Free The Surgeon's Fatherhood Surprise by Jennifer Taylor

them into a bubbling cauldron of desire. He wanted to lean across the table and kiss her, run the tip of his tongue over those soft, delicious lips and taste them, then gently—ever so gently—nibble the lower one. And that was just for starters!
    Jack shot to his feet, mumbling something about checking on the boys because it was the first excuse his over loaded brain dredged up. He almost ran out of the kitchen, praying that Alison didn’t suspect what was going on. He couldn’t imagine that she would, not when he was having such difficulty accepting the concept.
    He leant against the wall and groaned. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t be having lustful thoughts about a woman he barely knew, a woman, to boot, who apparently believed he was some kind of…of dissolute playboy . It was mad, senseless, stupid, ridiculous and every other adjective in between. It simply couldn’t happen. He wouldn’t allow it to!
    He took a deep breath and turned to go back into the kitchen, then felt the floor ripple beneath his feet when he caught sight of Alison. She was drinking her coffee, and all the feelings he’d experienced before seemed to multiply tenfold as he watched her. He couldn’t drag his eyes away from her mouth as it neared the cup—a small purse of her lips, a tiny puff of cool air, followed by a tentative sip. Itwas like poetry in motion and he would have been happy to recite the verse for the rest of his life—purse, puff, sip.
    Jack quickly closed his eyes. He had no idea what was going on but he had enough to contend with: a child who was so traumatised he wouldn’t speak; problems with his father; a demanding job. He didn’t need or want to add anything else to the equation. He had to stop watching Alison and lusting after her, and get a grip!
     
    Alison put down the cup and looked around the kitchen. It really was a mess, she decided, and if she’d had to live here she would have had to do something about it.
    Her gaze skimmed over the cabinets, which had been painted in a particularly vile shade of green, and she shuddered. No wonder Jack was finding it hard to settle into his new life when he had to live in a place like this. Compared to what he had left behind in London—all that glitz and glamour—it must be a shock. Maybe he claimed that he was over the party scene, but she couldn’t believe he didn’t miss all the rest.
    It made her wonder how long he would stay in Penhally Bay. She couldn’t see him spending the rest of his life in this quiet little backwater—it was simply a stopgap. At the moment he needed his family’s help to look after Freddie, but once he got used to being a father he would move on, probably return to London and jump right back into the social scene.
    It was what Sam’s father, Gareth, had done. He had been brought up in London and had missed city life when he had moved to Cornwall to work. Although Alison had realised when she’d met him that he’d found country living boring, she’d hoped he would adapt in time. When she’d discovered she was pregnant, she’d thought it would help Gareth to put down roots, but it hadn’t worked out that way.
    After Sam had been born the situation had grown worse. Gareth hadn’t coped with either the responsibility of being a father or the restrictions of having a new baby to look after. He had left her for another woman when Sam had been six months old and returned to his former life in the city. She’d had no contact with him since. It was up set ting to compare Jack with Gareth and realise they had so much in common.
    ‘More coffee?’
    Jack came back into the kitchen and she started nervously. She shook her head, hoping he couldn’t tell how unsettled she felt. It shouldn’t make a scrap of difference whether Jack stayed in Cornwall or left, but it did.
    ‘Sure?’ He picked up the cafetière and held it, poised, over her cup.
    ‘No, this is fine. Thank you,’ she added belatedly.
    Jack topped up his mug and