Saving His Little Miracle

A shudder passed through him as he suddenly found himself recalling how smooth and silky her skin had felt when he had run his hands over it and how firm her breasts had been as he had caressed them...

A burst of laughter issuing from behind the partly opened door brought him back to the present and he frowned. He couldn’t remember his team laughing like that; he would definitely have discouraged them if they had. He was about to enter the room and remonstrate with them when he heard someone speaking and recognised the voice as belonging to his second in command, Jack Wallace.

‘Now, now, settle down, guys. You know our beloved leader wouldn’t appreciate it if he thought we were having fun.’ Jack’s voice changed, his American drawl replaced by the parody of an Italian accent. ‘The work we do here is far too serious to joke about.’

More laughter greeted this. Vincenzo felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him when he realised that they were laughing at him rather than at Jack’s abysmal attempt to mimic him. He let the door swing shut, stunned that he should take any notice. What did it matter if he was a figure of fun? Why should he care if people thought he was too strict? He was a damned fine surgeon and he achieved the kind of results that most surgeons could only dream about. He didn’t need their approbation or their love!

Swinging round, he made for the lift. Five minutes later he was in his car and heading back to his apartment. He parked in the underground garage then took the lift to the penthouse and let himself in. It took a mere ten minutes to pack himself a bag and that was it.

Glancing around the elegant, designer-styled rooms, he gave a dismissive shrug. There was nothing here he needed, nothing that he would miss either. They were merely things, purchased to create the right impression. He had no emotional attachment to anything in the apartment. No emotional attachment to anything in his life, in fact, and all of a sudden he hated it. Hated the apartment, hated the way he lived, although he had no idea what he planned to do about it.

Vincenzo picked up his case and left. He was going to take the first step towards changing his life and simply see where it led him.

CHAPTER FOUR

‘SO THAT’S JUST about it. How’s Megan? I bet she’s thrilled to be home from hospital, isn’t she?’

‘Yes, she is.’

Lowri dredged up a smile, not wanting her co-worker Helen Graham to see that her comment had touched a nerve. Megan had been very tearful when Lowri had left her with Cerys that morning and she couldn’t help feeling guilty. However, the nursing manager had been very good about letting her take time off while Megan had been in hospital and Lowri knew that she couldn’t keep on expecting preferential treatment. It wasn’t fair to the rest of the staff on the paediatric intensive care unit to have to cover for her.

‘She’s really excited because we’re going to choose her a wig tonight when I get back from work.’ Lowri laughed, trying not to think about the last time she had told this tale. She couldn’t afford to think about Vincenzo and the plans they had made or she wouldn’t be able to concentrate. ‘Apparently, she wants a bright pink one, just like her favourite doll.’

‘Good for her.’ Helen laughed. ‘I wouldn’t mind a change of hair colour either, although my hubby would have a fit if I came back sporting bright pink locks. Hmm, might be a good enough reason to do it. He needs a bit of a shake up to stop him getting too complacent.’

Lowri laughed as Helen gave her a wink and left. Helen and her husband were about to celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary so whatever they were doing, it was obviously right.

She sighed as she picked up the patients’ list. She hadn’t even made it to the altar let alone started celebrating anniversaries. Although she’d had several relationships, none of them had worked out. When she had met Jonathan, she had honestly thought that she had found her ideal partner at last but look how wrong she had been. It made her wonder if she could trust her judgement even if she did meet someone else.

The thought reminded her of meeting Vincenzo and she frowned. She had never been the kind of woman who jumped into bed with a man at the drop of a hat so why had she slept with him? They had met by accident, literally, when he had bumped into her in the street.

Lowri had gone to Milan for a break, needing to get away from the situation she had found herself in. Discovering that Jonathan was married had been a massive shock. She might never have found out either if she hadn’t answered his phone one day when he had been in the shower. She wasn’t sure who had been the most surprised, herself or his wife as the poor woman had had no more idea what had been going on than Lowri had done.

When Jonathan had told her a short time later that he and his wife had separated and had begged her to take him back, Lowri had refused. He had tricked her, betrayed her, and all she had wanted was to put the whole unhappy episode behind her.

She had flown to Milan, intending to spend a few days there sightseeing before moving on to the Italian Lakes. She had been coming out of one of the more exclusive stores when Vincenzo had cannoned into her. He had been speaking on his phone at the time but he had immediately ended his call and insisted on taking her back into the store and buying her coffee.

Coffee had led to lunch and lunch to dinner at an exclusive little trattoria where the menu hadn’t mentioned anything as vulgar as prices. Lowri had asked him to order for her, wary of choosing the most expensive dish, and when the food had arrived it had been superb. Whether it was because she had been in the mood to be reckless, but when he had asked to see her the following night, she had agreed.

They had got on so well together, she thought. There had been no uncomfortable gaps in the conversation, none of those uneasy pauses that could occur between strangers. He had told her he was a surgeon and had seemed pleased when she had explained that she was a senior sister on PICU. Whether that had created a bond between them, she wasn’t sure, but talking to Vincenzo had been remarkably easy, the hours she had spent with him some of the happiest she could remember.

In a way, it was to be expected that they would end up in bed together, especially after he had told her about his divorce and she had told him about Jonathan’s betrayal.