My alarm goes off at five-thirty, and I roll over in bed to quiet it. When I open my eyes, it takes a few moments for yesterday to come rushing back to me. When it does, I sit up in my empty bed in a panic.

“Alex,” I call out my open door. When I get no response, I get out of bed, pull on a robe and hurry down the hall. I breathe a sigh of relief when I step into the living room.

“Holy crap, it looks like Toys “R” Us threw up in here,” I say looking around. Faye’s few belongings have mated producing dozens of new friends. Stuffed animals, boxes of diapers, wipes, new bottles, clothes, shoes, and so many toys sit in stacks everywhere. “What happened?”

Alex is lounging at the kitchen table reading a tablet big enough to be a laptop and drinking coffee while Faye crawls around inside a configurable baby gate playing with some of her new toys.

“I couldn’t sleep. I have a friend who owns a children’s store. I called George, and he picked everything up and brought it here.”

“They opened the store in the middle of the night? Wait, who’s George?”

He lowers the tablet and raises his brows as if to say, really? “Oh yeah, billionaire hot shot, how could I forget?”

He frowns and pushes the chair next to him out with his foot. “You wouldn’t believe the things people will do for discounted legal representation. And George runs the house. Come, sit, tell me what’s on your mind.”

“What’s on my mind is coffee. I don’t need to sit to tell you that.” I go to where Faye is playing and give her a little wave. She smiles up at me and bounces up and down. “Morning, tiny girl. I’m going to get some coffee, and I’ll be back.” I round the island and find a pot of coffee already made. “How long did you say you’d been up?” I say pointing at the pot.

“It’s fresh, I would have made you a cup, but I wasn’t sure what time you got up.”

Fresh coffee that I don’t have to wait for sounds like heaven. I pour a cup and add a dash of cream. I start back toward Faye when Alex hooks me around the waist.

“Me first, baby second. Always.”

It’s my turn to raise my brows at him. “Oh really? So that’s how it works?”

“Yes.” He pulls me into his lap and kisses me senseless. I forget where I am and what’s going on around us when he takes me into a kiss like this one. His strong arms are commanding holding me tight as if I would try to break free. If I were given three wishes, I’d only have to use one. I’d wish to be kissed by Alex this way forever.

His hands loosen and travel up and down my spine as he softens the kiss and eventually pulls away leaving me breathless and featherbrained. My lips part as I attempt to catch my breath and open my heavy eyelids.

“Mmm, bedroom eyes look good on you, my mistress.”

“Mistress?”

“You’re my mistress, a woman with power over my pleasure.”

“When I hear the word mistress, I think of a whore sleeping with a married man. Wait, you’re not married, are you?” I gasp scrambling out of his lap.

He chuckles and takes a sip of his coffee before returning to his tablet. “Would I be here with you if I were married, Olivia? I took you to my home and gave you a tour, introduced you to my staff, and we were seen driving up my driveway where you spent the night. If I were married, my wife would be an extremely tolerant woman, wouldn’t you say?”

I shake my head at myself. “Sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Too many changes all at once, I guess.” I go back to where I left my coffee and take a sip while I watch Faye playing with her new toys and her elegant father reading the news.

“Has she eaten?” I ask suddenly remembering my new role in Faye’s life.

“Yes, I found her schedule and memorized it. I also read Lilly’s diary.”

“It must not have been very long if you finished it already.”

“I didn’t have to read every word. She only started writing it when she was diagnosed six months ago. It was painful and grim. I wish she would have come to me.”

He speaks to his tablet instead of looking me in the eye, something I’ve noticed he does when he’s uncomfortable with the topic of conversation.

“Six months ago?”

“Yes, she was breastfeeding and found a lump. She put off going to the doctor for a month thinking it was an infected duct, but it wasn’t. When she finally went, it was too late, and cancer had spread throughout her body. They gave her a year at best.” He looks up at me, and his eyes have gone cold.

I do the same thing when I am trying to protect myself from something painful. It helps to block the feelings before they spread and drag you so far down you can’t find a way out.

“I’m sorry, that had to be difficult to read.” His mouth forms a straight line, and he returns to the news.

“I’m going to shower. I have to get to the shop early today.”

He sets his tablet down giving me his full attention. “We need to hire someone to help you right away. I emailed an agency this morning, and as soon as they get in, I’m sure they will be contacting me.”

“So, what’s going to happen in the meantime? I was serious about having my lawyer draw up papers. I won’t let my business suffer from this arrangement.”

He nods slow and deliberate steeping his fingers with his elbows on the arms of the chair. “I don’t mean to rush you, but I am in the middle of a billion-dollar case against a major medical equipment supplier. I need to go to work, too.”

“This is why you should hire a nanny. There are tons of agencies you could call, any of them would be able to send you someone today.”

