by Carter Blake
She gives a curt nod.
I should walk away, but instead I just stand there staring at her like a goddamn stalker, my balls aching, my cock harder than it’s been in years.
Why the hell does this woman have such an effect on me? It’s not like I don’t have my pick of woman. It’s just my luck that I want the only one I can’t have.
“Is there anything else, Mr. Philips?” she asks, eyeing me suspiciously.
I cough. “I came to ask about the itinerary tomorrow.”
“We leave at nine.” A small smile spreads across her gorgeous face. “I think you’re really going to enjoy it.”
I doubt that. In fact, spending time with her and not being able to touch her seems more like torture than fun.
On the nightstand beside her bed, her phone lights up with an incoming text. I glance down, and frown when I see the screenshot that’s saved as her background.
It’s a picture of her and Lily. But that’s not what gets my attention. It’s the smile on my daughter’s face that makes my heart skip a beat, because it’s the first time since her mother left that I’ve seen that look on her face. She’s smiling so big that both her dimples are showing, as well as the huge gap where her two front teeth should be.
I pick up the phone and study the photo. “She lost her front teeth?”
“Last week,” Eliana says, moving towards me.
“I didn’t know. The tooth fairy?”
“She was very generous. Who knew that a tooth was worth so much nowadays?” Her lips quirk up in a small smile.
I nod, and hand her the phone. Our fingers brush when she takes it from me, and I see the small tremor that races through her.
“Goodnight, Miss Sanders.” Better to walk away now before I do something I’ll regret.
“Goodnight, Mr. Philips.”
I have a feeling it’s going to be a very long night. Because I have no clue how the fuck I’m going to fall asleep knowing the woman is only a few rooms away.
Chapter Four
Eliana
Lily comes bounding into my room just as the sun is peeks through the drapes. Jumping on top of me, she gives me a dimpled smile and says, “Wake up, Elly. It’s time to go to the zoo.”
“Okay, okay. I’m up.” I tickle her and she laughs. “Why don’t you go wake your dad up?”
Her little face turns suddenly serious. “He doesn’t like when I disturb him.”
“I think today will be okay. He took the whole day off work just to be with you.”
Her eyes brighten again, and she quickly changes the subject, “Macy said there’s a new baby giraffe. It was only born last week, but it’s already as tall as Daddy.”
“Wow.”
“Did you know that giraffe’s are the tallest animal in the whole world?”
“I did.”
“Except for whales,” she continues to ramble on. “But they’re not really tall, just long.”
I try to keep a straight face as she spouts off more facts.
“Are you two still in your pajamas?” A deep voice says from the door. Lucas stands there looking hot as sin in his white t-shirt that stretches tight against his powerful chest, and designer jeans that look like they haven’t had much wear.
I’m surprised he even owns a pair.
I immediately flush when I think about what happened last night. Him seeing me half-naked. Then his brief touch when he handed me my phone. The heat of his fingers on my skin. I’ve never felt anything lie it.
Had he felt it too?
The way he’s looking at me now, all cool and aloof, I doubt it. Maybe it was all in my head.
“Daddy,” Lily says, jumping off the bed and running to him.
My heart practically melts when he scoops her up and presses and kiss against her cheek. For a moment, his gaze softens, and I see something almost vulnerable in his expression.
He loves her. That much is obvious. So why does he pull away?
“Go get dressed,” he says, putting her down. “We don’t want to be late.”
Lily nods, and disappears down the hall, leaving him standing in the doorway of my room, once again.
“Do you always sleep in, Miss Sanders?” His blue gaze is narrowed on me.
“It’s barely seven o’clock.” Is he serious?
He grunts, and turns, leaving without saying another word.
So much for the softness I thought I saw. But he doesn’t have to be nice to me. That’s not why I’m here. As long as I can get him to spend more time with Lily, I’ve done my job. It may not be the job he hired me for, but it is the one he needs me for.
Chapter Five
Lucas
“We’re nearly there,” Eliana signals to put away my Mac, which is comfortably sitting on my lap, and my iPad, which is also on display.
“And?” I’m trying to get some work done on the drive to the zoo. It’s not much to ask, considering I’ll be spending the rest of the day with a bunch of wild animals and screaming six year olds.
Eliana shrugs, but the disappointment is there in her eyes.
Who the hell does she think she is judging me? And more importantly, why do I care?
Lily, who’s sitting, snuggled up next to Eliana, holding her hand, gives me the same look. Like I’m somehow doing something wrong.
“Fine.” I shut my laptop and place it on the seat next to me.
The woman needs a fucking spanking. To realize who’s really in charge. The thought sends a rush of blood to my cock.
The driver stops outside the zoo, and Lily is bouncing on her seat, practically ready to jump out of the limo before he’s even had the chance to open the door.
“There’s Gabby and Hannah,” Lily says excitedly, pointing to a group of kids who are about her age.
I don’t recognize any of them. But then I can’t remember the last time I met one of Lily’s friends. Another parenting fuck-up.
“Wait, one minute, Lily. I know you’re excited, but I need you to be safe okay?” Eliana says patiently.
