Five

Fact: Robert was kissing her.

Fact: He didn’t like to be touched. But seeing as his mouth slanted over hers, his hands cupped her face and angled her head so he could deepen the kiss, it seemed he was okay with this type of touching. But that just led her back to...

Fact: Dr. Robert Wyatt, heir to the Wyatt Medicals fortune, one of the Top Five Billionaire Bachelors in Chicago, was providing her with a lawyer, a nanny, a maid and was also apparently willing to buy a restaurant just so she could serve him a Manhattan.

And, unavoidably, it came back to this fact: He was kissing her.

Heat cascaded from where he touched her, shivering sparks of white-hot need that burned through her with a pain that was the sweetest pleasure she’d ever felt.

When was the last time she’d showered?

That thought pushed her into breaking the kiss, which was really a shame because for all his overbearing, condescending, threatening behaviors, he was a hell of a kisser.

Right man, wrong time.

That was the thought that ran through her mind as she stared at him, her chest heaving. She crossed her arms in front of her to fight off a shiver. Why now?

“That was...” He seemed to shake back to himself. He started to straighten his cuffs and then realized they were still rolled to his elbows so instead he fixed his sleeves. “That was not what I intended.”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake, Robert.” Okay, so she’d kissed the Robert Wyatt. Her favorite customer. The man who had fueled more than a few years’ worth of hot dreams and needy fantasies. But even if that kiss would keep her going for a few more years, it didn’t change anything.

This was still Robert. Small talk was beyond him.

His brow furrowed as he got one cuff fixed. “What?”

“That’s not what you say after you kiss a woman.”

He paused and then, amazingly, straightened the sleeve he’d just fixed. “It’s not?”

“No.” She took a deep breath, but that was a bad idea because without the bar to separate them and the tang of wine and whiskey in the air to overpower her senses, she inhaled his scent, a rich cologne that was spicy and warm and still subtle.

So. There was one aspect of him that wasn’t designed to dominate. One and counting.

She headed toward the kitchen where the scent of chicken was stronger. Her stomach growled and she knew she needed to eat. The chauffeur hadn’t been wrong. She wasn’t sure she’d eaten today and if Melissa would just sleep for another few minutes, Jeannie might be able to get both a meal and a shower out of the deal.

That was a huge if. That baby hadn’t gotten more than thirty minutes of sleep at a time since... Well, in her whole life. Frankly, Jeannie was probably lucky she’d made it through one of the most perfect kisses she’d ever had without interruption.

“What am I supposed to say?”

She almost smiled because the man had no clue. “Something that doesn’t make it sound like you wish you hadn’t just kissed me.” She waved this away. “It’s not important.”

A rumbling noise caught her attention and she spun to realize that not only was Robert growling, he was moving fast, too. With both cuffs fastened. “You’re important,” he said and if anyone else had said that in that tone of voice, it would’ve been a threat but for him? His voice was possessive and demanding and needy all at the same time and it wasn’t a threat.

It was a promise.

Oh, how she wanted him to keep that promise.

“The kiss was important,” he went on, his ice-blue eyes fierce and surprisingly warm. “But I don’t want to make you feel like you owe me a kiss or your body. That’s not what this is. I’m not like that.”

“Then what is it?” She managed to swallow. “What are you like?”

His mouth opened and then snapped shut and he stepped back. Damned if he didn’t adjust his cuffs again.

“Will you be all right tonight? I can have a nanny here for the night.”

Part of her was so, so thankful that he wasn’t going to suggest he should stay because...she might take him up on that.

So yeah, the other part of her was disappointed that Robert had suddenly become Dr. Wyatt again. Super disappointed. Because if that kiss was any indication, man. All that precision and control combined with the heat she felt every single time their bodies touched?

He would be amazing.

“We’ll be okay.” She rested her hand on his arm. Even through the fine cotton of his shirt, she could feel the rock-hard muscles in his arm.

Focus, Jeannie.

“Are you sure?”

Frankly, Robert Wyatt was kind of adorable when he was concerned. Perhaps because the look did not come naturally to him. “Positive. I had this kind man teach me about swaddling, get me different formulas and generally be amazing.” She squeezed his arm.

He lifted her hand away from his arm and her heart dropped a ridiculous amount because he was back to being Dr. Wyatt and she shouldn’t be touching him. But again, he surprised her because he didn’t drop her hand. Instead, he brought it to his lips and, with that hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, kissed her knuckles.

It was an old-fashioned move right out of a romance novel but damn if it didn’t work all the same.

He would be so amazing.

