Chapter9
When she had ended her phone call with Julie, she dialed Kyle’s phone number, hoping that she wasn’t interrupting him in the middle of anything and that it wasn’t too late to call. Biting her lower lip, she waited for him to answer.
“This is Kyle,” his voice came through clearly and evenly.
“Kyle, it’s Aleisha. I’m so sorry to bother you. I’ve just gotten a call from my babysitter, Julie… the one that you hired. She said that she can’t come in tomorrow. I’m at a loss for a sitter, and she didn’t offer any alternatives, which is unusual. I would have thought that the agency would provide a short notice replacement, but she said that no one else is available.” She sighed and sank down onto the sofa, rubbing her free hand over her forehead.
She could hear a soft smile in his voice. “That’s alright. You know what, I was planning on working from home tomorrow anyway, so why don’t you just bring the kids over here, and we’ll both work from my place. I have an ideal space for them, as it turns out. Will that be alright?”
She blinked in amazement and dropped her hand, lifting her head and staring forward. “Really? That’s going to be alright? You want me to bring my twins over to your house and work with you from there? All day?”
“Yes, that shouldn’t be a problem at all. It should work out just fine. You’ll see when you get here. It’s kind of difficult to explain over the phone, but it will be good. I’ll see you in the morning then, alright?” He sounded as if it were nothing at all in the world for him to have solved her issue in a breath.
She felt as if everything in her had suddenly stopped short. “Yes… that… I guess that will work. Thank you so much! If you text me your address, I’ll be there in the morning.” It was as if he had lifted the entire weight of the world from her with nothing more than a finger.
“Wonderful! I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Aleisha.” He ended the call, and she stared down at the phone in her hand. As simply as that, it was fixed. There was no worry, no panic, and no hassle. She set the phone down and walked to the twins’ room to get a bag readied for them for the next day.
When that was taken care of, she went back into the living room and sank down onto the sofa, picking up her wine glass and her book, and wondering incredulously about the hour that had passed since she’d set them down to answer the door. It had been a strange evening indeed, and she didn’t want another interruption at all for the rest of the night.
Taking a sip of her merlot, she leaned back and closed her eyes, savoring the rich velvety flavor of it, letting it flow down into her body and soothe her as she opened her book and her eyes and began to read where she’d left off. The words didn’t really find their way into her mind, though. Her thoughts kept straying to that tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed man who seemed to make everything in her life better.
When morning came, it was easy enough to load up Harry and Hailey and drive to Kyle’s. She’d known that he was a billionaire, but nothing could have prepared her for the home that she reached at the end of her directions.
She turned off the city road and drove her car up a winding driveway that turned through beautifully landscaped woods. She came into sight of the house and was stunned at the size of it. It was multi-storied and multi-faceted. There were varying sections to the front of it, just as there were varying levels in the height of it.
It was built of massive slabs of slate and gray stone on the lower levels of the outside, along with polished golden timber. There were windows all over it that looked as if they must be floor-to-ceiling in most places.
The driveway she was on wrapped around in a wide circle before the front door. She pulled up near the door and got out, shaking her head in amazement at the home that seemed to stretch so far on both sides as well as back from her car. She was just getting into the back seat to pull a sleeping Harry from his car seat and hold him in her arms when she was startled by a low and gentle voice behind her.
“Can I help you?” Kyle asked, standing close to her.
She looked up at him in surprise. He was wearing jeans that hugged his body right where they should and a soft pullover sweater that seemed to want to cling to his figure as well. She tried not to make it obvious that she was looking at him, but he had seen her, and when their eyes met again, she felt her cheeks warm.
Aleisha tried to play it off innocently. “You’re not wearing a suit today!” she smiled as he reached for Harry and the baby bag that she pulled from the car.
He chuckled a little as if he knew that she hadn’t been looking at his clothes as much as she had been looking at his form. “It’s just us here; I thought I’d stay casual.”
She walked around the car and opened the other back door, giving a glance over her shoulder at the house. “You have an incredible place.”
His eyes never left her. “It is incredible. I never forget how lucky I am to live here like I do.”
Giving him a light smile, she reached into the backseat and lifted Hailey out, straightening her little blue and white dress as she settled her into her arms. She’d dressed the children nicely, knowing that they would be around her boss all day. She wanted to make a good impression on him that she was a wonderful mother, and making sure that the twins looked good in their matching outfits was the first step toward doing that.
They walked into the house together, and she looked around as he led her toward a flight of stairs that went up to a second level. The outside might have looked like there were several different rooms inside, but the inside was all wide open and bright.
