A Christmas Knight (15 page)

‘I love you, Oliver,' Dominic said.

‘I know. And I love you, too.' Oliver returned his hug, then patted his back. ‘Go and dance with lovely Louisa. And stop worrying about me.
Really
.'

The band was playing ‘The Way You Look Tonight'. Another song with more than appropriate words. There really was nobody like Louisa in the room. And the way she looked tonight…that'd stay with him for a long, long time.

Dominic went to claim his dance with her, and found himself singing along with the song.

‘Why, Dr Hurst, I didn't know you had such a nice singing voice. Or that a die-hard rock fan like you would know the words to a Sinatra song.' Her eyes were sparkling.

‘I grew up with this stuff.'

‘My parents are more into the Beatles,' she said, ‘though Mum once admitted that she had a crush on Andy Williams.'

‘“Can't Take My Eyes Off You”. That's one of Ma's
favourites, too, though I prefer the Muse version,' he said reflectively. ‘It has better guitars.'

She laughed. ‘You
would
say that.'

Then the band switched to another slow number, Dominic drew Louisa close, swaying with her to the rhythm of the song. She wasn't wearing her wrap, so her shoulders were bare except for the two tiny straps. Unable to resist, he dipped his head and kissed her shoulder. Her skin was so soft and she smelled so sweet.

She gave a breathy little sigh and moved closer; and he felt his control fraying past the point of no return. He needed her, and he couldn't help himself; he traced a path of kisses up the sensitive cord at the side of her neck, drawing her closer still, and then finally his mouth was right where he wanted it to be, jammed over hers. Her arms were round his neck and she was kissing him back, her mouth warm and sweet and promising.

Heaven.

It took him a while to realise that the band were playing a more up-tempo number. He had no idea how long he'd been kissing Louisa on the dance floor; the only thing he knew was that he didn't want to stop—and he didn't want an audience.

‘Louisa,' he whispered as he broke the kiss.

She looked dazed. ‘Hmm?'

‘There's something I need to tell you.' And he knew where, too. ‘Let's go,' he said. ‘Somewhere a little quieter. More private.'

She gave him the most sinful smile. ‘What a good idea.'

It was all he could do not to turn caveman, haul her over his shoulder and carry her upstairs to his bed. But they left the ballroom discreetly. He led her down a corridor and
out through a side door into the formal garden. ‘Look up,' he said.

‘Wow. I don't think I've ever seen stars that bright.' She smiled. ‘And a full moon, too. It's pure silver.'

And the soft light made her look incredibly beautiful. He took off his jacket and slipped it round her shoulders.

She looked concerned. ‘You'll be cold, Dominic.'

‘I'm with you. So I'm warm where it matters.' He took her hand and placed it over his heart. ‘Right here. Feel?'

‘Yes.' She smiled at him.

‘I love you, Louisa,' he said softly. ‘I love everything you are. And it's not just that I'm being all sentimental after seeing my big brother get married. I've known it for a while—it was just a matter of finding the right place and the right time to tell you. And that's here and now. I love you.'

‘Oh, Dominic.' Her eyes glittered in the moonlight. ‘I love you, too. I never expected to feel that way again, but with you it's different. You make me feel…' She shook her head. ‘I can't explain it. Not properly. But everything sparkles when you're around.'

Gently, he drew her back indoors, then scooped her up and carried her up the stairs. The second he'd closed his bedroom door behind her, he let her slide down her body until her feet were back on the floor and then kissed her again, this time more passionately. And then he realised that his curtains were still open. Unwilling to relinquish her, he danced with her to the window, humming ‘Can't take my eyes off you', and shut the world out.

And then he had the sheer pleasure of undressing her, very slowly. He unzipped her dress and drew a line of kisses all the way down her spine as the material parted beneath his hands, then hung her dress over the back of a chair to stop it creasing.

Louisa undressed him just as slowly, stroking the skin on his chest and his midriff as she undid his shirt, and causing his blood pressure to spike as she released the button on his trousers.

He removed the final scraps of her underwear, loving the contrast between the roughness of the lace and the softness of her skin, then scooped one arm under her knees, picking her up so he could kiss her and carry her over to his bed.

She breathed his name as he laid her against the pillows, her face filled with desire and something else he knew now he could dare to name. And he knew that he felt it, too. He could let himself love Louisa. He could be himself with her. Give her all that he wanted to be.

He paused to slide on a condom, then knelt between her thighs. ‘I love you,' he said as he eased into her. ‘I really, really love you.'

‘And I love you. You amaze me,' she said. ‘I love who you are. Your gentleness and your strength. Even your stubbornness.'

