“Yes. Flynn’s third, behind Ellis. Bailey’s next, followed by Declan and Camden, the twins, then Grady. He’s twenty-two. The youngest.”
“What’s the age difference between you and Grady?”
“Ten years.”
“Your mother must be a patient woman.”
“She is. I’m not sure how she managed all of us, though Grandma helped. My dad’s only fifty-seven, but he’s patriarchal like my grandfather. Never pitched in around the house or changed a diaper. Only yard work—men’s work—or tinkering with the cars. Fishing and paying the bills, too.”
“That explains it.”
“What?”
“The reason your father was...is...upset at you for not following in his footsteps. He, and by his example, your entire family, had expectations about what you, the oldest son, would do with your life.”
“That’s—” AJ rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe.”
Emma appreciated that he considered the possibility. “Younger siblings don’t feel as much pressure. I’ve seen parents go crazy with everything from elementary school grades to recreational soccer when it comes to their firstborn children.”
“That makes sense, but it sucks for us oldest.”
She smiled. “Depends. The oldest child in the families I’ve worked for are often overachievers. Intelligent. Mature for their age. Excellent qualities to possess.”
“If they don’t cave from the pressure.”
She grinned. “Well, some have been more neurotic than their younger siblings, but not all.”
“So now I’m not only eccentric and insane, but neurotic.”
“You said it, not me.”
He winked. “You said the first two. The third was implied.”
“Implied for children under my care. I’m not your nanny.”
“I don’t need a nanny, but I do need a girlfriend.” He laced his fingers with hers, causing her entire limb to crackle with electricity and tingle so much so she had to remember to breathe. “Time we acted like a real couple.”
Every nerve ending stood at attention, buzzing like a broken electrical cable. She glanced around, searching for his motivation to do this. Water. Sand. Rocks. Birds. “No one is around.”
“Exactly.”
She stared at the horizon, not wanting to meet his gaze. Afraid of...she didn’t know what, but AJ made her uncomfortable. His confidence, his strength, his wealth intimidated her. Two people couldn’t be more different. “You’re not making any sense.”
Emma pulled her arm away, but he didn’t let go. A rough patch of skin rubbed against one finger. A callus. Not something she would have expected on a computer geek’s hands. And then she remembered. He hadn’t grown up indoors sitting behind a monitor and keyboard. AJ had the hands of a laborer, a boat builder and fisherman. “Please let go. There’s no reason for us to hold hands if no one else is here.”
He didn’t release her hand and stroked her skin with his thumb. Physical awareness shot through her, sending her pulse rate and temperature climbing. “If you can’t be comfortable with me close to you, touching you, we’ll never be able to pull this off with an audience.”
Darn. She bit on the inside of her cheek, trying to distract herself from the good feelings his touch brought. “Okay, I see your point.” Even if she didn’t like it.
“So we’re good?”
“For now.”
She concentrated on her steps. All she needed to do to make this a stellar day was stumble and fall.
“Is this so bad?” he asked.
“No.” Her hand snuggled against his larger one, their fingers laced together in a way that felt natural, not awkward. Though she’d die before admitting that. “Holding hands is part of my job description.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“As a nanny,” she clarified. “Though this is different from the last time I held hands with a guy.”
“Should your pretend boyfriend be jealous?”
“Well, Ewan’s collection of superhero action figures is to die for,” she teased.
AJ’s eyes widened. “Action figures? How old is Ewan?”
“Four. Cute as can be, too. Drives all the girls at preschool crazy with his big blue eyes and blond hair. He’s going to be a real ladies’ man once he outgrows his infatuation with men in tights, masks and capes.”
“Sounds like I’ve got some tough competition.” AJ rubbed his chin with his free hand. “But I’d wager my collection of sports cars beats his action figures.”
“Depends on if you’ll let me drive one or not. Ewan shares his.”
“I only have the limo with me.”
“Too bad.” She liked his sense of humor. Talking with him like this was easy. Fun. “But you’ve got one thing in your favor.”
