Page 19

19

MIA

I dashed out the private elevator that opened into Michael’s penthouse foyer in a mad rush. As I sprinted across the porcelain tiles, my handbag bounced, and my hair flew around my face, obscuring my vision.

“I’m sorry I’m late! It’s just a few minutes. I’m sor?—”

The wind was knocked out of me when I hit something hard. I bounced back, but didn’t land on the floor because I was grabbed and steadied on my feet. Shoving my hair out of my face, I looked up into dreamy green eyes. The butterflies in my stomach went wild.

An entire month had passed since the treehouse incident, and I still quivered with need every time Michael so much as looked at me. When he touched me like this, as innocent as it was, my hormones went haywire. It was hard to ignore my feelings from him, but I was managing okay.

“Sorry,” I said.

Michael lifted one eyebrow and flicked his hand, which was covered in droplets of coffee. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” he murmured.

My nervous giggle floated around the living room. “Because this is the third collision, coffee spill… right…” Thankfully, none splashed onto his fancy three-piece suit this time.

“Mmm-hmm.” His tight expression made me feel like he wasn’t all that happy to see me. For the past few weeks, it was like he barely tolerated my presence, and that made me edgy about my future working for him.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” I said. “Crazy morning and traffic. It won’t happen again.” Of course, that’s what I said the first two times it happened.

Michael glanced at his watch as he always did. “Being five minutes late isn’t the end of the world, Mia. Poppy isn’t even up yet.”

His eyes swept my face and then he opened his mouth to say something but closed it. He’d done that a lot since we had sex, as if there was something he wanted to say that he didn’t get to say a month ago.

He cleared his throat and stepped around me without another word. I turned to watch him walk away with longing. Last month, I’d been adamant about keeping things professional, and I still wanted that, but I still wanted him , too. It was sheer torture being in his space every day and ignoring my attraction to him.

“Hey, Mia.”

I wiped the expression of desperate longing off my face to smile at Amber, who was coming from the direction of Michael’s home office. She carried a couple of filing envelopes.

“Morning, Amber. How’s it going?”

“Great. Just stopped by for these.” She held up the envelopes. Glancing toward the kitchen, she lifted an eyebrow. “You look worried. What’s wrong?”

While I was worried about getting the boot from this job at any moment, I was more concerned about my emotional wellbeing, and my heart…

Still, I couldn’t tell Amber that. “Nothing that serious. I almost ruined another of Michael’s suits. Hurricane Mia strikes again.”

Amber laughed.

It was the third time this month that I’d almost ran him over and spilled his coffee. He started calling me Hurricane Mia after the second incident. I was relieved he at least joked about it.

“Don’t worry,” Amber said. “Michael has gotten used to the excitement you bring around here. I think he secretly likes it.”

My gaze shifted away from Amber. She still had no idea our boss and I had history… of the sexual kind.

“Before you wake Poppy, I have great news,” she sang.

“You do?” I smiled and moved closer.

“I’m going to the opening of this new club Saturday night with a guy I’m kinda-sorta interested in dating.”

Intrigued, I dropped my handbag on the sofa. “Kinda-sorta?”

“I’ll know for sure after our date Saturday. He has this friend…”

I shook my head. I already knew where she was going with this. “Amber, no.”

“Hear me out.”

“I don’t do blind dates anymore.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “I detect a story here.”

“One I’m never telling.” Especially since it featured our boss. He’d kill me if I told Amber how we met before he hired me.

She pouted but didn’t press. “Mia, this will be a favor to me. Dating is so… argh nowadays. You know?”

I nodded. Funnily enough, I knew exactly what she meant by argh.

“I need a buffer Saturday, and you’re it.”

“I’m not.”

She rested a hand on my shoulder. “You are, because I know you’re single, and a gorgeous, amazing woman like you should be dating or at least exploring her options.”

My lower lip protruded into a pout. That was exactly my mindset three months ago before Michael. Now, I was so hung up on him, I hadn’t even thought about my quest to find Mr. Right. Maybe I was pathetic for pining for a man I had no future with.

“Please, Mia.” Amber mimicked my pout. “Let me just say, I’ve never desired to hang out with any of Poppy’s nannies until you, missy. You’re special.”

I sucked my teeth. “This is emotional blackmail.”

She smirked. “Is it working?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah… If Michael won’t need me Saturday night, I’m in.”

“He won’t. He’ll be home this weekend, so Poppy is taken care of.” She pointed her thumbs at herself. “Says the lady who manages his schedule.”

I rolled my eyes again, but a smile played on my lips. What could it hurt to hang out with a guy? My last date didn’t lead anywhere. Maybe this one would. Plus, a part of me knew I needed to move on from the fantasy of me and Michael.

I looked over Poppy’s shoulder as she filled in the answer to the last subtraction equation. “That’s it. You’re really good at math,” I commended.

She looked up and grinned. “Uncle Alex says Daddy is rich because he’s a genius with handling money, so I was born to be a genius with numbers, too.”

My amused snort echoed in the kitchen. Poppy was a hoot. “Your uncle Alex is on to something…”

“Uh-huh. He’s really funny.”

