Everly was alone with Kian and Ember, with bags full of clothes and an appointment at an upscale salon. Kian put all her new things into the car and strolled the stroller down the street, past the high-end boutiques, and into the salon.

“I have an appointment for Everly Collins,” she said.

“Oh yes, we'll be ready for you in just a moment,” said the receptionist. “Just have a seat in the waiting room.”

Everly sat beside Kian, feeling a little beside herself as she sat in her pretty dress with the cute fitted jacket and her knee-high boots. She thought Kian liked it too.

She tried to tell herself that the look of desire in his eyes was just her imagination, but the more time they spent together, the less she was able to write it off as her imagination.

“We're ready for you, Everly,” said the receptionist.

“I’m taking Ember for a walk,” Kian said, standing from his chair. “There’s a park around the corner. I’ll be back when you’re done. We’ll all go out to dinner after.”

The stylist took her back to a salon chair and asked Everly what she wanted as he played with her hair.

“I'm not really sure,” Everly said with a shrug. “It's been so long since I've been to the salon, or really took care of myself like this.”

“Well, we can give you the works, your husband gave us his credit card.”

“He’s not my…” She was about to say he’s not my husband, but decided to just go along with it instead. It was a fun fantasy. “I mean, my husband is the best. What do you think that we should do?”

The stylist ran his hands through Everly’s shoulder-length dark blonde hair and flopped it around a little bit.

“I think we should give you some layers and some highlights. That should really bring out those beautiful blue eyes of yours.”

“That sounds great,” Everly said, blushing.

The stylist washed and dried her hair before beginning to expertly cut the layers in. When he was done with the cut, he brushed the highlights over foil and wrapped her hair. Everly glanced into the waiting room and found Kian had come back. He held Ember in his arms and fed her a bottle.

Everly couldn't believe that this big hunk of a man was sitting in a salon waiting room with the baby while she was getting her hair done. It really was mind-boggling.

He had hired her to be his nanny, and ended up treating her like his princess. The stylist rinsed the highlight dye out of her hair, dried and styled it before another stylist came and did her makeup.

By the time she was done, she looked like a completely new person. More beautiful than she'd ever seen herself, even on her wedding day. She was a little shocked as she stared into the mirror.

“Thank you so much,” she said, playing with her hair. It felt light and bouncy.

She left the stylist chair and met Kian in the waiting room with a bag of makeup and hair products. He had been so patient.

“You are beautiful,” he growled.

“I can't believe it,” she said. “I've never seen myself look so good.”

“You were beautiful before. But I think you like it better this way.”

“I love seeing myself like this. I feel… I feel like I’m capable of anything!”

“Hmm,” Kian growled. “That’s good.”

They walked down the street together with Ember in the stroller. She felt almost like they were a family, and she had to remind herself that they weren’t.

Kian wasn't her man and Ember wasn't her child. She was an employee. He was her boss. But it didn't matter how many times she told herself that; she couldn't help but feel like she had found her place in the world.

“There is a café down the street that is family-friendly,” he said, clicking off his phone. “They have good food and excellent service.”

“That sounds fantastic. I'm starving.”

They walked the rest of the way down the street and found the café where a reservation was waiting for them. The waitress seated them at a table by the window and moved the chair out of the way for Ember’s high chair. She had been so agreeable all day while they were out.

They put the baby in the high chair and the waitress came back to take their order. The restaurant had high-end bistro food that made Everly’s mouth water just reading the menu.

“I'll have the spinach tortellini with Alfredo sauce, a Caesar salad, and garlic toast,” Everly said.

“I'll have the steak sandwich and a baked potato,” Kian said.

Everly pulled the bottle out of the cooler inside Ember's diaper bag. She helped her drink and then prepared Ember’s applesauce.

“You really are spoiling me,” Everly said as she sipped her pink lemonade.

“Nothing more than what you deserve,” Kian said.

“I can't help but think I'm taking advantage of you.”

“I want you to feel good about yourself while you’re taking care of my daughter.”

“I have no objections to that.” She giggled.

