Hired: GP and Wife / The Playboy Doctor's Surprise Proposal (24 page)

‘Table booked,’ he said. Then he crossed the room. ‘Turn around while I do you up,’ he said.

Caitlin felt goose-bumps all over her body as his fingers brushed the back of her neck.

‘That’s you,’ he said, and whirled her around to face him. ‘I don’t think these are a good idea,’ he added, removing her glasses. For a moment he looked into her eyes and her heart started thumping wildly. ‘You have beautiful eyes,’ he said. ‘Why do you hide them behind these?’

Caitlin grabbed her glasses back, desperate for him not to see her reaction.

‘I need those. I can’t see very well without them.’

‘What’s there to see?’ Andrew laughed and took them again, hiding them behind his back. ‘All you need to see is your board and the shore.’

Caitlin gave in, knowing it was ridiculous to be getting into a tug of war over her glasses. But why was this man determined to treat her as if she were a gauche teenager? She was a grown woman, for God’s sake, a respected professional.

‘Okay, then,’ she said, only too aware that she sounded like a sulky teenager. ‘But you might have to lead the way.’

Down on the beach the sun was sinking, turning the clouds candy-floss pink. A small breeze had picked up, forming small caps of white on the previously still water. Again Caitlin wondered what she had let herself in for.

‘Stay near the shore,’ Andrew ordered while he rigged the child-sized windsurfer. ‘If by any chance, and I think it’s unlikely, you manage to get on your feet and stay upright, don’t panic. If you feel you’re been carried out to sea, just let the sail go, sit on the board and I’ll come and get you in the rescue boat.’

His words made Caitlin determined. Come hell or high water, she’d get upright and stay upright. She would show him in the same way she had shown her brothers every time they had told her she couldn’t do something because she was a girl. Finally once the board was rigged and Andrew had given her instructions about how to hold the sail, he retrieved a lifejacket from the speedboat, slipped it over her arms and fastened the straps around her waist. Once more she was uncomfortably aware of him as he bent his head. Her knees began to tremble. Whether it was from fear or his proximity she didn’t want to know.

Andrew rolled up his jeans and pushed the board into the water, signalling Caitlin to follow. She splashed after him, pleasantly surprised that even when the water leaked into her suit it was agreeably warm. Her first attempt to pull up the sail ended with her back in the water. Seeing that Andrew was enjoying himself at her expense, she gritted her teeth and jumped back on the board. After another three failed attempts suddenly the board was up and she was off, heading out to sea. She placed her feet on either side of the sail, and put her arms in the bow and arrow position, just as he had shown her. Hey, this isn’t so difficult, she thought, not too much different from balancing on a horse, but then, having lost her concentration for a moment, she was back in the water. Looking back to the shore, she was dismayed to find she had only managed a couple of metres. Andrew was watching from the beach, but without her glasses she couldn’t read his expression.

Determined to show him, she hauled herself back on the board, pulled the sail out of the water, noting that it was taking all her strength, and set off once more. This time she stayed up and she felt a thrill of exhilaration as she felt the sea race underneath. After a minute or two she began to enjoy herself and played around, moving the sail backwards and forwards, beginning to understand what made the board speed up and what movement slowed it down. But after another few minutes she looked back over her shoulder and was shocked to find that she could no longer see Andrew. If she carried on at this rate, she would be in Timbuctoo before she knew it.

Now, what had he said about turning around and going back? But she couldn’t remember. The board continued towards the horizon with Caitlin feeling more horrified with every passing minute. Then she remembered what he had said about letting the sail drop. So she did. And then she was back in the water. She rose to the surface gasping and spluttering, and grabbed hold of the board. Had Andrew said anything about sharks being this far out? She wasn’t going to wait to find out. She turned the board around and faced it in the other direction. She discovered it was a lot easier going out than in as she slowly tacked back to shore. She couldn’t help but feel a surge of satisfaction as she returned safely towards the beach. Andrew waded in and helped her pull the board up onto the sand.

‘Hey, I’m impressed,’ he said. ‘I was just about to come and get you when you turned around. Next time I’ll show you how to do it without having to fall in the water.’

Caitlin scooped some water in her hands and threw it at him. ‘Just a girl, huh?’

