Daddies & Nannies: A Contemporary Romance Boxset

by Piper Sullivan

  Obviously now wasn’t the time, for Cara and me. I wasn’t used to children getting in the way of lovemaking. I felt frustrated, but I knew deep down it couldn’t be helped. Of course his needs came first. That’s how it worked when you were a parent, didn’t it?

  I still didn’t know what I was doing. Common sense told me that it was probably a bad idea to get involved with the nanny. I was hanging onto this situation by the skin of my teeth as it was. If things went badly between Cara and I, I would be back to square one trying to find another person to care for Charlie. That couldn’t be good for him. He had just lost his mother, and the only home that he had ever known. He was bonding with Cara. If she left, God knows what further damage it could inflict.

  It would add to his trauma, there was no doubt about that.

  So I should proceed very carefully. Yes, I found her amazingly sexy. And I really liked her as a person as well. But I knew myself, knew that my attention span with women wasn’t long. Was it worth risking Charlie’s wellbeing for a little fun between the sheets?

  But then I thought of Cara, long black hair, falling like silk around her breasts. Those breasts, full with rosy nipples, that had hardened at my touch… I shook my head, trying to dispel the image of her. The feel of her. She was all around me, clinging to me like a mist.

  I had to get a grip on it. Put it on the backburner.

  For Charlie’s sake.

  I took over the bathing duties. She looked surprised, but she conceded. I heard her go to the kitchen, getting something ready for his dinner.

  She wasn’t looking at me. Whether that was delayed regret at what had passed between us, I didn’t know. Was she also thinking she had a narrow escape? That if it wasn’t for Charlie waking, we would have made love by now. Possibly more than once; I was that turned on by her.

  It was awkward, there was no doubt about that, and I couldn’t reassure her. I was too conflicted about what was happening between us as it was. I finished bathing Charlie, drying him and getting his pyjamas on for the night. It felt good doing it. I needed to get involved with him, and this day to day stuff was one way. I couldn’t do it all the time, with my work commitments, but I could certainly step in when I had the time and opportunity.

  She had heated up some leftover lunch, and had it ready in a bowl for him when I brought him downstairs. She sat him at his little table and chair.

  “Does he need a drink?” I asked, finding his drink cup.

  She nodded, still not speaking. I filled the cup and gave it to him. He reached for it, breaking out into a smile as he took it. He was a beautiful boy. I felt a sudden stab of anger, at Abigail, denying me knowledge of him for so long. What had she been thinking?

  My phone beeped. I took it and walked out of the room. Cara watched me leave, but didn’t say anything. It was a text message from Tanya of all people. Inviting me to hit the town with her. She said Zane would also be coming.

  I looked at the message, thinking. I had no real desire to reconnect with Tanya. I kind of had the attitude that I had been there, and done that. She was a very attractive woman, but there was no real connection there.

  Still. It would mean that I could leave the house, and get away from the awkward atmosphere here. It was filling the air like poison. And we wouldn’t be alone, if Zane was coming as well Tanya couldn’t misinterpret that we were on a date. I replied with an affirmative, and shot off the message. Then I walked back into the kitchen.

  “Ahem.” I coughed slightly, to get her attention. She looked around at me, pausing in stacking the dishwasher.

  “I have to go out,” I said, grabbing a jacket and my wallet. “I know that I said that I would put Charlie to bed, but would you be able to do it?”

  She nodded. “Of course. That’s what you pay me for, after all.”

  I tried to smile. “Probably for the best, all thing’s considered. We probably both had a lucky escape, with Charlie waking. Don’t you think?” It killed me to say the words. I wanted her as badly as ever.

  She smiled too, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I think it is definitely for the best,” she answered. She turned away quickly.

  My heart fell to the floor. So it was true. She had very real doubts about getting involved with me, as well.

  As I kissed Charlie good bye and walked out of the house, I tried not to feel bone crushing disappointment. This was what I wanted, time to think things through, put a brake on what was happening between us. I reiterated in my mind all the reasons why it was the best decision, Charlie’s stability, and my dodgy track record with women.

