Tempted by Her Boss: The Renaldis, Book 1

by Karen Erickson

  “I am.” Stasia appeared out of nowhere, a giant smile on her face as she swooped in, captured Matty in her arms and started twirling him around. “You’re going to be a cousin, my friend.”

  Matty squealed with laughter. “I hope it’s a boy!”

  “You’ll take what you can get,” Stasia teased.

  “Should you be doing such a thing? Swinging Matty all around?” Matteo asked, full of concern. After all, this was his pregnant sister and his son. It would probably be best if she took it easy and rested. Matty may be young, but he was solid. And getting heavier by the day, what with the way the child grew. “And did you get a hold of your husband? Is he going to meet us at the restaurant?”

  “Yes. My goodness, you’re like a doddering old man. Stop worrying. You sound just like Gavin. Come on, let’s get your shoes on,” Stasia told Matty as she dropped him to his feet and took his hand.

  “Oh, I can do that—”

  “I’ve got it,” Stasia interrupted Paige. “You want to change before we leave? Here’s your chance.”

  Paige glanced down at herself, then lifted her head, her gaze meeting Matteo’s once more. He’d been looking at her like a starved dog and only until she caught his gaze did he realize that he was. “Do I look bad?” she asked, and he could tell she thought he hadn’t liked what he saw. But he had.

  You can never look bad, bella. Your beauty is far more breathtaking than anything or anyone I’ve ever seen.

  “You look…” Amazing. Gorgeous. Perfect. “Casual.” He winced the moment the words slipped from his lips. Never had he had such a problem talking with women. Flirting. Flattering them, charming them into his bed—or whatever bed he could find at a discreet hotel so that he wouldn’t have to bring her to his home.

  He spent time with Paige and he said something ridiculous, or worse, insulted her. Because he couldn’t go around flattering his son’s nanny, could he? It was unheard of. And awkward, especially in front of his son and his sister.

  Paige flushed in obvious embarrassment, a slight frown on her forehead. “I’ll go change, then.”

  Yet again feeling like shit, he watched her walk away, his gaze zeroed in on her pert backside, his mind filled with all sorts of perverted thoughts. He was wasting his time, lusting for Paige. She wasn’t interested. Hell, he was too damn old for her. Boring. Consumed with work, a father to a young child, taking care of a family business that needed him at its helm. While she was young and vibrant and so achingly beautiful she made his chest hurt every time he looked at her.

  Paige Stewart made his entire body hurt with wanting.

  Her.

  Frustration ripping through him, he strode down the hall, walked into his bedroom and slammed the door behind him. If he couldn’t have her, then at least he could jack off to visions of her in his head later.

  Again.

  Chapter Two

  The restaurant was small, elegant, crowded. Expensive. The menu was simple, not a price to be seen, and Paige knew if she had to ask she couldn’t afford anything listed. So she did her best to order what she could only assume was the most reasonable dish.

  Earning a scowl sent in her direction by Matteo with her choice too. As if he knew what she were about but was too polite to call her out on it in front of his sister and her husband.

  Matty was quiet and well-mannered, scribbling pictures with crayons all over the paper the waiter brought to their table to keep him occupied. Stasia positively glowed and her enthusiasm couldn’t be contained. She exuded such joy and warmth Paige found it downright contagious. Soon she was laughing, sipping a glass of wine, enjoying the stories Stasia told of her family’s growing up years, when she was constantly bossed around by three older and very demanding brothers.

  And she had three more—the Worth brothers were also her half-brothers. Poor Stasia was surrounded by men in her family life, not that she seemed to mind.

  No, she was quite in her element, if truth be told. And Paige envied her that.

  Matteo sat next to Paige, quiet and brooding, intimidating the hell out of her every time he so much as looked in her direction. For whatever reason, he set her on edge even more than usual tonight. He seemed…surlier than normal. That it was just the four of them plus Matty accompanying them out to dinner, Paige could almost believe they looked like a couple accompanying Stasia and Gavin. Out on a double date.

