Page 12 of A Convenient Secret
I swear his lips quirk up for a millisecond before he schools his expression again. Is he amused? By my presence? By my chin-lifting act of defiance?
He moves his gaze slowly, languidly, down my body. It’s not scrutiny; it’s almost an indulgence. He enjoys what he sees.
And God help me, I enjoy his perusal. When I entered this penthouse, I was grateful for the pleasantly-set temperature. Right now, my T-shirt isabsorbing my body’s weight in sweat. I’ll be seriously dehydrated after this morning.
The few moments of his attention feel like an eternity. His eyes linger on my naked legs for a moment, before he remembers all that’s wrong with this situation.
“Are you even qualified to watch my children?” That puzzlement is back now, along with parental concern.
He should be concerned. I should be concerned.
But those thoughts are canceled because I nod. I freaking nod.
Well, let’s be honest here, this man robbed me of my sanity the first time I heard his voice over the line at Summit Solutions.
“Okay.” He nods curtly and leaves.
It’s not lost on me that he doesn’t walk past me but takes the trouble to back up and walk around the island from the other side. He may as well, as I’m in desperate need of a shower.
But more importantly, has he even recognized me?
Chapter 3
Declan
Fucking hell.
Lily is my new nanny. How did that happen?
How did I allow that to happen?
Ever since I saw her that first time at Caleb’s Christmas vow renewal, she’s invaded my every waking hour.
So I did the only reasonable thing. I’ve been pretending she doesn’t exist. At least we didn’t need to see each other again. Not that it helped my infatuation.
And now she is in my fucking kitchen. With her weirdly unkempt haircut, large unflattering glasses, and those legs.
Fucking hell.
She’s in my kitchen in those indecently shortshorts, her tanned legs imprinted on my mind for an eternity.
But it’s her eyes that grabbed my attention that first time. She hides them behind those glasses like she’s trying to avoid attention.
But I saw those brown eyes. She is all smiles and kindness, but those eyes hide loss and pain.
I noticed way too much about her that first night. She talked to her friend about Greek gods. What an odd thing. What an intriguing thing.
“Daddy, do we weally need to go to school?” Zoya pulls at my jacket.
“Of course, sweetheart. You’re already very late. You better hurry.”
“But, Daddy—”
“Zoya—” I use my strict voice, and her little shoulders sag.
“Have a nice day, Dad.” Zach extends his hand, and we shake.
“Are you okay?” Mom studies me.
