by Katie Dowe
"Neither have I." Nathan hadn't taken his eyes away from Christina's. "You're amazing."
Christina didn't know what to say to that. Her mouth felt dry. She swallowed but she still felt like she had eaten sandpaper. Finally, Nathan dragged his eyes away from her and looked at Leo, giving him an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry to spring this on you, Leo, but it was last minute. I've been asked to attend a garden party of sorts for a friend of a friend. They're expecting me at eleven."
Leo frowned and glanced at Clive.
"Do you think that's wise with the threats you've had?"
"They're major investors." Nathan pointed out. "I need to show my face." He looked at his son and his expression softened. "And they want to see Jack."
Christina drew in a sharp breath. He wouldn't do that to his own son, would he?
"Do you want to put Jack in unnecessary danger?" She hitched Jack higher up her hip. "I don't mind staying here with him. He'd probably get bored if it's a grown-up party."
"Jack knows something's wrong here, Christina." Nathan reached out and lovingly stroked Jack's head. "He doesn't want to be away from my side for long."
His fingers brushed against her cheek and Christina gasped. Nathan looked at her and the spark jumped between them. Nathan's nostrils flared but that was the only reaction he gave. Christina took a breath to steady her pulse, which had skyrocketed. What was it about this man that set her off?
"I can handle a screaming toddler, Mr Gilmore." She said.
"Nathan, please." Nathan smiled. "I'm sure you can but I want Jack near me."
Christina closed her eyes and sighed.
"I guess that means I'm coming, too."
"Naturally. However," Nathan added, casting an appreciative look over her clothes. "You might need to wear something a bit...different. If you're playing the role of the nanny, you'd better be dressed for the part. No one would believe you were the hired help dressed like that. You look more cop than nanny."
Christina bit back the angry retort she had building up on the tip of her tongue. Leo gave her a look that told her not to argue. She swallowed and faced Nathan with a scowl.
"I'll see what I can find." She said stiffly.
The smile she got almost had her melting. Almost.
"Good." Nathan turned to Leo, speaking to Christina over his shoulder. "We leave in an hour and a half. Get Jack ready as well, if you would?"
Christina was seething as Nathan drew Leo, Josh and Clive away, dismissing her. How dare he treat her like a lowly member of staff? She may not have been a male with muscles to rival Sylvester Stallone's but she could do a damn good job if they needed her to.
Now was not the time to argue, though. With Jack still resting his head on her shoulder Christina left the room. She would find Jack's room on her own. Then she could let lose any expletives she had for the insufferable, gorgeous man who was going to be bad news for her.
She knew he was bad news. But her body was saying otherwise.
And that was what made it worse.
*****
Christina felt hot. Her hair was sticking to the back of her neck and she was sweating. The only dress she had packed was black with long sleeves and a skirt that fell to mid-calf. It was good as an evening dress but it was terrible for an outdoor summer event.
She felt out of place here. The party was predominantly for the rich, outfits costing thousands and would probably be only worn once and left in the closet to gather dust. People looked fake, air-kissing and light laughter that didn't sound right. They were putting on an act, pretending to like everyone around them when they would easily stab anyone in the back to suit their own purpose.
Nathan looked like he fitted right in. He was talking to a short, stocky man with a bald head and a Hispanic man as tall as him with black hair tied back in a ponytail, a goatee completing his handsome face. Christina could appreciate a good-looking man but her eyes kept going back to Nathan. He was smiling, a genuine one that had his whole face lighting up. Christina couldn't take her eyes off him. The man was contagious and she seemed to have caught the disease.
And that didn't settle well with her. She clearly didn't belong in this world and Nathan would never fit into the world she lived in. They were mismatched before they even started - if they ever started.
But that didn't stop her from involuntarily wanting.
"Easy." Leo took the chair beside her and handed her a glass of water. "You're looking like you've swallowed a prune."
Christina grunted and took a sip. She had brought a coloring book for Jack to the party and they had found an empty table. Jack had been good the two hours they had been there, sitting at the table scribbling away. Apart from the couple of times when she took him to the bathroom and then to the buffet table, he had sat at the table, intent on his drawing. Christina couldn't remember a better behaved boy.
She kept her voice low so Jack wouldn't hear. The boy's hearing was very sharp.
"Who does he think he is? Saying I didn't look like a nanny." She tugged at the sleeve of her dress. "Making me wear this."
"You look great. And he didn't choose that for you, did he?"
"It's the only thing I have that wasn't my pyjamas or a suit." Christina scowled at Nathan, whose group had been joined by Jane. She smiled and bid them greetings before pulling Nathan away towards the buffet table, talking in a low voice. "Look at him. Swanning around like he owns the place."
"He very nearly does." Leo sipped at his whiskey. "He spent his childhood struggling. As an adult he's making the most of it."
Christina didn't like that observation. It made Nathan sound like a spoiled brat. True, he hadn't been born with a silver spoon in his mouth but he gave that impression. It felt too fake for her.
He hadn't even come over to Jack to say hello. Jack didn't seem to mind but Christina did. He claimed to love his son but she had yet to see any indications of it outside of his home.
