Jeffry (Members From Money Book 3)

by Katie Dowe

  "I want her."

  Those three words had a completely different meaning in his head. His body seemed to stir and have a mind of its own.

  "Chris? But she's not a nanny."

  "But she works for you. I need a female bodyguard for Jack, not a nanny."

  Leo stood and came round the desk, coming to stand beside Nathan.

  "Chris is a computer whiz, not a bodyguard. She doesn't do field work."

  "Can she use a gun?"

  "Yes."

  "Does she know any martial arts?"

  "She has a black belt in kickboxing."

  Nathan grinned at Leo's surprised expression.

  "I know your resume, Leo. You hire the best, which usually means ex-soldiers. If they don't have a military background they have to have some sort of fighting skills, even those who don't do field work." He stared at Christina's bent head. "I want her."

  "Do you mean in the biblical sense?"

  Nathan growled.

  "Leo..."

  "Okay, okay, Chris will be Jack's bodyguard." Leo rubbed a hand over his face. "Christ, I must be mad. The rest I can help you with."

  "Good."

  Nathan didn't look away from Christina, who had left her desk and gone to a filing cabinet. She bent over at the waist to look in a bottom drawer. Her pert backside pointed at him, stretching the fabric of her jeans, and Nathan's cock twitched.

  If a woman with an attitude problem could cause that sort of reaction out of him, what sort of reaction would she get when they were up close and verbally sparring?

  He couldn't wait to find out.

  *****

  "Chris?"

  Christina jolted and nearly fell out of her chair. Catching herself against the desk, she righted herself and looked up to see Leo watching her. He looked amused. Christina took her glasses off and pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose.

  "Sorry, I was miles away."

  "I noticed."

  Christina sat back in her chair. She had made herself scarce when she was aware that Nathan Gilmore, billionaire playboy, was leaving Leo's office. She didn't want another confrontation with him. Not when his body and his looks had everything that was female in her doing somersaults and swooning. She didn't like describing herself as cliché but that's how it felt for her. Not even her husband had made her react like this.

  Leo was watching her curiously and somehow Christina knew what he was thinking about. She closed her eyes and took a moment to compose herself.

  "He's an arrogant bastard, Leo. I'm not going there."

  Showing attraction to a man Leo was close to was not a good idea. If he had been a client that would have been even worse. Christina told herself not to go there or she really would be in trouble. She had enough problems in her life without getting involved with a man who snapped his fingers and people did his bidding.

  "Good." Leo sat on the edge of her desk. "Because he's now a client of ours. Someone's threatening him and his company. Last night they got near his son. The boy's only three."

  Three. Christina's stomach turned over. Alex had been three when he had died. They had been traveling home from his third birthday party when the accident happened. Three years later and the memory still hurt.

  Much as she didn't want to be anywhere near Gilmore, she didn't want any harm on him or his child. She swallowed.

  "Is the boy okay?"

  "He wasn't hurt but Nathan was worried. He's fired both his nanny and the security team in his employ and has hired us."

  Something in Leo's expression and his words told her there was more. Christina felt the suspicion creeping in.

  "Why do I get the feeling I'm included in that?"

  Leo sighed.

  "Nathan wants you to be the boy's nanny."

  "What?" Christina stood up. "No. No way."

  "Why not?"

  Christina scrabbled around in her brain, trying to find a decent excuse. She was not going to be left in close confines with that man. She wouldn't be able to cope. Her body would be on high alert all day.

  "If I say yes I'm under his control and he'll have me doing anything he can to humiliate me. Just because I told him off for his driving."

  That excuse sounded pathetic the moment it was out of her mouth.

  "Nathan's not vindictive like that."

  "He has money." Christina snapped. "He can be anything he wants because he thinks he can get away with it."

  Leo sighed and took a moment before he spoke.

  "Whatever your reasons for disliking Nathan Gilmore, he wants you to guard his son and he wouldn't take no for an answer. We all get bonuses for this, Chris." He added.

