no longer speaking to each other.’

‘It must have been very difficult for you.’

‘It was horrible. I felt so stupid too, because it had
never crossed my mind that Richard might be with another woman when he was supposed to be working late!’

Tears began to stream down her cheeks and she heard Max utter a low oath as he pulled her into his arms. ‘Don’t cry, sweetheart. He isn’t worth a single one of your tears after what he did.’

He nestled her head against his shoulder, murmuring softly as all the pent-up emotions came pouring out. Lucy cried until she had no more tears left, but it was the release she’d needed and once it was over, she felt calmer, able to see the situation for what it was. She wasn’t responsible for Richard’s actions. It had been his choice to cheat on her and she wasn’t to blame.

‘Are you OK?’

Max’s voice was so gentle that she shivered. She felt her breath catch when she looked up and saw the way he was looking at her with such tenderness in his eyes. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to reach up and press her lips to his…

He uttered something rough deep in his throat as he claimed her mouth in a searing kiss. Lucy clung to him as the room started to spin. When he raised his head and looked into her eyes, she knew that he could see how she felt and didn’t care. Maybe it was madness, but at that moment she wanted him to make love to her more than she had wanted anything in her whole life.

M
AX
could feel his heart pounding. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind about what he could see in Lucy’s eyes, yet how could he respond to it? It wouldn’t be right to make love to her when she was so vulnerable.

He gently eased her out of his arms, feeling his heart ache as he was deprived of the warmth and softness of her body. It was a long time since he had denied himself the pleasure of making love to a woman but this wasn’t just any woman. This was Lucy and he would do anything to protect her.

‘I shouldn’t have kissed you like that,’ he said gruffly, struggling to come to terms with that idea. What was it about her that made him want to shelter her from harm? He had no idea but he couldn’t deny that it was how he felt.

‘It wasn’t your fault, Max. After all, it was me who started it.’

Max had to steel himself when he heard the plea in her voice. It would take very little to push him over the edge and make him do something he would regret. He had to remember that he needed to protect himself as well as her, and hope that it would help to keep him strong.

‘You were upset and I took advantage of that. I’m sorry.’ His tone was brusque and he saw her recoil.

‘There’s no need to apologise,’ she replied in a taut little voice that cut him to the quick. ‘These things happen so forget it. I’ll make us that coffee, or would you prefer tea?’

‘Neither, thank you. I think it would be better if I left.’ He turned towards the door, pausing when she gave a harsh laugh.

‘Don’t worry, Max, I’m not trying to trap you, if that’s what you’re afraid of.’

‘Trap me?’ he repeated uncertainly, glancing round.

‘Hmm. First I lured you up here with the promise of coffee and then I tried to coerce you into my bed with tears.’ She stared back at him and his heart ached when he saw the hurt in her eyes. ‘You’re probably wondering what comes next, so let me make it perfectly clear that I don’t expect anything from you. I know you’re a free agent and very keen to remain that way.’

‘It isn’t that.’

‘No?’

‘No,’ he said firmly. He took her hands and held them tightly, wishing he could explain why it would be a mistake for them to get involved. It was only the thought of what she would think of him after he’d told her that stopped him. ‘I don’t want to hurt you, Lucy. You’ve had a really rough time recently and you’re extremely vulnerable at the moment. It would be only too easy to do something that you’ll regret.’

‘And you think I’ll regret it if we make love?’ she said softly, her eyes holding his.

‘Yes.’ Max had to swallow because his mouth was so dry all of a sudden that it was difficult to speak. ‘You aren’t the kind of woman who sleeps around,
Lucy. You’re the kind who needs commitment and that’s something I can’t give you.’

He bent and brushed her cheek with his lips, realising his mistake the moment he felt the softness of her skin beneath his mouth. He knew he should pull back but it was impossible to do so when every cell in his body was screaming that it needed this contact, that it needed more…

He turned his head until her mouth was suddenly under his, so soft and sweet, so warm and tempting that he knew he was lost. Hauling her into his arms, he kissed her with all the hunger that had been building up inside him for weeks. That first kiss may have been wonderful but it had barely taken the edge off his desire. He wanted her so much, wanted to kiss her and caress her, wanted to feel her body under his as they reached undreamed-of heights together.