  I climbed into the back of the car. Gilbert turned to me. “Where to, Sir?”

  “Gigi’s Bar, in town,” I told him, quickly. Then I raised the barrier so that he couldn’t see me. I was too conflicted for small talk.

  As we glided through the Surfer’s Paradise streets, I kept reiterating the reasons I couldn’t get involved with her in my mind. Over and over, like a mantra. It hardly mattered, anyway. She had made her decision; and I had been brought up to respect if women said no.

  As we pulled up, I could see Tanya and Zane, sitting at a table at the front. They both smiled and waved when they saw me. I was a playboy. Always had been, probably always would be. It was a role I knew well. My central role.

  Better start acting the part.

  Cara

  I put down my phone, restlessly pacing my bedroom.

  It was another balmy summer’s evening. Mrs Hall had retired to her room an hour ago; Charlie was in bed. Bryce was…well, I really had no idea. Since the night that we had been interrupted, I had barely seen him.

  He had fled the house that night like a scalded cat. You could almost see the relief in his eyes, that he had an opportunity to escape. I had been disappointed; as much as I had been telling myself it was the best thing, really, I still wanted him. My body ached as if it was missing something vital, something that it needed to sustain life.

  Sometimes he was home in time to put Charlie to bed, other nights he wasn’t. Even on the nights that he was home to do it, he sometimes went back out. Or he would claim he had work to catch up on, and bury himself in his study. He didn’t talk to me much at all. He would ask how Charlie had been, and what he had been up to. We certainly didn’t mention what had happened between us. It was like it had disappeared completely.

  I sighed. I had just been talking to my little sister, Bianca, back in the States. I missed her; we were so close. But it was hard to talk to her, anymore. She was so damn busy establishing her business. In the old days, she would have picked up straight away that something was on my mind, and pressed me for information.

  It was probably a good thing. I didn’t want to talk about it, not really. It was why I hadn’t returned Amber’s call yet. Amber would know that something was wrong, and she could be like a dog with a bone if she wanted information. She had just returned from her honeymoon in Port Douglas, and was carving out her new life as Finn’s wife and Lilah’s stepmother. She didn’t need to hear all my insecure thoughts.

  I heard the front door open. So Bryce was home. Not that it had anything to do with me. I heard him walk to Charlie’s room. He would always kiss him goodnight, regardless of the time. My heart stopped as I heard him walk past my room. Did the footsteps pause? I held my breath.

  But then they continued on as before.

  He would heat up the dinner that Mrs Hall had left him, probably take it to his study. The door would be closed if I walked past it. It’s for the best, I told myself fiercely. He isn’t the one for you, even short term. He is your boss, for God’s sake! And he was a player, regardless. No, there was nothing there for me.

  I had only been with one man before, my ex-boyfriend, Craig. That had ended badly, and besides, it had been years ago. I had been so busy with my medical studies and working my waitress job, I hadn’t bothered dating since. I was out of touch with it all, and I had to admit, scared. It was hard for me to give my heart away. My father had seen to that,
I thought bitterly.

  No, it definitely was for the best. I climbed into bed, but my thoughts wouldn’t stop.

  He was in the same house. It would take so little to bridge the gap between us. I could simply walk up to him, and put my hand on his shoulder. I felt a tear trickle down my face, and wiped it away furiously. No more tears. I had told myself years ago I wouldn’t cry over another man, ever again.

  Mrs Hall was cracking eggs into a bowl when I brought Charlie down for breakfast the next day.

  I yawned. I had been awake half the night, trying to stop the thoughts ricocheting through my mind. I felt tired, and grumpy.

  “Scrambled eggs?” the housekeeper asked me brightly, whisking furiously.

  “Just a bit,” I answered, walking to the coffee machine. Coffee was what I needed.

  “You look like you’ve been wrestling a demon or two,” she said, as she poured the eggs into the pan. “Didn’t sleep well?”

