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‘If you keep doing that, you won’t have to wait long to go again.’

She chuckled against his neck. ‘Promises, promises.’ She pushed herself up onto her elbow and leaned down to kiss him again. Her hair fell around his face and hers, surrounding him with her delicious scent as he pulled her tighter against himself. He welcomed her into his arms, meeting her kiss with one so full of passion that it stole his breath away. When she pulled back, he took advantage of the movement to roll her over, where her hair splayed out on his pillows.

‘You really are incredibly beautiful, Evelyn.’

‘I’m already naked in your bed, Jake. It’s not like you need to chat me up.’

He pushed her hair to one side so he could rest his forearms on the pillow and cradle her face in his hands. ‘I mean every. Single. Syllable.’

Even in the dim light her eyes sparkled at the compliment and he could see her lips curve in a smile that was half seductive and half pure happiness.

‘I love this smile,’ Jake confessed in the near darkness. ‘And I’m going to do everything I possibly can to keep you wearing it, for as long as you’ll let me.’

‘Oh, Jake. You don’t have to make me promises like that.’

‘I know. But I want you to know your happiness matters to me.’

‘Thank you.’ Evelyn gave him a sweet kiss, before giving him a cheeky grin. ‘So you want to keep me happy, do you?’ Her hands wandered south and he had to bite back a groan.

‘Absolutely.’

‘And you’ll do anything … I mean anything to please me?’ Still her hands wandered lower, drawing lazy patterns across his skin that deliberately, teasingly didn’t quite reach the place he most craved her touch.

He grinned down at her, captive between his arms. ‘Oh, yes. Why? Did you have some special requests?’

‘I might do.’ She giggled as she lifted herself up to mould her body against his as she kissed him deeply, sending blinding desire crashing through him.

Evelyn groaned at the irritating chirruping that had dragged her from her delicious dream, and snuggled against the warmth by her side. When the chirruping started again, the warmth shifted beneath her and she forced her eyes open. Her sleeping fantasies met with the waking world and for once it was as perfect as her dreams. Nearly. It would be if not for the buzzing and bleeping phone.

‘Any chance you can silence that?’

‘I’m sorry. That ring tone is for the surgery. Go back to sleep.’ He snatched the offensive device from the bedside table. ‘Good morning, Badger’s Hospital, Jake speaking. How can I help?’

Evelyn pulled the pillow over her head, refusing to acknowledge that the magical night was over. It was uncharacteristically selfish of her, but – just for a few moments – she wanted the world to bugger off and leave them both alone so she could pull him back into bed and spend a few more hours not worrying about being a mum, or a daughter, or a nurse, and could just enjoy being Evelyn for a bit.

‘Hi.’ Jake sounded confused, and she eased one corner of the pillow up to hear more clearly. ‘How did you get this number? Really? That was very clever thinking.’

Evelyn put the pillow back under her head, where it belonged, and tried to smooth out her hair. It didn’t sound like an emergency call that would have Jake snapping into super vet mode and rushing away. If anything, it sounded like a cheerful chat. She strained to make out what he was saying, but he’d obviously stepped further away to give her some quiet. Maybe their morning together wasn’t over before it had begun.

When she heard Jake’s footsteps, she rolled over to greet him, and smiled to see him wrapped in the same dressing gown she’d borrowed the night before. She was surprised when he offered her the phone. ‘It’s for you.’

She accepted it tentatively. ‘Uh, hello?’

‘Hi Mum! Did you have a good sleepover?’

Evelyn felt her cheeks starting to burn as Jake quietly left the room and closed the door behind him. ‘Hi, sweetheart.’ She tried to keep her voice steady. ‘Yes I did, thank you. Are you and Nanny and Tilly all OK?’

‘Of course we are. We’re going to have breakfast, then go to the park, then come home and bake fairy cakes. You should bring Jake for some fairy cakes later. I’ll even make some not pink ones for him because he’s a boy. Do you think he would like that?’

‘I’m sure he’d think that was very nice.’ Evelyn glanced at the phone screen. 9.15? She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so well or so late.

‘You’re not too grumpy, are you Mum?’

‘No sweetheart, I’m not grumpy.’

‘Are you sure? Because you do get grumpy in the morning, and you always say you don’t sleep well when you’re not in your bed.’

‘I’m not grumpy. I promise.’