Page 18 of A Baby Surprise For My Billionaire Boss

So he was a little surprised to hear the sound of music as he walked through his front door. It was soft enough that he knew Charlie’s sleep wouldn’t be disturbed by it, and it was pretty and melodic, instrumental stuff, but it was coming from the living room. What was Maddie doing in there?

He went in and stopped in the doorway, taking in the scene.

She had pushed all the furniture back against the walls to create a vast, open space at the center of the room. She was on her toes, and she was dancing — bending and flexing gracefully to the music. She had her back to him, and he watched quietly, not wanting to disturb her — it was a pleasure to watch this. Eli recognized ballet — he’d been to a few performances in his life — and though he didn’t know much about the art, he could tell that she was good at it. The point in her toes never went away. Her fingers were fully extended. It was clear that she knew, at every moment, what every part of her body was doing, and that every move she made was intentional.

She turned toward him and stopped in her tracks. “Oh.” Her face went bright red with embarrassment at having been walked in on.

“It’s all right,” he told her. “You don’t need to stop.” He leaned against the doorframe casually, hoping that she would go on. He had been enjoying the show. And the best part was, there was nothing unprofessional or inappropriate about watching her while she was dancing. It was completely understandable that he should be drawn to that. He didn’t have to pretend he hadn’t noticed her — at least, not right now.

“I shouldn’t have moved the furniture,” she said. “I meant to have it all put back before you got home.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll get it all put back where it was,” he assured her. “There’s no hurry.”

“I hope I didn’t damage anything.”

“I’m sure you didn’t. Unless you picked up the armchair and threw it over there.”

“I pushed it.”

“So it’s fine,” he said, offering a smile in hopes of relaxing her a bit. “I’m guessing your room wasn’t big enough for this?”

“I know I’m supposed to stick to my room after hours. I’m sorry.”

“No, hey, that wasn’t what I was saying,” he said. “I just wondered why you chose to dance out here, and I could only guess that there wasn’t enough space for you upstairs.”

“Not really,” she confessed. “I tried dancing in the suite, but that couch is so big that I wasn’t able to move it. Not that I’m complaining,” she added quickly. “It’s a great couch. I love it. But I did need more space.”

“Well, it isn’t a problem. The suite is your private space, but of course you’re welcome to the rest of the house as well. You’re acting as if you’d done something wrong, but I don’t have a problem with you being in here at all.”

“Thanks,” Maddie said, smiling at him. Some of the pink had left her cheeks now, and she looked a bit more relaxed. It only led Eli to notice how sweet her smile was, though. He was sure that smile bewitched everyone who saw it.

Oh, this wasn’t going to be easy. Now he was thinking about her in that swimsuit again, which was the very thing he had wanted to avoid tonight.

He cleared his throat. “I hadn’t realized you were a dancer.”

“Oh, I’m not,” she said. She actually looked surprised, which madehimfeel surprised in turn.

“Of course you are,” he protested. “No one dances like that without proper training.”

“You know about ballet, then?”

“I know about recognizing quality when I see it. You knew what you were doing.”

“Okay, that’s true,” she agreed.

“I knew it. So how long have you been a dancer?”

“I’m really not a dancer,” she said. “I used to be. But I’m not anymore.”

“You quit? You shouldn’t have. You’re so good at it.”

She looked down at her feet.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Was that not okay to say? I wasn’t trying to tell you what to do with your life.” Maybe he had come across as bossy, but he hadn’t meant it that way. “All I was trying to say was that you’re really good at this. You’re a beautiful dancer.” Oh, now he was talking too much. She was going to think he was ridiculous.

And why did he suddenly care so much what she thought, anyway? He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this worried about another person’s opinion.Thathad certainly never happened when Katie had been his nanny.

“I didn’t exactly quit,” she said. “I was injured, and I had to stop.”

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