The Greek Children's Doctor(58)

She just hoped that tonight she'd sleep.

Last night she hadn't managed to do anything except think of Andreas.  She'd lain in the darkness, reliving every incredible second of their  encounter by the lake. The memory had been so vivid that she'd almost  been able to smell the damp grass and feel the cool night air on her  skin. Her body had tingled with the memory of his touch and she could  still hear the rough, masculine timbre of his voice as he'd spoken to  her in Greek. She hadn't been able to understand a word that he'd said  but it had been an unbelievably erotic experience and she couldn't get  it out of her mind.

Damn.

Running a hand over her flushed face, she tried to pull herself  together. It had just been sex, for crying out loud. Just sex, and she'd  done it before.

But it had never been like that.

With Andreas it had been a totally different experience and if she was  ever going to survive, she had to avoid him. And what better way to  avoid him than by taking a holiday?



She could spend the time reminding herself that all men were rats.

Andreas stared at the notes in front of him without seeing them. For the  third day running Libby had been in Jenny's room for almost the entire  shift, not even coming out for lunch. The little girl was very clingy  and she'd obviously bonded with Libby, but all the same it was obvious  to him that she was anxious to avoid any further conversation with him  and he knew why.

The chemistry between them was so overwhelming that he found it quite  unnerving himself. He'd never felt this way about a woman before and he  knew that she was experiencing the same emotions.

The challenge was going to be getting her to admit it.

Libby was terrified of being hurt. She found it impossible to trust men and she was incredibly wary and cautious.

He needed to prove to her that he could be trusted but he couldn't do  that unless she agreed to spend some time with him. But judging from the  way she'd been avoiding him since that night, the chances of her  agreeing to that were remote.

He leaned back in his chair and stretched his long legs out in front of him, frowning thoughtfully.

And then he remembered the date.

She still owed him a date.

A slow smile crossed his handsome face as he remembered the conversation he'd overheard between her and the ward sister.

No one had ever stipulated exactly what constituted the date that had been auctioned.

And suddenly he knew exactly what that date was going to be.

A week later Jenny was improving rapidly and spending much of the time  in the playroom with Polly, who had taken on a surrogate mother role.

Jenny's parents were still in hospital and her baby sister had been staying with an aunt who lived locally.

The ward had quietened down slightly, Bev had found an agency nurse  who'd agreed to work for the rest of the month and Libby was exhausted.

The strain of trying to avoid Andreas was making her jumpy and she  wasn't getting any sleep thanks to that one incredible night she'd spent  with him. She was totally unable to forget the way he'd made her feel.

She was thoroughly relieved that Bev had insisted she take leave. At  least she wouldn't have to peep round corners to check that there was no  sign of Andreas. She vowed to get plenty of exercise in the hope that  it would make her sleep.

Suddenly she couldn't wait for her shift to end.

She went through the motions of doing her job and at lunchtime Bev bustled up to her.

'You look absolutely wiped out.' The ward sister shook her head disapprovingly. 'Go home.'

'I can't go yet. I haven't finished my shift.'

Bev gave her a gentle push. 'Just go. Now. And if I see you back on this ward before next week, you're fired.'

Libby gave a weak smile. She couldn't actually believe she had a whole week off. 'You can't fire me. I'm your slave labour.'

Bev didn't laugh. 'You've lost your sparkle and bubble,' she said quietly. 'You've been working too hard, Lib. Have a rest.'

Libby didn't say anything. It was true that she was tired, but the truth  was her sparkle had gone because she was so disappointed about Andreas.  She'd really believed that he was interested in her, but evidently  she'd been wrong again.                        
       
            



      

Apart from that one conversation the morning after, he'd made no attempt to see her since the ball.

All right, so she'd been avoiding him, but he hadn't been that difficult to avoid.

Wondering whether he would even notice that she wasn't around, she went  to her locker, retrieved her bag and made her way to the car park,  feeling flat and miserable.

A low black sports car pulled up next to her and she sucked in a breath.