Working together, they unfastened the sail from the board. The sun had sunk below the horizon, turning the sky cobalt blue. ‘How are we doing for time?’ Caitlin asked.

‘We’ve another hour or so,’ Andrew replied. ‘I didn’t expect you to get the hang of it so quickly. You grab a shower, if you like, while I put this away. If you could leave the suit by the door, I’ll give it a rinse when I get back.’

Caitlin trudged back to the house, the heavy sand making her legs feel wobbly. For the first time in months, even years, she felt exhilarated by something apart from her work. She was glad that she had allowed Andrew to persuade her to have a go. Maybe it was about time she started taking some time off to learn new skills.

She hesitated outside the door. Andrew had suggested she leave the wetsuit here and she didn’t want to trail sand into the house. But she was naked underneath. How would she negotiate the distance to the shower from the door? Looking around, she could see no sign of Andrew. She hopped from foot to foot, but then she noticed a towel had been placed over the rails on the veranda. Peeling off the suit, she dropped it by the door, grabbed the towel and wrapped it around herself. She was just in time to cover her nakedness before Andrew appeared.

‘You found it, then?’ he said. He leaned against the balcony and watched her from hooded eyes. Caught in his stare like a rabbit in headlights, Caitlin willed her legs to move but she couldn’t. It was as if she was frozen. The humid air settled around her as she took a deep breath. Then, before she knew what was happening, she was in Andrew’s arms and he was kissing her. She could feel the warmth of his naked chest against her body, the tiny drops of water cooling her overheated skin. Still holding on to the towel with one hand, she melted into his body. His arms curled around her, dropping to her waist as he kissed her with an intensity she had never experienced before. A small voice in her head was telling her to stop, but she pushed it away. The feel of his lips on hers, the pressure of his hands on her lower back as he pressed her hips into his, was too good to resist.

Then suddenly she felt herself lifted as he kicked open the door of the house and carried her towards the bedroom. She snaked her arms around his neck as his kisses grew ever deeper. Everything disappeared around her as she gave in to the delightful sensations that were coursing through her body. All she could think was that she wanted him. Wanted him more than she’d thought it was possible for a woman to want a man.

He laid her on the bed and raised his head. She could read the same urgent need in his eyes, in the curve of his lips, that she felt. He looked at her in a silent question. Her answer was to pull him closer.

Later as she lay in his arms she felt nothing of the embarrassment or awkwardness that—had she given it any thought at all—she would have imagined. Instead, as she ran a finger along the contours of his chest, she felt amazed. Never before had making love felt so right. Although she barely knew this man, she realised she knew everything she needed to.

‘Are you hungry?’ Andrew asked, tracing the line of her lips with a finger.

‘I don’t know why, but my appetite seems to have deserted me,’ she whispered back.

Andrew jumped out of bed. ‘Stay right there,’ he ordered. ‘Don’t you move a muscle.’ He returned a little while later with a tray laden with fruit, biscuits and cheese and a bottle of wine. ‘I’ve cancelled the table,’ he said. ‘But I thought I should feed you up a little. You’re going to need your energy later.’ He grinned wolfishly as he cut off a piece of Brie and, adding a grape, popped it into Caitlin’s mouth. They lay in bed, feeding each other and laughing. Caitlin didn’t want to talk about the future, if indeed there was a future. All she wanted right now was to be here in this space that had become her whole world. She didn’t want to talk about how she felt. Any admission of love on her part would demand some sort of response from him, and that wasn’t the way she wanted it to be.

But deep down in a place she wasn’t ready to explore, Caitlin knew that for the first time in her life she had fallen deeply and irrevocably in love and she didn’t like it. Not one bit.

W
HEN
Caitlin woke, the sun was streaming through the window. For a moment she couldn’t remember where she was, then it all came flooding back. The night before, Andrew’s arms around her, making love. Stretching luxuriously, she turned, only to find the space beside her was empty. From the kitchen the sound of pots and pans clattering assaulted her ears and the smell of freshly brewed coffee filtered tantalisingly up her nostrils.

