Spellbound By The Single Dad

In the eight years Katherine had worked for either him or his parents in this house, he’d never seen her display devotion to anything other than her job. “Wonders will never cease,” he said and considered whether he’d been underestimating his housekeeper.

“Don’t be too surprised,” Jenna said with a lopsided grin. “She still doesn’t particularly like me.”

He laughed as much for Jenna’s self-deprecation as for the humor in the situation. “Then the universe still makes sense.”

She picked up a rag and wiped her hands. “If you’re just dropping in to see Bonnie, I can—”

“No,” he said, interrupting her. “I’m home for the day.”

Her eyes were wide when they met his. “At four o’clock?”

He dug his hands into his pockets and nodded. He’d given this a lot of thought during the day and had made a decision. “You were right last night. I’ve been seeing this from the wrong angle. Bonnie needs her father around. It’s time I made that happen.”

Jenna’s blue eyes glistened, then she blinked and smiled. “She’s a lucky little girl.”

The pureness of the emotion in her eyes resonated through him, seemed to take hold of his heart and squeeze, and he had to clear his throat before he could reply. “I appreciate that, but we both know that as a parent, I have a long way to go.”

“It takes practice,” she said, repeating his words from last night.

He smiled wryly. “True. That’s why I’ve rearranged things at work and handed some tasks and projects over to my staff.” His two senior research assistants had been surprised but keen for the extra responsibility, and he’d also talked to his PA about handing some tasks to her. “My plan is to be home by four o’clock every day.”

“That’s amazing, Liam. Bonnie will love having the extra time with you.” She looked at him with admiration shining in her eyes, and he had to wonder if he’d partly made the decision because it was Jenna who’d suggested it. He’d like to think he’d have realized the right thing to do on his own, but he couldn’t deny the effect she had on him.

He let out a long breath, wanting to respond only as a father, not a man who was having trouble focusing anywhere but on his nanny’s lips.

He shrugged as casually as he could manage. “I can’t promise how successful it will be, that I’ll be home by four every day, but I’ll definitely aim for that.”

“We’ll be able to work much faster on your bonding with Bonnie.”

He’d been thinking about that and knew just what he wanted to do next. “I’d like to learn to feed her on my own. There’s no reason we both have to get up every night.”

“I’ve been thinking the same thing.” She put the lid on the paint tin and gathered up her brushes as she spoke. “I’m sure you’ll find that those late-night feedings, when it’s just the two of you, can be a special time.”

They probably would be. Plus, this plan had the advantage of not feeling tempted by seeing Jenna in that thin robe when he was only half awake and his defenses were low. “How soon can we start?”

“Tonight, if you’re ready,” she said, looking at him with those clear blue eyes, beguiling him with those cupid’s bow lips.

“That will be great.” He headed for the door before he did something stupid, like kissing her here in the freshly painted nursery. “Let me know when she’s ready for her next bottle.”

He walked down the hall to his room, loosening his tie as he went. Now he just had to survive one more night of the temptation that was his nanny and he was home free. Well—he hesitated with his hand on the doorknob to his room—that covered the nights, but he couldn’t be sure of coping with the temptation that was Jenna during the day. He threw the door open and once he was in, he leaned back and hit his head against the door behind him.

* * *

Liam spent the late afternoon hours sprawled in the living room playing with Meg and asking Jenna her opinion on topics he’d come across in the baby books he’d been reading, such as routines and when to introduce solids into Bonnie’s diet. Her opinions were well considered and interesting, and he found himself simultaneously agreeing with her and thinking he should take notes. He thanked the fates he’d stumbled across someone like Jenna to care for his daughter. Their situation was ideal. Well, it would be as long as he could keep his rogue attraction to her at bay.

Dusk was settling over the landscape when Bonnie’s little cries came over the baby monitor.

“That’s my cue,” Jenna said, unfolding herself from the sofa and heading for the stairs.

He scooped Meg up and followed. “Come on, Meg. Group trip to the nursery.” The baby gurgled and babbled her agreement.

Liam walked down the hall after Jenna, trying not to watch the sway of her hips but failing. There was something very particular about the way she walked—it was almost gliding. Had she had deportment lessons as a child, perhaps?

