Page 13 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Nanny

Emilia nudged my hand with her crayon, bringing me back to the task I was supposed to be paying attention to. I picked a pink crayon and colored a section of the unicorn bunny drawing.

But paying attention to the coloring page was a massive struggle. Blake dumped out the grounds and began tamping new grounds for the next cup of coffee. The sight of his strong tanned arms working was utterly distracting. Every one of his movements was graceful, but filled with power. Just like everything else about him.

Blake handed me my cappuccino and sat down next to me at the kitchen island. I brought the steaming hot cup to my face and inhaled the rich aroma. Closing my eyes, I took a sip. Absolute heaven. A happy moan of satisfaction escaped past my lips as the first bit of caffeine hit my blood.

When I opened my eyes, I found him staring at me. His eyes flicked down to my mouth.

Like a reflex, my tongue darted out to lick at the foam that clung to my top lip.

His nostrils flared and his lips parted. Hunger and impatience were etched on his face. Our breakfast being served cut through the tension in the air.

Chef Rosa shot both of us a knowing look as she brought over the rest of our breakfast. My cheeks heated. This was like the time in high school when my mother caught me making out with Danny on my front porch.

"Chocolate!" Emilia exclaimed.

Both Blake and I had a ham and cheese omelet, while Emilia had chocolate hazelnut crepes with strawberries. I helped Emilia cut her crepes into bite-sized pieces. She insisted that she was a big girl and that she and Mr. Snuffles could eat on their own.

Blake looked on with pride as Emilia ate without a fuss. She had come so far in the weeks I had known her. There was no trace of the anxious child she had been. Though I could never replace the mother she lost, I was honored and proud that I was a part of her healing journey.

As Blake and I dug into our food, I realized that we looked just like any other normal family having breakfast together. In moments like this, it was easy to forget why I was here. That I was paid to be here as his nanny. The thought pierced through my delusions. Getting attached to my boss could make everything into a complicated mess. I couldn't cross professional boundaries and risk losing this job, not only because of the money, but because Emilia needed me. I was his employee. Nothing more.

After Blake left for work, I spent a couple of hours playing with Emilia. During my first week, I got lost in the endless rooms of the house, but by now, I knew my way around like the back of my hand.

There were only two rules to playing hide and seek with Emilia. We had to stay in the family wing, and we couldn't go further into the garden area than the row of rosebushes. The servants' quarters were in the other wing of the house and Blake forbade Emilia or me from going into the forest surrounding the estate. He didn't state why, but it wasn't a big deal. Not that I wanted to go into the creepy dark woods, anyway.

Her attempts to outsmart me with her clever hiding spots were discovered in record time. After the excitement, we went to her playroom for craft time. Once she was tired out, it was time for her nap.

I wasn't going to let these rare moments of peace and quiet go wasted. As soon as Emilia was asleep, I gathered whatever notepads and scraps of paper I could find and wrote. While the final draft was going to be composed on my tablet, I liked working out the kinks in my idea by hand. Emilia usually slept for half an hour, which was plenty of time to get some words written and make actual progress toward finishing my novel. After her nap, she would play for another couple of hours before Blake came home from work, and we would have dinner together.

Days passed, and then it was time for us to go to Paradise Peaks. It was the night before we were going to fly out in the morning. Blake insisted I stay at his house for the first time since I began watching Emilia. My apartment was on the opposite side of Huntington Harbor, so it was easier for all three of us to be at the same place instead of having to rush across town to pick me up.

To my surprise, my room was right next to Emilia's room and one door down from Blake's bedroom. I had assumed that I would stay in the servant's wing.

After I packed her bags for the upcoming weeks away from home, Emilia begged to stay up and watch movies. The excitement of having her first sleepover was too much. Blake caved in to her request. The tough, stoic businessman was no match against his niece's sweet pleas.

We watched The Little Mermaid, with one of us on each side of Emilia. By the time the credits scrolled onto the screen, it was two hours past her bedtime. She was already snoring softly, with her head on a pillow on my lap.

"I'll put her to bed. You need to get some rest," Blake whispered. He bent over to scoop her into his arms, brushing against me as he did so. I wondered what it would be like to feel the muscles of his arms under my hand. The top two buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned, revealing the hair at the top of his chest. He smelled like coffee, pine trees, and his own irresistible musk.

Even as my heart thudded in my chest, I willed myself to breathe calmly and steadily. Silently, I prayed that he couldn't tell how much his touch affected me. I would never live down the embarrassment of being caught crushing on my boss. After all, I only worked for him. There was nothing going on between us.

I retreated to my room, but even through the walls that separated us, I could feel his presence, as keenly as if he was in the room with me. Closing my eyes, I tried to ignore him.

"Argh!" I kicked the covers off my overheated body and picked up my phone. There was a text message from Katie.

Katie: "Guess who got a job?"

I glanced at the time at the top of my phone. It wasn't even one o'clock yet, so she was probably still up. Quickly, I typed up a message.

Me: "Congrats! Is it with the agency?"

My phone dinged with the incoming reply. I knew my insomniac roommate would be the perfect distraction.

Katie: "Yep. My official title is Executive Assistant."

Me: "Sounds important. And a lot of work."

Katie: "Pssh. These jobs are 90% coffee runs and picking up dry cleaning. How hard could it be?"

---