‘Sev was devastated,’ Anya admitted. ‘He blamed himself.’
‘Why would he blame himself?’
‘That is what tends to happen when your closest friend throws themselves into a cold river rather than tell you there is something wrong.’
It was a difficult conversation but it did not look like it to an outsider. Rachel couldn’t believe how easily Anya and Nikolai appeared to be chatting as Libby started to groan again. ‘You have the oddest friends,’ Rachel said as she rubbed Libby’s back.
‘I know they are.’ Libby came out of the contraction and they both shared a smile as Anya waved over to them as her car arrived. ‘I hope it goes well, Libby,’ Anya said, as her chauffeur got out and opened the car door.
Libby nodded but once Anya was in the car her face moved into a snarl, which was most unlike Libby, especially what she said next. ‘Tough bitch.’
‘Oh, God!’ Rachel exclaimed. ‘You’re going to have it now, aren’t you? On one of the shows I watch they start swearing...’ Her voice trailed off and she saw that Daniil was waving to his driver, who was stuck at traffic lights, to hurry, and that Nikolai was walking back inside.
‘Nikolai,’ Rachel called out to him. ‘Get here.’
He came over.
‘How could you leave?’ she asked.
‘I am sure Libby would prefer—’
‘It’s not about what she might prefer,’ Rachel interrupted. ‘I might need some help.’
‘Do you want to push?’ he calmly asked Libby.
‘No.’
‘Then she has plenty of time till the baby arrives,’ Nikolai said.
He just stood there calmly, as if slightly bored, until Daniil’s driver pulled up and then asked, ‘How far away is the hospital?’
‘It’s just five minutes away,’ Libby said. ‘Without traffic!’
The streets were packed.
‘You’ll be fine,’ Nikolai said.
Daniil seemed to think so too and he shook his head when Rachel offered to climb in the back with them. ‘There’s no need.’
‘But what if she has it on the way?’ Rachel asked as she protested her dismissal.
‘How many babies have you delivered, Rachel?’ Daniil asked.
‘Er, that would be none.’
‘How about you, Nikolai?’
‘Two,’ Nikolai answered, and smothered a smile at Rachel’s pout. ‘Do you want me to come with you?’ he offered.
‘God, no!’ Libby said.
‘You’ll let me know when she has it,’ Rachel checked. ‘I don’t care what time it is!’
‘Of course.’ Daniil gave her a nod and then got in the back with his wife and as they drove off she turned to Nikolai.
‘You took all the drama out of that, didn’t you?’ Rachel accused.
And then, then she got his smile.
His full one.
It was like a wave rushing in unexpectedly—with no buffer. He was absolutely beautiful and his smile welcomed her, for the very first time, into his space.
She stood there, late in the afternoon on a busy street, as if finally alone with him, and smiled back.
‘How come you’ve delivered two babies?’ Rachel asked, moving one step closer. ‘Are you a doctor?’
‘No.’
‘A nurse, then?’
‘Please, no.’
‘Then how—?’
‘I worked on ships,’ Nikolai said. ‘The first baby I delivered, the mother was a stowaway and they don’t tend to declare they are pregnant and neither do they come with health insurance.’
‘Oh, my God!’ He was utterly fascinating, Rachel decided. She simply had to know more. ‘Tell me!’
‘The mother and baby were fine.’
‘What about the other one? Was she a stowaway as well?’
‘No, she was a colleague and didn’t know she was pregnant. That baby was very small.’
‘Did it live?’
‘Yes.’
Rachel wanted to snap her fingers for more information but he told her no more.
Nikolai could feel her curiosity and impatience and he cast another slow smile in her direction.
Oh, his mouth was like a magnet because with just a small shift of his lips Rachel took a step towards him.
‘I’m going to find out,’ she warned him.
‘No,’ he said. ‘You’re not.’
‘I’m very persistent. Just watch me.’
‘I am watching you.’
She was tall. It had been a bane career-wise but it was a pleasure now because it meant that in high heels she was close to eye level with him. Nikolai did not move from her proximity and rare was the man who wasn’t just a little bit intimidated by Rachel in seductive mode.
He was far from intimidated.
‘I think the music might have started,’ she said.
‘Probably.’ Nikolai responded, though he made no move to head back inside.
‘So,’ she asked, ‘are you going to ask me to dance?’
She was a flirt and a very skilled one at that, but, she fast realised, she was no match for Nikolai. She expected him to shrug, or say maybe, or even to agree and ask her to dance. Instead, he answered her with a truth.
‘I don’t need to ask.’ He took her hands and moved them so they came around his neck, then he placed his hands on her hips. ‘Do I?’
They were out on the street, standing to the side of the red carpet that led to the hotel, and she swayed to no music as he stood still.
She tried to move her body in but he held her so that she could not, all she could do was look into his eyes.
He stared back at her and she had never met anybody so good at eye contact. It wasn’t invasive or uncomfortable; instead, their eyes told each other secrets.
His gaze told her of his desire, and hers told Nikolai that he could kiss her now.
Please.
Yet he did not.
Instead, his eyes told her he would make her wait for that pleasure.
She moved her mouth in, just a little.
He moved his face back.
His hands were warm through her dress but nothing compared to the heat between her legs. Perhaps it was better that they did not kiss because if his mouth met hers now, she might ignite.
‘We should go inside,’ he said.
‘Why?’ Rachel asked, because she rather liked being out here with him. ‘I’m not on baby watch any more.’
‘We need to talk.’
‘I thought you didn’t want to talk.’
Usually he didn’t. Their lips were almost touching but it wasn’t just the feel of a mouth that he wanted—he wanted to hear her words.
‘I want to talk about you—I want