  He knew just what buttons to press. Christina needed the cash, which was why she had taken on extra work with him and freelance work to stay afloat. She was already behind on her rent and her electricity bill was astronomical. If she could get a bonus from a billionaire then she could pay both of them off and have some left over for later.

  Leo knew she needed the money. Damn him for screwing that fact into her. Slumping into her chair, Christina knew she was beat.

  "Okay, I'll do it." She said dejectedly.

  "Good." Her brother chucked her chin affectionately. "Get yourself packed as soon as you get home, enough for two weeks. We're to be there for nine tomorrow morning."

  He walked away leaving Christina staring at her computer screen. She wasn't sure but she had a feeling that she was going to regret having her arm twisted for this job.

  Chapter 2

  "Chris."

  Chris felt the nudge and jerked awake. She blinked and turned away from the window. They were in the suburbs of Seattle and the houses were getting increasingly bigger and infinitely more expensive. The knowledge that these people were way out of her league and her comfort zone didn't sit well with her.

  "I'm still here."

  Leo smiled but his eyes were worried.

  "Liar."

  "Fine, I'm not." Christina looked down at her hands. "I don't like this, Leo. A rich guy ordering us about."

  "Nathan's not always been rich, Chris. And he's not always been bossy."

  Christina laughed without mirth. Bossy wasn't how she would describe Nathan Gilmore. Domineering, yes. Bossy was an understatement.

  And so was handsome. Unfortunately Nathan was also downright gorgeous. That, Christina didn't like. She didn't want to be attracted to the billionaire; she could do well without.

  "How do you know him?" She asked. "You never said."

  Leo sat back. They were sitting in the back of one of the SUVs used for their protection duties. Clive Pepper, one of Leo's bodyguards and his best friend, was behind the wheel, his large hands negotiating the turns with delicate flexes. For a big man, he was extraordinarily gentle.

  "He was in our class in high school." Leo indicated Clive. "He was also Clive's tutor. As a kid he was damn smart. The nerdy type with glasses, braces and out of fashion clothes. Despite Clive and myself being in a completely different social circle, we clicked."

  "You don't need to worry about him, Chrissie." Clive's deep voice came from the front, sending her an affectionate look in the rear-view mirror. "He's a good guy really. He just hides it under a persona people expect him to be."

  Great. Now Clive was on Nathan's side. Christina wondered if she was the only one who had got on Nathan's bad side. A horrible thought hit her and her stomach rolled.

  "Did he know Clint?"

  Leo shook his head.

  "Clint lived with Dad when he was little and I lived with Mom. Nathan knew he existed but never met him." He gave her knee a squeeze. "He doesn't know your connection to me."

  It wasn't broadcast that Christina's husband had been Leo's little brother. They didn't tend to use it unless they had to, such as for Christina's protection. Leo carried a lot of weight behind him. Even though Christina was more than capable of looking after herself, one look at Leo and people backed off. A link to him was useful in many ways.

  "I
t's not that I'm worried about."

  "What are you worried about?"

  Christina sighed and rubbed at her stomach. Her insides were gnawing away, telling her that something was wrong. But she pushed this aside and shook her head at Leo.

  "I don't know. I just know that something's going to happen and I don't think I want it to happen."

  It was cryptic but Christina wasn't going to openly admit, especially after their conversation the day before, that she had more than a fleeting attraction for the man who had put her back up. It scared the hell out of her and there was no way she was going to let Leo give her another lecture.

  She was saved from more questioning by Clive as he turned the SUV to a set of iron gates with a security guard in a booth just outside. Leo showed his ID, which was checked against the list of visitors, and they were allowed through. Clive whistled as they went up the driveway.

  "Wow, when you said he lived in a big place you weren't kidding."

