Page 18 of How to Win the Wild Billionaire

Bay had no choice but to place her hand in his, trying to ignore the tingles racing up her arm and the heat settling in her belly. “Deal. When do you want me to start?”

He nodded to her sketch pad. “You already have, Bay. Keep doing that and I’ll be in touch in a day or two.”

Digby released her hand and walked around the table, dropping his head so that his lips were close to hers, sending anticipation and heat swirling through her. “I thought you said that I was in the driving seat.”

Digby had the temerity to grin at her. “And you are. But I told you I’d try and tempt you, remember?” He stood so close to her that all she’d have to do was tilt her head upwards and... “Are you tempted, Bay?” Digby whispered the words against her lips.

Desperately so. But Bay didn’t think that the superconfident Digby needed to hear that. He was far too cocky as it was...

“Good. Night, Bay.”

Bay watched, openmouthed as he walked into her house and out of sight. Then she heard the front door closing behind him and dropped her forehead to the table, feeling both exhilarated and unbalanced, thanks to Digby’s professional offer and the heat in his eyes.

And Bay knew that the contradictory feelings wouldn’t disappear anytime soon.

Digby sat on the edge of his desk and watched Bay introduce Olivia to her new nanny, Roisin. Row-sheen, he remembered, was the way her name was pronounced. It was Irish, the tall, dark-haired American had explained. And, yes, she was happy to look after Olivia...

Excellent news.

When Roisin tipped her head to the side to explain something to Olivia, she looked a little familiar but Digby immediately dismissed the thought. Roisin had a strong American accent and she’d only been in the country for a month, having flown out from San Francisco six weeks ago, so he couldn’t have met her before.

His thoughts moved on from Roisin to Bay, looking fresh and lovely in a pale pink sleeveless shirt and tan capri pants, funky sneakers on her small feet. She wasn’t conventionally pretty but something about her kept her constantly on his mind.

In between imagining what she looked like naked, he also had random questions about her, like was she a coffee-first-thing-in-the-morning type of person and did she prefer cats or dogs? Did she prefer chocolate or vanilla and how did she feel about being responsible for raising someone else’s child?

In between making mental lists and planning strategies, or finding solutions to a dozen big and small problems, his thoughts often drifted to the kiss they’d shared, remembering how wonderful her mouth felt under his, how her slim body seemed to fit his perfectly, her lovely, subtle scent and the spice of her mouth. And how the world seemed to stop spinning whenever she was in the room, how his heart settled and sighed whenever she was around.

God, he had to stop thinking like this. This wasn’t who he was, what he did.

She was taking up far too much of his mental energy. He couldn’t offer her anything; he wasn’t capable of long-term relationships or even wanted one. Oh, he could play the part of the charming rogue, the life and soul of any party, but he was, deep down where honesty resided, a loner, someone completely comfortable with living his life solo. He’d had parents who never paid him any attention growing up—hell, he remembered not seeing them once over six months—and when they were around, they ignored him to focus on their pursuit of pleasure.

But he and his parents did share some common traits. Like them, he liked his freedom, liked being able to do what he wanted when he wanted, without having to answer to a wife or significant other. But the difference between him and his parents was that he realized how hurtful neglect and disinterest could be and he’d never ever do that to a partner or a child.

Besides, he’d never risk loving and losing someone again. Radd had been, for the past twenty years, his only anchor, all the family he wanted, needed or could cope with.

So why was he, mentally, linking Bay with thoughts of his family? God only knew. What he was certain of was that seeing her, working with her and knowing she was solidly off-limits was going to make the next few months pure torture.

Fingers snapping in front of his face pulled him back to the present. He blinked and Bay’s amused face came back into focus. “There you are. Did you take a nice trip?”

Digby looked around his office to find it empty. “Where did they go?”

“To the nursery. Liv was more than happy to go with her, thank God,” Bay told him, her eyes reflecting her relief. Her eyes turned to gold when she was happy, darkened when she was stressed.Good to know, Digby thought.

Bay placed her hand on his biceps and squeezed and Digby realized it was the first time she’d initiated physical contact. The heat of her hand burned through his cotton to brand him.

“Thank you for hiring Roisin—she’s amazing.”

Digby risked placing his hand on her hip and moving her so that she stood between his outstretched legs. “Pleasure,” he murmured, his hand skating over her hip bone.

Digby looked down into her face and saw the blue stripes under her eyes. Wondering why he hadn’t noticed how tired she was, he pulled back, just a little, to look at her properly. Her shoulders were hunched and the cords in her neck were pulled tight.

She was stressed to the max.

She had a job and a nanny for Olivia, so what else was worrying her? And why was he so desperate to know, and worse, to fix, all her problems, to protect her from anything that was causing her pain?

Lifting his hand, he clasped the back of her neck and rested his forehead on hers. “Are you okay, Bay? Can I do anything, anything at all, to help you?”

Bay’s extraordinary eyes met his and he saw a brief hint of tears. She opened her mouth to speak but then snapped it closed before shaking her head.

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