Wanted: Wife for Hire (The Diamond Club Book 8)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  “How about if we brush our teeth and get ready for bed first?” Sebastian offered.

  “Okay!” She launched herself into his arms.

  He chuckled, thinking that the camping trip was certainly good for her spontaneity. She’d never been this exuberantly affectionate before. As a father, he loved her enthusiasm.

  “I’ll get her toiletries bag,” Deni offered.

  Sebastian stood there with Chloe in his arms as he watched Deni duck through the tent opening. Damn, she had a great butt! That denim was…

  “Daddy?” Chloe interrupted his thought and he looked at his daughter. She stared back at him and he knew that he’d been caught.

  “Just making sure she doesn’t trip, honey,” he explained quickly. Thankfully, she seemed to accept his explanation and he ducked down, exiting the tent as well.

  Deni was rummaging through the equipment, trying to store it back into the trunk for the night. She glanced up at him when he approached. “I found Chloe’s bag, but I can’t find my own.”

  He reached into the back of the truck and pulled out a black duffel. “I think this one is mine,” he opened it up. But when he saw pink lace, he quickly zipped it closed again. “Nope, this one is yours.” He handed it over to her and looked away, ignoring Chloe’s giggle.

  “Daddy, can I have pretty underwear like that?” she asked.

  “No!” he growled, setting her down next to the car. Reaching further into the back, he found another duffel bag, just like the first, and unzipped it. Bingo. Damn it, why had his housekeeper packed identical bags?

  With a sigh, he accepted that the housekeeper had probably just gone out and bought everything quickly, trying to be efficient. He’d given her two days’ notice. He was only grumbling now because he knew what the other bag contained. And he couldn’t help imagining what Deni’s mighty fine derriere would look like in that pink lace underwear. Going even further, he wondered if she had a matching bra. He certainly hoped so!

  “Daddy?” Chloe yawned.

  He looked over at his daughter, pushing thoughts of his too-sexy “wife” out of his mind. And what she was wearing underneath her clothes. And what she would look like without the sexy underwear. Or what she would look like when he….

  Another yawn from Chloe brought his attention back to the present. Forcing images of Deni underneath him, legs wrapped around his waist with that look in her eyes that told him she was close to a…nope. Those were not productive thoughts. Not in any way.

  “Yep. Let’s hit the wash house,” he said swinging Chloe into his arms. “Are you ready?” he asked Deni.

  She was standing there clutching what he suspected was her cosmetics bag close to her stomach, looking up at him with an odd expression. He couldn’t see her clearly in the low light, but she looked…softer. Sexier. Headier, he realized.

  “Yes. I’m ready.” She handed him a flashlight and he turned it on, wishing he could shine it at her face so he could figure out what was going on in her head.

  “Right,” he sighed and turned towards the building he hoped was the bathhouse.

  Fifteen minutes later, he’d helped Chloe brush her teeth, washed her face, and changed her into her pajamas. Since he employed a nanny, Sebastian had never done any of this with his daughter before. Chloe had always appeared ready for bed whenever she’d stayed with him. So this was a unique experience and one he had to ask Chloe to guide him through. She was patient as she taught him how to get her ready for bed.

  Stepping out of the bathhouse, he looked around for Deni and spotted her leaning against a tree. She smiled when he approached and the expression landed like a gut punch.

  “You two look all cleaned up!” she said, smiling and gently tickling Chloe’s knee.

  “Daddy didn’t know how to help me but I showed him what to do.”

  Deni looked up at Sebastian’s eyes, startled. “Didn’t know how?”

  “Nanny,” was all he said by way of explanation.

  “Ah!”

  As they walked back to their campsite, Deni watched the two, almost jealous of the connection that was clearly forming between father and daughter. They looked and acted so similar, and yet, they were completely different. Chloe rested her head against his shoulder, looking like she was almost asleep already.

  He carefully tucked her into the sleeping bag, kissing her cheek gently. Deni’s heart wrenched at the sight of the love this hard, intimidating man had for his child. It was both sweet and confusing. Confusing because it was so unexpected.

