Chapter One
The afternoon sun shone through the windows in the warm, cozy kitchen. Mia Atwood held Bailey Rhodes’ little fingertips in one hand and carefully painted the six-year-old’s nails, trying her best to keep the color off the child’s skin. “So tomorrow you start first grade. Are you ready?” she asked her small charge.
Bailey looked up at her with her father’s big brown eyes. “I’m ’cited. Lisa’s in my class but Callie isn’t.” She pouted as she reminded herself of that fact. “And Lisa said Josh Rockman is with us.” She wrinkled her small nose. “Eew. He’s gross so I hope he isn’t sitting near me, but his last name starts with an R, too. So maybe he is. He used to be at the table across from me in Ms. Diamond’s class,” the little chatterbox said.
Mia bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. “I’m sure Josh isn’t gross, Bailey.”
“He’s a boy,” Bailey said, drawing out the word with a negative tone, as if that fact explained everything.
Mia waved her hand over the polish, hoping to help it dry before Bailey was off to play and smudged Mia’s work. “All finished but can you sit for a few minutes so it dries?”
“Yeah.” Bailey held up her hands and grinned, a nearly toothless smile because she’d lost her front teeth and they’d only just begun to grow in. So. Cute. “Can I watch TV?” she asked.
“I have to get dinner ready, so I’ll put it on in the family room.” Mia gestured to the room across from the kitchen with a completely open view of the sofa and television from where Mia would prepare the evening meal.
“Wait. I’ll put some oil on your nails to help them set.” She applied the oil, then led Bailey to the sofa in the family room. “How about you keep your hands right here?” Mia placed them palms down on Bailey’s thighs, turned on her favorite show, and hoped it kept her occupied while the polish dried.
For the last three months, she’d been a live-in nanny for Bailey, hired by the child’s single father, Austin Rhodes. He lived in Connecticut, wanting his daughter to grow up in the suburbs, in a house with neighbors and a backyard in which to play. There was no Mrs. Rhodes in the picture. Her employer hadn’t explained except to say he had sole custody… and Mia hadn’t asked questions.
She had enough in her own work background he hadn’t pushed hard about when hiring her. Her last job hadn’t been a cakewalk. Her employer had been into shady dealings and she’d heard too much, learned things she’d had to report to the authorities and testify about at trial.
Austin had only cared that she’d stepped up and done the right thing in the courts, and he’d had no problem hiring her. He didn’t care about the details. Of course, she wasn’t stupid. He was a bodyguard with access to all sorts of information, so he’d probably found out the particulars on his own. As for the elusive one-time Mrs. Rhodes, Bailey never mentioned her mom, either, but when it came to Austin, Mia couldn’t help but wonder why any woman would let him go.
Not going there, she reminded herself before her thoughts could drift to the man who kept himself in shape courtesy of a downstairs gym and who had well-defined muscles and sexy tattoos. He also possessed a chiseled face with a strong chin and full lips, jet-black hair, longer on top, and a constant, sexy scruff of a beard. And before she let herself linger on him any longer—she was only human, after all—she pushed her wayward thoughts away.
He had no place in her mind. During her work as a nanny, she’d come into contact with men who thought she was available for extracurricular activities as well as child care, something that both offended and upset her. These men were married, for one thing, and she never wanted to be that cliché, the nanny who had an affair with her wealthy employer. Even if, in this case, he was single. Thank goodness Austin wasn’t one of those men. He’d always treated her with distant kindness and respect.
“Mia, I messed a nail,” Bailey called out, interrupting her thoughts long before Mia had even started prepping dinner.
She shook her head and laughed. “Come on over and I’ll fix it.”
Before Bailey could make her way back to the kitchen, the state-of-the-art alarm system beeped, alerting Mia to the fact that Austin—he insisted she call him by his first name or else he’d think she was talking about his father—was home.
He walked in through the garage side door as he did every evening he didn’t have an assignment that kept him out odd hours.
“Daddy!” Bailey squealed and ran to her father, who scooped her up before she could barrel into him.
“What’s up, Bailey Button?” he asked, using his nickname for his daughter.