  Paige hung her head, staring at the pale cream tablecloth. Her thoughts were foolish. She’d fought them for months and was growing weary of going round and round in circles. Wanting him. Denying herself. Confronting him, running away. Pushing herself on him, having him push her away.

  Knowing after everything that happened between them, that he still wasn’t interested hurt most of all. Perhaps…

  Perhaps it would be smart to find a job somewhere else.

  “Are you all right?”

  Shivers cascaded all over her skin at first sound of Matteo’s deep, sexy voice near her ear. He sounded concerned, which was worse because then she could believe for a fleeting moment he might actually care about her, when she knew it was the furthest from the truth.

  He cared about her like an employer cared about his employee. Nothing more and nothing less.

  Glancing in his direction, she found him sitting close. Intimately close. She drank in the details of his beautiful, masculine face, the sharp cheekbones, the hard jaw, the soft mouth. His dark gaze was directed solely on her, his brows lowered in concern. Her breath stalled in her throat as she struggled to find an answer.

  “Paige.” His voice deepened, if that was possible, and he reached out to touch her forearm with a gentle press of his fingers. Her skin sizzled at the contact and she wanted to pull away. Wanted to reach out, grab hold of him and never let go. “Are you not feeling well? Would you like me to take you home?”

  “I—I’m fine.” She shook her head, offered him a faint smile. She could feel the heated flush creep over her cheeks and silently cursed her fair skin. It tended to reveal all her emotions at the worst possible times. “I’m just tired. And hungry,” she admitted. She’d hardly eaten all day and the scents coming from the restaurant’s kitchen reminded her that she was starving.

  “Matty run you ragged today?” He smiled faintly and her heart fluttered.

  Stupid, silly heart.

  “Matty runs me ragged every day.” She sent a fond smile in the little boy’s direction. “I don’t mind, though. He’s a true joy to take care of.” He was. A bit rambunctious, but what almost four-year-old wasn’t? The boy had a small wild streak in him. Absolutely no fear, which both filled her with terror and reluctant admiration. But that was part of his appeal, what made him so unique and special and so much fun.

  Smart. Inquisitive. Adventurous and loving. Matty had many fine qualities that would take him far when he grew up. He was much like his father, everyone said. Claudia, Matteo’s mother, Stasia…they’d all told Paige that Matty was the spitting image, in both looks and personality, of his father.

  Yet Paige saw no hint of the adventure in Matteo, not really. He was the calm anchor in the midst of a swirling storm. Quiet, determined, steadfast, sometimes calculating. Some might even say ruthless, not that Paige had ever seen him do anything unethical or underhanded to get ahead.

  He was simply a man who knew exactly how to get what he wanted. And for one brief, shining moment, she’d felt all that intensity focused solely on her. The way he’d looked at her that night when she came out of his bathroom wearing only a robe, her skin and hair still damp. His gaze heated, searching, as if he could imagine doing things to her that no man had ever dared before. How he’d kissed her as if she meant everything to him. The touch of his hands on her body, his fingers inside her, and the overwhelming, drive-her-out-of-her-mind pleasure he brought her with those skilled fingers…

  “If you wish to leave, I can take you home,” Matteo offered quietly.

  Snapping out of her lurid thoughts, she met his gaze, outright studying h
im for long, quiet seconds. She could almost forget they were in a restaurant, surrounded by people, family, friends. The way he looked at her at this very moment, she felt as if they were the only two people in the world. “I don’t want to interfere with what is clearly a night of family celebration.”

  “If you’re too tired, I’ll take care of you,” he murmured, his voice, his eyes full of heat. “I don’t mind.”

  Her heart lurched hard in her chest and she parted her lips, ready to protest. No, ready to agree, to beg him to, yes, please take her out of here so maybe they could steal a few hours alone and she could unleash all of the pent up passion and emotion on him that she’d held within her for months…

  The waiter suddenly appeared with their meals, his loud voice shattering the intense moment. Paige shifted her chair away from Matteo, desperate for the distance, more desperate to catch her breath and calm her racing heart.

