Page 40 of Only You

“I’m just going to get a run-in before heading to the hospital.”

With that, Andrew moved to step around her, her floral scent filling his nose and clouding his brain. Without looking, Ana stepped in the same direction, their collision unavoidable. When Ana’s eyes shot to his, Andrew watched in fascination as her pupils dilated. Then, as if shocked, Ana jumped, the momentum driving her forward, her hands landing on his naked chest. Sparks of electricity flooded his body where they touched. Ana’s lips parted, closed, and opened again, but no sound came out. When Andrew he dropped his head, Ana’s fingers tightened against the muscles on his chest before sliding up and gripping his shoulders. Before he could stop himself, Andrew lightly pressed his lips against hers, inhaling sharply at the feel of Ana’s lips on his.

Andrew slanted his head and deepened the kiss for a split second before reality kicked in. Tearing his mouth away, Andrew stepped back, his hands going to Ana’s upper arms to steady her. His heart rate was so high that he thought he’d need a defibrillator.

What was he doing? Ana couldn’t look him in the eye, her chest panting as she raised a hand and swiped at her lower lip, not wiping him away but smearing him across her mouth.

It was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. But did Ana know what she was doing? Not wanting to think too hard about what had just happened, Andrew stepped around Ana, dropping his hands from her arms as he went.

He needed to get away from her before embarrassing himself like some pubescent teenager.

“I’ll see you later,” he said, not waiting for an answer before pushing his way into the gym. Andrew headed straight to the en suite bathroom. There was no way he would run or exercise with the monster he was currently sporting in his shorts. He had not been that hard in years, if ever.

Maybe John and Damian were right. He did need to get out more. He needed to meet someone new and move on with his life.

Ana was a beautiful young woman. As far as he knew, she was single, but she might not always remain that way. One day she would meet someone her own age and want to move out. For some reason, Andrew hated that thought. Ana was an old soul in a young body, but twenty-two was no age. He’d been in medical school at her age, drinking and partying, burning the candle at both ends. Ana didn’t seem to want that life. He’d asked her briefly about her social life and her needs when she first moved in. He’d given her weekends off, but so far, she had chosen to stay at home. He knew she had money. He paid her well, and their agreement covered her bills and rent, but all she seemed to want to do was study. He’d heard her talking about Millie and George to Olivia, but he had yet to meet them. Well, if Ana didn’t want to go out, maybe he should use the time to meet someone new. Maybe then he could stop his mind going where it shouldn’t.

Chapter Twenty-eight

Ana

As time passed, Ana found herself hanging out more and more with Millie, George, and several of the other students on their course. University life had taken a turn for the better, and Ana was enjoying her newfound freedom and friendships. She knew she was still holding a part of herself back, but she couldn’t change the habits of a lifetime overnight. Home life was also perfect. Andrew was happy with her care of Olivia, who was in herself much happier. Since Ana had started, there had been no more incidents at school, instead, since Halloween, Olivia seemed to have taken on a ‘cool kid’ persona, and according to Mrs Grant, was flourishing.

During the week, Ana had taken over the running of the household day-to-day, liaising with Rosalind when she was in and seeing to all Olivia’s needs. Ana had spent so many years organising herself, so this was a doddle in comparison.

Ana’s finances were healthier, as Andrew was paying her incredibly well. Weekends were her own, and although she knew her job was finite and she had to be careful, she had started to allow herself to enjoy uni life. When Andrew and Olivia went out, Ana either chilled in her room or met up with the girls. She wasn’t really into nightclubs, so she always left before the real partying began, but an afternoon in the pub, bowling, or even the cinema was a change of scenery, giving her a feeling of belonging.

Weeknights were different. Most evenings, they sat down and ate together. On the nights Andrew worked late and Rosalind was off, Ana ensured she made enough food for Andrew, putting him up a dinner and leaving it in the warming draw. Ana had initially made herself scarce in the evenings, disappearing into her room once dinner was made, as she had not wanted to impose on Andrew and Olivia’s time together. That had soon changed at Andrew’s bequest, and now her evenings were filled with watching television series with Andrew or discussing current affairs. Andrew was a well-read and interesting man, and she enjoyed their time together.

There had been no mention of their kiss. Life had continued on as if it had been a dream and not one of the most embarrassing yet exhilarating experiences of Ana’s life. Ana had practically thrown herself at Andrew. Thank goodness he had come to his senses and walked away. She had been relieved when he hadn’t brought it up, as Ana was unsure how she would ever have looked him in the face again if he had. The kiss, however, had lit a fuse inside her, even if it was becoming a distant memory.

It was a Wednesday evening that things began to change. Olivia was sitting at the kitchen table working through her maths homework. Ana was teasing her and reminding her she only had another nine years of maths, so she might as well get used to it. Olivia had questioned Ana about her own education, so she didn’t hear Andrew enter the house.

“Before I moved to textiles and fashion, I was training to be a doctor,” Ana said.

Olivia’s mouth had dropped open. “What, like Daddy?” she asked.

Ana laughed. “Not like daddy, no. Your daddy is a surgeon. I only did two years of medical school.”

“Why?” Olivia asked.

Ana turned to talk to Olivia when she spotted Andrew in the doorway.

“Yes, why?” Andrew asked, his expression a mixture of shock and something else she couldn’t quite place.

Her eyes dropped to his mouth. Andrew was holding back a smirk, if she wasn’t mistaken.

Mentally shaking off her lustful thoughts, Ana wanted to kick herself. What had she been thinking? She hated talking about the past. It brought back too many painful memories.

“I wasn’t cut out for it,” Ana said, dropping her eyes, no longer able to look Andrew in the face.

Ana had known when she walked away, her father would cut her off. It had been a sacrifice she was willing to make. She knew she could never afford a medical degree on her own. Seven years of fees and living costs would have been too much of a financial strain, so she had changed her course. Ana had loved medicine, but not enough to withstand what it would have meant for her future.

Andrew didn’t push her, but Ana could sense his burning questions.

“I don’t think I’d like all that blood either,” Olivia said, her tiny nose scrunched up in disgust.

Ana laughed at her face. “It was gross,” she said, using Olivia as a distraction.

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