by Leanne Banks
“What does that mean?”
“I mean I’m starting to understand why women fall at your feet.”
“I’d argue that they fall at my feet, but I’d love to hear why you think they do.”
“You seduce without trying. It’s in your eyes and in your voice. You just ooze it out of your pores. A woman would mistake that and think you meant something personal.” She stiffened her backbone even though she felt like melted butter. “But not me.”
“Why not you?”
She rose to her feet. “Because it would be the biggest mistake a woman could make to believe you want only her. I may be inexperienced, but that doesn’t mean I’m stupid.”
He rose slowly in front of her. “So what you’re saying is that you’re totally immune.” A dark challenge glinted in his eyes.
She had the sinking sensation she’d woken a sleeping lion. “I didn’t say I was immune. I just said—”
“So if I kissed you—” he moved closer “—it wouldn’t affect you.”
Alarm shot through her. “I didn’t say that, either. I just said—”
“Let’s see,” he cut in, and lowered his mouth to hers.
Gail froze in shock, her eyes wide-open, her vision blurred by his closeness. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but he used the movement as an invitation to deepen the kiss.
“Your lips are so soft,” he muttered against her mouth, causing a delicious vibration. He rubbed his mouth from side to side against hers in a sensual motion, and she felt his warm hand gently press the small of her back. Everything about him said “Come a little closer, I’ll make you feel good.”
Just as she thought she might gather her wits, he drew even closer. His chest brushed her breasts and he dipped his tongue past her lips.
Her heart pounding, Gail was caught between a decadent urge and good sense. When he curled one of his hands behind the nape of her neck, the gentle gesture slid past her defenses. He kissed her with a combination of controlled desire and curiosity. She couldn’t help wondering what would happen when he took the leash off his desire. The dark energy of passion underneath his caress sent a rush of heat through her.
This was a man who knew how to give and receive pleasure. A man with no hang-ups, no inhibitions. He exuded confidence in his sexuality.
Gail opened her mouth and, following an unbidden instinct, curled her tongue around his and sucked it deeper into her mouth.
Giving a low murmur of approval, he drew her body flush with his, and she immediately felt his arousal through his wet trunks. He began to devour her mouth with his. Something inside her demanded that she respond, stroke for stroke, caress for caress. His heat suffused her, and when he slid his hand to her bottom to guide her against him intimately, her knees grew weak. He wanted her, and the blatant signs from his body made her head spin.
He skimmed his hand up to her breast and rubbed her stiff nipple with his thumb. “Damn, I wish you didn’t have anything on. I want to put my mouth all over you.”
The hot, illicit image of his mouth on her nipple raced through her mind, causing a ricochet of need.
He took her hand and guided it down his belly to the waist of his bathing suit. He stopped abruptly and swore, tearing his mouth from hers. His eyes burned like fire as he stared down at her, his breath harsh. He didn’t say it, but she could read his words on his face. What in hell am I doing?
Embarrassment and need tugging her in opposite directions, she stepped back, trying to catch her breath. She bit her lip and watched his gaze drop to her lips and linger. His gaze sent another punch of desire through her. Ripping her gaze from his, she looked down. “This wasn’t a good idea.”
“I know,” he said.
The suggestion of desire in his voice did little to appease her ego. Some insane part of her had wanted him to disagree. “I’m not your type.”
“I know.”
Gail scowled. He could have at least paused before he’d agreed with her. She mentally slapped herself. Was she losing her mind? She glanced at him with as stern an expression as she could manage. “I’m your daughter’s nanny. I’m sure I don’t have one-tenth of your sexual experience. It’s not fair for you to play with me. It’s like bringing an AK-47 to a fight with someone who has a water pistol.”
His gaze slid over her like hot liquid. “I think you underestimate your appeal.”
She felt the slow drag of seduction pull at her again and fought it. “Well, I’m not underestimating yours. Pick on someone your own size,” she said, and wrinkled her brow because it didn’t make sense. She waggled her finger at him. “Pick on someone who has the same experience level. Pick on someone whose breath you don’t take away,” she said, and turned from him, marching as if the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels.