She giggled as she always did. “Mia did my nails. See?” She shoved her hand in his face, too close for him to get a good look.
He pulled her wrist farther away and studied her purple nails as if they were the most important thing in the world to him, and Mia’s heart melted.
“Gorgeous!” he exclaimed, with more feeling than she’d have thought the man could muster over a manicure.
In the short time she’d been here, she’d seen firsthand that he was an amazing father and Bailey was a lucky girl. Having grown up in foster care, Mia knew how special the father-daughter bond was—or rather, she knew how much she’d missed in not having it. Her father had walked out on her and her mother when she was two, so she barely remembered him. She’d lost her mom a few years later to cancer, so she knew how fortunate the little girl was to have a dad like Austin.
“I messed one up so Mia has to fix it,” the little girl said, wriggling out of her father’s embrace.
“Come on, munchkin,” Mia called out to her. “Let’s fix you. Then I need to get dinner prepped.”
“I’m going to exercise first, so don’t rush,” Austin said.
Mia nodded. “No worries. It’s a stir-fry, so I’ll get everything ready and I won’t start until you’re finished showering,” she said, aware of his routine.
“Thanks.”
She busied herself with Bailey’s nails and not with thinking about a sweaty Austin working out in his downstairs gym, the muscles flexing as he moved, or his hot body in the shower afterwards. She was the nanny and that’s all she’d ever be.
* * *
Austin had a long day. He wouldn’t call the situation he’d been in a hostage crisis but it had been damned close. Too close for a man with a child at home, that was for sure.
The woman he’d been guarding had snuck out to meet with her ex while Austin had been busy with her little girl. He usually received the kid-friendly jobs because, according to his boss, Dan Wilson, Austin was good with children. As if having his own made him an expert on other people’s kids. Being around other kids only made him long for his daughter because at least he understood her… until the teenage years hit. He shuddered at the thought.
After a long, hard workout, weights and cardio included, he stepped into a hot shower and let the steam relax his muscles. As he washed up and shampooed his hair, his stomach growled, reminding him it was time for dinner. Which, of course, reminded him of his daughter’s nanny, whose blonde hair was usually in a messy bun looking sexy when she wasn’t intending it to be. At the thought of her, his body came to life, and it took all his willpower not to jerk off to the thought of her.
He was beyond lucky he’d found his Mia through a reputable service and she had amazing cooking skills. Add in that Bailey seemed to adore her and he couldn’t mess up a good thing by coming on to the nanny.
Before Mia, his parents had been Bailey’s caregivers and although John and Sarah were young and spry, it hadn’t been fair to expect them to give up their lives to take care of Austin’s child. No matter that they loved their granddaughter, they’d already raised their kids, Austin and his sister, Sharon.
Head on straight, he dried himself off and pulled on a pair of black track pants and a light blue tee shirt, then headed downstairs to find his daughter.
As he approached the kitchen, Bailey’s chatter reached his ears.
“Mia, would you come with Daddy to bring me to school?”
The sound of stir-fry sizzling in the wok acted as stereo to Mia’s reply. “Your daddy is excited to take you tomorrow. He even took off from work so he could be there. You don’t want to disappoint him, do you?”
“No, but…” Bailey hesitated. “Everyone’s going to have their mommies and I won’t and I’ll be sad. So can you come, please? I know you’re not my mommy but you’re a girl. So pretty please, come take me?”
His daughter’s words were like a punch in the gut. Austin hadn’t left Kayla, she’d walked out on him and their daughter, not once but twice. True, he’d married her because she was pregnant, on purpose, she’d admitted, but he’d been determined to make the marriage work. Unfortunately, not only had she been a shitty wife, she’d been a worse mother, and that was where Austin drew the line. Anything that hurt his daughter was unacceptable.
He shook his head, determined to stay in the present with the one person who mattered. “Hey, guys, something smells good!” He joined Bailey and Mia in the kitchen, where Mia was placing servings of delicious-looking stir-fried chicken and vegetables on their respective places.
Although when she’d first started her job, Mia had planned to eat alone after he and Bailey had finished, it seemed natural to ask her to join them and not treat her like hired help.