He winked. “Only one, huh?”
“So far.” She bit back a smile, trying to act serious, when all wanted to do was laugh. “Ewan’s hands were sticky no matter how many times I asked him to wash them. Yours aren’t. That’s an improvement.”
He swung his arm higher and hers, attached to his hand, followed along. “This is about as kidlike as I get. Unless you count liking saltwater taffy. And that does make your hands sticky if you’re not careful.”
“Well, if you want to know the truth, sports cars are cooler than action figures.”
“I can’t imagine being a nanny, or a parent for that matter. Sticky hands, fights and demands. I want results ASAP. You said it talking about my mom. Raising kids takes patience I don’t possess. Even a pet who didn’t do what I wanted would annoy me.”
“I imagine being a CEO is like raising kids times a thousand. Fights and demands among staff. Appeasing stockholders. The constant need to innovate and be efficient. All those employees and budgets, not to mention stockholders.”
He glanced off to his left. “Then we’re even.”
AJ must be kidding. She half laughed. “If you mean we’re both human living on this planet, then yes, we’re even. Other than that...”
With a tug against her hand, AJ spun Emma around like a ballroom dancer, until she stopped in front of him. He stared down at her with a mischievous gaze.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“If we’re really going to sell being a couple, there’s something else we need to practice...kissing.”
Her heart slammed against her chest. “You want to kiss me now?”
“Practicing holding hands worked. Practicing kissing seems the next logical step.”
“There’s nothing logical about this.” The space between them, less than a foot, buzzed with energy. A strange combination of anticipation and nervousness buzzed through her. “But a kiss would probably make your grandmother happy.”
“Exactly. So you’re game?”
“For one brief practice kiss, yes.”
“That’s all I’m asking for.”
AJ leaned toward her. Emma met him halfway.
His lips touched hers. Soft, that was her first thought. Warm with a hint of salt was her second. The taste, not exactly sweet, but yummy.
Her eyelids closed.
Remember, he’s not your boyfriend.
The truth was easy to forget. The kiss felt as real as the pebbles beneath her shoes, but much, much nicer.
AJ wrapped an arm around her, bringing her closer, bridging what little space separated them. He deepened the kiss. His lips moved over hers, sending pleasurable sensations into places she didn’t know existed.
Not real. Logic tried to stop her from feeling oh, so good and desired. It’s pretend. That’s the only reason he’s kissing you. For practice. Like holding hands.
But the kiss felt real. Her lips thought the kiss was real. Her body reacted as if this was for real. Too much for a practice kiss. She opened her mouth to tell him that and his tongue slipped into her mouth, taking the action as an invitation to visit, explore, taste, tease.
Oh, wow. She gripped his shirt. A good thing his arm was around her or she mi
ght sink to the sand. Her knees turned to taffy, barely supporting her. Triumph, that AJ was into kissing her for more than just practice, mixed with panic, because practice kissing a gorgeous billionaire was a bad idea for her sense of balance. Wow, the man could kiss.
His hand moved up her back, sending another wave of tingles. Her temperature spiraled, matching the desire building within. She arched to deepen the kiss. She wanted more, so much more. If the man hadn’t made billions programming social media sites, he would make at least a million with his kisses.
A red light flashed in her mind. Caution, danger. This time, Emma recognized the warning, knew she needed to act.
Stop. Stop. Stop. This time logic wasn’t shouting, but common sense. With her heart pounding in her ears, drowning out everything around her, telling her to keep kissing him, she knew that was exactly what she needed to do.
She dragged her mouth away from his, but her lips continued tingling and the rest of her body, as well. The confusion in AJ’s eyes matched the way she felt.
“So this is why you went on a walk,” a man off to her left yelled across the rocks. “Didn’t want to make out at Grandma’s.”
Another man laughed. “Not too late to book a room at the B and B or inn.”
