Billionaire Boss, Holiday Baby

by Janice Maynard

  He prowled the condo, unable to contemplate sleep. If he hadn’t been such an ass, Dani might have been in his bed this very moment, her cuddly, warm body pressed against his as they dozed in between bouts of hot, satisfying sex.

  What would it take to win a woman like Dani? For one thing, he would have to change virtually everything about himself. Dani would expect open communication and an honest exchange of feelings and emotions. The thought made him shudder. He’d perfected the art of walling himself off from the world. It was too late to change now.

  Walking alone was the only way he knew.

  * * *

  Dani cried herself to sleep. When she awoke four hours later, her head ached and she faced the inescapable conviction she was her own worse enemy. She knew what the boss was like, perhaps better than anyone else in his life. Why on earth had she asked him such a stupid question? Did you ever fantasize about me when we were at the office?

  The raw honesty of his answer had revealed the extent of his conflicted emotions. Nathaniel was a man. Men were creatures of the moment. They compartmentalized things in their brains. Work, sex, food, sleep. The only reason she and Nathaniel ended up being intimate was the result of an unlikely set of circumstances.

  As she changed a wet diaper and blew raspberries on a soft baby tummy, she fretted. She needed to get out of this condo. The sooner, the better. If she had sex with her boss a second time, she’d never convince herself to leave. Even worse, she might ignore all common sense and be put in the ignominious position of being asked to leave.

  That wasn’t going to happen. Ever. She might not be able to eradicate her feelings for the man down the hall, but he didn’t have to know he was breaking her heart into jagged shards that would never properly fit back together.

  Moving to the window, she twitched aside the sheers and looked out. The thaw was supposed to begin today, in theory. High of thirty-eight. Peeks of sunshine. So far, the skies were gray. The coating of ice on top of fifteen inches of snow meant the city was still obliterated. Only the most intrepid would venture out on Christmas Day.

  When she closed the curtains and turned around, Nathaniel was standing in the doorway of the guest room. He held out a shopping bag with a quizzical smile on his face. “Your new friend, Reggie, the doorman, came through for us. He dropped off all these baby things a few minutes ago. I thanked him.”

  “And gave him a big fat Christmas tip, I hope.”

  “Of course.”

  “Too bad he has to work the holiday.”

  Nathaniel nodded. “At least he’s only here until two. Several of them are dividing shifts today so no one gets stuck the whole time.”

  “I’m glad.” Dani clutched Peaches like a lifeline. She had worried about imagining Nathaniel naked. The reality was much worse. He was fully dressed in khakis and a white button-front shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His tanned arms, lightly dusted with dark hair, were very masculine, as was the high-end gold watch on his left wrist. But that wasn’t the bad part. What made her stomach do sickening flips and flops was this new awareness between them. She couldn’t explain it, but it was there.

  While she stood by the bed trying not to blush, Nathaniel upended the shopping bag and dumped a pile of baby clothes on the bed. “Good news, kid,” he said with a chuckle. “You finally get to wear something new.”

  “Now, if only Reggie had access to my size,” Dani joked. The fact that she was modeling another of Nathaniel’s soft cotton dress shirts over the same gray thermal pants put her at a distinct disadvantage.

  Nathaniel shot her a grin, his expression smug. “It’s still early,” he said. “I’m sure Santa hasn’t forgotten you, Dani.”

  She had no clue what that meant. But she wasn’t in the mood for flirty repartee. Today was going to be Christmas without the feels.

  To keep things on an impersonal track, she propped Peaches on her hip and began sorting through the clothing. Like most baby things, the rompers and sleepers and adorable dresses were mostly in mint condition. At this age, infants grew so fast, it was almost impossible to wear an outfit enough times to do any damage.

  Nathaniel stood beside her, making her clumsy and nervous. He picked up a tiny green dress with candy canes appliqued at the hem. “I vote for this one,” he said. “Perfect for Peaches’s first Christmas Day.”

