Сара Морган – Mistletoe Brides: Italian Doctor, Sleigh-Bell Bride / Christmas Angel for the Billionaire / His Vienna Christmas Bride (страница 15)
Liv expertly snuggled the baby against her and reached for the bottle, leaving Stefano to update Nick on his wife’s condition.
She sat down in the chair, settled the baby in the crook of her arm and drew the teat across her lips. ‘You poor little thing,’ she murmured softly. ‘Are you starving?’
The baby was red-faced from crying and gave a little hiccough. Then she played with the teat for a moment before turning her head away in disgust.
‘I know it feels a bit weird, but it tastes just the same. Trust me.’ Liv squeezed a tiny bit of the milk onto the baby’s lips and watched as her mouth moved hungrily. ‘See? It tastes nice. We just need to teach you to suck.’ She skilfully manoeuvred the teat into the baby’s mouth and the infant lay still for a moment, and then gave a gulp and swallowed. Liv smiled. ‘Good girl.’
‘Oh thank goodness,’ Nick muttered, watching from across the room. ‘She’s been crying for hours. I was at my wits’ end. You are utterly, utterly amazing.’
Liv glanced up and met Stefano’s eyes and there was something in his watchful gaze that made her shift awkwardly in her seat.
What was he thinking?
Probably that she was good with babies but hopeless at scintillating dinner conversation.
Still mortified that she’d gone on and on the night before, she dipped her head and concentrated on the baby. ‘She’s fine. She just needed a bit of help to suck from a teat. It’s a different technique.’
Nick gave a helpless shrug. ‘I don’t suppose you fancy moving in with me for a week or so?’
Liv gently withdrew the bottle from the baby’s mouth and lifted the baby against her shoulder. ‘What about Grandma? Can she help?’
‘She’s great with this one…’ Nick scooped the toddler onto his lap ‘…but the baby needs Michelle.’
Stefano rose to his feet. ‘Let’s see how she goes this morning. Once her condition is stabilised we may be able to transfer her to a ward and she can have the baby with her. We’ll do everything we can to help, I assure you.’
‘You’ve been very kind.’
The door opened and Anna put her head round the door. ‘Liv? Can Rachel take over in there so that you can help me out here? Everyone is obviously bored with Christmas shopping so they’ve decided to spend the afternoon with us instead.’
‘No problem.’ Liv carefully handed the baby back to Nick and smiled at him. ‘You can stay here for now. Once we have some news from ICU, you can go and see Michelle.’
She left the room and hurried after Anna but Stefano’s fingers curled around her wrist and stopped her.
‘Liv, wait.’
The touch of his hand turned her limbs to jelly and she took several deep breaths before turning to face him. This time she was
‘I don’t want your money, Liv.’ His voice was a deep, lazy drawl and the breath stuck in her throat because he was so cool and in control and she felt so, so awkward.
‘Please take it. Honestly. There’s no reason why you should pay for me.’ She risked a glance at him and then wished she hadn’t because he was the sort of man you just couldn’t look away from. He was impossibly, indecently handsome and his gaze held hers for a moment and then flickered to her mouth.
Liv stopped breathing and a slow, dangerous warmth spread through her body. For a wickedly delicious moment she thought he might actually be wondering what it would be like to kiss her.
And then she returned to reality.
His eyes narrowed. ‘What would be boring?’
Horrified, Liv stared at him.
‘Liv, stop it.’ His eyes were amused. ‘Why are you so jumpy? Last night over dinner you managed to relax and be yourself. For the first time I actually had a glimpse of the real you.’
Liv almost groaned. ‘Yes, I know,’ she muttered, ‘and I’m really,
Surprise flickered in his eyes and he watched her for a moment, his expression thoughtful. ‘I ordered one course because most of the women I take out to dinner don’t eat anything,’ he said softly and she gave a resigned smile.
If she’d needed a reminder that she bore no resemblance to the type of woman he usually dated, she had it now. ‘Well, you only have to look at me to know that I’m not in that category—but then you weren’t really taking me out to dinner, were you? It was more a question of me gatecrashing and—’ she broke off and studied his face. ‘Why are you smiling?’
