Read Their Baby Surprise for Free Online Page B

weather as cold as this.
    She hobbled up the path and let herself in. It seemed an awful long way to the kitchen but a cold compress should help to prevent her knee swelling up. By leaning against the wall and hopping, she finally made it to the kitchen and dug a bag of frozen peas out of the freezer, wrapping it in a tea-towel before applying it to her knee. There was already a huge bruise forming and she guessed that the whole knee would be black and blue by the morning.
    She sighed as she held the makeshift compress against her swollen joint. What a miserable end to a lovely evening. Maybe it was payback for that kiss? She hadn’t planned on it happening—it had been purely an impulse. She wouldn’t have given it a second thought normally either. However, the moment her lips had connected with Matt’s cheek, she had realised her mistake. Social kissing may be all well and good, but not when the person she was kissing was Matt, apparently.
    Her breath caught as she remembered the warmth of his skin against her lips. She touched a finger to her mouth and shuddered when she felt an echo of that heat still lingering there. It was hard to believe the brief contact could have left such a lasting impression. Had it made the same impression on Matt, though?
    Common sense insisted that the answer to that question should be a resounding no but she found it difficult to accept it. There had been several occasions recently when he had looked at her with an awareness in his eyes that she hadn’t seen there before. Even the interest he had shown tonight when he’d asked her why she had chosen to remain single was a new departure for him and she couldn’t help wondering what had changed. Was it possible that Matt no longer saw her simply as a colleague?
    The thought made her heart race even though she had no proof that it was true. Rachel sighed as she put the now-soggy bag of peas back into the freezer and lifted out a bag of sprouts. All she knew for certain was that her feelings towards Matt had altered recently and altered dramatically too. She would have to be extra careful around him and make sure that she didn’t let him know how confused she felt. And that meant no more kissing for any reason!

    Matt was getting showered the following morning when the telephone rang. Snatching a towel off the rack, he hurried into his bedroom and picked up the receiver. Surprisingly, after all the emotional upheaval of the previous evening, he had slept soundly. It was as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, making him see that he had needed an outlet for his feelings for a very long time.
    ‘Matthew Thompson.’
    ‘Matt, it’s me, Rachel. I’m sorry to phone you so early but I need a favour.’
    Matt felt a rush of heat invade him and sank down onto the bed. Hearing Rachel’s voice reminded him vividly of the dreams he’d had during the night, dreams of such an explicit nature that his body immediately quickened as he recalled them. It was an effort to respond calmly when every cell was suddenly on the alert.
    ‘Of course. What can I do for you, Rachel?’
    ‘Can you give me a lift into work? I very stupidly slipped on some ice last night as I got out of my car and hurt my knee. It’s not serious,’ she added hurriedly, ‘but I don’t think I can actually drive myself there today.’
    ‘Do you want me to run you to hospital so you can have it X-rayed?’ Matt suggested in concern.
    ‘Thanks, but there’s no need. I’m sure there’s no serious damage—it’s just badly swollen. It should be back to normal in a couple of days’ time.’
    ‘Are you sure you should be going into work?’ he protested. ‘The best thing for it is rest and you won’t be able to do that if you’re having to jump up and down, attending to patients.’
    ‘I’ll manage,’ she assured him. ‘I’ve spent the night with a bag of frozen peas strapped to it and that’s helped.’
    Matt chuckled. ‘It’s good to know the