The living room was sunken about a foot, and had three sofas and two armchairs all facing each other, forming a big square, with a glass coffee table at the center of it. There was a grand piano in the corner of the upper living room floor, set near a twelve-foot tall window that was open to the forest landscaped yard outside.
A fireplace about eight feet wide and four feet tall was set into a rock stone chimney that had a marble sitting edge all the way around it, and acted as a sort of barrier, standing between the living room and the dining room that was beyond it. She could see that the kitchen was off near the other side of the dining room, but they were heading up the stairs, and her point of view was blocked.
To the left of the stairs, she saw a long, open hallway that had several doors, at least five, between the front door and the area of the house that she couldn’t see any longer where the kitchen was. All the doors were closed, and she wondered what could possibly be behind them.
Aleisha followed Kyle to the next floor up and saw that there was a landing that reached all around the level, going into different rooms, while still looking over the living room below. At the other end of the landing was another flight of stairs that went up to another level, but she couldn’t see anything beyond the stairs as there was a ceiling there.
He walked from the stairs toward the back-left corner of the house and into a wide room. When she stepped into the room, she stopped immediately in the doorway and looked around.
“What… what is this?” she asked in wide-eyed astonishment.
She was standing in the doorway of a nursery that was big enough to hold at least four babies and all of their things. Set up in opposite corners at the other end of the room were two cribs, and all of the décor was set for a boy and a girl. There was a big, oak, gliding rocking chair with a thick, soft spread laid over it, two changing tables near each of the cribs, and a big playpen not far from her.
The cribs were adorned with mobiles, and near the cribs there were two different bookcases filled with children’s books, and two toy boxes, probably filled with toys, she guessed, as she looked around. All of the décor matched; it was all different characters from children’s stories: Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland, The Giving Tree, and many more. The characters were painted along the walls, and different pieces from the stories were set about the room.
The startling thing, other than the fact that her single, childless boss had a full-blown nursery in his house, was that the décor, while it matched, was definitely set at one side of the room for a boy and the other side of the room for a girl.
“Kyle…” she trailed off as she took it all in. “What is all of this?” she asked again, staring hard at all of it and then looking at him as he stood over the boy’s crib and set Harry into it. Kyle tucked him in and then turned to look at Aleisha.
“You want to know why I have a nursery set up in my house and no kids,” he said, not really meeting her eyes.
“Yeah, I do,” she said shortly, closing her arms tighter around her daughter.
He shrugged and lifted his hand to the edge of the crib, running it along the railing as he spoke softly. “There was a time in my life when I thought I was going to have children. I wanted a family, and I planned on having babies in my future, but that… that did not happen when I thought it would, so the nursery has been set up all of this time, and now at least someone could use it.” He looked up at her finally and smiled.
“I do plan to have kids someday, I still want that, so none of this will go to waste; it just… didn’t work out before, but it’s here now, and you need it so we can work, so it’s useful now as well.” He took a few steps toward her and slid his fingers partway into his jeans pockets as he eyed her carefully.
“Is this okay? Will it be alright for them?” He looked as if he might be willing to do anything that would be necessary right then to make it okay if she said that there was anything missing.
She felt enormously ashamed of being suspicious of him then. He had wanted a family and had planned on it, and obviously, that hadn’t worked out, and she had been so negatively suspicious about why he had a nursery in his home.
With a big smile, she walked toward the playpen and shook her head as she looked at him. “No, it’s perfect! I don’t think I could design a better nursery! They’re lucky to get to use this for the day. It could have been built for them, it’s so ideal. Thank you for letting us borrow it.”
He seemed to sigh with relief and gave her a nod. “You’re all welcome to anything you need here. My home is your home.”
She set Hailey down in the playpen and pulled the girl’s favorite toy from the diaper bag she’d brought, giving it to her. Hailey squealed and reached for it, hugging it close to her.
Kyle was watching her, rapt with attention. He walked up to the playpen and sank down to his knees beside it, reaching his hand inside and letting Hailey take a hold of him. The baby cooed and babbled to him, and he grinned at her adoringly. “She’s so beautiful. They both are. You’re a lucky mother.”
Aleisha watched him, awed at how much he liked her children and how well they got along. “They really are,” she agreed. He stood up and finally looked away from Hailey and over to her mother. They shared a sweet, silent moment together, standing next to the playpen, and for a second, she had to remind herself that she needed to remain focused on work.
“You’re going to make a wonderful father someday,” she said quietly. He seemed to be staring into the depths of her soul rather than her eyes.
