Cedar brushed her fingers through her hair, wincing at the feel of the two-day-old product. Akoni was out of sorts, and she was running out of patience. Her heart wanted to just sit down with the boy and rock him as his new teeth wreaked havoc on his otherwise peaceful life. But her head ran in circles, reciting the many tasks she had yet to accomplish.

She stared longingly at her laptop sitting open on the coffee table—just out of reach. Akoni had been content being rocked as she stood at the kitchen counter and typed with one hand while holding him in the other arm. But after twenty minutes, he started to cry. He didn’t want to have to share her attention with the computer and only settled down when she snuggled into the couch with a cotton blanket. She hummed a tune she couldn’t remember the name of and ran her fingers through his hair over and over again.

The inability to accomplish anything grated across her neck muscles, making them tighten in the most uncomfortable way. Being a nanny was supposed to afford her some free time, but Teo was filming a commercial of some sort for body spray or foot spray or hair spray. She couldn’t remember what he’d said before he left that morning. Akoni had kept him up most of the night, and he had bags under his eyes. The poor guy needed some pampering—if only she had twenty minutes to take care of him or wash her hair.

On top of the pain in her neck, her back was killing her from holding Akoni for so long. He was not a small kid, and since he wasn’t feeling well, he hung limp.

The baby pain medicine would take a few more minutes to kick in. She just needed to bide her time, and then she could lay him down in his crib and get some work done.

Several hours later, Cedar put away the thermometer. Akoni didn’t have a fever, but he was still fussy, which was so unlike him. Her phone was overflowing with web pages offering advice on how to sooth his pain. He shoved away a cold washcloth when she tried to get him to chew on it. He wanted nothing to do with the teething ring. She was so desperate, she brought up her mom’s number. She stared down at the number on the screen, unable to press the call button. Her parents thought she was still working for the Tiny Titans Camp. Telling them that she had been let go was not an option. They had expectations for their daughter, and being a nanny wasn’t on the list. The philosophy that life was meant to be fun only extended so far.

Akoni cut off mid-wail and slumped against her, having finally given in to his exhaustion. Cedar didn’t dare lay him in his crib. That was her mistake last time. The second she put him on his back, he screamed as if the walls were coming down around him. She put a pillow behind her lower back and settled onto the couch with Akoni’s head resting on her chest. They were reclining—sort of—and she was able to lay her head back and take some of the tension out of her neck. She just needed a minute of rest, and then she would bring her laptop over and type one-handed again.

Just a minute of rest.

* * *

“Cedar.”

A deep, inviting voice called her name from somewhere far away. She liked the voice; she just didn’t want to go to the place where the voice came from. Staying in the nice, cozy darkness was so much more pleasant.

“Ceeeedar.”

“No way,” she muttered. Shifting so she could roll over, she felt a weight on her stomach, holding her down. A heartbeat later she remembered Akoni and stopped moving, afraid to wake him and start the whole process all over again. The baby needed sleep. She needed sleep. Teo needed—Teo!

Her eyes popped open, and she stared into the most handsome face she had ever seen … except for the makeup. The thick powder coated Teo’s face, making him look like plastic. “What?” she asked.

“Hi there, Sleeping Beauty.”

She pushed off the couch with one elbow while steadying Akoni with the other. “What time is it?”

“Just after eight.”

“What?!” She tried to stand and was thrown off-balance by Akoni’s weight, landing back on the couch. “I have so much to do today.”

Teo gave her a half smile that was downright adorable. She paused in her rush to admire him. Though he’d been up most of the night, he looked all right. The bags were gone, probably hidden by all the makeup. She’d have to find out what brand of concealer they used, because dang! The whites of his eyes were bright too.

He took Akoni, tucking the sleeping baby into his elbow.

“Wait—did you take a nap?” she asked.

Teo ducked his head. “I may have caught a few power naps while they were changing sets.”

Cedar wanted to throw a pillow at him. She’d had a full night’s sleep, but after a day of trying to mind-read a baby and anticipate his needs and listen to him scream in her ear when she didn’t get it right, she was more than a little jealous of Teo’s easy day. Sure, he had to shoot a commercial and work, but he’d been the star, pampered.

At least she could check pampering him off her to-do list. Wait. If she didn’t pamper him, who had? Some woman with a tight shirt and a platter of doughnut holes? The image made her gag. She hadn’t been able to completely block out those kinds of thoughts lately. Not since Darrin planted the seed of distrust in her head.

She pulled her shirt away from her body. Akoni’s body heat had made her sweat under the blanket.

“I stopped at the grocery on the way home and bought a couple of steaks. I thought we could barbeque tonight.” Teo headed to the kitchen.

Cedar followed, rolling her head from side to side. “I’m going to have to pass. I didn’t get anything done today, and I have so much to do.”

Teo’s bright eyes dimmed with disappointment. “Oh. Okay.”

Cedar went to him and slipped her arms around his middle, resting her head on his chest. He smelled so good, rustic and fresh all at the same time. She probably smelled like sweat and greasy hair. “Ugh. It’s definitely time for a hot shower.”

Teo kissed her temple. “You always look beautiful.”

She snuggled in a little closer before pulling away. “I’d better get going. I’ll be here tomorrow. One more day of filming?” She didn’t want to seem too eager to have a day off, but she needed time. Personal time was a luxury when she was caring for Akoni.

“Yeah. Do you have plans?” Teo hoisted Akoni higher on his shoulder.

“Work. I need uninterrupted hours to read through the proposal from start to finish, and I still need to refine the presentation. I should drop into it and swim around for a while.” Ever since she’d turned Darrin down, Teo had become the best boyfriend ever. He paid attention to her needs—like bringing steak home and offering to cook for her. He hugged and kissed and tickled her until she shook off the seriousness of the day and had a chance to unwind. She loved every minute with him. There were times when she felt like he was holding back, working to control something inside of himself, but she didn’t dwell on those times. Or tried not to. The green eyed monster wasn’t a good look, and she hated giving in to her own insecurities. If Teo could remain faithful to a wife who didn’t love him, then being faithful to a girlfriend who cared would be all that much easier for him.

“I get that.” Teo followed her to the door. “Thanks for getting him to sleep.”

Cedar brushed her finger over Akoni’s cheek. “He can have another dose of the pain meds in half an hour.” She hovered in the doorway. The tasks ahead pulled on her, urging her out the door, while the fact that Akoni needed her tugged her the other direction. Adding to that end of the tug-of-war was also her need for a good make out session with Teo. He was such a good kisser, finding every sensitive spot on her neck and igniting her lips with every kiss. If they started kissing now, she wouldn’t be home until midnight at the earliest.

She couldn’t afford to put things off—even for a blissful evening with Teo.

And really, she was a hired nanny. She had to separate her duties on the job from her duty to the little boy and her feelings for his father. She loved Akoni, she really did, but she had no claim on him. Teo could fire her at any moment, and she’d never see Akoni again. Not that he would and not that they’d found a replacement for her. They’d decided to put the interviews on hold for a couple days while Teo filmed and she finished up her project. This whole thing would be a lot easier if Teo would sweep her into his arms and lay one on her. She wouldn’t fight—maybe protest a little, but that just made staying all the more fun.

Confused at the many sides of her at war, she took the concrete steps slowly, cringing at the sound of the door closing behind her; it rang out like a warning that there was too much at stake to mess this up. The trouble was, she wasn’t sure what she was messing up—her personal life or her professional one.