  A few carefully chosen words and she was melting in her chair. He probably didn’t mean anything behind those words beyond a kind boss wishing to take care of his employee. His son’s nanny.

  Paige stiffened her spine. It was best she remember this. Her place amongst the Renaldis was minimal at best. She was disposable. Her previous employer proved that to her quite well, thank you very much.

  With the arrival of their dinners, talk of Matteo taking her home was forgotten. Which was fine. Considering how intently he’d looked at her, as if he could see to the very heart of her and knew how she felt about him, it made her uncomfortable. Instead, she quietly ate, made sure Matty did the same thing and generally tried to stay out of the conversation as they all lingered over their meals, everyone so happy over Stasia’s good news.

  For whatever reason, Paige felt small now. Useless. Most definitely put in her place. While the three other vibrant adults sat at the table discussing the economy and how it affected their business, recent mergers and, of course, the new baby and how happy the family was, she curled into herself and spoke only to Matty. Ignoring the potent heat of the man who sat beside her, trying her best to stay out of his gravitational pull. He was dangerous. The worst kind of torture for her already tattered heart and mind.

  Tomorrow, she would start looking for another job. Discreetly. She knew he might protest when she gave notice, but he wouldn’t hold a grudge. He would give her a stellar recommendation and never step in her way. Unlike the other couple she’d worked for previously. Both of them had been hell-bent on destroying her, threatening her. Screaming she would never work as a nanny in Manhattan again.

  Paige frowned. Why was she thinking of Paul and Carolyn Leonard tonight of all nights? She’d pushed them from her thoughts the day she met Claudia Renaldi in a coffee shop and was offered this job. Matteo’s mother had saved her life that dreary, rainy day. She’d been this close to leaving the city for good, going back home, to the small Midwest town where she lived her entire life, with her tail tucked between her legs. Enduring the “I told you so’s” her parents would’ve no doubt handed out to her on a daily basis until she finally found another job and solid ground.

  And even then, her mother and father would’ve probably never let her live this mistake down.

  It frightened her, thinking of leaving the Renaldi home, starting somewhere new. But she was starting to realize she didn’t have much of a choice. Her feelings for her boss grew stronger and stronger as each day passed.

  And they were useless. Harmful.

  “So Mama told me you’re looking into putting Matty in an all-day school soon,” Stasia said after their dinners had been consumed and they were all too lazy to get up from their chairs.

  Paige turned to look at Stasia, trying her best to appear as if Stasia’s words didn’t affect her. Beside her, Matteo stiffened, his entire body gone still. “That would be incorrect,” he said, his voice dark and edged with steel. As if he didn’t want to discuss the matter any longer.

  Most likely he didn’t want to discuss it in front of her.

  Stasia frowned, stealing a glance in Paige’s direction before returning her inquisitive gaze to her brother. “But she told me that was your plan. That it was high time for Matty to get into the proper preschool he needs to prepare for…”

  “It’s not true,” Matteo interrupted. “Though I have made some inquiries for a preschool where he would attend half the day, two days a week, nothing’s final yet. And he certainly isn’t ready to go to an all-day school five days a week. He’s too young.”

  Worry flooded Paige and she tried her best to keep it together. It wouldn’t do, falling apart in front of her boss and his family. Bad enough she was on the verge of tears.

  And was he trying to tell her she was unneeded? Or worse, that she would go to part-time wages? She was saving every dime she made, paying whatever small bills she had and stashing the rest in a savings account. This job wouldn’t last forever and she knew eventually she would need to move and find her own place.

  She just hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

  “When will Matty start his new school, then?” Paige asked, her voice soft. If she acted confrontational, her behavior would get her nowhere.

  He turned to look at her, his expression unreadable. No surprise. The man was a mystery she was desperate to solve. “I don’t know. Like I mentioned, nothing’s been confirmed.”

  “But I’m assuming it will be soon. After all, Matty isn’t quite four yet. Preschool is the next logical step.” She kept her voice calm, neutral, but deep within, she was reeling. Coming undone.

