‘Yes, we bumped into each other earlier.’ She turned to Yuri as Liam took his seat and smiled warmly at him. ‘Tell us about your job, Yuri. It must be fascinating, meeting so many new people all the time.’
The purser needed little encouragement and happily began regaling them with tales about the trials and tribulations of being a purser on a busy cruise liner. He was an amusing raconteur and the rest of the group were soon showering him with questions.
Sophie was very aware that Liam was making no attempt to join in, however. She shot him a wary look and flushed when she discovered he was watching her. There was something in his eyes, a hint of some emotion she couldn’t quite decipher…
‘And what about you, Sophie? You must tell us all about your job now.’
She jumped when Yuri placed his hand on hers. She was aware of the knowing looks that were being exchanged around the table and quickly tried to move her hand out of the way, but he held onto it.
‘It must be fascinating, being a nurse. To hold the power of life and death in such delicate hands.’
He sighed expressively and Sophie coloured. There must be little doubt in the minds of anyone watching that the purser was interested in her and it made her feel uncomfortable, especially with Liam there to witness what was happening.
‘I hate to disillusion you but a nurse’s role is rather more mundane than that.’
She eased her hand out of his grasp and picked up her glass. ‘My job is to carry out orders and care for a patient’s needs. It’s the doctors who have the real power.’
‘Is that a fact? So how does it feel, Dr Kennedy, to know the buck stops with you?’ Randolph leant across the table and smiled at Liam. ‘It must put a lot of pressure on you, young man.’
‘It can do but you learn to adapt to the stresses of the job. I certainly don’t spend too much time dwelling on the thought that I hold the power of life and death in my hands,’ Liam explained dryly. ‘Anyway, helping a patient recover is a team effort. It needs both doctors and nurses to achieve results.’
‘Spoken like a true diplomat!’ Gloria declared. She turned to Sophie and winked. ‘Looks as though you two should get along just fine, honey.’
Sophie smiled, although she was sorely tempted to tell the older woman that she wouldn’t be around long enough to find out. First thing tomorrow morning she would contact the agency and ask them to find a replacement for her. Fortunately, the waiter arrived just then with their first course and the conversation moved on to other topics. Even so, it was a relief when dinner was finally over and she could make her escape.
Yuri looked disappointed when she announced that she was having an early night. ‘Are you sure I can’t change your mind, Sophie? There’s dancing on the promenade deck tonight and I would be honoured if you would agree to be my partner.’
‘That’s really kind of you, Yuri, but it’s been a busy day and I’m exhausted.’
She moved aside so that Liam could pass them, feeling a frisson run through her when his arm brushed hers. In accordance with the dress code for the evening, he was wearing a casual, short-sleeved shirt and she could feel the silky, dark hairs on his forearm tickling her bare skin as he moved past.
One of the other guests stopped him and Sophie felt another ripple run through her when she heard him laugh at something the woman said. Liam had always had the most wonderfully infectious laugh, so deep and warm that it had made everyone around him want to laugh, too. How strange that she’d forgotten all about that until now but, then, they’d had very little to laugh about in the months leading up to their divorce.
The thought was so painful that she knew she had to get away. When Yuri tried again to persuade her to stay she shook her head. ‘I’m sorry but I really am very tired. I’ll see you in the morning, I expect.’
She hurriedly left the dining-room and made her way to her cabin. The passengers were making the most of the first night of their holiday and she didn’t meet anyone on the way. She undressed and slid on a pair of the new shortie pyjamas which she’d bought for the trip. The bunk bed felt rather cramped after the comfort of a double divan, but she was both physically and mentally exhausted. She was fast asleep when someone banged on her cabin door an hour later.
Sophie scrambled out of bed and ran to answer the summons, peering blearily at Liam. ‘What’s the matter?’
‘There’s been a fight between two of the crew. One of the men has been stabbed and he’s in a pretty bad way, apparently. The other guy’s also been hurt, although he’s not as bad.’
His gaze skimmed over her before he abruptly swung round. ‘Put some clothes on. I’ll meet you in the clinic in five minutes.’
Sophie took a deep breath as she closed the door. She felt completely disorientated, having been woken up like that. She went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face then quickly hunted some clothes out of the wardrobe and dressed. There wasn’t time to brush her hair but she doubted if it would matter. Liam probably wouldn’t notice how she looked.
Her mind hiccuped to a halt because all of a sudden she could picture the expression in his eyes all too clearly. There had been something so spine-tinglingly familiar about the way he’d looked at her just now that a rush of heat suffused her.
Sophie bit her lip but she could feel the excitement building inside her and it scared her. She didn’t want to feel this awareness around Liam but she couldn’t seem to stop what was happening any more than he’d been able to do. The thought brought her up short.
If Liam was planning on getting married again, why had he looked at her—his ex-wife—with such hunger?
WHAT the hell had he been thinking?
Liam cursed roundly as he tossed a handful of sterile dressings into his bag. He must have been stark, raving mad to stand there staring at Sophie like that! So maybe it had only been for a split second but she must have noticed. What woman wouldn’t notice when a man was ogling her?
Another oath leapt from his mouth as he added a giving-set and several pairs of disposable gloves to the collection. It was rare that he ever swore but he was allowed a lapse at a time like this. He’d stood outside Sophie’s door positively drooling over the sight of her in those sexy little pyjamas. It didn’t make him feel good to admit what he’d done, yet he knew that he would do exactly the same thing again in similar circumstances. The sight of her shapely body in that strappy little top and shorts get-up was enough to make any red-blooded male stare!
Liam groaned as an image of Sophie suddenly swam before his eyes. Her blonde hair had been all tousled and her face had been softly flushed with sleep. One strap of the pyjama top had slipped down her arm so that the cotton fabric had dipped at the front, affording him a tantalising glimpse of her small breasts. The shorts had definitely lived up to their name, leaving her legs completely bare from the tops of her slender thighs right the way down to her shapely ankles, and he ground his teeth when he felt his body react predictably to the memory. He had to get a grip. Lusting after his ex-wife really wasn’t an option!
‘What can I do to help?’
Liam swung round when he heard Sophie’s voice coming from the doorway and let out a sigh of relief when he saw the jogging pants and over-sized T-shirt she was wearing. At least his self-control wouldn’t be put to the test again that night, it seemed.
‘We’ll need saline for starters. Can you see if you can find some? Oh, and check the drugs cupboard and see what we’ve got in the way of pain relief. Here’s the keys.’
‘Thanks.’
She caught the bunch of keys he tossed to her and hurried