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PROLOGUE

‘LEAVE YOUR BROKEN heart at hoood at and used to enjoy ht away Have some fun, sweetheart’

Her dad had had a point, Stacey Wainwright ad dance floor in front of her It seeh all the medical staff from the London General Hospital were here at the Doctors and Nurses Ball—except of course that wasn’t possible, with soht shifts

Since she’d never worked there she wasn’t known here, except by the two friends she’d come with, both nurses, but she could still enjoy herself If she let go of the handbrake that had been holding her back over the past year

It elve months since the day she’d been stood up—not at the altar but in her parents’ lounge, where she’d been putting the finishing touches to her wedding dress for the big event in four days’ time Her heart hadn’t recovered, and neither was it likely to start without her s she’d used to love

It didn’t come easily since, for the first ti, alone So she hadn’t bothered

‘Let’s rock and roll!’ Ada all but leapt onto the dance floor in the beautifully decorated hotel conference roo that she’d better be

It was ti Stacey’s arm up her back last week to convince her to join them here

‘In a et a little more of her delicious cocktail on board to build up the Dutch courage needed for her to let loose Once she’d loved nothing better than a good party, but nowadays she was out of practice

Watching her friendsmoves nearly in time to the music, without any hesitation, she chuckled ‘Here I orrying I wouldn’t be able to keep up, but I’ll be fine’

‘You into dancing? As in really into it? I’ve got two left feet, but what the heck? I enjoy rinned as she poked her cheek with her straw

She’d only o and liked her already ‘I used to do a lot of it’

Stacey sighed She’d better get started on having this fun and letting her hair down Show some resilience If any man wanted more than a dance or a drink with her, she’d cope Just say no She’d only known one man completely, and they’d been best friends most of their lives before their friendship had turned to love And then Angus had said he didn’t want her any ht, and felt she was still a friend, though no longer the love of his life He’d snapped his fingers and broken her heart

Stop thinking about hi here

‘Is there a dance every year?’

‘I think so I ca at London General It was aI reistrars removed more than their face attire They weren’t exactly studs’ Katie laughed

‘It’s usually the ones who aren’t who put it all out there’

‘True You got a man in your life?’

‘Afraid not’ If she had he’d be here with her, wouldn’t he?

Then again, she couldn’t guarantee that anyhadn’t been there for their wedding ‘I’ some solo time at the moment’

Katie glanced at her with shared syood man is so hard to find Or I’m very picky My last one was a hunk but had the attention span of a gnat when it came to our relationship’

‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Stacey said

‘It’s all right I’h I could do with a replacement soon What happened with you and your last man?’

Only man ‘We had different ideas about the future’ He’d wanted to spend it with a wo After another deep s of her drink, Stacey stood up ‘Come on Let’s join the others’ Before the questions became too intense, before she let the past interfere with the present This was not the night for spilling to someone she barely kne her one and only boyfriend had had a change of heart

‘About time, you two,’ Ada shouted above the music ‘This is fantastic’

Stacey felt thein tih they had a mind of their own Her hips swayed as she raised her ar her eyes, she let the liberating sensations brought on by the o It was fun And relaxing Surrounded by people intent on having a great night, she was finally having a blast

Opening her eyes, she stared around at the sea of bodies crowding the floor, all the fe strapless dress was coreen bow in her long hair and had all co the decider on what she’d wear It didn’t look half-bad, and the a make-up job her friend had done made her feel awesoht-hearted and free of the past—if only for a few hours

‘Can I have the pleasure?’ A deep-voiced, stunning-looking man stood before her

She s too boring’

‘After watching you, I can’t i for her hand, he led her deeper into the pulsating crowd

He’d been watching her dance? She scoped the man before her His white open-necked shirt was a perfect fit, a tantalising V giving a hint of a broad chest, while his tailored navy-blue trousers enhanced sli hard He had a strong jawline and an alluringher ideas she hadn’t had in a long ti, like there was a load of sensuality shining out at her Talk about itehed, she liked what she saw Wanted to knowup was all about? Like a sudden bang on the head? Or was she overreacting as a consequence of only ever dating Angus? If this hat having fun o carefully, not leap in and make a disastrous mistake

Or I could try relaxing and having that fun I intended when I left home

Relaxing came easily when she absorbed thewith no worries about being in ti she’d done fro shoes Santa had given her when she’d been three Looking up into the eyes of her partner, she gasped He atching her with a shtened, and she tripped

Instantly he caught her, held her long enough for her to get her balance, then dropped his hand