  Casually, Dani moved aside, putting a few feet between herself and temptation. “I agree. Why don’t you do the honors?”

  He blanched. “Me? I have big hands. This stuff looks like doll clothes. You’d better do it. If you don’t mind.”

  Dani hesitated. “Well...”

  “What’s the problem?”

  “I’m leaving when the snow melts, Nathaniel,” she said bluntly. “You’ll have to do all this yourself.”

  His expression gave new meaning to the term poker face. “I’ll worry about that when the time comes. Besides, Peaches would rather have you dress her right now. She’s more comfortable with you.”

  Dani laid the baby on the bed and quickly switched out the sleeper for the green dress. “Oh, my gosh. Look how cute she is. Hold her, Nathaniel. Let me take a picture.” She grabbed her smartphone while Nathaniel made silly faces at Peaches and scooped up the little girl who might or might not be his daughter.

  The sight of the big, macho man holding the small, smiling baby made her heart squeeze. They looked right together.

  Moments later, Dani tucked the phone in her pocket and managed a casual smile. “If you two are okay for the moment, I’ll put breakfast in the oven. Did I smell coffee brewing? Please say yes.”

  “Plenty for both of us,” Nathaniel said. He rubbed noses with the baby. “This beauty and I will be in my office taking care of a little business. Come find us when it’s ready.”

  She stared at him. Something in his voice gave her a little fillip of excitement. “Christmas secrets, Nathaniel?”

  Seven

  Nathaniel smiled, his expression deliberately bland. “Maybe yes, maybe no. I won’t be long.”

  In his office, he spread a blanket on the floor. He’d grabbed it up from the pile on Dani’s bed. “Play with your rattle, little one. I’ve got to wrap a package.”

  Reggie had proved to be quite accommodating when Nathaniel explained the situation. The overnight delivery had been signed for, and the doorman had sent up Christmas paper and tape. Unfortunately, turning out eye-catching packages was not in Nathaniel’s skill set. He’d been a Boy Scout, but tying knots was a long way from handling thick, glossy paper and recalcitrant ribbon.

  At last, he was satisfied. He held up the large rectangle and examined it. “What do you think, Peaches? I’m counting on this to win points with a certain prickly woman.”

  The baby gummed a pink-and-green teether from the drugstore enthusiastically, but didn’t endorse Nathaniel’s efforts. “I know,” he said glumly. “It’s probably too little, too late, but she deserves a merry Christmas, even if I am a Scrooge.”

  Since Peaches was in a mood to be cooperative, Nathaniel did a quick check of email, looking over his shoulder guiltily. There was more to life than work. He knew that. Trouble was, up until this particular odd Christmas, work was all he’d ever had on a day like today.

  Half an hour later, Dani showed up, flushed and bright-eyed. “Everything’s on the table,” she said. “Come and eat.”

  Fortunately, he’d hidden the box behind a tall wooden file cabinet. Even when Dani crouched to pick up the baby, the gift was out of sight. Timing was everything.

  In the kitchen, Dani had opted for casual, preparing two places at the granite counter island instead of in the dining room. The room smelled of cinnamon and yeast. “Wow,” he said, inhaling with enjoyment. “You went to a lot of trouble.” The mimosas were especially tempting, particularly since no one had to go anywhere.

&n
bsp; On the other hand, he needed a clear head to negotiate a peace treaty with his beautiful houseguest. He took a stool and held out his hands. “I’ll hold her while you eat.”

  Dani shook her head. “We can both eat. I think she’ll be happy in her carrier for a little bit.”

  Either Dani was a gourmet cook or Nathaniel was starving or both. The streusel-topped coffee cake was warm and fragrant and tasted like heaven on a plate. He was on his third piece before he noticed Dani watching him with a grin.

  He stopped dead, his fork halfway to his mouth. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I did leave some for you.”

  Her sunny smile was the first open, uncomplicated one he’d gotten from her since their encounter in the middle of the night. “It’s quite all right. A cook likes to know her efforts are appreciated.”

