The startling thing, other than the fact that her single, childless boss had a full-blown nursery in his house, was that the décor, while it matched, was definitely set at one side of the room for a boy and the other side of the room for a girl.
“Kyle…” she trailed off as she took it all in. “What is all of this?” she asked again, staring hard at all of it and then looking at him as he stood over the boy’s crib and set Harry into it. Kyle tucked him in and then turned to look at Aleisha.
“You want to know why I have a nursery set up in my house and no kids,” he said, not really meeting her eyes.
“Yeah, I do,” she said shortly, closing her arms tighter around her daughter.
He shrugged and lifted his hand to the edge of the crib, running it along the railing as he spoke softly. “There was a time in my life when I thought I was going to have children. I wanted a family, and I planned on having babies in my future, but that… that did not happen when I thought it would, so the nursery has been set up all of this time, and now at least someone could use it.” He looked up at her finally and smiled.
“I do plan to have kids someday, I still want that, so none of this will go to waste; it just… didn’t work out before, but it’s here now, and you need it so we can work, so it’s useful now as well.” He took a few steps toward her and slid his fingers partway into his jeans pockets as he eyed her carefully.
“Is this okay? Will it be alright for them?” He looked as if he might be willing to do anything that would be necessary right then to make it okay if she said that there was anything missing.
She felt enormously ashamed of being suspicious of him then. He had wanted a family and had planned on it, and obviously, that hadn’t worked out, and she had been so negatively suspicious about why he had a nursery in his home.
With a big smile, she walked toward the playpen and shook her head as she looked at him. “No, it’s perfect! I don’t think I could design a better nursery! They’re lucky to get to use this for the day. It could have been built for them, it’s so ideal. Thank you for letting us borrow it.”
He seemed to sigh with relief and gave her a nod. “You’re all welcome to anything you need here. My home is your home.”
She set Hailey down in the playpen and pulled the girl’s favorite toy from the diaper bag she’d brought, giving it to her. Hailey squealed and reached for it, hugging it close to her.
Kyle was watching her, rapt with attention. He walked up to the playpen and sank down to his knees beside it, reaching his hand inside and letting Hailey take a hold of him. The baby cooed and babbled to him, and he grinned at her adoringly. “She’s so beautiful. They both are. You’re a lucky mother.”
Aleisha watched him, awed at how much he liked her children and how well they got along. “They really are,” she agreed. He stood up and finally looked away from Hailey and over to her mother. They shared a sweet, silent moment together, standing next to the playpen, and for a second, she had to remind herself that she needed to remain focused on work.
“You’re going to make a wonderful father someday,” she said quietly. He seemed to be staring into the depths of her soul rather than her eyes.
“I certainly hope to,” he spoke quietly, gazing into her eyes. She felt transfixed by him and looked away to stem the warmth that was beginning to flood through her. Taking a cleansing breath, she gave him a smile. “So, where are we working from today?”
The moment lightened, and he ticked his head to the side and motioned for her to follow him. “Well, that’s actually another perk. My office is connected to this room. I’d planned on being home a lot with my own children, and I had it designed that way so that I could spend more time with my family.”
He walked through a doorway in the wall, and it opened into a big office with three desks in it. All of them had computers and were set up as well as the computers and desks in their offices at the firm.
“Grace is at the office today, but we’re patched in to her here, so if you need to message her or call her, you can message her straight through these computers, and you can call her directly from these phones, just like we would there.” He pointed to the desk facing the biggest window. “You can work from there, if you like.”
She went to it and set her purse down at the corner of the desk. He pointed to another smaller room off one corner of the office. “There’s a kitchen and a full bathroom in there. I thought it would be handy to have it close to the office and the nursery. If you’d like coffee or tea, I’d be glad to get some for you. The little kitchen is fully stocked with anything you might need, including lunch. I had my chef prepare salmon salads for us when I knew you were coming.”
She stared at him and shook her head slightly. “I can’t believe you’re doing all of this. You’re… you’re such a life saver! Thank you, really… thank you more than I can say.”
He shrugged and grinned, looking at her from beneath his thick eyelashes. “It’s absolutely my pleasure, and it’s not difficult for me at all, so it’s no inconvenience or anything. I’m glad to have all of you here. We do need to get to work, though; we have a lot to do today.”
He held his hand up toward the kitchen. “I have breakfast in there as well. Would you like something to eat and some coffee?”
She nodded dreamily and followed him into the little kitchen. He was right. Everything she could think of needing or wanting was stocked in it. It was the same size as her kitchen at her apartment, but she didn’t say that to him.
