“In the snow.”
“Yep. I was very persuasive.”
“This must have cost a fortune.” She frowned slightly. “The snow was going to melt eventually. You know this wasn’t necessary.”
“It was necessary,” he said forcefully. “Your holiday plans were wrecked. You’ve had to help care for a baby who is not yours. You’ve worked out grocery lists and prepared wonderful meals. This was the least I could do.”
Dani set the heavy box aside and went to crouch beside his chair. “Thank you, Nathaniel,” she whispered, her throat tight with emotion. Clearly he had gone to a great deal of trouble. The sizes were all correct, too. “For a man who bears a remarkable resemblance to Scrooge, you’ve done a lovely job with this Christmas surprise.” She kissed him softly on the cheek. “I don’t know what to say. I’m touched.”
He grumbled beneath his breath. “Babies sure as hell cramp a guy’s style.”
She grinned. “You were hoping my gratitude would translate to sex?”
“Nothing quite so crude.” He winced. “But I did hope you wouldn’t be mad at me anymore. I want you to be happy, Dani.”
She noted that he didn’t add the words with me. Maybe she was being too picky. “I am happy,” she said quietly, brushing a lock of his hair from his forehead. He was holding the baby and couldn’t respond physically, but his gaze seared her with its intensity. “Do you mind if I go take a shower and try on some of these things? I can’t wait. Not that I don’t appreciate the loan of your wardrobe,” she said hastily.
He chuckled softly, caressing her visually, giving her goose bumps. “You look fine to me just like you are, but sure. Knock yourself out.”
Dani practically danced down the hall. After two whole days of feeling grubby and unsophisticated, she was finally going to be able to meet Nathaniel on level ground. After a super quick shower during which she kept her hair dry, she put on the new undies and tried the red sweater and black pants. Everything fit perfectly.
Instead of twisting her hair up in a messy knot, she took the time to brush it over and over again until it swung thick and shiny at her shoulders. Too much makeup seemed like overkill at this point, but she used the mascara, and she added berry-red lip gloss to match her sweater. In the mirror, her reflection wasn’t half-bad.
When she returned to the den, Peaches was awake and playing happily with a teething ring. Nathaniel’s eyes widened when he saw Dani. “You look stunning,” he said quietly. “Red is a great color on you.”
“Nothing like new clothes to give a woman a boost. Thanks again.”
“It was the least I could do.”
“Are you getting hungry?”
“I could eat.”
The stilted conversation was at odds with the almost palpable hunger coursing between them. Dani trembled. “I’ll put Christmas dinner together. It will end up being a midafternoon meal, but we can snack later if we get hungry. Do you mind if I open a bottle of wine?”
“Mi casa es su casa,” Nathaniel said. “Whatever you want.” His words were warm, caressing.
In the kitchen, Dani was torn. Last night she had made use of the dining room for their dinner, and Nathaniel had freaked out. It didn’t seem right, though, to have Christmas lunch at the kitchen counter. So no matter how skittish her boss was, she went right ahead with her holiday preparations the same way she would have if this were an ordinary situation.
She whisked together brown gravy. When it was warm and bubbling, she sliced the leftover roast beef in small pieces and added the meat to the pot. Peeling potatoes gave her too much time to think. Tonight the baby would fall asleep, and Dani would find herself alone with Nathaniel again. What was she going to do if he wanted sex? Could she hold him off? Did she want to say no?
Maybe she wanted to enjoy whatever time they had left in this odd and emotionally charged situation.
In less than an hour, she managed to put together a respectable meal—nothing too fancy, but far better than the peanut butter they had dined on the first night. Open-faced roast beef sandwiches on sourdough toast. Fluffy mashed potatoes. Cranberry salad and, of course, plenty of leftover pecan pie for dessert.
The end result was gratifying.
Nathaniel and Peaches appeared just as she was putting the finishing touches on the dinner table. Her boss frowned.
“What now?” Dani sighed. “I left the tree in the den. Nothing holidayish, I swear.”
“It’s not that,” he said. “I just realized I’m going to owe you half a dozen fancy dinners at four-star restaurants to repay you for all you’ve done.”
“Sit down and don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “I like eating as much as the next person. If I’d been at my parents’ house, I would have worked even harder. My mom puts on quite a spread.”
Nathaniel consumed most of his meal without speaking. It was impossible to read his mood. Once again, Dani was glad to have the baby as a diversion. Breaking bread together was actually a very intimate thing to do. This time, Nathaniel was the one holding the child and eating one-handed.
At last, Dani couldn’t bear the silence any longer. “What are your plans for tomorrow?” she asked. “Assuming the weather does what they say it will.”
He stood abruptly. “I’m going to grab some pie. You want yours now or later?”
“Later,” she said. Was he in that much of a hurry for dessert, or did he not want to answer her question?
When Nathaniel returned, he held Peaches in one arm and a generous serving of gooey pie in the other hand.
Dani raised an eyebrow. “You’ll make yourself sick,” she warned.
His smile was wicked. “What a way to go.”
While she appreciated the fact that her boss enjoyed her cooking, bigger issues loomed on the horizon. Sex. The baby. Dani’s imminent departure.