  Deliberately finishing the last bite on his plate, he wiped the corner of his mouth with his napkin, drained his glass and reached across the small space separating them to stroke his thumb across her cheek. “I appreciate the hell out of you, my little Christmas elf.”

  Dani turned bright red and busied herself with the baby. “A simple thank-you will suffice,” she muttered.

  “What shall we do between now and lunch?” he asked in his most genial Christmas host voice. “When Peaches takes a nap, all sorts of things come to mind.” He was treading a line between forcing Dani to remember the good parts of last night and hoping like hell she would overlook the bad ones.

  “I really need to talk to my parents,” she said, not taking the bait. “To see what the plans are for Tuesday. Perhaps you could entertain the baby while I do that. Afterward, I’ll feed her and put her down.”

  “Of course.”

  To his disappointment and dismay, Dani handed off the kid and disappeared into her bedroom. Had Nathaniel spooked her, or was the excuse a genuine one?

  He couldn’t exactly listen at the door. Since he was too jumpy to sit down for any length of time, he cleared the breakfast dishes with one hand and loaded the dishwasher. Fortunately, there was no one around to reprimand him when he sneaked a few more bites of cake.

  By the time Dani finally reappeared forty-five minutes later, the baby was getting fussy. Instead of handing her over, Nathaniel decided it was time for him to step up his game. “Let’s go to the den,” he said. “We don’t want to waste that world-class tree. I’ll feed the baby, and you can pick a movie. How’s that?”

  Dani seemed dubious, but she followed his lead. Nathaniel didn’t bother with the sofa. He picked the recliner and got comfortable with Peaches in his lap. The baby, as always, guzzled her bottle and conked out.

  Dani flipped through his Blu-ray collection and finally settled on one of the original Star Wars movies. He didn’t have a single one of the romantic comedies that most women liked, so it was a good thing his guest seemed to share his taste in classic sci-fi/fantasy.

  The opening credits had barely finished rolling before the second female in the room fell asleep. Nathaniel grinned wryly. So much for being a stimulating companion. He rubbed the baby’s head. “Were you awake a lot during the night, little scamp? Or is Dani tired for another reason?”

  His body tightened and his breath caught as lust roared in uninvited. His den was a far different place in the middle of the day than in the dark of night, but it was difficult not to remember holding a naked Dani in his arms and making love to her like a madman.

  Hell. Why hadn’t he stayed in the kitchen where the atmosphere was far less charged?

  He watched the movie, but he’d seen it half a dozen times. It was far more satisfying to study the woman sleeping a few feet away. To a stranger, this scene would have seemed perfectly normal. Only Nathaniel and Dani knew how very abnormal it was.

  She had made no bones about her plans to leave him. If memory served, Dani was using vacation days this week to spend time with her family. They certainly wouldn’t understand if, at the last minute, New Century Tech demanded her attention.

  No, work wasn’t the answer. If he were going to keep Dani here, he’d have to try something risky. Maybe tell the truth. He didn’t want to be alone this week. Not after he’d had a taste of what the holidays could be like.

  In the meantime, he’d be content with the status quo.

  Dani slept for half an hour and woke with a start. Her cheek was creased from the trim on the sofa arm, and her hair was mussed. “Sorry,” she said, adorably flustered. “What did I miss?”

  He laughed softly, careful not to wake Peaches. “Nothing you haven’t seen before.” He picked up the remote and hit Pause. He and Dani had known each other forever. They didn’t need a movie for distraction, did they?

  “Do you want me to take her?” Dani asked. “I’ve had a nap. It’s your turn.”

  “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

  “If you say so.”

  An awkward silence fell. Maybe he was wrong about the movie.

  He debated his options. The next move could make things better or worse. It surprised him that he couldn’t predict the outcome. In a business negotiation, he would have known. But not now.

  “Dani?”

  “Hmm?” She stared at the fireplace, her expression pensive.

  “Do you mind grabbing something from my office? I don’t want to move and wake her.”

