I watched and had to force myself to pay attention to his words and not the pulse beating furiously at his throat as he spoke.
"I need you to take her for me. I've already informed them you'll be bringing her instead of me. It's just a standard checkup, nothing too serious. Make sure she is no longer contagious. Her playschool is closed for summer now anyway, but it would be nice to have the all clear."
I forced myself to stop gawking and nodded. "I can do that. No problem.”
Christian slid off his suit jacket and hung it on a chair. “Good.”
“I should get going."
Christian looked me over.
I wanted to bite my lip to keep from biting into him. The way he rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt made me want to run my hands over his skin.
He licked his lips in that way of his.
I quickly yanked up my bag and pulled it onto my shoulder. "Have a good night," I called out as I hightailed it out of there.
If he stared at me like that again, I might just lose it and forget that I was supposed to be professional with him. I swiftly slid into my car and let out the breath I’d been holding. The more I was around that man the more I found it hard not to give in to that lustful look in his eyes.
He never said anything though.
As much as I caught his hungry looks, he was never anything more than courteous with me. I’d been almost sure he wasn't interested in me, except for those lingering looks.
Chapter Nine
Christian
I watched Hannah leave until she turned the corner. She wasn't very good at hiding what was going through her head. Every time she looked at me, I could practically feel her fucking me with her eyes. The more she was around the harder it was becoming to contain myself. Seeing the way she effortless moved around in my kitchen, like she'd been here forever, made things stir in my gut I’d not felt in a long time. I kept telling myself to stop thinking about her, but that was hard to do when I saw her first thing in the morning and as soon as I got back from work.
Every day, she arrived in the morning upbeat and ready to go. When I came home at night, she was still as energetic and cool even after a full day of dealing with Annie. I knew Annie was not being particularly kind to her, but Hannah still tried her best and it was most impressive. She never complained. In fact, she was always positive, sure that Annie could be won over.
As I walked up the stairs, I thought about Hannah's curvy full ass. What I wouldn’t give to see her in a black thong, bent over my desk. It made all the fantasies come back to life with a fiery blaze.
I shook the crazy, impure, wonderful thoughts aside as I traded in my work suit for a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.
Then I went to check on Annie.
She popped up when I walked into her room. “Oh Daddy, you’re back. I didn’t hear you.”
“No?”
She grinned. “No. Has Miss Gray gone?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
I sat next to her on the bed. "How was your day?"
"It was okay," she said as she sat her phone down.
"What did you do?"
Annie shrugged. "Played my game and watched some cartoons."
"Did you do anything with Miss Gray?"
She shrugged again and went quiet.
I knew that was a no. Whenever I brought Hannah up, she pressed her lips in a thin line and refused to talk about her.
I patted her head. "Give her a chance, hmm? She's really trying to get to know you and she's going to be around for a long time."
She was quiet for a minute. "Can we go swimming?"
Just like that, I knew the conversation about Hannah was over. Once Annie made up her mind, it was almost impossible to change it if she wasn't ready. I decided to let it go for the moment. Hopefully, they would be getting along sooner rather than later. "Yeah, we can do that. Then we’re going out to dinner.”
“We are?” she asked eagerly.
“Mmm…”
“Yay!” she shouted.
“Go on get your swimsuit and I'll go find mine."
Annie bounced off of the bed with excitement.
As I went to grab my trunks, I knew I couldn't force her to come out of her shell, but I had a feeling Hannah would get to her eventually. She had the kind of personality that was hard to resist. If it had worked on me, I was sure it would work on Annie.
Chapter Ten
Hannah
I packed my bag into the car before I went back to retrieve Annie. She was upstairs on the floor with one shoe on and the other still sitting five feet away from her. I already knew she didn't want to go to the doctor, but I didn't expect her to be so outspoken about it.
"Can you put on your other shoe, please? I put the first one on for you."
"No," she said as she tapped at the phone screen.
“Well, it’s not going to go on by itself,” I said and aimed a smile at her.
She ignored me.
My head started to hurt. She was the cutest little girl in the world but when she wanted to be cold, man was it freezing. I shook my head and tried a firmer approach. "Annie, seriously we have to go like right now, so we don't miss your appointment. Do you want me to help you put it on?"
"I don't want to go."
"I know you don't, but the doctor is important and they're going to make sure you're doing great. So, let's get that shoe on and get out of here. It'll be nice to get some air."
Annie looked directly at me and glared. "I don't want to go."
"I’m right here. There is no reason to yell," I said trying not to let my eye twitch.
“I’m not going and you can’t make me. You’re just a nanny. I wish you would go like all the others.”
"Well, I’m not leaving like all the others and you have to go to the doctor, so I'm just going to help you put this on." I grabbed the shoe so I could get her finished up and we could go.
As soon as I tried to slide it onto her foot, she shifted onto her knees and crawled away.
I sighed and went after her. "Annie, come on," I pleaded. "If you do this, we'll stop on the way back and get ice cream. How does that sound?"
