by Elle James
“Tia Lily?” he suggested.
She nodded. “Auntie Lily is better.” She squatted down in front of Mari. “Can you call me Auntie Lily?”
Mari flung her arms around her neck. “Auntie Lily.”
Lily lifted Mari in her arms and walked into the shallow end of the pool. Robbie stepped in behind her. Warmed by the tropical sun, the water was perfect. Lily waded in up to her waist with Mari until her water wings floated her little body above the surface. She hadn’t asked Tony if the children had ever taken swim lessons. He was a wealthy man. For all she knew, they had a pool at home and swam like fish.
Mari laughed and splashed water in Lily’s face. Then she pushed away from Lily and swam back to the shallow end where she could put her feet on the bottom.
Lily chuckled. “So, you do know how to swim.”
Robbie was all over the pool. Soon, Lily let him shed the water wings, and he dove to the bottom for plastic rings.
After an hour in the water, she dried them with big fluffy towels provided by the hotel and took them up to the room where she filled a bathtub full of bubbles and toys and let Mari play for a few minutes before she washed her hair and rinsed her. Robbie showered on his own with a little help rinsing the shampoo from his hair.
After she dressed and combed their hair, Lily settled them in their bedroom, playing with their toys. She gathered her toiletries and stepped into the shower adjoining their room. She left the door open so that she could listen for them and peek out every so often to make sure they were still there and okay.
She had just lathered her hair with the shampoo provided by the hotel when she heard a deep voice in the other room. Lily froze. The bathroom door was wide open. Only a shower curtain separated her from the all-seeing gaze of her employer. She poked her head around the edge of the curtain to see Tony standing beside Robbie, admiring his work with the Lego blocks he’d brought with him.
Quickly rinsing the soap from her hair, she applied conditioner, rinsed and finished up. The deep voice continued to hum in the other room, the sound making Lily warm all over, even when she turned off the water and the cool breeze of the air conditioner caressed her skin.
Now what? She reached for the towel on the towel bar outside the shower but couldn’t quite get her hands on it without stepping out of the shower.
Wrapping the lower edge of the shower curtain around her, she stepped out of the shower onto the smooth tile floor and leaned over to snatch the towel from the bar. When she did, the curtain rod pulled free of the wall. Because she was leaning into the curtain when the rod released, Lily lost her balance. Her feet slipped on the wet tile, and she crashed to the floor, the curtain rod smacking her in the head.
To add insult to the injury, she couldn’t unwind herself from the curtain to get to her feet.
“Need a hand?” that deep familiar voice said.
“No, I do not.” Pulling the towel up over her naked breasts, she tried to roll over, but the curtain rod kept the curtain from coming with her, and thus kept her from rolling. Embarrassed beyond belief, she finally gave up. “Yes. I do need help. But close your eyes, for heaven’s sake.”
He chuckled. “If I close my eyes, I won’t be able to untangle you.”
“Can you at least slide the curtain rod out of the loops?”
He leaned over her and disassembled the end of the rod, easily sliding it free of the loops. Setting it aside, he reached out to her. “Take my hand.”
“No, I’m not dressed.”
“Auntie Lily, are you all right?” Robbie asked from the door to the bathroom.
“I’m fine,” Lily called out. “I just slipped. I’ll be out in a minute. Please keep watch on Mari.”
“Okay.” Robbie turned back to the room and his Lego tower he’d been building.
She struggled to right herself but couldn’t. “Don’t just stand there, do something.”
He bent, took her hand and hauled Lily to her feet all in one powerful motion. He pulled so fast she didn’t have time to get her feet firmly planted. She went from lying on the floor to crashing into his chest.
Tony wrapped his arms around her waist to steady her.
The shower curtain had slipped down below her breasts, and the towel was somewhere between her belly and his hips.
When he started to lean back, she leaned into him. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t move.” She stared at his Adam’s apple, her cheeks on fire. “I’m naked.”
