Doctor January (22 page)

Beth lay in a warm post-coital glow, her head on Hibs's chest, listening to his heartbeat. The past few weeks had been a rollercoaster. Now, suddenly, she was more in charge of her work and the rest of her world. She still found it hard to believe that she'd stood up to Gordon. She knew that the catalyst for all this change was the man who was currently tracing patterns on her shoulder with his finger.

She lifted her head to look at him. He smiled at her. ‘Hello.'

‘Hibs, I've decided that I don't want to stay in academia. I've made an appointment to see a careers advisor.'

He stared at her, his face serious. The finger on her shoulder stopped moving. He didn't say anything.

‘I'm going to finish my PhD first,' she added.

He nodded, but still didn't reply. She rested her chin on his chest. ‘Say something.'

Hibs looked away for a moment before he looked back into her eyes. ‘I'm just thinking that if having sex leads to this kind of announcement, you and I should never sleep together ever again.'

She poked him in the side. ‘Be serious. What do you think?'

‘Is it what you want to do?'

‘Yes.'

‘In that case, go for it.' He reached across and stroked her cheek. ‘I'll support you in whatever way I can.'

She laid her head back on his chest and let the feeling of contentment wrap around her. ‘Where have you been all my life, Dr Hibbotson?'

‘Right here,' he said. ‘Just waiting for you to notice me.'

Somehow, it was the most perfect thing he could have said.

Rhoda Baxter writes contemporary romantic comedies. She has lived all over the world, including the Pacific island of Yap, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Didcot. She now lives in East Yorkshire with one husband, two children and no pets or carnivorous plants.

Rhoda studied at the University of Oxford and holds a DPhil in microbiology. When choosing a pen name, she got nostalgic about the bacteria she used to study (Rhodobacter species) and named herself Rhoda Baxter after them.

Now her day job involves protecting and commercialising intellectual property generated by university research. This allows her to stay in touch with cutting edge scientific research without having to spend long hours in the lab.

Rhoda is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Doctor January
is her first novel published in paperback with Choc Lit. She also has a novel published by Choc Lit Lite,
Girl on the Run
, which is available online.

www.rhodabaxter.com/

www.twitter.com/RhodaBaxter

www.facebook.com/RhodaBaxterAuthor

From Rhoda Baxter

Girl on the Run

Outrunning her past was never going to be easy …

A job in a patent law firm is a far cry from the glamorous existence of a popstar's girlfriend. But it's just what Jane Porter needs to distance herself from her cheating ex, Ashby, and the press furore that surrounds the wreckage of her love life.

In a new city with a new look, Jane sets about rebuilding her confidence, and after Ashby's betrayal, she resolves that this will be something she does alone.

That is until she meets patent lawyer, Marshall Winfield. Sweet, clever and dealing with the aftermath of his own romantic disaster, Marsh could be the perfect cure for Jane's broken heart.

But with the paparazzi still hot on Jane's heels and an office troublemaker hell-bent on making things difficult, do Jane and Marsh stand any chance of finding happiness together?

Visit
www.choc-lit.com
for more details including the first two chapters and reviews.

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Doctor January
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