Lily nods and sits back in her seat, hands folded in her lap.
I’m left staring open mouthed at my daughter, expecting a temper tantrum, rather than the obedience she displays now.
Then the driver opens the door, and they both step out.
“Pick us up at four-thirty,” I say, when I get out.
“Would you like me to wait here. In case you want to go sooner?” He asks.
“No.” Even though it goes against my very nature, I say, “I’m taking the whole day off. You might as well too.”
“Thank you, sir.”
I give a curt nod, and he bows as he returns purposefully to the car. I wonder what he’ll do with his day off. One thing for sure, I bet he’s not going to spend it at the zoo with one, two, three…I start to count the number of children as I approach them, by the time I reach fifteen my head is spinning.
“Mr. Philips, it’s wonderful that you’re joining us today.” Mrs. Dato, Lily’s teacher, is batting her eyelashes like crazy, as if she’s trying to make a breeze with them.
“I can’t think of anywhere else I’ll rather be,” I say dryly, then start to think about all the other places that I would rather be, one of them being all over Eliana’s body.
The teacher’s hand rests on my arm, and she’s so close it’s as if she’s a second skin.
“I’ve really loved being Lily’s teacher, she such a smart young girl, and so…well-behaved. It must be hard raising her on your own. If you ever need anything, I’m available.”
Her words reek of bullshit. One thing my daughter isn’t is well behaved.
“Thank you for the offer,” I say stoically, while peeling her fingers off my arm.
Someone shouts for her, and she breathes out a heavy sigh.
“I’m coming,” she says, irritation in her voice, as if she’s frustrated at having to tear herself away from me.
Her citrus scent is so fucking intense that it makes me sneeze.
&
nbsp; “Do you have a cold?” Her hands are back on me, rubbing them up my arms.
I’m used to woman throwing themselves at me, but this is ridiculous. There are children around. Not to mention Eliana, who’s watching me now with one eyebrow raised.
I sneeze again. “Just an allergy.”
“Oh, to zoos?” She bats her eyelashes, false concern in her gray eyes.
“Just strong, flowery scents. Your perfume is…unyielding.” Another sneeze and my eyes start to water.
“Oh. I’d better see to the children.” The woman seems to take the hint, and turns back to the crowd of rambunctious first graders.
But as soon as she’s gone, another teacher approaches me, this one tall, blonde and leggy, her agenda even more obvious than the one before. In any other situation, I just might have a go with this one, but with Eliana standing close by, no other woman holds a candle to her natural beauty.
I’ve never been starved for female attention, but right now there’s only two females that I want to be around, and they’re both watching me with matching grins, like they’re taking great delight in my situation.
“Are you enjoying this?” I ask Eliana, when I’m finally able to get away.
She chuckles. “It seems as if someone’s grabbing the attention of the teachers and it’s not the kids.”
I grunt. “They’re acting as if I’m the only male parent that’s here today.”
“You are.”
I blink, looking around at the small group and realize she’s right.
“But even if you weren’t, I’m sure they’d still be all over you.”
“Really?” I cock a brow at her.
As if realizing what she just said, she bites her bottom lip and looks away. “I think we’re going in now.”
A cell phone rings, and thinking it’s mine, I reach for my suit pocket. But I’m not wearing a suit. I’m in a fucking t-shirt, and my cell isn’t there.
“Shit.” I pat my back pockets. Nothing.
“What’s wrong?” Eliana blinks up at me.
“I must have left my phone in the car.”
Guilt creeps into her expression. It’s only there for a brief second, before replaced with stubborn defiance.
“What?” I growl out.
“It’s in my purse.”
“Why is my phone in your purse, Miss Sanders?” I try to keep the frustration out of my voice, but even I can hear it.
“I didn’t want you to get distracted.”
“You stole my phone?” She’s going to get a spanking so badly. She doesn’t even know that she’ll be screaming out my name, begging me for more.
“I didn’t steal it. You’ll get that back as soon as we get home.”
She’s acting as if she’s in charge.
She’s my daughter’s nanny, not mine.
I drag my fingers through my hair and blow out a frustrated breath. I open my mouth to lay into her, but Lily interrupts me when she runs over to me, looking up at Eliana, then at me, concern in her blue eyes, as if she can sense the tension between us.
“Daddy. Are you still coming with us?”
I realize that up to now she must have thought that I would leave. That I was just coming to the zoo and pulling out, like I’ve done with every activity she’s been a part of, with the idea of going back to work or even just being as far away from kids’ stuff as possible.
I’m no good at this parenting stuff. That was supposed to be Stacey’s job. What the hell do I know about kids? Even when I was one myself, I never did kid stuff. I was born and bred to takeover my father’s multi-billion dollar company, not play silly, childish games – or go to the goddamn zoo.
But the way Lily is looking at me now, I wish I was different. That I wasn’t always so fixated on work.
“Daddy?” she says again, hope starting to fade in her eyes.
I smile as I bend down and look at my baby girl. “Yes, princess, I’m going to see the animals too.”
