Jayne
“Oh…my…God,” Amy hisses through her front teeth. “This place is insane.” She goes to the kitchen’s back windows. “Who is that out there?”
I look over her shoulder, finding Eddie trimming a bush next to his house. “That’s Eddie, the butler.”
She gives me an incredulous look, even though I long ago told her everything about Benjamin’s house. “People still have butlers?”
I scoff. “That was my first thought when I met him.”
“What does he do?”
“Um, he basically tells other people what to do, I think. Like, the housekeeper and the chef. Oh, and he runs errands for Benjamin sometimes.”
“Nice. Sign me up.”
In my pocket, my phone beeps, signaling that it’s dying.
“Do you have my charger?”
“Yeah. Here it is.”
Luckily, Amy’s route to her Friday afternoon class takes her just a few blocks away from Benjamin’s place, so when I asked her—no, begged her to bring my phone charger by, she was here in no time at all.
“Where’s Mia?” Amy asks, walking into the dining room and looking around in interest.
“School.”
“Oh. Right.” She swivels on her heel to face me. “I’d be an awful nanny. I don’t even know where kids go all day long.”
“You’d be good,” I laugh. “You’d be fun.”
“So, have you had any more…” She waggles her eyebrows.
“What?”
“You know…” Amy lowers her voice. “Sex on countertops?”
I bite down on my bottom lip, but it does nothing to stop my smile. “No countertops, no.”
I keep my voice low. As far as I know, no other members of staff are around to hear me, but talking about Benjamin while he’s not here feels a little weird.
“Damn it.”
“But we did have a nice time in the hot tub the other night.” I give her that one tidbit.
Amy makes a face. “You’re not supposed to have sex in—”
“I never said we had sex. There are other things you can do in a hot tub, you know.” I stick my tongue out at her before shaking my dead phone in the air. “I need to plug this in.”
Amy follows me into the living room. “Seriously, you have the most amazing life.”
“I know.”
“Have you and Benjamin talked any about your relationship?”
I cringe as I plug my phone charger into the wall. “What’s to talk about?”
“Everything.”
I hear her plop down on the couch, and I turn to face her. “It’s—”
“Fun. I know.” Amy leans over the couch’s armrest. “But I know you, Jayne. I’ve seen the way you’ve been acting the last week.” She pauses, then whispers, “You’re falling in love with him.”
Her words are like a punch to the gut.
“What?” I ask, like that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.
Amy narrows her eyes the slightest bit, and it’s supposed to be a humorous expression, but I can tell she’s genuinely a little annoyed with me.
“Any girl would be insane to not fall for this guy. He has everything.”
“He does,” I sigh.
“Aha! There it is.” She points an accusatory finger.
“There’s what?”
“The look on your face.”
“Don’t you have to be at class?”
“I can be a few minutes late.”
I cross my arms and stare her down. “Why are we talking about this?” I huff.
“You know why.”
I run my hands through my loose hair and sigh. “It's fine. Really.”
“But what happens when—”
“Please don't.”
This conversation is getting increasingly aggravating. I don't want to think about what's going to happen between me and Benjamin. I've been trying my hardest all week to keep the future out of my mind.
Right now, things are good. I just got out of the service. I haven't even dated anyone else yet. Do I want a relationship? Yes. At some point I do.
Do I want it with Benjamin? Maybe.
Okay, yes. Fine. I want that.
But I don't know what he's searching for. It may be that the smart thing right now would be to back off, but I've already gotten in too deep. I think about him all the time. I can't end things with him, because I can't lose this job.
And I can't lose him.
So, maybe this makes me a stupid girl, but I'm willing to go a little longer without putting labels on anything.
“Everything is fine,” I tell Amy, smiling at her through clenched teeth.
She sighs and stands. “Okay. Let me know when you want to start that dating profile.”
“See you at home,” I mutter.
She's gone not more than ten minutes when the door leading to the garage opens.
“Hello?” I call, going into the side hallway. “Eddie?”
“Is that who you want to see?” Benjamin’s seductive voice asks. He steps out of his office and catches me around the waist.
“You're home early,” I answer, grinning from ear-to-ear.
“Mm.” He nuzzles his face against my neck, the stubble scraping my skin. “I thought I'd do a little work from home. Maybe you can, ah, watch me?”
“Watch you?” I giggle.
“Right.” Benjamin loosens his tie. “Wearing nothing but your bra and panties, I mean.”
“Ah.” I walk my fingers up his chest. “That actually sounds like not a bad idea.”
“Good.” He takes hold of my hand. Instead of reaching to push my skirt down, though, like I expect, he pulls me in for a deep and warm kiss.
“I know it's only been half a day,” Benjamin murmurs against my lips, “but I fucking missed you.”
The words send ripples of every kind of need possible through me.
“How long do we have till Mia's home?” Benjamin asks.
“Let's see.” I turn his arm so I can look at his watch.
“Shoot. I have to go pick her up in fifteen.”
How did the afternoon pass by so quickly?
“Too bad.” Benjamin rubs my lower back. “Looks like we'll have to be sneaking into the closets from now on.”
“What do you mean?”
