Tempt Me

by Carly Phillips

  TEMPT ME

  Bodyguard Bad Boys

  NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  CARLY PHILLIPS

  Copyright © Karen Drogin 2017

  Google Play Edition

  CP Publishing 2017

  Cover Design: Letitia Hasser, RBA Designs

  Cover Photography: Sara Eirew Photography

  Formatting: BB eBooks

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  www.carlyphillips.com

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  Bodyguard Bad Boys… Sexy, hot and oh so protective!

  Burned by an ex with a wandering eye, Austin Rhodes has sworn off women. His sole focus is his young daughter – and despite his good intentions, the little girl’s live-in nanny. He hired Mia Atwood to care for his child but he finds himself lusting after her instead. Keeping his distance isn’t easy but he’s determined to be a gentleman. Until Mia’s past comes back to haunt her and she’s in need of Austin’s brand of protection. Suddenly she’s his in every sense of the word—and he’ll do whatever it takes to shield the woman who tempts him beyond reason.

  * * *

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Chapter One

  The afternoon sun shone through the windows in the warm, cozy kitchen. Mia Atwood held Bailey Rhodes’ little fingertips in one hand and carefully painted the six-year-old’s nails, trying her best to keep the color off the child’s skin. “So tomorrow you start first grade. Are you ready?” she asked her small charge.

  Bailey looked up at her with her father’s big brown eyes. “I’m ’cited. Lisa’s in my class but Callie isn’t.” She pouted as she reminded herself of that fact. “And Lisa said Josh Rockman is with us.” She wrinkled her small nose. “Eew. He’s gross so I hope he isn’t sitting near me, but his last name starts with an R, too. So maybe he is. He used to be at the table across from me in Ms. Diamond’s class,” the little chatterbox said.

  Mia bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. “I’m sure Josh isn’t gross, Bailey.”

  “He’s a boy,” Bailey said, drawing out the word with a negative tone, as if that fact explained everything.

  Mia waved her hand over the polish, hoping to help it dry before Bailey was off to play and smudged Mia’s work. “All finished but can you sit for a few minutes so it dries?”

  “Yeah.” Bailey held up her hands and grinned, a nearly toothless smile because she’d lost her front teeth and they’d only just begun to grow in. So. Cute. “Can I watch TV?” she asked.

  “I have to get dinner ready, so I’ll put it on in the family room.” Mia gestured to the room across from the kitchen with a completely open view of the sofa and television from where Mia would prepare the evening meal.

  “Wait. I’ll put some oil on your nails to help them set.” She applied the oil, then led Bailey to the sofa in the family room. “How about you keep your hands right here?” Mia placed them palms down on Bailey’s thighs, turned on her favorite show, and hoped it kept her occupied while the polish dried.

  For the last three months, she’d been a live-in nanny for Bailey, hired by the child’s single father, Austin Rhodes. He lived in Connecticut, wanting his daughter to grow up in the suburbs, in a house with neighbors and a backyard in which to play. There was no Mrs. Rhodes in the picture. Her employer hadn’t explained except to say he had sole custody… and Mia hadn’t asked questions.

  She had enough in her own work background he hadn’t pushed hard about when hiring her. Her last job hadn’t been a cakewalk. Her employer had been into shady dealings and she’d heard too much, learned things she’d had to report to the authorities and testify about at trial.

  Austin had only cared that she’d stepped up and done the right thing in the courts, and he’d had no problem hiring her. He didn’t care about the details. Of course, she wasn’t stupid. He was a bodyguard with access to all sorts of information, so he’d probably found out the particulars on his own. As for the elusive one-time Mrs. Rhodes, Bailey never mentioned her mom, either, but when it came to Austin, Mia couldn’t help but wonder why any woman would let him go.

  Not going there, she reminded herself before her thoughts could drift to the man who kept himself in shape courtesy of a downstairs gym and who had well-defined muscles and sexy tattoos. He also possessed a chiseled face with a strong chin and full lips, jet-black hair, longer on top, and a constant, sexy scruff of a beard. And before she let herself linger on him any longer—she was only human, after all—she pushed her wayward thoughts away.

  He had no place in her mind. During her work as a nanny, she’d come into contact with men who thought she was available for extracurricular activities as well as child care, something that both offended and upset her. These men were married, for one thing, and she never wanted to be that cliché, the nanny who had an affair with her wealthy employer. Even if, in this case, he was single. Thank goodness Austin wasn’t one of those men. He’d always treated her with distant kindness and respect.

  “Mia, I messed a nail,” Bailey called out, interrupting her thoughts long before Mia had even started prepping dinner.

  She shook her head and laughed. “Come on over and I’ll fix it.”

  Before Bailey could make her way back to the kitchen, the state-of-the-art alarm system beeped, alerting Mia to the fact that Austin—he insisted she call him by his first name or else he’d think she was talking about his father—was home.

  He walked in through the garage side door as he did every evening he didn’t have an assignment that kept him out odd hours.

  “Daddy!” Bailey squealed and ran to her father, who scooped her up before she could barrel into him.

