The Doctor's Christmas Bride (Lakeside Mountain Rescue 1)

She was still standing there five minutes later when Jack banged on the door. ‘Have you been sucked down the plughole or something? Hurry up!’

Bryony closed her eyes briefly and then decided that she may as well get on with it. He was obviously totally indifferent to the fact that they were about to spend a night in the same bed, so perhaps she could be, too.

She used the toiletries and then opened the bathroom door and gave him a bright smile.

‘All yours. You’re going to love the mermaid taps.’

She strolled past him, waited until she heard the door close and then wriggled out of her dress and leaped into the bed, still wearing her underwear. The bed was huge and absolutely freezing and she lay there, her whole body shivering, wondering how she was ever going to sleep.

She heard sounds of the shower running and then finally the door opened and Jack appeared, a towel wrapped around his hips.

Bryony’s heart started to thud rhythmically in her chest and suddenly she didn’t feel cold any more.

She’d seen his body before, of course. In the summer at the beach. In the swimming pool when they’d taken Lizzie together. But she’d never seen his body when she was lying half-naked in bed. Suddenly all she could think about was the fact that he was about to slide in between the sheets next to her.

And he wasn’t wearing anything.

In the dim light of the bedroom he was breathtakingly sexy. Her eyes followed the line of his body hair, tracking down over his muscular chest, down his board-flat stomach and down further still until it disappeared under the towel.

Refusing to allow herself to even think about what was underneath the towel, Bryony forced herself to breathe before she passed out. ‘Are you planning to wear a towel to bed?’ she croaked, trying to keep it light but feeling anything but light. In fact, her whole body felt heavy.

Jack eyed the bed with amusement. ‘This bed is huge. I’m going to need a grid reference to find you.’

‘You don’t have to find me,’ Bryony said hastily. ‘It’s really late. Just go to sleep.’

And with that she rolled over and closed her eyes tightly. Not that it made any difference at all. Even with her eyes shut she could still see every inch of his incredible body. The image was embedded in her brain and when she felt the bed dip slightly and heard him switch the light off, she curled her fingers into the duvet to stop herself from reaching for him.

For a moment neither of them moved and then he cursed softly. ‘I’m developing frostbite. This bed is freezing.’

‘Just go to sleep, Jack.’

‘I can’t go to sleep, my teeth are chattering too much.’

She gave a sigh and turned towards him, telling herself that it was dark anyway so she couldn’t see him and he couldn’t see her.

‘Well, go and put your shirt back on.’

‘I’m not sleeping in my clothes.’

She chuckled. ‘Put my clothes on, then.’

‘Good idea. I could wear your dress as a T-shirt.’ He gave a shiver. ‘Alternatively, we could cuddle each other. Warm me up, woman, or I’ll be found dead in the morning.’

Before she could anticipate his next move, he reached for her and pulled her firmly against him so that they were lying side by side and nose to nose.

‘Jack!’ She tensed and planted her hands firmly on the centre of his chest and pushed against him, but he didn’t budge.

‘Just relax, will you?’ His voice sounded very male in the darkness. ‘You know as well as I do that bodily warmth is an important source of heat.’

A source of heat?

Being this close to him, her fingers tangled with the hairs on his chest, her palms feeling the steady thud of his heart. It wasn’t heat she was producing, it was fire.

And she realised that he wasn’t cold at all. His body was warm and hard and throbbing with vital masculinity and it was pressed against hers.

‘Jack, I can’t—’

‘Shut up, Blondie.’ He slid a hand round the back of her neck and found her mouth with his. His tongue traced the seam of her lips and her mouth opened under his, breathing in his groan of desire.