One Night With Dr Nikolaides

CHAPTER SIX

“AND IT LOOKS like we’re back to a normal BP. Heart-rate is steady.”

The team around Theo clapped with relief. Their sixty-five-year-old patient, a local schoolteacher, had been helping rescue crews to pull away rubble when a lifetime’s worth of deep-fried squid and a love of the honey-soaked sweets brought to him by his students had caught up to him.

Despite her fatigue, Cailey was riding high. She hadn’t helped on a cardiac arrest in ages, and this had been a resounding success. Theo had been amazing. A cool, calm and collected doctor in the eye of a pretty crazy storm.

As an orderly wheeled the patient to a recovery room Cailey couldn’t help but express her admiration. “That was amazing.”

Theo smiled down at her, green eyes alight with the satisfaction that came with a high-adrenaline, high-stakes treatment. He’d never looked more attractive to her than he did at that moment.

All of a sudden her knees went weak and everything flew off balance. Theo’s arms were around her in an instant, swirling her into the doorway in a fluid move that would have put a tango dancer to shame.

When she opened her eyes all she could see were his lips. And that teensy little scar her tongue itched to reach out and—Stop it! She sucked in a shallow breath, horrified to notice that her breasts were pressing against his chest. They obviously had a mind of their own. Little minxes.

Theo didn’t move. OMG. Did he...did he like it? Like her?

Her brain went into overdrive. Was she going to have to rearrange a thousand vows never to succumb to the likes of Theo Nikolaides for the very clinical and reasonable sake of finding out just once what it would be like to...? Oh... Oh, my... His thighs were pressed against hers. His hips... He was very, very close. She felt the soft exhalation of his breath against her mouth and wanted more than anything to part her lips and taste him.

She risked a glimpse up into his eyes.

What she saw in them conveyed a thousand messages. Hope. Interest. Desire. A bit of confusion.

Little wonder! She was feeling about as confused as they came. For starters...why was he holding her in this doorway after she’d swooned like an idiot?

“Aftershocks.”

“I’m sorry?” Cailey shook her head, only to hear a collective gasp come from the trauma unit as another one hit.

Theo’s hold tightened around her, his tall, lean form curling protectively over her, his hands cupping her head against the rigid doorframe as they waited for the tremor to pass.

When it did he stood back and, as if nothing had happened at all, reached out to tuck a few strands of her disobedient hair behind her ear.

“Are you all right, love? Do you need to take a break? We’ve got relief doctors coming in from the mainland in about...” his eyes traveled to a nearby wall clock “...twenty minutes or so.”

Love? Since when did he call her “love”?

He stifled a yawn.

“I think if anyone deserves a break it’s probably you,” she said, pleased with her stern tone. Then she reached out to give his arm a you’ve-worked-hard squeeze.

Big mistake.

Go away, tingles and butterflies!

“You look tired, Cailey.”

“No, you look tired.”

He rolled his eyes. No kidding, the gesture said. Of course I’m tired, but I’m in charge.

A strange need to coddle him seized her. He was great at looking after others, but who looked after him?

Good grief. She wasn’t letting herself fall for him again, was she? But then perhaps she had never actually got up again after the first time...

“Cailey...”

“Theo?”

He crossed his arms and fixed her with a classic big brother look. “You should get some rest.”

She crossed her arms too, beginning to enjoy this back and forth banter. Never mind the fact that being sassy helped her hide the wave after wave of emotion pummeling her mind, her guts, her heart.

Longing. Desire. Heartache. Lust.

She’d thought she’d lain all those things to rest when she’d boarded that plane bound for London all those years ago.

“Tell me, Cailey, who exactly do you think is going to look after the clinic if I leave?”

His expression of triumph spoke volumes. He thought he’d nailed it.

She glanced past his shoulder and smiled as a group of a dozen-plus doctors shouldering medical kits walked through the double doors leading into the trauma area. Fresh-faced. Ready to work.

