St Piran's: Italian Surgeon, Forbidden Bride Read Free

and a friendly, mischievous face, its mouth open as if laughing. ‘He helps break the ice and explain things to young children, calming their fears.’
    The husky but melodic burr of her soft Scottish accent was sensual and set his heart thudding. Feeling as flustered as a teenager with his first crush, he struggled to ignore his unwanted reaction and focus on the matter at hand.
    ‘Very clever.’ Her innovative method impressed him. He reached out and gently shook the teddy bear by the paw. ‘It’s nice to meet you, Charlie.’
    Jessica’s flustered reaction confirmed his suspicion that giving him her card had been a ruse to avoid shaking hands. Was it him, or did she dislike touching other people, too? That he was immediately attuned to her unsettled him further.
    ‘What are the priorities with Cody?’ Jessica asked, moving them onto ground which, he felt sure, made her feel more comfortable. ‘Have his parents signed the consent form?’
    ‘Not yet.’ Gio ran the fingers of one hand through his hair in frustration. ‘The injury occurred over two weeks ago,’ he explained, unsure how much Megan had told her. ‘The parents are too upset to understand that while Cody may have appeared fine at first, the situation has changed.’
    ‘And you don’t want to waste more time.’
    Grateful that Jessica was on his wavelength, Gio smiled. ‘Exactly so.’
    ‘He’s deteriorating more quickly?’ she asked, glancing at the notes.
    ‘What was a slow bleed building a chronic subdural haematoma could be worsening,’ he outlined, sharing his concerns. ‘Or something more serious could be underlying it.’
    Jessica nodded, making her beautiful hair gleam. ‘And the longer you wait, the more chance there is of permanent brain damage.’
    ‘I’m afraid so.’
    ‘His parents must be very confused.’ Her expression softened with understanding. ‘They may feel guilty for not realising that what seemed an innocuous incident has become something so serious.’
    ‘There is no question of blame, although such feelings are common,’ he agreed, impressed by Jessica.
    Her smile was rueful. ‘I come across this in a wide variety of circumstances. We need to explain things to the Rowlands without frightening them further.’
    ‘Yes… and Megan says you’re the best person to help.’
    A wash of colour warmed her flawless alabaster cheeks. ‘I’ll do what I can, of course.’
    ‘Thank you, Jessica.’
    Again her name felt right, unsettling him and curbing his amusement at her flustered reaction. Ignoring the hum of attraction between them by concentrating on work might not be effective long term, but hopefully it would get them through this encounter.
    ‘Do you have suggestions about the Rowlands?’
    Her relief was evident and she nodded again, loosening some strands of fiery hair, which tumbled around her face. As she raised her free hand, he saw that her fingers were ring free, and that she wore a narrow silver-toned watch around her wrist. She tucked the errantcurls behind her ear, drawing his attention to the attractive stud earrings she wore. Set in white metal, the olive green stones matched her eyes and he made a mental note to discover the identity of the gem that so suited her.
    ‘We need their consent so Cody can go to Theatre without delay. Then I can spend time with them and run through everything in more detail.’ Even, white teeth nibbled the sensual swell of her rosy lower lip, nearly giving him heart failure. ‘Do you have a rough guestimate on how long the operation might take?’ she queried, snapping his attention back to business. ‘The Rowlands will ask—and I need to reorganise my schedule to support them.’
    Gio was encouraged by Jessica’s common-sense approach, knowledge and apparent dedication to her patients. With real hope of a resolution, he gave her all the information he could.
    ‘Can you talk with the father while I try the mother?’ she asked next, walking briskly towards