She wondered what the real Nathan Gilmore was like. Under the facade there had to be something of the original person left.
Leo leaned over and nudged her arm gently.
"Don't judge him too harshly, Chris. Nathan may be a bit hard to swallow at times but he's a good man."
Christina snorted.
"I'll believe it when I see it."
If she had been looking the other way she wouldn't have noticed it. She saw a waiter hanging around the buffet table. He went behind the table, ducked out of sight and then reappeared a moment later, looking around to check he hadn't been seen.
"What is it?"
Leo had noticed Christina had seen something. Christina nodded at the waiter, who was moving away from the table.
"That waiter. Does he look out of place to you?"
"No, not that I can see. Why?"
Christina watched the man make his way through the crowds to the side of the house. He turned back and took something out of his pocket. Christina saw a cell phone and a smirk on the waiter's face.
Her stomach clenched. Something wasn't right. She followed his line of sight and saw it focused firmly on Nathan and Jane, who were still talking, Nathan now with his back to the buffet table.
"Christina?"
Christina stood up, her heart pounding.
"Take Jack."
"What?"
But Christina was already moving. She rushed into the crowd, pushing people out the way and receiving many angry shouts after her. But she ignored them, dodging her way through until she got to Nathan. Nathan and Jane turned, Jane looking furious and Nathan surprised. He opened his mouth but then Christina tackled him around the waist.
They hit the ground when the world exploded.
Chapter 3
Nathan flinched and ducked away from the paramedic's probing hands.
"Ouch! Leave me alone!"
Leo sighed.
"Nathan, let them check you over."
"I'm fine." Nathan grumbled. "I've got a hard head."
"That we never doubted." The pa
ramedic muttered.
Nathan glared at him. The explosion had knocked him hard and he had experienced dizziness and ringing in his ears. For ten minutes he felt like he was swimming underwater; whenever anyone spoke, it sounded like they were a million miles away. He was still struggling to hear anybody now.
Thankfully the bomb hadn't caught him thanks to Christina so he was only bruised and had some scrapes on his back and elbows where he had hit the ground. There was also a graze under his hairline that stung like hell.
Nobody had been hurt badly, either; a few people had been caught by flying food but only one ambulance had been called out. The other paramedic was dealing with Jane, who was complaining of being seriously injured but the red stuff on her dress was actually strawberry jam. If the situation wasn't so annoying Nathan would have found it amusing.
Leo touched his shoulder.
"Nathan, just let him check you over and they'll leave you alone. You don't have to go to the hospital."
Nathan closed his eyes and sighed.
"Okay."
He gritted his teeth as his head graze was cleaned and a sticking plaster was put over the wound. When that was done, Nathan gratefully hopped off the back of the ambulance, giving the paramedic a nod of thanks, and turned to Leo.
"What happened?"
"One of the waiters primed a bomb under the buffet table when you and Jane were near it." Leo's mouth twisted grimly. "He planned to set it off when you were right beside it."
Nathan forced back a shudder. He didn't want to think about how close he came to being killed.
"Did you see who it was?"
Leo nodded.
"We saw him by the table and move away. I thought he was just checking on food supply but Christina saw him get out his phone and put two and two together." He nodded towards the police officers talking to the host and his wife, both of whom were looking increasingly annoyed at the presence of uniforms at their party. "I've given a physical description to the police."
"Where's the guy now?"
"Clive went after him but he disappeared. Used the crowd to disappear."
Nathan swore quietly. Now that wasn't something he wanted to hear. He had hoped it would be easy but the bastard had slipped away using the bomb as a distraction. And he had to keep looking over his shoulder.
Turning towards the lawn, he spied Christina sitting on the grass. She had a bandage on her cheek and her sleeve was ripped, her face pale. Jack was in her lap and she held him as she rocked him, murmuring something into his ear.
Nathan felt icy cold fingers going up his back. Jack could have been injured, even killed. If that bomb had got off near his son, Nathan didn't know what he would have done. He swallowed.
"Where was Jack?"
"He was with me. He was nowhere near the blast."
That made Nathan feel better. Almost. He needed to know Christina was all right.
"What about Christina? Is she okay?"
"Christina's got the usual cuts and bruises and her ears are ringing but she's none the worse for wear."
She had saved him. Christina had made it clear she didn't like him. But she had saved his life, pushing him out the way when she could have easily been hurt. She looked so frightened despite keeping herself together. Her expression was serene but her eyes told another story. The poor woman was terrified.
It could have been simply doing her job. She was employed to keep him safe. But, at the same time, Nathan couldn't help wonder if there was something else going on there. Under that prickly exterior lay a vulnerable woman who seemed to want to atone for something that had happened to her.
Nathan knew he should leave well enough alone. No point getting the woman's hackles up again. But he also wanted to know what made her tick, what drove her. He just wanted to know her.
It was thinking this as he stared at her lovely face as she held his son that Nathan knew he was in trouble.
*****
It took Christina several hours before she finished her statement with the police. She was tired and dizzy from the explosion. Her ears were still ringing but had toned down to a tiny din. But it didn't stop Christina's head from feeling like she had whacked it hard against the wall.
