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CHAPTER FOUR

HE WAS THERE.

He must have spotted her the moment she walked through the door because he was already looking straight at her when Sophia turned her head. She’d been worried she might not even recognise him out of uniform but even in a crowd of people there was no mistaking Aiden Harrison.

Her relieved smile faded as she threaded her way to the bar, however. He hadn’t smiled back. He’d looked a bit stunned even … Had he been surprised that she’d actually turned up? Or maybe he was disappointed that she had. There was no shortage of opportunities in a place like this. She could feel the gaze of other girls on her as she made her way towards the gorgeous guy standing alone at the bar. Envious glances.

‘Hi …’ He was smiling now. ‘Can I get you something to drink?’

‘A white wine would be lovely, thank you.’

‘Do you want to have it here or find a table out in the garden? They have live music here tonight so there won’t be any room to move in here soon.’

So she’d end up dancing or squashed against him at the bar? Sophia sucked in a breath. ‘The garden sounds great.’

There were rustic tables and wrought-iron chairs, flickering candles and the greenery of a rampant grapevine on an overhead pergola. The last unoccupied table they found in a corner with only two chairs was romantic enough to make Sophia hesitate. This was supposed to be fun. Nothing serious.

Aiden put their drinks down on the table. ‘Don’t know about you,’ he said, ‘but I’m starving. Fancy some nachos or a big bowl of fries?’

That was the right note to hit. They were here for a drink and something to eat and it just happened to be with company. They’d be able to hear the music out here without being deafened. A fun night out.

‘Sure. Nachos are my absolute favourite.’

‘Mine, too.’

They grinned at each other. They were on the same page and suddenly everything seemed easy. Over the cheese and bean-laden tortilla chips, the conversation was just as relaxed.

‘It must be a great job, being a SPRINT paramedic.’

‘Best job in the world. I love having no idea of what’s coming next or where I’m going.’

‘I love being out of the hospital environment most of the time, too. You get to connect a lot more with patients when you’re in their own home. Even more when they’ve had a home delivery. I feel like part of the family sometimes.’

But Aiden shook his head at that. ‘It’s the opposite that appeals to me. I get to ride in, do the exciting stuff and then hand the responsibility on to someone else.’

‘Don’t you ever follow your patients up and see what happened?’

‘I’ll talk to the crew that transports them. Or, if I’ve travelled in with them, I might hang around in the emergency department and see how it’s handled from there. Some of the docs are great. If I’m ending a shift, they let me go into Theatre or talk over the results of a CT scan or something. If I can learn something that’s going to help me manage better next time, I’m in.’

‘You should poke your nose into the MMU some time. You’re a bit of a hero up there after that cord prolapse job the other day.’

Aiden shook off the compliment. ‘We were lucky.’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘How’s that baby doing? Do you know?’

Sophia laughed. ‘Of course I know. I’m still doing daily visits. His name is Isaac and he’s doing extremely well. Claire and Greg are over the moon.’

‘Good to know. Did he get a thorough neurological check?’

It was Sophia’s turn to raise her eyebrows. ‘Are you kidding? We’ve got the best doctors there are. He passed every test with flying colours. He might turn out to be a brain surgeon himself one day. Or the prime minister or something. You’ll see him on television and think about what might have happened if you hadn’t been there the day he was born.’

‘I might have a bit of trouble recognising him.’ But Aiden was smiling and Sophia felt … relieved? He did have a connection with his patients that wasn’t purely technical. Maybe he didn’t want to revel in that connection like she did but it was there—whether he wanted it to be or not.

And the idea of him being a maverick medic who rode around the city saving lives and touching those lives only briefly added to his attraction, didn’t it? Gave him a kind of superhero edge?

Oh, yeah … the attraction was growing for sure and it didn’t seem to be one-sided. Eye contact was becoming more frequent and held for a heartbeat longer. Their fingers brushed as they shared the platter of food. The butterflies in Sophia’s gut danced up a storm as she wondered if he would kiss her at the end of this date.