Gail awoke after a restless night the following day. After the hot-tub incident her mind might have tried to bring her libido under control, but her body had liked the way Nicholas had touched and caressed. Her body had ached for more all night.
Her body was just going to have to get over it, she told herself ruthlessly as she sipped her morning coffee while Molly threw cereal at her. Just as Gail was putting aside the newspaper, she saw another photograph of Nicholas with a beautiful woman by his side.
She bared her teeth at the photo, then rolled her eyes at herself and turned her attention to Molly. “We’re going to see Daddy today,” she said as she cleaned up the baby. Nicholas had asked Gail to bring Molly to the office sometime this week.
Molly bounced up and down in her high chair as if she understood Gail. “We’re going to dress you up and take you to Daddy’s office, so everyone can see you. I want to see lots of smiles,” she said, tickling Molly’s neck and causing her to giggle.
Gail dressed Molly in a cute red velvet dress with white tights and a matching red velvet hat. Molly fussed with the hat until Gail successfully distracted the toddler with one of her favorite toys. Gail quickly pulled on a brown jumper and matching boots, and scooped part of her hair away from her face with two barrettes.
With Molly safely tucked into her car seat, Gail made the short drive to the five-story glass-and-chrome building that housed Baronessa’s executive headquarters. She parked in the spot Nicholas had arranged for her and carried Molly through the lobby, pointing out pictures to the baby and reading a couple of the small plaques explaining the history of the company and the awards the gelato had won over the years. She allowed Molly to push the elevator button to the top floor and once there, walked toward Nicholas’s office. Molly was immediately greeted with smiles.
“She looks just like Mr. Barone,” Gail heard one woman say as she walked past.
“When she gets older, I bet she’ll attract the opposite sex with the same ease as her dad,” another murmured.
Gail caught sight of Nicholas flanked by two stylishly dressed women. She shook off concerns about her brown jumper. She was dressed appropriately, she told herself. She was a nanny, not a runway model. Nicholas glanced up, and Gail’s heart dipped. He looked at Molly and smiled.
Molly began to kick and Gail coached the baby in a whisper. “Da-da.”
“Da-da-da-da-da-da,” Molly called.
“I wondered when you two would get here,” Nicholas said. “Don’t you look gorgeous,” he said, chucking Molly’s chin.
His daughter coyly ducked, and it occurred to Gail that Nicholas’s ability to charm was beginning to extend to Molly.
“Oh, she’s just beautiful,” one of the women beside Nicholas cooed. “May I hold her for a moment?”
Nicholas hesitated, glancing at Molly’s fingers gripping Gail’s hair. “Maybe in a little bit, Jen. There are a lot of unfamiliar faces, so we probably need to give her a chance to get comfortable. Jen, this is Gail Fenton. She’s the miracle nanny.”
Jen looked at Gail as if trying to imagine how she could possibly work miracles. Gail resisted the urge to feel inadequate and extended her hand, instead. “It’s nice to meet you, Jen,”
she said.
After that, Nicholas held his hands out for Molly and to Gail’s relief, his daughter went to him with no fussing. She noticed that every now and then Molly looked back to make sure Gail was still close by. Nicholas introduced several people, including his brother, Joseph Barone, CFO of Baronessa.
Gail couldn’t help noticing the stark difference in personality between Nicholas and Joseph. Nicholas’s eyes were alight with humor and sharp wit, while Joseph appeared rather serious and formal. She sensed a deep sadness in him and thought she might ask Nicholas about it later.
A lovely, tall, slender woman with long, curly light-brown hair walked into the public area of the executive suite, and the crowd immediately parted for her. Her violet eyes sparkled like firecrackers, but she emanated a cool, sophisticated aura. Her expression said “Don’t underestimate me.”
