by Sarah Morgan
‘That’s just the blusher she used. Apparently princesses always have rosy cheeks.’ She glanced around her and he saw her looking at the boxes.
‘I was hoping that the nanny would help to unpack the last of the boxes,’ he said, wondering why he was explaining himself to her. What did it matter what she thought? ‘I’ve only done the important ones.’
‘You did Aggie’s bedroom. It’s so pretty. Like a fairy grotto.’
‘She loves everything pink, as I’m sure you noticed, and I wanted her to feel at home as quickly as possible. I should have done Chloe’s, too, but she’s older and…’ He shrugged, wondering with a pang of guilt whether he’d been neglecting his elder daughter. ‘Chloe never complains.’
‘She’s a sweet-natured girl.’ Lara reached out and touched his arm, her expression concerned. ‘Are you all right? You haven’t had the best day.’
Her touch seemed to connect with every nerve ending in his body and he tensed, battling with an astonishingly powerful desire to haul her against him and bring his mouth down on hers. He was entirely confident that a couple of hours naked with Lara would make his problems considerably less important.
But that wasn’t an option.
Reminding himself that he was a father with responsibilities, one of which was not indulging his own fantasies, he took a step back from her, wishing he hadn’t noticed the thickness of her lashes and the softness of her mouth.
A vision of her in her fairy costume sprang into his head and he ran a hand over the back of his neck and prowled across the kitchen, putting some distance between them. With a considerable effort, he turned his mind back to the reality of his life. ‘She was drunk, Lara.’
‘I know.’
He turned to face her, a surge of helpless anger engulfing his attempt at calm. ‘I left my children with a drunk.’
‘No, you didn’t. You left your children with a nanny recommended by a reputable agency.’ Lara’s voice was steady. ‘If anyone is to blame, it’s them.’
‘Maybe. I still feel responsible. It means more change and upheaval for the girls and they’ve already had enough. I won’t be using that agency again, that’s for sure. Which gives me a problem because none of the other agencies have anyone available right now. Apparently no one changes jobs three weeks from Christmas. Aggie’s right. What we need around here is a miracle.’
Deeply worried about his children, he paced across to the window and stared across the huge garden that stretched behind the house. Snow was fluttering down from a grey, wintry sky, settling on the grass like icing sugar, and the holly tree was crowded with bright red berries. The house was beautiful. It was just a shame that he hadn’t had time to turn it into a home. ‘I need to get on the phone and call every agency in London. But I keep thinking that I don’t want to leave them with anyone.’ That had never been what he wanted for his children. ‘If Aggie hadn’t shown such common sense…’ He broke off, still dealing with the enormity of what could have happened to his girls.
‘But she did. And that’s reassuring, isn’t it? Despite her age, she’s obviously very sensible and practical. That must make you very proud of her. Of both of them. They’re gorgeous children.’
‘And they deserve better than this. They’ve been through hell and they need stability.’
‘I have a solution. I should have thought of it a week ago when I first saw you in the grotto. I can do it.’
‘You can do what?’
‘Help you with the girls.’
For a moment Christian just stared at her, wondering if he’d heard her correctly. ‘You already work as a nurse in the busiest emergency department in the capital, and on the side you’re a fairy. How many jobs does one woman need?’
‘I could do it, no problem. I’d just move in with you and then I’d be here in the mornings and the evenings.’
Move in?
Christian froze, his tension levels soaring. He was about to utter a curt rejection of her idea when she looked up at him and smiled. He felt himself instantly drawn into the warmth of that smile, even though the cynical side of him—the side that was experienced with women—was shouting a loud warning.
She was like a siren, he thought, drawing a man onto the rocks.
But even that knowledge didn’t stop him noticing that her eyes were actually more violet than blue and that her blonde hair was still flicking up slightly at the ends, giving her appearance an elfin quality that was astonishingly appealing.
‘Christian?’She looking at him with amusement in her eyes and he suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be responding to her proposal.
‘No.’ He didn’t need a sexy woman living in his house. ‘Definitely not.’