How had that happened? she wondered. When had she gone from admiring Andrew as a colleague and friend to knowing that she was in love with him? And what was she going to do about it? It was a complication she didn’t need in her life right now. His life was here, in Australia, while her future lay in Ireland. She was so close to the position she had worked so hard for all her life, there was no way she was going to give it up now. But, she told herself, it was early days. She still had another few months in Australia, plenty of time to take everything slowly, cautiously—the way she liked her life to happen.

Andrew strode into the room, wearing his jeans and nothing else. Immediately Caitlin felt another surge of desire that left her breathless. This taking things slowly wasn’t going to be easy, she thought, not when all she wanted right now was a repeat of last night. In fact, she admitted ruefully, all she wanted was to stay here, in this room with Andrew, and shut the rest of the world out.

‘G’day,’ Andrew said, smiling down at her. ‘I brought you some breakfast.’ Caitlin eyed the soggy toast warily and shook her head. ‘Coffee is fine for now,’ she said.

At Andrew’s look of disappointment she almost laughed out loud. ‘All right,’ she relented. ‘Just a bite or two.’ She bit into the toast, which tasted as bad as she expected. Clearly, whatever talents Andrew had, cooking wasn’t one of them.

‘You’ve got a crumb,’Andrew said, touching the corner of her mouth. ‘Just there.’ His fingers traced the corner of her mouth then dropped to her jaw. Caitlin felt heat low in her belly as his finger continued over her neck and down to her breasts. He lifted the tray away and dropped his lips to follow the path of his fingers. Caitlin took a sharp intake of breath as he dropped kisses as tender as raindrops ever downwards. She arched her back and raked her nails across his back, pulling him closer. As he lay alongside her she felt his responding desire. She tugged at the button of his jeans, dipping her hands below the waistband. Andrew raised himself on one elbow and looked deep into her eyes. ‘Say it,’ he demanded, his eyes black with desire.

‘I want you,’ she whispered. ‘Now. Please.’

Much later they lay naked and hot in each other’s arms, the sheet entangled in their limbs. Outside Caitlin could hear the crash of the waves on the shore and a gentle breeze cooled her skin. She laid her head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. Andrew stroked her hair.

‘Lunch?’ he questioned softly. Whatever was happening between them lay unspoken, almost as if neither of them wanted to break the spell. Did Andrew feel the same way she did? Caitlin wondered. If so, what next? But the never-far-away sensible voice was hovering on the edges of her mind.
Don’t think about it, just do what everyone has been telling you to do. Live for the moment and let the future take care of itself.

She lifted her head and looked into serious brown eyes. It was a different side to Andrew she was seeing. He too looked as if he had been taken by surprise.

‘Can we stay here?’ Caitlin asked. She wasn’t sure she was ready to return to the everyday world. Not now, maybe tomorrow or the next day. At some point she’d have to think about the future but for now it could wait.

‘We have all weekend,’ Andrew said. ‘We don’t need to go back until tomorrow evening. I’m happy to stay in bed until then, although I have to warn you, I need to eat some time. In the meantime phone Brianna and let her know that you won’t be back until tomorrow.’

Caitlin phoned a distinctly curious Brianna and mumbled some excuse about Andrew wanting to show her something or another. It was clear that Brianna wasn’t fooled for a moment.

‘What’s going on? You and Andrew haven’t…God, you have, haven’t you? Cat, please be careful. You’re not used to men like him.’

‘Hey, Bri, I’m old enough to look after myself. Anyway, you told me to get a life and have some fun, and that’s what I’m doing.’ But even as she was saying the words, Caitlin knew it was far more than that. ‘He’s teaching me to windsurf and then…’ inspiration hit her ‘…I’m taking him horse riding after lunch.’

‘Horse riding? But I don’t think Andrew rides. In fact, I’m pretty sure he won’t go near them. I suggested it once and he was horrified. Refused point blank.’

‘If I can have a go at windsurfing then he’ll have to do what I want,’ Caitlin said. She had promised to pay him back and this would be a perfect way to do it. ‘I’m going to find somewhere.’ Her sister coughed. Instantly Caitlin was on the alert. ‘Are you feeling okay, Bri?’

