Dr Chandler's Sleeping Beauty. Melanie Milburne

her, tantalising her, consuming her. She felt the magnetic force-field of his tall masculine frame standing in front of her.

      If she took a step forward she would be able to touch him. The temptation to do so was almost overwhelming. She wanted to place her hands on that muscular chest, to slide her palms over that damp hot skin, to feel those hard planes and contours, to look up and see the answering attraction in his eyes. But somehow she scrunched her fingers into her palms and stepped back instead.

      ‘I have to get going …’ she said, and almost tripped over her own feet in the loose sand in her haste to escape.

      One of his hands shot out and steadied her, his fingers wrapping around her wrist like a steel bracelet. ‘Careful,’ he said.

      Kitty swallowed as she glanced down at his fingers overlapping each other on the slender bones of her wrist. They looked so exotic and dark against the creamy paleness of her skin. Her pulse hammered beneath his touch. It felt as if a hummingbird was trapped inside her veins. She wondered if he could feel it. Was that why he had not let her go even though she was no longer in any danger of tripping?

      She gave him a sheepish look. ‘You can let me go now.’

      He slowly unwound his fingers, his eyes still meshed with hers. ‘I guess I’ll see you around,’ he said.

      ‘Yes, I expect so,’ Kitty said. She waited a beat before adding, ‘Thank you for the … rescue.’

      He flashed a brief on-off smile. ‘You’re welcome.’

      And without another word he ambled off to where he had left his towel further along the beach, turning every female head as he went.

      Kitty slowly released a breath and only just resisted the urge to fan her face with one of her hands. ‘Way too much sun, my girl,’ she said under her breath and, trudging through the sand, headed home.

      As soon as Jake walked into the A&E unit the next morning Gwen and a nurse and a resident who were in the office went silent, just as if someone had flicked a volume switch to mute.

      ‘What’s going on?’ he asked.

      ‘I have to check some bloods,’ the resident said, and dashed out.

      ‘Er … me too,’ the nurse said, and quickly followed the resident.