At His Service: Her Boss the Hero: One Night With Her Boss / Her Very Special Boss / The Surgeon's Marriage Proposal

‘Like marriage and mortgages?’

‘I guess.’

‘Then no. I was right. I’ve never had a real relationship and I don’t intend to. Any hint that a woman wants that stuff and I’m outta there. Not my scene. How ‘bout you?’

‘It’s not something I can see in my immediate future,’ Mikki said confidently. ‘But I wouldn’t say “never”. Maybe, one day, when I meet the right person, I’ll change my mind.’

‘Really?’

‘Sure. Why not?’

‘Because you’ve seen what it can do to someone.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You said it nearly destroyed your father when your mother died. He must have loved her very much. They must have had the best kind of relationship.’

‘They did. And, yes, he adored her.’

‘And it was nearly the end of the world for him when he lost her. It must have been unbearable. I’ve seen that happen, too. Why put yourself at risk like that?’

‘Because …’ Mikki was getting an insight into herself through Tama that she’d never considered. Was she the same? Had she run from any relationship that looked like it was getting serious because she didn’t want to risk the fallout if things went wrong? ‘It must be worth it. It’s that “better to have loved and lost” theory.’

‘I don’t buy into it,’ Tama said dismissively. ‘There’s other good stuff to be found in life. Like this …’

He was kissing her again. And this time it felt even more natural than the first time. His taste was familiar and … wonderful. His warmth seeped into every cell in Mikki’s body and the movement of his lips sent impulses that brought her whole body alive. Made it tingle with energy and contentment and desire all at the same time.

And then his tongue touched hers and Mikki lost any ability to analyse how she felt. The world had already been banished to this tiny space and now her awareness shrank much further. She just existed in that point of contact between herself and Tama. A white-hot flame that flickered and grew and consumed everything else. Including oxygen. Mikki finally had to pull back to drag in a breath of air. ‘This isn’t good.’

‘What?’ Tama sounded astonished. ‘I thought it was pretty fantastic myself. Best kiss I’ve had in … oh, ages.’

Mikki suppressed a smile. ‘I meant it’s not a good idea. We can’t have sex, Tama.’

‘No. That would require a little less in the way of clothing than we currently have and it would be silly to risk dying of hypothermia.’

‘I meant not at all.’

‘We’re only kissing.’

‘And kissing is generally the first step on a path that leads to a lot more.’ It would be too disappointing to get more of Tama’s kisses and know they were leading to nothing more. Better to pull the plug right now. ‘What happens when we’re not sleeping on top of a mountain? Tomorrow, say, or next week?’

‘Do you want a lot more, Mouse?’

‘No.’ Yes.

‘You sure about that?’ Tama’s lips were teasing hers again.

‘We can’t.’ Mikki was desperately trying to remember why it was such a bad idea. Oh, yes … ‘It would be … completely inappropriate.’

‘Would it?’

‘Yes. Of course it would. You must see that.’

‘Help me out here. We’re both adults, aren’t we?’

‘Y-yes.’

‘And we’re both single. At least, I’m single. How ‘bout you?’

‘Of course I’m single. I wouldn’t be kissing you if I wasn’t.’

‘I also get the impression that neither of us is into those long-term, real relationships you were talking about. Not yet, in your case, anyway.’ A hint of alarm crept into his voice. ‘You don’t see me as husband material do you?’

Mikki almost laughed. ‘No way! And I’m certainly not looking. Settling down anywhere—with anyone—is the last thing I want right now. I’ve got way too much to do with my life first.’

‘So there you go. We’re the same, you and me.’ Tama’s grip on Mikki tightened by way of emphasis. ‘We want the same things. So why not sex? I think …’ Tama’s lips touched Mikki’s again and his tongue stroked hers for just a heartbeat. ‘I think it would be very, very good.’

Mikki had absolutely no doubts about that.

‘You’re my teacher.’ She forced the words out in a rush. ‘I’m with you because I need to learn stuff.’

‘Agreed.’ She could hear Tama smiling. ‘So the curriculum has some extras. I’m sure there’s some things I could teach you in bed, princess.’

Oh, Lord! Mikki had absolutely no doubts about that either.

‘I’m dependent on you for a qualification I really want to get, Tama. That makes it inappropriate. Unethical. If anyone knew, you’d get into big trouble. I’d probably end up having to leave without the qualifications I need to get me into MSF.’

‘What if it didn’t? What if nobody knew about it except us?’

‘It’s way too risky. What if it turned to custard and you took your revenge by failing me?’

‘It wouldn’t.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because we’re not talking real here, that’s why not. We’re talking sexual attraction. At least, that’s what it is for me. I know it’s inappropriate and I’ve tried to ignore it, but it doesn’t seem to be going away. Quite the opposite.’ He sighed, an eloquent admission of defeat, and when he spoke again, his voice was husky. ‘I want you.’ His lips were close to Mikki’s again and she felt his words right through her body. ‘And I think …’ He paused to brush her lips very softly. ‘I think you might feel the same way.’

‘Mmm.’ The sound was strangled. Embarrassingly close to a moan, really.

‘So maybe we should just get it out of our systems. Deal with it. Unresolved sexual tension could lead to frustration that might interfere more with your training than your imagined fallout that’s not going to happen because we’re not going to have a real relationship. We can’t, can we? You’re not even going to be around for long enough.’

‘That’s true. A couple of months at the most, if you do your job properly.’

‘So there you go. We’re talking a few weeks. We don’t even need to think that far ahead. This could be a one-off situation. A kind of debrief. A way of defusing tension.’

‘A one-off?’ Mikki didn’t like that idea. It was too casual. Cheap.

‘Theoretically. I guess what I’m saying here is that we shouldn’t take it too seriously. We know what we want and there’s no real reason why we shouldn’t go there and then take it one step at a time. See what happens. I reckon we could make it work.’