In Meg’s room—which was still temporarily Bonnie’s—Jenna reached into the crib, but Liam put out a hand to stop her. “I’ll do it all this time. You just talk me through it. It’s the only way I’ll become self-sufficient.”

Jenna took Meg from him and nodded. “Okay.”

Slipping his hands under the baby to support her in all the right places, he lifted her to his chest. Her little face was red and her arms flailed. “Shh,” he said. “You might need a bit of patience for this, but I promise you’ll get fed in the end.”

Jenna sank down into the armchair with Meg, who was playing with her own toes. “First, she’ll want a clean diaper,” Jenna said.

He’d had some practice at changing diapers, so he was fairly confident and managed to complete the task without incident.

“Done,” he said and held his diapered daughter in the air.

“She’ll be perky for a little while since it’s still early, so she’d probably like a bit of time on her play mat.”

Play mat. Right. He looked around and nothing jumped out at him. “Where do we keep the play mat?”

“It’s folded in the bottom drawer. It has a mobile that arches over the top and she loves it when you play on that with her.”

He found the mat, laid it out on the carpet, put Bonnie on top and then clicked the arms of the mobile together. Bonnie seemed happy, but how, exactly, was he supposed to play with her? He wasn’t a complete idiot—he’d worked out how to play with Meg, but she had more control over her limbs and a rudimentary understanding of games. Bonnie was a different matter.

He rubbed a hand over his chin. “What—?”

“The soft animals hanging from the mobile arms all make different sounds if you handle them and Bonnie loves it when you touch them for her. Try the ladybug—she’s crinkly.”

Liam crinkled the ladybug, then surprised himself by losing track of time as he lay on the floor playing with his daughter.

“I think she’s getting tired,” Jenna finally said. “She’ll appreciate a bottle and a sleep.”

Reluctantly Liam packed up. When he’d spent time thinking about being a father to Bonnie, he’d mainly thought of himself as a caregiver in this phase of her life and not really being able to interact with her until she was a bit older. He’d never suspected that he’d be sorry to put a play mat away.

“Right,” he said, “we’re ready.”

Jenna stood back so he could pass her and head for the kitchen. She talked him through making up his first bottle. On the other night feedings, he’d held Bonnie while Jenna had made the milk, so the juggling act of holding a baby while carrying out the task was more of a challenge than the bottle itself.

Back in the nursery, he settled down into the armchair, bottle in one hand, his now fussy daughter in the other. “You know, they showed me how to do this at the hospital the day I met Bonnie, but I’m afraid I was so overwhelmed, I didn’t pay enough attention.”

“No matter. It’s all worked out perfectly fine,” Jenna said with a smile. “Lay her back along your forearm. And tilt the bottle to her.”

Getting the bottle past those angry fists was easier said than done, but once Bonnie had the teat in her mouth, she stilled, as if all her focus was on the food. Triumph surged through him at being able to successfully feed his daughter; it satisfied something primal inside.

“Have you heard anything more from Rebecca’s parents?” Jenna asked softly.

He sighed. “Our lawyers had a phone meeting today to see if they could negotiate an agreement.”

“No luck?”

“The Clancys aren’t interested in anything but full custody.”

“But anyone could see Bonnie belongs with you,” she said, gesturing to his hand holding the bottle.

“My lawyers think this is about anger. They’re angry their daughter is gone. And they want the last link to her.”

She nodded. “Bonnie.”

“Yes,” he said, gazing at his baby girl. “And they’re angry at me because I have her.”

“I’m sorry, Liam.” Her voice was full of compassion, and just for a moment he let himself accept what she was offering. But only for a moment.

“Thank you, but don’t be sorry for me—cheer me up instead.” He grinned as he glanced up, wanting to just sit and listen to her speak in her beautiful accent. “Tell me about Larsland.”

Her eyelids drifted closed as she rocked Meg. “It’s beautiful,” she said, her voice dreamy. “The sky is a blue I haven’t seen since I left. The birds are different, so the birdsong early in the morning is distinctive. And the old cities on the main islands are a mixture of modern buildings and stone structures, some dating back hundreds of years.”

