The Nanny Proposal

It had been a brutal morning but, hell, that wasn’t anything new. The past few months had been more of the same. It had started with the note Jason sent to Megan—accompanied by the urn containing Will’s ashes—saying that he’d been with Will during the airplane crash and he needed time to grieve Will’s death before returning home, something neither of them understood. Jason would never put his friend’s death between him and his daughter, no matter how gutted he might be. Then Jason had stayed away, supposedly on business trips, and had failed time and time again to FaceTime with Savannah. As his frequent, albeit odd, emails had trickled to a stop, Aaron’s and Megan’s concern had mushroomed into genuine fear that something was horribly wrong.

Since Jason’s disappearance—it had been too long to call it anything else—Savannah had been splitting her time between Aaron’s and Megan’s places. But they both agreed, with school starting soon, that Savannah needed permanence in her life. Megan was going through her own special type of hell—the man she’d married, and buried, was not actually the person she had thought he was. So until Jason came back, Savvie’s place was with Aaron. If Jason came back...

His brother had to come back. He loved and adored his niece but Aaron wasn’t ready to be a father to an almost-six-year-old girl who’d experienced more upheaval than any child should.

Jay, where the hell are you?

The front door opened and Aaron looked down into Kasey’s heart-shaped, makeup-free face and, for an instant, he forgot how to breathe. She was dressed in a tank top, through which he could see the faint outline of her nipples, and the smallest pair of sleep shorts that skimmed the top of her thighs. His gaze drifted back up, drinking in those high cheekbones, that array of messy hair just grazing her shoulders, and those stunningly beautiful whiskey eyes groggy with sleep.

God, he wanted her. Still. Eight months of working with her hadn’t cured him of that little affliction. He hadn’t been so attracted to—obsessed with—a woman since Kate. And look how well that had turned out. His infatuation with Kate had had enormous consequences and was, in a roundabout way, responsible for his parents’ death. His lack of a college degree, inability to trust and his emotional unavailability could also be traced back to that woman.

And here he was falling down that rabbit hole again, desperate to make Kasey his.

Your brother is in trouble. Your sister is heartbroken and confused. Your niece is a basket case and your world is falling apart. Is sex really what you should be thinking about, Phillips?

“Aaron...hi. Uh, what are you doing here?” Kasey asked, rubbing her fist in her eye.

Going slowly mad, Aaron silently answered. He looked over her head, easy to do since he was nearly a foot taller than her, into her sunny, colorful abode. “I need to talk to you.”

Kasey pushed her fingers through her hair and Aaron noticed the way her breasts rose and fell with the movement. And a part of him rose...sheesh.

“Can it wait until Monday?”

“I wouldn’t be here at nine on a Saturday morning if it could,” Aaron retorted.

Kasey narrowed her eyes at his bark and he recognized her play-nice expression. Kasey was tough and strong-willed, and never hesitated to put him in his place if she felt he was being too pushy. He disliked doormats and her unwillingness to take crap from a work-obsessed, demanding boss was one of the things he liked best about her.

Sighing, he softened his tone. “Let me in, Kasey. Please.”

She stepped back, and Aaron walked into her bright, airy cottage. After closing the front door behind him, he jammed his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. Her furniture looked used but comfortable, covered in checks and stripes in shades of the sea. Yellow and orange cushions and vibrant vases of flowers created splashes of color in the sunny room.

“Kitchen’s that way.” Kasey’s bare arm brushed his as she pointed to a door behind him. “Make coffee, will you?”

“Where are you going?”

Kasey glanced down and Aaron noticed her flushed face. She gestured to her clothing. “Not exactly the outfit I need my boss to see me in.”

Aaron started to remind her that he’d seen her in much less but at the last minute pulled the words back. For eight months they’d pretended that night had never happened and mentioning it now, when she was halfway to naked, wasn’t appropriate.

His brother was missing and his niece needed him. He was also one of the few people who knew that the man he’d thought was his old friend and brother-in-law was an impostor. Plus, he was trying to support his sister, whose life was even more of a tangled mess than his.

Which meant sex with Kasey should be the last thing on his mind.