  Christina leaned forward. Her breath caught when she saw the house. It was a huge, sprawling two-story house, seeming to spread across several acres. The grounds were massive, stretching beyond what the eye could see. Much as she thought the house was beautiful, Christina wasn't so sure about the grounds. She had never understood why someone would buy a house with a massive garden when they weren't going to use it beyond merely showing it off.

  She remembered the house she used to live in. They'd had a garden. It had a slide and a little paddling pool and sandpit. They had put up a trampoline the week before the accident. Alex had loved it. He would spend hours on it, bouncing away and laughing his head off.

  Christina shut down the memories. Now was not the time to think about the past. She needed to keep a grip on what they were about to do.

  "Nathan has always liked to live it large." Leo said. He hadn't moved to look. "His father's hard graft got them something finally."

  Christina sat back and turned to her clinical side. Perhaps if she saw Nathan Gilmore as a load of data instead of as a man it might help dampen the attraction.

  "How old was he was he got into the millions?"

  "Try billions. Nathan's father Bruce was into computer software. He designed security systems, databases and programs. It hit the market big-time when Nathan was in his senior year. That was when Nathan's family became billionaires." Leo looked out the window. "When Bruce died Nathan took over the business as CEO. He was only twenty-five. His sister Jane is in accounting and brother Josh is vice president. They're a close-knit family."

  "Lucky them." Christina grunted.

  In her book, close-knit usually meant keeping the dysfunctional secrets closer to their chests than other people. A lot of skeletons in the closet.

  Clive pulled the car into the sweeping driveway and stopped in front of a set of steps going to the front door. He turned off the engine and climbed out. Christina went to get out when Leo touched her arm.

  "Stay close to me and keep your mouth shut." He murmured. "You don't want us thrown out before we've done anything."

  Christina rolled her eyes.

  "I'll be as good as gold." She promised.

  "That'll be the day." Leo snorted.

  Christina bit back a grin and climbed out, squinting against the sun. It was a warm day and already she was missing the air conditioning in the car. She shrugged out of her jacket and laid it over her arm.

  Leo shut the door behind him as the front door opened and two people came out. Christina watched the couple as they approached them. The man was in his late twenties, a dark brown mop topping a youthful, handsome face. He was built like a football player and wearing a charcoal suit that looked to cost several thousand dollars. The woman was in her early thirties, petite and thin. She would have been attractive once but she had hard lines around her mouth and eyes that tainted that. She wore a pale pink sleeveless dress that ended at the knees and a high neck, her black hair held up in a severe-looking bun.

  The man walked over to Leo, a big beam on his face as he held out a hand.

  "Leo, good to see you again."

  "Josh?" Leo laughed in surprise and shook hands with the younger man, both men embracing for a moment. Then Leo stepped back and surveyed Josh. "Wow, you've grown. You were only nine when I last saw you."

  "Eighteen years will change you in more ways than one." Josh chuckled. He turned and indicated the woman in pink, who had stopped a few steps above them. "You remember my sister Jane?"

  "Of course." Leo gave Jane a polite nod. "Good to see you again, Jane."

  "Leo." Jane nodded at Clive and then looked Christina over, her expression haughty. "And you must be the replacement nanny."

  Christina bristled but bit back a retort. She was going to have to work for this woman's family, after all.

  "Christina Maudsley, Miss Gilmore."

  "Miss Maudsley is my resident computer expert, Jane." Leo glanced at Christina before addressing her again. "She's also my sister-in-law."

  That was a warning. Christina recognized it. Somehow Leo thought Jane Gilmore was going to be a bit more than uncivil towards Christina and was nipping it in the bud to remind her she wasn't merely the hired help.

  Jane's expression shuttered down. But when she spoke she sounded more cordial.

  "Of course."

  She turned away and strutted up the steps, effectively ignoring them. Josh beckoned them up the steps.

  "Come on in, Leo. Nathan's expecting you."

  Leo went on ahead, talking to Josh in low voices. Clive and Christina followed behind, Christina watching Jane go into the house, turning back to give her a look that Christina didn't like. Then she disappeared inside.

