Page 25 of Love Me Not

When I glanced back at Lux, she was staring at me.I paused for a second.The tiredness in her eyes was obvious, her suit slightly disheveled, strands of her black hair sticking out.

“Busy day, huh?”

She let out a sigh and sat down on the couch, running a hand through her hair, pushing it back and out of her face.I found myself entranced by the sight of her.

It was easy to forget everything when she wasn't there during the day, but everything started slowly coming back to me with her nearness.

“First day back at work in weeks,” she replied.“I wasn’t lying before.I can’t tell you how many nannies I’ve been through.This seems like… a miracle.”

Seems like Bella isn't the only one who’s had it hard.

She leaned her head back on the couch, and my eyes immediately fell to the column of her throat.I swallowed thickly.

Such a perfect, sinful sight.When Lux had stepped into the room that night, I thought she was drop-dead gorgeous.Sexy in a sophisticated, sharp way.And now, seeing her here, her shirt slightly undone, her hair tousled, it was almost too much.

“She’s a great kid.”I forced the words out through a very dry throat.“Misses you.And… them.”I kept my voice lower at the end.

“You can go,” she said without looking at me, her voice devoid of any emotion.

Shit.I guess I didn’t pass the trial run.

I grabbed my bag and moved to leave.I could turn back and beg her again, but there was no use if she had already made up her mind.

“Tomorrow, seven sharp.It’s her first day back to school after a while,” she said, her voice following me.“Drop-off is at seven forty-five.”

I turned around, unable to stop the smile from spreading across my face.Lux had turned her head to the side, finally meeting my gaze, exhaustion clearly weighing her down.

“I’ll see you then,sir.”

Chapter8

Lux

Igrumbled as I watched the minutes tick by on my phone.

Not a single call or text from anyone.

I had ordered her private chef to text me if anything happened, but she had been radio silent all day.I was tempted to look at the cameras, but I didn't want to bethatperson.

Taking in Bella had made me a special kind of paranoid.I was worried about if she was getting enough to eat, if she was happy, if she had done well at school, if she was getting along with the nanny, and the driver, and the chef.

More importantly, I knew I had to work, but my mind kept wandering back to them.I wanted to be there with them to make sure everything went okay.

This was part of the process.I needed to let go.I knew that.

But knowing it didn't stop me from worrying.I had thought through it all and knew that I didn't need to worry.That, even if somehow my angel turned out to be the worst nanny in the history of the planet, the chef and the driver would have my back.

They told me that every time I hired a new nanny and things went particularly nasty.They would text me updates, and usually that meant I needed to leave work early, but this was the first time in forever that I was still at work.It had already been more than three hours.

Dominic said something else, and I nodded, unable to take my eyes off my phone.

Nothing?Is there really nothing to update me on?

“So you agree to invest the three million in a manure farm?”

My head snapped up, my gaze meeting his.His lips were pulled into a smirk.He was sitting on a chair a few feet away, his body turned to me as he spoke, which meant that he had been watching me for some time.

“Sorry,” I mumbled and turned my phone screen down.“New nanny.”

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