Page 7 of Rejected Nanny Mate (Crystal Creek Wolves #3)

I nodded, watching as Joe and Samson shook hands, and I was suddenly alone with Joe once more. Well, not totally alone, I thought as Rose wiggled in my arms. I smiled down at her, tracing the curve of her round cheek. “You've had a long day, haven't you, sweet girl?”

Rose sighed, and I cooed at her, losing myself in the moment. I still wasn't sure about living with Joe, not at all, but I was quickly falling for the little baby with her father's eyes.

“Do you need a minute?”

I startled, looking up at Joe. He was leaning against the doorway, and a small, secretive smile played on his lips.

He looked at Rose first, but then his gaze turned to me, and the emotions in the two looks were so drastically different that it took my breath away.

He looked at me like I was an oasis in a desert, or a deep breath after long minutes underwater.

How had I forgotten just how powerful my attraction was towards him? I was feeling better about accepting the job, but knowing just how badly I wanted him made nervousness tingle down my spine.

“A minute for what?” I asked, trying to keep my tone cool.

“To adjust. You're going to have a lot on your plate, Gwen. Don't forget, it's not just her. It's the two of us, and the pack, and-”

“Okay, okay. You made your point. It's a lot.

But I'm fine. Plus, there's no 'us'. Let me make that clear right now.” I didn't want it to be that way, but if I fell to his charms right away, then the job would be a failure from the jump.

Plus, he'd made it clear what he thought of me romantically—that I was a joke.

That memory helped me get a hold of myself, so before I could chicken out, I kept speaking. “I think we need to set some ground rules, actually, between you and me. Our past is sort of complicated, but I don't want that to interfere with me working for you and taking care of Rose.”

Joe hummed thoughtfully. “Okay. What sort of ground rules?”

“No talking about the past,” I blurted. “Let's just keep this professional, alright? We can be friendly, but we have to keep personal stuff out of it. No joking or teasing or, uh, any other stuff.”

“Stuff,” Joe repeated, raising his eyebrows.

I blushed. “You know. Stuff. Like the way you look at me, or touch my face, or the things you say to me. That sort of stuff.”

“You don't like the way I look at you, or touch your face, or say the things that I say?”

I could tell by the expression that he was enjoying himself, and I frowned. “This isn't funny, Joe. I'm being serious. This won't work unless we both behave. So, no teasing, no touching, and definitely no... I don't know. Romantic stuff.”

The last word made Joe laugh, and he ran his hands through his hair.

“I'm serious,” I said, getting annoyed. “We've got a lot of history, and we've already kissed once. That kiss ruined our friendship, but I don't want it to ruin our working relationship.”

“Ruined our friendship?” he asked, curious.

“Are you honestly trying to deny that?”

He didn't answer. Instead, Joe crossed his arms over his chest. The gesture emphasized the breadth of his shoulders and the size of his biceps, and my throat went dry.

“I'm not trying to deny anything, Gwen. I guess I'm just more surprised that you considered me a friend.”

That gave me pause. Rose grabbed a strand of my hair, and I worked at untangling her fingers from it as I responded. “Of course I did.”

“Hm.” He looked me over again, but this time, it was more thoughtful. “We did get along pretty well, didn't we?”

“We did.” I agreed, finally extricating Rose's fingers and tucking her tiny fist back into the blanket she was wrapped in. “But that's done. You're my employer. You write my paycheck. Let's keep things simple, okay?”

“If that's what you want, then sure.” Joe pushed himself off of the doorframe, his expression resigned but accepting. “Come on. We never got to your room on the tour. Follow me.”

I did, holding Rose close and listening to her steady breaths and soft snores. The baby was already asleep, and I marveled at the fact that she could go from wide awake to snoozing in mere minutes.

“This is it,” Joe announced. His tone was proud, and I could see why. The room was gorgeous, with an entire wall of windows, a massive king-sized bed, and a plush rug. A flat-screen TV was mounted on the opposite wall, and the bathroom had a huge clawfoot tub.

My eyes were wide as I looked around. There were apparently some perks of being the oldest of the alliance Alphas; Joe had almost a decade extra to earn money, and it showed.

I knew he owned the garden shop downtown, but like most Alphas, he also owned a fair amount of property he had inherited from the previous Alpha and made money off of those.

“I'm sleeping here?”

“Well, if you don't like the view, we can switch. Maybe you'd prefer the one from my bedroom,” Joe teased, and I shot him a warning glance.

“What is wrong with you?”

He held up his hands. “Just kidding, Gwen. Relax. Look, do whatever you want. The whole house is yours. If you don't like the room, we'll find a new one. Or just move the furniture around. Whatever works.”

“Actually, I love it,” I sighed, having no real argument, even if he made me feel argumentative. “It's beautiful. Let's go get the bag I left by the door, and you can show me the nursery on the way.”

“Alright.”

Once Joe had deposited my luggage on my bed, I followed him to a nearby room, which had obviously been converted into a nursery.

It had very recently been painted a light purple, so recently that there were still remnants of blue painters’ tape on the trim in places.

Joe had set up the crib, changing table, and rocker.

There were some unopened boxes full of baby items, and he'd stacked the bags of clothes, blankets, and other gifts the pack had given her.

It showed both how quickly Joe had to set things up for his new daughter and just how seriously he was taking it.

“It looks perfect,” I breathed. “You really stepped up to the plate, Joe.”

“Thanks,” he smiled. “I had some help. The other two parts of your little friend trio did a lot.”

“I'll bet,” I smiled. “Can I put her down?”

“Be my guest.”

Rose stirred a little as I laid her in her new crib, but her eyelids were heavy, and she drifted off to sleep easily.

My heart ached, and I felt a pang of longing.

I loved her so much already, and we'd only just met.

I wasn't sure how anyone could be a mother and not want their children every second of the day.

“She's out cold,” I whispered, turning and motioning for him to lead the way.

He did, and the house was soft sounds of the wind outside. I was exhausted, and the stress of the night caught up with me. Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep for the next year.

“Where's your room?” I asked, and when he raised an eyebrow suggestively, I wrinkled my nose. “Not for that, jerk. Rules, remember? Stop flirting. I just need to know in case of an emergency.”

“At the end of the hallway, right down the way from yours.” His face was uncharacteristically soft when he looked down at me, green eyes impossibly dark in the low light.

“Get some rest. I took tomorrow off so we could adjust to the new normal before I leave you and Rosie alone. I'll see you in the morning.”

I watched him walk away, and my wolf, usually quiet and content to take the back seat, whimpered. The poor thing didn't understand why Joe and I weren't together, and was sad. He was still the only man I'd ever felt such strong things with, the only man who made me feel brave instead of timid.

When he closed the door to his room, I finally headed back to mine.

“Best forget it for now,” I murmured to myself, sighing. “We've got work to do.”