  “Not really,” I answered. I looked around. “Has he left already?”

  “Gone an hour ago.” Mrs Hall slid the eggs onto the plates. “He said he had to meet a client for breakfast. He certainly works hard.”

  I nodded, taking my plate and Charlie’s. The little boy was already seated at his table, ready for his breakfast. Mrs Hall was cleaning up the kitchen, but I could hear her chattering away.

  “What are you saying?” I called. I looked at Charlie, grinning at how he was smearing scrambled egg all over his face.

  She walked into the dining room. “I was saying he will be away this weekend as well.”

  “Really?” I said. I tried to act nonchalant. “He hasn’t mentioned it to me. Where’s he going?”

  “Taking a boat out to see the Great Barrier Reef,” Mrs Hall answered, wiping her hands on a tea towel. “A snorkelling trip, with a friend.”

  “Lucky for some,” I muttered.

  Mrs Hall raised her eyebrows. “Well, he’s rich Cara,” she answered, drily. “There’s not much he can’t do, when he desires it. Have you heard of the Great Barrier Reef?”

  “Vaguely,” I answered. “Isn’t it one of the great natural wonders of the world?”

  “It is,” Mrs Hall said. “I was lucky enough to see it twenty years ago, with my husband. But it’s changed a lot since then, apparently. Environmental pollution is eating away at it. If you want to see it, you should go now. It mightn’t be around in another twenty years.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe. I’ve never been diving or snorkelling though.”

  “They have package deals,” Mrs Hall continued. “Boats go out all the time. Nothing like what Mr Harrison and his ilk would have of course. It would be private boats and instructors for the likes of them. But you could still see it, if you wanted to.” She walked back into the kitchen, carrying Charlie’s finished plate with her.

  I thought about what she said, for a minute. I should make the effort to see some of Australia’s sights before I left. My heart constricted at the thought of leaving. I would have to someday, of course. I had a life in the States, after all. I wiped Charlie’s face and hands. It would be hard, leaving him. I just didn’t want to think about it.

  I was bathing Charlie that night when I heard the front door open.

  Bryce. So he had made the effort tonight. My heart started beating wildly.

  “Hi.” I jumped. He was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. I hadn’t heard his footsteps. Charlie grinned up at him, raising hands filled with soap suds. His golden hair had turned to ringlets from the water.

  “Daddy,” he said, clearly.

  My heart stopped. I didn’t want to look at Bryce, but my eyes had other ideas. They were drawn like magnets to his face.

  Bryce was staring at him, his face suffused with astonishment. “Charlie,” he whispered. I could see tears glistening in his eyes.

  “That’s the first time,” he said, in wonder. “The first time he’s said it.”

  I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. It was a touching moment.

  “Do you want to take over?” My voice sounded gravelly.

  He nodded. I got up, and walked through the door at the same time as he entered the bathroom. We brushed against each other.

  I jumped back as if I had been scalded. “Sorry,” I muttered.

  He looked at me, a little sadly. But I kept going. Don’t look back, I told myself fiercely. I could hear them chatting and laughing together as I padded down the stairs. It was wonderful of course. Watching the relationship between them blossom. I wished the best for them both.

  I just didn’t know where I fitted into the picture. The nanny, of course, on a working holiday for the billionaire and his newfound son. But it had become way more complicated than that. It was like I had wound up in the middle of a story and I had no idea how I had got there. No sense of where and when it had all got muddied and hazy.

  I walked downstairs and got myself a coffee. I could hear Finn and Charlie finishing up in the bathroom, and then the sound of Finn reading a bedtime story. It was half an hour later when he came back downstairs.

  I looked down at the magazine I was reading. He would probably get himself a coffee, and head to his study. Or, alternately, something a bit stronger and head out for the night. I glanced at him, surreptitiously. He was looking at his phone, frowning slightly. As if he could sense my gaze, he quickly looked up, straight at me.

  Caught. I smiled faintly, then buried my head back into my magazine.

  “Cara.” He was standing over me, an unsure look on his face.