“They will.”

“What?” Theo turned around and registered the change of events.

“So I guess that’s settled, then. We’ll both take a break.”

* * *

“Where are you staying?”

Theo was as surprised as Cailey when the question popped out.

She glanced at him, and their eyes caught and held tight.

She was always more than your kid sister’s friend.

“I haven’t really organized things yet. My brothers are crazy busy with the rescue crews.” Cailey looked away, a slight flush blooming on her cheeks as she mumbled, “And I don’t really think there’s room at my mum’s now that—”

“What?” Theo took Cailey’s shoulders in his hands, forcing her to look at him. “Is Jacosta all right? Is her home intact?”

Cailey shrugged, tears filming her dark eyes. “She says so, but I’ve not seen the flat myself.”

“Flat? I thought you lived in a house?”

“We did, but...” Cailey looked away, a few poorly hidden tears falling from her eyes as she turned.

“But what?” His chest felt restricted against the strain of his lungs. “Has my father not been paying her retirement pension? Do you want me to speak to him?”

Bloody man! The most tight-fisted billionaire he’d ever come across. Not that he knew scores of them, or anything, but he knew enough to know that money made a man more of who he was at heart. Good, greedy, kind, cruel...it didn’t matter. Money was an enabler, and if he thought that for one second—

“No, it’s not that. When I left for London she sold the house.”

She swiped at her eyes, her expression one of pure defiance. There was a story there, but Cailey wasn’t pausing for him to ask any questions.

“The place she’s in now is diddy. But it’s fine. She’s fine. We’re all fine. The Tomaras clan is, as it always has been, perfectly happy. Earthquake aside.”

She quirked an eyebrow, adopted a faint smile and looked up at him, unable to hide the shadows of the past shifting across her features like a slow-moving storm.

Clearly not all of the Tomaras clan was happy.

“All right, then. If there’s no room for you to stay with her, you’ll stay with me.”

“What? No.” She took a step back and held up her hands. “No. Completely unnecessary. You’ve got—”

“Pish-tosh.”

He plucked the old-fashioned English expression from his days at medical school in London. Why had their paths never crossed there? She should have called him. Or Erianthe, who was still there.

He swore silently under his breath. He should have kept a closer eye on Cailey. From now on he would. “You’re my responsibility.”

“Er...and why is that, exactly?”

“Because I said so.”

Winning answer, Romeo.

Unsurprisingly, Cailey looked unconvinced.

What was he going to say? That he didn’t want his father to see her without him there to protect her? It was true. It was also true that he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he thought for one second Cailey’s family had been forced to downsize because of anything his father had done.

Somewhere deep inside that sinewy heart of his, he knew his father loved him. Even if he was “just adopted.” But he also knew Dimitri’s vow to make him pay for not becoming the son he’d wanted when they’d adopted him all those years ago still held strong.

Anyone might think the man would be proud that his son had become a doctor. Healing and supporting the very islanders who had helped make his family rich. But, no. He was meant to have followed in his father’s wake, taken up the helm at Mopaxeni Shipping and filled the family coffers even further.

“‘Because I said so’ doesn’t really cut it with me, Theo.”

He tipped his head back and forth. Fair enough. Cailey was a spirited, passionate woman. No surprise tht she wasn’t falling for the dominant male tack.

“You’ve worked hard, and tomorrow will be more of the same. Please. Come to mine and get some rest.”

Better.

“I’m not staying.”

He barked out a disbelieving laugh. How could he have forgotten how stubborn she was?

“Yes,” he ground out in a non-negotiable voice. “You are. My clinic. My rules. You work for me, and if you want to continue to do so you need some rest. I’ve got a spare room and a perfectly good bed for you to sleep in. As far as I’m concerned you need to be in it. Now.”

Cailey’s cheeks streaked with red. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”

Theo squared himself in front of her. Rolled his shoulders back. Pulled himself up to his full height.

What was he doing? Presenting himself like a prize stallion?

