Page 25 of The Billionaire's Accidental Daddy Duty
“Yes, we definitely need two of those.”
For the next fifteen minutes, Declan spent his time keeping watch while I scanned items for Joey. When Louisa finally left the store with a few packages, we returned to the front of the store to check out.
Sally bagged the smaller items for us to take home right away, and then took down Declan’s address so she could deliver the crib and the bigger stuff later today. By the time, we came home, Joey was in a fussy mood and ready for his nap.
“Why don’t you take care of Joey? He looks sleepy.” Mrs. Ross swung the door open for us. “I’ll take care of the shopping. I’m sure all this needs to be washed anyway.”
“Thank you.” Declan dropped all the bags on the couch. “I need to head back to the office. Don’t wait up.”
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he ambled over to me, placed his warm hand on my arm, and kissed the top of Joey’s head. Like Sally had said, my ovaries felt like they were about toburst.
He’s so your boss. He’s your boss. You need this job. Don’t mess it up.
I repeated the mantra in my head until the desire to stand on my tippy toes and kiss him subsided. Thank God he had plans to spend the rest of the afternoon in his office.
Mrs. Ross left around seven at night after she had washed all the new clothes, helped me put it all away, and made dinner for Declan and me. I was so glad she had stayed to help. Even though I had experience with babies, getting everything set up was a ton of work.
When Joey finally went down for the night, I was beat. My back hurt and my eyes felt like someone had sprayed them with sand. Like a zombie with my pajamas in hand, I stumbled into the hallway bathroom and ran the hot water.
I stood under the warm spray and slowly began to relax. To think there was a time when I wanted children so bad. Badly enough to put up with someone like Steve for a whole year. Badly enough to make an appointment with an obstetrician to research my options. I had a whole plan laid out. Until bit by bit it all fell apart. Tears stung my eyes, and I had to cover my mouth to stifle a cry. At least now I was on a solid path to get my job back.
So much for synchronicity.
Declan had said that word to me at the baby shop. Of course, now every time I thought of it, his voice was in my head, with his sexy British accent—synchronicity. Before I knew it, my hand had slipped from my belly down to my pussy.
Oh, shit. I couldn’t do that in his bathroom. What the hell was wrong with me? Ishut off the water and grabbed a towel off the rack. I chalked up my mood swing—sad to horny—to the long day I had taking care of a baby. And dealing with Declan’s indelible charm.
I donned my pajama shorts and tank top, quickly ran my fingers through my wet hair, and brushed my teeth. Staring at my reflection, I mumbled the same words over and over.
He’s your boss. Don’t think of him that way. You’re only here for thirty days, and then you’ll be scot-free.
I was still thinking of my new mantra, and when I opened the door I didn’t see Declan until his bare chest was pressed up against my somewhat wet boobs. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were home.”
“No. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were in the bathroom. I assumed you were sleeping.” He talked so fast, I wasn’t sure I caught all the words.
He inhaled, and his body heat fell over me like warm summer rain, lapping at my skin and my aching nipples. I stood there frozen waiting for him to retreat and go back to his suite.
“Right then. Good night.” He dipped his head once, the way I’d seen suit-clad gentlemen do in period movies.
“Good night.”
When he stepped back, I got a good look at his defined pecs. The man was built like a demigod. Not my words—that was the caption that came with one of the most recent pictures of him on a UK tabloid Twitter feed. I blinked to focus on the real thing in front of me.
Maybe it was my own imagination, but I felt his hand slide down my back and around my waist before he turned around and headed for his door.
A whole month in Declan’s home, a whole month of bare-chested run-ins in the middle of the hallway, a whole month with the kind of family that could never be mine.
This was going to be the longest thirty days of my life.
10
FACE MY FEARS ALONE
Declan
I hit send on what had to be the hundredth email of the day, while I listened to a status report on the rebuild of Nicolas’s new network. Everything was on track, exactly how I had planned it. If things continued to go well, I might be going home in a couple of months. My chest tightened at the idea of going back to the UK. What the hell was wrong with me?
Another text came in and made my whole desk buzz. Smiling, I picked up the phone and sat back while I swiped the new set of pictures Isla had sent me. A whole three weeks had gone by since she had agreed to play nanny for me in exchange for the opportunity of a lifetime. Was I an asshole for dangling that carrot in front of her to get what I wanted? Yes, I was. Did I regret asking her to move in with us? Hell no.