Aaron swore and scrubbed his hands over his face. When he opened them again, Kasey was walking away from him. He ordered himself not to follow her—but, hot damn, those shorts did not cover her butt cheeks.

Coffee, Aaron thought. Coffee was the only thing that made sense right now. He slipped into Kasey’s tiny kitchen, thinking he was far too big for this dollhouse. His house was huge—eight thousand square feet and seven bedrooms—but as he’d told Jason, who’d sarcastically called his house “the Shack,” at six-three he was a big guy and he liked a lot of space.

A few minutes later Aaron saw Kasey standing in the doorway, wearing a pair of knee-length, cut-off denim shorts and a blue, white and red striped top. She was shoeless, her toes ending in slashes of hot pink. She’d brushed her hair, washed her face and, judging by the peppermint smell, brushed her teeth. Her face was still free of makeup, but she rarely wore much: her eyelashes were long and thick and her mouth a natural, deep pink. As always, she took his breath away.

“I need your help,” Aaron stated, trying to get his mind off the bed down her hall.

Kasey picked up her mug, sipped and lifted her finely arched, dark eyebrows. “Okay.” She glanced down at her clothes and grimaced. “Do we need to go to the office? Must I change?”

“Not necessary,” Aaron told her. “You’re fine as you are.”

Kasey waved her coffee cup in a silent gesture for him to continue.

Should he tell her? Was he doing the right thing? Aaron wrestled with his doubt. He didn’t trust anyone, not fully, but he needed Kasey’s help and that meant sharing classified information, something he wasn’t comfortable doing. He’d learned, the hard way, to keep his secrets, both business and personal, close to his chest.

“I’m trusting you not to repeat this, Kasey.”

She nodded and Aaron continued. “It’s a long, tangled story. You met Will at the ball. How much do you know about him?”

Kasey replied immediately, her business brain moving into high gear. “CEO of Spark Energy Solutions, a company with ties to oil, gas and solar. Recently passed away?”

“Yeah. A while ago, Will and Rich Lowell, his best friend, were in Mexico and they got caught up in a boating accident. Long story short, the boat exploded and we were told Rich died. Except that wasn’t what happened. Rich escaped the brunt of the blast and Will’s body was never recovered.”

Kasey waited for him to continue.

“This is where it gets odd... Rich presumed Will died in that blast and he returned to Royal—but he returned as Will. Acting as Will, Rich took over Will’s life and his business. Married my sister. Then, a few months back, Rich, still pretending to be Will, faked his own death... Following me so far?”

Kasey looked dazed. He didn’t blame her; it was a hell of a story. “Meanwhile, the real Will also did not perish in that boat explosion.”

“Seriously? So where was he while Rich was assuming his identity?”

“He was in Mexico, recovering from his injuries. He’s now back in town, laying low and quietly trying to unravel the mess.” Aaron released a breath. “My brother, Jason, is Will’s good friend and worked closely with him at Will’s energy company, SES.”

“Your brother didn’t notice the difference between the real and the fake Will?” Kasey asked, sounding skeptical.

“Remember that boating accident? Acting as Will, Rich claimed he’d been badly injured, that he’d needed reconstructive surgery to both his face and vocal chords. Jason took his words at face value. Will and Rich had the same coloring and build, and they looked a lot alike, so none of us ever thought, not for a minute, that Rich wasn’t who he said he was.”

Kasey looked puzzled. “Okay, but I still don’t understand how this relates to me doing a favor for you.”

“Getting there... As I said, Jason worked for Will and he’s gone missing. It’s been two months since anyone has spoken to, or seen, him.”

Sympathy crossed Kasey’s lovely face. “I’m so sorry, Aaron. That must be awful.”

That was one word for it. “My sister received a letter from him saying that he needed time away to recover from Will’s death. But that letter was fake—it definitely wasn’t his handwriting. Besides, no matter how upset Jason was, he would never abandon his little girl.”

Aaron heard the harsh note in his voice and tried to tone it down, to find his control. “He’s a devoted dad and he’d never neglect Savannah for this long. There have been emails, but on other trips Jason never connected with Savvie through emails—she’s too little—he always FaceTimed with her.” Aaron tossed his cold coffee into her sink and linked his hands around the back of his neck. “In short, Jason is officially missing, presumed kidnapped.” He forced the words out. “It’s possible that he’s dead.”