  When he backed out and came into the dining tent where she was cleaning up from dinner, Deni wasn’t sure what to say.

  “All tucked in?” she asked.

  He sat down and nodded. “She’s completely out.”

  “What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?”

  He thought about it for a moment. “There’s a trail that leads up to a waterfall. Would you come with us on a short hike?”

  She grinned, thinking the idea was wonderful. “Do we get to swim?”

  He chuckled. “I can’t imagine that swimming would be a good idea.”

  “Especially not with a five year old who probably hasn’t swum in anything other than a chlorinated pool.”

  “Not true,” he argued. “She’s been to the Caribbean many times. I’ve taken her in the ocean.”

  “Nice!” Deni replied. “I’ve never been to…” she stopped and looked over at him, his hard features made even more menacing with the harsh light from the lantern. “I wasn’t asking for you to bring me. I’ll get to the Caribbean on my own.”

  His eyes were mysterious in the dim light. “I know you weren’t asking, Deni. We’re just talking.”

  “Exactly,” she said, then looked down, wrapping up the food and storing it all carefully in the coolers. “We need to put heavy items on these coolers so the bears don’t get into them.”

  “Bears?”

  She looked at him over her shoulder. “We’re in the forest, Sebastian. Of course there are bears.”

  “Not here in the campgrounds, I would imagine.”

  She smiled at his disdain for the wildlife that dared to interfere with his weekend. “Yes, in the campgrounds. Although raccoons would be more likely. Even so, putting something heavy on top of them would make it more difficult for the critters to get into the food.”

  “Raccoons,” he replied, sounding resigned and irritated. “Raccoons and bears. Any other issues you might want to warn me about?”

  She laughed softly, aware that sounds traveled further at night for some reason. “I can’t think of any off the top of my head, but as soon as I think of them, I’ll let you know.”

  “Great.” He stood up and lifted several boxes, placing them on top of the coolers. “Is that sufficient?”

  “Probably,” she teased.

  “Probably?”

  She shrugged, wondering about this new tone. “We’ll know in the morning.”

  “Outstanding.” And then he was closer. “The perils of camping are interesting to discover as I go along.”

  She didn’t dare turn around, thinking he was too close. “Yes, it’s a lot of fun,” she told him, her voice sounding a bit breathless.

  He sat back down on the wooden picnic table that wasn’t made for comfort. “So…what do we do now?” he asked.

  She smiled, but bowed her head. “It’s nighttime, Sebastian. We talk. We play cards. We read, go to sleep. Drink wine or beer or…whatever is quiet.”

  He sighed and she wanted to laugh. “I don’t play cards,” he told her with what sounded like revulsion. “Unless it’s poker.”

  Deni perked up, thinking about the lessons she and her friends had been working on over the past several months. “I can play poker!” she exclaimed, sitting up straighter on the bench.

  He looked at her, the dim light from the lantern making his features appear almost sinister. “Really?” His doubts were clear.

  Tilting her head slightly, unconsciously challenging him, she
nodded. “Yeah. I know how to play poker and I’m pretty good.”

  He chuckled. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any poker chips. But perhaps tomorrow night.”

  She nodded. “Fine! We’ll drive back to town and, if they don’t have poker chips, we’ll use something else. You’re going to regret doubting me, Sebastian!”

  His grey eyes widened and Deni stiffened. “What?”

  Sebastian looked across the picnic table at Deni, startled by how much he liked hearing his name spoken in her gentle voice. “Nothing,” he replied, thinking that if he admitted how much he liked hearing her say his name, she’d…well, he wasn’t sure what Deni might do. She’d think he was crazy but…damn! His name sounded sexy the way she said it!

  “Nothing,” he snapped, sounding harsher than he’d intended. “Perhaps we should turn in as well. I understand that the sun rises early and I doubt that there’s a great deal of protection from the morning sun in a tent.”

  They got up and he allowed her to enter first, once again, gritting his teeth as he watched her bend down, her adorable derriere just within arm’s reach.

  “Good night,” she whispered and stepped over to her sleeping bag, climbing in.