“I talked to my mom on speakerphone while I was cooking,” she said.
Nathaniel swallowed a bite of pie. “Oh?”
“They thought about postponing our family Christmas until Wednesday, but my siblings can’t be off work that day. So we’re definitely celebrating Tuesday. I’ve promised to be there by ten in the morning.”
“Sounds good.”
Such a bullheaded, frustrating man. “Look at me, Nathaniel.”
He lifted his head and eyed her with a deceptively mild expression. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Not exactly. But I’m worried about leaving you alone with the baby. Single parenting is hard for anybody.”
“Especially a clueless male like me?”
“I didn’t say that. Peaches is getting very comfortable with you and vice versa.” She shook her head, wondering why she was obsessing about this. Peaches wasn’t her problem. Still, it knotted her stomach to think about leaving man and baby to fend for themselves. “The trip from here to home is an hour and a half, give or take. Normally, I would simply drive up Tuesday morning. But first of all, we don’t know how much snow and ice will melt tomorrow, and second of all, any standing water will probably refreeze tomorrow night.”
“I’d say you’re right.”
“So I’ll have to go tomorrow afternoon.”
“Whatever you need to do.”
“Do you even care that I’m leaving?” she cried.
He stood up abruptly, nearly knocking over his chair. Her statement echoed in the small dining room.
“This was never supposed to happen.” He waved a hand. “I get it. You want to be with your family. I won’t stand in your way. You have no obligation whatsoever to me or even to Peaches.”
He was saying all the right words, but he was breaking her heart. He was so very much alone. Dani took a deep breath and gambled. “Come with me to visit my parents,” she begged. “You and Peaches. I can’t bear the thought of leaving you here
alone.”
Eight
Nathaniel blinked, feeling his anger and frustration winnow away to be replaced by something even more unsettling. He knew what it was like to have someone feel sorry for him, but it had been a very long time since he had been on the receiving end of that reaction. He didn’t much care for it. There were any number of things he wanted from Dani. Pity wasn’t one of them.
“I have to be at work on Tuesday,” he said calmly, careful to reveal nothing of the confusion tearing him apart. “New Century Tech will be open for business. I have employees.”
“What about the baby?”
Dani’s dogged insistence on planning was commendable, but since he didn’t have any of the answers she wanted, his only recourse was stonewalling. “I’ll work something out. Besides, the baby will only be with me a day or two longer. I’m confident the investigator will find Ophelia quickly.”
“I’m all in favor of positive thinking,” Dani said wryly, “but that’s not much of a strategy. Seriously, Nathaniel, come to Gainesville with me. It won’t be odd if you show up. Mom and Dad often have stray guests at the dinner table, even at the holidays. We wouldn’t sleep overnight at the house, of course. There are several nice hotels nearby.”
“I appreciate what you’re trying to do,” he said, “but I’ll be fine.”
The combative subject was dropped by unspoken consent when Peaches decided she was hungry. Dani fed the baby while Nathaniel cleaned up the kitchen. Already, they had blown through most of the groceries he’d brought home on Saturday. Even the baby supplies were getting low.
When the kitchen was clean and the baby asleep on his bedroom floor, he realized he had to get out of the condo or risk making love to Dani. If they had sex again, she would make assumptions about the two of them. He wasn’t ready for that.
The wonderful meal he had consumed sat like lead in his stomach. “I’m going to the store for round two,” he said suddenly. “Make a list. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Oh, but—”
He exited the warm, cozy kitchen before Dani could say anything else. When he had donned his parka and ski pants and gloves, he went back for the list. “Is it ready?” he asked, not looking at her. The cherry-red sweater he’d given her for Christmas clung to all the right places. Looking at her breasts was a bad idea.
“You can’t go to the store, Nathaniel.”
“Of course, I can.”
“It’s Christmas Day. I’m sure there might be some places open here and there, but probably not in walking distance. Quit worrying. I can stretch the food we have left until Monday afternoon. We can always do something simple tomorrow like bacon and eggs and pancakes.”
He stripped off his outerwear a piece at a time, feeling ridiculous. “I keep forgetting it’s Christmas,” he muttered.
Dani shook her head in amusement. “First I’ve inundated you with too much Christmas, and now you say you forgot about it entirely. Make up your mind.”
He shot her a glance, feeling his resolve wane. “I needed to get out of the house,” he said bluntly. “Away from you. It wasn’t really about the groceries.”
“Oh.” She looked stricken.
“I want you, Dani. Under the circumstances, it doesn’t seem fair to you.”
“Because?”
“Because you can’t say no without causing tension between us.” When she didn’t say a word, he lifted his shoulders and rotated his neck. “Never mind. I’m going for a walk. Call me if there’s an emergency.”
Desperate to get away, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room. He made it to the front door before Dani intervened. The relief he experienced when he heard her voice call to him was overwhelming and inexplicable.
“Don’t go out in the cold, Nathaniel. Stay with me.”
He turned around slowly. She smiled faintly, but her eyes held secrets. Clearing his throat, he tossed his gloves on the console by the door and ran his hands through his hair. “If I stay, I’ll make love to you. Sooner or later. You know that’s true.”