He laughed. ‘I'm not the only one who's stubborn.'

‘Mule. That's me,' she teased.

He kissed her. ‘You're the sexiest woman I've ever met—and you turn me on in a big way, my lady.'

‘“My verray, parfit, gentil knight”,' she quoted. ‘Do you have any idea how gorgeous you look, dressed up like a medieval prince?'

‘Any time you want me dressed up in my armour, honey, just say. As long as you take it off for me again. And grant me some very special private favours.' He pushed deeper into her.

‘Oh, yes.' Her expression went starry. ‘And that velvet cloak. I love that cloak. I've had some seriously X-rated fantasies about you in that cloak.'

‘Good. Tell me about them,' he said softly. ‘Because I think I'd enjoy acting them out.'

‘Kiss me,' she whispered, and he dipped his head. Her mouth was so sweet, so soft and giving. So hot. And how good she felt wrapped around him like this; the feel of her skin against his made his blood heat.

He felt her body begin to ripple round his, and he broke the kiss. ‘I love you, Louisa,' he whispered.

‘I love you, too.' And he could see it in her eyes, at the exact moment that they both tumbled to a climax.

Afterwards, snuggled in bed beside her, he said, ‘I don't think I've ever, ever been this happy.' He drew her close. ‘I don't want tonight to end.'

‘Neither do I.' She pressed a kiss into his chest. ‘But I have to go home tomorrow.'

Back to real life. Yeah, he knew that.

But she'd said the words he'd needed to hear. She felt the same way as he did.

And he could risk a future with her.

T
HE
next morning, after breakfast, Louisa was surprised when Dominic took a slightly different route from the one she'd expected.

‘Aren't we going to pick Ty up?' she asked.

‘Yes—but there's something I need to sort out on the way. I promise this will only take ten minutes.'

Fair enough, she thought—until she recognised the road. ‘We're going to the stables?'

‘Yup.'

‘Dominic, you haven't ignored everything I said and arranged to meet Tyler here, have you?'

‘No. This is just you and me. Ten minutes.' He parked, and took her over to the stable yard. ‘Would I be right in thinking that you're just a little bit nervous of horses—and I mean in addition to the fact that you're terrified Ty's going to get hurt again?'

‘Well—yes,' she admitted.

‘And you've never ridden a horse?'

‘Never.'

‘So you don't actually know what he sees in them, do you?'

She wrapped her arms round herself. ‘Why are we here?'

‘Because I want to demonstrate something to you. Do you trust me?'

‘Of course I do.'

‘Good. Because you're going to ride my horse.'

Her mouth fell open in shock. ‘But Pegasus is huge!'

‘He's a gentle giant, and he's absolutely not going to hurt you. And I'm not going to let anything happen to you.'

‘But I'm not dressed for horse-riding.'

‘Your boots are low-heeled and you're wearing jeans and a sweater. That's fine.' He let his gaze travel all the way down from her eyes to her toes, and all the way up again. ‘You look as sexy as hell, but I promise not to let myself get distracted by what I want to do to you in a quiet corner of a hayloft.'

‘Dominic!' She felt the colour shoot into her face.

He grinned. ‘Just giving you some ideas.' He took her to the tack room, picked up his bridle and saddle, and took her over to Pegasus's loose box. Swiftly, he put the bridle and saddle on the horse, checked the girth, and led the horse out into the yard. ‘All righty. Let me help you up. Put your left foot in the stirrup, here,' he directed. ‘On the count of three, I'll help lift you up—just bring your right leg out behind you.'

The next thing she knew, she was sitting in the saddle; though she could still feel the warmth of Dominic's hands against her body, even through her clothes.

‘Just relax,' he said. ‘I'm leading him, so he's not going to rush off and you're not going to fall. Let yourself feel his rhythm and go along with him.'

In other words, she had to trust him.

She knew that he was a perfectionist and would never let anything go wrong. And she knew him, soul-deep. The slightly reserved and formidable doctor whose mind worked so quickly and who was so good with patients; the wild horseman with a dangerous, thrill-seeking hobby; the kind, considerate man who saw what needed fixing and
just did it without a fuss; the man who treated her son as someone who was special on his own terms, not just a boy with special needs.

She loved him. Of course she trusted him.

As he slowly led her round the field, her confidence grew; and suddenly she could understand why he did this. It was a feeling like nothing else, a bond between human and horse. Shyly, she reached out to pat the horse's neck.

When they were back to their starting point, Dominic helped her down from the saddle. ‘Well?'

‘I get it,' she said. ‘OK. You win. Ty can come back to lessons—and to the Christmas party at the stables.'

