Free Bride on the Children's Ward / Marriage Reunited: Baby on the Way by Lucy Clark / Sharon Archer Page B

spend the rest of the night standing in the hotel lobby, gazing into each other’s eyes.
    ‘Shall we go?’ The words were a whisper from her lips, and it took a split second for them to penetrate David’s hazy mind. He looked down at her lips one more time, and Eden held her breath, waiting to see what would happen.
    Then he looked away, the moment broken. ‘Of course.’
    As they headed out into the early evening, Eden’s excitement start to increase. She was out on a date, with David. Well, he might not call it a date, but she most certainly did. She’d dreamed about this—the two of them going out to dinner—so many years ago, her seventeen-year-old heart desperate for some grown-up time with him rather than eating pizza and studying. Now that it was actually happening she was pleased they hadn’t done it before, because it made tonight more special.
    ‘I wasn’t sure whether you wanted to take the car or walk.’ His voice was a little clipped as he desperately tried not to breathe in her scent, but he knew he was fighting a losing battle. Eden was alluring, and he was beginning to realise just how addictive she was. He named the restaurant and Eden racked her brain trying to remember where it was. ‘It’s two blocks away. Not far.’
    She nodded. ‘That’s right. All I remember is the food. Delicious, and exactly what I’m in the mood for.’
    ‘Walk?’
    ‘Absolutely.’ She tightened her hold on his arm. ‘At least that way I get to be closer to you for longer.’ She waggled her eyebrows up and down. David didn’t comment, but merely smiled politely. ‘Add to that fact you can help support me in these shoes. I am definitely not used to wearing high heels.’
    David chuckled at this information.
    ‘What’s so funny?’
    ‘You. You breeze into the lobby as though you’re so sure of yourself, turning everyone’s head, portraying a woman who is as stable as she is sexy, and then you go and confess you’re not as confident as you appear.’
    ‘Well, you try walking in these things. They’re not too bad in the comfort department, but it’s early on. Who knows? By the time the night is over you might be giving me a piggyback all the way home.’
    David grinned at the image this produced. ‘Why are you wearing them, then?’
    ‘Because they go perfectly with the dress. They complete the picture.’ She spoke as though he’d asked the most ridiculous question possible.
    ‘Right. That explains it all.’
    ‘Ahh…you may feign nonchalance now, but your look back at the hotel told me otherwise.’
    ‘What look?’ David kept his eyes straight ahead, knowing that if he looked at the woman beside him she would see far too much. So much for guarding himself around her.
    ‘The one that said you wanted to devour me.’
    David was stunned. Had he been so transparent? He closed his eyes for a brief second, his mind working frantically as he tried to decide the best course of action. He eventually decided upon humour. Keep it light and friendly.
    ‘You’re trying to razz me up again, aren’t you?’
    ‘Is it working?’
    He glanced down at her, their gazes melding. ‘I’m already razzed.’ The soft words were out before he could stop them. He saw surprise and then total appreciation in her eyes.
    ‘And you’re admitting this to me?’
    David exhaled slowly. ‘It seems pointless not to. All day long I’ve struggled against the way you make me feel. It’s there. It exists between us. Is there any point in denying it?’
    ‘No. No. ’ Eden was astonished. ‘Not at all. This new, not-afraid-to-admit-his-feelings David is a delightful find.’
    ‘It doesn’t matter, because we both know nothing can ever come of it.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘You don’t live in this country, Eden. You work overseas, and we’ve been a wrong fit right from the start. You forget that I know you better than the plethora of men you usually play with.’
    ‘Play with?’ She quirked an eyebrow at him, trying to hide