The thought tipped him over the edge. All thoughts of behaving sensibly fled as he trailed kisses along her jaw and down her neck. Her skin was so warm and silky that he groaned as his lips glided over it. When he reached the collar of her robe, he pushed it aside so that his mouth could continue its journey, trailing kisses along her collar bone to the tip of her shoulder before working his way back to the tiny hollow at the base of her throat where a pulse was beating wildly. He paused, feeling the rapid throb against his lips. He had never wanted any woman as much as he wanted her!

‘Don’t stop.’

Her voice was husky with desire and Max felt every cell in his body react to it. He drew back and looked at her, knowing what he would see in her eyes, yet even then he wasn’t prepared for how it made him feel. To
know that she wanted him this much was like being offered a slice of heaven.

‘I won’t stop unless you ask me to,’ he told her, his own voice grating with the force of his desire. He knew she understood what he meant when he saw her eyelids lower and tensed. It was one thing to invite his kisses but was she sure that she wanted him to make love to her, one hundred per cent certain that she wouldn’t regret it?

Tension thrummed through his body as he waited for her to speak, made him feel so light-headed that it was a moment before he realised that she was looking at him.

‘I won’t want you to stop, Max. I’m absolutely certain of that.’

It was all he’d needed to hear and his heart leapt with joy as he pulled her back into his arms and held her so that she could feel the power of his arousal pressing against her. When his hands went to the belt on her robe, she trembled, not with fear or uncertainty, he knew, but with a passion equal to his own.

His hands were shaking as he parted the front of her robe because he knew this was a moment he would remember for the rest of his life. He closed his eyes for a second while he savoured the thought then looked at her, letting his gaze travel over the lushly feminine curves of her body. Her breasts were full and beautifully shaped, her waist incredibly narrow, her hips generously curved, and his pounding heart raced out of control.

‘You’re so beautiful,’ he murmured. Reaching out, he let his fingers graze over one taut nipple and heard her gasp, so did it again only it was his turn to gasp this time. Everything about her was perfect, alluring, and
he wanted nothing more than to enjoy the delights of her body.

He went to pull her back into his arms but she shook her head. ‘No. Not yet. We need to even things up a bit first.’

Max had no idea what she meant and before he could ask, her hands went to the zip down the front of his leather jacket. He hadn’t even realised that he was still wearing it until that moment and his head spun when it struck him how completely under her spell he was.

She drew the zipper down and his breath locked in his throat when she slowly parted the edges of his jacket and slid it off his shoulders. It was incredibly erotic to stand there and let her undress him. When her hands went to the hem of his sweater and started to lift it, he felt the blood pound through his veins.

Max stood rigidly still while she drew the sweater over his head and tossed it over the back of the sofa. He could feel the coolness of the air on his bare skin, such a stark contrast to the heat that was building inside him that his desire seemed to double in intensity.

‘You’re beautiful too,’ she whispered huskily. Lifting her hands, she let her palms glide across his chest, a tiny frown creasing her brow as she followed the contours of muscle and bone as though committing them to memory.

Max’s stomach muscles clenched when he felt her fingers caressing his skin. Everywhere she touched, nerve endings were firing out signals, alerting him to what was happening. When her palms glided over his nipples, he shuddered as a raft of sensations were unleashed inside him. She must have felt the tremor that passed through
him because she paused, her hands resting lightly on his sensitised flesh.

‘Did I hurt you?’

‘No.’ He pulled her back into his arms, feeling his mind explode with desire when her naked body came to rest against his. ‘It wasn’t pain I was feeling, my sweet. Far from it.’

‘Oh!’

Max smiled when he saw her colour. The fact that she could still blush like that when they were on the verge of making love touched him deeply. Bending, he dropped a kiss on her lips then another on the tip of her nose. Her eyelids came next; he kissed her eyes closed, breathing in when he felt her lashes tickle his lips. Kissing had always been a pleasant enough experience in the past, but he had never felt this tenderness before, this desire to protect and cherish. It made him see that making love with Lucy would be unlike anything that had gone before. This would be a first for him in so many different ways.

The thought was just too much. Max kissed her again, on the mouth, with a passion that made them both tremble. He could feel the ripples running under his skin when he took hold of her hand and led her into the bedroom, tiny shock waves of sensation that made his nerves tingle and his flesh feel as though it was on fire. The room was small and cramped even with the bed pushed up against one wall, but he didn’t care about their surroundings. He only cared about Lucy and what they were doing.

