Dr Langley: Protector or Playboy?. Joanna Neil

it is. And in the end, when the time’s right, I can always go back home to Hampshire.’

      ‘There is that.’ He was ambitious, that was for sure.

      She studied him from under her lashes, amusement in her green eyes as a thought occurred to her. ‘So, with all that work, I imagine there’ll be no time for any serious romantic entanglements where you’re concerned, will there? All these nurses that are pining for you back at the hospital are going to be seriously disappointed, aren’t they?’

      ‘Are they really pining for me?’ He looked surprised, then shook his head. ‘Oh, I don’t know about that.’ He dipped into the paper bag and brought out a fruit bun. His expression was mischievous. ‘Still, a little bit of flirting here and there never hurt anyone, did it … especially with the right person. After all, life’s for living, don’t you think?’ He dangled the bun in front of her, tantalising her with the sweet, fruity aroma. ‘Can I tempt you?’

      Her green eyes sparked with amusement. ‘If it’s buns we’re talking, oh, yes, please, definitely.’ She breathed in the scent of cinnamon spice, and her mouth began to water in anticipation. But then she realised she might be treading on dangerous ground, and she said softly, ‘Anything else, though, and you can forget it, I’m afraid. I’m not in the market.’

      No way. Not even a tiny bit would she give in to any silly ideas that her wildly overactive hormones might be suggesting. A little flirting here and there? Not on your life. Not with him, at any rate … the stakes were far too high.

      He passed the bun to her and gave a wry smile. ‘That’s a very definitive statement,’ he said slowly. ‘I’ll have to see if I can change your mind on that one.’

      CHAPTER THREE

      JADE found herself thinking about that lunchtime meeting a couple of days later. In spite of her reservations about getting to know Ben better, she had to admit she enjoyed being with him. He had such a tolerant, friendly manner and a gentle sense of humour. It was no surprise that everybody liked him.

      She could see him now, out of the corner of her eye, flawlessly clad in dark trousers, freshly laundered shirt and tie, leaning negligently against the nurses’ station, chatting with Mandy, the nurse in charge of the ward. They looked relaxed and comfortable, and all at once Jade felt a twinge of regret that she couldn’t share that same easy relationship with him. Instead, whenever she was around him lately, it seemed her alarm system went into overdrive. She was way too conscious of him as a virile, energetic male, and she was beginning to realise that it would be all too easy for her to go along with his teasing invitations.

      She took a deep breath and brought her attention back to the case notes she was supposed to be studying. A child had been referred to hospital by his GP and Professor Farnham wanted her to work with Ben on this case. He wanted her to take the lead.

      ‘You look worried,’ Ben said, appearing by her side, out of the blue. ‘Is there a problem? Are you bothered about doing the work-up on the seven-year-old who was brought in this morning?’

      ‘Um … I’m okay, thanks.’ It was a lie. How could she be all right when he was so close to her that she could feel the warmth coming from him, when his long, muscular body was almost touching hers? She didn’t want to be affected by him in any way, but in spite of herself she could feel her blood beginning to heat.

      She cleared her throat and dragged her attention back to the task in hand. ‘We’re both going to be looking after the boy, aren’t we?’ she said. ‘I’m all right with that. If I seem worried it’s just that my mind’s all over the place at the moment. With the combination of work at the hospital, the café bar and studying for exams, I’m in a bit of a spin. Right now, my head’s back in neonatal with the babies.’ She hadn’t even mentioned the strain of having her every move monitored. Professor Farnham was very thorough in everything he did, and it was only to be expected. After all, lives were at stake.

      Ben was frowning and she guessed she probably wasn’t making much sense to him, so she added, ‘I was over there this morning, checking on Sammy.’

      ‘The baby who was having seizures?’

      ‘That’s right.’ She smiled. ‘He’s doing much better since we managed to identify the cause of his illness and start the treatment.’ She made a vague gesture with her hands. ‘Well, you know all about him, of course, since he’s your patient. I’m really pleased that the medication is working so well. I suppose I hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.’

      ‘It’s not unusual, apparently. A good many newborns are affected by hypocalcaemia, especially if their mothers are diabetic. The mothers become low in magnesium, which means that their babies are affected, too.’

      She nodded. ‘The professor was quizzing me on it.’ Recalling the moment, she put a hand to her chest in a mixture of anxiety and relief. ‘Luckily, I’d read up on it. It causes a problem with the babies’ parathyroid glands and they end up not having enough calcium in their blood.’

      ‘Yes. I suppose a lot of things could be traced back to the mother’s health and diet.’ His gaze followed the movement of her hand, and she was immediately conscious of the up-and-down motion of her chest. The soft cotton fabric of her top clung to her breasts and made her uneasily aware of her gently curving feminine shape. Flustered, she let her hand fall to her side.

      He hesitated for a moment or two, as though struggling to keep his mind on track, but then he pulled himself together and said, ‘It’s, uh … easily treated with intravenous calcium gluconate. Eventually things sort themselves out and the babies start to function normally … which is just as well, because Sammy sort of pulls at your heart, doesn’t he, being so tiny?’

      ‘Yes, he does.’ She glanced at him. He seemed distracted. Was he as conscious as she was of the sudden tension that had sprung up between them?

      His glance drifted over her, gliding along the swell of her hip outlined by the gently flowing skirt she was wearing, before returning to dwell on the pink flush of her cheeks. ‘I … uh …’ He made a visible effort to get back to the matter in hand. ‘I thought you did really well to come up with the diagnosis.’

      ‘Yes … well, I’m glad I can chalk that one up as a success.’ How on earth was she going to cope when he came to live at the house? Then there would be nowhere to hide, no means of escape.