She swallowed visibly. “Yes.”
“Things between us are complicated. You have to be sure.”
Waiting for her answer was the longest five seconds of his life.
“I can’t think of a better way to spend Christmas,” she whispered.
The look on her face made him damned glad she had stopped him. “Now?” he asked hoarsely.
“Shouldn’t we wait until tonight?” she said, her wide-eyed expression betrayed the struggle between madness and common sense.
“Maybe. But I can’t.” Deliberately, he began undressing, not only his cold-weather gear, but his socks and shoes and belt and everything down to his shirt and pants. Dani watched him intently, her cheeks flushed.
The door to his bedroom was open down the hall. They would hear the baby if she woke. “Say something,” he demanded. “Tell me what you want.”
“I’m not sure what I want,” she said, wincing. He heard the truth in her words. “Maybe I just need you to know that I know.”
His hands stilled on his shirt buttons. “Know what?”
“That we’re taking a moment out of time. Period. That this ends when we walk out your front door tomorrow. I get it. You don’t have to worry about me, Nathaniel. You’re a sexy, interesting man. I want to be with you. But I won’t make any uncomfortable demands. No awkward endings. You have my word.”
Her ability to see right through to the deepest layers of his psyche alarmed him. The trouble was, he didn’t have any pretty speeches to say in reply. Dani was one hundred percent correct. They had today and tonight and maybe tomorrow.
After that, the snow melted, the baby was reunited with her mother and Nathaniel went back to being top dog at New Century Tech. Business as usual.
He held out a hand. “Come here, little elf.”
The choice on his part to remain still was deliberate. He needed Dani’s physical assurance that she wanted to take this step.
Instead of taking his hand, she flung herself at him, wrapped her arms around his neck and knocked the breath from his lungs. “Merry Christmas, Nathaniel.”
He hugged her instinctively. Finding her mouth with his, he dove in for the taste that was his new addiction. “God, you’re sweet.”
She bit his neck, sharply enough to bruise. “I’m not particularly interested in sweet right now. Take me, Nathaniel. Show me the real you. I won’t break, and I won’t run away.”
“God help us both,” he muttered. He kissed her wildly, sliding his hands beneath her sweater and finding warm, soft breasts. “You didn’t have to wear a bra,” he complained.
“Your fault.” Her voice was muffled against his collarbone. “New clothes. Didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”
Clumsily, he tugged the sweater over her head and unfastened the offending undergarment. When Dani was bare from the waist up, he put his hands on her hips and dragged her against him. “I’m too close to the edge,” he groaned. “Embarrassingly so. Give me a minute.”
Dani shook her head and leaned back to look up at him, her eyes bright with pleasure. “I like driving you mad,” she said. “It gives me power.”
She was joking. He knew that. He knew Dani. Still, the words sent a frisson of unease down his spine. Shaking off the sense of foreboding, he kissed her gently. “Take all the power you want, little elf. Tonight, you’re mine.”
* * *
Dani was under no illusions. She could only take what Nathaniel gave freely. There was a part of him that was off-limits to her, to everyone. She would have to be satisfied with the very appealing bits and pieces he offered. If the next twenty-four hours were to be their swan song, this unlikely pairing would be as special as she could make it.
Stuffing her doubts into a dark closet, she cupped hi
s face in her hands. “You know how in movies the hero sometimes takes the heroine up against the front door, because he can’t make it any farther before he has sex with her?”
Nathaniel rolled his eyes, but he grinned. “I get the general idea.”
“Well...” She removed his shirt and pressed her naked breasts to his wonderfully hard, warm chest. “I was thinking we might try that.”
He shuddered when she linked her arms around his waist and slid her fingertips inside his jeans, caressing his lower back. “I could use some exercise,” he said soberly.
“Sex burns calories,” she muttered. Perhaps they might just stand here like this all afternoon. She felt safe and warm, as if nothing bad would ever happen.
Nathaniel took her idea and ran with it. Before she blinked twice, he had her pants and undies down her legs. “Step out of them,” he demanded.
There must have been a draft in the foyer. Gooseflesh broke out all over her body, and her nipples went on high alert. Stark naked, she wrapped her arms around her breasts. “Stop,” she said hastily. “Your pants have to go, too.”
He lifted an eyebrow, kneeling at her feet. “I’ve seen one or two of those movies. The guy keeps his pants on sometimes. You know...’cause he’s in such a hurry.”
She chuckled, despite her tendency to hyperventilate. “Now you’re mocking me.”
“A little bit.” He stood and shucked his trousers and boxers casually, removing a couple of condoms from his pocket along the way. “If my back goes out from these shenanigans, you’ll have to carry me to bed.”
The humor didn’t really compute. A naked Nathaniel Winston was even more powerful and intimidating than the one in the tailored suits and pristine white dress shirts. He was a male animal in his prime.
If she hadn’t been breathless with longing and terrified the baby was going to wake up at the most inopportune moment, Dani might have taken the time to study her lover’s body in detail. As it was, urgency overtook any desire to savor the moment.
Billionaire Boss, Holiday Baby Page 10
