He moved upwards again and brought his mouth down on hers, his free hand sliding lower until he found the hem of her skirt. He drew it upwards, feeling the warmth of her skin against the ends of his fingers, feeling the press of her sweet body as she arched against him. He shifted slightly to allow himself better access, his hand gliding smoothly up her inner thigh and brushing the damp silk of her panties.

His desire fuelled still further by this explicit evidence of her need for him, his fingers slid inside the elastic and gently touched the very heart of her.

Sensitive as he was to her every tremor, he felt her sudden tension and his hand stilled.

‘Alex…’ She croaked his name against his mouth and he lifted his head slightly, his breathing decidedly unsteady, his fingers still resting gently on the most private part of her.

‘Do you want me to stop?’

‘No—yes…’ She closed her eyes and gave a whimper. ‘I don’t know. It’s just that I’ve never—I haven’t…’

She was a virgin.

And suddenly Alex found the willpower he’d been looking for.

He moved his hand and rolled away from her, closing his eyes as he struggled to calm his throbbing body.

There was a moment’s silence while he fought to regain control—while he wrestled with his conscience.

‘Alex?’ She said his name, her voice barely a whisper, and he gave a sigh and opened his eyes.

‘I told you to run.’

‘But I didn’t want to run.’

‘Well, you should have done,’ he said roughly, sitting up and sliding off the bed in a lithe movement. He needed to get away from him. Fast. ‘I’m no good for you, Jenny. You know that. We should never have started this.’

‘But—’

‘Jenny, I’m everything you accused me of being the day you first turned up here with your accusing gaze and your innocent expression.’ His voice was harsh. ‘Nothing’s changed.’

‘That’s not true. I didn’t know you when I arrived. I said things—’ She broke off and bit her lip. ‘I said awful things about you, I know, but that was before I knew you.’

He gritted his teeth. ‘Jenny, I’m everything you thought I was, sweetheart.’

She shook her head. ‘You’re a brilliant doctor. You give so much of yourself to others but you like to hide it. And you’re wonderful with Daisy. You’re going to be a great father.’

He raked long fingers through his tousled dark hair. ‘Jenny, I will make a lousy father. I don’t do relationships. You know that. I don’t get close to people.’

She looked at him. ‘Why?’

He recognised the look in her eyes and swore under his breath. She thought she could change him. She thought she’d be different from the others, but what she didn’t realise was that the problem didn’t lie with the other women he’d been with—the problem lay with him.

He just couldn’t commit to anyone.

He didn’t want to. And Jenny was no exception.