  “What’s up, Bailey Button?” he asked, using his nickname for his daughter.

  She giggled as she always did. “Mia did my nails. See?” She shoved her hand in his face, too close for him to get a good look.

  He pulled her wrist farther away and studied her purple nails as if they were the most important thing in the world to him, and Mia’s heart melted.

  “Gorgeous!” he exclaimed, with more feeling than she’d have thought the man could muster over a manicure.

  In the short time she’d been here, she’d seen firsthand that he was an amazing father and Bailey was a lucky girl. Having grown up in foster care, Mia knew how special the father-daughter bond was—or rather, she knew how much she’d missed in not having it. Her father had walked out on her and her mother when she was two, so she barely remembered him. She’d lost her mom a few years later to cancer, so she knew how fortunate the little girl was to have a dad like Austin.

  “I messed one up so Mia has to fix it,” the little girl said, wriggling out of her father’s embrace.

  “Come on, munchkin,” Mia called out to her. “Let’s fix you. Then I need to get dinner prepped.”

  “I’m going to exercise first, so don’t rush,” Austin said.

  Mia nodded. “No worries. It’s a stir-fry, so I’ll get everything ready and I won’t start until you’re finished showering,” she said, aware of his routine.

  “Thanks.”

  She busied herself with Bailey’s nails and not with think
ing about a sweaty Austin working out in his downstairs gym, the muscles flexing as he moved, or his hot body in the shower afterwards. She was the nanny and that’s all she’d ever be.

  * * *

  Austin had a long day. He wouldn’t call the situation he’d been in a hostage crisis but it had been damned close. Too close for a man with a child at home, that was for sure.

  The woman he’d been guarding had snuck out to meet with her ex while Austin had been busy with her little girl. He usually received the kid-friendly jobs because, according to his boss, Dan Wilson, Austin was good with children. As if having his own made him an expert on other people’s kids. Being around other kids only made him long for his daughter because at least he understood her… until the teenage years hit. He shuddered at the thought.

  After a long, hard workout, weights and cardio included, he stepped into a hot shower and let the steam relax his muscles. As he washed up and shampooed his hair, his stomach growled, reminding him it was time for dinner. Which, of course, reminded him of his daughter’s nanny, whose blonde hair was usually in a messy bun looking sexy when she wasn’t intending it to be. At the thought of her, his body came to life, and it took all his willpower not to jerk off to the thought of her.

  He was beyond lucky he’d found his Mia through a reputable service and she had amazing cooking skills. Add in that Bailey seemed to adore her and he couldn’t mess up a good thing by coming on to the nanny.

  Before Mia, his parents had been Bailey’s caregivers and although John and Sarah were young and spry, it hadn’t been fair to expect them to give up their lives to take care of Austin’s child. No matter that they loved their granddaughter, they’d already raised their kids, Austin and his sister, Sharon.

  Head on straight, he dried himself off and pulled on a pair of black track pants and a light blue tee shirt, then headed downstairs to find his daughter.

  As he approached the kitchen, Bailey’s chatter reached his ears.

  “Mia, would you come with Daddy to bring me to school?”

  The sound of stir-fry sizzling in the wok acted as stereo to Mia’s reply. “Your daddy is excited to take you tomorrow. He even took off from work so he could be there. You don’t want to disappoint him, do you?”

  “No, but…” Bailey hesitated. “Everyone’s going to have their mommies and I won’t and I’ll be sad. So can you come, please? I know you’re not my mommy but you’re a girl. So pretty please, come take me?”

  His daughter’s words were like a punch in the gut. Austin hadn’t left Kayla, she’d walked out on him and their daughter, not once but twice. True, he’d married her because she was pregnant, on purpose, she’d admitted, but he’d been determined to make the marriage work. Unfortunately, not only had she been a shitty wife, she’d been a worse mother, and that was where Austin drew the line. Anything that hurt his daughter was unacceptable.

  He shook his head, determined to stay in the present with the one person who mattered. “Hey, guys, something smells good!” He joined Bailey and Mia in the kitchen, where Mia was placing servings of delicious-looking stir-fried chicken and vegetables on their respective places.

  Although when she’d first started her job, Mia had planned to eat alone after he and Bailey had finished, it seemed natural to ask her to join them and not treat her like hired help.

  They settled into their chairs and began to eat. Before her, his mom had cooked for the family. Left to his own devices, he and Bailey would live on tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, which he enjoyed, but it wasn’t exactly staple food to raise his daughter on every meal.

  “Daddy?” Bailey asked, scooting her legs beneath her so she could reach the table better.

  “Yes?”

  “Can Mia come with you to take me to school?” she asked, her determination when she wanted something rivaling his.

  “I thought we talked about this,” Mia said. “Your dad is going to drive you and I’ll pick you up,” she said brightly, trying to convince Bailey she had the best of both worlds with the planned arrangement.

  Bailey pouted, pushing out her bottom lip. “But… but…”

  “But what?” Austin placed his fork down and met his daughter’s gaze. It was that quivering of her bottom lip that did him in even before she replied.