Kasey lifted her fist to her mouth, her eyes wide with shock mixed with horror. “God, Aaron.”

He imagined himself in her arms, soaking in her strength, leaning on her, emotionally, for a minute, maybe two. But that wasn’t what he allowed himself—he didn’t fall apart, he couldn’t. He had to be strong. For Jason. For Megan. For Savannah.

“Savvie is five, nearly six, and has been bouncing between Megan, my sister’s house and mine. I remember Jason naming me as her guardian after her mom died a year or so back but I never expected to have to take full responsibility for her.” First her mom, then her dad. No wonder Savannah looked and sounded shell-shocked. “I’m picking her up from my sister Megan’s soon, but, while I can handle the occasional sleepover or a weekend here and there, she’s going to be with me full-time.”

Well, here went nothing. “I need reinforcements and I was hoping that you would, um, lend me a hand with her.”

Kasey looked like he’d asked her to play with acid-covered playing cards. “Aaron, I’m your executive assistant, not a babysitter. You have an enormous disposable income, hire a nanny!”

A stranger in his house? No. Aaron folded his arms, prepared to argue. “On your résumé, you said that you spent a year in France as an au pair. And I’ll double your salary if you take on the extra workload.”

Kasey still looked doubtful.

“Yeah, I could hire a nanny but you’re young, warm, and I think she’d relate to you better. I just need to get through the next couple of weeks, someone to help me until she goes to school. Then I’ll make another plan,” Aaron added.

“What about your sister? Can’t she help you?”

Megan was trying to unravel her own messy life and while he knew that she could occasionally help out, she wasn’t available on a continual basis. “Megan has her own issues she’s dealing with.”

Aaron looked at Kasey, almost prepared to grovel. “I trust you, Kasey. I trust you with my business.” Okay, that was a small lie. He trusted her as much as he could and only with parts of his business.

“The hell of it is that I need you. So, will you help me?”

* * *

I need you...

Kasey was still trying to make sense of his words when her cell phone buzzed with an incoming call. Seeing Michelle’s name on her screen brought the usual wave of longing and disgust, regret and anger, so she did what she always did and let the call go to voice mail. She couldn’t deal with her former best friend right now. She wasn’t sure whether she ever could.

Kasey looked at Aaron, who dominated her small kitchen. She could see the worry in his deep green eyes; it was also etched into the grooves edging his masculine but still sexy mouth, painted in the dark circles under his eyes. He also looked like he’d lost weight, which in Aaron’s case meant that he’d dropped muscle since there wasn’t an inch of fat on him. She’d checked.

Despite working virtually and only seeing him within the confines of a computer monitor, she’d noticed that he was worried and, day-by-day, she saw his tension levels ratcheting up. Thanks to that amazing, glorious night that could not be mentioned, they were very careful to keep their relationship strictly professional, so she’d avoided asking him what was wrong and whether she could help.

And that raised the question, did she want to help? Should she help? She rather liked being on the outside looking in; it felt safer that way. But lately she’d started to think that maybe it was time to come out of her self-imposed hermit lifestyle, to start engaging with the world again. Meet some new people and, maybe, make a friend or two.

She wasn’t looking for a new best friend or a new lover—she didn’t trust herself or her judgment to go that far—but sharing a meal with a nice man or a cup of coffee with a girlfriend might be fun. But, God, she was so out of practice. She needed to dust off her social skills; Aaron was the only person she spoke to on a regular basis and that was all about business.

Looking after Savannah would pull her out of her rut and make her interact with someone new, even if she was only five years old. But she had to be careful, she’d made a promise to herself to protect what was left of her heart and she couldn’t afford to become emotionally attached to anyone, let alone a little girl who’d lost her mom and maybe—God, she prayed not—her dad.

“It’s a temporary gig, Kasey. Just until we find our feet,” Aaron said.

Kasey tapped her nails against her fake granite countertop, fighting the urge to say no, to crawl back into the security of her quiet and lonely life. If she kept to herself, then no one could hurt her...

But they were talking about a little girl. What harm could she do?

