It Started with a Pregnancy

‘Calm down,’ he said quietly, moving his arm around her waist. ‘It’s all right, Missy. I kind of guessed this was all new to you.’

‘You did?’ Her wide eyes met his steady gaze. His deep eyes pulling her in even closer.

‘Yes, I did,’ he said assuredly. ‘Would it help if I told you I was new at all this too?’

‘You are?’ She could hardly believe it. Surely women were beating down his door with a stick?

He gave her a nod, pulling her a little closer. ‘Now relax. You’re safe with me. Tell me something unusual. What’s the one thing most people don’t know about you? Something that only your good friends would know.’

Her mind was spinning and her heart was beating frantically in her chest again. How did this man do this to her? How could one man cause her body to be all aquiver and turn her brain to mush? She’d expected him to ask her something mundane. Her befuddled brain blurted out the first answer that came into her head. ‘I’m a sci-fi freak.’

‘Wow!’ He stopped walking and turned to look at her under the yellow streetlight. Nothing could change the glow coming from those beguiling green eyes. He couldn’t hide the amusement on his face. ‘Really? Well, you’ve certainly surprised me.’

‘Why?’ She tried to look offended, before adding defensively, ‘I think they’re the most exciting films in the cinema. Give me anything with a laser gun and spacesuit and I’m sold. Take me to see a chick flick and you’ve had it.’

‘Mmm.’ He looked her up and down.

‘What?’

‘I’m just imagining you in one of those really short space dresses.’ He nodded approvingly. ‘I’m liking what I see.’

‘Get lost!’ She thumped him through his thick grey jacket. ‘Right, my turn. Are you the chick-flick type?’

She waited for his answer while silently scolding herself. She needed to get some more imagination if she wanted to win this game.

‘Westerns,’ he said decisively. ‘All that testosterone, horses and guns blazing. Any boy’s dream.’

A testosterone-loving man. She wondered how much she should read into that. ‘My turn this time.’ As they came to an icy puddle on the pavement, he wrapped his arm further around her waist and pulled her towards his hip.

She felt oddly comfortable tucked under his protective hold. She lifted her head as she heard some people pass by on the other side of the street. From over there they would look like a couple in love, wrapped around each other on a cold winter’s night. A couple of young women walked around them on the pavement, both women’s eyes automatically running up and down Cooper’s body with unhidden admiration. Melissa smiled. Look all you want, ladies, this man is with me. From this position she raised her head, her nose brushing against his cold cheek, and looked straight into his magnetic eyes. The smallest of gestures. The most intimate of gestures. She wanted this night to last forever. Her brain pulled itself into focus. It was time for another question. ‘What do you like to read?’

He nodded in recognition of the question, taking a few seconds to decide on his answer. He let out a big sigh. ‘Is this the point I’m supposed to tell you I don’t read much? Because I fear I’m about to reveal a childhood secret.’

Her face lit up with a bright smile. ‘Then I think I will too, so go ahead.’

‘I love to read. I always have done. So it’s absolutely got to be any of the old-fashioned detective novels. But I mean really old, long before everything became so scientific and crimes were solved with DNA and microscopic evidence. I always loved them as a child. Even now as an adult I still sometimes pick them up. I love the characters.’

She gave him a curious smile. ‘Okay, now I’m intrigued. What’s so good about the characters?’

‘Everything. Their intelligence. Their wit. Even their complications. Sometimes even their mistakes. I loved them all.’ She was staring at him again with those luminescent eyes. Her chestnut curls were waving gently in the wind. It was all he could do not to reach up and run his fingers through her tresses. Then his hand would be at the back of her head and he could pull her towards him…

Her face was shining. ‘For me it was the classics, particularly Little Women, which I still read on occasion. The copy I have is so tatty and dog-eared that some of the pages are about to fall out. I still cry every time I read it. It breaks my heart when Beth dies.’

He watched. She was so caught up in what she was saying her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. Something tugged at his heartstrings. Something almost primal. When was the last time he’d felt this protective towards a woman?

She caught the expression on his face and it stopped her as she was about to continue. She sensed the deep emotions that were smouldering inside him. But what were they? Was it a memory? Or was it something more primitive, like lust?

They’d reached the marina and were now standing next to the barrier, looking out over the array of million-pound boats, all costing more than Melissa would earn in a lifetime. His arm was still locked firmly around her waist.