  “Of course.” She hopped to her feet. “What am I looking for?”

  “A large box on the far side of the wooden file cabinet.”

  “Got it. Back in a flash.”

  When she returned, she was carrying the package he had tried so hard to wrap artistically. The result looked even more amateurish now. “Thanks,” he said.

  “What did you do, Nathaniel? Buy her a four-foot teddy bear? This is heavy.”

  He shrugged. “It’s for you. Merry Christmas, Dani.”

  She froze, her gaze panicked. “Oh, no. I have nothing for you. This is entirely inappropriate. I appreciate the gesture, but I can’t accept.”

  “You don’t even know what it is,” he said, his tone mild. He knew if he pushed too hard, she might grow even more stubborn in her refusal.

  Her hand smoothed the bright red paper, almost a caress. “It doesn’t matter what it is,” she said. “You gave me a Christmas bonus at the party Friday.”

  “It’s not a present from your boss,” he said, losing patience. “Open the box.”

  “So it’s not from you?”

  Was she deliberately misunderstanding him, or were they fighting some war he wasn’t prepared to engage in? “Yes,” he said, jaw clenched. “It is from me. To you. Man to woman. Not boss to assistant.”

  Dani set the box on the floor and curled her legs beneath her. “Did you get whatever this is before we had sex last night?”

  “Well, of course, I did,” he said unable to hide his irritation. “We’ve both been a little busy since then.”

  She studied his face, her expression earnest. What did she want from him?

  “I don’t think I can accept a present from you, Nathaniel.” Her tone was apologetic. “It’s a lovely thought, but under these circumstances, I think it would muddy the waters.”

  He counted to ten and then to fifteen. “Dani...”

  “Yes?”

  Why did she have to look at him like he was an ogre? What did she think he was going to do to her? Lock her up in a harem?

  “Open the damned box. Or you’re fired.”

  “Fat chance,” she muttered. “No one else would put up with you.”

  Apparently losing his temper had convinced her. Strange woman.

  She picked at the paper like a Depression-era housewife planning to reuse every scrap of paper and tape and ribbon. The whole process was so slow, he wanted to bellow at her to hurry. It took a great deal of self-control to keep his mouth shut
and let her finish.

  When she finally removed the box lid and lifted the tissue, her mouth opened in a cute little O of surprise. “Nathaniel. What is all of this?”

  * * *

  Dani didn’t know what she had expected. Truthfully, she had handled the gift with all the finesse of a bomb squad technician defusing a dangerous device. She didn’t want gifts from Nathaniel. Not when their current situation was so remarkably out of control.

  Once she had folded back the tissue, she simply stared at the contents, lifting one thing and the next in amazement. Nothing in the box raised any red flags. If anything, the individual items were extremely practical and thoughtful.

  Nathaniel watched her, eagle-eyed, making her uneasy. “Well,” he said gruffly. “What do you think? It’s not the most exciting present in the world, but you strike me as a very practical woman. Who knows if you’ll be able to get back to your apartment before you go to see your family. I tried to think of everything.”

  Everything was not an exaggeration. Inside the large, deep gift box was a collection of the most elegant clothing and toiletries Dani had ever owned. Dressy black pants in warm wool crepe. A red cashmere V-necked sweater. Two bras and several matching panties, more on the practical than sexy side, but very expensive.

  Beneath that were designer jeans, casual tops, elegant sets of flats in black and taupe. Tennis shoes. Socks. A whisper-soft nightgown and matching robe in the palest ivory.

  And then the cosmetics, glory be. Cleanser and lotion and mascara and everything else a woman might need to dress herself up for the holidays.

  “How on earth did you manage this, Nathaniel?” She stared at him in amazement. “I know you work magic in the business world but this is incredible, even for you.”

  He shrugged, but she could tell her reaction pleased him. “I have a business associate whose wife works at Neiman Marcus. I called her first thing yesterday morning and told her what had happened with the blizzard and being stranded. I explained in general terms what I wanted to give you. She made it all happen.”