She had always managed to keep her lustful thoughts about this man safely contained, but nothing was contained right now, not with his lips warming her body.

His eyes shifted to the side. “Ah,” he said, finally releasing her and moving to where Nicole had a message board hung up by the coat hooks. He picked up the marker. “This is my personal number. Call or text anytime. I have surgery in the morning so this,” he added, writing a second number, “is my assistant.”

She started to protest that she could handle things for another twenty-four hours, but that was when Robert added, “I’ll stop by tomorrow night, see how the nanny is settling in.”

Oh. He was coming back. The thought sent a little thrill through her, even though she knew it shouldn’t. She would definitely make sure she’d showered by then. “That’s not necessary.”

“I disagree.”

Of course he did.

“It should be fine.”

“I’ll expect the pleasure of your company, then.”

The air rushed out of her lungs because that was not only a good line, but coming out of Robert’s mouth?

A pleasure, indeed.

“Will you tell me what’s bothering you, then?”

A shadow crossed over his eyes. She could feel him retreating—emotionally and physically, because he opened the door and walked out of Nicole’s house. “No.”

“Why not?” she asked his back.

He was halfway down the steps when he turned, with that confused look on his face. “Because.”

She rolled her eyes. “That continues to be a terrible answer, you know.”

“Because I won’t put you in danger,” he said.

Then he walked off to where Reginald was waiting, with the car door open.

The chauffeur tipped his cap at Jeannie and then they were gone.

What the ever-loving hell?

Melissa was crying when the doorbell rang because of course she was.

“One second!” Jeannie yelled.

No matter how many times she watched the video tutorial, she couldn’t get the baby swaddled. At least, not anything like Robert had done. And while Melissa had definitely slept more after drinking the soy-free formula Robert had recommended, Jeannie was still unshowered and exhausted. Getting ninety minutes of sleep at a time was an improvement over forty-five minutes at a time, but not much of one.

Screw it. She picked Melissa up and settled for tucking the blanket around her little body.

The doorbell rang again at almost the exact same moment her phone buzzed. Jeannie grabbed her phone and looked at the text. Of course it was from Robert.

This was accompanied by a photo of an older woman, her hair in a bun and her face lined with deep laugh lines.

“Miss Kaufman? Are you able to get the door?” an accented voice yelled—politely—over the sounds of Melissa wailing.

That man was lucky she’d been able to check her phone. That was just like him to expect her to drop everything to respond to him when, in reality, texting back was a pipe dream, one that ranked well below showering.

Jeannie shoved the phone in her pocket and gave up on the blanket. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Melissa and held her tight against her chest, like Robert had been doing last night. It helped, a little.

The doorbell rang and this time, it was accompanied by knocking. Her phone buzzed again but she ignored it and managed to make it to the front door.

“I’m here,” she snapped, which was not the most polite start to any conversation but seriously, could everyone just give her a second?

“Ah, good.” The woman on the stoop matched the woman in the photo. But Jeannie was surprised to see a rolling suitcase next to her. The older woman smiled warmly and said, “It’s all right—she’s here. Yes, everything is fine. Thank you, Dr. Wyatt.”

Which was the point that Jeannie realized that Maja wasn’t talking to her but on her cell phone. To Robert.

And to think, Jeannie had once concluded that Nicole was the biggest control freak in the world.

The nanny ended the call and clasped her hands in front of her generous bosom. She was wearing a floral dress, hideous tan shoes and a cardigan, for Pete’s sake. It was at least eighty degrees today! “Hello, Miss Kaufman, I’m Maja Kowalczyk.”

“Hi. I’m Jeannie.”

Maja’s eyes crinkled as she went on, “Dr. Wyatt said you needed...” Her voice trailed off as she took a good look at Melissa and Jeannie. Melissa chose that moment to let out a pitiful little wail. “Oh, you poor dears,” she clucked. “May I come in?”

“I guess?” Jeannie didn’t have much choice. She needed help and, if Robert was still planning on stopping by at some point in the near future, she needed a shower.

Frankly, she wasn’t sure she hadn’t hallucinated last night. She’d wished upon something that probably wasn’t a star and then Robert had shown up, kissed her, thrown a whole bunch of money at her problems and...driven off into the night.

It was the stuff of dreams. And also possibly nightmares. She wasn’t sure which.

Because there was definitely something unreal about watching Maja wheel her little suitcase into the house. Jeannie peeked out the front door, but no long black car blocked traffic and no gorgeous billionaire climbed her stairs, hell-bent on upending her world.