  “Yes?” My voice sounded normal I thought.

  “I planned to go away this weekend,” he began.

  “Yes, Mrs Hall told me.” I waited patiently for him to continue.

  “The thing is…” he hesitated, fixing me with a penetrating stare. “The friend I was planning to go on this snorkelling trip with has bailed. Something came up, at the last minute. So, I was wondering…”

  “Yes?” I looked at him, slightly puzzled. Where was this leading? Was he going, or was he not going this weekend?

  He took a deep breath. “I was wondering if you’d like to come with me instead. It seems a shame to cancel. It’s all booked. It would give you a chance to see something amazing, an iconic Australian wonder.”

  I put my magazine down, looking at him in amazement. “You want me to come on a snorkelling trip with you?” I frowned. “What about Charlie?”

  “I could ask Mrs Hall if she wouldn’t mind looking after him. She’s said that she would, if I ever needed her to. As a backup.” He looked at me, his eyes quietly assessing. “Are you game?”

  “Game?” I sat up straighter. “What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not so stuck in my comfort zone I can’t try anything new. I’ve taken a job on the other side of the world.”

  “It can be discomforting,” he continued. “Some people get panicky, out in the ocean. It’s not everyone’s thing. Just saying.” He had a twinkle in his eye as he looked at me.

  Was he daring me? I had never been able to refuse a challenge. I was just that kind of person. You had to be up for a lot of things you weren’t comfortable with, to train as a doctor.

  But what about what had happened between us? Would agreeing to go on the trip with him confuse things further? I didn’t think that most bosses invited their nannies on expensive snorkelling trips with them. Unless there was another agenda.

  “Okay,” I answered, nonchalantly. “If Mrs Hall is willing to take on the babysitting, why not?”

  I looked him square in the eye. Challenge accepted.

  I wondered what was more dangerous, snorkelling in the ocean, with the possibility of sharks and stingrays, or being alone with Bryce?

  Bryce

  As we exited Cairns Airport, I saw the driver with the sign. There it was. Our ride to the private boat that I had chartered.

  I glanced at Cara as we whizzed through the streets of Cairns, in far north Queensland. She wasn’t saying much, but I could tell
she was excited. Well, who wouldn’t be? It wasn’t every day that you got the chance to go on a boat and see the Great Barrier Reef. For some people, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Strangely enough, I hadn’t done this before, although I had been snorkelling a few times and knew what to do. It would only be the captain of the boat and Cara and I on the trip.

  I was pretty amazed that she was here beside me. For a start, that I had invited her, it wasn’t planned. I had just received the text from Sam, an old friend, saying that he couldn’t make it. Then I had looked up and seen her, staring at me. As always, I was struck by her beauty. I didn’t think, next thing I was inviting her. It was like the words just marched out of my mouth, unbidden. All the grand plans to keep our relationship professional suddenly flew out the window.

  But I was also amazed that she had agreed. I could tell she was a bit miffed, when I had inferred that she might fear the ocean. Maybe that was what had spurred her on to accept.

  A day trip. We had boarded the flight to Cairns at six this morning for the two and a half hour flight. I planned that we would be out on the ocean for most of the day, snorkelling and island hopping. Then the flight back was booked for four. Everything staying on schedule, we should be back to the Gold Coast and home by seven tonight.

  Home. Isn’t that strange? It was the first time I had thought of the Gold Coast as home, as opposed to Melbourne. Maybe it was the fact that a little golden haired boy lived there, now. My son. I almost swelled with pride as I thought of him. Mrs Hall had been fine about watching him for the day. I was paying her extra for it, of course.

  As we rounded a corner, I caught sight of the pier. Boats and catamarans were jostling along it, all ready for a day out on the ocean. And what a day for it. The sky was a clear blue, with the sun just starting to make itself felt. It was going to be a hot, humid day. It was always like this in northern Queensland. I felt a stab of excitement.

  “Welcome.” The captain walked toward us, his hand outstretched. Bob was his name, I seemed to recall.