Page 26 of Suddenly Hired

She came, calling his name, and after a couple more deep plunges, he let himself go. His load came out in a powerful stream, thick and hot, filling her up. His heart galloped in his chest still.

She panted. “Okay. So I need you to get off the bed now, and leave,” she said in a whisper. “Don’t look at me, don’t talk to me, and definitely, don’t kiss me. Not if you want to get out of this room,” she added with a smile. “I also would prefer walking tomorrow.”

A smile danced in his lips.

She disengaged from him. “Smiling is dangerous too. Go.”

Fucking this woman all ways to Sunday wasn’t enough. But this was a problem he’d deal with later.

“Are you sure it’s okay I came?” she asked, when he brought her to a big party at the hotel where they stayed.

Tonight was their last night at the retreat, and families and companions were invited for the typical Hawaiian luau party.

“Of course. Don’t worry about it,” he said. “The kids are having a good time,” he said, pointing his direction at the area where children milled with a dancer teaching them typical moves and a few of them laughing as they tried to imitate.

“I should still go keep an eye on them. You know, so you can network and do business-y stuff,” she said.

She hoped he knew what she meant. This wasn’t a date.

They couldn’t simply hang out and enjoy themselves together at the party, not without the buffer of the children. She didn’t want him to be seen with her, and for his bosses to see him dating the nanny. Not that it was any of their business, but that had to look bad, right?

Besides, she needed that discernment. That line crossed on the sand.

“Sure,” he said, with a shrug.

She sauntered away from him, and swallowed hard. Yes, she most definitely needed to know where they stood. She almost regretted not telling Billie or Kira about sleeping with him. Because now, she had no one to confide in, and she could really use some talking.

They’d done a good job keeping their affair hidden from the kids. On the three days they’d spent there, he joined her in her room at night, and always left before Archie could wake up and look for him. Even though in two of those nights Archie had slept like a rock. Still. They wanted to be careful.

How could she use the same pragmatism when it came to her heart?

He was impossible to resist. And if she weren’t careful, she’d—

“Hi,” said a tall slim man elegantly dressed, holding a glass of a colorful cocktail.

“Hi,” she responded. She hadn’t seen him before, and since most of this area had been rented to the party, she assumed he was with this party.

“I miss when they were that little,” he said, pointing at the kids dancing with the entertainer.

“Oh. Yes.” She looked down. Was he flirting with her? Probably not.

“How old are your kids?” he asked, leaning closer.

“They’re not mine,” she said quickly. “I’m their nanny,” she answered, hoping that would keep this nosy man at bay. She didn’t tell him how old they were, as he had no business knowing. A sense of protectiveness came over her. Random strangers weren’t special enough to have any details about Archie and Willow.

Don’t be silly, she told herself. The guy was small talking. It’s not like he’d kidnap them right under her nose.

“Nannies help the world go round,” he said. “Me and my ex-wife appreciated them when our kids were younger.” He stretched out his hand. “Roy Wills.”

“Poppy Jones,” she said.

A flicker of interest sparked in his eyes. “Interesting. Not a name you hear every day.”

Yeah. She got it all the time. People asked her if it was short for Calliope or another name, but nope. Her mother just picked it from a hippy list. If things turned around though, people would hear it every day. At least her target audience, which she hoped she’d get at the end of this whole deal with Ethan.

She couldn’t forget what brought him into her life. She needed to get her career off the ground at last. She’d been podcasting from his home a couple of times a week, when the kids were in school. Thankfully all she needed was her laptop and special headset and mic. But still, she hadn’t had a lot of entertainment news when she’d been working as a nanny. Not that her small audience minded. She’d been adding little slices of real life here and there, without of course announcing who she was working for.

She saw Willow laugh, and her heart squeezed in her chest. Damn it, she’d miss the kids.

Maybe she could visit them once in a while after she moved out of their home?

Nah. Probably a bad idea—she didn’t want to get their little minds confused, or have to see Ethan more than necessary after.

Her stomach dropped. God, she wouldn’t see him anymore.

A sensation of sadness expanded inside her.

“Are you okay?” Roy asked. “Did I say something wrong?”

She shook her head, waving him off. “No, I have to check on the kids. Excuse me,” she said, walking away.

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