THE Children’s Hospital Los Angeles was situated at the corner of Vermont Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in downtown Los Feliz. The impressive stone and glass-fronted building housed the non-profit hospital, which was considered to be the best on the West Coast and was home to the Saban Research Institute—one of the largest and most productive paediatric research facilities in the USA.
I’d spent the morning observing the early intervention program at the autism centre and the afternoon with Dr Sewell in his early-diagnosis clinic.
As a developmental and behavioural paediatrician, he ran the clinic, which was a diagnostic centre for autism and other neuro-developmental disorders. He was currently leading research into the early identification of autism and intervention programs.
The day passed quickly and my head buzzed with all I’d seen and learned. Dr Sewell recommended some conferences to be held in the US later in the year and welcomed me to visit again if I was ever in LA.
I practically glided along the corridor as I made my way back through the clinic en route to the exit. My well-timed visit to this centre of excellence confirmed I’d chosen the right career path and I couldn’t wait to feed back what I’d seen today to the autism charity I volunteered for in London.
I rounded the corner and came to a halt. A group of parents and staff, many wearing brightly patterned scrubs, clustered around a viewing window into one of the clinic’s playrooms. Catching a smile from one of the nurses, I joined the group, craning my neck to see what had attracted such a crowd.
I gasped, covering my grin with my hand. Nathan was inside the room, which was filled with light boxes, bubble walls and other sensory equipment. I counted half a dozen children and two staff members inside, and all eyes were fixed on Nathan.
An interactive flooring system covered half of the floor transforming it with an image projected from the ceiling, currently a giant spider’s web. Stepping onto the mat induced hundreds of digital spiders to scuttle from the edges and coalesce around the feet of the stepper.
Most of the children watched from the edge as Nathan hopped from one foot to the other, trying to outwit the spiders. To the delight of the onlookers he dropped to his knees then rolled onto his back as the spiders converged around the outline of his body. One boy jumped up and down in obvious rapture as Nathan moved his arms and legs as if he was making a snow angel, scattering spiders everywhere.
My chest pinched as he interacted with these children, who because of their disability were sometimes hard to reach. There was no awkwardness, no hesitation. He gave himself freely and without reservation, his natural instincts bridging the communication barriers between him and the children, many of whom I knew would be non-verbal.
Suddenly the projection changed and the floor became a giant shimmering puddle. The more they moved the greater the ripples, and soon Nathan and a group of the children were splashing and jumping, their faces wreathed in smiles.
His enthusiasm was infectious and a titter of giggles erupted in the group spying through the one-way window. Nathan was hypnotic—his joyous abandon and unselfconscious antics enthralling both the youngsters and the adults.
I watched enraptured by this open and giving version of him. There were no cameras to capture his performance, no publicity angle to promote his next movie, and no screaming fans boosting his ego.
A group of parents left the huddle gathered around the viewing window and seconds later entered the playroom. Clearly the session had come to an end but I continued to observe as Nathan welcomed introductions and posed for photos with the children.
When he finally emerged, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling, I approached him, my face trained to mild surprise as if I hadn’t spent the last twenty minutes watching his every move.
His smile lit up when he saw me and he slipped his hand to the small of my back as his lips pressed to my forehead.
‘Have you been waiting for me?’ I slipped my arms around his waist, closing my eyes as his body heat warmed the space between us.
‘No, I managed to score myself a tour of the clinic—the administrator is a fan.’ He winked, and my insides flipped. Draping his arm around my shoulder, he led me to the exit. ‘I thought we could meet Tyler and Jess for happy hour. Jess can’t wait to hear how your visit went and she’s been pestering me all afternoon about celebrity hangouts—obviously I’m not famous enough to impress your friend.’
I laughed, knowing how forthright and persistent Jess could be. ‘Don’t worry, she’s plenty impressed—Jess lives life to the max, squeezing every drop of experience she can from every moment.’
‘She spent the afternoon quizzing me about the mechanics of sex scenes.’ He reached for the back of his neck, before dropping his hand to push open the glass door leading to the parking lot.
‘She’s tenacious.’
His eyebrow quirked—clearly he’d experienced the full force of a Jess-style inquisition, yet he was still here and he hadn’t kicked us out.
‘How did you get rid of her?’ My friend could be dogged when she wanted something.
Nathan opened my car door. ‘I called Tyler and invited him to meet us for drinks.’
As he settled into the driver’s seat, a call came through on the hands-free.
‘Jake?’
‘Nate, I’ve set up that donation as you requested. The transfer will go through this evening at midnight Pacific time.’
‘Thanks, Jake—anonymous?’
‘Yes.’
‘Okay, that’s all. Oh Jake, organise a car for tonight and have mine collected from Drai’s—I’m taking Jess and Sophia dancing.’ He turned his sexy, confident smile on me as he disconnected the call and pulled out of the parking lot.
My limbs liquefied, his smile devastating me. He was scorching superstar Nathan again and if I ventured too close, I’d singe, floating away like ash.
