Abby blinked as her eyes opened and grew accustomed to the light. She was used to waking up in a hospital room, just not used to it being her that was in the bed. She groaned out loud and became vaguely aware of someone else in the room.

"Hey, sleepyhead!." A familiar voice said. Abby tried to sit up but a stabbing pain ran through her body and she winced. "Easy, don't try to move. I'll get the nurse to come and give you a pain killer."

It was coming back to her now. The voice belonged to Evan Cross, and the last thing she remembered was throwing water on him and running out of the restaurant. "What happened?" she managed to croak out.

"You had a bit of a coming together with a Ford. Lucky he wasn't going fast and all you got was concussion and a couple of cracked ribs." Evan stood up to go and find a nurse, but Abby stopped him. He sat down again and there was an awkward silence. Evan cleared his throat and looked down at his feet. "I called the UK to let them know what happened. Spoke to Matt Anderson. I'm afraid Connor's in Germany at the moment, but Matt did say he'd tell him."

"He probably wouldn't be interested." That realisation hurt almost as much as her head did. It really was over.

"You sure you don't want me to get a nurse?" Evan fidgeted in his chair and rubbed the stubble on his chin.

"I'll be OK. Were you here all night?"

He nodded. "Figured it was bad enough you being injured, but waking up alone thousands of miles from home would be even worse. Thought you'd appreciate a familiar face, even if you don't think much of me at the moment."

Abby reached for his hand. "Thanks." There was another awkward silence. Abby knew she'd said a few things to Evan last night; she'd probably hurt him and yet he'd stayed with her. "Look," she said eventually, "At the restaurant, what I said..."

Evan waved his hand dismissively. "You had every right to be angry with me. I should have said from the start that it was Lester that sent you here, not us asked for your help."

"He was right though. I probably wouldn't have taken any time off, and my head was in the wrong place. I suppose he was just looking out for me." She paused for a moment than swallowed nervously. "I hope I didn't ruin your shirt?"

Evan smiled. "It's dry clean only, though I don't think any harm was done to it. I'll send you the bill for a new one if there's any water marks on it."

"Sorry."

"I understand your frustration, and they did warn me you had a bit of a feisty temper!" He laughed, then his face became serious. "But you were wrong about the other stuff. I bought the apartment as an investment for the company. It makes sense to have somewhere I can put my guests up in that's close to the building, and I just wanted to make you feel at home whilst you're here. I could see you were hating living in a hotel and driving around Vancouver."

Abby felt her cheeks burning. She'd been unfair; he was a genuinely nice guy and she'd thrown his generosity in his face.

"And the dinner thing, I took you out to dinner because I wanted to. I told you, I like you – a lot. You're the first woman I've had any real feelings for in a long time and maybe I'm a little out of practise at the old dating thing, so I apologise if I offended you by taking you to my favourite restaurant."

"No, Evan, it's me that should be apologising." Abby took his hand. "It was the heat of the moment, and I shouldn't have said all those things. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted. Now, I really should tell the nurse you're awake." He stood up to leave again, but Abby squeezed his hand.

"Your wife... what happened to her?"

"Cancer." His face became sad and Abby felt sick. She'd accused him of making up the story about his wife being dead. "I almost didn't come here when I realised which hospital they were taking you to. I practically lived here for 18 months whilst Lauren was having her treatment. The cancer had pretty much ravaged her whole body by the time she passed away, it was almost a relief when she went. I realised for the first time that money couldn't solve everything – I'd been paying for the best doctor, the best treatment, and yet she still died." He almost spat the words out. Abby reached out and stroked his cheek, and he took her hand and kissed her thumb. "I give 10% of my profits from Cross Photonics to Cancer research. Hopefully, one day, a clever scientist will find a cure and no-one else has to suffer like Lauren did."

"I'm so sorry," Abby said softly.

Evan's face changed, the smile was back and the sparkle in his eyes returned. "As I said to you before, I focus on what makes me happy. I live my life because I know how precious it is. There's no point in dwelling on the past." Abby wasn't sure if that statement was directed at her too. He was probably right.

-o-

The piece of paper in Abby's hand should have made her happy. The doctor had finally given her the all clear to fly home, satisfied that her ribs were healed. She'd spent the last five weeks helping the Canadian team as best she could without going out into the field. Their own menagerie was coming along very nicely and she envied Dylan being able to run it exactly how she wanted without having to fight for every penny that needed to be spent on it. Abby was beginning to feel like she belonged here, and the thought of going home did not sit easy with her.

She was sat on a park bench just outside the block where Evan's apartment was. He'd been giving her a wide berth since she'd left the hospital, only really speaking to her when he came into the office. At first, she supposed it was for the best, but as time went on she realised what a mistake she'd made. That was why she was waiting for him now. Maybe it was already too late but she needed to know. She could be on the next flight to Heathrow within hours or she could be working out how to tell Lester that she wanted to stay in Vancouver indefinitely, depending on Evan.

She saw his car go through the security barrier and she stood up. She gave him five minutes, enough time to get up to his apartment, then strode over to the door and pressed the intercom.

"It's Abby, can I come up?"

"Sure." He sounded odd, Abby thought. The door buzzed and she opened it, and went straight to the lift. As the doors closed and she felt it move, she took a deep breath. Her stomach felt like a washing machine on spin cycle, was she doing the right thing?

He was waiting for her when she came out of the lift, his smile strained and uncertain. "Come in," he said, "I just put a pot of coffee on."