Sitting down on the bed, he pulled her down beside him and kissed her again, a slow, drugging kiss that soon had them clinging to each other. When she lay back
against the pillows and held out her arms, he lay down beside her, smoothing his hand down her body, feeling her skin glide beneath his fingers like warm silk as he followed the curves and dips. They were both breathless when his hand made its way back up and came to rest on her breast, both of them filled with excitement and expectation, and it was the most wonderful feeling to know they were so perfectly in tune.

Max felt joy fill him as he stripped off the rest of his clothes and took her in his arms. This wasn’t just sex; it could never be simply that. This was love-making in its purest form, the moment when two people became one single being. As he entered her, he knew that he had been given something so special that he would be forever in her debt. He would never regret this night and he would do everything in his power to make sure that Lucy never regretted it either.

The room was cold when Lucy awoke a short time later. She pulled the covers over her, feeling her heart fill with a host of emotions when her arm brushed against Max’s shoulder. She didn’t regret what had happened; how could she when it had been so marvellous. However, she knew that it could cause problems in the future. Max had made it clear that this wasn’t the start of something more and she mustn’t make the mistake of thinking that it was.

‘Regrets already?’

She turned when he spoke, seeing the concern in his eyes. ‘No. I’m not sorry it happened, Max.’

‘But?’

‘There isn’t a but,’ she said firmly, closing her mind to the insidious little voice that was whispering in her
ear. She was a grown woman and if they were merely destined to have an affair then she could handle it. She didn’t need promises of undying love to make it right! ‘I went into this with my eyes open and I don’t regret it.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Quite sure. How about you, though? Are you sorry it happened?’

‘No, I’m not.’

He pulled her to him, his mouth seeking out the hollow at the base of her throat. Lucy shivered when she felt the tip of his tongue tasting her skin. Their love-making had been a revelation. She had never imagined that she could feel such passion. It wasn’t just that Max was a skilled lover either; it was the fact that there’d seemed to be a real connection between them. Their minds had been in tune as well as their bodies and it was that which had made it so amazing. If she’d been on the brink of falling in love with him before this had happened, how did she feel now?

Lucy closed her mind to that question because she didn’t want to have to deal with the answer. They made love again and it was every bit as wonderful as the first time. As she lay in his arms afterwards, she knew that if there’d been any way to change his mind about the future then she would have leapt at it, but there wasn’t. He was determined to stay single and after his previous, unhappy experiences, could she blame him?

The thought that Max must still care for his ex-wife if their divorce continued to affect him nagged away at her as they got up and took a shower. Naturally, they got sidetracked so that it was gone two o’clock by the time
they went back into the bedroom. Lucy groaned when she realised how late it was.

‘Is that the time already? I’m due in work in a couple of hours.’

‘Do you want me to go?’ Max offered immediately.

‘No!’ Lucy flushed when she realised how insistent she sounded. She mustn’t make the mistake of appearing needy or she would scare him away. Although she had no idea how long this would last, she wanted to store away enough memories to see her through the coming years.

She gave a light laugh, determined not to look too far into the future. ‘You’re not leaving until you’ve had that cup of coffee I promised you. And how about something to eat? My mum would have a fit if she found out that I’d let a visitor leave without offering him sustenance.’

‘Mine too,’ he agreed, smiling as he fastened the belt on his trousers. ‘Sounds as though they’d get on like a house on fire.’

‘It does.’ Lucy picked up her hairdryer. It was a figure of speech, she told herself sternly. Max certainly hadn’t meant to imply that he wanted their parents to meet!

‘Shall I make us something while you finish getting dressed?’

Lucy glanced up, feeling her heart turn over when her gaze landed on him. He hadn’t put on his sweater yet and the sight of his naked torso made her pulse leap. He looked so wonderfully, gloriously male that it was difficult to concentrate on the question. ‘I’ve not got anything very exciting in the fridge, I’m afraid. It didn’t seem worth stocking up on Christmas goodies just for me, so I only bought basics.’

‘Leave it to me—I’ll see what I can rustle up.’

‘Well, if you’re sure you don’t mind…’

‘Of course I don’t mind.’ He dropped a kiss on her lips. ‘You just concentrate on making yourself look beautiful, not that it will take much effort.’

He dropped another kiss on her lips and left. Lucy smiled as she switched on the hairdryer. She hadn’t been looking forward to Christmas, but it was turning out to be a lot better than she had expected!

She finished drying her hair then hunted through the wardrobe for something to wear. She finally decided on a pair of black cord jeans teamed with a red velvet top, which looked suitably festive. She could hear Max whistling in the other room and smiled. She definitely hadn’t expected to spend Christmas Day with Max either!