Moving away from him, she poured the wine into the pot, put the lid on and set it to simmer, glad the major part of the meal was finished.
"Now what?" he asked.
"I need three apples peeled and sliced into that pie plate. I"ll make the topping while you"re doing that. Tell me about your meeting. Will you be able to reserve rooms at the bed-and-breakfast?"
When Mitch didn"t answer, she looked up at him and saw him staring down at the apples. At that moment, she realized the request she"d made, as well as the mistake of asking him to do that kind of task.
"I"ve learned to do a lot of things with my left hand," he said matter-of-factly, "but using a knife to slice apples isn"t one of them."
"Mitch, I"m sorry. I wasn"t thinking."
"There"s nothing to be sorry about. Why don"t I look through my collection of DVDs and find something we would both enjoy?"
She wanted to put her arms around Mitch. She wanted to breathe in his scent and kiss him, letting him know the use of his fingers wasn"t an issue between them.
"Okay," she said lightly. "I"ll be there in a few minutes." That was all the time she"d need to slice the apples, mix them with cranberries and pour on a topping.
Then she might have to decide just where she stood where Mitch was concerned.
Chapter Seven.
Mitch knew he shouldn"t have reacted as he had. It had been a very long time since something so simple had pushed his b.u.t.tons. After Iraq, he"d been grateful he"d survived. He"d been grateful he could retrain in another specialty. He"d been grateful he had a life.
The truth was, he could have peeled an apple with his left hand, but those slices would have been chunky and choppy, maybe still bearing some skin.
At the practice, he spoke with couples, a.n.a.lyzed their needs, helped them decide which process was best. He calculated cycles, administered drug regimens, a.n.a.lyzed test results, sonograms, fluoroscopic X-rays. He could facilitate artificial insemination procedures. But he couldn"t peel and slice an apple to his liking.
He could help bring life into the world, but he couldn"t perform surgery to save a life.
Why had that fact hit him so hard just now?
He shuffled through the DVDs lying on the coffee table without paying attention to the t.i.tles. He was vaguely aware of the scent of cinnamon and apples baking, adding to the aroma of the chicken and wine. But when Lily stood in the doorway for a couple of moments before she took a step into the living room, he was elementally aware of her.
As she sat beside him on the sofa, only a few inches away, he wanted to both push her away and take her into his arms. It was the oddest feeling he"d ever experienced. Desire bit at him and he fought it.
"Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes," she said, as if that were the main topic for discussion.
He could feel her gaze on him, making him hot, making him more restless. Facing her, he concluded, "Maybe this wasn"t such a good idea."
"Eating dinner?" she asked, a little nervously, trying to make light of what was happening.
"Cooking together, eating together, watching a DVD together."
"I want to be here," she a.s.sured him, her eyes big and wide, all attempts at teasing gone. It was as if she were inviting him to kiss her.
He balled his hands into fists. "Lily-"
Reaching out to him, she touched the tense line of his jaw. "I don"t know what"s happening, Mitch, but being here with you is important to me. Maybe that first kiss wasn"t as intense as we both thought it was. Maybe it was just an outlet-"
He was tired of a.n.a.lyzing and debating and pushing away desire that needed to be expressed. His hands slid under her hair as he leaned toward her, as he cut off her words with his lips. For over two years, he"d kept his desire for her hidden, locked away. Now, unable to resist, he set it free.
Pa.s.sion poured out. Lily responded to it and returned it. For that reason, and that reason only, he didn"t slam the door shut. He didn"t throw the combination away again. She was softness and goodness and light in his hands. When his tongue swept her mouth, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on. He was caught in the storm that had been building between them since the day he"d first held her. Warning bells clanged in his head, reminding him he should stop kissing her and pull away. But those warning bells seemed distant compared to the hunger that urged him on.
He sensed that same hunger had built in Lily. She wasn"t holding back. Nothing about her was restrained.
