Baby Included

‘No...no...please don’t go,’ she begged, swiftly reaching up to catch hold of his hand. ‘Not...well, not until after I’ve seen the doctor.’

‘Relax—there’s no need to worry. I’ll definitely stay here for as long as you need me,’ he promised, before leaving the room.

Goodness knows what it was about this highly disturbing girl... Ace mused as he lifted the phone to call the main hotel. She looked a complete mess, of course. But there was something about the tone of her voice—and the soft gleam in those startling blue eyes—which was clearly having a rather odd effect on him. In fact, ridiculous as it might seem, he was definitely beginning to find her sexually attractive!

Luckily the hotel was able to arrange immediate attention. And Ace, waiting out on the veranda, was relieved when the doctor confirmed that the patient was now well out of danger.

‘You did well to stop the bleeding in time,’ the elderly stout man puffed, brandishing a large white handkerchief as he wiped the perspiration from his brow. ‘However, the cut is not too serious. Provided that you look after your wife, and make sure that she stays in bed for the rest of the day, she will be quite well enough to fly back to America tomorrow.’

‘What... ?’ Ace gazed at him in astonishment. ‘I’m sorry...you clearly don’t understand the situation. I can assure you that this lady is very definitely not my wife. In fact...’

‘Ah, yes, I see how it is—you lucky dog!’ the doctor chuckled, giving the Englishman a sharp dig in the ribs. ‘We are, of course, both men of the world. So, there is no need to worry. Your secret is quite safe with me,’ he added, with a friendly slap on the tall man’s shoulders, before making his way back down the steps of the veranda. ‘I will leave you to look after the lovely “lady”, yes?’

‘No! I mean...you’ve got hold of the wrong end of the stick!’ he called out as the doctor disappeared from sight, leaving only the sound of a hoarse, rumbling laugh hanging heavily in the air behind him.

Ace brushed a hand roughly through his dark hair. What in the hell was he supposed to do now?

The idea of being forced to look after that strange, weird-looking girl was hardly a tempting prospect. All the same...he could hardly walk away and leave her on her own. However, with any luck she would by now be feeling tired, and only too pleased to see the back of him. Right?

Definitely feeling in need of a stiff drink. Ace braced his shoulders and forced himself to knock on the bedroom door.

‘I’m sorry to have to say that the doctor, for some strange reason, seems to have completely the wrong idea about us,’ he said as he entered the room. ‘While I’m quite willing to do what I can, I really don’t think—Good God!’

Making his way slowly across the large room, Ace—feeling as though he’d been hit on the head by a heavy lead pipe—was having considerable difficulty in accepting the evidence of his own eyes. What on earth had happened to the blood-streaked, almost grubby-looking figure of the woman whom he’d rescued from the beach less than an hour ago...?

‘I simply don’t believe it!’ he breathed, his stunned gaze travelling up over the long shapely legs and lightly tanned, hourglass figure, tantalisingly covered by a diaphanous chiffon wrap over a minuscule blue bikini which left virtually nothing to the imagination. In place of that hideous black scarf there was now a mane of long, wavy red hair—like a fiery, brilliant sunburst on the pillow—surrounding a perfect heart-shaped face, enormously wide blue eyes, and a mouth which curved as sensually as her firm, full breasts.

‘I must have died—and gone straight to heaven!’ he exclaimed huskily. ‘Because you have to be the most utterly gorgeous...fantastically beautiful girl I’ve ever seen!’

And then, as she gave a peal of laughter at the sound of his hoarse, strangled voice, and his stunned expression, he clutched hold of one of the bedposts and made a determined effort to clear his mind.

‘I...er...I’m sorry,’ he muttered, his cheeks flushing slightly as he realised that he’d been behaving like a stupid idiot. ‘It’s just that...’ He gave a distracted shake of his dark head, completely unable to put into words the effect she was having on his normally wellcontrolled self.

‘Hey—relax! There’s no need to apologise,’ the girl assured him. ‘I don’t know why the British have a reputation for being so formal and icily polite,’ she added, with a surprisingly breathless shaky laugh. ‘In my experience, you guys seem to be born with an amazing ability to make a girl feel like a million dollars!’

‘I wish it was true. But I fear you’re sadly mistaken.’ Ace smiled ruefully down at the beautiful creature lying so elegantly stretched out on the bed. ‘Unfortunately, most of the time we look—and act—as if we’re well and truly strangled by our old school ties!’

‘Oh, really...?’ She grinned. ‘Well, since you clearly aren’t wearing a tie at the moment, how about fixing us both something to drink?’

‘If the doctor gave you any medicine, you ought to avoid alcohol,’ he warned.

‘It’s OK. I haven’t even taken any aspirins,’ she assured him. ‘Although I normally drink very little, I reckon that after today’s misadventures I could do with a stiff dose of brandy.’

‘That sounds like an extremely good idea,’ he agreed, grateful for the opportunity, however brief, in which to make a determined effort to pull himself together.

It was clearly ridiculous for a grown man, approaching forty years of age, to find himself so completely bowled over by a girl—however lovely she might be, he told himself, his lips tightening grimly as he mixed their drinks at the bar in the large sitting room.

