‘I’m not. It’s just … I’m attracted to you and I don’t know why. I don’t want it.’ He knew as soon as he said it, it had been the exact wrong thing to say. Hurt flashed over her face and she let go of the door to fold her arms across her chest, as if protecting herself. He swore. ‘Shit, Prita, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—’
‘No. Stay right where you are. We wouldn’t want my dangerous man attraction thing to make you lose control. Heaven forbid I force you to give in to it again.’
‘That’s not what I … I didn’t mean …’ Her jaw squared and warning bells went off in his mind, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself from digging the hole even deeper. ‘I still love my wife.’
She jerked this time, as if he’d slapped her. Her lips quivered but she pressed them together, chest rising and falling, but this time not in passion. ‘I never asked you to stop loving her.’
‘I know. I’m just trying to explain—’
‘That this is my fault. I know.’ A muscle in her jaw clenched as her angry gaze met his. ‘Believe me. I’m used to the things that go wrong being my fault. Teaches me right for being so rash and going with the moment.’
He swore inside at how bitter she suddenly sounded, opened his mouth to try to make it better, but all he could manage was, ‘Tell me how to fix this.’
‘You can’t. There’s nothing to fix. You didn’t want this and neither did I. So, we’re in agreement. Now I’d prefer you go.’
Her gaze came back to his with the force of a body slam. ‘Prita.’
Her hand came up. ‘No. You don’t get to say my name like that. Not again. Not ever again.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Go. Just go.’ She edged away from the door, away from him, turning to face the other way.
He shoved his hands back into his pockets. ‘Are you coming out for the cricket match?’ Hell, did he have to sound like a lost little boy?
She looked over her shoulder, eyes so cold it hurt. ‘I’ll be out in a moment.’ She paused then said, ‘I don’t want this to affect our children.’
‘No.’
‘Good.’ She turned away again, making it clear she expected him to go.
He sighed and walked out of the room, stopping to look back at her. Her back was ramrod straight, hands clenched at her sides. She hadn’t forgiven him. Would she? It was probably better if she didn’t. That would make things so much easier. Even so, he couldn’t stop himself from whispering, ‘I’m sorry,’ again, before turning and walking away from her, down the hall, down the steps and outside to where his son and friends were waiting for him to play a cricket match he felt like playing as much as he wanted to be kicked in the head by Goldenrod, his prized stallion. Even so, he smiled as Aaron caught sight of him.
‘Hey, Dad. Is this the right length for the pitch?’
Keeping the smile firmly plastered in place, he jogged over to play the role of best dad in the universe.
***
The moment the sounds of his footsteps died away, Prita let go of her composure and crumpled into the armchair by the window, her face in her hands, fingers pressed against eyes that were suddenly overflowing with tears. ‘Oh god. Oh god. What have I done?’
Chapter 5
‘All done!’ Prita closed the ‘patient files’ document on her computer, glanced at the clock and smiled. Time to go and pick up her son.
Her son. It still had such a lovely ring to it. Always would. He was such a precious surprise to her, even with all his baggage, something she never thought to have in her life. It was strange how some things, even though they looked like desperate choices, her rashest choices, the ones she was least prepared for, turned out to be the ones that made her feel like she’d achieved something.
‘Wow, Doc Prita. Keep saying things like that and they’re going to start having you write the little notes in fortune cookies,’ Cherry said as she stuck her head in the door.
‘What?’ Had she just spoken that thought out loud again? She really needed to stop doing that. Self-respecting GPs running their own country practice didn’t do things like speak their thoughts out loud without meaning to.
Cherry simply laughed then spun around in a circle, her cherry red hair swinging about her shoulders in Jessica-Rabbit-style waves, contrasting with the leaf green sleeveless bodice and poodle skirt she wore. ‘What do you think?’
‘Gorgeous. But weren’t you supposed to be gone by now for your—’ she waggled her brows, ‘—big date with Frank?’
Cherry winked at her. ‘Only after I make sure you’re headed out the door. Don’t you and Carter have a special night planned too?’
‘We sure do.’ It was her birthday and Carter and she had been planning this little celebration for weeks.
‘I know. He’s told me all about it. You’re having fish and chips from Ned and Sally’s, ice-cream cake and jelly and chocolate.’
‘Yup, and maybe popcorn as well if our stomachs aren’t bursting.’ Her Aunt Ameera would be horrified at the choice of celebratory dinner. Celebrations were supposed to include traditional Indian dishes like korma and vindaloo, lamb saag and naan and burning your mouth out then soothing it with mango lassi. She hadn’t eaten Indian in years and wasn’t about to start now. Not that you could get it up here and she certainly wasn’t going to cook it. And why was she thinking of her aunt now? Something else she didn’t do.
‘And you’re watching the Star Wars movie, maybe a few of them if Carter gets his way.’
Prita laughed at the expression on Cherry’s face—she didn’t understand hers and Carter’s obsession with Sci Fi. ‘We might get through the last two. Can you thank Frank again for picking up the latest one when he was in
