Mills & Boon Christmas Delights Collection. Rebecca Winters

no colour at all and I can see a film of sweat on your forehead.’

      The horrified look I gave him was swiftly followed by me scooting the back of my hand across my forehead, which did indeed feel damp. Lovely. Bearing in mind I felt about as warm as a bag of frozen peas right now, this seemed a little odd. Not to mention mortifyingly embarrassing.

      ‘It’s just a little warm in here. You’re in a T-shirt! It’s hardly the Arctic.’

      ‘And you’ve shed three layers, put them back on, and then taken them off again since you got here and are now sitting in a sleeveless top shivering.’ He leant over and put the back of his hand on my forehead, ‘And you’re burning up. You’re done.’

      I looked up at him, his hand still lingering on my forehead.

      ‘Don’t think I won’t throw you out if you refuse to leave. You already know I can be an arrogant arse when I want to be.’

      I tried to laugh and ended up coughing.

      ‘Up you get.’ He pushed himself up and reached a hand down to me.

      Surreptitiously I wiped my own hand on my dress before taking his. As I raised my eyes, I saw the grin. Caught. It was testament to just how crap I was now feeling that I was almost beyond caring of this fact. Almost.

      I stood, putting in what I felt was an Oscar-worthy performance of feeling better than I did. But apparently the Oscar this year was going to someone else because as I made to step towards the door, the world began turning a bit blurry. And then a lot blurry. And suddenly the floor looked a lot closer than I seemed to remember it looking a second before.

      In the distance I heard someone calling my name. ‘Kate? Katie?’

      As my eyes regained their focus, I raised them and met Michael’s. The normally faint lines on his brow were deeper as he looked at me, and my body was being held close to his. I could feel his heartbeat and the taut hardness of his chest against mine. And then his arms moved and I was scooped up.

      ‘What are you doing?’ I squeaked out, my throat now deciding to join in with all the other bits of my body that weren’t functioning at optimum levels today.

      ‘I’m putting you on the sofa and I’m phoning Janey.’

      ‘No. Don’t, please. She has more than enough on her plate right now. I don’t need anyone.’ I gave a push against his chest, which achieved absolutely nothing.

      Michael bent his knees, two loud cracks emanating from them as he did so, and deposited me gently on the couch. I immediately tried to push myself up and felt the sweat break out on my forehead again. Michael gave me a look that as much as said ‘I told you so’.

      ‘Michael?’ I said, my voice quiet.

      He leant in, hand brushing my brow, his voice gentle. ‘Yes?’

      ‘I think I’m going to throw up.’ At which point, I lost the ability to concentrate on the horrifying embarrassment of the situation and focused instead on trying not to heave over my client. As the world swam in front of my eyes again, I managed to focus on the bowl that Michael had produced within seconds – clearly his size belied his speed – and vomited. Excellent. My mortification was now entirely complete.

      Michael ignored my request not to call Janey – big surprise – and the next thing I knew she was perched beside me on the sofa, stroking my forehead.

      ‘Hello.’

      ‘Hi. I told him not to call you. I’m fine. Really. Just ate something a bit dodgy probably.’

      ‘Katie, love? Can I let you into a secret? And don’t take this the wrong way.’

      I raised an eyebrow in reply as it took less effort than speaking.

      ‘You look like crap. And I mean that in the nicest way.’

      ‘Of course.’ I gave her a watery smile.

      ‘It looks like you’ve caught that bug that the kids had the other week. It should only last a few days but I’m not letting you go home on your own like this. You’re coming to our place where I can keep an eye on you.’

      I mustered up all my strength, which admittedly right now wasn’t a whole lot, but it was enough.

      ‘No Janey, I’m not. I’m going home. I promise I will go straight to bed, but I’m not imposing on you. You’re pregnant, for goodness’ sake, apart from anything else!’

      ‘You’re not imposing. And it’s not optional.’

      ‘You’re overreacting,’ I croaked out, and caught Michael in the glance. ‘Both of you.’ And then I threw up again. I sat back, vaguely aware that Michael was rubbing my back and holding my hair which, thanks to the wind and rain and everything else had now abandoned its foundations and given up on its updo status. I knew just how it felt.

      Janey cast her eyes over me, down at the bowl, then back at me again. She didn’t say anything but her look spoke volumes. Removing the bowl, she left the room and a few moments later the downstairs loo flushed.

      ‘Mikey?’ she called.

      Calling Pilot, Michael leant over and scooped his arm under my legs.

      ‘Hold on,’ he instructed, and I did. All of a sudden I was exhausted, completely and utterly. Without thinking, I rested my head against his chest and felt his arms tighten around me. Janey laid my coat over me and all four of us, five if you counted the teddy Pilot now insisted on taking everywhere, left the house. Janey unlocked the car door with the remote and popped the boot as she got in.

      Michael looked at the dog. ‘Up.’ Pilot obeyed, sitting down on one hip.

      Michael tipped me towards his body, so that I was resting heavily on his chest for a moment as he quickly grabbed the boot lid and pushed it closed before wrapping his arm back around me. As he turned, I vaguely caught sight of the dog’s face, replete with teddy dangling from his mouth by one arm, peering contentedly out of the back window.

      Janey had already opened the back door for her brother and Michael now slid us both in the back seat. Adjusting our position, he reached over to fix the seat belt in place as my vague fumblings were having little effect. Plugging it into the holder, he gave Janey the OK and she pulled off, out into the traffic.

      Outside the window the sky was dark with cloud. It had barely lightened the entire day. Thankfully, Christmas lights threw their cheer from people’s front windows, and strings of them stretched across the roads, their lights bright against the gloomy backdrop of sky. In fact, they seemed incredibly bright today. I closed my eyes against them momentarily.

      ‘You OK?’ Michael’s soft accent drifted towards me.

      I nodded, my hand immediately moving to the back of my neck as I did so, at the soreness the movement caused.

      ‘I think we need to get you into bed.’

      I bumped my head against his shoulder, in part because I seemed to have little control of it as we rounded a corner.

      ‘I bet you say that to all the girls.’

      His laugh was soft but I felt it rumble through his chest as he pulled me towards him. The kiss he dropped on the top of my head was even softer. In fact, it was so soft, and so…well, out of character for our relationship that I could only think that whatever delightful bug I was fighting was now causing me to hallucinate. But I’d had worse dreams than an undeniably gorgeous man holding me close, smoothing my hair back and resting a large, cool hand on my forehead so, right now, I was happy just to drift about in this one. And categorically ignore the bit of it where I’d thrown up in front of him. Twice.

       Chapter Eighteen

      The rest of the evening was all a bit blurry, which was just as well as I was pretty