‘Because you fascinate me. In Resus you are always cool and in control. You are fast, bright and confident. And then we leave Resus and you are a nervous wreck. Why is that, I wonder?’
The way he was looking at her made her feel hot and shivery at the same time.
‘I…really ought to go, because…’ horribly out of her depth, she waved a hand vaguely. ‘I…just really ought to go.’ Why was he talking to her, anyway? Why was he bothering?
‘Give me your car keys.’
‘My—’ She frowned. ‘Why?’
‘Because someone from my garage is coming to pick up your car in ten minutes.’
Liv stared at him in astonishment. ‘Your garage? But they fix Ferraris.’
‘They’re skilled mechanics.’ Stefano inclined his head as the neurology consultant wandered past and muttered a greeting. ‘They can fix anything with an engine.’
‘I’m not sure that mine even falls into that category,’ Liv joked weakly, incredibly touched that he’d offered.
‘All the more reason to let me sort this one out. Garages don’t rip me off.’ His tone was pleasant but there was a hard glint in his eyes that made her smile.
‘I imagine they wouldn’t dare.’ Panic fluttered inside her when she thought about all the demands on her meagre salary. ‘I suppose I could use the Christmas-tree money.’ She murmured those words to herself and Stefano raised an eyebrow in question.
‘The Christmas-tree money?’
Trying to work out how to find a Christmas tree that didn’t cost anything, Liv felt her head start to throb. ‘Look, I hadn’t expected my car to die three weeks before Christmas, which obviously wasn’t very sensible planning on my part, but there you are. I basically can’t afford to get it fixed yet.’ What was the point in pretending? It was obvious from the state of her car that she wasn’t rolling in money. ‘But thanks for offering.’
‘How much is your budget?’
‘A hundred pounds.’ Saying it aloud, it sounded so ridiculous that Liv started to laugh. ‘You see? It’s hopeless. I doubt they’d even tow it away for that.’
‘It might not be anything too serious. Let’s wait and see what they say. My mechanic is cheap and reliable.’ His eyes lingered on her face and she felt her insides heat.
‘I don’t know what to say.’
‘You say yes.’
Faced with the tempting vision of a problem solved, Liv felt herself waver. ‘If it’s more than a hundred pounds—’
‘Then I’ll tell them not to do the work. Now give me the keys.’ He held out his hand. ‘Keys, Liv.’
She handed them over. ‘I don’t know why you’re helping me.’
‘I know you don’t.’ With that enigmatic comment, he strolled away from her, her car keys in his hand, leaving her staring after him in bemusement.
‘I don’t care how much it costs.’ Stefano trawled through his emails as he made the call. ‘I just want it fixed. Fast. And I want the bill to say £102.’ He listened for a moment as the mechanic outlined the dire state of Liv’s car. ‘Yes, I know all that. I have eyes… I don’t care about that, either… A new engine—yes, whatever, and there’s one other thing.’ He frowned as he scanned the email from the chief executive demanding his presence at a meeting on cost-cutting. ‘I want you to deliver a hire car here this afternoon. A new, safe hatchback, nothing too flashy.’ Having sorted out that problem, he terminated the call and turned to the pile of letters on his desk, but he was called to see a patient and then another and it was several hours before he was finally able to return to the mounting paperwork.
He was just trying to work up some enthusiasm for an extremely dry memo from the Department of Health when there was a tap on the door.
Liv stood there, a set of keys in her hand. ‘The garage delivered me a car,’ she gasped. ‘Did you arrange it?’
Stefano relaxed back in his chair, watching her. ‘They always give a complimentary car. Perhaps I forgot to mention that.’
‘When they’re servicing your Ferrari, maybe, but
‘It’s Christmas. I told them that you have a child and that you work at the hospital. People are extra-kind to nurses and rightly so. Just accept it, Liv.’ His order was met by silence and she simply stared at him. Then she gave a little sob and suddenly burst into tears.