  “But Lisa’s mom and dad are taking her. And I don’t want to be the one without a mommy.”

  He cursed his ex with everything he had in him but kept his expression warm for his daughter. “C’mere.”

  She scrambled to her feet and he pulled her into him with one arm. Mia, he noticed, discreetly rose from the table and made herself busy by the sink.

  “I know it’s hard for you, not having your mom around, but you know how much I love you, right?” he asked.

  Bailey sniffed and nodded, those big brown, damp eyes his undoing. “You and me ’gainst the world.”

  “Exactly.” He squeezed her tighter. “But if you want Mia to come with us tomorrow, it’s okay with me.”

  “Yay!” She threw her arms around his neck and a lump rose to his throat. He’d do anything for her. Anything.

  “Thank you, Daddy! See? You can come with us!” She pushed off him and ran to Mia, barreling into her and wrapping her little arms around Mia’s waist.

  Mia met his gaze, green eyes the color of a grassy field locking onto him, a smile on her beautiful face.

  “Will you come?” Bailey asked.

  “I wouldn’t miss it,” she promised his daughter.

  He closed his eyes and recommitted himself to viewing her as a caregiver and not a sexy woman with just enough curves to make his mouth water and green eyes he could drown in.

  * * *

  Mia walked into the elementary school with a cobblestone façade alongside Austin and Bailey. The little girl hopped her way inside, excited to meet her teacher and be with her friends. Though it broke Mia’s heart the way she was afraid she’d be the only girl without a mom there, once Austin had agreed to Mia going along, she’d seemed to put all sad thoughts out of her head.

  Mia wished she’d had a father who cared as much about her as Bailey’s did. Though she had been in good foster homes, it wasn’t the same thing as a parent who loved you.

  She centered herself, her attention back on Bailey, where it belonged. As she entered the room, she was immediately struck by the brightly decorated walls. Letters and pictures were scattered around, welcoming to all the children.

  After they’d settled Bailey into her desk and warned her not to glare at Josh, who was, in fact, sitting in front of her, Austin knelt down, made certain his daughter was comfortable and happy before kissing her good-bye.

  She glanced at Bailey. “So I’ll be outside when school is over to pick you up,” Mia reminded her, not for the first time. She didn’t want the little girl to worry about who would be waiting for her when the day ended.

  “I know.” Bailey looked around the room, already eager for her class to get started.

  Austin tipped his head toward the door, indicating it was time for them to leave.

  Mia followed him into the hall. She didn’t miss the way some of the other mothers glanced at Austin appreciatively, eyeing both his handsome face and, yes, his spectacular ass. Which Mia, as his employee, should not be ogling. Or noticing. Or allowing herself to think about. But she did. Often.

  The question she often asked herself was, did he think about her the same way? He was respectful, always, but she sometimes caught him studying her in that inscrutable way he had. As a bodyguard, he was probably trained not to let his emotions show and he didn’t. Yet she couldn’t help but wonder if the attraction was mutual.

  “Mia?” he asked.

  “Yes?” She jerked her gaze away and looked to the floor, hoping he hadn’t caught her staring or thinking inappropriate thoughts.

  “Can I talk to you outside?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Sure.” She followed him through the double doors and they paused on the walkway on the sid
e of the building where they’d exited. They walked toward their vehicles, which were parked side by side so he could go straight to work.

  He paused by the SUV she used to drive Bailey around and do errands. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  He met her gaze, his chocolate gaze warm on hers. At that intense look, her nipples stood at attention, making her grateful for the sweater she wore that covered the evidence.

  “I just wanted to thank you,” he began. “Not for doing your job, which I’m extremely pleased with, by the way, but for being there for Bailey on a whole different level.”

  The compliment on her work made her happy. Mia loved children and she really didn’t have to try very hard in order to work at her job. Bailey, especially, made it easy. “She’s a special little girl.”

  “Yes, well, I think so, obviously,” he said with a chuckle. “But most people would do the bare minimum required of them and I can tell you care about her. That’s worth everything to me. To know the person who’s with my child all day really puts thought and care into her feelings, not just her basic welfare and needs.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke, clearly uncomfortable with their serious conversation, but she appreciated him expressing the sentiments.

  “Thank you. She’s a joy.”

  Their gazes met again, locking for a moment in what felt like a heated caress, not just a casual glance. His gaze drifted to her lips before he cleared his throat and looked away.

  This was one of those times where she wondered if he was thinking about her, because she was definitely lost in thought about him. Specifically about kissing those full lips, wondering if his kiss would be hard and demanding or whisper soft. Either would work for her.

  “I need to get to work,” he said gruffly, breaking into her naughty thoughts.

  Her cheeks burned as she dug for her keys in her purse.

  “See you when you get home,” she murmured without looking his way.

  She headed to the driver’s-side door, away from Austin, just as a group of women walked by, their voices carrying. “She’s not the only nanny here but she’s the youngest,” one of the women said in an indiscreet loud voice.