I cradled the phone between my chin and shoulder, wiping my suddenly sweaty palms across my jeans. "Um, who is this?"
Of course I knew who it was. I'd recognize his voice anywhere. But his demand left me feeling not so gracious. So bossy and arrogant, like I'd just up and do what he wanted, when he wanted, where and how he wanted it done.
"Collin Montgomery. Met you at the bar. You know my sister, Lia."
"Uh-huh."
He cleared his throat again. "So, would you?"
"Would I what?"
"Come over for a second interview. I'd like you to meet Chloe. I'll cook dinner."
Trailing my finger over the book spines, I thought about his proposition. No way did I want to give in so easily-not even when I was coming up empty on the job search. But to drop everything at his beck and call wasn't something I envisioned happening either.
Still, I was desperate.
"You there?"
"Yep. I'm here." I popped my lips on the p, pulling out a book. The title was Twenty-Five Tropical Houses in the Philippines.
"Soooo...you good for tomorrow then? Tuesday. I don't work Monday and Tuesday nights. They're my only nights off. Your hours would be six at night until six in the morning, Wednesday through Sunday."
"That so?" I paused, shifting the book back into place. The coolness of the books' covers calmed me as I moved my fingers over their spines. "Not sure."
He said something then-something soft. An apology, maybe?
"What was that?" I leaned my back against the wooden bookcase, sliding down to the floor. Pulling my knees to my chin, I tried to smother the grin in my voice. There was something pretty fabulous about making this guy squirm.
"I said I was sorry. Damn it."
"For what, exactly?"
He groaned. "For being an ass the other night."
"Okay. But...which night?" I nibbled on my thumbnail.
"Which night," he snorted to himself. "Fine. The night we met and the night at my house. That good enough for you?"
As good as I could expect, I supposed. "Okay."
"Okay? What do you mean, Okay? Don't you think you owe me an apology too? You ditched out on me and Gav the night at the bar after we helped your friend to the car."
I had run out on him, sure, but what did he expect me to do? Fall to his feet and say thanks to the Big Guy for bringing Number Six into my life?
No. It didn't work that way.
"I did, yes, but you're too overwhelming and abrupt. Cornering a woman in a bar and basically feeling her up. Who does th-"
He laughed. "Feeling you up? Oh, don't think so. You'd know if I were feeling you up. And you would like it."
My face grew hot, and I threw a hand over my eyes to hide...something. Damn. This guy. The simple thought of his hands on my skin, doing what he said I'd supposedly like, wasn't an image I could escape either.
"But I am sorry if I overwhelmed you. I have that effect on people sometimes."
I pursed my lips. "No doubt you do."
He laughed again, the sound warm and much too inviting. "Won't happen again though. An oversight on my part."
I nodded, because my voice had pretty much gone extinct. Sure, this guy, Mr. Macho Number Six, was hotter than Hades, but he was also ornerier than a porcupine with a bad temper. And for him to know my truth, how just the thought of him made my skin tingle, would give him power over me that I'd never hand to anyone.
"We can pretend we never met. How 'bout that? You're just a woman in need of a job, and I'm just a guy in need of a nanny."
Ah, there it was. The official title: His Daughter's Nanny.
"Fine. When? Give me a time, and I'll be there." For an interview only, of course.
"Tomorrow night at sex."
My eyebrows shot up. "Um, excuse me?"
He grunted. "I meant six, not sex. Shit." Something fumbled on the other end of the line, like maybe he'd dropped the phone. Unable to help it, I giggled.
"You still there?" He sighed. "And that fuck-me comment... You know I didn't actually mean for you to-"
"Yes. Duly noted. Not what you meant. Got it." I lowered my forehead, slowly knocking it against my knees twice. Knowing he wasn't all-the-time suave made him more human to me. And that made him even more attractive than he already was.
"You there?"
"I'm here," I whispered back.
"Yeah. Fine. Tomorrow, six. Chloe will be here, and my roommates will be working. They work nights too. It'll just be us three. That good for you?"
No. "Yes. Six is perfect. I'll be there."
"Fine, good," he snapped. "I'll be...here."
Snappy and clumsy Number Six was a lot more entertaining than broody, moody, I'm-the-boss Number Six.
"Collin?" Saying his name felt intimate. But it's not as though I could continue calling him Number Six-especially if I got this job.
Wait. Did I even want this job? I mean, I knew I needed this job- "Yeah?"
I sighed. "Thank you for giving me another chance."
For a good ten seconds, he didn't say a word. And neither did I. Other than the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears, the whirring of the heating units above was the only sound around. After another moment passed, he finally sighed too.
"You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow night, Addison."
"Addie," I cut in, sitting up straighter, wincing at my abruptness and not even sure why it mattered. "Call me Addie, please."
More silence.
"Collin?"
His voice was low, sensual. I shivered at the sound. "Yeah, okay, Addie. I'll see you tomorrow."
