Free Unknown by Unknown

to be sensible and I'll let you go.'
    Annabel went rigid. Disgust, she told herself. Appalled, sickened, disgust. But, given her stricken awareness of the powerful muscles of Luke's thighs and stomach against her lower back and legs, it was clear she had no choice but to give in to him. She wasn't a midget but Luke was a good six inches taller and many stones heavier and she'd been in his arms often enough to know she would never get away unless he allowed it.
    The difference, of course, was that in the past she'd found the contrast in their sizes and strength sexually exciting so that her struggles had always been fake. Now, though, she held her body still and stiff and after a few heated, fiery seconds he put her down.
    'Brute,' she accused, spinning about, her eyes narrowing to slits. 'Caveman. Some things never change—'
    'Some things change far too much,' he said abruptly. 'But now at least you can satisfy my curiosity on one of your most memorable characteristics...' Before she could guess what he was going to do, he grabbed the bottom of her smock and jerked it, along with the vest she wore under it, up and completely over her head. 'Ah, Annie,' he said, his tone odd, almost despairing as he studied her sensibly covered breasts. 'Is this Clancy's doing? Is the man a lunatic?'
    'Geoffrey,' Annabel said through gritted teeth, retrieving the jerkin and vest from the floor where he'd discarded them and clutching them to her chest fiercely, 'doesn't choose my underwear.'
    The Annie Geddes Luke had known might have loved daring, low-cut lace and silk, bought for her own sensual pleasure as much as to drive her husband out of his mind, but Annabel Stuart's life was too busy for hand-washing delicates, and she preferred beige, supportive, nylon, department-store styles because they were strong, comfortable and unlikely to fall to shreds the instant they saw the inside of a washing machine.
    The fierce blush she felt at his critical inspection was nothing to do with remembering the erotic pleasure of choosing the fripperies then having him slowly uncover her again, and certainly nothing to do with the embarrassment she was conscious of about being caught wearing such an unflattering garment, but merely fury at him exposing her. 'Not all men are Neanderthals,' she informed him haughtily.
    'If you believe that, you don't understand us,' Luke said softly, his eyes intent on the shape of her behind the protection of the clothes she clutched. 'Underneath, we all are.' Tugging the jerkin and vest away from her with no more effort than he'd taken it away from her minutes before, he fastened a thumb around the top of each thick beige cup and dragged the fabric down brutally so it bunched at her midriff, pushing up her rose-tipped breasts, leaving them high and bare and achingly, betrayingly aroused.
    For one brief, shattering moment Luke's glittering gaze burned into her, but then he lowered his head. 'The Neanderthal in me has always preferred you like this,' he growled, lifting her up to him.
     

CHAPTER FIVE
    Wednesdays were invariably busy for Annabel. Even on the one day of the month when she had administrative time instead of a clinic in the morning, she was on call for the hospital and for all emergency admissions for the twenty-four hours starting at nine in the morning.
    At twelve she had either journal club or a junior doctor teaching session, each held fortnightly on a rotating basis, immediately followed by her busiest clinic of the week. Since that, despite her best efforts to eliminate waiting times for her patients, invariably ran over time, it was generally after seven before she made it to the wards for her usual evening ward round.
    Tonight, thankfully, given the distracted state of her mind and the fact that she was on call for emergencies and medical admissions to the hospital all night, the wards seemed relatively quiet.
    Tamsin Winston was transferred directly from Theatres to the surgical intensive care unit.