‘It would only be over the Christmas period. Why would you say no?’ She looked slightly baffled, as if the possibility of rejection hadn’t occurred to her. ‘I’m the answer to your prayers.’
He gritted his teeth and reined in his libido. ‘Lara, you’re not the answer to my prayers.’
Her merry smile faltered and the dimple threatened to disappear. ‘You don’t trust me with your children?’
‘This has nothing to do with the children.’
‘Well, of course it does!’ She stared at him in astonishment. ‘It has everything to do with the children. That’s why I’m offering. What else are we talking about here?’
He lifted an eyebrow. Did she need him to spell it out?
She stared at him for a moment and then her eyes narrowed. ‘Ah. I see. You think I’ve just made an indecent proposition. I’ve noticed that women seem to do that when they’re around you. It must get pretty awkward.’
‘Occasionally.’ He ran a hand over the back of his neck, struggling to be tactful. ‘Thanks for your offer, but—’
‘Christian.’ She lifted a hand to interrupt him. ‘Stop now, before you say something that will make this embarrassing. Firstly, I wasn’t making an indecent proposal. It was a genuine offer to help with the children. Secondly, although you are indecently handsome, I don’t have designs on you. You’re quite safe.’
‘Safe?’
‘Yes.’ Her eyes sparkled with humour. ‘I admit that I find you very attractive. And I like you. A lot.’
‘Lara!’
‘What’s the matter now?’
He inhaled sharply and took a step back to prevent himself from reaching for her. ‘I’m not in a position to indulge in a relationship,’ he said tersely, deciding that, if she was going to be honest, then he may as well be, too.
‘Neither am I. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I’m hopeless at relationships. Useless. Ask my mother if you don’t believe me. For the past four years, my longest relationship has been three dates.’ She held up her fingers to emphasise her point. ‘Three. Not impressive, by anyone’s standards.’
‘Three dates?’ He studied her pretty face with something approaching disbelief. ‘I find that hard to believe.’
‘So does my mother. She can’t believe that I haven’t managed to find Mr Right when I’m living in a city with a huge population of single men. I’m obviously doing something horribly wrong. But, anyway, what I’m trying to say is that, if you don’t want a relationship, then I’m your woman.’
‘That sounds like something of a contradiction.’
‘Yes, you’re right. It does.’ Her eyes brimmed with laughter and the dimple was back in the corner of her mouth. ‘But you know what I mean.’
Christian refused to allow himself to look at the dimple. ‘I’m not sure that I do. Lara, it’s impossible.’ He didn’t trust himself. ‘No.’
‘If you say no, you’ll regret it.’
‘I’m saying no and I’m not going to regret it.’ Against his will, his eyes dropped to her mouth and his entire body throbbed with sexual tension. ‘It’s a wild, crazy idea.’
‘You’re just hesitating because of this whole stupid chemistry thing. But you don’t need to worry. It’s the perfect solution, Christian. I’m on the early sh
ift right up until Christmas so I can pick up the girls from school and take them home.’
‘They’re on holiday for the four days before Christmas.’ What was he saying? What did it matter when they were on holiday? He should have been saying no and pushing her out of the door.
She shrugged. ‘We can mix and match our days off.’
There was a long, pulsating silence and he stared down at her. ‘Why would you make that offer?’ He was experienced enough with women to be wary.
‘Honestly? Company.’ She hesitated and then gave a twisted little smile. ‘This is going to be the first year ever that my family won’t be together at Christmas and I’m staying in London. Pathetic, isn’t it? I’m twenty-five and I’m really sad that I’m not going home for Christmas.’
‘You obviously have a close family.’ Which made her lucky, not pathetic.
‘Yes. Well, if I moved in with you, I could still have a family Christmas.’
He felt himself wavering and tried to talk some sense into himself. It was a ridiculous suggestion. ‘Apart from the trip to the grotto, I haven’t thought about Christmas.’
‘Aggie’s thinking about it. She gave Santa a very long list. Someone needs to start shopping and unpacking boxes.’