‘It's not a question of winning,' Dominic said gently. ‘It's about the fact that you're scared and I wanted to take the fear away. I understand why you're worried, but I wanted you to see the other side of the argument for yourself. So you could make an informed decision. The person I want to win is
you
. I don't want you all tense and worrying yourself sick every time Tyler goes on a horse—or hating yourself for being so scared about the risks that you're stopping him doing something he loves. And it occurred to me this morning that the way to beat a fear is to face it.'

‘I think I'm always going to have my heart in my mouth,' she said. ‘When you ride, as well as Tyler. But I understand where you're coming from now. And I'll do my best to fight the fear. To trust you'll both be safe.'

He stole a kiss. ‘Good.' He made a fuss of his horse, then removed his tack and put him back in the loosebox before scooping up the saddle again. ‘I'll put this back in the tack room for now. And I'll be back later to give you a proper workout,' he told Pegasus.

The horse whickered, then nosed Louisa.

Gently, she stroked his nose. ‘Oh! He feels like velvet.'
Entranced, she stroked him again, and the horse gave a small whicker of pleasure.

‘He's an old softie.' Dominic stole a kiss. ‘Come on. We need to get you back to Ty.'

 

On the day of the Christmas party, Dominic took Tyler and Louisa over to the stables. The yard looked amazingly festive, with a beautiful Christmas tree in the corner covered with lights.

‘No tinsel, mind. It's too tempting for the ponies,' Bea said, ‘and I'm not risking any holly leaves getting between a saddle and pony's back, so the tree's the only thing we do here.'

‘It looks lovely, though.' Louisa produced a box. ‘Sausage rolls and brownies, as promised by Dominic.'

‘I helped make them,' Tyler added. ‘No nuts and lots of chocolate. In the brownies, that is. The sausage rolls just have sausage in them.'

‘Excellent,' Bea said, smiling. ‘Thank you very much.' She led them over to the table and added the food to the already mountainous spread.

‘Wow. Nobody's going to want to eat for a week afterwards,' Louisa said.

‘Don't you believe it,' Bea told her, laughing. ‘We always use disposable plates and cups. I know it's not as eco-friendly as washing things up, but if someone drops something it's not a problem and we don't have to worry that we've missed a bit of glass or china that'll go straight through a dog's paw or a horse's foot.'

‘Very sensible.'

Bea hugged Tyler. ‘Great to see you back. Polo missed you—and so did we. Your mum tells me you're starting again just after Christmas. Cool.'

‘I can't wait,' Tyler said. ‘And Mum says I'm allowed to do what everyone else does today.'

‘Glad to hear it.'

When the party started, Louisa was absolutely charmed. Just as Dominic had described, all the children were wearing foam antlers on top of their hard hats, and they all had a turn riding the ponies round the paddock, their little antlers nodding as they rode. And Tyler's smile was the brightest of all. She was glad she'd come; she wouldn't have missed this for the world.

‘This is the best Christmas party I've ever been to,' Tyler confided when everyone was happily munching mince pies. He hugged her. ‘I love you, Mum.'

She felt the tears well up. Tyler didn't often make emotional statements, but when he did they always went straight to her heart. ‘I love you, too,' she said, hugging him back equally hard.

‘And I love Dominic.'

She went very still.

‘He loves me, too. He told me when I was ill after the accident,' Tyler said. ‘Where's he gone?'

‘I don't know. Probably to see Pegasus.'

But then she heard the sound of sleigh bells and she realised exactly where Dominic was. Something else he'd forgotten to mention, but something that was utterly perfect: his own role in the Christmas party.

‘Father Christmas, I presume?' she asked Bea.

‘Absolutely,' Bea said with a smile. ‘And you wait to see what he comes in on.'

Louisa was expecting a sleigh, and maybe Bea and Ric knew someone who could bring reindeer for the children to ooh and aah over—but what she saw at the far end of the paddock was Father Christmas riding on…

‘A unicorn?' she asked in disbelief. It was a pure white horse with a rippling mane and tail that looked as if it was
bathed in moonlight, shimmering, and an iridescent horn coming out of his head.

Of course it wasn't a unicorn—she knew unicorns didn't exist.

But this one looked so real.

‘How?' she asked in wonder.

‘State secret,' Bea said with a grin. ‘It's more than my life's worth to say.'

As Father Christmas rode nearer, Louisa recognised the horse as Pegasus. And when Father Christmas asked for a helper, she stepped forward. ‘Will I do?'

‘Perfectly,' Dominic said, handing her the first present from his sack.

