Part 7 (1/2)

'Sorry,' Carrie said, groping for Dana's favourite toy, her body already lamenting the distance. Her mouth and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s tingled. The buzz intensified, demanding to be sated.

'No...I'm sorry...' Charlie ran a frustrated hand through his hair. What the h.e.l.l was he doing? What the h.e.l.l had happened to his iron-clad self-control? He couldn't do this. He still had over a week before he got his test results. And she had a kid. And even if he had been stupid enough to make one exception in this whole crazy year, he didn't even have condoms with him. He deliberately didn't carry them any more, so temptation was always kept at bay. He had to get out of there. Now.

Carrie found the 'off' b.u.t.ton and the silence was suddenly deafening.

'Dana's?' he asked, automatically looking at the offending toy while his mind frantically groped for a way out.

'Yes,' she said, standing and placing it in the basket beside her bed. She could tell by the way his gaze kept sliding to the doorway that there would be no more kissing tonight. She cringed, thinking about how easy she'd been. How desperate she must have seemed. And still every cell in her body hummed with arousal and she railed against her body's betrayal.

G.o.d, what a mess. She looked so lovely, so desirable in the subdued light he wanted to push her back on the mattress and finish what he'd started. He clenched his fists to stop himself following through. 'I'm sorry...' he said, his breathing still ragged. 'I have to go. I'm sorry...things got out of hand. I can't do this.'

'It's OK, I understand,' she dismissed, injecting a briskness into her voice that required supreme effort. d.a.m.n him to h.e.l.l. Why did he have to tease her with the possibilities, and then s.n.a.t.c.h them away before she'd experienced their full potential?

Charlie drew a shaky hand through his hair. His body was still aroused and he was teetering on the edge, while she'd gone back to being Ms Pinstripe again. Ms Untouchable. For a moment there he'd had Ms Tie-Dye back, Ms Touch-Me-Everywhere, and he knew which one he preferred. How could she morph so quickly?

'I don't think you do.'

Carrie shrugged. 'It was a reality check. A lot of men don't want to get involved with single mothers.'

Was that what she thought? He opened his mouth to deny it and then shut it again. This thing between them was crazy. His life was on hold. And even if it came off hold next week, he didn't need anything heavy in his life for a very long time. Perhaps never. And what did he have to offer a single mother and her daughter? He sure as h.e.l.l didn't have any great parenting examples to draw on. Maybe it was best for her to think the worst of him?

He reached out to touch her shoulder, dropping his hand when she took a step back. 'I'm sorry,' he said.

She heard the genuine note of regret in his voice and couldn't bear it. She was frustrated and humiliated and just wanted to be alone. 'Just go.'

Carrie heard the door close a few moments later. She kicked her shoes off and threw herself down on the bed, pulling her legs up into a foetal position, trying to ease the ache between them. d.a.m.n him, d.a.m.n Charles Wentworth to h.e.l.l.

How stupid was she? Had she learnt nothing from the whole Rupert disaster? How could she fall for the attentions of another posh doc? What the h.e.l.l would he ever see in a girl from the wrong side of the tracks? No breeding. No pedigree. She'd had a child out of wedlock, for heaven's sake. It'd be Rupert all over again. OK to warm his bed at every available opportunity, but not to promise until death did them part. Not to take home to meet Mummy and Daddy.

Thank goodness for Dana's toy. If they hadn't been interrupted she had no doubt that she would have gone all the way with Charlie. What the h.e.l.l had she been thinking? She had to work with him. Probably put him out of business if the books were anything to go by. It was unprofessional. Probably unethical. Certainly it presented a complete conflict of interest.

How was she ever going to face him again?

But face him she did. In her usual no-nonsense, tackle-things-head-on, hard-headed businesswoman manner.

'Morning, Charlie,' she said briskly on Monday morning, striding into his office and standing her briefcase on his desk. 'Don't say anything. Just listen. Friday night was a mistake. We both know it. Let's just mark it down to stupidity and forget it ever happened. OK?'

Charlie blinked. Stupidity? 'OK...'

'Good.'

Carrie picked up her briefcase, pivoted on her heel and strode out of his office. It wasn't until she sank down into her chair in the staffroom that she gave her shaking legs and thundering heartbeat any attention. She took a deep breath and congratulated herself on her performance. She flipped open her laptop lid, resolutely putting Friday night behind her and ignoring the betraying tremble of her fingers as they tapped at the keyboard.

Charlie stared after Carrie for a long time. He was still staring when Joe waltzed in with two mugs of coffee.

'One week to go,' Joe said cheerily.

Charlie refocused on his friend's face. 'What?'

'One more week,' Joe repeated, pulling up a chair, propping his feet on the desk and leaning back. 'You know. The blood test. No more pills. The end of twelve months of celibacy.'

'Oh, that.'

Joe sat up straighter. 'Yes, that. You know the HIV thing? The thing that's thrown you for a loop, put your life on hold for an entire year?'

'Mmm.' Charlie said, preoccupied by thoughts of Carrie's moan when he'd pressed his knee hard against her. Thoughts he was supposed to be putting behind him.

Joe c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. Something screwy was going on. His friend seemed very distracted this morning. 'OK, what's up?' He blew on his drink and took a swig.

Charlie realised he'd only been half listening to Joe. He sighed. 'I ended up in Carrie's bed on Friday night.'

Joe almost spat the contents of his mouth all over Charlie's desk. He coughed and spluttered as he struggled to swallow. 'h.e.l.l. I hope you've started carrying condoms again.'

Charlie shook his head. 'Nope.'

'Did you...?'

'No. We were interrupted...thank G.o.d.'

Joe whistled. 'So I guess it's going to be weird around here now?'

Charlie shook his head. 'Apparently not. She's just marched in here all prim and proper and announced that it was a mistake. That we should put it behind us and move on.'

Joe chuckled. 'Well, that's very mature of her.'

Charlie saw the amused twinkle in his friend's eyes and shook his head. 'Pain in the b.u.t.t. Both of you.'

Joe gave a full-on laugh this time. 'So it was good, huh?'

Charlie threw Joe a quelling look. 'That's not the point.'

'Come on, man. Twelve months. Three hundred and sixty-five days. Without it. Without any action whatsoever. It must have been sweet.'

Charlie felt his loins stir with hot memories. Sweet as sugar. 'That's not the point,' he reiterated.

Joe sobered and placed his coffee on the table. 'Look, you have to break the drought with someone when you get your tests come back negative. Why not Carrie? She's a great girl. She even wears pinstripes.'

Charlie looked at his friend with exasperation. 'What did I tell you when Veronica and I split up?'

'You were never doing the whole commitment thing again as long as you lived?'

'Right.'

'So?'

'So, Carrie has commitment written all over her. She has a four-year-old child. I don't know the first thing about being a father, a good one anyway, let alone to a child that's not my own.'

'Rubbish. You're great with kids. Just take whatever your father did and do the opposite,' Joe stated.

Charlie shot him a quelling look. 'You're not listening. She's not a drought-breaker girl. She's a hot roast dinners and slippers by the fire girl.'