He chuckled, again. “I hope you are, since you were in the shower.”
“I mean, the shower curtain slipped down,” she whispered.
His laughter rumbled in his chest, resonating through hers. Her body quivered, and heat coiled low in her belly. Why did he have such a visceral effect on her?
Because he was drop-dead gorgeous. Because his hands were on her naked body. Well, on the shower curtain around her naked body. And what was that hard ridge pressing into her belly?
Lily gulped. Could he be as aware of her, as she was of him?
“It’s not funny,” she whispered. “What will the children think with you holding me and me…well…naked?”
“They’ll think I helped you when you fell in the bathroom.” His mouth was so close to her temple, she could feel the warmth of his breath on her skin.
Desperate to get away from the man before she did something even stupider, like throw her arms around him and beg him to take her to bed, she asked, “How am I supposed to bow out of this situation gracefully?”
He tipped her chin up to stare down into her eyes. “Hmm. You are in a bind, aren’t you?”
“You’re no help.” With her hands against his shirt, she dug her fingers and thumbs into his shirt and pinched him.
“Ouch!” He jerked back. “Why’d you do that?”
She tightened her hold around him. “You’re not taking me seriously.”
“Hey, I got you off the floor,” he reminded her. “And I should get some credit for saving you from the killer curtain rod.”
“Okay, so you’re not all bad,” Lily admitted. “I still don’t know how I’m going to get dressed without exposing myself to you and those sweet children.”
He reached behind her, grabbed another towel from the towel bar and draped it over her shoulders. “There. Don’t say I can’t be helpful.”
She pulled the edges of the towel around her like a sarong, letting the shower curtain drop to the floor. Once she had all the important parts covered, she stepped out of Tony’s arms. “I can take it from here. Thank you.”
He touched the tips of two fingers to his brow. “Glad to be off assistance.” He backed out of the bathroom and pulled the door closed.
Alone at last, Lily stared at the door, her pulse racing, her body on fire from touching his. If there hadn’t been children in the other room… Holy crap, she’d wanted to let that shower curtain fall to the ground, without the towel.
This was not good. Not good at all. The idea behind being an au pair was to care for the children, not fall for the parent.
Chapter 6
Tony checked on Robbie and Mari, and then crossed the living room to the other bedroom in the suite. He found himself in need of a very cold shower. Holding the naked au pair had stirred responses he hadn’t felt since Marisol had passed.
What was it about the pretty teacher that had his body tense and his manhood rock-hard? She was just a stubborn, opinionated woman who happened to be good with children. He wasn’t in Costa Rica to have a fling. Especially since his children were sharing the same space with him and Lily.
And Lily was his employee. Tony did not have relationships with anyone who worked for him. It wasn’t right, and it caused far too many complications.
And Lily Grayson had complication written all over her pretty face.
But when she’d wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her wet, naked breasts against his chest, any self-imposed rules he’d lived by for so long flew out the window
. He’d wanted to close the door, strip off his clothes and have her against the tile walls of the shower.
His lips twitched thinking about what her response would have been. She’d either have joined willingly or slammed him face-down on the floor, like she’d done with Michael’s dad.
The woman had mad skills when it came to self-defense.
Tony stripped out of the clothes he’d worn all day to travel in. A moment later, he was under the shower’s spray, rinsing off the germs and grime from traveling so far in one day. The chilled water went a long way toward returning control of his body to his heart and mind.
Sanity restored, he dried his body and dressed in tailored black trousers, a white dress shirt and patent leather loafers. When he stepped out of his room, he came to a full stop, his gaze taking in the beauty in front of him.
Lily wore an emerald green gown that matched the color of her eyes. The soft material hugged her body like a second skin, the thin straps accentuating the curves of her shoulders. She’d dried her hair and pulled it up into a messy bun on top of her head, with wispy strands curling around her ears.