But then what?

She could hear an echo of Em’s voice in the back of her mind. You don’t have to marry the guy. You don’t even have to tell him anything. Just have fun …

Maybe the connection was even stronger than it felt. She could see a flicker in Aiden’s eyes that had nothing to do with the candles around them.

‘I should warn you,’ he said, ‘that I’m not looking for anything serious.’

Good grief … was that shaft of sensation disappointment? Or shame even? Was there something about her that wasn’t attractive enough to warrant any kind of emotional investment?

His smile suggested otherwise. So did the way his hand covered hers, touching her skin with the lightness of a feather—the fingers moving just enough to sound a deliciously seductive note.

‘It’s not that you’re not absolutely gorgeous,’ he murmured. ‘But I have rules. One rule, anyway.’

‘Oh?’ This was confusing. His words were warning her off but his eyes and his touch were inviting her closer. Much closer.

‘A three-dates rule.’

‘A … what?’

‘Three dates. I’ve discovered that’s the perfect number.’

‘Perfect for what?’

‘To get to know someone. To have fun but not to let anything get out of hand. You know … to get … serious.’

He made the word sound like some kind of notifiable disease. Sophia’s head was spinning. Wasn’t this exactly what she was looking for? Fun with a gorgeous guy but within limits. Limits that would mean there was no need to tell him anything about herself that could impinge on the fun. She could pretend there was nothing wrong with her. That she was as desirable as any other young woman who was out there dating. That it was only because of ‘the rule’ that it wouldn’t go any further.

‘I love it,’ she whispered with a smile.

‘Really?’ Aiden’s eyebrows shot up. His fingers tightened over her hand.

‘Really.’ Sophia nodded. ‘I’m not looking for anything serious either. Three dates sounds like exactly the rule that’s been missing from my life.’

‘Wow …’ Aiden’s gaze was frankly admiring. ‘You’re even more amazing than I thought.’ He stood up, still holding Sophia’s hand, so that she was drawn to her feet as well. ‘You do realise that means we’ll have to make the most of each and every date, don’t you?’

The butterflies had congregated into a cluster that throbbed somewhere deep in Sophia’s belly like a drumbeat. She couldn’t look away from Aiden’s gaze, even when he dropped her hand and raised his to touch her face. A finger on her temple that traced a gentle line around her eye, across her cheek and down to the corner of her mouth. Her lips parted in astonishment at the wave of sensation the touch was creating and it was then that Aiden dipped his head and kissed her.

Right there—in a noisy, crowded garden of a trendy bar. Their corner was secluded enough but it was a long way from being private. Not that the kiss got out of hand or anything. The control of those soft, questioning lips on hers suggested that Aiden was a very experienced kisser. The teasing touch of his tongue hinted at where this kiss could go at any moment. Oh, yeah … it ended far sooner than Sophia would have chosen.

What now?

Would Aiden take her home to his place? Should she suggest that he came to hers?

On a first date?

The idea was shocking. Okay, she was doing this to have fun but jumping into bed with someone this fast made it feel wrong. But they only had three dates to play with, didn’t they? Did ‘making the most of them’ imply that they shouldn’t waste any time?

But Aiden was smiling again and Sophia had the feeling that he knew the argument she was having with herself.

‘Let’s plan date number two,’ he said. ‘And give ourselves something to look forward to.’

‘So … how was it, then?’

‘What?’

‘Date numero uno with the cute midwife?’

Aiden shrugged as he looked away from his brother to stare over the veranda railings into the garden of the old house. He upended his bottle to catch a mouthful of his beer. ‘Not bad.’

‘Score?’

Aiden frowned. Nate loved to hear about his love life as much as his job and he’d always been happy to share the details. He couldn’t remember who had come up with the scoring system but it had become a tradition. This was the first time it had occurred to Aiden how degrading it would seem if the women he dated ever knew about it.