Idiot. She’s exhausted. So are you. Act normal.

He cleared his throat and started again. “Get your things. I’m taking you home.”

Way to go caveman. Real smooth.

“Theo, really. I’ll be fine.”

He smiled, caught by surprise at the way she’d said his name. It sounded like a...a verbal caress. Just the chink in her armor he needed.

“I’m afraid it’s non-negotiable, Cailey. Bed. Sleep. I can throw some hot chocolate into the mix, but that’s where I draw the line.”

What was he? Twelve?

Cailey pressed her feet to the ground, obviously gearing herself up to protest, and then, much to his surprise, suddenly wilted.

Raising her hands, she said, “Fine. You win.” She turned her surrendering hands into pistols, “But we need to stop by Stavros’s taverna so I can see my mother. And after that just a few hours’ sleep then I’m back here, just like everyone else.”

“Deal.”

He put out his hand, and when she placed hers in his to shake on it he stunned them both by raising her palm to his lips and giving it a kiss.

* * *

Cailey virtually ran to the changing room to get her backpack. She wouldn’t have been surprised if sparks were flying out of the soles of her trainers.

What was going on?

An earthquake wasn’t the only thing that had shaken up the island.

Theo was not the man she had decided he would be. In her head—and in truth she had devoted far too much time to this—he had become a mini-Dimitri. No. Worse. A Monster Dimitri. A: because he stood about a foot taller. B: because he was a thousand times more commanding when he chose to be. And C: Theo was a million more miles off-limits and a gazillion times more gorgeous than his father.

But other than that...? Exactly the same.

She pushed into the changing room, ran to the sink, stared at the back of her hand for a minute, debating whether or not to kiss it back, then threw handful after handful of cold water on her face willing her brain to try and match Bad Theo with—well...with Real Theo.

The real Theo posed a much greater threat to her. The real Theo, in just one day, had teased apart each of the perfect tight stitches she had carefully inserted over the wound in her heart and burst them wide open again.

The man was an infinity of little perfections.

Never mind the tug-your-fingers-through-it hair, the ridiculously green eyes, his athletic physique and utterly kissable mouth... He was an incredible doctor. And she found that about as sexy as it came. He was thoughtful. Empathetic. Resourceful. He was a generous colleague. He hadn’t once patronized her or tried to catch her out when she’d hesitated over a medicine vial or which scalpel to pick up when he needed one. Not that it had happened much. From their very first patient he’d actually managed to bring out her A-game.

And now she was going to spend the night at his house.

Her powers of resistance were pitiful. She stared at the mirror above the sink and mimicked herself, “‘Okay, Theo. Yes, Theo. Whatever you say, Theo.’” Pathetic!

She’d always imagined her return to Mythelios would be more...triumphant, in a dignified and grown-up way. She’d wow him with her cool professionalism and make him realize exactly what he’d lost.

Not fall into his arms at the first sign of an aftershock and then agree to curl up in his guest bedroom only not to sleep because he’d be right next door.

She stared at herself again.

Serious face, this time.

Had she tarred Theo with the same brush as his father? Theo had never told her to get lost. Or to steer clear. Okay, so she had heard him laughing with his mates about a Nikolaides never marrying a housemaid once, and that had stung—singed itself into her psyche probably for ever—but it was Dimitri who’d told her to stay away from Theo, not Theo himself. And she wasn’t a housemaid anymore.

Besides, there was definitely chemistry between them. No denying that. There always had been.

But what if this was just a tease only for him to push her away again? She knew Theo would never marry her, but she had come back sort of triumphant. She was a nurse in an exclusive hospital. She’d done some cracking good work today. Her mother was free of her need for a Nikolaides paycheck so there’d be no more dangling that fear factor over her head. It still shocked her that Dimitri had said he’d fire her mother if Cailey didn’t leave his family alone.

A flame lit sharp and bright inside her. She would take Theo up on his invitation. The bed. The hot chocolate. She deserved it.