As she continued to describe the sights, he glanced down at his daughter. Bonnie blinked at him as she drank, as if mesmerized. Her gave her a smile, then looked back to Jenna as she talked about her homeland, and suddenly he knew how Bonnie felt. Enthralled. He was enchanted by Jenna in the soft lamplight, by the glow of her skin and the emotion in her eyes. His body heated with heady warmth.

He’d never wanted to kiss a woman more.

Of course, the irony was that he’d never met a woman more off-limits. She was an employee, and he’d never cross that line and become a boss who made advances to women who worked for him. That type of behavior was deplorable.

Worse, Jenna Peters was the employee he particularly couldn’t afford to scare off. Bonnie was the most important thing in the world to him, and Bonnie needed Jenna. If he made a pass at Jenna and she left, he’d never forgive himself. Being able to handle a night feeding on his own was a far cry from being able to look after his daughter’s every need. Sure, he could get another nanny, but could he guarantee he’d be able to find one Bonnie liked as much? Whom he could trust as much?

No, kissing Jenna would be bad on so many levels. He held back a groan. Perhaps he should change the subject to something more practical, something she’d be less passionate about.

“I heard you met with Danielle again today.” He’d asked his PA to meet with Jenna as soon as she could schedule it to get moving on the launch of the Midnight Lily and they’d now had two meetings in two days.

“She’s great,” Jenna said brightly. “We had our meeting while I changed diapers and carted babies around. She didn’t flinch or lose her train of thought once.”

Liam was pleased but not surprised. Hawke’s Blooms was known for paying its staff well, but in return, they had high expectations of every employee. “Did you get far with the plans?”

“We made a list of what needs to be done in the next week, and she’s going to liaise with people in Adam’s and Dylan’s offices. She’s already booked The Gold Palm as the venue and they’re talking about the guest list. I think everything’s on track.”

“Thank you again for agreeing to help with this. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, smiling. “It’s actually been fun.”

From the expression on her face, he didn’t doubt that, but she was still doing him a favor. “I’ve been thinking, since you’re handling this on top of your nanny duties, you should be compensated accordingly.”

She held up a hand, her eyes suddenly serious. “I couldn’t take more money. I’m barely doing anything—Danielle is doing most of the work.”

“I’m not comfortable with you getting nothing. If you won’t take extra money, then what?” He settled his gaze on her, wishing he could see inside her mind. “Tell me what you want, Jenna.”

* * *

Jenna couldn’t catch her breath. With his dark green eyes on her like that, her body quivered. What did she want? Him. No question. Just him.

But that wasn’t what he meant. She bit down on her lip and looked away. “I can’t think of anything.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Then you’re a rare person. Everyone wants something. What about a trip home to Larsland? We could wait until Bonnie’s a bit older and get someone to fill in here for you for a couple of weeks.”

Jenna stroked Meg’s head as the baby’s eyes grew heavy. “I’m not ready to go home just yet.”

“Well, a trip somewhere else. Or if you don’t want to travel, then perhaps a night out. Dylan’s always getting tickets to Hollywood premieres and offering them to me. Fancy a night on the red carpet?”

An event swarming with media? She suppressed a shiver. The very last thing she needed was to be snapped in the background of a celebrity shot by a paparazzo and have the photo beamed around the world.

“I’ll just take Meg next door,” she said, glad her daughter had fallen asleep. She needed a moment to think of something to distract Liam.

After laying her daughter in her crib and kissing the top of her head, she went back to Liam and Bonnie. “The only thing I can think of is a puppy. Bonnie could have her own dog to grow up with her, and the puppy would be another constant in her life.”

The royal court had several dogs, and one of the happiest memories of her childhood was when her parents had let her have a puppy of her own. The only stipulation had been on the dog’s size. Because it would be living in a palace, it needed to be small and easily controlled. Her little Sigrid had been white, fluffy and her best friend. One day she hoped to be settled enough to get a dog for Meg, but there was no reason Bonnie couldn’t have a little puppy soon—they’d just need to carefully supervise their interactions while Bonnie was so small.

Liam’s gaze told her he hadn’t been fooled for a second. “I have no problem with Bonnie having a puppy, but that’s not something for you.”