They settled into their chairs and began to eat. Before her, his mom had cooked for the family. Left to his own devices, he and Bailey would live on tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, which he enjoyed, but it wasn’t exactly staple food to raise his daughter on every meal.
“Daddy?” Bailey asked, scooting her legs beneath her so she could reach the table better.
“Yes?”
“Can Mia come with you to take me to school?” she asked, her determination when she wanted something rivaling his.
“I thought we talked about this,” Mia said. “Your dad is going to drive you and I’ll pick you up,” she said brightly, trying to convince Bailey she had the best of both worlds with the planned arrangement.
Bailey pouted, pushing out her bottom lip. “But… but…”
“But what?” Austin placed his fork down and met his daughter’s gaze. It was that quivering of her bottom lip that did him in even before she replied.
“But Lisa’s mom and dad are taking her. And I don’t want to be the one without a mommy.”
He cursed his ex with everything he had in him but kept his expression warm for his daughter. “C’mere.”
She scrambled to her feet and he pulled her into him with one arm. Mia, he noticed, discreetly rose from the table and made herself busy by the sink.
“I know it’s hard for you, not having your mom around, but you know how much I love you, right?” he asked.
Bailey sniffed and nodded, those big brown, damp eyes his undoing. “You and me ’gainst the world.”
“Exactly.” He squeezed her tighter. “But if you want Mia to come with us tomorrow, it’s okay with me.”
“Yay!” She threw her arms around his neck and a lump rose to his throat. He’d do anything for her. Anything.
“Thank you, Daddy! See? You can come with us!” She pushed off him and ran to Mia, barreling into her and wrapping her little arms around Mia’s waist.
Mia met his gaze, green eyes the color of a grassy field locking onto him, a smile on her beautiful face.
“Will you come?” Bailey asked.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” she promised his daughter.
He closed his eyes and recommitted himself to viewing her as a caregiver and not a sexy woman with just enough curves to make his mouth water and green eyes he could drown in.
* * *
Mia walked into the elementary school with a cobblestone façade alongside Austin and Bailey. The little girl hopped her way inside, excited to meet her teacher and be with her friends. Though it broke Mia’s heart the way she was afraid she’d be the only girl without a mom there, once Austin had agreed to Mia going along, she’d seemed to put all sad thoughts out of her head.
Mia wished she’d had a father who cared as much about her as Bailey’s did. Though she had been in good foster homes, it wasn’t the same thing as a parent who loved you.
She centered herself, her attention back on Bailey, where it belonged. As she entered the room, she was immediately struck by the brightly decorated walls. Letters and pictures were scattered around, welcoming to all the children.
After they’d settled Bailey into her desk and warned her not to glare at Josh, who was, in fact, sitting in front of her, Austin knelt down, made certain his daughter was comfortable and happy before kissing her good-bye.
She glanced at Bailey. “So I’ll be outside when school is over to pick you up,” Mia reminded her, not for the first time. She didn’t want the little girl to worry about who would be waiting for her when the day ended.
“I know.” Bailey looked around the room, already eager for her class to get started.
Austin tipped his head toward the door, indicating it was time for them to leave.
Mia followed him into the hall. She didn’t miss the way some of the other mothers glanced at Austin appreciatively, eyeing both his handsome face and, yes, his spectacular ass. Which Mia, as his employee, should not be ogling. Or noticing. Or allowing herself to think about. But she did. Often.
The question she often asked herself was, did he think about her the same way? He was respectful, always, but she sometimes caught him studying her in that inscrutable way he had. As a bodyguard, he was probably trained not to let his emotions show and he didn’t. Yet she couldn’t help but wonder if the attraction was mutual.
“Mia?” he asked.
“Yes?” She jerked her gaze away and looked to the floor, hoping he hadn’t caught her staring or thinking inappropriate thoughts.
“Can I talk to you outside?” he asked.
She nodded. “Sure.” She followed him through the double doors and they paused on the walkway on the side of the building where they’d exited. They walked toward their vehicles, which were parked side by side so he could go straight to work.
He paused by the SUV she used to drive Bailey around and do errands. “Is everything okay?” she asked.