Maja gasped at the mess and Jeannie figured if it was a dream, the house would be a whole lot cleaner. It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried because she had. But Melissa was still super fussy and a splotchy red color. Jeannie had not somehow acquired the power to swaddle anything, much less an agitated infant, and housekeeping had never been a priority for her in the first place, which had always driven Nicole nuts.

So yeah, everything was still a disaster.

“Sorry about this,” Jeannie began, but Maja just shook her head.

“That nice Dr. Wyatt, he told me what to expect. I am so sorry about your sister.”

And that was when Jeannie found herself folded into a hug against Maja’s impressive bosom. Tears pricked her eyes but she didn’t know this woman and could only hope that Robert knew what he was doing in hiring her.

“There now,” Maja said, taking a step back and looking completely unruffled. “I think I will take this babisui and get her dressed and you, my dear, will take a shower and lie down, yes?”

If Jeannie stood here much longer, she was going to start crying because a shower and a nap sounded like the best things ever. “Yeah, okay.” Maja reached out for Melissa but Jeannie interrupted. “Um, just so we’re clear, what are your qualifications?”

Any qualifications were better than what Jeannie had. But if she was going to hand Melissa off to a complete stranger and then fall asleep with said stranger in the house, she wanted reassurances.

Jeannie had full faith that Robert wouldn’t just hire some random woman but she needed to be a part of this decision. Robert might be paying the bills because... Well, she was still really unclear on his reasons at this point.

“Ah, yes.” Maja nodded firmly as if she approved of Jeannie’s caution. “My husband died and there wasn’t much left for me in Poland, so I came here twenty-seven years ago, when my son married a nice American girl. I was a nurse in a hospital nursery in Poland and here I cared for my grandchildren when they were small. When they went to school, my daughter-in-law had a friend who was starting the nanny business and she took me on. I speak fluent Polish, English and Russian, as well as some German and French. Not much French, actually,” she said with a rueful smile.

“I, uh, speak English. And some bad Spanish,” Jeannie blurted out, feeling woefully outclassed by this woman. Five languages plus she’d been a nurse? No wonder Robert had hired her.

Maja nodded. “I have cared for small babies my entire life. I have copies of my medical certifications and background checks for you. Dr. Wyatt also has copies. He has instructed me to stay for a week, including overnights, with your approval until you feel more confidence. Then I am to come every day from noon until midnight, unless you have a different schedule in mind?”

Yeah, noon to midnight was Robert gaming the system so she could be back at Trenton’s, serving his drink.

Maja was a former nurse. Someone who’d spent a lifetime with babies. Someone who would know if something was really wrong and would teach Jeannie how to handle the basics and...and...

Relief hit her so hard her legs began to shake. This was going to work out. Things were going to get better. They had to.

She almost smiled to herself. Robert simply wouldn’t allow them to get worse, would he?

Melissa fussed and that was when the blanket and diaper fell off. “Uh, sorry about this,” Jeannie muttered as Maja gave her a sympathetic smile. “You’re hired and I would love a shower.”

“And a nap, dear.” She took the naked, fussing baby from Jeannie’s arms. “Go on. The babisui and I will get to know each other, won’t we?” she cooed at Melissa, who responded by straightening her legs and arms and farting loudly.

Without a diaper.

“Ah, good,” Maja said, not horrified in the least even as Jeannie’s face shot hot with mortification. If only Melissa could stop doing that when someone walked into the house! “The bad milk is working its way out. Better, my little angel? Let’s get you cleaned up. Oh, yes, it’s very hard to be a babisui, isn’t it?” Murmuring softly, she carried Melissa back to the nursery as if she’d spent more than ten minutes in this house.

“Nicole,” Jeannie whispered, looking up at the ceiling, “I’m doing the best I can. I hope this is okay.”

Her phone buzzed. It was, unsurprisingly, Robert. What was surprising was that he was actually calling her. “Yes?”

“Does Maja meet with your approval?”

“And hello to you, too.”

He made that noise that was almost a growl again and although Jeannie was exhausted in ways she’d never even imagined possible, a thrill of desire raced through her. “Is she acceptable or do I need to find a replacement?”

“She’s lovely, Robert,” Jeannie sighed. “Thank you for sending her over.”

“Good. I’ll be by later.” Before she could get any details about that—like a specific time—he ended the call.

That man.

He was only coming to make sure Maja would be able to get Jeannie back to work as soon as possible. His visit likely had nothing to do with the way he’d held her last night and less than nothing to do with the kiss.

She glanced at the clock. It was two-thirty. If she knew Robert...

That man would walk into this house at exactly eight tonight.

She all but ran to the shower. The clock was ticking.