“You know how I feel about that. I don’t want a stranger taking care of my daughter. And before you say it, I do not consider you a stranger.”

I wonder what he does consider me. I refrain from asking in the interest of finding out how we will solve today’s immediate problem.

“What about Jacob? He has a sister and two brothers. I’m sure he could take over for one day.”

“I don’t want to leave her with anyone I don’t know so soon. I don’t want to leave her at all.” My heart swells, and I feel relieved that he is bonding with her so quickly. I don’t know how a child so young deals with the death of her mother, but surely having another parent there to soften the blow will help. “Who do you call when you have to stay home sick?”

“I’ve never called in sick a day in my life. Not even to school.”

“Never?”

“No.”

“That’s impressive, although I can’t remember ever doing it either.”

“Workaholics, that’s what they call us. Let me see if Marissa has anything on the books today in the grooming salon. Maybe she can help out for a little while. Is there a particular part of your day that’s more important, a time you have to be at work?”

“I have a meeting at eleven and court at one, but I should be able to get away at four.”

“All right so eleven to four. I’ll go to work until ten and make sure things are running smoothly. I can be here by ten-thirty. Will that give you enough time to get to work? I don’t even know where your building is.”

“That will be fine, and I work at the Wolfe Building downtown.” Of course, how stupid of me, he owns the biggest building in downtown Seattle. Faye starts to cry, and we both jump to her rescue. He reaches her first and lifts her up cuddling her like he’s been fathering her since birth.

“You’re pretty good at that. You sure you don’t have any experience?”

He snorts. “No, none.”

“I don’t think it’s going to take two months to get her on a schedule. I’d say two weeks tops, and you’ll be as thick as thieves.”

“Oh no, you don’t. You said two months, and I get two months.”

“The papers haven’t been drawn up yet. Why don’t we take it a week at a time?”

“Two months,” he says standing up straight giving me the full force of his authority.

I counter straightening my spine as well. “One month.”

He’s shaking his head walking into the kitchen where he opens the refrigerator and removes a bottle he must have pre-made during the night. “Two months, you gave me your word, and I expect you to keep it.”

“Are you just trying to keep me around, or do you seriously think you’ll need that much time to bond with Faye and learn the ropes of fatherhood? Because I’d say you’re doing a bang-up job already.” I spread my arms wide and turn in a circle. “You’ve bought out the toy store.” I stop and point at the bottle in his hand he’s now warming under hot water in the sink. “You taught yourself how to make a bottle and warm it up properly. I’ll bet you’ve added her to your insurance policy and your will, too, all while I slept. Why do you need me so much?”

“I just do.”

I blow out a frustrated breath. “I have a business to run, surely you understand ambition and drive.”

“I do.”

“Then don’t take advantage of my good nature. If things are going well after a month, I want to go back to work. I want to help you, don’t get me wrong, but I need to look after my own life as well. You’re making me feel trapped, and I don’t do well with being trapped, I assure you.”

“What’s going on out here, can’t a man get some beauty sleep?” Jacob says entering the room rubbing his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to raise my voice.”

“Is everything all right, honey?” he says moving to my side protectively.

“Yes, we are just trying to iron out the particulars of Olivia being a nanny for Faye for a while.”

“A nanny? What the fuck? You can’t give up the dog bakery to take care of some guy’s kid you hardly know. This has gone far enough…” Jacob looks around the room, and his eyes pop. “What the hell happened in here?”

Alex crosses the room and places Faye in Jacob’s arms. “Hey, wait a second, I’m not…”

“We will be right back. Watch her, I’ll make it worth your while.” Jacob’s mouth falls open, and Alex takes me by the elbow moving me forcefully down the hall into my bedroom where he closes the door.

“I do not want you to feel trapped, and I would never, ever, take advantage of your good nature, Olivia. I know you’ll think I’m crazy for saying this, but I think I may love you, and I am sure I love that little girl out there,” he says pointing at the door. He is chest to chest with me when he starts walking me backward to the bed. When I feel the mattress against the backs of my legs, he pushes me to sit and kneels between my legs as he did in his bedroom twenty-four hours ago.

“Don’t bail on me. We have something here that I am quite sure doesn’t happen every day. What I feel for you is strong and chaotic and overpowering. I can’t not be with you, I need you with me, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you near, but it won’t be a trap. You’ll want to be here in my arms, in my life, in my world. I’ll make sure of it.”

He reaches out and slides his hand behind my neck to pull me forward into another breathtaking kiss. I moan and gasp when he lets me up for air and pushes me backward onto the bed.

“Birth control?” he murmurs kissing my neck.

“Yes.”

“Do you trust that I’m clean and haven’t been with anyone for a long time?”

“I do,” I say with a pang of guilt because I can’t say the same. Trevon was nothing, though, and I always use a condom on the rare occasion I have sex.

