“Mr. Knight?”

I lift my head, staring at Nikki. “What?” I ask, wondering how long she’s been standing there, staring at me, talking to me while I zone out and try to bring myself out of this funk I’m feeling.

After the fight with Olivia yesterday and my continued failures with Emma, I’m feeling a bit beat. But instead of my usual push to destroy everything that pushes back against me, I just feel tired.

“The tenant is still there.” Nikki’s eyes are wide, and I sense she’s nervous. And she damn well should be. She’s delivering bad news. I fired the last woman who gave me bad news.

“Um, I’m wondering if Sally is really fired, or if...” she trails off, staring at me.

“She’s fired. Want to join her?” I snap. Instantly Nikki snaps to attention.

Her look changes, and I see it for what it is. “I’d do anything not to get fired,” she whispers, her tone silken. “Anything.” Her voice becomes almost a purr, and I look at her. Before I can do something I will regret, I order her out of my office.

I hate you! Olivia’s voice rings in my ears.

And my father speaks up. You’re just a shitty excuse for a man.

Angry, I get to my feet and grab the file on my desk. I’m a half a heartbeat from throwing it across the room when a sheet of paper with post it notes stuck to it flutters free and lands face down on my desk.

Startled out of my rage, I drop the file on my desk and pick up the sheet, feeling the will to live drain right out of me with every passing second.

Each post it note is marked with a single name.

Cami.

And a time.

8am. No message.

Cami 9:15am. No message.

Cami 10:10am. No message.

Cami 11am. No message.

Cami 12:35. No message.

Cami 1:42. No message.

Cami 2:08. No message

My heart sinks to my toes.

She knows where I am. She knows I’m here, that I’m getting this log. She knows what she’s doing.

My cell rings and I jolt. Hating myself for being so jumpy, I answer it.

“Mr. Knight?” The voice is vaguely familiar.

“Speaking.”

“Hello, this is Linda with the school. Olivia isn’t here and I was wondering if you kept her home for a sick day.” She sounds worried, but I’ve been having so many problems with the school, I’d rather not have more.

“Let me check with her nanny,” I say, keeping the panic I feel from my voice. “I’ll call you back.” As soon as my finger is on the end button, I’m out the door.

The drive home is a blur.

I pull up in front of the house and see Beau, the bodyguard, outside. He nods at me, a sign that all’s well, but I breeze past and into the house.

“Sandy!” I shout, “Olivia!”

“Kieran, what’s gotten into you?” Sandy asks, her face white as she appears from the kitchen.

“Where’s Olivia?” I ask, and she tries to quiet me down.

“She’s sleeping! She was up half the night crying!” Sandy follows me, fluttering her hands as I rush toward Olivia’s room. I burst in the door and see her peacefully in bed, headphones in her ears. The rise and fall of her chest tells me she’s sleeping and relief floods me.

With quick steps, I make my way to her side. Taking the place beside her, I curl up against her, smiling as her dark hair tickles my nose. The panicked fear of having possibly lost her sends my heart into a drumbeat of war, and I take deep breaths. She’s here. That’s all that matters. I haven’t lost her. She’s here.

Gathering her into my arms, I feel her sleeping body snuggle into me as I hold her. I can’t imagine losing her. It would destroy me.

When I’m finally calm, I leave her room. As I close the door I see her settle, her breathing deepening as sleep takes her under the level of dreams. I turn to Sandy, who’s still watching me, her face white as a sheet.

She thinks she’s about to get fired.

Good. She fucking should be.

I lean in, snarling as I speak. “If you ever pull her out of school without telling me again, you’ll be out on your ass, hear me?”

She nods so quickly she looks like a cartoon character. She hurries off and I pull the phone from my pocket. I call the school. “Yeah, the nanny kept her home. She wasn’t feeling well,” I tell them. I’m met with understanding and an apology for causing me concern.

I hang up and stand in the hallway, feeling so utterly alone and broken.

The ride to Emma’s ranch is quiet. Olivia ignores me, despite my attempts to get her to open up and talk to me. But she hasn’t forgiven me for last night’s fight. Which is fine. I get it. She’s pissed, still.

But when we pull up in front of the farm house, it’s a relief.

Olivia gets out and slams the truck door before I even shut off the engine.

I follow her out, and glance up at an open window on the second story of the house. Sheer curtains billow out of the window, and I catch sight of Emma closing the bedroom door. There’s a little curve to her lips and a pink tinge to her cheeks that’s enough to get me rock hard in an instant.

She opens the front door and asks me where Olivia is. “She headed to the barn,” I tell her, needing to let her know Olivia’s having a rough day. “Listen, she’s upset. Take it easy on her,” I say, and Emma halts, her gaze on mine.

“Why?” she asks, her stare serious.

“Because she’s upset.” I’m speaking fucking English, right?

A smile flashes across her face as she studies me. “All the more reason to go harder on her. Mr. Knight, life isn’t easy on us when we’re having a bad day. Hell,” she says, and I lift my eyebrows that she’s cursing in front of me, “Life likes to fuck us harder when we’re upset.” She turns and heads toward the barn, a sexy sway to her hips.

“Don’t talk like that around her,” I say, and Emma glances over her shoulder at me with a sultry stare that sends every thought attempting to process below the belt.

Fuck, she’s clearly had a change of heart.

That, or she’s thinking with something south of her heart. I’ll take it. I’ve been wanting to take her anyway. A rough tumble with a sexy woman, especially one who’s been so hell bent on fucking up every plan I put in place, would do wonders for my moral.

I’ve earned some god damned stress relief.