Robbie emerged from the room dressed in a pair of trousers and a crisp white shirt, much like the one Tony wore. His brown hair had been neatly combed back from his face.
Mari ran out of the room dressed in a ruffled white dress with a big bow tied in the back. Her hair had been pulled up into a messy bun, much like Lily’s.
Tony’s heart swelled at how beautiful his children were. “You’ve performed a miracle. I could never have achieved such perfection.”
She smiled as Robbie and Mari came to stand beside her. “They wanted to look good for you.”
He gave them a slight bow. “I am honored.”
“I look like you, Papi.” Robbie’s chest puffed out, so proud to be a man like his father.
“Yes, son, you do.” Though he resembled his mother more, Tony kept that thought to himself. “Ready?”
Lily hesitated. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to accompany your family to dinner.”
“You have to eat too, don’t you? Or are you one of those women who doesn’t eat to spare her figure?”
Lily snorted. “Obviously, I like to eat.”
He tilted his head, his gaze sweeping her from head to toe. “Not so obvious. Are you coming? Robbie and Mari seem to like you. They’ll be disappointed if you don’t come.”
Lily cocked an auburn brow. “And you?”
His lips quirked as he fought a smile. “My opinion isn’t as important.”
“I wouldn’t be here, if that were true,” she pointed out.
“Well said.” He held out his arm to Lily. “It would be my pleasure to escort such a lovely lady to dinner with my children.”
“You don’t have to lay it on so thick.” She slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. “A simple you can come would have sufficed.” Giving him a sideways glance, she added, “But thank you.”
They rode the elevator to the second floor where the restaurant was located. Robbie and Mari gave him a rundown of their fun in the pool and how well they could swim.
At the restaurant, they were given a table by a window with a view of the ocean. The sun had settled like a big orange ball on the horizon, sinking into the water and spreading fire across its surface.
“Beautiful,” Lily murmured.
Tony couldn’t agree more. The little teacher from Hellfire, Texas was bathed in the glow of a brilliant sunset, the fiery highlights in her auburn hair burned brightly. With her hair pinned up on top of her head, her delicate earlobes were exposed, as well as the long smooth line of her neck.
A waitress hurried over to take their drink orders, forcing Tony to shift his attention from the lovely au pair to a member of his staff, eager to please.
Sharing a meal with Lily and his children was an unexpected joy. Robbie and Mari were at their best. Lily was attentive and helpful with their wants and needs. She was patient, kind and always had a smile for the little ones.
Tony found himself wishing she would turn her smile in his direction. Perhaps he had to earn her pleasure. The thought of earning her approval irritated him at the same time as it challenged him.
After dinner, they took the children up to the room where Lily helped them into their pajamas, got them to brush their teeth and tucked them into one of the double beds.
Still wearing her pretty green dress, she kicked off her shoes, sat on the edge of Mari’s mattress and read a book, pointing to the pictures and asking Mari and Robbie to name the animals in the story. In English.
Tony stood in the doorway, listening to the sweet sound of Lily’s voice as she told the story of a lost lamb finding her way back to her mother. When she finished the book, Mari’s eyes had closed, and her breathing had deepened. Lily rose from the bed, slid Mari over onto a pillow and kissed her goodnight.
Robbie slipped out of the bed and rubbed his eyes “What if the lamb’s mother had died?”
The question tore at Tony’s heart. He held his breath, waiting for Lily’s response.
She slipped an arm around his shoulders and hugged him close, dropping a kiss on top of his head. “Then her father would find her and love her even more.”
Tony entered the room, lifted his son into his arms and held him close. “That’s right. Her father would have found her and loved her enough for both parents.” He laid Robbie in his bed and drew the blanket up under his chin. “Just like I love you and Mari so very much.”
Robbie wrapped his arms around Tony’s neck and pulled him close. “I love you, Papi,” he whispered. “Please don’t go away like Mama.”
“I won’t,” he said.