After all, following the break-up of his marriage, he’d had plenty of glamorous, highly attractive girlfriends, none of whom had caused him to lose a wink of sleep at night, or produced even the slightest ripple in his life. So why...why should it take just one brief smile from that admittedly beautiful but troublesome American girl...and he was straight into meltdown?

In fact, if he didn’t get his act together—and fast!—he was going to be in dead trouble, Ace warned himself sternly. So, he’d better get the hell out of here, and as soon as possible.

‘Well, now...’ he drawled some minutes later, sipping his brandy as he leaned casually against one of the tall, wooden posts at the end of the bed. ‘I’m hoping you can solve the mystery of why, for the past few days, you’ve been dressed like an old bag lady? Why cover yourself from head to toe in thick layers of gauze? Not to mention the reason for wearing that quite dreadful hat!’

‘There’s no mystery. I was just being very careful not to get sunburned.’ The ravishingly lovely girl grinned up at him, before holding up a lock of her fiery red hair. ‘Unfortunately, with my kind of skin, if I sit in the sun for even ten minutes I turn a bright shade of lobster. And if you want to spend some time in the water, wearing total block isn’t always the answer, either.’

‘But you’ve got a wonderful tan,’ he protested, attempting to keep his gaze well away from her luscious figure.

She shrugged. ‘Well, I’m sorry to have to tell you that like everything else in show business it’s false. Just an illusion.’

‘I know nothing about “show business”, as you call it.’ Ace shrugged, before walking through into the other room to fix them both another drink. ‘In fact, I can’t recall the last time I went to see a play or a film. And I’m not exactly keen on the ballet, either,’ he added, returning to place a glass in her hand.

‘Oh, Lord...!’ he continued, his hooded grey eyes gleaming with amusement as he stood looking down at her. ‘I hope I haven’t said the wrong thing? Are you a dancer?’

‘No, I most certainly am not!’ she laughed. ‘Anyway, who cares about what either of us does for a living? I’m far more interested in the fact that I don’t even know your name.’

‘Yes, I suppose we ought to introduce ourselves. So...’

‘Just a minute.’ She winced, struggling to adjust the pillows behind her head. ‘I seem to be getting a real crick in my neck, staring up at you like this. How about taking the weight off your feet?’ she added, patting the bed beside her.

Maybe it had been a great mistake to pour them both a second drink. Because, when thinking about the episode, much later, Ace would totally fail to understand why he’d chosen to ignore the loud warning bells ringing so urgently in his head as he slowly lowered himself down onto the soft mattress.

‘That’s much better,’ she sighed, raising a hand to rub the back of her neck. ‘So, how about if I kick off by saying that, as far as Christian names are concerned, my parents chose to call me Eloise.’

‘Well, Eloise...’ he began, suddenly uncomfortably aware of the effect that the close proximity of this amazingly sexy girl was having on his body. ‘I...er...I regret to have to tell you that I am one of those very boring members of society—a lawyer. And, even worse, at my christening I was burdened with the truly awful names of Algernon Cedric Emerson!’

‘I’m not sure that “awful” is exactly the right word,’ she murmured, clearly trying not to laugh. ‘I’d be more inclined to call it downright cruel. Because I’m afraid that there is nothing in the least romantic about the name Algernon.’

‘You’re so right!’ he drawled, desperately fighting a totally crazy, insane urge to make mad, passionate love to this gorgeous creature who was smiling so enchantingly up at him. ‘Which is why, from my earliest years, I’ve insisted on being called by the name formed by my initials.’

‘Hmm...that’s a lot better,’ she agreed, the warm gleam in her wide blue eyes causing his pulse to begin racing out of control. ‘Yes, I think that Ace is just about the perfect name for a guy like you.’

There was a long silence as they gazed at one another, the smile slowly dying from her lips, her cheeks reddening slightly under his steady gaze.

‘I could be very wrong, of course,’ he said slowly, ‘but I have the distinct impression that there’s definitely something going on here, between the two of us?’

‘Well... er...maybe... yes. I think you could possibly be right,’ she agreed breathlessly. ‘It’s absolutely crazy, of course.’

‘Absolutely crazy,’ he agreed softly, his grey eyes darkening momentarily as she nervously moistened her dry lips with her tongue.

‘And... and we hardly know one another,’ she added with a helpless shrug, closing her eyes for a moment as a deep crimson flush spread over her face. ‘But... well, the truth is...um...I have to confess that I’m certainly feeling very... er... very peculiar!’

‘Believe me—you’re not the only one!’ he murmured huskily. Raising a hand, he brushed a stray tendril of hair from her brow before gently trailing his fingers over her cheeks and on down over the incredibly soft, velvety flesh of her neck to the creamy hollows at the base of her throat.

‘However, before I completely lose all control of my senses, I think you’d better tell me to go away,’ he added thickly, his heart pounding like a sledgehammer as she responded to his light caress with a low moan. ‘Quite frankly—we’re both likely to be in a whole lot of trouble if I remain here any longer.’

‘No...don’t go,’ she whispered softly, raising her arms and placing them about his dark head, before drawing him slowly down towards her. ‘I really don’t understand what’s happening to me. And...and I can promise you that I’ve never done anything like this before. But please...please don’t go.’

‘Wild horses wouldn’t be able to drag me away!’ he breathed huskily, before gathering the slim figure up into his arms, his mouth closing possessively over her soft, trembling lips.