‘What did I tell you about not fussing?’ her sister said. ‘I’m fine, Niall’s fine and the kids are great. We’re going down to the beach later, and to the botanic gardens tomorrow. Niall has to go away again on business on Monday morning, so we want to make the most of the weekend with the kids. Hold on a minute, Niall’s saying something.’ Caitlin hung on, listening to the mumble of voices. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Andrew gesticulating that he was going for a shower. Then Brianna came back on the phone. ‘Niall says could you tell Andrew that he’ll be seeing his parents while he’s in Sydney. Does he have a message?’

‘Hang on a minute until I ask him,’ Caitlin said. She passed the message on to Andrew.

‘Ask Niall to tell them I’m looking forward to seeing them in a couple of weeks’ time,’ Andrew replied. ‘And say hi to everyone.’

Caitlin did as he requested. By the time she replaced the receiver she could hear the sound of water running. Andrew was going to Sydney soon, then. Caitlin felt her heart dip. How long for? she wondered. She knew however long he would be away she would miss him. It seemed that taking this—whatever it was—casually wasn’t going to be quite as easy as she had hoped. She didn’t know the rules of a love affair any more. She had met David soon after finishing medical school and their romance had been a slow, considered one. It was only after being together for four years that they had agreed to live together and had spent the next few years in what Caitlin now recognised as palid domesticity. They had talked about marriage, but neither had ever quite taken up the gauntlet. She had loved David, but now she realised it had been the love of one friend for another. She had never felt an iota of the pulse-racing rollercoaster feelings she was experiencing even just thinking about Andrew. She didn’t know the rules, she realised. She was already in much deeper than she had ever imagined possible.

Andrew took her down to the restaurant where they had planned to eat the night before. While he was in the shower, Caitlin had arranged a horse-riding trip to a waterhole, assuring the owner of the stables that she had been brought up with horses and they wouldn’t need a guide.

She studied Andrew surreptitiously while he perused the menu. Dressed in clean jeans and a T-shirt that showed off his muscular arms, he looked calm and relaxed. She, on the other hand, felt anything but. She desperately wanted him to say something, anything, that might tell her how he felt. She was damned if she was going to be the first to say anything. If the weekend was a one-off, she would have to deal with it when the time came.

‘You have to try the Moreton Bay bugs,’ Andrew said. ‘I never have anything else when I come here.’

‘It sounds revolting,’ Caitlin said, screwing up her nose. ‘Who on earth would want to eat bugs?’

‘I thought you were going to try being more adventurous?’ he teased. ‘Anyway, they’re not bugs. They’re more like lobster. Trust me?’ As she looked into his warm brown eyes, Caitlin wondered if there was a hidden meaning to his words. Did she trust him? As a doctor, yes. As a friend, yes. With her heart? Not really, she admitted sadly.

‘Okay,’ she said. ‘But I have a surprise, well, more like a challenge for you.’ She waited until Andrew had given the order to the waiter, before continuing. ‘I’ve arranged for us to go horseback riding this afternoon.’ Seeing that Andrew was about to protest, she held up a restraining hand. ‘So far, I have done everything you have asked. I think it’s only fair that you do something you’re not quite comfortable with.’

He smiled wryly. ‘Okay. Can’t have you going back to Ireland and saying Aussie men chicken out. I hate the brutes, but if that’s what you want, I’ll give it a go.’

The lunch when it arrived was every bit as delicious as Andrew had promised. So far, she had gone against her instincts to stay safe, and had been rewarded. She only hoped that taking a risk with Andrew wasn’t going to be the one that undid her. As they ate they chatted about work.

‘Brianna tells me you’re some big shot in Ireland,’ Andrew said.

‘I suppose that’s one way of putting it.’ Caitlin laughed. ‘I have done a lot of research into infertility, which seems to have caught the imagination internationally. It’s also gone a long way to raising funds for the university we’re affiliated to, and there’s talk about offering me a chair on my return.’ Although she tried, Caitlin couldn’t help the note of pride creeping into her voice. But why not? She had worked hard for her success.

‘Good for you,’ Andrew said. Although his tone seemed genuinely warm, something shifted in his eyes. ‘Seems to me you have your life all mapped out. Career-wise anyway. What about the rest of it. Marriage at least, if not kids?’