His voice cut through the darkness. ‘Let’s go with the dream theme. What would be your dream job?’

Instantly her voice caught in her throat. Missy had her dream job. Being a midwife was the only job she had ever wanted to do, and would ever want to do. But for some reason she wasn’t inclined to tell him that. He’d been coy about work earlier. He didn’t want to talk about it. So she intended to be coy too.

It was easier to stick with the sci-fi theme. ‘My dream job would be an astronaut.’ She waved her arm above her head. ‘To fly amongst the stars would be magical.’

‘And the reason you didn’t train at NASA?’ he queried playfully.

She heaved a huge sigh and turned, releasing herself from his grasp and leaning backwards against the railings. ‘What can I say? I failed physics at school and I think it was a basic requirement of astronaut training. So that put me out.’

‘What a shame,’ Coop said, standing directly in front of her and putting a hand on either side of her hips. He pulled her gently towards him. ‘I could have met you there.’ He lowered his face towards hers, his breath visible in the cold night air.

‘You’re telling me that was your dream job too?’ she whispered. Her face was only inches from his.

‘Absolutely. Just look at how much we have in common. We were obviously destined to meet.’ He ran his hands around her hips, cradling her bottom. She caught her breath at the intimacy of the movement. A word sang in her head. Destiny. She knew it was crazy but it certainly felt like that. What if somewhere, in some lifetime, this gorgeous man was indeed her perfect match? What if she hadn’t spoken to him? What if she’d gone home early? What if she’d been too scared to throw caution to the wind and leave with him—something she would never normally have done?

But everything about this felt perfect. She felt as if she was meant to be there, in his arms, at this moment. Everything about this just felt so right.

He gave her a slow smile. ‘See,’ he whispered, ‘we’re a match made in heaven.’ She moved closer, her hips pressing against his, her hands resting on his shoulders. She shivered. ‘It’s really cold out here.’ Her eyes met his.

‘We could go inside.’ His lips brushed against her ear. ‘You might have failed physics at school but how did you do at biology?’

Melissa’s heart stopped. ‘I got first prize,’ she said breathlessly.

The words hung in the darkness for a few seconds. Both knew where this was leading. Melissa could feel the heat between their bodies. She knew she should say no. She knew she should walk away. But she didn’t want to. She hardly knew anything about Coop. She didn’t even know his second name. But, then, he didn’t know hers. Most of all, she didn’t want to walk away. She wanted to have this one night of reckless passion with this mysterious stranger. She wanted to break free from the ‘sensible’ sign that followed her wherever she went. She wanted to follow her destiny. After all, who would ever know? She dropped her hand from his shoulder and placed her hand in his.

He led her wordlessly to the front door of the flats she had viewed earlier that year. They entered the lift and she stifled a gasp when he pressed the button for the top floor. Moments later he opened his front door into the flat of her dreams.

‘You bought the show flat?’ she asked in astonishment.

He nodded nonchalantly. ‘It seemed easier just to buy the one with the furniture included.’ He spread his arms out around the wide space. ‘I was never any good at that sort of thing anyway.’

He gestured towards her and she handed him her thick coat, which he hung in a nearby cupboard. Melissa walked in awe around the open-plan kitchen, running her finger along the black marble worktop, her heels clicking on the slate floor. Cooper turned and opened the blinds in the living area to show the view over the marina. If she’d thought it was stunning downstairs, up here it was breathtaking. The boats glistened, gleaming white against the black water. Her fingers automatically went up to touch the red curtains. They were thick and luxurious, just as she’d imagined. She pointed towards the sumptuous sofa that she’d admired from afar. ‘Can I?’

Coop looked puzzled. ‘Of course.’

She sank into the huge cushions, closed her eyes and let out a huge sigh. ‘Oh, it’s just as gorgeous as I imagined.’ She snuggled her shoulders deeper into the soft fabric.

‘What are you talking about?’

Her eyes flickered open. ‘I came to see this flat when it was the show flat for the development and I really, really wanted to do this.’

‘You wanted to sit on the sofa?’ His right eyebrow rose in amusement.

‘Well—yes, but the woman that was showing us around was a bear and I was too scared to touch anything. I think she could tell just by looking that I could never afford to stay anywhere like this.’

Cooper let out a laugh. It was deep, warm and rich. Not what she had expected.

Her train of thought hadn’t shifted. ‘So how can you afford this?’