“Papi?” Robbie said as he loosened his hold and sank back against the pillow. “My friend Michael is getting a new daddy. Can we get a new mama?”
Tony smiled down at his son. “I don’t know. That’s a big order to fill. I’d have to find a nice lady I can love as much as I loved your mama. And she’d have to love me and you and Mari.”
Robbie sighed. “Auntie Lily loves us. Don’t you?” He turned to Lily who had been picking up discarded clothing and folding them neatly.
She blinked. “Of course, I do.”
“Then all you have to do is fall in love with my papi, and you can be my mama.”
Lily’s cheeks flooded with color. “It’s not that simple, Robbie.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“It’s just not,” Tony responded. “Go to sleep now. I’m sure Miss Grayson has lots of fun things planned for you tomorrow.”
“Are we going to the beach?” Robbie asked.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Lily said.
“If I can get away, I’ll come with you,” Tony said, hoping he wasn’t making a promise he couldn’t keep.
“Good, then you and Auntie Lily could work on falling in love.” Robbie turned over and tucked his hand beneath his cheek, a smile on his face as he closed his eyes.
Tony leaned down and pressed a kiss to his son’s forehead. “Buenas noches. Te amo hijo.”
“Yo te quiero más,” Robbie mumbled.
Lily gathered her nightclothes and started for the bathroom.
“I had the staff fix the shower curtain while we were at dinner,” Tony said.
“Thank you. I’m sorry I destroyed the one that was there.”
“I’m not.”
She shot him a wide-eyed glance, her lovely green eyes making him want so much more.
The things he was feeling threatened to overwhelm him. “Goodnight, Lily,” he said, and he walked away before he said or did anything else that didn’t make any sense.
Lily remained awake long after she changed into her nightgown and lay on the small bed that had been brought into the living room, complete with sheets, blankets and extra pillows.
What had Tony meant when he’d said that he wasn’t sorry she’d destroyed the shower curtain?
Had he felt something when she’d been pressed up agai
nst him naked? More than just embarrassment at having an employee standing naked with him in the same room?
Her heart fluttered, skipped several beats and pounded against her ribs.
Antonio Delossantos was a very handsome man. He could have his pick of any woman. Why would he pick a teacher from Texas?
Lily punched her pillow and turned on her side. No, she was reading too much into what he’d said. Besides, she was an employee, there to take care of his children, not him. When the summer was over, she wouldn’t see him again. Robbie would be in a first-grade class, and Mari would likely have a different kindergarten teacher.
Closing her eyes, Lily focused on the next day and the activities she had planned for Robbie and Mari. They would go to the beach and maybe do a little shopping in the market. Lily also wanted to work with Robbie and Mari on reading skills to prepare them for the next school year. She would make it fun, so they wouldn’t even think it was work.
She woke the next morning determined to keep her head on straight, enjoy her time in Costa Rica and the children she was coming to care for dearly.
What woman wouldn’t fall in love with Robbie and Mari? They were sweet, full of energy and happy, for the most part. Robbie had his moments when he missed his mother. But Mari had been too young to remember her.
Lily packed a large bag full of beach towels, water bottles and sunscreen. After breakfast, Tony headed for his office, promising to join them when he got free. Lily took the children up to their suite where she helped Mari and Robbie into their swimsuits. Then she dressed in her bikini and pulled a light summer dress over the suit.
The three walked through the hotel and out to the beach where they claimed an umbrella and a few lounge chairs to drop their things on. Then they waded out into the surf. Mari was more reluctant than Robbie. The beach was beautiful, and the water was clear and clean. Costa Rica was a paradise Lily could easily fall in love with.
For all its beauty, the country had a dark side. From what Tony had told Lily, his wife had been murdered by a member of a drug cartel.
Lily could understand Tony’s reticence in bringing his children back to a place where the local police had little control over the drug traffickers. That he had chosen her to watch over them showed how much he trusted her abilities.