Not that he would ever tell them, of course.

But he’d never told any women about the three-dates rule until now, had he? It was a secret, known only to himself and Nate. The astonishment factor of actually sharing the secret with a woman he was on a date with was only surpassed by the totally unexpected way Sophia had embraced the idea.

What was with that? Was there something about him that didn’t make him attractive longer term?

The thought shouldn’t be disturbing but it was. So was the niggle of doubt that he’d come right out and put a limit on how much time he was going to have with the gorgeous Sophia. How the stupidity of that move had been plaguing him ever since he’d left her at the end of their date with no more than another kiss.

She was …

‘That good, huh?’ He could hear the grin in Nate’s voice. ‘Off the scale, was she?’

Aiden merely grunted.

She was perfect, that’s what she was. Absolutely gorgeous. Smart. So easy to talk to. And that all too brief taste of her lips …

Man … The way she’d felt in his arms. The way she’d responded to his kisses. He had a fair idea of exactly where their second date was going to end up and he couldn’t wait. How, in fact, would he be able to enjoy the day on the beach they now had planned for when their next days off coincided? He would be hanging out to get her somewhere a lot more private. Somewhere they could really get to know each other.

But that would mean there was only one date left. And then what?

This had never bothered him before. He’d never even thought ahead like this before.

‘Could be the one, then.’ Nate was nodding. ‘A four-dates woman.’

‘No way.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because I’m not getting into anything serious, that’s why.’

‘Why not?’

This was getting annoying. Aiden had stopped by after work for his usual visit. He just wanted a quiet beer with his brother, not some kind of interrogation.

‘You know why. I’m not interested in getting married or having kids.’

‘Doesn’t mean you can’t have a long-term relationship. Not every woman out there is hanging out to walk down the aisle in a meringue dress or stockpile nappies.’

‘They all get to that point at some stage. I know that from painful experience. And the longer it goes on for, the harder it is when you break it off. I’m not going to be responsible for someone else’s happiness.’

‘Why not?’ There was an edge to Nate’s voice he hadn’t heard before. ‘Because you feel you have to be responsible for mine?’

‘Whoa … where did that come from?’ Aiden glanced over his shoulder as he broke the moment of startled silence. Wasn’t it about time for the boys to all roll their chairs into the dining room for their evening meal? Where was everybody else, anyway? In the lounge, watching reruns of Murderball games? If he stepped away from the corner he could probably see through the window and, if there was a game on, he could distract Nate. He had a feeling that he wasn’t going to like whatever Nathan was about to unbottle.

‘You do, though, don’t you?’ Nathan swivelled his wheelchair with practised ease and trapped Aiden so that it would look like a deliberate evasion if he tried to step past him. ‘You feel responsible for what happened to me and so you think you have to be responsible for me for the rest of your life.’

Of course he felt responsible for what had happened. It had been his fault.

Nate was staring at him. He shook his head. ‘It wasn’t your fault.’

Aiden stared back at him. ‘You were too young to remember what it was like. If I hadn’t lost my rag and yelled back at Dad, he’d never have come after me. He’d never have knocked you down the stairs and broken your neck.’

The horror of that day as a sixteen-year-old whose life had changed for ever in a heartbeat had never gone. Crouched over the crumpled form of his ten-year-old brother at the bottom of the stairs, his hands had been shaking as he’d tried to hold his phone still enough to call for an ambulance. To stop Nathan moving, even as they’d both heard the dreadful sound of the gunshot that had come from an upstairs room.

Maybe the worst horror had been the relief of knowing that he didn’t have to protect Nathan from their father’s tyranny any more—the twisted bitterness that had come from blaming an innocent baby for his wife’s death.

He’d held Nathan’s head still, knowing that moving him could make it worse. And he’d talked to him as he’d crouched there, waiting for help to arrive.