Kasey thought she could handle Savannah but she had to remember that she came as a package deal with Aaron. And she definitely couldn’t handle him!

To give herself some time to think, Kasey lifted her phone to her ear to listen to Michelle’s message. “So, I know you’re not too happy with me at the moment but it’s been a while since we spoke. Kasey, we need to resolve our issues. I need to say sorry for my oops and you need to forgive me.”

Oops? That was what her childhood friend was calling sleeping with her husband? An oops? Holy hell, now she’d heard it all.

“Anyway, I’ve tracked you down and I’m driving to Royal to see you. I should be there later this morning. And we’re going to talk, Kasey. You can’t keep running from me. I’m staying for the weekend, possibly longer if I can’t get through to you, and we’re going to thrash this out.”

Like hell she was. Kasey’s eyes flew to the clock on the wall—it was already ten and Michelle was super punctual. In fact, she was often early. She bit her lip and thought fast. “Would me helping you with Savannah mean me moving into your house?”

“It would make sense,” Aaron replied, his voice as neutral as Switzerland.

Two hours ago the thought of sleeping down the hall from the hottest man in Royal would’ve sent her running for the hills. But dealing with Michelle, rehashing their torrid past, was more terrifying than dealing with a little girl and Kasey’s raging but hopefully well-hidden lust for her boss.

Sold, Kasey thought. Michelle would arrive in Royal, not find her at home and, after a day, maybe two—because she had a low attention span and was easily bored—she’d hightail it back to Houston.

“I’ll help you with Savannah this weekend, as a trial run,” Kasey said. Not giving Aaron time to respond, she whipped around and headed down the hallway to her bedroom. Stepping into her tiny walk-in closet, she stood on her tiptoes and lunged for the suitcase on the highest shelf. A big, burly man from the moving company had placed it there for her; she’d thought it would be months before she needed it again.

Kasey jumped, her fingers grazing the edge of the suitcase, which wobbled and stayed put. Dammit, she hated being short. Kasey took a step back and hit a solid wall of muscle. She tensed and her brain ordered her traitorous body not to push her butt into his groin.

Aaron’s chest connected with her back as his arm reached for the suitcase, easily lifting the case off the shelf. His muscles bulged as he held it in the air and Kasey felt his hard body press up against her back, thought she felt his warm breath fanning her neck. Kasey stared at a pile of her T-shirts, telling herself that she couldn’t—shouldn’t—turn around. That it wasn’t a good idea to rise to her toes and slam her mouth against his.

Kasey heard Aaron’s muffled curse in her ear, heard the suitcase hit the floor and then Aaron’s big hands were on her shoulders and he spun her around to face him. She caught a glimpse of green fire in his eyes before he abruptly stepped back, holding up his hands, broad palms facing her, his chest heaving.

“Kasey.” Her name was both a warning and a plea. As her boss he wouldn’t initiate anything but she could, she had to. Kasey placed her fingers on his jaw and reached up to touch her mouth to his.

They both needed this connection...

Aaron made an appreciative sound in the back of his throat as his tongue slipped past her teeth to slide against hers, long, sexy strokes that heated her skin and made her head swim.

She’d missed this. She’d missed being the object of a man’s desire, of being held and kissed, of feeling feminine and powerful and so, so sexy. Despite only sharing a few, pleasure-saturated hours with him, she’d missed Aaron. When she thought of pleasure and sex and desire, his was the face that came to mind, his hands, his kisses, his touch. And hadn’t that been the point of that night so long ago?

She shouldn’t be enjoying his kiss so much, her hands shouldn’t be exploring the hard muscles under his bare skin. She shouldn’t be pressing her breasts into his chest. And she most certainly should not be twisting her tongue around his, making those sounds of appreciation low in her throat.

My God. What was she thinking? Rationality filtered in as she remembered that he was her boss. What they’d had was a onetime thing. She was moving into his house to avoid Michelle, to help him with his niece, not to warm his bed. Pull away, Kasey. Now.

Just five minutes more...

Aaron jerked his mouth off hers, his fingers digging into her hips. He rested his forehead against hers and she was pleased to see that his face was flushed, that he, also, was short of breath. That they were both struggling for control. At least she wasn’t alone in this madness.