“Winter break,” he explains.
Winter break. Duh. There's another thing I haven't been paying attention to.
“That's right… So, um, will you be working over the holidays?”
Now that we're talking about break, I feel a thread of anxiety winding through me. Christmas is my favorite time of the year, and although I sometimes spend it at my parents’ house, doing that never goes over very well. I'd much rather spend the holidays with my friends.
“I’ll be working fewer hours, but I’ll still need you on for the regular schedule—outside of the big dates, of course.” Benjamin tilts his head to the side, considering something. “Is that okay?”
“Yes,” I answer brightly. “That’s great.”
“What are your plans for Christmas?”
I shrug. He still has his arms around me, and it feels so good, I keep getting distracted. It’s really hard to remember any English with him touching me.
“I don’t have a plan,” I admit. “My parents have invited me to spend it with them, but I don’t know…that usually means I have to endure a whole day of hearing about everything I’ve done wrong with my life.”
Benjamin’s lips purse at that, but he doesn’t say anything. Other than that night downstairs in the theater, we haven’t really talked about my parents, and that’s just fine with me.
“So, Amy and I will be hanging out some. Except, she’s going home for a few days, and…” I trail off. What am I doing on Christmas? Have I set myself up to spend the holiday alone this year?
“Come with us.”
I stare at Benjamin. “Go with you where?”
“I’m taking Mia on a snowboarding trip to Aspen. We went last y
ear and she loved it.”
“She snowboards?” I smile, thinking about tiny, girly Mia hitting the slopes. Somehow, it doesn’t surprise me. She may like pink and frilly things, but she can also be pretty fierce.
“Like a beast,” Benjamin answers with a grin, and I laugh.
His face turns serious. “I want you to come with us when we go next week. Mia would love it…and so would I.”
The intensity in his statement can’t be ignored. I swallow hard, looking back into his dark eyes. His gaze has me tethered to him; I wouldn’t be able to break away if I wanted to.
“That would be…nice,” I breathe.
“Have you ever been snowboarding?”
“No.”
Benjamin pulls me closer, nudging his hips up against mine.
“I can offer you some private instruction.”
I throw my head back in laughter. “Sure. Offer accepted.”
“How long did you say you have before you need to get Mia?”
“Fifteen.” I take a look at his watch again. “Actually, now, ten.”
“Ten minutes…” He trails off, his eyebrow seductively rising.
I see where this is going. “That’s not very long.”
“You doubt my abilities?”
“I just know you as a man who always takes his time.” I loop my arms over his shoulders. “It’s one of the things I like about you.”
Benjamin emits a low growl. “How about I show you another side of me?”
“In…” I peek at his watch. “Nine minutes and counting?”
“Dare me.”
My need for him is growing, and I know instinctively that I wouldn’t even say no to two wild minutes with him.
“Fine.” I grin. “I dare you.”
“Dare accepted.”
Benjamin picks me up and puts me right over his shoulder, and I shriek as he carries me into his office and kicks the door closed behind us.
Chapter 19
Jayne
I try not to stare at the interior of the jet, but it’s hard. Really hard.
Mia rushes past me and plops onto one of the cream-colored leather seats, like being surrounded by this kind of opulence is no big deal.
Which, to her, I have to remind myself, isn’t.
“Who’s ready for the best snowboarding trip ever?” Benjamin asks from behind me.
“Me! Me!” Mia yelps.
Benjamin touches my waist as he goes by, and our eyes connect. A shiver runs down into my toes. This has been happening a lot lately. One touch or look from him, and I lose all sense of who I am or what I’m doing.
“Buckle up,” Benjamin tells Mia. He bends down to help her with her seat belt, and I take the opportunity to further check out the private jet.
Benjamin hasn’t gone on any long trips since I’ve met him, but I know that he uses this jet for when he does. It has twelve seats in it, plus a long couch. There’s a minibar, a fridge, and a flat screen mounted at the front. The stewardess has already taken our bags and put them away.
The stewardess.
That’s another thought I can’t wrap my head around. Do she and the pilot work for Benjamin full time? Or does he hire whoever is available when he needs to make a trip?
This whole world is so foreign to me, but I’m not going to ask those kinds of questions. We’ll only be at the lodge for a couple nights, and are coming back on Christmas Eve, so I want to make the best of it.
“Have a seat,” Benjamin says, patting the chair next to him.
Smiling, I do as I’m bidden, which isn’t hard.
Mia already has her books out, and is turning pages and quietly reading out loud. Benjamin loops an arm over the back of my chair, and we share a quick look.
It’s the closest he’s ever come to touching me around Mia, and I’m trying not to read into it. I’m sure he hasn’t said anything to her about the two of us—why would he? I’m the nanny. In her eyes, that’s how it should be right now.
I lean past Benjamin and catch a peek at her. Her little legs are swinging over the side of her seat and she’s switching up her voice for the different characters. A rush of love fills my chest.
Mia is an amazing child. Honestly, at times I don’t know who I’m becoming more attached to—her, or her father.
The jet takes off within a few minutes, and once Mia grows tired of her books, we spend the duration of the two-and-a-half-hour flight watching a movie and playing games like I spy.