  Looking around, he realized that his adorable, sweet daughter had gotten up after they’d tucked her in. Deni’s sleeping bag and air mattress were right next to his, with Chloe’s on the other side of him.

  Cute, but…damn it! Now he’d be closer to Deni than he’d thought.

  Sighing, he slipped into the sleeping bag, rolling onto his back as he stared up at the ceiling. It was going to be a hellishly long night, he thought.

  Chapter 13

  Deni stared at the wall of the tent, listening to the squirrels or chipmunks rummaging through the dry leaves. She had no idea what time it was, probably in the early hours of the morning. But she couldn’t sleep. Not with Sebastian so close. She could feel him breathing, sense the heat of his body.

  And the hard ground.

  Her air mattress was completely useless. It had deflated as some point. Since she was lying on the hard earth with only the sleeping bag to cushion her body, she could feel every rock and pebble. She’d be bruised tomorrow from all of these stupid rocks. She knew better. Clear off the site before setting up one’s tent. Now she was paying the price.

  “What’s wrong?” Sebastian’s deep voice asked.

  Deni jumped, surprised to hear his voice.

  “Nothing!” she whispered before she could think better of it. She should have pretended to be asleep. “I’m fine.”

  “You’re not fine,” he argued. “Your air mattress deflated.”

  Mentally, she groaned. “I’m fine. The sleeping bag is enough.”

  A moment later, strong arms lifted her, sleeping bag and all, onto his cushy air mattress. Instantly, her body rejoiced. But then Deni felt his arm go around her waist as he pulled her closer.

  “Relax,” he soothed, his voice too close to her ear.

  Deni was more tense now than she had been before. Just because she wasn’t on the rocks anymore, that didn’t mean she was more comfortable. Besides, Sebastian’s chest and arms were rock hard as well. The two layers of sleeping bag material between their bodies didn’t stop her from being hyper aware of every inch of him. Or of his warm breath drifting into her hair.

  This was Sebastian! He wasn’t supposed to be this hot! He was cold and heartless. He was a master manipulator!

  So, if all of those things were true, why did she feel like this about him?

  Because she’d seen another side of him. She’d seen the man who sacrificed his own comfort to make his daughter smile. The man who teased his daughter to get her to try new foods. The man who spent hours playing with his little girl in the pool each night, talking with her, teaching her to swim and encouraging her in sweet, gentle ways. Not to mention, he was here, camping in a tent. That was something Deni suspected Sebastian Hughes, banker extraordinaire, never would have consented to do in a million years. He looked like the kind of man hoteliers fawned over when he stepped through the doors of a resort. He demanded the best and wouldn’t settle for anything less.

  And yet, he was sleeping on an air mattress in a newly purchased tent. He’d eaten out of a communal skillet. All for the love of his daughter.

  And now, he was sharing his air mattress. Which she suspected was a huge sacrifice for the man because he was a big, tall guy! Was he on the edge of his side of the mattress? She couldn’t tell and was afraid to reach out to determine how far from the edge she was. She didn’t want to move, afraid that if she did, Sebastian would know that she was still awake. He might wonder why and she couldn’t explain that she wanted to roll over and run her hands all over his muscles and…a lot of other things!

  So, she remained as still as possible. Not even breathing, for fear that any sort of movement might wake him up.

  “You’re not relaxing,” he muttered sleepily into her ear.

  “I know,” she sighed, then deflated. “I’m sorry. I’m just not used to sleeping with someone so close to me.”

  “Good to know,” he teased. “But regardless, you’re going to be useless tomorrow if you don’t get some sleep.”

  She knew that was true. Deni didn’t cope well during the day when she had trouble sleeping. But nor could she figure out how to relax enough to fall asleep.

  “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

  She laughed, shaking her head but then stopped doing that because she’d bumped his chin. “I’m just…nervous about being so close.”

  “I promise I won’t bite.”

  She laughed again, but wasn’t sure that his assurance helped. Especially when she immediately wondered where he would bite her. And if she’d like it!

  Oh good grief. This was ridiculous!