“I’d love a dog,” she said earnestly, “so having one for Bonnie would be like having one for me too.”

The corners of his mouth twitched. “Still not good enough. It has to be something else.”

She released a breath and put up her hands. “Liam, honestly, this job is like a godsend to me. I have a home for my daughter and can spend all day with her.” She looked down at the precious baby cradled in his arm. “Bonnie is the icing on the cake. I truly love her, and so does Meg.”

Liam lifted the empty bottle from Bonnie’s lips. “You’ll have to teach me to burp her now, but—” he looked up at her, eyebrows raised “—we haven’t finished on this topic yet.”

“Noted,” she said, hoping she’d have worked out what to say by the time they got back to it. She took the bottle from him and set it on the table, then grabbed a little towel. “Here, put this over your shoulder, then lift her so it’s in front of her mouth.”

He lifted Bonnie very carefully and positioned her. “Okay, now what?”

“Tap her back lightly, so she can bring up any air bubbles that went down with the milk.”

The towel wasn’t sitting quite in the middle of his shoulder and her fingers itched to smooth it out, but she knew he wanted to do this completely on his own, so she left it.

After a few taps, Bonnie brought up a small amount of white liquid, which, unfortunately, landed squarely on Liam’s shirt. Jenna smothered a laugh as she said, “Don’t worry, it’s happened to me more times than I can count.”

He turned his head to try and see the damage. “We might have to work on your aim, Bonnie Hawke. Or more likely, on my towel placement skills.”

Jenna chuckled. “Here, let me take Bonnie so you can get that shirt off.”

“Thanks,” he said, passing his daughter. “She’s one wink away from sleep anyway.”

Jenna took the baby, whose eyes were already closed, rocked her a few times to make sure, then laid her in the crib. “Good night, beautiful,” she whispered.

When she turned around, she was confronted by Liam’s bare chest. He was standing several feet away, but he was all she could see, and a tiny spark of electricity shot straight through her. He was balling the shirt in his hands and looking around the room, probably for the dirty clothes basket, which gave her precious moments to observe him unnoticed. She took advantage of them without thinking.

His chest was solid with faint lines of definition and a sprinkling of dark hair. Her fingers itched to test the strength of the muscles there, to feel the crispness of the hair. Then she realized he’d stilled. She raised her gaze to his face only to find he was watching her. Her stomach fluttered. He took an infinitesimal step forward, as he reached out to stroke the side of her face then cup her cheek. His gaze fell to her mouth, and the nerve endings in her lips sprang to life, tingling. Yearning.

This was wrong, she knew it was wrong, yet in this moment she couldn’t bring herself to care. All that mattered was Liam, and he was close, so close that her heart battered against her ribs.

He lowered his head, ever so slowly, until his lips brushed hers. Delicious warmth spread through her body and she couldn’t contain the moan that escaped her throat. When his mouth settled more firmly and his tongue touched hers, she knew she’d reached heaven.

She fell into the kiss—into Liam. His heat and scent. Sensation danced across every nerve in her body. She reached up, touching his bare chest with her fingertips, and she felt a shudder rip through him. The shirt he’d been holding fell to the floor as one of his hands snaked out to press her fingers more firmly against his skin, the other to wrap around behind her, hauling her against him.

This kiss was more than anything she’d ever experienced—more intense, more uncontrollable, more glorious. Just more. And she’d never get enough. Of the kiss. Of Liam. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and she would have melted into the floor if he hadn’t been holding her up.

And then he wrenched away, breathing heavily but with his gaze still locked on her. The air was cold on her chest where he’d been pressed only seconds before. The sudden absence of a kiss that had felt like her whole world caused her head to spin, and to stop herself reaching for him again, she rubbed her fingertips over her still tingling lips.

His eyes tracked the action, then he speared his hands through his hair. “Jenna,” he said, groaning and stepping further away. “We can’t do that again.”

“I know,” she whispered, trying to remember the reasons why. The job. She couldn’t jeopardize the job and Meg’s home.

Furrows appeared across his forehead, as if he was trying to force his brain to work. “Kissing an employee,” he paused, swallowed, “is a breach of Hawke’s Blooms’ sexual harassment policy.” His voice was a monotone, as if he was merely reciting the policy, while his eyes were still on fire.

