I woke extra early with a spring in my step but fear in my heart. Beck had kissed me! I had wanted him so to kiss me so badly but when it finally happened, I panicked.

This kiss was electric. The way it started sweet but turned hungry. The way his lips claimed mine. The way he caressed my body.

But minutes after our lips touched, doubt took over my mind. This could all go terribly wrong. He was my boss. He was about to spend the next nine months flying around the country performing at air shows. And then, who knew where he would be stationed. I didn’t want this to be a fling, but I didn’t see a path for making this work. So I backed off.

And now, I was wondering if I had ruined my chances forever.

I gasped when I saw Beck walk out of his room in his white dress uniform. Though I could barely control myself when I saw him in his tight blue flight suit every morning, his sexy white uniform was a million times hotter. He looked handsome, classy, and completely out of my league.

I wondered what it would be like if Beck was my husband, if Sky was our daughter, if this house and this life was mine.

But I was quick to realize not only was that not the situation, there was no possibility of that ever happening. Beck was an educated, wealthy Blue Angel pilot. Despite the kiss, we didn’t have a future together. In other words, he was way, way, way out of my league.

I exhaled. Say something, dammit.

Mónica beat me to the punch. “Wow, Beck. You clean up good.”

“Thanks.”

Beck’s blue eyes narrowed at mine. He was clean-shaven and smelled like chicory and amber.

I clutched Sky to my chest, as if she was a security blanket that would help hide my lust for her dad.

“You look handsome.” Ay, I was so lame. Was that the best I could do at flirting? The poor, simple nanny hitting on the rich, cocky fighter-pilot hunk.

He licked his lips. “Glad you think so.”

Mónica’s eyes bulged. Before she could open her mouth, I kicked her and gave her a “don’t you say a word” look.

Beck was clearly just trying to make this less awkward. He was a gentleman.

He grabbed some chips and plunged them into the guacamole. I had made snacks and put out drinks for his friends that were about to stop by and pick him up.

He touched my hand and heat jolted through my body. “Lo, I shouldn’t be home too late. These work functions are such a drag. I’d rather be home with you and Sky. Charlie and his wife will be here soon.”

Did he really mean that? He probably just meant be home with Sky and since I was her nanny, I was included in that sentence. He couldn’t possibly mean what I thought he meant, what I wanted him to mean, what I dreamt he would mean.

That he wanted me.

“We’ll be here. Have fun.”

The doorbell rang. I left Beck with the chips and opened the door. A wave of nausea hit when the people standing in the doorway came into view.

Another man was dressed in his dress whites standing next to the woman we had seen at the pool. But they weren’t alone.

Next to them, was a tall blonde woman with huge fake breasts pushing out of her tight red dress and stiletto heels strapped to her feet. A wave of noxious perfume hit my nostrils, but the scent wasn’t the reason I wanted to vomit.

This woman was clearly Beck’s date.

“Oh, hi! My name is Laurel. You must be Paula, the nanny. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Funny, I’ve never heard anything about you. I wanted to scream, yell at Beck, run back into my bedroom like an insolent teenager. “It’s Paloma, like Picasso.”

“Well, isn’t that a pretty name,” she said with a thick southern twang. “What a beautiful baby. Cutie, just like her daddy.” She pointed at Beck. “Can I hold her?”

“Sure.” I handed Sky to Laurel, and the baby immediately started crying.

Laurel held Sky at an arm’s length, as if she had never held a baby before.

I took a big step backward and shot a hurt look at Beck. His mouth gaped, and his brow was furrowed. Was he shocked also?

No. It wasn’t that. He was probably ashamed of me. It was one thing to kiss me in his truck when the world couldn’t see, it was another thing to tell his rich friends that he was slumming with the nanny.

My cheeks burned with shame and my body felt impossibly hot. I needed to get out of there before I embarrassed myself and Beck.

He and his friends would probably laugh tonight about the poor Mexican girl who fell in love with her boss. How delusional and pathetic I was to ever think I had a chance with this Blue Devil.

