The Greek Children's Doctor (Westerling)

I love you.

The words flew into her head and out again before she had time to say them and she caught her breath.

Of course she didn’t love him.

How could she possibly love him?

It was just that they’d shared something that she’d never shared with anyone before. Had she imagined the incredible connection between them? Unlike her, Andreas was obviously an experienced male—had he ever felt that with anyone else?

‘Don’t try and hide from me.’ His voice was husky and deep and sent shivers through her body. He pulled her closer and she felt the brush of his chest hair against her sensitised nipples. ‘You’re shivering. Are you cold?’

Of course she was shivering. She’d just had an explosive experience that had shocked her body.

And she certainly wasn’t cold.

She felt hotter than she’d ever felt in her life.

He rolled her under him again and pinned her to the ground under his powerful body. She felt incredibly vulnerable, aware of every single part of him.

Andreas gave a groan and lowered his head but before he could kiss her they heard voices approaching and Libby froze in horror.

Suddenly the dream shattered and she was horribly aware of where she was.

Lying in the grass by a lake in a public place, about to be discovered.

What was she doing?

Andreas reacted with his customary cool, rolling away from her and sliding her dress back up her arms before attempting to button his shirt.

‘Half my buttons are missing,’ he murmured, reaching out a lean hand and catching her chin. His eyes danced with humour. ‘Do you know anything about that?’

Libby pulled away from him, her face flaming as she recalled how totally uninhibited she’d been. She stooped to retrieve her shoes, wondering what had happened to her.

How could she have done such a thing?

She, who prided herself on her self-control.

But then her self-control had never really been tested before, she reminded herself, her eyes sliding to Andreas and resting on his broad shoulders as he shrugged on his jacket, effectively disguising the fact that half the buttons were missing on his shirt.

He shot her a wicked, sexy smile that made her pulse rate bolt.

‘Ready to go back to the party?’

Libby lifted a hand to her tangled blonde hair, still totally confused by her feelings. She absolutely didn’t love him. ‘I can’t,’ she whispered, painfully self-conscious. ‘I look—’

‘You look stunning,’ he said quietly, stepping towards her and cupping her face in his hands.

He kissed her softly and then threaded his fingers through hers and led her back across the grass, past groups of people who were all enjoying the cool night air after the stifling heat of the ballroom.

Libby kept her face down as they walked and when they reached the terrace just outside the ballroom Andreas stopped and lifted her chin so that she was forced to look at him.

‘Your guilt is written all over your face,’ he murmured, his tone amused as he stroked her hair away from her flushed face. ‘If it really troubles you that much, go to the ladies and redo your make-up.’

Totally shaken by what had happened and glad of an excuse to have five minutes to herself to gather her thoughts, Libby nodded and pulled away from him, hurrying inside to the ladies.

She locked herself in a cubicle and leaned against the door, her eyes tightly closed.

She didn’t love him. She couldn’t possibly love him.