‘There’s more than enough work to keep us both frantic,’ he told her heavily.

‘But I don’t intend to be frantic.’ She lifted her chin. ‘My medicine’s important to me, but it’s not everything. I still intend to look after my grandfather. I still intend to have a life.’

‘My life is my medicine.’

‘I can see that.’ She moistened her lips. She felt strange. As if someone else was inside her body and that someone was a woman she hardly knew. That someone was so strongly drawn to Mike that she had hardly any control at all.

‘It seems such a waste,’ she murmured.

‘A waste?’ He looked sardonically at her. ‘Waste for who?’

‘A waste for me.’

Silence. The words echoed round and round the room, astounding in their simplicity.

‘What on earth do you mean by that?’ he said at last-and then his face closed as if he regretted the question.

Tess also should have regretted her statement. His question was a question Tess shouldn’t be able to answer. She should just mumble an apology-give a silly giggle and get the hell out of here before she made a real fool of herself.

Instead, she took a long, deep breath and met his eyes with a look of pure defiance.

The woman’s role was to stay demure and shy, Mike thought wildly. That was how he could cope. But how could he cope with a woman who was coming on like Tessa was coming on? Like she found him wildly attractive and didn’t care who knew it. Especially she didn’t mind if Mike knew it. She wanted him to know exactly how she felt, and how she felt was written right across her face.

‘I mean that you’re the most attractive male I’ve ever met,’ she said softly. ‘I mean that you’re gentle and kind and caring and I just have to look at you and my knees sort of wobble underneath me. I mean that Hannah got it right when she said that one of the reasons I want to stay here is that I’d like to get to know you better.’

‘She said that?’

‘She said that. And it’s true. Oh, it’s not the only reason,’ she added hastily as his face closed. ‘Of course, I’m staying for my grandfather.’ She took a deep breath, fighting for words. ‘But if you want a partner with knees that don’t wobble, you’d better tell me now that you find red hair a real turn-off. Or that you’re into stamp collecting instead of women.’ She gave a twisted smile. ‘And I don’t believe I’m saying this.’

‘I don’t believe you are either,’ Mike said faintly. ‘Women don’t say these sort of things.’

‘I just did.’

‘Well, no one has before,’ he said bluntly. ‘Tess…’

‘Don’t tell me women don’t find you attractive,’ she shot at him. She took a deep breath and managed a smile. Damn, there was a glimmer behind her eyes that told Mike that a part of Tess was enjoying herself here. She was enjoying knocking his socks off.

And the rest!

Tess put her hands on the kitchen bench behind her and hitched herself up so she was sitting, her lovely stockinged legs swinging free as she watched the man before her. And he stared back at her as if she’d just crawled out of a spaceship!

‘Maybe women have,’ he admitted finally. ‘But no one’s told me.’

‘Aw, gee… Poor little you. Hasn’t anyone told you they find you very sexy?’

And Mike couldn’t help himself. He burst out laughing.

‘Tessa Westcott, you are incorrigible. I thought lady doctors-especially lady doctors trained in emergency medicine and who’ve seen everything the seamier side of life can throw at them-are supposed to be as sensible and hard-headed and as romantic as a brick.’

‘They are,’ she told him, and she grinned right back. She was crazy, but there was a very strong part of her that was enjoying being crazy. She’d just burned her bridges back to the States. In fact, she’d just abandoned a very sensible career plan and a very sensible boyfriend, albeit a very lukewarm one. If she wasn’t a little crazy tonight, then she never would be.

‘They say the only thing a sensible, committed female doctor with career ambition should love is a goldfish,’ she said blithely. ‘But I’ve thought it through, and I think you’re much better than a goldfish.’

‘Gee, thanks.’ Mike looked at her for a long moment, and then walked two steps forward and took her hands in his. He had to make her see. ‘Tess, this is crazy.’

It wasn’t crazy at all. Taking her hands was a mistake. A huge mistake! The craziness disappeared right then and there as their hands touched.

‘Crazy or not, it’s the way I feel,’ she said. Heaven knew how she kept her voice light, but somehow Tess managed it.

‘Well, stop feeling like it.’ He released her, but he didn’t move. They were only inches apart, but Tessa’s eyes were just above his from her perch on the bench. Hell, how to make her see that this link-what she said she could feel and what he could definitely feel-was totally, absolutely out of the question.