It might not have been his fault her mother had decided to sell the family home to help Cailey with her nursing school fees, but it was his fault for being so ruddy nice she couldn’t find a reason to say no to staying with him. And if Dimitri found out about this and tried to exact any kind of vengeance the blame would fall solidly on Theo—and then she’d leave the island and never think of either of them again.

“Ready?” Theo strode into the changing room, scooped up her backpack with one hand, slung it on his shoulder and opened his other arm to create a protective arc around her shoulders as he steered them through the crowds to the front door.

Oh, swoon. Wrinkly scrubs suited him. Then again, being naked probably suited him too. Not that she’d imagined that. Much.

He pushed open the front door, his arm still round her and whispered, “Out of the frying pan...”

At first she didn’t get it—and then just a few footsteps beyond the clinic a whole new raft of sensations bombarded her.

Discordancy. The shrill sounds of heavy machinery hammering away at centuries-old rock and beam. The savaged spot-lit remains of homes and businesses that had virtually disintegrated when the quake had hit.

A wash of guilt rushed over her that she could have been thinking naughty thoughts and having saucy tummy-flips while all this mayhem was still happening across the harbor town.

This was the reason she was here. Not to play out some revenge fantasy against one of the island’s richest men.

She shivered beneath the weight of Theo’s arm, which was still resting lightly on her shoulders protectively, the way a boyfriend or a husband might touch a loved one who’d had a rough day and was feeling a little fragile.

“You warm enough?”

Theo’s voice was soft, a balm against the harsh sound of saws on metal and jackhammers rat-a-tat drumming against concrete.

“Mmm...” She was confused, maybe, but not cold. Not with his arm wrapped around her.

Another shiver rattled down her spine at the thought of his father seeing them. He’d warned her off once and this was stark disobedience of the “stay away from my son” remit she’d promised to obey.

But that was years ago.

“Want my jacket?”

“No, no. I’m good.”

Scared. Excited. A little bit more lusty than she should be. But strangely...whole. As if coming back to the island and finding herself walking side by side with Theo Nikolaides had been the one thing missing from her life.

“Sure?”

He slid his hand to her waist and steered her round some debris that had fallen from a shop front they were passing. The owners sat inside. Their folding chairs flanked an empty crate holding a candle and a half-empty bottle of ouzo. The pair, who must be husband and wife, lifted their glasses when they saw Cailey and Theo passing.

“Yasou!” the pair called out in tandem, then downed their drinks, wincing against the angelica and mace-flavored liquor.

Cheers? Seriously? With their house fallen to bits round them?

“Yasou!” Theo called back, smiling warmly at Cailey, then quickly tightening his fingers at her waist and tugging her out of the path of a couple of smashed watermelons that had been squirted out beneath a collapsed canopy.

“Making the best of a bad lot?” Theo called over his shoulder.

In Greek they called out the age-old saying, “Everything in its time, and in August...mackerel!”

Despite herself, Cailey giggled. “They’re certainly optimistic.”

Theo shrugged. “They’ve probably seen worse.”

Cailey pulled back, and the warmth of Theo’s fingers shifted easily to the small of her back as if they’d been a couple forever. “Worse than their shop crashing to bits when they both look on the brink of retirement?”

Theo stuck out his lower lip and tilted his chin. “First: people like them never retire. Second: a bit of patient-doctor privilege sometimes gives an insight into how people prioritize what is bad and what is worth raising a glass for.”

Ah. A “big picture” response. She got it. Theo was saying a mashed-up shop was nothing to what that couple had already faced on a personal level. They might have lost a child. Battled cancer. Survived a serious accident. Whatever it was had already put this couple face to face with their mortality—and this time, after the huge quake that had taken over a dozen lives already, they had survived. So why not toast one another?

She glanced back at the couple, merrily refilling their glasses and laughing quietly to one another. Bad things happened, but it was how you responded to them that mattered.