I looked back at Laurel, who was now holding Sky closer. As if on cue, Sky spit up all over her. Curdled milk and strained peas stained her dress.

That’s my girl.

Round one.

Sky: 1 Laurel: 0

Mónica let out a laugh. I turned to her and gave her another dirty look.

“Oh my. She must be ill. Here, take her.”

Laurel handed Sky back to me.

“Beck, may I use your bathroom to freshen up?”

“Sure, it’s down the hall.”

I grabbed Sky and took off as fast as I could to her room.

How had I been so wrong? I had been sure that Beck had been falling for me. After our kiss under the stars last night, I had felt something. A connection. A spark. I had been certain he had felt it too. His face lit up when he saw me, and he no longer asked me to leave every afternoon, so he could be alone with Sky. He had finally opened up to me about his marriage. I had never felt closer to anyone as I had to Beck last night.

But I was naïve. A man like Beck could never love a woman like me. I came from the wrong side the tracks. He belonged at a country club, and the only way I would gain entrance to one would be through the door marked “employees only.”

When he was finally ready to move on from Catherine, he would marry someone like Laurel, not me.

I placed Sky carefully on the changing table. But before I could stop myself, I started crying. The sobs came, and I couldn’t stop them. I changed her as quickly as possible and lifted her up, then sat in the rocking chair.

The door opened, and I was horrified to see Beck standing there, watching me.

“Lo, can we talk?”

I shook my head and kept it tilted downward. I didn’t want to talk to him and I refused to let him see my tear-stained cheeks.

He came closer toward me. “Look, I had no idea Britney was bringing her sister. Laurel is just up here visiting. There is nothing going on between me and her. This is a work function, not a date.”

Sure looks like a date to me.

I choked back my sobs and tried to calm my breathing. I didn’t want his pity.

I forced myself to speak. “It’s fine. Go, have fun. She’s really pretty.”

He was now standing above me and sat on the bench next to the rocking chair. He brushed back a lock of my hair. “She’s not as pretty as you.”

Wait, what? “Beck, that’s not funny. Please stop flirting with me. I know you don’t mean it. I’m sure you just got caught up in the moment last night. And it’s okay. I can’t help how I feel about you. I get it—you’re some gorgeous rock star pilot, and I’m just the nanny. I’m sorry about my behavior. I won’t let it interfere with my job. Please, just leave me alone.”

But he didn’t leave. His hand brushed against my cheek, cupping it.

“Lo, I’m crazy about you, too.”

My heart fluttered, and I wanted to pinch myself. Was this really happening?

He leaned in closer to me and my heart leapt. Was he going to kiss me again? The first kiss could’ve just been written off as a moment of passion, but a second kiss couldn’t be ignored.

I lowered Sky into the crib and leaned toward Beck. Our lips were as close as could be without touching. I looked up at him one more time. This couldn’t be happening. I felt like in a second, his friends would open the door and laugh at me, like this was a cruel joke.

But no one opened the door.

This was so wrong. He was my boss. I was his nanny.

Then why did it feel so right.

I couldn’t catch my breath. Nerves, excitement, dreams pent up in my body. His eyelids closed and our lips met in perfect, forbidden bliss. He pulled me closer to him, and the kiss turned from sweet to hungry.

¡Ay, Dios mío!

I kissed him back. He tasted like salt and lime and lust, and I wanted to drink him in like a margarita.

He finally pulled away and I opened my eyes. He had a devilish grin, and I didn’t see a hint of regret in his eyes.

But had these kisses ruined this job which was the only good thing that had ever happened to me?

“We can’t keep doing this,” I said.

“Yes, we can. And I plan to do it again. I’ve got to go. But wait up for me. I’ll get out of there as soon as I can. And Paloma, you are way more to me than just the nanny.”

Then he kissed his daughter’s head.

And with that, he walked out of the room, leaving me counting the minutes until he returned.