I listened intently as she went on to tell me all about her honorary uncles. I’d seen pictures of the four guys in Michael’s circle. Apparently, they’d been best friends since college.

“They’re sooo coo l,” Poppy gushed. “Uncle Lincoln is going to teach me how to play football and be strong.” She held up her arms to flex non-existent muscles.

“Nice.” I moved to the dishwasher to unload it while she chatted.

“Uncle Spencer is going to teach me how to play the guitar and the piano.”

“That is sooo coo l,” I mimicked her, and she giggled.

“Uncle Jamie is going to teach me how to be a boss to get rich!”

I threw my head back and cackled at that one. “Interesting.” The sweet girl had no idea she was already richer than most of the world with her dad being in the one percent and all. “And what’s Uncle Alex going to teach you?”

I raised my eyebrows at her little smirk.

“Computer stuff and how to get Daddy to buy me anything I want.”

I sniggered. “This Uncle Alex sounds like a real character.”

“He is,” a familiar baritone interjected. “And he will not teach you how to finesse money out of me, young lady.”

Poppy’s bemused expression had me pursing my lips to hold back my laughter. Hanging out with Poppy and her dad did wonders for making me forget my problems. However, as usual, when Michael entered the room, I got all hot and bothered and had to fight through a wave of attraction.

Michael bent to kiss Poppy’s forehead. “Good evening, ladies.”

“Hi, Daddy.”

“Hey…” I turned away to hide the blush I knew was right beneath the surface.

“She’s been intriguing you with tales of the cool uncles, huh?” he asked as he brushed past me.

I avoided looking at him as I continued to unload the dishwasher. “She has.”

“Jamie is her godfather, by the way. Well, he was the first one. He was the most mature and stable at the time, so he won the title. Then the others got jealous, so I had to make them all godfathers. That’s the story of how Poppy ended up with four godfathers…”

I chuckled. “Your friends sound great by the way Poppy talks about them.”

He nodded and leaned against the counter to watch me unload the dishwasher. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I don’t mind. You’re home early. Is that my cue to go?”

“Actually, I came home early to have a chat with you.”

My heart dropped. “Oh?”

He turned to Poppy, who had taken up her tablet and was focused on it. “Poppy, would you mind going to your room for a few minutes?”

She shook her head and slid off the chair without question. That kid was so unproblematic she made me want to have lots of kids as long they were as well-behaved as she was. When Michael and I were alone, my heart plummeted some more. Clearly, this was a serious discussion. Panic clawed its way up my chest. This was it. The moment I got fired. Maybe he was still pissed about last month or my few late arrivals.

“If this is about me running late a few mornings, I’m sorry,” I said as I watched him in hope of gauging his mood from his expression. Of course, with Michael, that wasn’t always possible.

“It’s not, but I have the solution to that.”

“You do?”

He folded his arms over his chest. “This is something Poppy and I both want to ask, but I figured I’d get your response first. I don’t want her to be disappointed in case?—”

“Oh my gosh, Michael. I’m freaking out here. Just tell me. Am I fired?”

“What? No .” His eyebrows furrowed. “Why would you think that? I want to ask you to move in with us…” The slightest tinge of pink crept into his cheeks, and I almost gasped aloud. Michael didn’t blush. “I mean, I’m offering you a live-in position.”

I gawked as my heart slowly rose from the depth of my stomach.

“I usually wait a while to see if it’s a good idea for the nanny to share a living space with us. You’re one of two out of the many who’s made it to the live-in offer stage.”

A little laugh escaped me. “I see.”

“You’ve been amazing, Mia. Poppy will be comfortable with you staying here. She’s been dying for me to ask you.”

I almost asked him if he’d be comfortable, too. The weird energy between us was obvious.

“Well, what do you think?” he asked. “Would you be comfortable staying here? You’ll make more and skip the hectic morning commute. We’ll also avoid our morning collisions, and I’ll save a ton on coffee and dry cleaning…”

If I had blinked a second sooner, I would have missed the teasing glint that flickered in his eyes and the subtle lift of one corner of his lips. He was so serious when he messed with me, it often took me a moment to realize. I rolled my eyes. “Very funny, but you might be right. I’m sorry about the coffee spills and your suits.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll give you time to think about my offer.”

“I don’t need time. I accept.” My face got hot because I might have sounded too hungry for the extended hours. I was because more money meant I could pay off the debt dropped on me faster. Plus, living in luxury while working was a bonus. Let’s not get started on how relieved I was to get a break from my apartment… The place that was known to the criminal who hounded my existence. Michael and his daughter were turning out to be my saviors.

He was so good at hiding his emotions until he wanted you to see them that I wasn’t sure how he felt until he smiled. “I’m glad. Poppy will be thrilled. I’m going to get her. Do me a favor and pretend you’re being asked for the first time when we make the request together .”

The broadest grin appeared on my face. “You got it.”

Only when I was left alone, did I allow my excitement to burst through. Letting out a squeal, I fist pumped the air. As the thrill vanished, concern slithered in. I was about to move in with the man I secretly pined for.

“Don’t overthink it,” I whispered. How hard could it be to continue ignoring my desire for an epic romance with my boss while living with him?