“I certainly hope to,” he spoke quietly, gazing into her eyes. She felt transfixed by him and looked away to stem the warmth that was beginning to flood through her. Taking a cleansing breath, she gave him a smile. “So, where are we working from today?”
The moment lightened, and he ticked his head to the side and motioned for her to follow him. “Well, that’s actually another perk. My office is connected to this room. I’d planned on being home a lot with my own children, and I had it designed that way so that I could spend more time with my family.”
He walked through a doorway in the wall, and it opened into a big office with three desks in it. All of them had computers and were set up as well as the computers and desks in their offices at the firm.
“Grace is at the office today, but we’re patched in to her here, so if you need to message her or call her, you can message her straight through these computers, and you can call her directly from these phones, just like we would there.” He pointed to the desk facing the biggest window. “You can work from there, if you like.”
She went to it and set her purse down at the corner of the desk. He pointed to another smaller room off one corner of the office. “There’s a kitchen and a full bathroom in there. I thought it would be handy to have it close to the office and the nursery. If you’d like coffee or tea, I’d be glad to get some for you. The little kitchen is fully stocked with anything you might need, including lunch. I had my chef prepare salmon salads for us when I knew you were coming.”
She stared at him and shook her head slightly. “I can’t believe you’re doing all of this. You’re… you’re such a life saver! Thank you, really… thank you more than I can say.”
He shrugged and grinned, looking at her from beneath his thick eyelashes. “It’s absolutely my pleasure, and it’s not difficult for me at all, so it’s no inconvenience or anything. I’m glad to have all of you here. We do need to get to work, though; we have a lot to do today.”
He held his hand up toward the kitchen. “I have breakfast in there as well. Would you like something to eat and some coffee?”
She nodded dreamily and followed him into the little kitchen. He was right. Everything she could think of needing or wanting was stocked in it. It was the same size as her kitchen at her apartment, but she didn’t say that to him.
They were partway through their workday when he took a look at the New York Tech file. “We’re close on this one, but we’re going to need something more. Some concrete evidence that shows that they were neglectful in maintaining their buses. It would be perfect if we could get something from their mechanics. Some kind of brake or repair records.”
Aleisha made some notes. “I’ll get on that. I’ll see what I can come up with.” She smiled up at him as he stood beside her with the file in his hand. He smiled back, reached one free hand down, and took her hand in his.
“You’re doing so much more than I ever imagined that you would. It means a lot to us both and to our cases. Thank you.” He stroked his thumb softly over the back of her hand, and she felt her heart beat swiftly in her chest and her breath shorten. Their eyes locked and she couldn’t turn away for a long moment, but then the phone beside her buzzed, and she looked away from him and he let go of her hand.
“I’m glad to do it,” she said as she reached for the phone. Kyle went back to his desk and closed his eyes, telling himself that he should not feel like he was beginning to feel about her. He sat at his desk and concentrated on what he was working on, pushing every heated thought about her from his mind.
Aleisha was surprised to hear that it was Julie. “I was able to take care of what I needed to handle today, and I’ll be free to help you this evening, if you still need me.”
She blinked as realization struck her. She was supposed to go out to dinner with Kyle that evening. She had asked Julie to stay with the babies and Julie had said yes, though she wasn’t able to watch them during the day.
Aleisha turned to look at Kyle. His back was to her, and she could see the solid muscles in his back beneath his sweater. She bit at her lip and told herself to stop looking at him that way. “Kyle, are we still on for dinner tonight?” she asked as lightly as she could.
“Yes, I think that will be okay,” he answered without turning to look at her.
She made the arrangements with Julie and ended the call. She was going to have an interesting evening ahead of her she thought, if she could have a dinner date with her boss and keep it strictly platonic, at least, not if he touched her hand again the way that he had earlier.
They both focused on their work the rest of the day, and in the afternoon, they packed the babies up, and she drove them back to her apartment. Julie arrived not long after that, and Aleisha was able to get ready for her evening out.
She went through her closet three times and finally settled on a bright red dress, sleeveless with a scoop neck and a fitted waist. It was light on her form, like flower petals that were closed over her but still embraced her curves. She turned in front of the mirror and gave herself a nod of approval. She looked beautiful, and she knew it, but it was a softer side of sexy, rather than something that was outright sex appeal.
Her hair was pulled up in a twist at the back of her head, and she wore thin gold earrings with a matching necklace that set off the golden tones in her chocolate honey skin. Her makeup was perfect, her lips as red as her dress. She dabbed on a lightly scented perfume and slipped into strappy red heels that suited the dress she was wearing.