‘I know.’ Christian ran a hand over his face, feeling trapped. ‘It’s a generous offer but…no. I have to say no, Lara.’
She studied him for a moment. ‘I’m going to be frank here. You don’t want a relationship, neither do I. Just in case you don’t believe me and you’re worried that I might be difficult to shift, you ought to know that my flight to Sydney is on the 15th of January, and that isn’t changing.’
‘You’re going to Sydney?’
‘Yes. I’m visiting my brother and his girlfriend in Australia. And I’ll probably do a bit of travelling. So, you see, there isn’t a problem because I’m leaving the country. How much safer do you need to feel? Christian, I can help you, I know I can. I can unpack the boxes in the house, I can put up Christmas decorations, I can organise you a big, happy family Christmas. And as for the chemistry…’ She waved a hand dismissively. ‘We’ll ignore it.’
Was that possible?
‘You’ve resigned from your job?’
‘Yes.’
Why did he care? ‘You seriously expect me to believe that you want to move in with two demanding children, a grouchy guy who hasn’t even had time to unpack the boxes from his house move and cook Christmas dinner?’ His voice was rougher than he’d intended. ‘It’s most women’s idea of hell.’ It had certainly been his wife’s idea of hell.
‘Not mine.’She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans. ‘Look, London is horrifically expensive for a nurse and my flat is tiny. On Christmas Day, it’s going to be me or the turkey. There’s certainly not room for both of us.’ The laughter brimming in her eyes brought a smile to his lips.
‘You wouldn’t bother cooking a turkey for one.’
‘You’re right. So lunch would probably be a cranberry omelette. Which makes my Christmas all the more pitiful. Take pity on me and give me the run of your beautiful kitchen. I could do amazingly creative things with your range cooker.’
‘It’s not your cooking that worries me.’
‘What, then?’
‘The children could get attached to you.’
‘Not in the space of a few weeks. We’ll just have some fun. I’m sure it will be fine if we’re just honest with them. We’ll just tell the girls right from the start that it’s only temporary. I’m leaving in less than a month from now so they can’t get too attached. I mean, they haven’t exactly mourned any of their nannies, have they? I’m just the woman who collects them from school, helps them with homework and cooks their tea. It will be too short term for them to grow too fond of me. I’m just here to make Christmas easier. It’s always a busy time of year. If you haven’t had time to unpack boxes, when are you going to find time to shop for the girls and decorate a tree?’
It was a completely ridiculous offer. He was experienced enough with women to know that the chemistry between them was astonishingly powerful.
Was it really something that they’d be able to ignore?
‘It’s Christmas,’ Lara said, her tone persuasive. ‘You’re not going to find anyone else that you can trust. The girls and I will have fun together and, when you’re at home, I’ll just hide in my room with my books on the Great Barrier Reef. I won’t intrude on your family, I promise.’
Christian looked at her, struggling against a powerful impulse to follow her suggestion, clamp his mouth down on hers and kiss her until she no longer had the breath to speak. She had an incredibly kissable mouth. ‘My girls are very demanding. They’re lively and noisy and frequently disruptive. And they’re untidy.’
‘So am I. My mother despairs of me.’
The whole thing sounded like a recipe for disaster and Christian slid a finger inside the collar of his shirt. ‘I don’t need help.’
There was a crash from one of the bedrooms upstairs and Lara flinched and pulled a face. ‘No?’ She tilted her head back and glanced up at the ceiling as if she was expecting a crack to appear. ‘I’ll go and see to the repairs while you think about my offer.’
CHAPTER FIVE
WHY had she mentioned moving in?
It had been a silly, impulsive suggestion. Wishful thinking on her part, because she couldn’t imagine anything more perfect than being a part of his lovely, noisy family for Christmas. And Christian obviously needed some help.
But one look at his face had been enough to tell her that he wasn’t ever going to say yes to her suggestion. He was obviously used to being pursued by women and equally used to smoothly fending them off.