Andreas.

He leaned across to open the passenger door, his expression serious. 'Get in, Libby.'



She stared at him blankly. 'Why? Where are we going?'

'Just get in.'

Something about the urgency in his tone prevented her from arguing and  she slid into the passenger seat, glancing at him in alarm as he sped  away before she'd even finished fastening her seat belt.

'What's happening? Is something wrong?' Suddenly she felt cold fingers of panic touch her spine. 'Is it Katy? Or Alex?'

He covered her hand briefly with his. 'They're both fine. And nothing's wrong.'

'So why are you picking me up? It's not even lunchtime.' She looked at him in confusion. 'And what's the urgency?'

He glanced at the clock and muttered something in Greek. 'We are going to be late.'

'Late for what?'

But he wouldn't answer her. He just stared at the road and drove as  quickly as safety allowed, weaving his way through the London traffic  until he hit the motorway that led out of town.

'Andreas.' Libby cleared her throat and tried again. 'Where are we going?'

He gave her a sideways glance. 'We're going on that date you owe me.'

Date?

He flicked the indicator and took the exit road that led to the airport  and she lifted a hand to her aching head, totally confused.

'What date? Why are we at the airport?'

Andreas pulled up outside the terminal building and shifted in his seat so that he was facing her.

'You still owe me that date, Libby,' he said softly, lifting a hand to  cup her face. 'I'm claiming it now. You've got a week off. You're  spending it with me.'

She opened her mouth to speak but he was already out of the car, handing  his keys to a man in a uniform and removing two bags from the boot.

Libby recognised one of the bags as hers.

She leapt out of the car, waiting while he paid the man and signalled for a porter.

'You packed a bag for me?' She stared at him incredulously and he shrugged.

'Not exactly. I had some help. Katy told me she owed you a suitcase full of clothes.'

Katy.

Libby groaned. 'I switched the contents of her suitcase when she went  abroad with Jago. Katy always insisted on dressing really conservatively  to hide her looks so Alex and I gave her a completely new wardrobe. She  didn't know until she arrived in Spain and unpacked.'

Andreas laughed. 'Well, it seems as though you're not the only sister  capable of being devious. And now we need to hurry or we'll miss our  flight.'

Libby ran her tongue over dry lips. 'Andreas, I can't just go away with you.'

'Why not?'

Because she didn't trust him.

Because she was trying to put some distance between them and she couldn't possibly do that if they were together all week.

She opened her mouth to voice another protest but he was already  striding towards the terminal building and she was forced to run to  catch up with him.

'All right, if you want a date, I'll go on a date with you, but this is  ridiculous.' She was half running, half walking, but he didn't slow his  pace.

'Why is it ridiculous?' He shot her a smile and walked up to the  check-in desk. 'I always told you that my idea of a date wasn't pizza.  You just never asked what my idea of a date was. Well, this is it. We're  going to spend some time together, Libby. No more avoiding me. No more  avoiding what we have together.'

She stared at him as he handed over the passports and checked in, infuriated that he wasn't even giving her a chance to speak.

'We don't have anything together,' she said in a low voice, blushing  slightly as the girl behind the desk glanced curiously between the two  of them. 'It was just-'



'If you're about to tell me that it was ''just sex'',' Andreas  interrupted, 'then I'd better warn you that the next time you say that  I'm going to drag you behind the nearest pillar and prove you wrong. We  both know that it wasn't ''just sex'', Libby, so stop saying things you  don't mean.'                        
       
            



      

He tucked the passports into his jacket and walked towards the international departures area.

Her breathing was rapid and she felt totally out of control.

'At least tell me where we're going,' she asked a little later.

He turned with a smile. 'We're going to Greece, agape mou. I'm taking you to my home.'

Greece?

'But where will we stay? What will we-?'

'Stop worrying.' He stepped up to her and covered her lips with his  fingers to stop her talking. 'You're not in control any more. I am. This  is my date, Libby.'