He met her gaze, his chocolate gaze warm on hers. At that intense look, her nipples stood at attention, making her grateful for the sweater she wore that covered the evidence.
“I just wanted to thank you,” he began. “Not for doing your job, which I’m extremely pleased with, by the way, but for being there for Bailey on a whole different level.”
The compliment on her work made her happy. Mia loved children and she really didn’t have to try very hard in order to work at her job. Bailey, especially, made it easy. “She’s a special little girl.”
“Yes, well, I think so, obviously,” he said with a chuckle. “But most people would do the bare minimum required of them and I can tell you care about her. That’s worth everything to me. To know the person who’s with my child all day really puts thought and care into her feelings, not just her basic welfare and needs.”
He rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke, clearly uncomfortable with their serious conversation, but she appreciated him expressing the sentiments.
“Thank you. She’s a joy.”
Their gazes met again, locking for a moment in what felt like a heated caress, not just a casual glance. His gaze drifted to her lips before he cleared his throat and looked away.
This was one of those times where she wondered if he was thinking about her, because she was definitely lost in thought about him. Specifically about kissing those full lips, wondering if his kiss would be hard and demanding or whisper soft. Either would work for her.
“I need to get to work,” he said gruffly, breaking into her naughty thoughts.
Her cheeks burned as she dug for her keys in her purse.
“See you when you get home,” she murmured without looking his way.
She headed to the driver’s-side door, away from Austin, just as a group of women walked by, their voices carrying. “She’s not the only nanny here but she’s the youngest,” one of the women said in an indiscreet loud voice.
“And he’s pretty hot himself,” another said. “And single.”
“Think they’re having an affair?”
Mia cringed at their insinuation, especially given where her mind had been seconds before. Still, women could be nasty and this group was pretty gossipy and rude. Couldn’t she just have a job without being accused of screwing her boss?
Ignoring them, she climbed into the seat and slammed the door shut, closing herself inside before she could hear the conclusion the women drew. Especially since it probably matched her deepest, darkest hidden desire for Austin Rhodes.
* * *
Austin waited for Mia to pull the SUV out of the parking spot in the school parking lot and head home before doing the same, turning his car toward the highway. He drove to the Alpha Security office, his mind on his daughter’s first full day of elementary school. Kindergarten had been half day, and he hoped she was up to a complete seven hours in first grade, but he reassured himself that Bailey was his Energizer Bunny. She would rise to the challenge and even dance her way through it. He grinned at the thought. She always made him smile.
Yesterday’s assignment and his daughter’s need to have him around cemented the fact that he wanted to change up what he did for Alpha Security, and he had an appointment to talk to Dan this morning.
Before he could continue along that train of thought, his cell rang and his mother’s name popped up on the dashboard screen.
He answered the call on speaker as he drove. “Hey, Mom.”
“How did my baby do going into school today?” Sarah asked.
“Went in like a champ.” He smiled, proud of his kid. “Of course, it helped that Mia joined us,” he said, giving credit where it was due. “Unfortunately, Bailey had a little breakdown over the fact that her friends had their mothers bringing them into school, too.”
His mom sighed. “We knew you’d have to deal with that one day.”
“I did. But it was amazing how agreeing to let Mia join us changed her whole mood. She really likes her and Mia is amazing with Bailey. She’s patient and loving. It’s not just a job for her,” he said, basically repeating what he’d said to Mia a few minutes earlier.
Mia, who’d stared at him with wide eyes and flushed cheeks, and put dirty thoughts in his head just by looking at him for a few seconds too long. He’d used those seconds to stare at her luscious mouth and wonder whether she tasted sweet like the sugar she put in her tea at night and coffee in the morning. Yes, he fucking studied her personal habits and memorized what she liked.
“Not to mention she’s young and pretty?” his mother asked as if reading his mind about Mia.
“Mom!” he said, horrified she’d even go there. He felt guilty enough for his inappropriate thoughts. Now he had to worry about whether he’d sent out inadvertent signals about his interest in Mia that his mother had picked up on.
“What? I’m just pointing out that you’re a healthy man with… appetites and she’s a sweet, good-looking woman,” his mother said, not backing down.
