Page 72 of Fiery Romance

Stuffed animals, coloring books, toys and games take up one corner. Everything is neat, which is the complete opposite of my chaotic office. This room tells me that—with all his money, his army of security guys, and his influence, Clay Bolton is most proud of being a father.

I knock on the door.

Clay turns and pins his sharp blue eyes on me.

Hesitation keeps me frozen in the doorway. I’m about to rub my nose somewhere it doesn’t belong.

But it’s not like Clay’s ever shied away from interfering in people’s lives.

I’m just giving him a taste of his own medicine.

CHAPTER8

THE TEST THAT FAILED

CLAY

Island istense when she steps into my office, so bold and yet so fragile. Her dark hands are folded in front of her. Her tongue sweeps over her lips, a nervous tic. Distracting. Seductive.

My heart picks up its pace. I pull my fingers into fists.

She caught me off guard when she hugged me earlier. Her soft body. Her sweet scent. The whisper of her hair against my neck.

Witch’s spells.

I haven’t quite been myself since.

Distance is best for us.

For me.

For a clear head.

I put looking for a new nanny on the back burner when I first found her, but now getting someone else is the most pressing matter.

Island Hayes is a danger to me. I am becoming too dependent on her, on her smile, on her biting remarks.

When a soldier gets too comfortable, he starts being sloppy. Making mistakes. Putting his entire team at risk.

This is why I need her out of my sight.

“Why didn’t you leave?” My voice is unnecessarily harsh.

She flinches. Glances away.

I wait for her to cower, to run, to do what they all do when a man of my size gives an order wrapped in a question.

But she doesn’t.

Her hands clasp even tighter. She lifts her head, staring into me. My pants tighten noticeably when she flashes that charming, aloof smile of hers. It’s a smile that’s pretty enough to hide the sharp calculation in her honey eyes.

“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with your son. Abe, right? Short for Abraham?”

My defenses shoot up.

Her smile gets sunnier.

If I’d lived my life as a civilian, I would have fallen under her spell.

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