Page 25 of The Billionaire and the Nanny

“Unless you’re still hung up on what happened between us,” he interposed swiftly.

“I amnot,” I sputtered.

“It’s okay, Tia. I understand if you think you can’t keep your hands off me,” he said, with a lazy grin that made me want to push him out of that window.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Donovan. I’m over it. It’s forgotten,” I snarled.

His eyes flicked over my body before they came to rest on my face, and I almost creamed my panties at the look in them. But I stood my ground. How dare he think I was still hung up on him? I was going to take this job and show him that his conceited ass meant nothing to me. Nothing!

“Then, do we have an understanding?” he asked, putting out his hand.

Dammit! I had a sneaky suspicion he had tricked me into saying yes. But it did seem to be the best solution. I only hoped I could do a good job taking care of Maddie. She didn’t deserve to suffer because of my ineptitude.

I put my hand in his hesitantly and nodded.

“We do. I’ll take the job, as long as you don’t expect me to be the perfect nanny right away.”

“Do your best. That’s all I ask,” he replied.

Leo left me alone to finish my breakfast in peace. When I went downstairs, he had already left for work, and Maddie had gone to school. Fee was discussing menus with the butler when I poked my head around the sitting room door.

“Come in, my dear,” she invited with a smile. “Leo told me you’ve agreed to be Maddie’s nanny.”

“I’m still not convinced it’s a good idea, Fee. I have no formal training in child rearing,” I said hesitantly.

“Like I told Leo, you don’t need a college degree in child rearing to raise a child. You need love, kindness, and common sense, and you have that in spades, Tia,” she replied reassuringly. “I think you’ll make an excellent nanny. Maddie has already taken to you.”

“She’s a lovely child,” I said, and I meant it.

I was sure she’d have her bad moods and trying times, like any other child. But Maddie was a good kid. She was kind and helpful, which was what mattered.

“Now, I’m going to give you an advance on your salary so that you can order some clothes,” said Fee, naming an amount that sounded very generous.

“That sounds like too much,” I said doubtfully.

“You’re going to earn every penny, trust me. Leo likes to take Maddie with him when he’s traveling because he hates the idea of leaving her behind, which means you’ll have to go with them. And you will have to make sure she stays up-to-date with her schoolwork on those days.”

It sounded as if I was going to see a lot more of Leo than I had expected because he seemed very hands-on.

I asked Fee if she wanted me to be in uniform when I accompanied Maddie to formal occasions because I knew the help was always supposed to be invisible at high society events. Besides, people like my brother didn’t even clock people in uniform, which would reduce the chances of Arjun spotting me even if I was right under his nose. But Fee wouldn’t hear of it.

This wasn’t how most of her peers treated their nannies, and I had a niggling suspicion she was up to something.

Before I could voice my concerns, it was time to pick up Maddie from school. Fee introduced me to the staff and made sure I had the required clearance to pick Maddie up from now on. When we got home, the evening flew past in a blur of homework, Lego, bath, dinner, and bedtime. It was a grueling schedule, but I was happy to be occupied. It kept my mind off more unsettling things like when Leo would get home.

He hadn’t come home for dinner, and I wondered why. Maybe he was on a date, I thought viciously as I balled up Maddie’s used clothes and threw them into the laundry basket.Then I remembered that it had nothing to do with me. I was here only to look after this little angel who seemed so happy to have me around. I kissed her softly on the forehead and tiptoed out of the room.

Ramsay was waiting for me outside Maddie’s room, and he told me that the family was waiting for me in the den. My heart skipped a beat as I wondered if Leo was home. But when I walked into the den in the basement, he wasn’t there. I swallowed my disappointment and smiled brightly at Fee who introduced me to Leo’s brothers.

“This is Marcus, and this madcap is Luke. Don’t believe a word he says, because he’s the most awful flirt,” she said fondly.

I smiled at both of them and then turned to Marcus.

“Is Celine okay?” I asked urgently. “And Rose?”

“She’s fine,” he replied, an undecipherable expression flitting across his face. “She said she’ll call you in the morning.”

“Is she really moving to Vegas?”

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