They were partway through their workday when he took a look at the New York Tech file. “We’re close on this one, but we’re going to need something more. Some concrete evidence that shows that they were neglectful in maintaining their buses. It would be perfect if we could get something from their mechanics. Some kind of brake or repair records.”
Aleisha made some notes. “I’ll get on that. I’ll see what I can come up with.” She smiled up at him as he stood beside her with the file in his hand. He smiled back, reached one free hand down, and took her hand in his.
“You’re doing so much more than I ever imagined that you would. It means a lot to us both and to our cases. Thank you.” He stroked his thumb softly over the back of her hand, and she felt her heart beat swiftly in her chest and her breath shorten. Their eyes locked and she couldn’t turn away for a long moment, but then the phone beside her buzzed, and she looked away from him and he let go of her hand.
“I’m glad to do it,” she said as she reached for the phone. Kyle went back to his desk and closed his eyes, telling himself that he should not feel like he was beginning to feel about her. He sat at his desk and concentrated on what he was working on, pushing every heated thought about her from his mind.
Aleisha was surprised to hear that it was Julie. “I was able to take care of what I needed to handle today, and I’ll be free to help you this evening, if you still need me.”
She blinked as realization struck her. She was supposed to go out to dinner with Kyle that evening. She had asked Julie to stay with the babies and Julie had said yes, though she wasn’t able to watch them during the day.
Aleisha turned to look at Kyle. His back was to her, and she could see the solid muscles in his back beneath his sweater. She bit at her lip and told herself to stop looking at him that way. “Kyle, are we still on for dinner tonight?” she asked as lightly as she could.
“Yes, I think that will be okay,” he answered without turning to look at her.
She made the arrangements with Julie and ended the call. She was going to have an interesting evening ahead of her she thought, if she could have a dinner date with her boss and keep it strictly platonic, at least, not if he touched her hand again the way that he had earlier.
They both focused on their work the rest of the day, and in the afternoon, they packed the babies up, and she drove them back to her apartment. Julie arrived not long after that, and Aleisha was able to get ready for her evening out.
She went through her c
loset three times and finally settled on a bright red dress, sleeveless with a scoop neck and a fitted waist. It was light on her form, like flower petals that were closed over her but still embraced her curves. She turned in front of the mirror and gave herself a nod of approval. She looked beautiful, and she knew it, but it was a softer side of sexy, rather than something that was outright sex appeal.
Her hair was pulled up in a twist at the back of her head, and she wore thin gold earrings with a matching necklace that set off the golden tones in her chocolate honey skin. Her makeup was perfect, her lips as red as her dress. She dabbed on a lightly scented perfume and slipped into strappy red heels that suited the dress she was wearing.
Kyle arrived wearing a dinner suit and looking as elegant, refined, and sexy as he did every day at work -- so put together and polished with that raw edge of manliness about him. She felt her heart skip when she opened the door and their eyes met.
She watched as his eyes drifted over her, and she saw him swallow and give her a sweet smile. “You look stunning. It’s a good thing you don’t dress like that at work, or I’d never be able to concentrate on anything.” He chuckled softly as he helped her slide her coat on, but she heard a subtleness in his tone that suggested that he might not be joking as much as he would like her to believe he was.
Their conversation remained mostly light as they left her apartment building and went out to his car. He talked with her about personal things rather than business, which surprised her. He asked her about her life – what she loved to do in her free time, and what her dreams and aspirations and goals were.
It was as if she had been a closed book for nearly all of her life, and he had lifted the cover and was learning about her from one end of the book, page by page, to the other end. She hadn’t ever felt so interesting to anyone before, and it made her feel good. It made her feel as though he was positive that she was worth talking to and spending his time with.
She asked him many of the same questions back, and she was surprised to learn the answers he gave her. She discovered that he was quite similar to her in what he wanted from his life and how hard he was willing to work to achieve those goals. She found that her nerves were not on edge, but her whole body felt as if she had woken from a dream that had lasted her whole life, and for the first time, she was thinking and laughing and experiencing things that she had never known existed.
They grew comfortable with one another and talked about everything, from their love of unusual things to common ground as far as movies and books and vacation spots. They talked about families and friends and funny stories. They shared embarrassing moments and even a few fears.
He had taken her to an upscale restaurant in uptown Manhattan and though it ought to have been a crowded place, they were pleased that it seemed to be a slow night and that they had more privacy than they normally would have in that restaurant. They drank wine and ate a little and drank more wine, and then he asked her to dance with him.
There were live musicians playing, a string quartet, and the dimly lit dance floor and inviting music was intoxicating to them both. The wine stole away their inhibitions, and minutes later, they were standing together on the dance floor, and he lifted his arms and drew her to him, pulling her near enough that she was pressed close to his chest and he could speak softly in her ear.