Jesus. He pulled behind a car driving below the speed limit, glanced in the mirror, and swerved into the left lane to drive around it.
“She’s my daughter’s nanny,” he reminded his mother as well as himself, because he clearly needed a good talking to. “And I just said Mia was fantastic. I’m not going to mess up a good situation for Bailey.”
Not to mention, he knew better than to get involved with a woman right now. He’d been screwed by his ex and he had no desire to deal with the opposite sex on any level but professional.
Liar.
“Shut the fuck up,” he muttered aloud to his inner voice.
“What did you say?” his mother asked. “I couldn’t hear you.”
He shook his head, grateful she’d missed those words, and swallowed hard. “I said this wasn’t a conversation I want to have.”
“I think you protest too much.” His mother clicked her tongue like she would when he was a child. “It’s not healthy to be without companionship. I don’t want to know what you’re doing about your sex life but—”
“Mom!” This time he yelled, feeling his face flush and having a hard time keeping an eye on the road. “This conversation is over.” It reminded him of the time she’d given him the sex talk while driving on a highway and he couldn’t escape. “I love you but we’re done. I’ll talk to you later.”
“We’re coming to visit this weekend,” she said, reminding him of plans they’d made.
“Right. Okay. Bye for now.” He disconnected quickly, shaking his head.
God love his mother. She meant well but she liked to meddle in the name of worrying about her children.
But she’d put the thought of Mia squarely at the forefront of his mind. He’d definitely lied when he told himself he had no desire for any woman. He had a healthy sex drive and he’d already admitted he wanted Mia. And the more he watched her interact with his child, the more she engaged him on many levels.
But he wouldn’t be the guy who screwed the nanny. And being single didn’t make it all right. She worked for him, so any kind of overture would be considered sexual harassment, and that was a lawsuit waiting to happen. And as he’d already said, he refused screw up something that worked well for his daughter. As always, she came first.
Before his dick, that was for certain. Which meant he was going to have to put a leash on his wayward thoughts, his probably not-so-subtle glances and desire to kiss her, touch her soft skin, and fuck her notwithstanding. With great difficulty, he turned his thoughts to work and his upcoming conversation with his boss, prepping himself for the pitch he was about to give.
He walked into the offices of Alpha Security. Everyone was out on assignment, so he headed directly up to Dan’s office, bypassing the empty game room Dan had built for his employees to relax in during their downtime.
He knocked on Dan’s door just as he was putting the phone down. “Come on in,” his boss said, gesturing for Austin to join him.
“Hey. Thanks for working around me today.”
Dan nodded. “Of course. When you asked to meet, it sounded important.” He motioned to the chair in front of his desk.
Austin settled in while Dan leaned against the wall close by. “Talk to me, son.” He considered all his employees his kids, even if only one of them was actually his biological child.
Austin drew a fortifying breath. “I know you’ve been talking about delegating your responsibilities because you want to cut back some. And I don’t want to be out in the line of fire when I have a young child at home and I’m the only parent she has.”
Dan studied him in silence, nodding as Austin spoke.
He sweated a little, worried his boss would think he was presumptuous. “I was hoping to take over some of your workload… It would take me out of the field and I could do much of the administrative side from home. I have a high-tech office setup there that would connect to the office.”
“Yes.”
“I’m well versed in all our clients and how the office runs, and—”
“No need for the hard sell. I said yes,” Dan said with a grin. “I have two new guys coming on board to replace Ben for short-term work now that he’s off guarding Summer on tour,” he said of the man who’d just re-fallen for a woman who was destined to be a major pop star. “And Shane really is based out of Texas. He just does freelance here, so it was time. We’ll have coverage for you on a day-to-day basis.”
Austin rose from his chair. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You’re going to help me cut back. It’s me who has to say thank you.” Dan held out his hand and Austin accepted it.
“I won’t let you down.”
Dan smiled in that fatherly way he had. “Your daughter comes first, Austin. I, of all people, understand that.” Dan had raised his son, Jared, and when Ava Talbott, one of their team, was a teenager and her own mother had issues, he’d taken her in and raised her like his own. Dan understood the importance of family.
