Page 48 of The Billionaire and the Nanny

She was right. Iwasa moron.

Tia was everything Natalie was not. She was loving and caring, and in just a few weeks, she had been more of a mother to Maddie than Natalie ever had been. Sure, Maddie had had some wonderful nannies in the past. But that’s all they were. They did their jobs really well, but at the end of the day, they clocked out until the next shift. With Tia, it was different. She truly loved my child. And Maddie loved her. For good reason, I realized. She was very, very lovable.

I swallowed as I tried not to admit it. I couldn’t even say the words in my mind without panicking. It was too soon for me to…loveTia.

Blech! I wasn’t a sappy idiot who fell in love with women just because they loved my daughter and looked gorgeous and mademy dick hard with just a smile. I shuddered at the very thought. This was just leftover festive cheer, that’s all.

All the same, I was grateful to Tia for giving up on her evening, and I wanted to make it up to her.

“Get dressed,” I said abruptly.

She looked down at her clothes.

“Are you high? Iamdressed!”

“No, I mean wear the dress you would have worn tonight. You can still have a lovely evening,” I promised.

Her gaze softened, and she put a hand up to cup my cheek.

“Leo, I don’t need to go out to have a lovely evening. I just need to be around people whom I love.”

Her words hung in the air between us, unsaid but understood. Tia. Loved. Me.

I walked her backward until her back hit the wall and loomed over her. Her breath quickened and she ran her tongue over her lips. I refused to be distracted by the wetness glistening on them.

“You have five minutes to get out of those jeans and into something gorgeous. If you’re not out in five minutes, I’m coming into your room, and get this, Tia. If I come in there, Iwillget those jeans off you, but I make no promises about letting you put on anything else for a long, long time. You decide.”

She squeaked as she ducked under my arm and ran out of the room.

“Five minutes,” she called out shakily.

CHAPTER 22

TIA

My hands shook as I zipped myself into the dress hurriedly.

Five minutes was hardly any time, and I didn’t trust the look in Leo’s eyes. If he came into my room, we wouldn’t leave for a long time. And while every cell in my body stood up and clamored for it to happen, I didn’t want to fall into his arms until we reached a better understanding.

Hot sex does not solve everything, I told myself sternly.

My body blew me a raspberry and reminded me that it did make the fighting fun.

I shook my head and ran a brush through my unruly hair. It hung down almost to my waist, covering the skin that my deep back left bare. I was tempted to hide my curvy body behind my hair, but on an impulse, I put it all up into a knot at the nape of my neck. The sight of my bare back scared me silly because I wasn’t used to revealing so much skin, but this was not the timeto be a scaredy-cat. This was the time to be Cleopatra, warrior queen.

I came out of my room just as Leo put his hand up to bang on my door. Did he look a little disappointed to see me ready to leave? God! Why was I overthinking this so much? I smiled up at him shakily, but he was too busy looking me up and down to smile back.

His eyes swept over me leisurely, lingering on my bare skin, and for the first time since I bought this dress, I felt beautiful, not fat. I turned around slowly to give him the full view, and he groaned in response.

“You’re killing me, babe. I changed my mind. Let’s go back to your room,” he suggested desperately.

“No way! You promised me a lovely evening, and I’m going to have it. Lead on, Donovan,” I said with a giggle.

“Fine! Have it your way,” he said grumpily as he led me to the roof, which had its own garden and gazebo.

Part of the roof had been converted into an observatory, with a huge clear glass ceiling to keep out the cold air, and a professional-looking telescope fitted to one window. The wall that overlooked the city was glass from floor to ceiling.

I had never been here because Maddie wasn’t allowed to go up to the roof since she tried to parachute off it with a blanket tied around her neck. Leo had caught her just in time and fired the nanny who was busy on her phone instead of looking after her charge.

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