She doesn’t hesitate in wrapping her hands around my neck and whispering, “Thank you, Daddy.”
My heart squeezes.
Then she runs back to her friends, laughing excitedly.
I stand slowly and breathe out a rough breath.
Eliana is watching me. “That must be worth its weight in gold compared to your cell phone. Do you really want it back?”
I shake my head, emotions pressing on my chest, but I’m not fucking letting her know. She’s still going to get punished, but I’ll do it for fun. Not because she deserves it.
Chapter Six
Eliana
I’m looking at the lion and wondering about the one standing next to me.
King of the jungle.
No animal reminds me more of Lucas.
Prideful.
Aloof.
Gorgeous.
And alone.
That’s what I see when I look at him. A beast of a man, who seems so damn lonely. What I wouldn’t give to fix that.
As we watch the animal pace in its small confinement, Lucas is standing so near to me that if he got any closer our bodies would be one. He’s so close that I can smell his warm and spicy scent, feel his breath against my cheek.
“Fucking crowds,” he grumbles.
I laugh, but it comes out sounding strained. “You could move if you know that you’re standing too close.”
“I’m fine where I am.” His gaze locks on mine. Dark and intense.
My body is on fire, and when his hand brushes against mine, I swear every nerve in my body lights up.
Lily is with Hannah, closer to the front of the enclosure, and although there’s a mob of people around us, there’s an intimacy in the way his body leans into mine.
Or maybe it’s just in my head.
The crowd cheer as one of the zookeepers stands in the cage with the lion. She’s feeding them, and she doesn’t even seem scared. It’s impressive, her patience with them.
“She’s not even scared,” I whisper as Lucas moves closer.
“She’s used to being near alpha males.”
I glance up at him. Big mistake. His mouth is close to mine. His breath, warm against my cheek. “Is that what you consider yourself to be? An alpha male?”
He laughs. “Do you want to find out, Miss Sanders?”
I swallow hard, keeping his gaze.
Do I?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Is it a proposition? I don’t know. All I know is that I’m falling hard for him. Which is completely idiotic, since I barely know anything about him.
Lust. That’s all it is. Addictive. Panty-soaking. Dangerous. Lust.
As the crowd start to disperse, I try to even my rapid breathing. But it’s no use. He’s done something to me. Set a fire ablaze in my body.
Someone knocks into me, and I’m pushed closer into him. His hands reach out to steady me, and the contact is almost too much.
Staring up into his blue eyes, eyes that look ready to devour me, I know I’m a goner.
“I think…” Words fail me. Rational thought is blurred because of the enormous erection that’s pressing into my stomach.
Oh. My. God.
He wants me.
I tremble against him.
“What do you think, Miss Sanders?” His voice is low, and it skims across my flesh like a caress.
I lick my lips, and his gaze drops to my mouth. Think? There’s no thinking. All rational thought is gone. It’s just feeling. And what I’m feeling is incredibly turned on.
“I…think we should…” I swallow hard.
“We should what?” He’s teasing me now, I can see the glint of humor in his eyes. “What should we do, Miss Sanders?”
What we should do, and what I want to do are two very different things.
I can hear Lily calling us, I know my feet should move, but my knees are weak.
“Lily,” I say in a whisper, my voice catching in my throat.
He gives a curt nod, and
pulls away, leaving me struggling to barely stand.
I feel like going into the lion’s cage and asking the zookeeper how to keep an alpha at bay. How to keep them as far away as possible. She knows how to do it. I need to learn because now I know that Lucas wants me, and it isn’t just to look after his daughter.
Chapter Seven
Eliana
It was a long day, and as it came to an end, I can’t help but feel slightly annoyed, and maybe a bit jealous as Ms. Dato handed Lucas her card, while her fingers roamed unabashed across his chest.
She’s pretty and she could easily be one of the clones that work in his office. The way that I’d expect his ex-wife, to look. The perfect figure, hair, face and everything.
Nothing like me – plain Jane. I can’t remember the last time I worked out, and my closet consists of a dozen pairs of different shades of jeans and shirts that I mainly get from thrift shops.
I don’t say much on the ride home, and neither does Lucas. Maybe he’s regretting our intimate encounter earlier.
Of course he is. I’m just the nanny. And he, well he’s Lucas Philips.
“She’s exhausted,” Lucas says as he lays Lily down on her bed. He’s never looked as sexy to me as he does right now, as he kisses her on the forehead, then pulls off her shoes, and lastly tucks the blanket around her shoulders.
I start down the hall towards my bedroom, when he stops me.
“Miss Sanders.”
I turn just as he’s shutting Lily’s door, blue gaze trained on me.
“Yes?” I swallow hard at the intensity of his expression.
He stalks toward me, the muscle in his jaw clenching and unclenching.
Shit. Is he going to fire me?
“I wanted to thank you for today.”
“I…” A thank you was the last thing I expected from him. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes you did. You reminded me that I have more responsibilities than just work.”
“I know Lily enjoyed having you there.”
He’s close. Too close, and yet still too far away. I start to turn, but he grabs my hand, stopping me.
