Page 19 of A Baby Surprise For My Billionaire Boss

“Oh.” He was quiet for a moment as he understood the depth of what she was telling him. He had never been a serious athlete, but he knew how devastating a sports injury could be. No wonder she had been reluctant to talk about her dancing. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thanks. It was a while ago,” she said. “It’s really okay now.”

“You must miss it.” He felt silly, having said that — obviously she missed it. Why else would she be dancing around his living room?

Maddie smiled. “Dance will always be a part of my life,” she said. “I may not be able to be a professional dancer the way I used to dream about, but I still have my love of dancing.”

“That’s a great outlook,” Eli said. “And I can see that you have that. I mean, it’s obvious from the way you dance. You looked really lost in the moment.”

“Yeah, that has a tendency to happen.” She smiled a little sheepishly. “When I’m dancing, it’s like I forget about everything else. I feel like I’m in my own little world.”

“I could tell. You must have been amazing to watch when you were a dancer.”

“I’ll put everything back,” Maddie said. She went over to her phone and picked it up, presumably ready to turn off the music.

“No, don’t,” Eli said hurriedly.

She looked up at him. “Why — do you like the room better this way or something?”

Eli chuckled. “It’s not that,” he said. “I just want you to finish what you were doing.”

“Oh.” Her cheeks colored. “Um, I’m not used to having an audience. I mean, not anymore.”

“No, sorry, I didn’t mean that I was going to stand here and watch you,” he said quickly. “I’m sorry — you’re right, that would be incredibly awkward. I just meant that I wanted you to take the time to finish up what you were doing. Enjoy your time dancing. You work all day, and I know you must be glad to get some time to yourself — I’ll get out of your way.”

“I feel like I shouldn’t be doing this here,” she confessed. “It was different when you weren’t home. Now I feel like I’m driving you out of your own living room.”

“You’re not doing anything of the kind,” he assured her. “I was going to go take a shower anyway. It’s been a long day and I could stand to relax a bit. You finish practicing.”

“Are you sure?”

“Completely sure. And don’t worry about moving the furniture back when you’re done,” he added. “My house cleaner is coming tomorrow, and this will make it easier for her to vacuum in here. You’ve done me a favor.”

“Okay, but Iwillput everything back when the cleaning is finished,” she vowed.

Eli nodded, knowing that he wasn’t going to let her do that either. It wouldn’t be very chivalrous to allow her to move all that furniture by herself. At the very least, he would help her with it.

Or maybe he would leave these things where they were. If she couldn’t practice dance in her suite, she ought to have a space. He could also think of clearing the boxes out of the big upstairsroom that had probably been intended by the house’s builders to be used as a conservatory. Eli had never had any use for that space — he didn’t play any instruments. He’d though of getting a piano and starting Charlie on lessons, but it was one of those things that had gotten lost among the everyday responsibilities of trying to balance his job and fatherhood.

If Maddie needed a dance studio, though, maybe that was a space that could be converted. It was definitely an idea worth thinking about.

He wondered what she would say if he were to suggest that idea. It seemed likely, based on everything he had observed from her so far, that she would try to refuse the offer — but maybe if he made the arrangements without telling her she would like that. He doubted whether she would refuse to dance in the conservatory if he had already turned it into an appropriate space for her.

He went upstairs to take his shower, his head spinning, his mind full of ideas.

It seemed like something out of a fantasy that his new nanny had turned out to be such a deeply attractive, sensual woman.

But that was a fantasy Eli knew he couldn’t afford to indulge.

She’s the nanny,he told himself firmly.She works here. This is her job.

And he couldn’t afford to risk losing her as a nanny, not now that he had found someone who seemed to fit in so well, someone who suited their family’s needs. Someone who understood Charlie, and who Charlie liked. That wasn’t something he was willing to give up, no matter how attractive she was. He was justgoing to have to keep these feelings under control, that was all there was to it.

He turned on the shower and stepped under the spray to wash away the stress of his day — and, hopefully, all these errant thoughts about Maddie Foster.

But by the time he stepped out, his thoughts were no more under control than they had been. He could still hear the sound of distant music coming from downstairs as he left the bathroom, and he knew she was still dancing. It made him want to go down and see her again.

It made him want to spend time with her.

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