Page 139 of The Nanny and the Hothead
“What do you mean by that?” she asked.
“You’re that star, Charlotte,” he whispered, his words floating in the air around them. “And you’re meant for me. And you’re meant for Oscar. You’re the light that connects us. We’re meant to be together.”
She nodded. It was all she could do through the tears that trailed down her cheeks.
He brushed the tears away. “This time has made me see that I never want to be apart from you.”
She shivered as a cold prickle worked its way down her spine, and two words flashed in her mind.
Apart.
London.
Her thoughts spiraled as she stared into his blue eyes, awash with such tenderness it left her breathless…and in love.
He caressed her cheek, then traced his fingertips to the hollow of her neck. Gently, he took the key between his fingers. “You hold the key to my heart. I trust you, Charlotte. I trust you with my son, and with my work, and with my life. What I feel for you isn’t like anything I’ve ever known. I want to give you everything—the stars, the moon, a meteor shower. I want you. And I never want to be without you.”
She stared into his eyes. She’d dreamed of a moment like this since she was a girl—since she watched the other Charlotte at the airport dissolve into happy tears when her Mr. Cheesy Forever professed his love.
She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “No one has ever wanted me like this.”
“I want you like this,” he bit out. “I want you with me. Always.”
She ignored the whisper of a chill that prickled along her spine and concentrated on this man—a man who wanted her, who loved her.
Don’t ruin this.
This was what she’d always wanted, right? She couldn’t bring up London—not when Mitch was filling her heart with words of love.
“I want to be with you—you and Oscar. I love you. I love you both,” she said in a tumble of words before there was no more talking, only kissing. She sighed, falling deeper and deeper when a rush of cool air sailed into the elevator’s cab.
“Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt.”
She and Mitch pulled apart to find a man staring up at the ceiling.
At least the intruder was doing his best to be discrete.
“I’m the helicopter pilot,” he said as a blush graced his cheeks.
“Oh, hello,” she replied, like running into helicopter pilots was just part of her daily grind.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I’m not sure I’m technically allowed to land on this building. So, if you’ve concluded your business, we should probably get going,” he finished, his blush deepening.
Mitch nodded to the guy. “Give us a minute. We’ll be right out.”
The poor guy shot through the door, and she broke out into giggles.
“How did we forget about the helicopter?”
“It’s easy to forget everything when I look into your eyes,” he said, then cringed. “Too cheesy?”
“You know I like cheesy,” she answered, falling, falling, falling. Hook, line, and sinker.
He leaned in and pressed a kiss below her earlobe. “Are you ready for me to give you the stars, the moon, and a bunch of meteors?”
She glanced at her camera bag and frowned. “I thought of something. I don’t have anything packed. I don’t have a change of clothes.”
His gaze grew positively carnal as he drank her in like the dirtiest of bad boy chefs. “You don’t have to worry about clothes. Tonight, you’re not going to need them.”