Kyle arrived wearing a dinner suit and looking as elegant, refined, and sexy as he did every day at work -- so put together and polished with that raw edge of manliness about him. She felt her heart skip when she opened the door and their eyes met.
She watched as his eyes drifted over her, and she saw him swallow and give her a sweet smile. “You look stunning. It’s a good thing you don’t dress like that at work, or I’d never be able to concentrate on anything.” He chuckled softly as he helped her slide her coat on, but she heard a subtleness in his tone that suggested that he might not be joking as much as he would like her to believe he was.
Their conversation remained mostly light as they left her apartment building and went out to his car. He talked with her about personal things rather than business, which surprised her. He asked her about her life – what she loved to do in her free time, and what her dreams and aspirations and goals were.
It was as if she had been a closed book for nearly all of her life, and he had lifted the cover and was learning about her from one end of the book, page by page, to the other end. She hadn’t ever felt so interesting to anyone before, and it made her feel good. It made her feel as though he was positive that she was worth talking to and spending his time with.
She asked him many of the same questions back, and she was surprised to learn the answers he gave her. She discovered that he was quite similar to her in what he wanted from his life and how hard he was willing to work to achieve those goals. She found that her nerves were not on edge, but her whole body felt as if she had woken from a dream that had lasted her whole life, and for the first time, she was thinking and laughing and experiencing things that she had never known existed.
They grew comfortable with one another and talked about everything, from their love of unusual things to common ground as far as movies and books and vacation spots. They talked about families and friends and funny stories. They shared embarrassing moments and even a few fears.
He had taken her to an upscale restaurant in uptown Manhattan and though it ought to have been a crowded place, they were pleased that it seemed to be a slow night and that they had more privacy than they normally would have in that restaurant. They drank wine and ate a little and drank more wine, and then he asked her to dance with him.
There were live musicians playing, a string quartet, and the dimly lit dance floor and inviting music was intoxicating to them both. The wine stole away their inhibitions, and minutes later, they were standing together on the dance floor, and he lifted his arms and drew her to him, pulling her near enough that she was pressed close to his chest and he could speak softly in her ear.
“This has been one of the most incredible nights of my life. I can’t thank you enough. It’s as if I have rediscovered an old friend, or just met an old friend for the first time. I didn’t expect this at all.” He looked into her eyes as they moved slowly. “I didn’t expect you at all.” He half-laughed, but it wasn’t humorous. It was serious and incredulous.
“I didn’t expect you either.” She was wondering how she was ever going to keep anything that was building up in her for him in check if he kept sweeping her off of her feet and into her dreams.
He was quiet a moment as they swayed, his eyes steady on hers, and finally he spoke again in a quiet voice, earnest and tender. “Aleisha…”
“Yes?” she asked breathlessly, knowing that something was changing and that things between them were about to become very different.
He hesitated a moment, but then gave his head a little shake. “May I kiss you, please?”
She blinked in utter surprise. She hadn’t been expecting him to ask her anything of the kind. “Why?” she stammered, wishing that she had responded in just about any other way once the word was out of her mouth. She felt like a school girl on her first date, innocent and blind to the wills of men.
“Because I’m running out of reasons not to,” he answered in a slightly strained tone. A soft gasp escaped her, and she found herself leaning in toward him.
He gazed at her eyes, her face, and her lips, and a moment later, his mouth pressed lightly against hers. His touch was soft and his kiss was slow at first, as he took his time learning her lips by their shape and feel, tasting slowly and feeling everything about her mouth. She drew in a breath as he lifted his face from hers and looked at her once more.
“I didn’t even imagine it that sweet,” he whispered and closed his mouth over hers again once more. Parting her lips tenderly, he kissed them gently a few times before she tasted his tongue meeting hers and she opened herself to him. Their kiss was sensual, slow and delicious, though not deep.
When he parted from her again, he looked at her and a half-smile formed at the corner of his mouth. “I’ve been wondering about that since I met you,” he told her with a mischievous but sweet spark in his eyes.
She laughed softly, and he pulled her into a snug embrace as they danced. She didn’t ask what was weighing most on her mind. She didn’t want to break the spell that seemed to have surrounded them.
She needed to know what was changing between them and where it might be going, but she knew that if she asked, all of the magic and the rush of heat and the thrill of desire between them might disappear, and she just wasn’t ready for that to happen, so she kept silent and just enjoyed every passing moment of it. It was a night to be cherished, not analyzed or picked apart. She set all of her questions to the back of her mind for later, and she loved the hell out of her living day dream.