of hair.
His touch was mesmeric, spellbinding, magic. She stared at the blue of his shirt, at the curve of his throat rising out of it, at his jaw and the curve on his mouth which was bending to hers and speaking her name softly, like a breeze. 'Enchanting Anna,' she heard him whisper.
Buzz came back, eyed Anna with suspicion and made his way over to Simon, who told him he was lucky that it wasn't Amy Benson he'd sabotaged. 'She hasn't got fall-resistant bones, nor a very forgiving nature!'
'I'm not so sure that / have,' Anna laughed, pointing out that if she didn't leave at once and make tracks for home, she'd be hauled in front of the SNO for being late on duty. 'And that, believe me, would be a far worse fate than tripping over Buzz.'
They spoke little on the short drive round to Romsey Road. Simon seemed to be deep in thought, or was probably concentrating on the Sunday traffic—which was rapidly building up. As for Anna, she was still reacting from the way she'd felt in his house—standing on the landing so close to him, his hands smoothing her arms. Never, not since Daniel, had she felt so attracted to a man; so impelled to be close; to touch and be touched; attracted enough to agree to whatever he asked.
She closed her eyes, shivering a little. She must take a good grip on herself. He was the wrong man; he was the too-charming kind, the non-staying kind. She knew all about that sort, didn't she, and what about all those resolutions she'd made to be on her guard?
As they pulled up outside The Gables she hoped that Prue wasn't about or she'd ask Simon in for certain sure, but a swift glance showed the front garden to be empty. Thank heaven for that. 'Well, here you are, all safe and sound—bar a bruise or two, perhaps.' Simon was being jocular; yet sounded anxious as well.
'Thank you for breakfast; it came just right.' Anna moved to unfasten her seat belt.
'I enjoyed your company.' His voice sounded near and, as her belt went slithering back, she felt his gaze and heard him say, 'Will you come out for a meal with me one evening when we're both free? We'd have more time then and, with the long, light evenings, we could drive out a little way.'
'Oh!' the expletive shot out of her, whilst the startled thoughts in her head assembled themselves into two opposing sides. Tell him yes, one side urged; tell him you'd love to go. Whilst the other, with an even louder voice, urged her to turn him down.
'It would be fun, Anna, and we all need a little of that in our lives,' Simon's voice intruded gently, which was when she made up her mind.
'It's kind of you, Simon, but I'd rather not.' She made herself look at him. 'You see, I think what you said the other evening about it being best to go out with folk unconnected with the hospital is very true. We need a change from day-to-day hospital faces, we both of us do.'
'Well, well!' His expression was one of surprise and stiff amusement. 'So you're making me eat my words, Sister Fellowes!'
'If you like, yes, I suppose I am,' she managed to smile at him.
'And you're right, of course.' He half turned to open the door on his side. Getting out onto the pavement, he walked round the front of the car—tall, lithe, brown-limbed, male. Anna's mouth went dry. He had taken her conge so lightly. Didn't he mind at all?
Gathering up her beach-bag, she got out of the car the second he opened the door. Standing in the roadway facing him, standing front-to-front, there was just a moment when it looked as though he might ask her again; when she might have, just might have—almost certainly would have—said yes to anything, but the moment passed, as moments do, and all he said as he escorted her safely to the pavement was, 'Thanks for your company,' and left.
Hearing him drive off as she let herself into the hall, hearing the car's powerful engine growing fainter and dying away, gave her an excluded, lonely feeling—like standing behind a closed door.
By the time she had got to the
His touch was mesmeric, spellbinding, magic. She stared at the blue of his shirt, at the curve of his throat rising out of it, at his jaw and the curve on his mouth which was bending to hers and speaking her name softly, like a breeze. 'Enchanting Anna,' she heard him whisper.
Buzz came back, eyed Anna with suspicion and made his way over to Simon, who told him he was lucky that it wasn't Amy Benson he'd sabotaged. 'She hasn't got fall-resistant bones, nor a very forgiving nature!'
'I'm not so sure that / have,' Anna laughed, pointing out that if she didn't leave at once and make tracks for home, she'd be hauled in front of the SNO for being late on duty. 'And that, believe me, would be a far worse fate than tripping over Buzz.'
They spoke little on the short drive round to Romsey Road. Simon seemed to be deep in thought, or was probably concentrating on the Sunday traffic—which was rapidly building up. As for Anna, she was still reacting from the way she'd felt in his house—standing on the landing so close to him, his hands smoothing her arms. Never, not since Daniel, had she felt so attracted to a man; so impelled to be close; to touch and be touched; attracted enough to agree to whatever he asked.
She closed her eyes, shivering a little. She must take a good grip on herself. He was the wrong man; he was the too-charming kind, the non-staying kind. She knew all about that sort, didn't she, and what about all those resolutions she'd made to be on her guard?
As they pulled up outside The Gables she hoped that Prue wasn't about or she'd ask Simon in for certain sure, but a swift glance showed the front garden to be empty. Thank heaven for that. 'Well, here you are, all safe and sound—bar a bruise or two, perhaps.' Simon was being jocular; yet sounded anxious as well.
'Thank you for breakfast; it came just right.' Anna moved to unfasten her seat belt.
'I enjoyed your company.' His voice sounded near and, as her belt went slithering back, she felt his gaze and heard him say, 'Will you come out for a meal with me one evening when we're both free? We'd have more time then and, with the long, light evenings, we could drive out a little way.'
'Oh!' the expletive shot out of her, whilst the startled thoughts in her head assembled themselves into two opposing sides. Tell him yes, one side urged; tell him you'd love to go. Whilst the other, with an even louder voice, urged her to turn him down.
'It would be fun, Anna, and we all need a little of that in our lives,' Simon's voice intruded gently, which was when she made up her mind.
'It's kind of you, Simon, but I'd rather not.' She made herself look at him. 'You see, I think what you said the other evening about it being best to go out with folk unconnected with the hospital is very true. We need a change from day-to-day hospital faces, we both of us do.'
'Well, well!' His expression was one of surprise and stiff amusement. 'So you're making me eat my words, Sister Fellowes!'
'If you like, yes, I suppose I am,' she managed to smile at him.
'And you're right, of course.' He half turned to open the door on his side. Getting out onto the pavement, he walked round the front of the car—tall, lithe, brown-limbed, male. Anna's mouth went dry. He had taken her conge so lightly. Didn't he mind at all?
Gathering up her beach-bag, she got out of the car the second he opened the door. Standing in the roadway facing him, standing front-to-front, there was just a moment when it looked as though he might ask her again; when she might have, just might have—almost certainly would have—said yes to anything, but the moment passed, as moments do, and all he said as he escorted her safely to the pavement was, 'Thanks for your company,' and left.
Hearing him drive off as she let herself into the hall, hearing the car's powerful engine growing fainter and dying away, gave her an excluded, lonely feeling—like standing behind a closed door.
By the time she had got to the
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