hadn’t said no to Anton because of some diet, she had said no because …
Well.
Because.
No, she did not want to be huddled up at the desk with him—she might, the way she was feeling this moment, very possibly end up licking his face.
God, he was hot.
Her stomach was growling, though, and it was the scent of pizza that was at fault, not her, Louise decided as she smiled and pulled out her phone.
Anton had two phones and one of the numbers she was privy to. It was his work phone and she’d call him on it at times if one of his patients weren’t well while he was off duty, or she might text him sometimes for advice.
She wondered if he’d tell her off for using it for something so trivial.
Or if he’d ignore her request, perhaps?
Anton sat eating pizza as Hugh fired off texts to family to let them know that Emily was doing well.
When his work phone buzzed, indicating a text, Anton read it and decided it might be best to ignore it.
For months he had done his best to ignore her yet since he’d see her up that stepladder it had been a futile effort at best.
He did try to ignore it. In fact, he said goodnight to Hugh and then went into the on-call room, grimly determined to sleep.
Then he read her text again and gave up fighting. He went back to the desk, picked up two slices of pizza and headed off to where perhaps he shouldn’t.
‘PIZZA MAN!’ ANTON said, as he came into the dark room.
‘Oh, my, and an authentic Italian one too!’ Louise smiled in the dark and sat up and then took out her light from her pocket and shone it up at him. ‘And so good looking.’
‘You changed your mind about the pizza?’
‘I did,’ Louise said. ‘A bowl of cornflakes wasn’t going to cut it tonight.’
‘I could have told you that half an hour ago—you need to eat more.’
‘I do eat.’
Anton shook his head very slowly. ‘With my sister’s line of work I know all the tricks, all of them,’ Anton said. ‘Tell me the truth.’
‘Okay, I do watch my weight,’ Louise admitted, ‘a lot! But I am not anorexic.’
‘I can see that you’re not anorexic but you do seem to live off salad.’
‘Ah, so you notice what I eat, Anton, how sweet!’ Louise teased, and then she answered him properly. ‘I love my modelling work,’ Louise said. ‘I mean I love it and it is my job to present at a certain weight but I don’t do the dangerously thin stuff. Yes, for the most part I have to watch what I eat but, in saying that, I eat very well. I’m nearly thirty. I can’t believe I’m still working …’
‘I can.’ Anton smiled.
‘Anyway, I’ve got a huge photo shoot on Christmas Eve,’ Louise explained, as she ate warm pizza. ‘It’s for Valentine’s Day and I’m going to pay a small fortune to get dressed up to the nines and have my hair and make-up done so, yes, I’m being careful.’ Her slice of pizza was finished and he handed her the other one. ‘I’m just not being very careful tonight.’
‘If you are looking at trying for a baby …’
‘I would never jeopardise that for work, Anton. I’m just eating healthily. What happened this morning is unrelated to that.’
‘Good to know.’
He glanced at the stirrups over the bed. ‘You really sleep here?’
‘Of course,’ Louise said, and then she looked to where his gaze fell. ‘Do you want me in stirrups, Anton?’
He actually laughed. ‘No. It is that I don’t want you in stirrups that means you can’t be my patient.’ He explained as best he could. ‘Louise, I know I have given mixed messages. Yes, I like you but I never wanted to get involved with someone at work.’
‘We’re not at work.’ Louise smiled a provocative smile. ‘Officially we’re both off duty.’
‘Louise, the thing is—’
‘Please, please, don’t,’ Louise said. ‘Please spare me the lecture, because, guess what, I’m the same. The last thing I want now is a full-on relationship, particularly with you.’
Anton frowned in slight surprise. He’d come in having finally given in and deciding that they should perhaps give it a go, only to find out that a relationship with him was far from her mind.
‘Why particularly not with me?’
‘Okay, I think you’re as sexy as hell and occasionally funny but I think you’d be very controlling, and that’s fine in the bedroom perhaps—’
‘I am not controlling,’ Anton immediately interrupted. ‘Well, I know that I am at work but not when I’m in a relationship.’
‘Oh, they all say that.’ Louise put on an Italian accent. ‘I do not want my woman posing in her underwear …’
‘That is the worst Italian accent ever.’ He frowned at her opinion of him. ‘I happen to think your work is very beautiful.’
‘Really?’
‘Of course it is.’ He was still frowning. ‘Have you had trouble in the past—?’
‘I have,’ Louise said quickly, hurrying over that part of her life, ‘and so I keep things on my terms. The only thing I want to focus on right now is myself and becoming a mum. I’m not on a husband shop.’
A flirt, some fun, was all she was prepared to give to a man right now.
Though she had fancied Anton for ages.
Ages.
Pizza done, Louise went into her pocket, peeled off some baby wipes from a small packet she carried and wiped her hands. Then she went into her pockets again and pulled out a breath spray.
‘What the hell have you got in those pockets?’
‘Many, many things—basically my pockets are designed so that I don’t have to get up if I’m comfy.’ Louise smiled and settled back on the pillow. ‘The breath spay is so that I don’t submit a labouring woman to my pizza breath, and,’ she added, ‘it’s also terribly convenient if you want to kiss me goodnight.’
‘Louise,’ Anton warned. ‘We’re not going to be skulking around in the shadows.’
‘I know,’ Louise sighed regretfully. ‘How come you left fertility?’ She yawned, but was pleased when Anton sat on the edge of the bed.
‘I missed obstetrics,’ Anton admitted, though he too chose to avoid the dark stuff.
‘Is it nice to be back doing it?’
‘Some days,’ Anton said, ‘like yesterday with Hannah’s son—that was a really good day. Today …’ He thought for a moment. ‘Yes, it is still good. Thanks for your help today, you were right to stay—it is good for Emily to have you nearby.’
‘You’re making me nervous, Anton—you’re being too nice.’
Anton smiled and watched as she put her hand under the blanket and turned the hot pack on her stomach.
‘Still hurt?’
‘Yep.’
He wanted his hand there.
Louise