There was a present for every child from the horse they rode; and Louisa loved the gift tags, which were pictures of the horses wearing Santa hats, obviously done with the help of a computer programme. The children were delighted with their gifts—all horse related—and Tyler was thrilled to bits to be given his own grooming mitt. ‘This is the best Christmas ever,' he said, beaming.

Much later that evening, when Tyler was in bed, Dominic sat on the sofa with Louisa on his lap, their arms wrapped round each other.

‘He's right, you know—this is going to be the best Christmas ever. Because you're in my life. You fit every bit of me: work, the stables, home. All of it.' He paused. ‘What I said, the night of the wedding: I meant it. You're amazing. And I love you. And I want to be a family with you—you
and
Tyler.'

‘That's what I want, too,' she said.

‘But it's only going to work,' he said, ‘if Tyler's happy about it.'

‘He told me today that he loved you. And that you'd told him you loved him, when he was ill.' She stroked his face. ‘I had no idea. Why didn't you say?'

‘Because I didn't want to pressure you,' Dominic said simply. ‘And, I know it's selfish, but I needed to know that you loved me for
me
, not because of the bond between me and your son.'

‘I love you for both reasons. But primarily for you,' she confirmed, kissing him. ‘In fact…let me show you.'

They ended up falling off the sofa, their clothing in utter disarray, but both of them were laughing.

‘I feel like a teenager,' Dominic said. ‘Even though I'm half a lifetime away from that.'

‘Half your life ago, you were in your mid-teens,' she pointed out. ‘As was I. We're both older and wiser now.'

‘Mmm, and you're gorgeous. You'll still be gorgeous when we're eighty. You'll still make my knees weak and my heart beat faster. Always.' He stole a kiss. ‘I meant it. I love Ty as well. I look at him, and I see you. And I see a bright, quirky little boy who loves all the things I love. And I want to be his father. I mean, I know I can't take the place of Jack, but—'

She pressed a finger to his lips. ‘Believe me, simple biology doesn't make someone a father. It's a lot more than that. Ty doesn't even remember Jack. You've done more with Tyler in the past couple of months than his father has done in years. You've helped him with swimming and riding, you've taught him to play chess, you listen to him when he comes home from school, you talk to him about his artwork and horses and knights. And I know he thinks a lot of you because he spends almost as much time talking about you as he does about horses.'

‘So, if Ty's happy with the idea, would you consider marrying me?'

She smiled, a teasing light in her eyes. ‘Ask me properly, Dr Hurst, and I'll give you your answer.'

‘Then I'll talk to him,' Dominic said. ‘Man to man.' He
smiled. ‘In the normal scheme of things, I would be asking your father for your hand in marriage. But, in this case, I think I need to ask your son.'

She stroked his face. ‘That's another thing I love about you. You're thoughtful. You consider other people's feelings. Oh, and for the record, my parents think you're wonderful and my mum's already given us their blessing. She guessed a long time ago how I feel about you.'

‘Then let's hope,' Dominic said, ‘that Ty feels the same.'

 

The following evening, Dominic was playing chess with Tyler while Louisa was pottering about in the kitchen. His mouth was dry, his skin was prickling, and he could never, ever remember feeling this nervous before. Not when he'd been sitting exams or taking his driving test, because he'd had a fair idea what he was doing and had been able to judge whether he was getting it right. Not when he'd started his first job, because back then he'd known that he still had a lot to learn and it was fine to ask questions as long as you put the patient's needs first.

Right here and now, he felt all at sea.

Because, even though he thought he knew how Tyler would react to his question, he didn't know for certain. And it scared him to death that he might be wrong.

‘You're letting me win, aren't you?' Tyler asked, moving his knight. ‘Check.'

‘I wouldn't insult you like that,' Dominic said. ‘But, I admit, I'm not giving the game my full attention.'

‘Why not?'

‘Because there's something I need to talk to you about. Something serious. Man to man.'

Tyler frowned. ‘What?'

This was the biggie. Dominic took a deep breath. ‘How would you feel about your mum getting married?'

‘Would that mean I'd have a new dad?' Tyler asked carefully.

‘Yes. One who'd love you every bit as much as if he'd always been your dad.'

Tyler thought about it. ‘Do you mean you?'

Dominic nodded. ‘But I'm not going to ask your mum to marry me unless you're happy about the idea. So I'm asking your permission to propose to your mum.'

‘You mean, like a knight used to ask the king?' Tyler said reflectively. ‘Except you're a knight and I'm your page. So I'm not really the king.'

‘True,' Dominic said, ‘but this is your mum we're talking about, so this is a special case. It means I need to ask you first.'