Page 20 of The Billionaire Dating Dad

He focused on the subtle movement along her throat, imagining arousal caused her nervousness and not panic or anger at seeing him again. “But now that you’re here.”That I’ve seen you. Feel my blood thunder from your closeness.“I can’t let you leave.”

Violet’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

“Do you think the agency would like to know how you secured employment with the Townsons?” He hated pulling an asshole move like this but where Violet was concerned he would risk anything if it meant keeping her with him. He’d denied himself for too long to be calm and collected when she could leave him at any second.

“You wouldn’t.” She searched his face but found no sign of retreat. “We both got what we went to the gallery for that night.”

Dimitri grunted. “You got your job and my sister got her paintings.” He whispered in her ear, “I got nothing.”

She sucked in a shuddering breath that almost made him remorseful.

“We’re not the same, Violet. I have a little girl inside that lost her entire world. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to make her happy.” He hated mentioning his need for a nanny when his desires for this woman had nothing to do with Maddie.

“So you’d force me to work for you?”

“If that’s what it takes.”

“Dimitri, listen —”

“Three months,” he said, hearing the rejection in her voice. He had too much to lose if she walked away.

“What?” She frowned.

“If you don’t want to stay after three months, I’ll find a qualified replacement.”

Violet held his gaze. “Then you’ll let me go?”

Those weren’t the words he’d use, then again, he didn’t utter them. “In three months you’ll no longer have to work for me.”

She searched his face for a long time before blowing a frustrated breath into the air. “We should lay out some rules and changes to the job description if I’m going to stay.”

Her shoulders straightened in a beautiful challenge but he wasn’t a man to back down. “What I require from you hasn’t changed, Violet.”

“This isn’t funny, Dimitri. You can’t expect me to live here… with you.”

“Did you think Maddie lived on her own?”

“Of course not! But be reasonable. This isn’t a good idea.”

“It’s a live-in position, Violet, you knew that.”

“Yes, but…” She gripped his arm. “What about her mother?”

Anger tightened his jaw at the reminder. He should have done more to help May and protect his daughter from the hurt she was feeling. That wouldn’t happen again, he vowed.

“It’ll be awkward enough being around you. What am I supposed to tell your wife, Maddie’s mother when she realizes —” Violet clamped her mouth shut.

“When she realizes what?” Her grip on his arm played havoc on his skin. “That if she hadn’t called that night you would have woken in my bed?”

Her eyes widened with guilt and he felt like an eel. She already disliked him, but Dimitri couldn’t let her deny the current flowing between them. That she tried to ignore those feelings unsettled him in the worst way.

He plucked her car keys from her hand before turning toward the house. “You can share your concerns tonight after Maddie goes to bed.

Dimitri half expected her to march from his driveway the moment he went into the house to collect Maddie. But she was still standing beside her car when he returned. Dimitri meant what he said, he’d do whatever it took to ease his daughter’s pain. “Maddie, I’d like you to meet your new nanny.”

“We already met, Daddy.” Maddie squinted up at Violet. “Are you coming to my class?”

Dimitri tapped his daughter on the nose. “She sure is. Would you like that?”

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