“I heard a rumor that my niece is here. I know you’ve been keeping her close to home, Nicholas, so she’s not getting away until I get a good look at her.” She turned to Molly. “Bellisima. Little one, you are going to break hearts and drive my arrogant brother crazy.” She looked at Nicholas and shot him a wide, wicked smile. “You are so in trouble with this one. With all the hearts you’ve broken, it’s time for you to get a little of your own back.”
“Thank you for your words of comfort and support,” Nicholas said dryly. “This is my little sister, Gina. She’s in charge of PR. Gina, this is Gail.”
She nodded. “The wonder nanny,” Gina said, and extended her hand. “I’m very pleased to meet you. Molly cried so much in the beginning that my mother was afraid you would quit. So was Nick,” she murmured.
“Really?” Gail said, surprised. “It was an adjustment period.”
“Yes, but most adjustment periods don’t require a truckload of headache medication.”
Gail smiled, liking the woman immediately. “I didn’t really need a truckload,” she said. “Maybe a crate. But look at her now.”
Molly extended her arms to Gail.
“Mr. Barone, you have an international conference call on line one,” his secretary said. “Shall I postpone it?”
Nicholas shook his head, passing Molly to Gail. “No, I should take it. Can you wait a few more minutes?” he asked Gail.
She nodded. “I brought treats in case we needed to wait.”
“Good planning,” he said, his gaze locking with hers as an electric understanding hummed between them.
Gail’s heart bumped. It was amazing how one look from that man could affect a woman. Any woman, she reminded herself. In this case, she was not unique.
“They can come down to my office while they wait,” Gina offered.
“Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I finish the call,” he said, and headed for his office.
Gina led Gail to her office on the fourth floor. “I’d love to hold her,” she said as she ushered them inside and closed the door, “but Nicholas told me Molly’s a little tense around new people.”
“She is,” Gail agreed. “I would offer for you to give her a cookie, but she’s a messy eater, and I’m afraid you might end up with wet cookie on your dress.”
Gina motioned for Gail to sit next to her desk, then sat down and wiggled her fingers. “I’ll risk the mess. I don’t have any appointments today. What’s dry cleaning for, anyway? Right?”
Gail pulled the treat from her bag and handed it to Gina. “Aunt Gina wants to give you a cookie,” she said in Molly’s ear. She moved Molly to Gina’s lap and gingerly disentangled the baby’s fingers from her hair.
When Molly happily nibbled on the cookie, Gail exhaled a sigh of relief.
“You really have worked wonders,” Gina said, stroking Molly’s cheek. “Both Nick and Mom told me she cried all the time when Nick first brought her home. He also told me you used to work for a computer company.”
“Molly’s a lot more fun,” Gail said. “Although I’m starting to think I may need to adjust my image during my off-hours. Maybe cut my hair or buy some new clothes. I didn’t think about it much before now, but—” Gail stopped and shrugged, finding it difficult to explain her feelings to someone when she didn’t understand them herself. Before, it had always been okay to be every guy’s buddy. Before what? Before Nicholas, her conscience whispered. She frowned.
“I’m sure Molly and Nicholas are fine with your image,” Gina said.
Her image as a nanny, Gail added, and felt a knot of distress. She shouldn’t be concerned about Nicholas’s opinion of her image. Heaven knows, she’d never be in his league. Even so, she didn’t like the idea of being perceived as a sexless nanny by the rest of the male population.
“If you’d really like a change, I can recommend a great hairstylist,” Gina said, pulling a business card from her top drawer. “Henri’s the best. Tell him I sent you.”
Gail took the card. “Thanks. I’ll do that.”
“So how do you like working for my brother?”
“He’s very smart and knows exactly what he wants. I admire how quickly he’s taken on his responsibilities for Molly. Not every man would.”
“True, but Nick is the oldest sibling and has always been expected to perform at a higher level than most mere mortals. He’s protective of all of us.” She rolled her eyes, but her expression couldn’t hide a deep fondness. “I have to fight some of the baby-sister routine on a regular basis, both in the boardroom and at home.”
