Andreas gave a short laugh. 'My mother isn't too old for anything,' he said dryly. 'She was just playing games.'
'What sort of games?'
He hesitated and then cast her a smile. 'It's history now.' There was a brief silence and he returned his attention to the road ahead. 'I was very grateful for your help tonight. She seemed happy by the time we left her and that was because of you.'
Libby frowned slightly, wondering what he'd meant by the statement that his mother had been playing games. 'It's early days,' she said. 'It always takes a while to settle into a new school, particularly when you start halfway through a term.'
She gave a little shudder, remembering all too well the nightmares of school.
'You sound as though you're speaking from experience.'
'I am.' Libby stared out of the window into the darkness. 'We all went to boarding school. Alex was fine-he's as tough as nails-but Katy and I hated it.'
'Katy is your sister?'
Libby nodded. 'She works in A and E. She's married to Jago Rodriguez, the consultant.'
'Really?' Andreas pulled up outside her building and switched off the engine. 'I met him earlier tonight. Bright chap. But at least you and Katy had each other at school. Adrienne has no one. That worries me. And I hate her boarding. As soon as I find a suitable housekeeper she can live at home with me.'
'She's a lovely girl,' Libby said. 'She'll make friends, I know she will. She just needs a little more confidence and her appearance needs a bit of a tweak. I must admit I'm surprised that your mother expects you to keep an eye on her. You're a single guy and teenagers can be a handful at the best of times.'
'My mother is a master manipulator,' Andreas remarked. 'She is desperate for me to mend my wicked ways and settle down. She thought Adrienne might fulfil that purpose.'
Libby saw the amusement in his dark eyes and felt her heart lurch. It would be so easy to fall for him.
Why was she feeling like this? she wondered helplessly. She had more sense than to fall for a handsome face and a luscious body.
Maybe it was because he wasn't English. All that bronzed virility and exotic sexuality was getting to her.
But she had it under control, she told herself firmly, dragging her mind back to the conversation.
'So how does having Adrienne help?'
'She thinks it will curb my reputedly excessive lifestyle.'
'Oh.' Libby digested this. 'Evidently she thinks you've been dating the wrong sort of women.'
He threw back his head and laughed. 'She does indeed.' His smile faded. 'A bit like you. You've obviously been dating the wrong sort of men.'
Libby stared into those seductive brown eyes and swallowed hard. 'I've already told you, there's no such thing as the right sort of man.'
There was a slight pause. 'And you feel like this because of Philip or because of your parents?'
Libby stared at him. 'How do you know about my parents?'
'You told me.' He threw her an amused glance. 'You had drunk an orange juice so it's no wonder you don't remember.'
Libby gave a reluctant laugh and then slunk down in her seat. 'I don't want to talk about my parents.' She never talked about her parents to anyone. Why on earth had she mentioned them to him? 'I don't want to talk about any of it.'
'Not even Philip?'
'Especially not Philip.'
'Were you in love with him?'
He asked the question calmly and Libby looked at him, startled.
'No. I don't think so. But he was very persistent. Going out with him seemed logical.'
'Logical?' Andreas lifted an eyebrow. 'A true love affair should never be logical, surely. It is about emotion and losing control.'
Libby's smile faded under the intensity of his dark gaze.
She'd never had a love affair with anyone.
'Well, it's probably my fault, then,' she muttered. 'I'm not great at losing control. In fact, I'm a control freak. I like to be in charge of everything that happens in my life.'
There was a long silence and then Andreas turned in his seat so that he was facing her.
'Powerful sexual chemistry is not controllable,' he said softly, lifting a hand and pushing a wisp of blonde hair away from her face. 'It's an intense emotional reaction that is beyond human explanation. Evidently you haven't felt that. Yet.'
The gentle brush of his fingers against her skin was unbelievably erotic and she felt excitement swoop inside her and concentrate low in her pelvis.
If sexual chemistry was butterflies in her stomach and difficulty breathing then she was feeling it now.
For him.
Dear God, she wasn't ready for this. After what had happened with Philip she doubted she'd ever be ready for it.