The waitress returned with their meals and Everly dug into her tortellini. She groaned with delight as the flavor burst on her tongue. The buttery garlic bread was crunchy and savory, and she sopped up the Alfredo sauce with her toast. Kian spooned applesauce into Ember’s mouth. They took turns feeding the baby as they ate.

“This is so good,” Everly said.

She washed down her meal with her pink lemonade and the waitress came back and refilled her glass.

“I must say that I enjoy human food,” Kian said after the waitress left.

Everly was taken aback by that comment. What did he mean by “human food”? What other kind of food was there?

“I mean the food in Seattle,” he said. “I've been all around the world, and I'm still surprised at how delicious the food is in this city.”

“Oh,” she said, blinking several times. “Seattle is known for its excellent food.”

“Do you miss being in the city now that you live at the estate?”

“Not at all. I enjoy the simple, quiet life, to be honest. Taking care of Ember is so much fun. I love it.”

“I'm glad. I want you to feel at home with us.”

“I definitely do.”

They finished their early dinner. Kian paid and Everly wheeled Ember out of the restaurant.

“Let’s go look at the water,” he said. “There's a trail along the waterfront with a nice view.”

They strolled along the path at the edge of the Puget Sound. Ships passed out on the water. There was something so mystical and romantic about the view. The day had been warm, and the sun was beginning to set on the horizon in shades of pink, purple, and orange.

“It's so beautiful,” she said breathlessly.

“It's even more beautiful being here with you.”

They looked out on the sparkling water as Ember laughed and giggled in her stroller. Everly leaned on the railing and took in a deep breath of the salty sea air. Kian stood beside her. Their hands brushed against each other on the railing.

She looked up into his eyes as a spark of desire vibrated between them. The air was thick with unspoken need. His eyes flashed with hunger as he looked down at her. He smiled, his lips curling as if he was holding himself back.

He lifted his hand and cupped her cheek. The touch of his palm on her skin sent a shiver down her spine. She didn't know what to think just as he leaned in and brushed his lips over hers. Her entire body exploded with the awareness that the man of her dreams was kissing her hard on the mouth.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, wanting to feel him closer. He enfolded her waist and pulled her to him. She could feel his desire for her hard against her. His tongue slipped between her lips. She groaned as he cupped the back of her head and the small of her back.

She gushed with desire, wanting to kiss him harder. Groaning against his mouth, she closed her eyes tight. She didn’t want the moment to ever end. She fell into a well of desire for him, drowning in the deep waters of her need. She didn't want to ever come up for air.

They kissed for long moments, tasting and savoring each other until the sound of clicking photographs brought them out of their reverie. She pulled away with a gasp and looked around, seeing a group of foreign tourists taking pictures and pointing.

She realized there was a whale out in the water. The crowd was gawking at the sea life. But her and Kian’s moment had passed, and she still felt embarrassed. Heat rose in her cheeks as she stepped away from him and rested her elbows on the railing. He put his arm around her shoulder and whispered into her ear.

“I'm sorry,” he said, removing his hand from hers.

“Don't be sorry,” she said.

“I should not have done that. I'm your boss.”

“I wanted you to,” she breathed.

“I find you irresistible,” he said. “But I must retain my self-control. I know that these types of relationships are frowned upon here.”

She didn't know what he meant by “frowned upon here”. But she knew she could probably sue him for kissing her. He was, in fact, her boss, and kissing his employee would definitely be considered wrong.

All she felt was the deep need to have him kiss her again, to feel his body against hers once more. Skin to skin, flesh to flesh, and to drown in their desire.

“I must confess, I am attracted to you,” she said, the words coming out almost too soft to hear.

“I am attracted to you too.”

“What are we going to do about it?”

“What else can we do?” he asked. “We need to see where it will go. If that's okay with you.”

“That's definitely okay with me.”

“And if things don't go well, I will give you a large bonus and an excellent reference. You don't need to worry about your job security. I want you to understand that.”

“I understand that you're a good man, Kian. I know you're not trying to take advantage of me.”

“Good. Then it's agreed,” he said, “We’ll take it slow and see where this goes.”