  “You’re worrying over nothing, Paige,” he said quietly, as if he sensed she was about to break apart. “You’ll still be under my employ fulltime.”

  “Of course.” She nodded once and even managed to smile. But it felt fake. The way he looked at her, she knew he knew it was fake.

  “Are you all right? You don’t seem yourself this evening.” His direct gaze met hers, assessing, seeing everything. She thought she’d been so discreet.

  Wrong. He could read her better than she realized.

  That he was aware of her discomfort bothered her even more. She was a terrible liar and had never been good at holding back her emotions. The weakness got her into trouble more often than not. Offering him another brief, fake smile, she said, “I’m fine. Really.”

  “Maybe we should talk later. I’ve been meaning to, just haven’t found the time. There are a few things I’d like to ask you, Paige.” Reaching out, he settled his hand over hers on the table, giving it a brief squeeze before his hand dropped away.

  She felt the flex of his fingers as if he’d literally squeezed her heart and never let it go.

  And she was being so melodramatic she should probably chastise her mere thoughts for overreacting. “What do you want to talk about?”

  “Your future. With me,” he said simply, his warm gaze searching her face as if he liked what he saw. And wanted more.

  Her heart dropped to her toes and without thought she pushed back her chair. “Well, I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.” She glanced at Matty as she stood. “Let’s go to the bathroom and wash our hands.”

  “Paige…” Matteo started but clamped his lips shut when she looked at him. Did he see the turmoil in her gaze? Did he know what she wrestled with day in and day out? Her feelings for him threatened to burst out of her chest like that horrible little alien from the scary movie she watched as a child. She still had the occasional nightmare about it.

  She could not endure this torture any longer. He spoke of a future and she saw love and marriage and babies when he most likely saw her accompanying Matty to school and maybe finding her a uniform so she looked more like an official employee and less like a member of the family. Did they even do that sort of thing? She hadn’t a clue.

  God, she was so stupid.

  “Matty, let’s go,” she whispered, drawing the little boy’s attention. He stared at her with those big, velvety brown eyes, his gaze troubled. Lord help her, he was far too perceptive
for his own good. The complete opposite of his blind-as-a-bat father.

  “Okay.” Matty stood and took her hand, walking beside her as she led him to the bathroom. The restaurant was full, the space small so the tables were crowded within the room. Most of them occupied by couples involved in intimate conversations and as she passed by one table in particular, she nearly tripped over her own feet.

  The man sitting there was her former boss, Paul Leonard, his arms stretched across the small table, clutching the hands of the woman who sat across from him.

  Revulsion filled her, making her recoil in fear as she remembered what he did to her as if it were yesterday. She’d been in the laundry room, folding the children’s clean clothes when he’d accosted her out of nowhere, his hands all over her body, trying to slip beneath the hem of her T-shirt, the waistband of her jeans.

  That’s how his wife had found them, Paige plastered against the wall and pushing him off. Paul’s mouth latching on to hers, his hands busy while she screamed against his disgusting lips. He’d let Paige take the blame for everything, never saying a word when his wife accused her of being a shameless slut messing around with her husband. He didn’t protest when Carolyn Leonard fired her either.

  He was the worst sort of scum.

  And the woman whose hands Paul Leonard held now was most definitely not his wife. Not that she was surprised he was out with another woman. She was shocked that she actually saw him after all these months. So odd. It was as if she’d conjured him from the very thoughts she had only a few moments ago.

  “Hurry, Matty,” Paige whispered, jerking on his hand as they scurried toward the bathroom on the other side of the building. She hoped like crazy Paul didn’t notice them.

  Paul glanced up at the precise moment she sped past his table, recognition dawning in his narrowed eyes. She looked away, embarrassed that he would see her, and nearly sagged against the door in relief when she found the bathroom.

  She helped Matty wash his hands, noted that her own were shaking and she willed them to stop. Just seeing him had her heart beating like crazy and her entire body trembling in fear.