‘I’m not dressed for clubbing.’ If I left tomorrow with Jess, this would be our last night in LA. Part of me yearned to snuggle on the terrace with the Nathan from the autism clinic, drinking in the views and immersing myself in this complex and enticing man I was falling for. But I knew Jess would want to party and I struggled to deny her.
‘You’re perfect.’ His gaze swept from my face down my body to my stocking-clad legs beneath the smart pencil skirt I’d worn to the clinic. ‘But if you want to change, I’ll take you home first.’
I glanced at Nathan, still wearing the faded jeans and grey T-shirt he’d worn all day, and shook my head. I wasn’t one of those women who couldn’t leave the house with a hair out of place. Changing the subject, I unleashed my curiosity. ‘What was Jake talking about?’
Nathan’s smile was enigmatic, ramping up my interest. ‘Just a charitable donation.’ He focused on the traffic, his face impassive.
‘To the autism clinic?’
His smile was tight as he pulled up to the valet parking and handed his keys to the attendant. It was early evening and the queues waiting for admittance were light, but as Nathan rounded the front of the car to open my door, they spotted him, calling his name and pulling out their phones to snap pictures.
We hurried inside, quickly locating Jess and Tyler in one of the VIP booths that overlooked the dance floor. Conversation and bonhomie swirled around me, but I was too caught up in my own head to fully participate.
Jess shot worried glances in my direction, but I deflected them with a false cheery smile and a gulp of my drink.
Nathan leaned close, his breath heating the side of my neck. ‘Let’s dance.’ He stood, pulling me to my feet.
‘I thought we were talking?’
He pressed his lips to the space between my eyebrows, smoothing away my frown. ‘We can do that while we dance. I miss having my hands on you and as you haven’t accepted my invitation to the Emmys, this might be my last chance.’ His jaw clenched with determination, but a hint of vulnerability clouded his eyes.
Compassion tightened my chest and burned the back of my throat. I wouldn’t let him down like his parents had. He’d always have my unconditional support. But I needed to get home to safeguard my own career and return to my long-neglected charity work. This fairytale was coming to an end.
On the edge of the dance floor Nathan pulled me close, his hands settling on my hips as he moved us in time to the music.
The familiar draw to him infected my body, softening the stiffness in my limbs and slowing my blood to a sluggish pound, thick with need. Need for him. Still my mind wouldn’t settle, choosing to prod at the fragile scab of our tenuous and seemingly impossible relationship. ‘What’s happening here?’
His brows pinched together in confusion, but his eyes told me he was onto me. ‘Dancing. Traditionally done in pairs to a musical accompaniment.’ Clearly he’d prefer to delay this ‘talk’ for another time. He drew me closer, pressing his lips to my temple. His sigh gusted over me, lifting the hair from my forehead. ‘What’s going on is two people exploring the chemistry between them. You want to leave tomorrow and I’m not ready to let you go. I’ll never be ready.’
I closed my eyes, his words too immense to fathom. He dropped his mouth to my ear, his lips barely brushing my skin. ‘This moved way past a charade a long time ago. I’m not pretending any more. In fact, I never was. Stay another week?’
Every cell in my body buzzed with life. As much as I feared my own feelings for him, the effect of his words on me was instantaneous and electrifying. Despite being a big girl, aware of all the reasons I shouldn’t, I’d fallen for this unattainable man. And while the rest of the world saw a god, I’d seen the mortal beneath and he was every bit as beguiling. More so—his passion and self-effacing altruism were more alluring than his fame, insane good looks and immense sex appeal combined.
I was beginning to hate the voice of reason in my head—she needed gagging. ‘Even if I stay, this can’t last beyond next week.’ Unfortunately, my conscious brain was in charge and was keen to be the killjoy of the party.
Equally adept at hiding his own emotions, Nathan lightened the mood with a crooked grin. ‘Why not? I’m the sexiest man in the world and you’re the sexiest woman. We’re made for each other.’
My brief, involuntary smile quickly fell. His attempts almost swayed me and I dropped my face to his shoulder, pressing my lips to the fabric of his shirt to prevent any further objections escaping.
‘We’re too different.’ The words fled, whispered past reluctant lips. Why didn’t he kiss me—to shut me up and give my mouth something to do other than talk? ‘Our lives are too different. You jet-set around the world, party with the rich and famous and kiss women for a living. My job is demanding, often depressing and is attached to one hospital, in one place.’
‘You do know the kissing is just that, right? A part of my job? Perhaps you need a little reminder of the real thing.’ He swooped, his mouth covering mine right there on the dance floor for anyone to see. At the first touch of his lips I was lost and wouldn’t have cared if the whole club pulled up seats and started filming with their phones.
Why did I fight this? Why deny my feelings when they were quickly becoming too strong for my insubstantial body to contain?
Nathan’s fingers gripped the back of my head, pulling me to him, one hand dropping to encircle my waist. I clung to him, his chest warm and solid beneath my palms and his arms banded around me so tight, it was hard to tell where I stopped and he began. He pulled back a fraction, his lips still whispering over mine as he spoke. ‘Let’s go home. I want to be alone with you.’
My senses were in disarray and we hadn’t resolved a thing, but as we made our excuses to our friends and left the club, none of that mattered.