“I don’t work for Hawke’s Blooms,” she pointed out, then winced. What was she doing arguing a point she agreed with? They couldn’t do it again. Shouldn’t have done it in the first place. It was madness.

“No, but the principle is the same.” He rubbed a hand down his face. “You have a right to a workplace free of inappropriate advances.”

The guilt on his face tore at her heart. “Liam, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it should happen again either, but just to put your mind at ease...you didn’t pressure me. It was mutual.” She’d been dreaming of his kiss for too long to deny it.

“Mutual?” he asked, eyes pained. “I’m not sure if that makes it better or worse.”

She sighed, knowing what he meant. Resisting him would be so much harder now she knew he was thinking the same forbidden thoughts. She circled her throat with both hands as she willed her brain to kick into action. “Thing is, I can’t start something right now anyway. Not with my life in such disarray.”

He frowned. “What’s in disarray? You have a job and a home. You and Meg seem relatively settled.”

The blood in her veins froze. Had she given herself away? She silently cursed. This was the problem with letting your guard down—once it was down, there was no self-protection. No filter to protect your secrets. Thankfully, Liam seemed curious but not suspicious.

“You’re right,” she said as breezily as she could manage. “We are. I meant that I’ll be returning to Larsland at some point, so starting something with you or anyone—it couldn’t go anywhere.”

“Well, at least we’re in agreement,” he said, ruefully.

She bent to pick up his shirt, needing to escape before she changed her mind. “I need a shower. I’ll take this down to Katherine—”

“No, I’ve got it,” he said, his voice low. He reached for the shirt and for a long moment, they both held the fabric, connected through it. She could feel the air pulse with the heat between them.

Then she quickly dropped her end. And fled.

Seven

“Princess Jensine?” said the voice on the other end of the line.

Jenna settled back into the sofa and held her cell phone closer to her ear. “Hi, Kristen. Yes, it’s me,” she said in her native language. “Can you talk?”

“Hang on.” There was a pause and a muffled noise. The time difference and Kristen’s shift work always made these calls to her friend in the royal security patrol difficult to plan, but they were the only way her family knew she was all right.

“Okay, I’m back,” Kristen said.

Jenna tucked her feet underneath her, looking forward to a conversation in her mother tongue. “How are you?”

“I’m fine, but never mind that. How are you?”

“I’m good. We’re good. This new job has been great—it has everything I need.” Although it also had something she didn’t need—an inconvenient attraction to her boss. An image of Liam rose in her mind: the way he’d looked two nights ago after he’d kissed her, his breathing heavy, chest bare, eyes brimming with desire. Jenna’s skin suddenly felt warm.

“I’m glad to hear it,” her friend said. “Any news on when you’ll be coming back?”

Jenna’s stomach dipped. She’d have to go back, but her parents wouldn’t necessarily be pleased by her return. They’d definitely be angrier than they were with her now when they found out she’d had a baby out of wedlock. She’d been brought up to remember one golden rule: duty before all else. Duty before fun, duty before friends, duty before personal dreams, duty before everything.

And after they’d recovered from their personal disappointment, the focus would shift to how to protect the monarchy. In days gone by, they would have put Meg up for adoption or quickly married Jenna off to a husband willing to overlook her indiscretion and fudged the dates on official documents. With the advent of the internet, it was much harder to hide indiscretions unless she went completely underground, as she’d done. And she’d never consent to giving up Meg.

She just needed to find a solution that suited everyone.

“Not yet,” she said, wincing at how inadequate that sounded.

“Your mother is becoming more insistent in her questioning when I give her your updates.”

Jenna’s heart hurt. When she’d first left, she hadn’t considered how many people would be affected by her plan. “I’m so sorry to have put you in this position, Kristen.”

The other woman blew out a breath. “I don’t regret helping you, but I can’t hold your parents off forever. So far they’ve respected your request for privacy, but I think that won’t last too much longer. I wouldn’t be surprised if your father is already planning to have someone in the Patrol track you down.”

“Oh.” Seeing them again and telling them everything would be hard enough, but being confronted by surprise, when she didn’t have her thoughts in order, would be so much worse.