Midwife's Mistletoe Temptation - Chapter 9
Her lips were every bit as sweet as he’d thought they’d be.
Had he thought that? He couldn’t remember. And right now it didn’t matter because she’d just made some kind of sexy sound, her hands coming up to his shoulders and holding on as if she never wanted to let go.
This was bad. Very bad.
And yet the tiredness that had pulled at him just half an hour ago had all but disappeared. He just wanted to stay here and revel in the fact that she was returning his kiss. That she’d actually stepped forward to…
Then with a suddenness that shocked him, she jerked away, taking a step back and then another. The back of her hand came up and covered her mouth, and there was a look on her face that chilled him to the bone. As if she were a wild animal searching for a way to escape a hunter.
Hell, he hadn’t hunted her. Hadn’t expected what had happened. But the way she’d looked at him...
That was neither here nor there.
‘Damn, Holly, I’m sorry. That was entirely inappropriate.’
A flash of what looked like surprise went through her eyes. ‘I… It’s okay. I just don’t want either of us to get the wrong idea. I am not looking for anyone to… Please don’t press me to…’
He struggled to understand what she was trying to say. Did she think he was going to try to force her to sleep with him? He would never do that, and he wanted her to know it. ‘I will never press you to do anything you don’t want. I hope you know that.’
But how could she? They barely knew each other. That kiss had come out of nowhere, but it hadn’t been one-sided. Of that he was sure, from her response.
‘I’m sorry. I just don’t have a very good track record when it comes to…’
Before she could finish her sentence one of the doctors from Maternity put in an appearance.
‘Sorry to intrude but, Holly, another of your patients has arrived and is in active labour. Do you want me to take it?’
‘No, I’m coming. Thanks.’
The man disappeared the way he’d come, leaving them to stare at each other for a moment.
She glanced at him again. ‘I need to go.’
‘I know. It’s okay.’
Her eyes closed for a second. ‘I know you would never press me. There was the mistletoe, and things just took me by surprise. But I’m not looking for…anything.’
‘Mistletoe?’
She pointed to the wooden structure overhead, where there was indeed a sprig of the familiar greenery. Ah, that would explain why she thought he’d kissed her. But it didn’t explain her response to that kiss. How she’d clung to him. Or why she’d suddenly jerked away as if it stung.
‘Of course. We can agree it was a mistake, then.’
‘A mistake. Yes.’ But she looked stricken as she turned towards the door. ‘I’ll see you in there.’
‘I’m off as of twenty minutes ago. But I’ll see you tomorrow?’
He wasn’t sure why he’d posed that as a question, but he somehow needed to know she wasn’t planning on leaving over what had happened.
‘See you then.’ And with that, she was gone, while he was left to look after her and wonder how the hell he could have let things go so sideways.