Page 7 of Hired For the Billionaire's Secret Son

CHAPTER THREE

INHISKITCHEN, Bo carefully closed the door and rubbed his hands up and down his face, wondering if he’d stepped into a vortex that had tossed him arse-over-elbow and scrambled his brain.

On hearing the car pull up, he’d stood up and walked to the front door, expecting to see a middle-aged, slightly frumpy, stocky woman standing on his porch, a not-quite-so-terrifying version of Nanny McPhee—not an upgraded, sexy and updated version of Mary Poppins.

All the blood had rushed from his head as he’d taken in her fine-featured face, luminous brown eyes that turned upward at the corners, high cheekbones and her luscious, unblemished and creamy light-brown skin. Her corkscrew curls fell down her back and were held back from that far too gorgeous face by a plain black headband. She wore no make-up, from what he could see—she didn’t need any—and was dressed in casual and contemporary trousers and a shirt. The body under that shirt had a small waist and long legs...and, yes, he’d noticed her breasts, round and high. He hadn’t lingered on them—he wasn’t a Neanderthal—but he was also a guy who liked women and he hadn’t been able to help but notice.

She looked amazing.

This couldn’t be happening to him—where was the stodgy, solid nanny he’d been expecting? The woman standing in his living room, probably wondering how long it took to make coffee, was reputedly one of the most sought-after nannies on the continent, spoken of in glowing terms by everyone who’d employed her. He’d read through her references carefully and recognised the names of some of the people she’d worked for, people of consequence and power. According to her references, she was punctual, honest, warm, kind and fantastic with children. Her former employers couldn’t praise her enough and many stated they’d have her back in a heartbeat and that she would be a part of their lives for ever.

Well, he had told the owner of the agency he wanted the best, and it looked as though she’d delivered. But did the best have to come in such a drop-him-to-his-knees package? Olivia crackled with energy, and he loved her posh English accent and the unmistakable intelligence he saw in her eyes. Why was an accounting graduate working as a nanny? Where was her family? Did she have a lover?

Why was he so curious? He generally never asked these sorts of questions; he didn’t have the time, energy or interest in small talk. But he wanted to know everything about Olivia—and immediately.

Bo sighed and wished he could put her on a plane and send her away, but he knew that finding another nanny so late in the day would be difficult—people would have made plans long before this, and finding someone as good as Olivia Cooper would be impossible. He would simply have to deal with his raging attraction to her and that would mean being even more imperturbable than he normally was. It was a good thing that he had so much practice hiding and dismissing his feelings. He’d need it today and over the next few months.

Right, get on with it, then, Sørenson.

Bo finished preparing the coffee. When he carried the tray into the room, he saw Olivia sitting on the edge of his couch, and noticed her looking as if she was about to jump out of her skin. So, he wasn’t the only one feeling unbalanced. Good to know.

But there was no ignoring the fact that working and living with her was going to be a royal pain if they both couldn’t relax. And that meant that he had to make an effort to make her feel welcome, to take the wariness out of her eyes.

The best way to do that was to address the elephant in the room and kick it out. ‘I wasn’t expecting an attractive young woman to be my new nanny.’

‘Don’t tell me, you were hoping for someone dressed like a bag lady with warts on her nose?’ Olivia replied. ‘Sorry to disappoint.’

The last thing Olivia could be called was disappointing. ‘I reacted badly, and I was rude—I apologise. It’s been a rough few days. But, before we go any further with this interview, we need to address the issue of me being a single father and you coming to live with a stranger.’

She hadn’t expected him to be so upfront and surprise jumped into her very expressive eyes. She crossed her legs, leaned her forearm on her knee and held his gaze. ‘Can I expect any trouble from you?’

Judging by her wary expression, she’d encountered that sort of trouble before. Men could be such morons.

‘If by “trouble” you mean am I going to hit on you, then no. I have a very strict hands-off policy when it comes to my staff. I do not believe in making my life more complicated than it needs to be. You will be completely safe with me, Ms Cooper.’

Was that a flash of disappointment he caught in her eyes? No, it couldn’t possibly be. He knew his imagination was playing tricks on him when her shoulders dropped and she leaned back slightly. Her actions told him that she wasn’t attracted to him, and that she believed his reassurances. She should. Now that his words were out there, they couldn’t be taken back. Unlike his father, Bo lived and died by his word. Once something was said, it was cast in stone.

Pity because, in any other situation, he would not have minded getting to know Olivia Cooper better. A lot better—naked better.

Yeah, not helpful, Sørenson.

‘Thank you for that,’ Olivia quietly stated. ‘I appreciate you saying it.’

‘But do you believe it?’ It was important to Bo that if she took the job she felt safe here with him. He couldn’t bear the thought of her tiptoeing around him on eggshells.

She held his eyes for a minute, as if looking for signs of deceit, and when she finally nodded he had to stop himself from sagging with relief. ‘Yes, I do.’

Olivia nodded to the coffee on the table between them. ‘Would you mind if I poured myself a cup? I’m gasping.’

‘Absolutely.’ Bo pushed the tray towards her and watched as her elegant fingers depressed the plunger, and then lifted the cafetière. Her nails were short and unvarnished, a pearly white against her skin. When she was done, he poured himself a cup, sat back and placed an ankle on the opposite knee. ‘I’ve never interviewed a nanny before and, knowing nothing about children, I don’t know what to ask you.’

She grinned and it was as if the sun had come out from behind a dark cloud. ‘That’s honest. So, why don’t you tell me about your son and how he came to live with you? I understand it was...unexpected.’

‘He’s not here yet,’ Bo informed her. He thought about how much to tell her and decided to give her the unvarnished truth.

Matheo’s arrival in his life unexpected... ‘Unexpected’ was one word—‘stunning’ and ‘world-changing’ were others. ‘I have never been shy about making my feelings about being in a committed relationship and having children known—I’ve never been interested in either and all my lovers knew where I stood. Somehow, despite my using condoms, Matheo’s mother fell pregnant but she decided not to tell me. She returned to Brazil and she wanted to raise my son with the man she married after he was born. I am told he was going to adopt Matheo, but they both died in a car accident before that happened. Dani had put my name on the birth certificate and the authorities tracked me down and he’s coming to live with me.’

He sipped at his coffee and tried and failed to smile. When he explained it out loud, it sounded even more outlandish than it did in his head. ‘You’re all up to date now, Olivia.’

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