Read Online A Baby to Care for (Mills & Boon Medical) by Lucy Clark - Free Book Online
Authors: Lucy Clark
Ads: Link
remember.’
‘Do you still have nightmares about the fire?’ Again his tone was soft, caring and she even thought she detected a small hint of worry. Dex? Worried about someone other than himself?
Hang on. He’d said fire. He might have glimpsed her scars but he couldn’t know everything. Iris frowned. ‘How did you know—’
‘About the fire?’ He shrugged a nonchalant shoulder and smiled that gorgeous hundred-watt smile of his. ‘I’m a man of hidden talents.’
‘Lis and Jos—’
‘Haven’t said a word,’ he quickly interrupted. ‘They’d never betray a confidence.’
Iris’s mind worked quickly. She remembered the way Dex had held her, the way he’d soothed, the way he’d gently stroked her back. Her eyes widened imperceptibly. Dex must have felt the scars. Through the thin cotton shirt, he would have been able to feel her skin and the angry distortions left there from the burns. He’d touched her scars and then…then after that, she remembered him just holding her.
He’d felt how bad her scars were and been repulsed by them. Right now, he wasn’t making any effort to touch her so that was obviously all there was to it. Whatever attraction she might have felt towards Dexter could now be forgotten because there was no way in the world this handsome, gorgeous man was going to want someone as physically scarred as she was, especially when he had no end of smooth-skinned women throughout the community throwing themselves at him.
‘Of course they wouldn’t,’ she agreed. She’d momentarily forgotten that Dex was an A and E specialist and had no doubt come across his fair share of burns victims in the past.
‘And neither will I. You have my professional word on that.’
‘Thank you, Dex.’ Iris stayed where she was, still unsure whether her legs would support her. ‘So…you, uh, crashed your very expensive car and woke up in hospital. Then what?’
Dex could see she wanted to change the subject, to take the focus away from herself, and he was happy to oblige. He wanted Iris to be able to trust him, to talk to him, to let him help her through the grief she’d been repressing for far too long. She’d no doubt grieved for her husband and the loss of his life, but she hadn’t grieved for herself. Instead, after healing, she’d probably thrown herself back into work and forgotten that she had emotions that needed to be addressed as well.
He knew, because he’d been there…was still there in a way. He hadn’t dealt with his feelings for his family, hadn’t addressedthe entire betrayal issue, and even now he didn’t want to talk about it. He could, however, tell her about his crash, especially if it helped her to relax a little more.
‘Uh…after I crashed the car that I’d worked day and night to pay off, Joss came to Perth to visit me in hospital.’ Dex’s words held a strong touch of brotherly love. ‘He told me I was an idiot and a complete fool and that if I wanted to get out of town and away from everyone else I should move to Didja and help him out.’
‘And so you moved here, put some space between you and your problems and became the local playboy.’
Dex laughed at her words. ‘Local playboy? I don’t think I’ve ever been called that before.’
‘Probably not to your face, but isn’t that what you are?’
‘A playboy.’ He mulled the word over, folding his arms across his chest. ‘If a playboy enjoys the company of beautiful and intelligent women, perhaps I am.’
‘Do they need to be intelligent?’
Dex thought on this question for a moment. ‘I think it helps if you want to have a decent conversation with them.’
‘And do they need to be beautiful?’
‘Ah, and there’s a loaded question if ever I’ve heard one. I would have to say that there’s beauty and then there’s beauty—real beauty. The kind that radiates from deep within the soul.’
Iris was pleasantly surprised by his answer. ‘Careful, Dex. I might start to think you’re
‘Do you still have nightmares about the fire?’ Again his tone was soft, caring and she even thought she detected a small hint of worry. Dex? Worried about someone other than himself?
Hang on. He’d said fire. He might have glimpsed her scars but he couldn’t know everything. Iris frowned. ‘How did you know—’
‘About the fire?’ He shrugged a nonchalant shoulder and smiled that gorgeous hundred-watt smile of his. ‘I’m a man of hidden talents.’
‘Lis and Jos—’
‘Haven’t said a word,’ he quickly interrupted. ‘They’d never betray a confidence.’
Iris’s mind worked quickly. She remembered the way Dex had held her, the way he’d soothed, the way he’d gently stroked her back. Her eyes widened imperceptibly. Dex must have felt the scars. Through the thin cotton shirt, he would have been able to feel her skin and the angry distortions left there from the burns. He’d touched her scars and then…then after that, she remembered him just holding her.
He’d felt how bad her scars were and been repulsed by them. Right now, he wasn’t making any effort to touch her so that was obviously all there was to it. Whatever attraction she might have felt towards Dexter could now be forgotten because there was no way in the world this handsome, gorgeous man was going to want someone as physically scarred as she was, especially when he had no end of smooth-skinned women throughout the community throwing themselves at him.
‘Of course they wouldn’t,’ she agreed. She’d momentarily forgotten that Dex was an A and E specialist and had no doubt come across his fair share of burns victims in the past.
‘And neither will I. You have my professional word on that.’
‘Thank you, Dex.’ Iris stayed where she was, still unsure whether her legs would support her. ‘So…you, uh, crashed your very expensive car and woke up in hospital. Then what?’
Dex could see she wanted to change the subject, to take the focus away from herself, and he was happy to oblige. He wanted Iris to be able to trust him, to talk to him, to let him help her through the grief she’d been repressing for far too long. She’d no doubt grieved for her husband and the loss of his life, but she hadn’t grieved for herself. Instead, after healing, she’d probably thrown herself back into work and forgotten that she had emotions that needed to be addressed as well.
He knew, because he’d been there…was still there in a way. He hadn’t dealt with his feelings for his family, hadn’t addressedthe entire betrayal issue, and even now he didn’t want to talk about it. He could, however, tell her about his crash, especially if it helped her to relax a little more.
‘Uh…after I crashed the car that I’d worked day and night to pay off, Joss came to Perth to visit me in hospital.’ Dex’s words held a strong touch of brotherly love. ‘He told me I was an idiot and a complete fool and that if I wanted to get out of town and away from everyone else I should move to Didja and help him out.’
‘And so you moved here, put some space between you and your problems and became the local playboy.’
Dex laughed at her words. ‘Local playboy? I don’t think I’ve ever been called that before.’
‘Probably not to your face, but isn’t that what you are?’
‘A playboy.’ He mulled the word over, folding his arms across his chest. ‘If a playboy enjoys the company of beautiful and intelligent women, perhaps I am.’
‘Do they need to be intelligent?’
Dex thought on this question for a moment. ‘I think it helps if you want to have a decent conversation with them.’
‘And do they need to be beautiful?’
‘Ah, and there’s a loaded question if ever I’ve heard one. I would have to say that there’s beauty and then there’s beauty—real beauty. The kind that radiates from deep within the soul.’
Iris was pleasantly surprised by his answer. ‘Careful, Dex. I might start to think you’re
Similar Books