So why was she reacting so strongly?
Totally unnerved by the way he made her feel, Libby reached out and fumbled for her seat belt.
'I'm going. Goodnight.'
Before she could release the catch a strong hand covered hers and her head jerked up, her eyes clashing with his.
'Libby, it's OK. You can trust me-'
'No!' Breathing rapidly, she pulled away from him and opened the car door before turning back to face him. 'Don't turn your lethal charm on me, Dr Christakos. Save it for all those millions of women that must be desperate for your attentions. I'm not interested. Thanks for the pizza.'
And with that she closed the car door behind her, hoping he couldn't see how much her knees were shaking.
Chapter 4
Libby arrived on the ward the next morning, determined to distance herself from Andreas.
She was finding it harder and harder to concentrate on her work with those sexy dark eyes seducing her every time she turned around.
There really was something to be said for having puny, ugly doctors around the place, she reflected. At least they made it easy to keep your mind on work
If it was at all possible, she was going to bleep Jonathon, the SHO. At least he wasn't a threat to her pulse rate.
Even though it was early, the ward was already bustling with activity and Libby went straight to see little Rachel.
One of the night nurses was checking her temperature and glanced up as she saw Libby.
'Hi, there. I'm glad to see you. It means I can go home to bed.'
Libby smiled and looked at the child. 'How is she? She looks a little better.'
'Her temperature is down a bit so I think the antibiotics must be working. Dr Christakos checked on her in the night and he thought she seemed to be showing a response even though it's only been twenty-four hours. He thinks it's definitely a urinary tract infection.'
'He saw her in the night?' Given that he'd dropped her off fairly late, Libby was surprised to hear that he'd paid a visit to the hospital.
The other nurse smiled dreamily. 'He's so impressive. He was worried about the little girl who had the asthma attack last night. Apparently it was touch and go for a while in A and E and when he admitted her to the ward he was concerned that she could go off again.'
'So he came in to check her?'
'Yes. At about eleven o'clock.'
Just after he'd dropped her home.
Libby cleared her throat, trying to keep her voice casual. 'Has he been in this morning yet?'
Her colleague nodded. 'Oh, yes. He wanted to take some bloods from Rachel and while he was here he checked Marcus because he's due for discharge today.'
Libby hid her surprise. He certainly wasn't afraid of hard work. His team was really stretched and he was obviously more than happy to roll up his sleeves and help out.
On the other hand, his diligence was going to make it harder for her to avoid him. She could have done with a consultant who sat in his office and delegated.
'I'll finish off here. You go home. Where's her mum?'
'Having a wash. Apparently Rachel was awake quite a bit in the night so she didn't get much sleep.'
'Wet nappies?'
'Plenty, but I have to confess she didn't drink much in the night.'
Libby nodded. 'OK. I'll make a real effort to get her drinking today and then hopefully we can take that drip down.'
She smiled as Rachel's mother arrived back in the room, clutching a wash-bag and looking incredibly tired.
'Good morning. She looks a little better.'
Alison looked at her daughter anxiously. 'Do you think so? She certainly seems a little cooler but she was very fretful in the night.'
'It's early days yet,' Libby agreed, 'but hopefully she'll start to pick up today. We need to get her drinking so that we can get that drip out.'
The mother looked at her doubtfully. 'I suppose I could try her with a bottle now … '
'Let's give her another half-hour and see if she wakes up a bit,' Libby suggested, breaking off as Andreas walked into the room.
'Good morning.'
His voice was warm and intensely masculine and Libby felt her whole body hum with sexual awareness.
Colour warmed her cheeks. 'I need to check her temperature, but she's sleeping at the moment,' she explained quickly, as he picked up the chart. 'She seems to be picking up and I thought she'd be better off being left to rest. We'll try her with a bottle in half an hour.'
He scanned the chart briefly, looking at the readings the night shift had recorded. 'Let me know what her obs are when you've checked them and keep her fluids up. If there's a problem, call me. I've got to go down to A and E to see a child.'