Emma’s face, no doubt flushed from kissing, burned hotter. She glanced to the side to see two good-looking, incredibly fit men walking toward her. The kind of hot guys who worked out at those industrial gyms in Portland tossing beer kegs and pushing huge tires. Both men were tall, maybe taller than AJ, and had dark hair like him though different styles. Their casual dress, athletic swagger and curious smiles directed at her and AJ spelled trouble. She remembered his warning and knew who the two must be. “Your brothers.”
“Declan and Grady.”
“Did you know they were here?”
“No or I wouldn’t have let you stop kissing me.”
Feminine pride rushed through her. AJ had taken the practice kiss further not for show but because he enjoyed kissing her.
“We may need to practice some more,” he said.
For a practice kiss, her reactions hadn’t been faked. His kiss had sent her pulse sprinting toward the finish line, her temperature into a feverish zone and her heart rate into ninety-minute Zumba intensity level. Emma needed to dive into the bay to unmuddle her mudkiss-confused head and body. “I think we’re good.”
One sexy brother with a scruff of whiskers, hair tied back and clear hazel eyes hooked his thumb through a belt loop. “You not only come home for the first time in ten years, but bring a pretty woman. Trying to show us up again, bro?”
Emma liked having a hot guy compliment her, but she remembered AJ’s warning about his brother. This one must be a natural-born maneuverer like AJ. She would have to be careful around all the Cole men.
AJ pulled her against him, close enough to hear the sounds of his breathing, uneven like hers. The kiss or nerves? She wouldn’t expect him to be worried, but then again with her as his so-called girlfriend, he might be concerned how she would act in front of his brothers. The least she could do was try. She hadn’t at lunch. Not really.
Emma placed her hand on his chest, staring at her fingers to keep her gaze from straying to his lips. His heart beat rapidly beneath her palm. She looked up.
AJ’s surprised gaze met hers.
She forced a smile. “Aren’t you going to introduce me, sweetie?”
The word sounded strange coming from her lips given she wasn’t talking about someone under the age of ten, but she didn’t allow her smile to falter or her hand to move or her feet to take ten steps back. Because she wanted to do all three. She wanted to run far, far away from Haley’s Bay and pretend she’d never heard of the place, because if she didn’t run she would want to kiss her pretend boyfriend on the lips again.
“These are two of my brothers, Declan and Grady. This is my girlfriend, Emma.” AJ held her possessively, his hand on her waist, making her feel as though she not only was dating him, but also belonged. She liked the unfamiliar feeling very much. “Thought she should meet the family in case it’s another ten years until we come back.”
Both men’s eyes widened. They must have picked up on his use of the word we, too. She had to give AJ credit. The man knew what to say to get his point across.
Grady, wearing a navy T-shirt with the words Port of Haley’s Bay printed across his chest, stood next to them and touched AJ’s shoulder. His eyes were the same green as AJ’s, but he had his mother’s smile. “Happy you’re home. I’d hug you, but you’ve got your arms full. Not that I blame you. I’d rather hold her than hug me, too.”
The men’s gazes raked over Emma, making her feel like a fish hanging from the end of a pole with a hook through her cheek. Was she good enough to keep or should they toss her back into the water?
Not that she cared, not much. Being on display wasn’t the most comfortable feeling, but more was going on than just her being introduced as their brother’s girl. She loosened her hand from AJ’s, then slipped her arm around his back. He tensed for a nanosecond before relaxing and pulling her even closer.
“Hello.” She worked hard to keep her smile in place. “I’m Emma Markwell.”
Declan’s scruffy grin widened. “I’m Declan. It’s so nice to meet you, Emma.”
The charm in his voice matched the curiosity in his gaze. Confidence must be a family trait. Declan oozed self-assurance and sex appeal.
“You’re one of the twins,” she said.
“That’s right,” Declan said. “My sister Camden is four minutes and twenty-eight seconds older. You’d think it was forty years. But I can do more pull-ups than her. We’re about even with push-ups.”