“This has been one of the most incredible nights of my life. I can’t thank you enough. It’s as if I have rediscovered an old friend, or just met an old friend for the first time. I didn’t expect this at all.” He looked into her eyes as they moved slowly. “I didn’t expect you at all.” He half-laughed, but it wasn’t humorous. It was serious and incredulous.
“I didn’t expect you either.” She was wondering how she was ever going to keep anything that was building up in her for him in check if he kept sweeping her off of her feet and into her dreams.
He was quiet a moment as they swayed, his eyes steady on hers, and finally he spoke again in a quiet voice, earnest and tender. “Aleisha…”
“Yes?” she asked breathlessly, knowing that something was changing and that things between them were about to become very different.
He hesitated a moment, but then gave his head a little shake. “May I kiss you, please?”
She blinked in utter surprise. She hadn’t been expecting him to ask her anything of the kind. “Why?” she stammered, wishing that she had responded in just about any other way once the word was out of her mouth. She felt like a school girl on her first date, innocent and blind to the wills of men.
“Because I’m running out of reasons not to,” he answered in a slightly strained tone. A soft gasp escaped her, and she found herself leaning in toward him.
He gazed at her eyes, her face, and her lips, and a moment later, his mouth pressed lightly against hers. His touch was soft and his kiss was slow at first, as he took his time learning her lips by their shape and feel, tasting slowly and feeling everything about her mouth. She drew in a breath as he lifted his face from hers and looked at her once more.
“I didn’t even imagine it that sweet,” he whispered and closed his mouth over hers again once more. Parting her lips tenderly, he kissed them gently a few times before she tasted his tongue meeting hers and she opened herself to him. Their kiss was sensual, slow and delicious, though not deep.
When he parted from her again, he looked at her and a half-smile formed at the corner of his mouth. “I’ve been wondering about that since I met you,” he told her with a mischievous but sweet spark in his eyes.
She laughed softly, and he pulled her into a snug embrace as they danced. She didn’t ask what was weighing most on her mind. She didn’t want to break the spell that seemed to have surrounded them.
She needed to know what was changing between them and where it might be going, but she knew that if she asked, all of the magic and the rush of heat and the thrill of desire between them might disappear, and she just wasn’t ready for that to happen, so she kept silent and just enjoyed every passing moment of it. It was a night to be cherished, not analyzed or picked apart. She set all of her questions to the back of her mind for later, and she loved the hell out of her living day dream.
Chapter10
She went into work early the next morning, her nerves wound up tight as she wondered what it would be like between them. She didn’t know what they would be – if they were still boss and employee who had shared a romantic and sexy date, or if they were going to continue down the path that they had started on and let things progress. She didn’t know how she should act around him when their co-workers were around, but she did know what she had felt all night the night before and what she was still feeling the next day.
Her thoughts drifted off as she stood beside the copy machine, her mind taking her back to the dance floor where they had kissed, and the car ride home when he had held her hand in his most of the way, brushing his fingers back and forth over hers. Most especially to the moment when he had walked her to her door and bid her goodnight.
He’d taken her in his arms again, only that time, he had held her so close against him, setting his palms on either side of her face as his fingertips moved over her cheeks and her neck and his mouth overtook hers, kissing her deeply with a growing hunger that did not give way when they parted, leaving them both breathless and desirous of more.
Her body had yearned for his touch, and she knew that it was much too soon for that. It was much too soon for anything to be happening between them, but if she was being honest with herself, there was just no stopping it.
There was a real and genuine electric chemistry between them, and though they might try to deny it, there was no getting around the fact that they wanted each other, and they had both felt the attraction from the day they had met. Something had sparked, and it would not be ignored, and it would not be pushed aside for protocol and professionalism.
“Girl, what are you doing? Are you going to stand there and make a hundred copies of that page, or are you a
ll done?” A gentle voice prodded her out of her reverie, and she turned with a start to see Grace standing behind her.
“What on earth are you thinking about?” she asked, shaking her head at Aleisha.
Aleisha rolled her eyes in good humor and laughed lightly. “Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I was thinking about other things. There’s a lot going on.”
Grace looked at her seriously over the top of her half-rimmed glasses. “Mmmhmm. Well, there’s a lot going on here in this office, too, so let’s stay on top of what we’re here to do.”
Aleisha nodded and took her stack of papers back to her office and put them on her desk as she tried to collect herself. When she looked down at what she had done, she groaned. Grace was right. She did have something not far from a hundred copies of the same page. She hadn’t been paying attention to the buttons on the machine at all.
The Billionaire's Twin Fever (MANHATTAN BACHELORS Book 1) Page 11