When the stewardess announces that we’ll be landing soon, I take a look out the window and can hardly believe my eyes. I knew we were flying somewhere with snow, but now that I’m here, it’s crazy. It’s like we’ve entered another world.
Just like with boarding the plane, exiting it is super fast and simple. There are no other passengers to wait for, no baggage to pick up in the airport, and we’re off in no time at all, descending the steps into what—compared to San Bravado—feels like freezing air.
I shrink inside of my parka and hurry to the waiting car. In between this and the jet, I’m starting to feel like royalty.
In the back of the car, Mia buckles herself into the booster seat that’s between me and Benjamin. “Look at the snow.” She points at the mountains in the distance.
“It’s beautiful.”
Benjamin settles in on Mia’s other side, and we’re off. The car takes us right through Aspen’s downtown, along cute, tree-lined streets with brownstone and brick buildings.
It’s the lodge that really takes the cake, though. It’s set at the base of the mountains, with more windows than I can count. The car drops us off at the front door, and before I can go to grab my own suitcase, someone else is taking care of it, and Benjamin is taking my hand.
“Come on.” He smiles.
I grin back at him, allowing myself to be guided into a lavish lobby. While Benjamin checks in, Mia and I inspect the taxidermy bear by the fireplace and dare each other to stand close to it.
“It’s creepy.” Mia wraps her arms around herself and shivers.
“Don’t worry. It won’t eat you.” I creep closer to her. “But I might.”
I close the distance between us with a leap, wrapping my arms around her and sweeping her off the floor. Mia shrieks in pleasure, and I bury my face in her armpit, pretending to munch on her.
“You’re a yummy snack,” I tell her.
Over her head, I catch Benjamin watching us. At some point, he finished checking in and wandered over. There’s a look in his eyes that I can’t peg. Longing? Wistful happiness?
A moment later and it’s gone.
“Let’s go see our rooms,” he says, springing into action and leading the way to the elevators.
The suite he’s rented for us doesn’t disappoint. It’s more like an apartment than anything else. With a foyer, a living room, a little kitchen nook, and two bedrooms, it has to have close to twice the square footage of Amy’s apartment. Making a mental note to send her a video tour of the place later, I follow Mia into the bigger bedroom, where she’s already jumping on the bed.
“Whose bed is this?” she asks, hair flying around her head to create a halo. “It’s mine, right?”
Benjamin comes in from talking to the porter who’s delivered our bags. “You get the other one. The bed is lower in there.”
“Aww.” She stops jumping and gasps. “Oh, no! There are only two beds.”
I give Benjamin a sidelong glance as he crosses his arms, addressing Mia.
“I’ll be fine on the couch, pumpkin.”
When Mia’s not looking, he winks my way. My pulse quickens.
“So, what now?” Benjamin asks. “Are we going to stay in here and watch TV all afternoon or are we going to go snowboarding?”
“Snowboarding!” Mia and I both cry out at the same time.
We get changed for the adventure, with me pulling on the outerwear Benjamin bought me just for the occasion. Bundled up, we head downstairs, where we’re given a ride to the equipment shack
up the mountain a bit.
The first thing I learn about snowboarding is that it’s even harder than it looks. At least for me, anyway. I’m pretty fit, and I’ve done a number of sports in my life, from swimming to soccer. One thing I’ve never been great at, though, is balance.
“Bend your knees,” Mia instructs.
We’re at the beginner’s slope, and I’ve already eaten snow twice. The average age in this spot is much closer to Mia’s than mine, but I don’t care. I’m having a blast with the two people I want to be around most.
“Careful.” Benjamin laughs and takes hold of my elbow.
“Thanks.” I look up at him, and even though we’re both wearing sunglasses, there’s something strong about the connection.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mia watching us, a smile on her face…a knowing smile?
No, I tell myself. She’s too little to understand what might be happening between Benjamin and me. Although, she has talked about her mother before, and about how she’d like a “second mommy” one day.
Does that mean she sees me as a candidate for that role?
Scooting away from Benjamin—as much as my board lets me—I push those thoughts away. I’m Mia’s nanny. Benjamin’s…whatever it is we are. It’s too dangerous for me to think other ways.
And yet, here we are, on a trip together. A trip in which it really doesn’t feel like I’m the nanny. It’s more like I’ve come along as a girlfriend.
Again, I know reading between the lines only leads to trouble. Once you start doing that, disappointments and misunderstandings are right around the corner.
For now, I need to focus on this moment. The sun is shining and the snow is pristine. I have a great, gorgeous man and his adorable little girl by my side. I need to enjoy life as it comes at me.
Chapter 20
Jayne
The flames in the middle of the table kick to life, and Mia and I both clap happily.
Benjamin chuckles and lowers his lips close to my ear. “I don’t know who’s more excited,” he whispers huskily, “you or her.”
“I know, right?” I smile at him. For good measure, I let my eyes linger on his face before giving him a wink. His pupils dilate, and I know I’m having the intended effect on him.
Nanny For Hire - A Steamy Single-Dad Billionaire Romance (San Bravado Billionaires' Club Book 2) Page 10