‘Stay,’ he breathed, his mouth inches from hers. ‘Stay the night with me and we’ll spend tomorrow together. You don’t need to go.’
Her senses shimmered with awareness and everything weakened. She didn’t want to feel it. She didn’t want to feel anything. Feeling meant vulnerability and vulnerability just meant pain. ‘Work tomorrow. I have to go…home…’ She stumbled over the word because no one in their right mind could really apply that word to a grotty room with damp patches on the walls and a threadbare carpet.
‘Tomorrow,’ he groaned, bringing his mouth against hers again. ‘You can go home tomorrow.’
How had he ever learned to kiss like that? she wondered dreamily as his mouth transported her to a different place entirely. Threadbare carpets and cranky landlords were forgotten as she was enveloped in a sensual cloak of erotic anticipation. Suddenly everything seemed perfect, even though things were about as far from perfect as they could get.
‘Upstairs…’ Jake murmured, tugging at the jumper, and she suddenly froze and shook her head. She couldn’t let him remove the jumper. If he removed the jumper then he’d see—
‘No—really, we can’t.’
‘Why not? You’ve already said that there’s no one at home to worry about you.’ His hands were warm on the bare skin of her back and she pulled away quickly.
She almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. But at the same time she wanted to cry. Why did he have to come into her life now, when there was absolutely no room for him?
‘I suppose this is the point where I’m supposed to apologise for rushing you.’ His voice was soft. ‘But I’m not going to apologise for doing something that felt completely right.’
She bit her lip and waited for the frantic bump of her heart to slow to something approaching normal levels. ‘Did I see you bring a mince pie into the room?’
His mouth was still close to hers. ‘Are you changing the subject?’
‘Yes.’ She wished he wouldn’t look at her like that. There was a sexy gleam in those wicked blue eyes that made it almost impossible to concentrate. ‘I’m hungry.’
He hesitated briefly and then sat back. ‘You have a ferocious appetite for a woman,’ he drawled, moving away from her and reaching for the plate. ‘Anyone would think you haven’t eaten for a month.’
She gave an awkward laugh and helped herself from the plate. ‘They’re good. Did you make them?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. I’m a man. I can cook the basics but I draw the line at mince pies. These are courtesy of my sister, who filled my freezer when she was here last.’
‘Is that the same sister who is the mother of those children?’ She glanced across at the photograph and he nodded.
‘Jessica.’
Miranda sighed. What would it be like, she wondered, to have a sister to fill your freezer?
She ate another two and decided that any more would appear greedy so she stopped and snuggled back against the sofa. Suddenly she felt deliciously full and alarmingly drowsy.
‘Five minutes,’ she murmured, closing her eyes. ‘Just five minutes and then I’m going to have to go home.’
And as she finished speaking, she fell asleep.
CHAPTER THREE
THE telephone woke him from a delicious dream of being wrapped in silky dark hair and kissed by a warm, soft mouth.
Cursing softly, still half-asleep, Jake reached out and answered it. ‘Yes.’
‘Mr Blackwell?’
He recognised the voice of the senior midwife on the obstetric unit and was instantly awake. ‘Ruth?’ He glanced round his living room and realised that he was alone. Where was Miranda? She’d fallen asleep and he’d covered her in blankets and then proceeded to fall asleep next to her. Only there was no sign of her now. And the weak, winter sunlight shining through the windows told him that it was morning.
‘Jake—are you still there?’
Trying to ease the ache from his shoulders, he forced himself to concentrate on the phone. ‘Yes, I’m here. What’s happening?’
Was she using the bathroom?
‘I’ve got a nightmare going on here, that’s what’s happening. I’ve just admitted a woman who was hoping for a home birth—fifth baby. But the last one was delivered by Caesarean section.’