It was dark by the time Christina arrived back at the estate. She was exhausted by then and was ready to go to bed. After a long, hot bath.
Clive had been patrolling the grounds when the patrol car dropped Christina off. He joined her on the steps and gave her a hug.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine." Christina stepped back and nodded towards the house. "Everything okay?"
"You could say that. Josh is shaken and retreated to his room the moment we got back. Jane spent ages spouting off about how ineffectual we are until Nathan snapped at her to shut up. She stormed off to her room about an hour ago."
Christina swallowed.
"And Nathan and Jack?"
"Jack was too scared to go to bed. He thinks his daddy is going to be blown away again. He's barely left Nathan's side since you went to the police station to be interviewed."
The interview had also included a sketch artist. Christina had given them a detailed description but the sketch artist hadn't done what she wanted so she had taken the sketch pad away and drawn him herself. She had taken an art course while at university and she still had the knack. The sketch artist had been impressed and had even asked if she wanted his job, which Christina had found vaguely amusing.
She had wanted to get out of there. She wanted to go and see that Jack was all right. He had been scared after the explosion, clutching onto Christina as his father had been with the paramedics and then the police. The poor boy had been whimpering, shaking in her arms. Her heart had ached for him. There were things a child should never have to see.
"Where are they now?"
"Nathan took Jack to his room a few hours ago. I think Jack fell asleep in his arms."
"And Leo?"
"He's going around the house checking the doors and windows. Then he'll be off to bed until two when he relieves me."
Christina looked up at the house. Dark and silent, the house looked oppressive. She took a deep breath and patted Clive on the arm.
"I'll check on the boy and then I'll get some sleep."
"Night, Chris."
"Goodnight."
Clive let her in and Christina made her way upstairs. Her feet were dragging and she nearly tripped up one of the steps. Forcing herself to stay awake, she forced herself to carry on and found her way to Jack's room. Cracking open the door, she slipped in and looked at the sleeping form on the bed, silhouetted by a nightlight.
Nathan was sitting in an armchair near the bed, rocking gently. He was clutching a children's book and a toy monkey that had seen better days. His eyes were on Jack, who was huddled under his duvet. The boy looked so innocent as he slept. Christina blinked back the tears.
Nathan seemed to realize he wasn't alone and looked up. A bandage was stuck against his hairline. For a moment he didn't look like a billionaire in control; he looked like a scared father.
Christina wanted to go to him and hold him, let him lean on her. She had a feeling he hadn't leaned on anyone for a long time.
She nodded at the adjoining door to her bedroom, which Nathan understood. He stood slowly so the chair didn't go rocking back against the dresser, and leaned over Jack. He put the monkey on the bed beside his son and leaned over him, kissing his forehead gently.
Christina turned away. She couldn't watch anymore; too many memories she didn't want to see right now.
She went into her bedroom, Nathan following a moment later. Christina turned the light on as Nathan quietly shut the door.
"Is he okay?"
"He fell asleep a short time ago. I think he just exhausted himself." Nathan leaned against the door, his eyes closed. "The poor thing wouldn't let me leave him. He hasn't had that nightlight on for over a year."
"He saw his dad nearly get blown to pieces. He's scared he's going to lose
you."
Nathan sighed. He opened his eyes. Christina was thrown by the exhausted look on his face. The tiredness was evident enough that she was amazed he was standing upright. His mouth hardened in resolution.
"I'm not going anywhere." He pushed off the door. "It'll take more than a bomb to kill me."
Christina winced. Nathan's voice had risen when he said that.
"Say that a bit louder, why don't you?"
"Sorry. I'm not in the best of moods right now."
Nathan moved towards her. Christina did her best to stay put. The closer he got the warmer her body felt. She could feel heat licking at her core and spreading out. Being this close and alone with Nathan Gilmore had her hormones jumping all over the place. This was not a good situation at all. But for the life of her she couldn't move away.
Nathan stopped in front of her, mere inches away. His expression softened and he gave her a smile. It was a small one but genuine, one that Christina felt right down to her toes.
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"For saving my life. Leo said if I'd been where I was when the bomb went off..." He swallowed. "You'd be picking up pieces."
Christina didn't want to think about that. It made her stomach churn to think what could have happened. If she had been half a second too late, if she hadn't run to him at all...it didn't bear thinking about. She bit her lip.
"A boy needs his father. You might be a bastard." This earned a chuckle from Nathan, "But you're a good dad and you've brought him up well. I might want to pummel you but I don't want you dead."
"You could just say you're welcome."
Christina laughed.
"I don't make things easy for anyone."
"That I do know."
They looked at each other, sharing a smile. Nathan looked different when he laughed. He looked younger, happier. More dangerous to her.
This was not good. But Christina couldn't bring herself to care.
Nathan seemed to realize where they were and coughed awkwardly, glancing at his watch.
"It's late. I'd better get to bed." His expression softened. "Thanks again, Chris."
"Goodnight, Mr Gilmore."
"Nathan."
Christina swallowed. Saying his name felt too intimate, too inappropriate.