"I don't want ice cream. I want to stay home."
"Well, unfortunately, that's not an option today," I said as I walked toward her with the shoe.
"I'm not going. You can go by yourself!"
"That's enough," I said evenly. "You know I usually wouldn't make you do anything you didn't want to do, but your dad wants you to go to the doctor and we're going. Now, sit down and put on these shoes," I said firmly.
"I hate you!" she snapped.
"Annie!" I called as she turned and ran out of the room. "Annie, wait," I shouted, but she was already out of the room.
Before I could chase her, I heard a loud shriek and a thud. I flew out into the hallway and saw her tumble down the last few steps then land at the bottom.
For a minute, we were both silent with shock, then she burst into a loud wail of fear and pain. I ran down the stairs almost tripping and falling myself before I dropped down next to her. My knees banged on the hardwood floors, but I barely felt it as I swiftly examined her body.
I couldn't see any blood or serious injury, so I pulled her into my arms as she sobbed her little heart out.
I buried my head in her hair and cried right along with her. My heart wouldn't stop hammering in my chest. "I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard."
I felt horrible. Even if it was an accident, it was always hard to explain to a parent that you were the reason their child was hurt. I knew I had to get her to the doctor, but I felt like if I'd just taken a moment to slow down and take another approach, maybe she wouldn't have fallen.
Her arms wrapped around me and held me tight.
My eyes widened.
I cradled her in my hands and looked her over a second time. No bleeding, no bruises. It was a good thing she hadn't hit her head. I pushed hair ou
t of her face. "Does anything hurt?"
Annie nodded her head lightly and pointed to her knee. "Just right here."
"Let me see it." I pushed up the pant leg of her jeans and examined the mark she had on her knee. It wasn't bad, but it was still there. I picked Annie up and carried her into the kitchen. Once she was comfortable, I grabbed an ice pack and a band aid then walked back over to the table. I quickly wiped my eyes and rubbed Annie's head.
"I'm sorry I was horrible to you," she sniffled as she reached up and wiped her face with her sleeve.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. "I'm going to call your daddy, okay?"
She nodded. "Okay," she whispered quietly as she pressed the ice pack to her knee.
I let her focus on that to distract her while I called her father. My heart was in my throat. I knew he'd be pissed at me for letting his daughter get hurt. Everything about Christian screamed overprotective parent and I was sure I would never hear the end of it, but I couldn't blame him one bit for it either.
"Is everything okay?" he asked as soon as answered the phone.
"Kind of," I said slowly before I rushed through what happened. "Annie fell down the stairs. I checked her and I think she's okay, but her knee is hurting. She skinned it a little."
"Take her to the hospital," he said the panic rising in his voice. "They still need to make sure she hasn't hit her head or anything."
I nodded. "I'll take her right now. We'll meet you there."
I ran upstairs and retrieved Annie's shoe before I jogged back down and put it on her. She held out her arms and I picked her up.
As soon as she was in my arms, she laid her head against me and nuzzled against my body.
I carried her outside and made sure she was buckled into her seat before I slid into mine.
As soon as we arrived at the hospital, we were seen. I sat next to Annie the whole time as the doctor started checking her out to make sure that she was okay.
Christian exploded into the room a moment later, his hair tousled, and his eyes wildly searching for his daughter. "Honey, are you okay?" he asked as he arrived at her side
Of course, the minute he asked she started crying again.
I moved out of the way, so they could have some space.
The doctor cleared his throat. "Well, everything looks good. No stitches needed, no concussion, no broken bones. She'll have a little bruise on her knee, but that will fade. Other than that, she looks great. I think she scared herself more than anything. You can take her home."
Christian and I sighed at the same time.
The doctor left the room,
Christian turned to me.
I glanced up at him and steadied myself for the reprimand.
"Thank you for bringing her," he said. “I'm glad it's not too serious."
"I am too. I'm sorry it happened in the first place. I never meant for her to get hurt. Not in a million years."
"I know," Christian said as he looked at me with soft eyes for once. "Accidents happen and little Miss Fussy Pants here can be a clumsy little thing sometimes."
Annie hopped off of the table and wrapped her arms around my legs.
I reached down and smoothed her hair. I hated that it took something so drastic to bring us together, but having her so close made me smile. Annie wouldn't let go of me as we walked out of the room.
"Hannah," Christian said grabbing my attention. "It's been a long day. Why don't you stay for dinner tonight?"
I smiled and looked down at Annie. "Is that okay with you?"
She nodded, and of course, I accepted. We walked out to the parking lot and we all got into the car I was supposed to use for transporting Annie around since Gary, Christian’s driver was nowhere to be seen.
"I panicked," he admitted sheepishly after he'd made sure Annie was snapped into her seat. “I was in a meeting when you called and I didn’t want to wait for Gary to bring the car around.”
I laughed nervously. "Don't worry. You weren't the only one that panicked. My eyes are probably all red and puffy still."