  "I don't think that woman likes me." She murmured.

  "She probably doesn't like anyone." Clive whispered back.

  Christina grunted. That sounded true enough. She didn't know what Jane's problem was with her but she wasn't interested in getting into a bitch fight with the woman. Chances were Jane wouldn't walk away unscathed anyway and Christina didn't want to get fired.

  Josh led them inside, across the huge foyer and to a door near the back of the house. He knocked three times and entered without waiting.

  "Leo's here, Nate."

  He beckoned them in. Christina went in after Leo and took in her surroundings. This had to be Nathan's study. It seemed just as huge as the rest of the house. Bookcases covered two of the walls, a desk of computers against a third. A black leather three-piece suite was in the center of the room. There were a set of double doors going onto the terrace. Both of these were open.

  Jane was standing by the desk, hands folded primly in front of her, but Nathan was crouched on the floor in front of his desk playing with a little boy aged around three. They had the Lego bricks out and Nathan was showing the child what to put where. For a moment Christina couldn't see anything except his interaction with the boy. Towards the child he was gentle, caring. Loving.

  Her heart ached. Whatever this man was, he loved his son. It was a pity he had to drive like a maniac and make his kid worry if he was going to come home at the end of the day.

  Nathan looked up and grinned, sending Christina's heart into pitter-patter mode. God, he was gorgeous. He stood up and came over to them.

  "Leo." He shook hands with Leo and then turned to Christina, holding out his hand. "Christina."

  Swallowing, Christina shook his hand quickly and pulled back. The zing of attraction that had pulsed between them the minute their hands touched was tingling up her arm and through her body. Her core clenched and the blood went south to between her legs.

  "And Clive." Nathan embraced the big man. "It's been a long time. How you doing, you big brute?"

  "Better and better, Nate." Clive grinned. "You're looking good yourself."

  "No better than you are." Nathan looked at Leo. "I thought I asked for two bodyguards. I know Clive is good but I don't think he's good enough to separate himself into two men."

  Leo laughed.

 
"We have another bodyguard on his way. Joe Hodgkiss. He's finishing off an assignment in Oregon. He'll be with us in the morning."

  Nathan grunted.

  "I suppose that'll have to do." He turned and smiled at the boy, who was watching the newcomers with wary interest. He beckoned him over. "Jack? Come here and meet my friends. Don't worry, they're not scary."

  Jack stood and trotted over to his father. Nathan picked him up and turned to introduce him.

  "This is my son Jack. This is Leo, Clive and Christina. Christina's going to be your new nanny for now."

  Christina's heart stopped for a moment. Jack was the spitting image of his father. Jet-black hair and dark-eyed, there was no mistaking whose child he was. She swallowed and managed a friendly smile at Jack, who shrank back a little but didn't look away.

  "Hi, Jack. What are you playing?"

  "Lego."

  Jack's voice was even and clear. Christina guessed his vocabulary was probably better than hers.

  "I love Lego. I used to play..." She was about to say with her son but stopped in time. "When I was little."

  "You used to play with Lego?"

  "Yes. They were my favorite toy." Christina glanced at Nathan. "Can I pick him up?"

  "If you don't mind being kicked in the stomach." Nathan passed his son across. "He doesn't take well to strangers."

  But Jack went willingly into Christina's arms, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face into her neck. Shocked at the response, Christina held him for a moment, memories of her son flooding her. It was something he often did when she picked him up. She bit back the tears and smiled at Nathan over Jack's shoulder.

  "I think he's taken to me quite nicely."

  Nathan was staring at her, mouth open in amazement. Then his eyes darkened with an intense emotion Christina couldn't quite read but had her whole body feeling like she was about to combust. Her pussy throbbed and she had to squeeze her thighs together without falling over from the heavy weight in her arms.

  "I've never seen him do that with someone he's never met before." Josh was looking as surprised as Nathan but without the intense look.