The sounds of satisfaction Lily was making were driving Mitch crazy. His hand slid from her hair and caressed her shoulder. He could feel the heat of her skin under her knit top. Was she on fire for him as he was for her? Would she consider this kiss another mistake?
His hand slid to her breast. He knew if he didn"t breathe soon, the need inside him would consume him.
Lily leaned away just slightly, as if inviting him to touch her more. His control was in shreds. He tore away from the kiss to nuzzle her neck as his hand left her breast and caressed her thigh.
When she turned her face up to his again, her eyes were closed. At that moment, Mitch knew this could be a very big mistake. What if she was imagining Troy loving her? What if she just needed someone to hold her and any man would take the form of her husband?
He leaned back, willed his heart to slow and found his voice. "Lily, open your eyes."
The few seconds it took for Lily to find her way back to the sofa seemed unending. She"d been so lost in pleasure that the sound of Mitch"s voice-the request he"d made-seemed impossible at first.
When she did open her eyes, she was gazing into his. They were so dark and simmering, filled with the questions that took her a moment to understand. Until he asked, "Were you here with me?"
Her reflexive response was, "Of course, I was here with you." But as soon as she said it, she had to go back and think and feel. She had to be honest with Mitch and herself. As he didn"t move an inch, she whispered, "Mostly here with you."
While she was kissing Mitch, had she been longing for Troy to be the one making love to her? Shaken by that question, as well as the aftermath of the pa.s.sion that had bubbled up inside her like a well waiting to be sprung, she jumped when the cell phone in her pocket chimed.
Mitch seemed just as jarred. The resigned look on his face told her he knew she had to take the call. After all, Sophie or Grace might need her.
She checked the screen and then glanced at him. "It"s Raina. She"s in the hospital in labor. I have to find out if everything"s okay."
Just then, the timer went off in the kitchen. Mitch rose to his feet. "I"ll check on dinner," he said gruffly.
Lily closed her eyes and answered Raina"s call.
Swallowing emotion that was confusing and exhilarating, as well as terrifying, Lily cleared her throat. "Raina?"
"It"s a girl, Lily! We had a girl." Her friend"s voice broke.
"That was pretty fast."
"Once we got here, it was like she couldn"t wait to get out. You"ve got to come see her, Lily. I know you...understand."
Lily did understand Raina"s history, the loss of her husband and dreams unfulfilled. Now she"d captured those dreams again. "I"m at Mitch"s."
Raina didn"t miss a beat. Her joy was too big and broad. "Bring him, too. Shep could use a little distraction. He"s hovering over both of us. Eva"s here with the boys but she"s going to leave in a few minutes. They"re so excited about their new sister that they"re getting a little rowdy."
"I"ll call you back after I talk to Mitch."
"If I interrupted something, I"m sorry. You can wait to visit tomorrow."
Yes, she could. Yet she knew the joy Raina was feeling. She knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for her.
After she and Raina ended the call, Lily went into the kitchen, where Mitch had taken the apple dessert from the oven and set it on the counter.
"Raina had a baby girl," she announced brightly.
"I bet she and Shep are ecstatic."
She remembered Mitch had met Shep the night of the awards dinner that now seemed forever ago. "She"d like us to come see the baby."
"Now? She wants company?"
"You know how it is with new moms. They"re so proud, so full of life. And Raina and I, we have a special bond. She says we can wait until tomorrow, but I don"t want to let her down. The chicken should be finished. Do you want to have dinner first?"
Mitch glanced at the kitchen clock. "Visiting hours will be over soon. Let"s put it in a ca.s.serole. We can warm it up when we get back."
"I can go alone."
"Would you rather go alone?"
Their intimacy on the sofa was still fresh in her mind and in her heart. She wanted to stay with him...be with him a little longer.
"I"d like you to come along."
He gave her a hint of a smile. "Then let"s put this away and get going."