“You and I can start going through how things around here run. We’ll get you spending more time at home as soon as possible.”
It wasn’t until the ride home, when he had more time to think, than he realized the one drawback to his brilliant plan. Time at home with Bailey meant time at home with Mia. Alone time, since his kid was in school full time. And wouldn’t that wreak havoc on his plan not to think about her sexually or otherwise unless it related to his daughter.
* * *
A week after Bailey started school, ballet classes began. Mia ran errands for the better part of the afternoon, doing food shopping and getting Austin’s dry cleaning before picking up Bailey from the small studio. The little girl looked adorable in her pink leotard, tights, and ballet slippers, her silky hair pulled back into a ponytail.
They drove home, Bailey in a booster in the back seat.
“How was class?” Mia asked.
“Good! I learned first position.” She kicked the back of the front car seat, trying to get her little feet into the pose.
“You can show me when we get home. I bet your dad will want to see, too.” Mia glanced in the rearview mirror before refocusing on the road.
She pulled onto the street and caught sight of a black sedan parked at the end of the road. She’d seen the car earlier in the week and again this morning and had thought it was odd. This street was far off the highway and didn’t get a lot of stray cars.
“What’s for dinner?” Bailey asked. “’Cause I’m hungry. Can I have a snack when we get home?” She rattled off questions and statements like they were demands.
“What happened to please?” Mia asked. “You can have a healthy snack before dinner, like baby carrots. And your dad mentioned wanting to bring in pizza, so that’s what we’re having.”
“Can I have hummus with the carrots? Please?”
As Mia pulled into the driveway, she turned to see Bailey with her hands clasped together in supplication. For hummus. “A little bit.”
Mia unhooked the booster seat and Bailey scrambled out of the car, then Mia grabbed some grocery bags for her first trip into the house. No sooner had she entered than she realized the air conditioning seemed to have stopped working what must have been hours earlier, because the inside of the house was too hot.
She put the bags on the counter and finished emptying the SUV of groceries before calling Austin on his cell phone. He was on his way home and said he’d get the repairman on the phone as soon as he hung up with her.
Mia glanced at Bailey, who was dancing around the kitchen in long sleeves and tights. “Let’s change into cooler clothes, okay?”
“Can I wear my bathing suit?” Bailey asked, her brown eyes sparkling with delight.
Mia laughed. “Why not? Just don’t expect to go swimming.”
“We can pretend to swim. Can I change my Barbies into bathing suits, too?”
“I don’t know. Do you have homework to do first?” she asked.
Bailey scrunched her nose in reply. “A little.”
“Okay, homework first, then you can play with your dolls.”
“But it’s ho-o-t,” she whined, finally bringing up the obvious as a complaint, probably because Mia had just asked her to do something she didn’t want to do.
“And you’ll be in your bathing suit so you won’t be as uncomfortable.” She ruffled the top of the child’s head. “Let’s go change.”
“Will you put on a bathing suit, too?” Bailey asked.
“No,” Mia said. “That wouldn’t be appropriate.”
“What’s ’propriate mean?” Bailey asked as they headed for the stairs leading to Austin’s and Bailey’s rooms on the second level.
Mia had a bedroom off the kitchen on the first floor, a relief since she didn’t have to worry about running into Austin when she was coming in or out of the bathroom in the upstairs hall after a shower. She had her own private one right outside her room downstairs. Being in a room near his would only make the building desire she felt for the man so much worse.
Mia bit the inside of her cheek to distract herself from her thoughts. “Appropriate means it’s not the right thing to do,” she explained to Bailey.
Not when Austin would be arriving home any minute. She saved her bikinis for her private time. She couldn’t possibly play dress-up—or dress down as the case might be with Bailey. Mia couldn’t handle Austin’s eyes on her when she was half dressed. No doubt her body would betray her and his knowing gaze would zero in on her hard nipples caused by a hot glance.
She pulled her hair off the back of her sweaty neck. No matter how uncomfortably hot she was, her thoughts making things worse, she wouldn’t be flaunting her body in front of her sexy boss.