“I’m going to fuck you fast and hard because we have a busy day, and I don’t want to spend it wishing I was inside you, understand?” I nod and claw at his jeans while he scoots my pajama pants down. “I want to take my time and make you come, but we can’t. Will you be okay?”

He’s asking if I’m ready for him and the answer is yes, yes, yes. I feel the big head of his cock nudge my sex, and I open my legs wide for him. “Ah, your so wet for me even when you’re angry you’re wet for me,” he whispers in my ear as he slides inside my body slowly stretching me until he’s balls deep.

We are a perfect fit if there ever was one. He starts slow and works up to a frenzied pace. I come without warning once, twice, and I’m on the verge of number three when he explodes inside of me. Digging my fingernails into his shoulders, I arch my back and turn my face into the wadded comforter next to me to muffle my cries.

“Oh God, Olivia, I will never get enough of you. The only thing on this planet that could keep me from fucking you all day long is that baby in the next room.”

“Not even your billion-dollar lawsuit?”

“Not even that.”

I like that I can make him lose his mind. Having power over such a powerful man is intoxicating.

“How long do you think Jacob will wait before he starts pounding on the door?”

As if on cue, Jacob knocks on the door. “Hey, lovebirds, this single, gay model needs to go back to bed for another twenty minutes. Come get your kid.”

“I’ll be right there,” I call out trying to wiggle out from under Alex.

“Okay, thanks for not saying, I’m coming,” he yells through the door and walks away laughing.

“Smart ass,” Alex mumbles sliding out of me and standing up. He offers his hand to help me up.

“I’m going to shower,” I say, and he starts to follow me. “Alone,” I say turning to press my palm against his chest. His lips form the most beautiful pout, and I nearly cave. I know better, though. We will never get to work if he follows me into the shower.

“What about the baby? You should take her in with you. I’m sure she’s dirty, and I could help.”

“Oh no, you don’t. I’m onto you. We will have a lesson in bathing tonight after work.”

One side of his mouth lifts in a sexy smirk. “I’ll be counting the seconds.”

I roll my eyes and give him a chaste kiss on his swollen lips before heading into my bathroom to shower.

An hour later, I’m on my way out the door, and Alex is looking confident and relaxed holding a sleeping Faye on his shoulder. “I’ll see you at ten-thirty. If you need anything, Jacob will be here for a little while, and I’m only a phone call away.”

“I know. Thank you for everything,” he says with a twinkle in his brilliant eyes.

I walk away with a little extra swing in my hips and call over my shoulder, “You’re welcome, for everything.”

I don’t even get in the front door at the Bark Avenue Bone Bakery when my phone rings, and it’s Alex. “Hello?”

“Faye wants to know if you like seafood.”

I smile to myself. “Oh, she does, does she? How did she communicate that to you?”

“It’s a fatherly bond thing you wouldn’t understand.”

“I see. Well, you can tell little miss Faye that yes, I happen to love seafood. Do you think she’s planning dinner for tonight?”

“I think she is. She mentioned lobster and New York strips.”

“Wow, she’s got expensive taste.”

“Well, she is my daughter. I’m sure she has inherited a few things from me.”

“I hope she didn’t inherit how to be a bugaboo.”

“That sounded like a snarky comment, watch it, sweet girl.”

“Or what?” I know I shouldn’t ask, but I can’t help myself.

“How do you feel about spankings?” Spankings? Is he kidding? I have a feeling he’s not.

“That depends.”

“On?”

“Are you threatening to spank me?”

“Threatening, no. Promising, yes.”

“Oh. Well, in that case, I think I feel good about spankings as long as they are appropriately delivered.” He chuckles, and my belly flips with anticipation. I take off my coat and stow my purse under the counter.

“I give good spankings, I assure you. The delivery is a perfect blend of pleasure and pain.”

“Where is Faye?”

“Sleeping in her playpen, why?”

“I just wanted to make sure you weren’t talking about pleasure and pain in front of her delicate ears.”

“Are you sure you weren’t trying to change the subject?”

“No, why would I do that?”

“No reason. I’ll let you go. I have to make some uncomfortable calls before you come back.”

“Uncomfortable?”

“Funeral arrangements and calls to Lilly’s family in France. They hate me already, so this will be like pouring acid into an open wound.”

“Do you think they will try to get custody of Faye?”

“Not if they’re smart. She’s my daughter. I didn’t plan on having her, but I’m sure as hell not letting those nitwits raise her. She’s a Wolfe, and she will be raised by a Wolfe.”

Wow, the way he said that with such conviction, it makes me scared for anyone who crosses him concerning his daughter. “I’m glad to hear that. Already I can’t imagine my life without the two of you in it. It must be a Wolfe thing.”

“It is, you’ll learn when you join the pack.” And there he goes again, talking about marriage.

“You’re too much.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet, sweet girl. I’m just getting started.”