“Looks like you’re holding your own,” Gail said, surprised at the connection she felt with Nicholas’s sister.
A sharp rap sounded and the door whisked open. “How are my girls?” Nicholas asked.
Gail’s heart tripped. What would it be like to be Nicholas’s girl? She immediately felt foolish for her reaction. When would she learn? Nicholas was a player. She was not, and she didn’t really want to be.
With a thank-you to his sister, Nicholas ushered Gail and Molly to the elevator. He joined them on the ride down and pulled Gail to a quiet corner in the lobby. “Listen,” he said, “I need to apologize.”
Her chest tightened with a weird knot of dread. “Apologize for what?”
“For the way I acted last night.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what got into me. Maybe it was insanity brought on by lack of sleep.”
Gail felt the knot in her chest tighten painfully. “You’re saying you kissed me because you were insane and sleepy.” She tried to remember when she’d felt more insulted.
“I know it’s lame,” he confessed. “But I can’t come up with any reasonable explanation for my behavior.”
Such as you were at least remotely attracted to me, she thought. She felt a slow sizzle of anger burn through her blood.
“I need to apologize to you,” he went on. “You are very important to Molly and me, and I don’t want to mess that up. Molly is my primary concern and I don’t want to jeopardize her care.”
Gail nodded slowly, feeling her temperature rise. “You’re right.”
He let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you understand.”
“I understand completely. I have the same problem. I can’t come up with one logical reason why I kissed you last night. I’ve never gone for the arrogant, playboy type. Never,” she said with emphasis.
He blinked. “You haven’t?”
His surprised expression soothed her battered ego. “I sure haven’t. I totally agree with you. Last night was a crazy aberration. You’re not my type at all,” she said, and planned to mentally repeat those statements until she washed all erotic, seductive images of Nicholas Barone from her mind.
Five
His daughter’s nanny had a date.
The prospect irritated the hell out of Nicholas, but he kept his grumpiness to himself. During the past few days, he’d watched Gail undergo a transformation before his very eyes. Someone had cut her hair in a sexy, layered style that celebrated her curls, instead of trying to tame them. Yesterday he could have sworn that when she came home, she was wearing makeup.
Nic
holas shouldn’t care. As long as she took good care of Molly, then it was none of his business what Gail did during her off-hours. He was just concerned about her. With seven younger siblings and four of them sisters, he came by his highly developed protectiveness honestly. He felt the same kind of protectiveness for Gail that he felt for his sisters, he told himself as he reread a paragraph in an article on the future of the economy from the latest edition of the Wall Street Journal.
Molly had gone to sleep early and Nicholas was settled in for a much-needed peaceful evening in front of the fire in the den.
He heard the click of high heels on the staircase. Gail. Curiosity burning him up inside, he craned his neck for a peek at her, but he couldn’t see. He casually repositioned himself in another chair just inside the den and waited until she moved closer.
When he saw her, his eyes nearly fell out of his head. The Wall Street Journal slipped from his fingers.
What had the woman done to herself? Her wild hair fell in sexy tendrils around her face, and she had on enough makeup for three women. Still, the eyeliner emphasized her eyes in a sultry way. She wore a purple dress that faithfully clung to every curve and stopped several inches above her knees, revealing her shapely legs. Her red lips were pursed in a moue of unhappiness as she glanced down at the high heels with an expression of complete exasperation.
“Might as well be walking on a pair of stilts,” she muttered, then glanced up and abruptly met Nicholas’s gaze. He felt as if he’d been punched in the stomach. A wave of self-consciousness crossed her face, then she lifted her chin as if to fight it off. “How do you like my new look?”
Nicholas blinked and stood, shoving his hands into his pockets. The sight of her mouth accented with red lipstick brought his forbidden visual to the forefront of his mind. He cleared his throat. “It’s different. You look very different.”
Her face fell. “You don’t like it,” she said.
“I didn’t say that,” he said quickly. “I’m still just taking it all in. Who cut your hair?”
“Henri. Gina recommended him.”