Lily thought she"d jump out of her skin every time Mitch glanced at her in his SUV. Their awareness of each other was so acute, it was almost uncanny. She suspected Mitch was feeling the same way when he flipped on the CD player. Both of them had agreed to go to the hospital because that was the easier thing to do. She"d almost gotten naked with Mitch, almost let him make love to her. Then what would they have had to say to each other?
At the hospital, alone in the elevator as they rode up to the maternity floor, Mitch turned to her. "I don"t feel as if I belong here."
"Here?"
"The maternity floor. With your friend."
"My guess is Shep will be glad to see a friendly male face. He"s not real comfortable with the softer things in life, if you know what I mean. But I think Raina"s changing that."
"Softer things in life, meaning women having babies, pink blankets, nurses cooing?"
"You"ve got it."
Mitch almost smiled. "That does take some getting used to."
"I guess the transition from trauma surgeon to fertility specialist wasn"t always easy for you."
"Fortunately I was able to rely on some of the research skills I"d acquired while I was in med school. I was a teaching a.s.sistant for a professor studying T cells, so a.n.a.lyzing data and studies wasn"t foreign to me. I think the hardest part was learning to act as a counselor sometimes to couples who were stressed out because they"d been trying for years to have a baby and couldn"t. All kinds of things popped up. I suppose that"s why we have Dr. Flannagan as an adjunct."
"Vanessa is good. I"ve sent couples to her who are indecisive or who can"t agree on what they want to do. Do you know Vanessa well?" Lily asked.
"No. We had lunch together once to discuss a case. She doesn"t like to skate on the surface and I didn"t want to be psychoa.n.a.lyzed, so let"s just say we didn"t socialize after that-we stuck to business."
Lily was surprised to find herself relieved that Mitch hadn"t gotten on well with the pretty psychologist. She admonished herself that she had no business being possessive. She had no rights where Mitch was concerned.
After Lily and Mitch signed in at the desk, Lily caught sight of Shep in one of the family waiting rooms. Joey and Roy, Shep and Raina"s older boys, stood in the doorway as if ready to leave. Eva, their nanny, had one arm about each of them while Manuel, Shep and Raina"s almost three-year-old, was throwing a tantrum, his arms tightly holding Shep around the neck, his tears as heartbreaking as his sobs.
"Daddy, you come home, too," he wailed.
Shep spotted Lily immediately and said above Manuel"s wails, "Don"t you tell Raina about this."
"She"d understand."
"h.e.l.l, yes, she"d understand. She"d want me to bring them all into the room so they could sleep with her."
Lily had to chuckle because she knew Shep was right. "She"d call it a birthday sleepover," Lily joked.
Mitch groaned. "I think you"re going to have to do better than that to cheer this little guy up. So your name"s Manuel?" Mitch asked, bending down to him, looking into his eyes.
At first Lily thought the little boy would play shy. Instead of hiding in Shep"s shoulder, though, he pulled himself up straighter and studied Mitch. "What"s your name?"
"My name"s Mitch." He pointed to Lily. "You know her, don"t you?"
Manuel nodded vigorously. "She and Mom are BFFs."
The adults all looked at each other and broke out into laughter.
"Who"d you hear that from?" Shep asked.
"Joey. He knows."
"Yes, he does know lots of things," Shep agreed with a grin he couldn"t suppress.
"Maybe you should go home and make sure everything"s ready for tomorrow when your sister comes home," Mitch suggested. "I bet your mom and dad would both be surprised."
Eva stepped in. "We could cut some roses and put them in pretty vases. Your mom would love that. We can make sure everything in the baby"s room is just right."
Manuel stared at Eva.
Adding another incentive, she offered, "I can turn on the new baby monitor and you can watch the lights flicker when we make noise in the room."
Swiveling toward his dad again, Manuel screwed up his little face. "Okay."
Shep tapped the pocket of his shirt. "I"ll give you a call before bed and you can say good-night to Mom. How"s that?"
"That"s good," Manuel a.s.sured him, climbing off his dad"s lap and taking Eva"s hand.
After hugs and kisses from all his boys, Shep watched them leave the maternity floor with Eva.