She blushed as he reminded her of the words she’d used the first time they’d met. ‘I thought you were arrogant.’
‘I am arrogant.’
No. He wasn’t arrogant, and she knew that now. He was incredibly clever and talented. And staggeringly good-looking. But she had no intention of telling him any of those things.
‘I’ll see you at eight, Dr Sullivan.’ And, reaching past him, she picked up the next set of notes.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE green or the blue?
Kat held both dresses up against her and still couldn’t decide.
The green looked good with her hair but it was cut a bit on the low side. The blue was slightly more demure on top but it was far too short. She’d bought it in a sale and then never worn it. In fact, she’d never worn either dress because she didn’t go anywhere that demanded that she dress up.
She squinted at herself in the mirror.
They would be
sitting down for most of the evening, she reasoned, dropping the green one back on the bed. The blue would be safer.
The silky fabric whispered over her hips and she looked at herself doubtfully. It was like staring at a stranger. This wasn’t the person she was, she thought as she turned left and right and studied her svelte outline in the mirror. She was used to dressing like a mother and this dress—she looked at herself long and hard—was designed to make a woman look like a woman.
And just for tonight that was exactly what she was, she reminded herself as she twisted her hair on top of her head and fastened it in place. Tomorrow it would be back to trainers and shorts, but for tonight she was allowed to assume that she wouldn’t be chasing a football on a beach or playing six-year-old games.
With that in mind, she left her legs bare, slipping her feet into a pair of strappy sandals that she’d never worn because the heels were too high and impractical for the life she led.
Relieved that Archie was staying with Mary so that she didn’t have to proffer explanations for the way she was dressed, she walked into the kitchen and glanced across at Josh’s house. He was late. She’d managed to get away but he’d been tied up in Resus. Was he still at work? Or had he changed his mind? The sound of the doorbell made her jump and she resisted the temptation to sprint to the door and yank it open. Play it cool, Kat, she told herself firmly, reaching for her bag and taking a deep breath before finally strolling to the front door. This was a one-off. Just one evening of fun between two adults.
She wasn’t going to get involved.
She wasn’t going to wish for things she couldn’t have.
She was just going to have a nice evening, no more than that. For once she was playing woman rather than mother.
Her heart rate increased and her fingers slipped as she fumbled with the lock and opened the door.
And all her resolutions dissolved in an instant.
If ever a man was designed to make a woman forget resolutions, that man was Josh.
‘Sorry I’m a bit late. I only escaped from the hospital about twenty minutes ago. Thank goodness for fast sports cars.’ His glossy dark hair was still damp from the shower and he had that lazy, sexy look in his eyes that almost made her forget the mechanism of breathing. His gaze slid down her body and he sighed. ‘All right—we’re going to eat dinner standing up.’
She locked the door of the cottage and dropped the key in her bag. ‘Why standing up?’
‘Because that way I get to look at your legs all evening.’ His eyes were still fixed on her legs. ‘That dress is fantastic, although it could have done with being a little shorter.’
‘Any shorter and it would be a T-shirt,’ she muttered, and he flashed her a grin that was wickedly male.
‘Precisely.’ He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and breathed out sharply. ‘Is it hot tonight…’ his eyes gleamed ‘…or is it me?’
‘It’s you.’
‘No.’ He shook his head, his eyes still on her legs. ‘You look amazing. I always seem to be saying that to you. I thought the nightdress was good but this…’
Feeling completely flustered and wishing she’d worn the other dress, she glared at him. ‘Can you do me a favour? Can you forget about the nightdress incident?’
He pulled a face and finally looked up from his thorough contemplation of her legs. ‘Not sure that I can, to be honest.’ His eyes were laughing. ‘The memory keeps me awake at night. I’m having evil thoughts.’