  “Tell me about the reports you have to create on Sunday,” he encouraged.

  She started listing the various reports her boss had assigned to her for the Monday morning meeting. By the time she was five minutes into the litany, she was yawning. And a few minutes after that, she was sound asleep.

  Sebastian curled his arm around Deni’s now-sleeping body, wondering how long it had been since she’d been with a man. She’d said she wasn’t used to sleeping with a man, so he assumed it had been a while.

  Damn, she felt good, he thought. He’d been lying here imagining her naked like this. And then his body had reacted too strongly with the images that flashed through his mind. Thankfully, the sleeping bags hid the evidence of his lustful thoughts – but he couldn’t seem to relax and get to sleep himself, even though he’d managed to get her to sleep.

  She felt incredibly good. Not nearly as thin as his last mistress, but not fat either. She was soft and curvy and fit against his body perfectly. Or she would if these damn sleeping bags didn’t hinder his body from curling around her. Hell, he couldn’t even press his leg between hers. They were adequately cocooned and it pissed him off!

  Tomorrow was going to be a long day!

  Chapter 14

  Tents were awful at blocking out the morning sunshine, Deni thought. Pressing her eyes closed, she tried hard to snuggle deeper into the sleep that seemed to be escaping her hold. There were some strange sounds, but she didn’t recognize them so she tried to ignore them. She didn’t want to wake up. Waking up meant she’d lose this incredible warm place and she wanted to savor that warmth. Her pillow was a bit hard though and she shifted, trying to find a softer place. But everywhere she moved, her head was on a hard surface.

  A giggle broke through her hazy mind.

  When her eyes fluttered open, she found Chloe sitting at the end of their air mattress, a hand covering her mouth as she giggled in the early morning chill.

  “You’re sleeping on Daddy!” she whispered.

  Deni lifted her head and looked around. Sure enough, she was almost lying on top of the man. No wonder her head was on something hard! It was his chest!

  “Good grief,” she muttered, and slid
off him onto the air mattress. The movement jostled him, which woke him up. When he lifted his head, his grey eyes took in Chloe’s laughing expression and Deni’s horrified one. She must look a fright with her hair going every which way, she thought, sitting up and trying to run her fingers through her hair while not falling off the edge of the stupid air mattress.

  Deni shifted quickly, scooting off the air mattress completely. The hard ground was just as painful as she remembered it. She flinched, squirming away from the sharp rocks that her sleeping bag couldn’t protect her from.

  “Are you okay?” Sebastian asked, sitting up and revealing more of his glorious chest.

  “I’m fine,” she mumbled, trying to pull her eyes away. But his chest…and…well, no sane woman would look away, she told herself.

  “Deni, that isn’t helping,” he warned her.

  She pulled her eyes upwards to find his grey eyes laughing at her. He glanced down pointedly and she gasped when she realized that he was fully erect, pretty obvious even through the thick sleeping bag. Had he been like that before?

  Deni had no idea but she scrambled out of the sleeping bag hurriedly. “Let’s hit the bathhouse and brush our teeth, Chloe,” she said, slipping her feet into her painfully cold sneakers without socks because she was flustered.

  Chloe jumped off the air mattress to her own sleeping area and found her shoes, stuffing her feet into them and standing up, looking proud of herself as she pushed her tangled, blond hair out of her eyes.

  “Ready!” she announced.

  Deni smiled, extending her hand even as she heard Sebastian’s low, rumbly laughter behind her. She grabbed sweatshirts for both herself and Chloe, and headed out. The air was chilly and, once they were outside, she helped Chloe put on the sweatshirt, donned her own, and then hurriedly grabbed their toiletries, heading towards the bathrooms. It was still relatively early so not many people were up and about yet. Thankfully, they were able to wash their face and brush their teeth without a huge crowd. In an hour or two, there would be a long line of people trying to shower and get ready for their day. That was the downside to camping. The upside was that in that same amount of time, the air would be filled with the smells of everyone making their breakfasts. Bacon and sausage, eggs and pancakes were staples at most campgrounds.