‘I’m here,’ he’d said, over and over again. ‘I’ll look after you. I’ll always look after you.’

‘I remember a lot more than you give me credit for. And you know what? I’ve had enough of this.’

Nate sounded angry. His clever, brave, determined kid brother was letting his irrepressible good humour go for once. He was angry with him.

Finally. There was a relief to be found in that. He deserved the anger. He could handle it. He was the one who could still walk. The one who had a job he loved. Who could get out there and kiss gorgeous women. Nate was allowed to be angry about what had happened in his life. The opportunities he would never have.

‘It was Dad who pushed me down the stairs. Not you. It’s ancient history. Get over it, Aiden. I have.’

‘How can you say that?’ Aiden was shocked. ‘You have to live with that accident for the rest of your life. It should never have happened.’

‘Oh, get off the guilt train,’ Nate snapped. ‘Yeah … I have to live with it for the rest of my life. Me. And you don’t get to feel so guilty about it that you stuff up your own life. I’m not having that put on me, thanks.’

‘I’m not—’

‘Yeah, you are. You baby me. You’re always here, checking up on me. Trying to make life better for me, but guess what? I like my life. I don’t need this.’

Aiden stared at his brother. He’d thought he could handle the anger but that was when he’d thought it was going to be about the accident that had wrecked a young life—not about him honouring a vow to look after the only person who’d ever been so important to him.

This hurt, dammit. Enough to make him feel angry right back at Nate.

‘I’ve only ever done what I could to help. You were ten years old.’

‘And you’re still treating me like I’m ten years old. I’m twenty-four, man. I’m grown up. I’ve got a girlfriend.’

How on earth had this all come out after sharing the news that he’d gone on a date with the cute midwife?

‘And there’s no way I’m going to play by your stupid three-dates rule.’

So that was it.

‘You do know it’s stupid, don’t you?’

‘Works for me.’ Aiden’s voice was tight. At least, it had.

‘I’m going to live by myself one of these days,’ Nate continued fiercely. ‘I’m going to try out for the Murderball team and if I get in I’ll give it everything I’ve got. I’m going to make the best of my life. I don’t want to end up like you.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Shut off. Scared of losing control.’

‘People get hurt if you lose control.’ Surely Nate knew that better than anyone after what had happened.

‘So? That’s life.’ Nate shook his head. ‘Get over it and start having some fun. Like me.’ The crooked smile was a plea for understanding. Forgiveness, too, maybe, for saying some hard stuff?

The lump in his throat made it hard to suck in a breath. Okay, he was hurt but, man, his little brother had courage, didn’t he? He was so proud of him.

A window got pushed up along the veranda and a dark, spiky head emerged. ‘You coming in for dinner, Nate?’

‘Sure.’

‘You want to stay, Aiden? There’s plenty.’

‘Nah … I’m good.’ He needed some time to think about what had just happened. That his brother had grown up and just let him know in no uncertain terms? Or that he thought he had, anyway. He still needed his big brother, even if he didn’t think he did. More than ever, in fact, as he strived for independence. Did he think he could do that without a lot of help? Even if he wasn’t welcome, there was no way Aiden could back away from his responsibilities here. He might just have to be a bit cleverer in how he looked after Nate.

‘Hey …’ Nathan stopped the movement of his chair. He looked back at his brother. He looked a lot younger all of a sudden. Worried. Aiden could see him swallow hard. ‘We okay?’

If he’d needed any evidence that his brother still needed him, it was right there in how vulnerable Nate looked right now. Aiden didn’t hesitate. ‘Sure.’

But it was an awkward moment that could go either way.

Aiden did his best to smile. ‘You were right, man. She was off the scale.’

Nate’s grin tugged at his heart. ‘So she gets a second date, at least?’

‘Already sorted. We’re going to the beach.’

‘Maybe me and Sam can come, too.’

Aiden snorted. ‘No way. I only invited Sophia.’