Wishing for a Miracle by Alison Roberts Page B

be—totally amazing, it was only going to last a matter of weeks. A brief interlude in her life.
    But she’d known it would be dangerous and facing danger—embracing it, even—was part of who she was.
    She could still say no. For a heartbeat, as they stoodthere, Julia knew instinctively that this was her last opportunity to back out. That Mac would respect that decision.
    But then he reached out and touched her face. A soft brush of fingertips on her forehead that trickled down to end up on her lips, and the touch was so gentle, so caring , that Julia knew she was in real trouble here.
    Past the point of no return.
    Falling in love, with nothing to hang onto to try and break that fall, and even if there had been, she wouldn’t be able to summon the willpower to save herself. She felt her eyes drift shut and her head tip back as Mac’s lips replaced his fingers, softly kissing her lips and then the corner of her mouth. Her jawbone and then the side of her neck where her pulse throbbed and then skipped.
    Yes. It was way too late to save herself.
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    She looked…perfect.
    The last piece of clothing had been peeled away and Julia was small and golden in the soft light of her bedside lamp, the tan of an antipodean summer still glowing over her entire body.
    His hands felt like they might be rough against the silk of her skin. For the first time Mac felt big and…clumsy, almost. Yet every touch…every kiss drew a response that made him feel nothing short of amazing.
    She seemed to know exactly where to touch him . The right words or sounds to make that had him on the brink of losing control utterly, again and again. Dear God—she wanted him. As much as he wanted her.
    But he had to hang on. To make this as good as it possibly could be. He had to be amazing because it wasthe only thing good enough for this woman. And he could be, because this was time away from reality. The past didn’t exist and didn’t need to damage what they had. What had Julia said? This had a ‘use-by’ date. Yes. It was a blink in a lifetime but it had the potential to give them both a memory they could treasure. Something too good to forget.
    Ever.
    So he took his time. Milking every sense. Revelling in the sounds of her sighs of pleasure or whimpers of desire. The sight of that smooth, golden skin and what he could read in her eyes. The smell of her hair and her skin and her desire. The taste and the astonishing feel of every part of her body. Yes. He took more time than he ever had. He slowed things down until Julia was begging. For him .
    Even then, he tried to be gentle. To ease himself into her delicious, tight warmth but she cried out his name and Mac was lost.
    He buried himself in paradise and knew he was taking her with him with every stroke.
    Her cry of ecstasy could have come from his own soul. Nothing had ever been this good.
    Nothing else ever could be.
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    How amazing—that something so good could get even better.
    Mac couldn’t get enough of it. Couldn’t get enough of Julia Bennett.
    With the frustration of trying to fight the attraction gone, life was just about perfect.
    He got to spend every minute of every working daywith Julia. The way he had ever since she’d arrived. Except that it was nothing like it had been.
    Funnily enough, it was easy to keep up the pretence that nothing had changed. When they were on a job and dealing with patients they were both ultimately professional. On station, the banter might have had a new edge and the way they stole glances at each other might be more significant but nobody seemed to notice. Not even Joe, who spent more time with them than anyone else.
    Angus didn’t guess but why would he? Mac never spent a whole night away from the apartment so his breakfast dishes still littered the bench and the pile of dirty socks grew in the laundry.
    But even with all those working hours and those glorious, stolen evenings, it