Christian touched my chin.
I stared at him with wide eyes.
He turned my head this way and that, while his fingertips lingered on my skin.
A sudden, pleasant warmth burned through me until it threatened to consume every inch of my body.
"Your eyes are fine," he pronounced finally as he released my chin. "You look just fine."
I felt that familiar warmth slink over my skin as I got into the car and started it. I tried to stay focused on the road. If I didn't I was afraid I'd end up crashing somewhere. Way too many hot thoughts filled my mind and it took everything I had to concentrate on the road.
Christian had never touched me like that before, and part of me was begging for him to do it all over again.
Chapter Eleven
Hannah
I could smell the aroma of the food as it wafted up the stairs. Instead of ordering in, Christian had insisted on cooking for us. I didn't mind. I didn’t know if we would be eating burnt food, but dining with Christian was a treat I never imagined having. Anyway, with the relief and gratitude I felt that Annie was unhurt I would quite happily have eaten ash.
I had carried Annie up to her room and placed her on the bed. Now that she was back home, she seemed to perk right up. “Shall we play together?” she asked.
This was one for the books. She’d never shown the least sign of wanting to play with me.
“Sure. What do you want to play with?” I asked looking at all the toys that were scattered around one half of her room.
“Let’s play with this,” she said, going over to the big doll house. It was huge with multiple stories all done in light pink and trimmed in deep purple. It had working lights and a doorbell, even a little music player inside. It was exactly the kind of dollhouse I would have loved when I was a child.
“Wow! It’s beautiful,” I said as she opened it.
“Yeah! Doesn't it look awesome! Daddy bought it for me when I was really little. It's my favorite thing in the world to play with.” She picked up one of the dolls and started taking its clothes off. “Did you have a favorite toy?”
I thought about it. “Well, when I was little, I liked my bike a lot, and of course I had some dolls too. I think my favorite toy was probably my play kitchen though. I used to pretend to cook for hours.”
“I have a play kitchen too. If you want you can cook with my stuff.”
“Thank you. It will remind me of being a child again.”
She began to redress her doll in a different outfit. “Do you like children?”
“Yes, I love little boys and girls.”
Annie looked up at me. “Is that why you became a nanny?”
I nodded “It is. I've always wanted to help kids and play games with them all day. I think it's fun.”
Annie frowned a little. “Not everyone thinks like that though. I… some nannies didn't like me very much.”
“I can’t imagine why. You are a little darling.”
“I guess it was because I was mean to them.”
For someone who knew how to drive me crazy on a daily basis I could see there was a lot more to her than I’d originally thought. She was a bright girl even if she was a little lonely and isolated at times.
“I don't think you're mean,” I said. “I think sometimes you just have bad days just like the rest of us. There's nothing wrong with having a bad day. You just have to remember to still treat other people nicely. That's all.”
Annie nodded, her face serious.
“How come your friends don't ever come over?” I asked.
Annie shrugged. “I don't like them to come over.”
“Why ever not?” I asked as I picked up one of the dolls and started dressing her in a lavish ball ground with golden shoes. The doll definitely had more money than I did.
“When we had a sleepover, Mandy said I was stuck up because my house was so big. Then the other girls started acting really weird. Now, I do
n't really want anyone over. I like going over to their houses though.”
I shook my head. Sometimes kids could be so cruel. It wasn't like Annie had any control over her house, her finances, or anything else for that matter. “Well maybe she was just a little jealous,” I said.
Annie shook her head. “She thinks it's weird that I don't have a mommy too. I told her I do have a mommy, she just doesn't live with me. She said I was still weird. We're not friends anymore. Sometimes I miss her though. Even if she's a butt face.”
I choked on a little laugh and tried to hide it. One thing about kids, they were always honest. When they didn't like someone, it really showed.
Annie scrunched up her face and glared at her doll like the girl was standing right in front of her.
“I'm sure there will be plenty of other friends for you to make in the future. And who knows? Maybe Mandy will come around someday. People change as they get older, you know.”
Annie smiled at me. “Do you really think so?”
“Of course,” I said. “We all have to grow up sometime.”
“So you think we could be friends someday?”
“Maybe. But you know what I would do if I were you. I’d just let it be. If she becomes my friend she does, if not, no big deal. I’d just go find other friends instead.”
Annie nodded and slipped her doll into a car. She pushed a convertible across the carpet and I thought about the fact that her dolls also had a nicer car then I did. They were living the life. I chuckled to myself at the thought.
“What are you laughing at?” she asked.
I wouldn’t tell her those thoughts. So, I began to make up a story about the doll in my hand. Annie and I created such a fun story together that I forgot we were even waiting for dinner. I think she forgot too, because when we both looked up Christian stood in the doorway.
How long had he been standing there?
"What are you two doing?" he asked lightly, as the corner of his mouth quirked up into a grin.
Billionaire Needs Nanny Page 4