Abby smiled and followed him inside. The apartment felt familiar, even though she'd only really been here that one time. Perhaps that was a good sign? "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" he called from the kitchen.

"I got my doctor's certificate today," she said. "I have the all clear to fly home."

"So I heard." Evan stuck his head around the door. "I guess you'll be heading back first opportunity?"

"That depends," Abby sighed. "If there was something to keep me here..."

"I'd have you as a permanent member of the team like a shot!" He came into the lounge and stood facing Abby. "But I think Lester might argue that I already have a creature expert."

"Maybe I should have said, if there was someone to keep me here."

"Someone?" Evan swallowed nervously. He hardly dare hope what she was implying.

"Yes." Abby's voice was barely a whisper. She took a step closer to him, her stomach still doing gymnastics and her head spinning.

"So, if I was to say that I didn't want you to leave..."

"I would consider it very carefully. I could get my work visa extended another six months, I guess that would be long enough to... see how things went."

"Six months is a long time, Abby. A lot could happen. You could fall in love and never want to go back to the UK." There was a glint in Evan's eyes that Abby had seen before – the last time she'd been in this apartment.

"Maybe I've already fallen in love but have just been too stubborn to realise it."

Before she knew what was happening, Evan's hands were cupping either side of her face and his mouth was crushing against hers in a heated kiss. She heard herself whimper as his tongue pushed its way into her mouth and her own wrestled with it, firing every nerve in her body. Breathless, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in closer, returning his kiss with the same desire.

Evan broke off their kiss when the coffee machine beeped. "Coffee's ready," Abby giggled.

"Screw the coffee!" Evan declared, scooping Abby up into his arms and taking her over to his bedroom. She practically came there and then; this time there would be no hesitation or fear of the unknown. As he laid her on the bed, he looked down and whispered "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Abby replied by pulling him into another kiss and sliding her hands to the waistband of his jeans, tugging at the fly. "I guess so!" he chuckled, then sighed as her fingers circled his growing erection and grasped it.

He responded by tugging at the hem of her t-shirt and easing it up over her head. Then he did the same with his own, casting it to the floor beside Abby's with a flourish and then moving down to kiss the nape of her neck. Abby gasped as his chest brushed against her body and his fingertips began to explore every inch of her. He was barely touching her yet the electricity surging through her was so intense it was almost overwhelming.

Hooking his fingers into the straps of her bra, he pulled both over her shoulders and down to expose the soft, heaving mounds of her breasts before clamping his mouth onto each in turn. With her free hand, Abby tangled her fingers into his dark, thick hair and arched herself into him, needing to feel the skin to skin contact. When his hands moved to her waistband, Abby let out an involuntary cry and he groaned. Moments later, she was naked beneath him and he was caressing her, gliding his hands confidently over every curve, following his trail with soft butterfly kisses. He paused only to assist Abby with removing his own jeans and underwear and then they lay, facing each other and breathing hard.

"Abby!" Evan wrapped his arms around Abby, pulling her into the curve of his body. She adjusted herself, resting her leg over his outer thigh and rubbing herself against his erection. His hand moved to her hip and with a jerk he was sinking inside her.

Abby's gasp as he entered her sent a shiver down his spine. He had never thought that he'd feel like this again about another woman and it was all he could do to hold back the tears he could feel building up. She felt so good as they moved together, their bodies matching each other's perfectly.

"Evan, please!" Abby ground herself against him harder, needing to feel him deeper. His arm slid around her waist and he rolled her onto her back, settling between her thighs and increasing his pace. Abby cried out with each stroke, the tip of his cock hitting exactly the right spot each time and making her body quiver in pleasure. Planting soft kisses all over her, he began harder and faster strokes, sensing he was close to release.

Abby gripped onto him tightly with both her arms and her legs, moving with him and encouraging him with her gasps of pleasure. She was close too, her body preparing itself for the inevitable. Suddenly, his hips jerked violently against hers and he cried her name out loud. The heat of his release flooded her and then her own body shook uncontrollably, internal muscles clamping around him and taking in everything he was giving her.

"Abby! Abby!" he sobbed, unable to hold back the tears any longer. Her face was wet with tears too and he held her face, wiping her tears away with his thumbs as he continued to move inside her. She mirrored his actions, cupping his face and seeking his mouth for a kiss.

They rolled and writhed together for several more minutes, locked in a wet, passionate kiss and still joined, neither wishing to break the connection just yet. The groans of ecstasy gave way to soft sighs as they came down from the high, and then, as Evan finally slid his softened cock from her, they both breathed softly and caressed the sweat slickened body of the other. Exhausted, the nestled into each other, Abby's head resting on his chest and their legs entwined.

"I think I'm in love with you, Abby Maitland," Evan whispered softly, kissing the top of Abby's head.

Abby sighed contentedly then took a deep breath. The words rarely came easily to her, but right now they seemed to tumble from her lips naturally. "I love you too, Evan." She snuggled into him even tighter and then her eyelids began to feel heavy. As she drifted to sleep, she wondered what the next six months would bring. It could all go horribly wrong, but at least now she could say she'd given them a chance and maybe both could find the happiness they deserved.

Well, that's that one out of my system ;) Please take the time to let all authors know you like their work and why. Whilst most of us don't write for reviews, when we get them it fires our muses and encourages us to write more. Don't let the decent authors disappear and leave only those who care nothing for proper story structure or correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. It is an insult to you readers if someone doesn't take the time to publish a correct piece of work, so don't encourage the bad and embrace the good - rant over ;)