“Kase—”

Kasey yanked her hands out from underneath his shirt and pushed the heels of her hands in her eye sockets. This man had the ability to shut down her synapses, to trip the power supply to her brain.

Kasey looked down at her bare toes, noticed a small chip in the nail polish on her middle toe. She didn’t want to have this conversation but she needed to make sure of what she was walking into. “I’m going to be living and working in your house, Aaron. For a couple of nights at the very least.”

She lifted her head to see Aaron’s “Yeah, so?” look.

Man, this was embarrassing, but because her entire marriage had been based on lies, Kasey chose honesty over embarrassment. “Are you expecting more when I move in with you? Because that’s not going to happen.”

Irritation flickered in his eyes. “I never, for one moment, thought it would. You’re still my employee and I’m still your boss.”

“I initiated that kiss but you were as into it as I was, Aaron.”

Irritation morphed into frustration and his muttered curse bounced off the walls of her bedroom. “I know. But we had an agreement and that agreement still stands.”

“Then why didn’t we stop?” Why was she pushing him on this? What did she want from him? Kasey didn’t know. What she should be doing is laughing it off, ignoring buzz of sexual attraction between them. This was akin to poking a bear with a stick...

“I don’t know what your excuse is but I had five feet plus of pure perfection pressed up against me. When you haven’t been laid for eight long months, temptation is hard to resist!”

Kasey stared at him, trying to process his words. He thought she was perfect? He hadn’t had sex since her? He was gorgeous and ripped, and she knew that when he walked down the street women stared at him, lust and appreciation in their eyes.

Aaron cursed again and started to walk away. At the door, he turned and those piercing green eyes pinned her to the floor. “My life is a mess, Kasey, and I don’t need any more complications.”

Kasey and reality collided with a hard thump and she nodded, embarrassed. “I shouldn’t have kissed you. I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.”

Aaron looked down at his tented pants and lifted an eyebrow. “In more ways than one.” He then released a heavy sigh. “You started it but I got into it so we’re both, equally, at fault and I apologize.”

Aaron placed his hands on his hips. “Can we keep it simple? You’re my assistant and temporary nanny, that’s it.”

Yeah, that was it. That was all it could be. It didn’t matter that they had enough sexual chemistry to ignite the room, they needed to keep their distance. She respected Aaron’s big brain—and, because she was still a woman, she also appreciated his very excellent body—but she was not prepared to jeopardize her job or to allow her heart to hope.

“So you’re with me on this? From this moment on, our relationship stays strictly professional?” Aaron was giving her that steely eyed, hard-ass look he frequently used when dealing with a complicated work issue.

He was right. It was essential that they didn’t make this situation any more complicated than it needed to be. Kasey capitulated to common sense. “It’s a deal.”

Two

From the balcony off his office on the second floor of his house, Aaron watched Kasey pull to a stop at the back entrance. Jumping out of her SUV, Kasey shoved her sunglasses to the top of her head and opened the back door. Aaron watched his niece leave the vehicle, all dark hair, sad eyes and long legs. So young, she’d experienced more upheaval than most people would in a lifetime. Aaron felt his stomach cramp and closed his eyes. Crap, Jay, where the hell are you? What more can I do to find you?

Look after Savvie, bro, he heard Jason’s voice say in his head. If you want to do right by me, look after my precious, precious daughter.

I am. She’s in my care until you come home, just as you wanted.

“I left a snack on the kitchen counter for you, Savannah.” Kasey’s voice floated up to him and Aaron opened his eyes to see her place her hand on Savannah’s shoulder. “Then you can have a quick swim before your ballet lessons. That work?”

It was Wednesday and Kasey, without further discussion, was still here and doing a fabulous job with his niece. Her natural warmth and her non-pushy attitude endeared her to Savannah. They’d clicked the moment they’d met.

He tended to avoid talking to Savannah about Jason but Kasey faced that issue head-on, allowing the little girl to express her fears, holding her when she cried and answering her many questions about where her dad could be. Kasey answered Savannah as honestly as she could, never giving the child false hope or making any promises that no one could fulfill.