Page 15 of Reluctantly Yours

“That sounds beautiful.We’re riding together and laughing, and it’s just the most fun, perfect day ever.And out there, watching us is your dad.He’s waving at us and holding the bag we brought back from the toy store with all your new things in it.And all you have to do when we leave is to go back to the hotel and play with all your toys before you go to sleep in a big, comfortable bed.Then we can do it all again tomorrow.”

By the time I finished, she was halfway to dreamland, breathing slow and steady as she drifted deeper into what I had created for her.I leaned down to kiss her forehead, then whispered, “Goodnight, princess.”

Her bags were packed and waiting at the foot of the bed.I was quiet as I went through her closet, putting together an outfit for the flight and leaving it at the foot of her bed.Then, after tiptoeing out of the room, I closed the door gently and released a deep breath.

Bedtime accomplished.

Now, to get the rest of my things pulled together.What had me a little nervous was Travis’ announcement at dinner tonight.

“My friend, Spencer, has family out there, like I told you,” he’d explained.“They want to take us out for a nice dinner tomorrow night.There’s a whole group of them and their wives and kids.A couple of them are roughly Sofia’s age.”

“Are you sure you want me to come along for that?” I’d asked with my heart in my throat.It was a little overwhelming, not to mention unexpected.I figured I would be hanging back with Sofia most of the time while he did his business and connected with his friends.

“Sure.” He’d shrugged it off like it didn’t mean anything.“You’ll probably be the only nanny there, but I’m the only single parent.You know what I mean?I know Sofia will behave, but I can’t watch her every second.”

He didn’t seem to get it, so I didn’t bother making an issue out of it.I would be the only one there as an employee besides the people serving the food and clearing the plates.But would I ever get the chance to eat at a fancy New York restaurant otherwise?Probably not.If he thought it would be all right, it would.

That didn’t mean I had anything to wear.I wanted to look nice.One of the few dressy dresses in my closet might work.I hated wearing black, but everybody always said a woman had to have a little black dress.It was simple, nothing flashy.Understated.It would have to be enough.I had a nice pair of earrings Mom and Dad bought me for graduation, and I might be able to duck out with Sofia to grab myself a decent pair of shoes.So long as nobody expected me to walk in heels, it would be fine.It wasn’t like I had never worn them, but I didn’t get many opportunities as a nanny.

Was this my life?I had to laugh at myself a little.Here I was, Penny Anderson, flying on a private jet to Manhattan in the morning.My parents could hardly believe it when I told them over the phone.Once they got used to the idea, they made me promise to send a zillion pictures.“Everybody looks like a tourist when they’re in New York City,” Mom had informed me when I protested.“Do you think anybody really cares?”

She probably had a point.It wasn’t like I’d have this opportunity again, so I might as well make the most of it.

There was movement coming from further down the hall, reminding me of what I promised Sofia I would ask her father.I went to my door, listening for any sound telling me he was on the phone or similarly busy.When all I heard was the opening and closing of drawers, I figured he must be packing.My bare feet were soundless on the hall floor as I approached, knocking gently against the door frame, staying a respectful distance from the threshold.

It was still sort of weird, feeling my way through what was expected, what was appropriate.It wasn’t difficult to rub him the wrong way.The last thing we needed was any weirdness hanging in the air before taking a five-day trip across the country.

“Come in,” he muttered, sounding distracted.I had never been in his room, and as I crept in, my heart was in my throat.What was I so nervous about?He was still my employer, for one thing, but we did live together, and I would need to get used to sharing the house at some point.This was the end of my sixth week, and there were still more than four months to go.

“Sorry to disturb you,” I murmured, entering the stark but masculine space.“Do you have a second?”

Rounding the door frame, I almost swallowed my tongue when I found him standing in front of an open suitcase, wearing nothing but a pair of loose shorts like the kind guys wore when they worked out or played basketball or whatever.They hung halfway to his knees, but it wasn’t their length that made my mouth go dry and my pulse triple in speed.

It was his lack of a shirt.Either he had just finished a workout, or this was how he slept, though it didn’t matter either way.What mattered was the way my brain went blank all at once.I could hardly remember my own name, much less why I came in in the first place.

I must have been silent for too long because he turned my way, arching an eyebrow.“What is it?”he prompted, folding a pair of jeans.So maybe he was planning on spending a little downtime while we were away.The sight of them and the idea of that shook me out of my brain fog.

“I was only wondering because Sofia brought it up.Is there any chance you might have a little time to do some sightseeing with us?She asked about it, and I didn’t know exactly what to say.I thought I should clear it with you before I get her hopes up.”

That was when he did maybe the worst possible thing he could’ve done.I could hardly believe my eyes, but it was happening in front of me, and for some reason, it was like he moved in slow motion.He turned to face me.The stupidest, simplest thing in the world, and maybe it wouldn’t have set off a flurry of butterfly wings in my stomach if he wasn’t so ridiculously, insanely chiseled.Like, somebody took an actual chisel to a block of marble and carved the man’s torso, chest, shoulders, and arms.

I didn’t know what to do as heat flooded my cheeks.I didn’t know where to look.I pried my gaze from his abs and looked into his eyes, though that was never a good idea, either.I always went kind of stupid whenever I looked into them.

I looked away again, but this time I landed on the bulge in his shorts.Was he even wearing underwear?Why couldn’t I breathe all of a sudden?

He is your boss.Grow up.Sure, I could tell myself that all I wanted, but my racing heart and my out-of-control hormones were another story.

Did he have any idea?Oh, God, I would die if he did.How could I face him if he had the slightest clue what he was doing to me?I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this flustered and breathless, and God help me, horny for somebody else.I honestly didn’t think this sort of thing actually happened.That someone could be so incredibly hot, they could make me forget all sorts of things, like how much this job meant to me and how I really, really didn’t want to mess it up.

“I can’t make any promises,” he decided.“I would like to, of course.”

“Of course,” I agreed.

My heart dropped when he took a step closer, then another.Would it make me look bad if I backed away?Would it be so bad if I threw myself at him?He was fresh out of the shower, all soapy and clean.Oh, dear God.The smell of it was enough to make my toes curl.There was something primal about what he was doing to me.Something I didn’t know how to control because I had never been in this place before.

“I’m going to need you to run interference when it comes to things like that,” he told me.“When I can’t be around, I need you to speak up for me, let her know it’s not because I don’t want to be there.I’m doing what I feel I need to do for her future.”

Maybe it was too late in the day for us to have this conversation.Maybe I was too tired after chasing an almost manically energetic four-year-old around the house all day while trying to get her packed.“I thought you were doing it to beat your father,” I pointed out.

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