The affection for his twin sister loosened Emma’s bunched shoulder muscles. She would never remember all these people. Not without seeing them and putting faces with names. “I’m sure you could do more pull-ups and push-ups than me using only one hand.”
Declan sidled up to her, his salt-of-the-earth scent appealing at a gut level. These Cole brothers must drive the women of Haley’s Bay crazy. “I’d be happy to help you with your technique. A few lessons and you’d be good to go.”
“Back off.” AJ’s firm voice reminded her of his conference call on the jet. “I warned Emma that you bozos hit on any woman new to Haley’s Bay. Remember she’s taken.”
AJ’s jealousy surprised and intrigued her. He had the boyfriend acting down. Her turn to get in on the action. Emma ran her fingertip along his jawline. “Guess I should have let you put that ring on my finger after all.”
He brushed his lips across hers, long enough to make her want more. “Damn straight, but you will.”
An image of an engagement ring flashed in her mind. A thrill trembled through her even though she knew AJ wasn’t serious.
“Ring, huh?” Declan asked. “Mom mentioned you two might be moving in together, but this takes things to another level.”
“And leaves Madison for us.” Grady stepped forward. His bright smile and straight white teeth belonged in a toothpaste ad. “So glad you’re here, Emma. It’s great to see my big brother settling down with a real woman, not some lollipop head with extensive plastic surgery. No offense, bro.”
“None taken,” AJ said. “Emma is as real as they come.”
She wasn’t sure what to say. “Thank you, I think.”
“It’s a compliment,” AJ assured her. “And one of the reasons I brought you home. To show them that what they see on tabloids and read on the internet isn’t always the truth.”
Except in AJ’s case, Emma knew he dated actresses, models and socialites. Never for long, much to his dates’ chagrin. That was why so many spilled their billionaire dating woes to the media, at least according to Libby. Why have a pity party for one when you could invite everyone in line at the grocery store to join in for a few minutes?
“Mom and Grandma are surprised,” Grady said.
“Us, too,” Declan admitted. “But in a good way. Dad’s rea
ction will be interesting. Not because of you, Emma, but our father has some preconceived notions about AJ and his life.”
“What my brother’s trying to say is don’t let my father’s negativity bother you.” AJ’s defensive tone returned.
“Dad’s...” Declan shook his head. “Who knows how he’ll act. Ten years is a long time.”
“It’ll be fine,” Grady said. “Dad’s mellowed.”
Declan shot his younger brother a sideward glance.
“A little,” Grady added.
Tension emanated from AJ. She gave him a half hug. That was what a supportive girlfriend would do. At least she hoped so. “I look forward to meeting him and the entire family.”
“The feeling’s mutual.” A dimple appeared on Grady’s left cheek. The guy really was cute. Young, but she wondered if this was how AJ looked when he was in his early twenties. “We never thought AJ would settle down again.”
Again? Interesting. Libby had never mentioned a woman from AJ’s past, but Emma reminded herself his personal life was none of her business. “Your brother is an amazing man. He goes after what he wants.”
“I do, and I have what I want.” AJ brushed his lips across her neck, sending tingles zipping through her. The guy seemed to enjoy playing the boyfriend role and taking advantage of their deal in front of his brothers.
“Thank you.” She might be a nanny from Portland, Oregon, but his words made Emma feel like the most desirable supermodel in the world. But she resented having him be the one to make her feel that way. If she’d wanted to play house, she could have done that for real with Trey, getting an instant family in the process, but she didn’t want to be a fill-in wife for a widower who was lonely and desperate to find a mother for his girls. Not after years spent in the foster system with so many different families.
Someday, Emma would find what she was looking for—a man who loved her unconditionally. She would finally have her own family. Until then she’d bide her time. And as long as she was in Haley’s Bay, she’d pretend to be head over heels in love with AJ Cole. But right now she needed a break from the charade. She had a feeling tonight would be harder than lunch and this. “I should check on Blossom.”
Haley's Bay 01 - The Billionaire's Nanny Page 8