Caitlin felt cold fingers of dread wrap around her heart. ‘I haven’t really thought about it. I was with someone for a few years, someone who works in the same department as me. Neither marriage nor children was really on the agenda back then. We were—are—both too focussed on our careers.’ Andrew eyebrows puckered.

‘As far as marriage is concerned, if the right man came along, that would be great, as long as he understood how important my career was. And as for kids…’ She chewed on her lip. ‘Like I said to you before, I don’t know if they figure in my plans. Besides, if I get the chair, I’ll need to commit myself to the job for a few years before I could even consider maternity leave.’

‘What, you’d go back to work after having children? Do you think that’s right?’

‘Look, it’s unlikely I’ll have children but
if
I ever do,’ Caitlin stressed, ‘then, sure, I’d go back to work. I haven’t worked this hard and this long to throw it all away.’ Andrew narrowed his eyes at her.

‘You think that’s fair? To have someone else raise your children? Why have them?’

Caitlin was aghast at the turn the conversation was taking. How had they got into this? ‘Andrew, loads of women have children and work. It’s more the norm than not.’

‘I don’t accept that,’ he said. ‘As soon as my parents married my mother stayed at home to look after the house and the family. She never regretted it. It’s the right thing to do.’

Caitlin wasn’t sure she was hearing correctly. This was a different, totally unexpected side to Andrew. One she couldn’t quite reconcile with the man she thought she was beginning to know. Andrew had never struck her as anything except a modern Australian man.

‘My mother was a stay-at-home wife and mother until we left home,’ Caitlin said slowly. ‘And with five children to bring up, I don’t blame her. But I was always aware of how hard she worked. She trained to be a nurse, you know, but she never used her training. I know she always regretted not following her dream, although I also know she loves us and Dad more than anything. It was her who brought me up to believe I should have a career, make something of my life.’

‘And you don’t think bringing up children is making something of your life?’ Andrew argued. ‘The most important job of all.’

‘I can see we’re not going to agree,’ Caitlin said quietly. ‘Maybe we should change the subject?’ But the day had lost its sparkle. Caitlin was only too aware of how different she and Andrew were. Miles apart, in fact. She could never be the type of woman he wanted, and it seemed that he wasn’t the sort of man she could ever imagine herself sharing her life with.

After lunch, Andrew called for the bill and insisted on paying. ‘Let me pay half,’ Caitlin suggested, but one look at the set of his jaw made her back down. It had simply not occurred to her, as masculine as Andrew was, that he was so conventional when it came to gender roles.

‘Do you want to forget about the horse riding?’ she asked. ‘Go back to Brisbane instead?’ How could she have been so stupid? This was exactly what happened when you threw caution to the wind. Now she had gone and fallen for a man from whom it seemed she was miles apart.

‘Hell, no,’Andrew said, the stormclouds clearing from his face. ‘And having you tell everyone I chickened out? Not on your life.’

Caitlin couldn’t help a small shiver of satisfaction when she saw Andrew blanch at the size of his horse. Staying resolutely in role, he said nothing, but whistled nonchalantly. But Caitlin wasn’t deceived. For the first time since she had met him she was seeing an Andrew Bedi well out of his comfort zone. That would teach him to be so macho all the time.

‘You can still change your mind,’ she said as he climbed into the saddle. His horse, sensing his discomfort, reared and Caitlin had to lean forward to catch the reins before he bolted with Andrew.

‘Let’s just get on with it,’ Andrew replied through gritted teeth. Caitlin gave him a quick lesson on how to hold the reins and what to do with the stirrups, relishing the opportunity to turn the tables on him. Thankfully for Andrew, the stables had supplied them with Americanstyle saddles that, given their depth, would offer Andrew a little more security. He shifted around in the saddle before leaning towards Caitlin and asking in a whisper, ‘What am I supposed to do about…you know?’ Caitlin followed his glance downwards and grinned.

‘Not a lot you can do, I’m afraid. Just one of those things men have to put up with.’ They headed off at a walk, the owner having explained where to go to find the waterhole. As soon as they were out of sight, Caitlin suggested they try a canter. ‘You’ll probably find it easier than a trot,’ she explained. ‘Especially on the you-know-whats.’