‘Tessa, what I’m saying about work is true,’ he managed. ‘That’s all I want. I have room for nothing else.’

‘I’m very small,’ Tess murmured. ‘Couldn’t you squash me in around the edges?’

‘No.’ He stopped smiling completely and took a step back. His face said the joke had gone far enough.

‘You’re not a priest,’ Tess said gently. ‘I’d love to know why you have room in your life for nothing but medicine.’

‘I’ve seen what can happen when people forget their responsibilities.’

‘I’m not asking you to forget your responsibilities.’ Tess, too, had stopped smiling now. She jumped down from her bench and stepped forward-stepped forward so she was almost touching him. Her face said she had gone this far so she might as well try the whole bit.

‘Mike, I’m not asking you to marry me,’ she said, and somehow she forced her voice to stay light. ‘What I’m saying is that there’s something between us. Something…’ She shrugged. ‘I don’t know what. It’s a feeling I can’t define. It’s a feeling I’ve never felt in my life before and I want, more than anything, to explore it. That sounds wanton, doesn’t it? As if I’m a loose woman. I’m not, Mike. I’m just… I just feel…’

And then her voice firmed, as if she was suddenly sure of her ground.

‘I feel as if you’re a part of me. That’s crazy, isn’t it? But that’s the way it is. So, tell me, Mike,’ she demanded. ‘Tell me that I’m a fool. Tell me that you feel nothing.’

‘I don’t want-’

‘I’m not asking what you want. I’m asking what you feel.’

And then, before he could answer, she took one more step forward, put her arms up around his neck, stood on tiptoe-and she kissed him for all she was worth. And it was done so suddenly that there was nothing he could do to stop it.

It was some kiss.

It was a kiss of pure bravado, but it was more than that. It was a kiss that was full of questions, and it was a kiss full of wonder.

Tess had never done such a thing in her life before. Her act might have seemed wanton-forward-but there was nothing of that in her kiss. Her lips were gentle, sweet and unsure, as if she really wanted to touch him. It was as if her body was drawn to him like a bee to honey, and she was half expecting to be drawn so far into the sweetness that she’d drown.

And he…

The last thing he wanted to do was to kiss this woman. He didn’t. And yet her lips were touching his and her body was soft and yielding and…and so lovely!

When her mouth touched his, the kiss slammed home the knowledge that this was something outside his ken. She was so desirable…

Sure, he’d kissed other women. Hell, he’d made a vow, but that vow hadn’t been one of chastity. His vow had been one of emotional detachment. He’d made love to women before, but they’d always known the rules. No involvement. There had never been any promises of tomorrow. There was only passion on his terms.

But this…this wasn’t on his terms. This was on no one’s terms because, as their lips met, it was like two pieces of a shattered whole being joined. More, it was like tinder to fuel. Apart they were nothing-cold and useless. Together they were fire.

Mike’s body stilled in shock, but Tessa’s arms came around him again, soft and yet urgent, pulling him against her, and suddenly nothing in his life had ever felt so right, so complete. There were forces working here that were beyond his control, he thought wildly. This was beyond anything he’d ever known before. The desire to respond to this lovely thing…this woman who was so unknown…was almost overwhelming.

Her lips were soft and warm and urgent. She smelt of flowers, of sunshine and of warmth, and he could no more resist her loveliness than he could stop himself breathing.

He wasn’t breathing. He wasn’t sure what he was doing.

He couldn’t help himself. He must respond. His hands fell to hold Tessa against him, glorying in the way her breasts pressed against his chest. His mouth responded to her kiss, tasting her…wanting her.

And wanting more…

Dear God, what could he do with this? He’d never known he could feel this way. His vow had been made without knowing this wonder, and if he’d known… If he’d known he had this need-that somewhere in the world was a woman like this-could he have made his vow? But he’d made the vow, and the vow still stood.

Somehow he managed to pull back. Somehow he managed to put her away from him and hold her at arm’s length, and he stared down at her with eyes that were confused and desperate.

‘Tess, no…’

‘Well, now I know,’ Tess managed, in a voice that was barely above a whisper and held an obvious tremor.

‘Know what?’

‘You’re certainly not gay.’ She tried to smile but it didn’t quite come off. ‘Wow!’

‘Wow’ was right. And where to go from here?

The phone. Glory be, the phone. Its shrill ring sounded from the living room and Mike headed there like a drowning man headed for a life-raft.