For a good ten minutes after I got off the phone, I sat there, backside numb from the hard, carpeted floor, shoulders aching from leaning against the wooden shelf. Still, the only thought on my mind as I twisted my hands around my cell phone was: Have I just sold my soul to the devil?
And if so, how much would he charge me to give it back?
Chapter 9.
Collin This wasn't right, this nervous tension coiling inside my stomach. I'd been through shit no man should go through, yet never once had I felt the need to puke my guts out like I did now.
I paced the length of my kitchen, hands sweating.
So what if I had a sexy-as-sin woman coming over to my place? I knew what to do, how to talk to her, how to make conversation. I wasn't a moron when it came to women. But then Chloe babbled from the kitchen floor, and I remembered what this was really about.
"Not a date." I repeated those words in my mind a good number of times as I pulled my casserole mess from the oven. Cheese oozed over the top and I burned my finger, cussing as I dropped the pan on the countertop. Cook dinner, my ass.
"All right, little girl. You ready for this?" Chloe's fist was wrapped around a wooden spoon she'd been using to pound against the tile floor. Smiling, I scooped her up in my arms and brought her with me into the living room to sit on the couch...and wait.
Fuck, if I didn't hate waiting.
"This is for the best, ain't it, girl?" I leaned us back against the cushions. Chloe immediately started crawling up my chest until she had her hand in my hair. Her tiny fingers grabbed the ends, and I leaned my forehead down to touch hers. "Yeah, baby. We've got this."
A soft knock rapped against the door a second later, and Chloe jerked away from me, arching her back like some sort of gymnast. Heart pounding in my chest, I wrapped my arms around her and stood to set her in her playpen.
I felt like a damn fourteen-year-old kid about to go out on a date for the first time. Half-hard, knees weak... If I'd had on boots, there's no doubt I'd have been shaking in them.
I opened the door, struck in the chest by the beauty standing before me. "Addison." I exhaled.
I leaned my hand against the frame, needing the stability to stay upright.
Tonight she wore a knee-length, striped skirt and a fitted white sweater beneath her unbuttoned, pink coat. I could easily make out the outline of breasts, her body like an hourglass that I never wanted to end. I swallowed once before meeting her gaze.
Not a date. Not a date.
Even in the near dark, I could see the flush on her pretty skin. The way she wrapped her hands anxiously around her purse at her waist had me realizing something important: I made her nervous too.
Good.
"Hey, can I come in?" She smiled and lifted one hand to wave, like I stood twenty feet away instead of two. It was cute. I could deal with cute.
"Yeah, shit, sorry." Other than a quick nod and those three words, I didn't say anything else.
Struck wordless by a woman. Gav and Max would've had my ass for that.
I moved back, arm to the side in invitation. Raindrops stuck to her clothes and hair. There was one on her cheek, just below her right eye, and I had to tighten my hands into fists so I didn't reach up and brush it away.
She wore a beanie hat and those same pink, fingerless gloves that looked like something my grandma would've sewn back in the day. "It's getting nasty out there." She shivered.
I nodded, helping her take her coat off, my fingers grazing the back of her neck as I did. She watched me the entire time, eyes hooded as I hung her coat on the closet door.
She cleared her throat. "You have a nice home."
Shrugging one shoulder, I started to lead her into the living room, my hand hovering by the small of her back. She shivered. Again. The soft smile grazing her pretty, pink lips about messed me up. But I decided I liked it more than I hated it, so it could stay.
Not sure what that meant, but I'd figure it out later.
"How long have you lived here?" Those big, brown eyes batted, her dark lashes brushing slowly against her cheeks.
I blinked.
Two times.
Then three.
"Collin." She snapped her fingers in front of my face.
"Eight months."
She nodded and bit down on her lip, and all I could think to myself was, Let me do that for you.
My stomach dropped at the thoughts raging through my head.
Not a date. Not a date. Not a date.
"Chloe's in there." I motioned toward her playpen, needing this beautiful, forbidden creature to stop looking at me like she thought I was the chocolate to her sundae. One snap of her fingers, and I would've been exactly that if she'd ask me to-no hesitation.
I think I liked her better when she hated me. For my sake, I hoped she still did.
Her shoulder brushed against my chest as she moved into the living room. The scent of warm vanilla came off her hair, filtering through my nose and hitting me like a sledgehammer. My throat went dry as I watched her move, all ballerina steps-fluid, natural, graceful-but with something else I couldn't describe. Something all Addison.
I squeezed my eyes shut. This is fine, right? Thinking the thoughts but not acting on them? I wasn't doing anything but admiring a pretty lady who was also a prospective nanny for my daughter.
Not a date.
"Hey, peanut." There wasn't a lick of hesitation in her words as she crouched down next to my girl in her playpen. Right away, I liked that about her a whole lot. It's something a good nanny would do.