The chemistry between them clearly unsettled him and he hadn’t seemed convinced by her assurance that she didn’t want a relationship any more than he did.
He was obviously fiercely protective of his children.
Had they suffered a great deal?
They seemed fine to her, but she barely knew them so she probably wasn’t in a position to judge.
Lara took the stairs two at a time and found herself on a bright, spacious landing. The light poured in from large windows and she paused for a moment as she noticed the removal boxes stacked against the wall.
Her head full of questions, she walked a few paces, her feet echoing on the polished wooden floor. In her mind she was already furnishing the place. A large rug to add warmth to the landing, wooden bookshelves to store all those boxes of books. Tall plants that would flourish in the natural light.
It was a beautiful family home, she thought dreamily as she followed the direction of the noise.
Who would have thought that Christian Blake had a house in the smartest part of Notting Hill? Consultants earned good salaries, of course, but all the same…
Another crash from one of the rooms made her jump and Lara switched off her dreams and hurried towards the sound of sobbing.
Pushing open a door, she found herself in Aggie’s bedroom.
‘I can’t find them anywhere. I’ve emptied all the boxes and they’re gone.’ Aggie was sobbing noisily, surrounded by the contents of a toy box. ‘I need them for the nativity play.’
Lara scooped her off the floor and sat down on a chair with Aggie in her lap. Her blonde curls smelt of shampoo. ‘What do you need for the nativity play?’
‘Wings.’ Her sobs increased and Lara heard Christian’s tread on the stairs.
‘Don’t cry, Aggie. We’ll find the wings.’
‘What’s happened now?’ He stood in the doorway, his eyes on his daughter, his voice incredibly patient. ‘Aggie?’
‘I’m supposed to be an angel and I forgot to tell you. There’s a letter in my schoolbag. I need an angel costume.’
Christian dragged his hands through his hair. ‘An angel costume? What exactly does that involve? How long do I have to produce the thing?’
There was a faint note of panic in his voice that made Lara
smile. She’d seen him display nerves of steel when he coped with critically injured patients, but faced with the task of providing a child with an angel costume, he looked seriously flustered.
Aggie’s lip wobbled. ‘I can’t remember. Monday. Or maybe Tuesday.’
‘She needs it by the last Wednesday of term.’ Chloe appeared in the doorway. ‘The junior nativity is on the Wednesday. It’s another week and a half away.’
‘Well, that’s fine because we have plenty of time.’ Lara smiled. ‘I can provide an angel costume. And brand-new wings.’
Aggie sniffed. ‘I’m supposed to be a white angel.’
‘No problem. They sell them at the store where I’m working. I’ll buy you a beautiful pair.’Aware that Christian was looking at her, Lara gently deposited Aggie on the floor and stood up, suddenly wondering whether he was about to object. ‘Is it OK with you if I deal with the costume?’
His eyes locked on hers and his voice was rough. ‘I don’t think that would be a good idea.’
‘Dad!’ Chloe gave him an astonished look. ‘Are you mad? You can’t make an angel costume! How can it possibly not be a good idea?’
He let out a long breath. ‘Because it isn’t that simple.’
‘Why not? Dad, someone is offering to help,’ Chloe said. ‘Say yes and say it fast, before she changes her mind.’
Christian ran a hand over his face, looking like a man with an impossible decision to make. Then he let his hand drop to his side and looked at Lara. ‘All right.’ He spoke the words reluctantly. ‘It would be great if you could help Aggie with a costume. Thank you.’
‘Good. That’s settled, then.’
Christian stooped and lifted Aggie into his arms. ‘Stop crying. Lara’s going to make you a costume.’
‘And will you come and see me in the play? I’ve got lines to say.’
‘He can’t, Aggie. You know he’s working. He can’t just take time off like that.’ Chloe leaned against the doorframe. ‘They might let me watch you. Last year we got to watch the little ones.’
‘I’m not little!’Aggie wailed. ‘I want Dad. And Lara. Everyone’s allowed two people watching.’