Romancing The Nanny. Cindy Kirk
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them grew thick. It was as if an invisible web encased them. Time, which had been ticking onward with rhythmic precision, came to an abrupt halt.
The subtle scent of his cologne teased her nostrils. Heat emanating from his body washed over her.
She wanted to pull him close and press her lips to his, relieve this tension that had built up inside her. Instead she dropped her hands, placed them on her rounded hips and gave him a once-over. “Now you look presentable.”
Amy had learned long ago the perils of being foolish. And thinking that Dan—handsome, successful Dan, who could have any woman he wanted in the entire city of Chicago—was attracted to her would be the height of folly. He liked her, admired her, appreciated her. But any electricity she felt was definitely one-sided.
“Thanks.” The dimple in his left cheek flashed. He reached down and picked up the mug she’d placed on the counter. “And I appreciate the coffee.”
Somehow Amy managed an easy smile. “Anytime.”
She stood at the door and watched him get in the car. As he drove off, she lifted her hand and waved goodbye, then took a few steps and collapsed in a nearby chair. What in the world had she been thinking?
Dan wasn’t interested in her. And even if there was a tiny spark of something between them, there was no way she could compete with Tess Major’s memory and come out ahead. Other women had tried and they’d all failed. And that’s what Amy needed to remember before she did something she’d live to regret.
The smell of warm peach pie filled the large kitchen and Amy smiled as she wiped down the counters. Some women needed fancy clothes or trips to exotic ports, but all it took for her to be happy was a neat, orderly kitchen…
“Something smells good in here.”
Amy whirled. Dan stood in the doorway to the dining room, a lazy smile on his lips.
“You’re home early.” The minute the words left her mouth Amy wished she could pull them back. She’d made it sound as if he was unwelcome when nothing could be further from the truth.
It was just that she always liked to have everything ready and in its place when he came home. But it was only four-thirty and she hadn’t expected him for at least an hour. The table wasn’t set and Emma was still down the block playing at a friend’s house.
“Now that’s a warm welcome.” Dan smiled and that familiar dimple in his left cheek appeared. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you didn’t want me.”
His gaze settled on her and she forced herself not to glance away. But it was hard. The intense look in his blue eyes sent a shiver up her spine. “Tell me something, Amy. Do you ever think of me when I’m not here?”
That same electricity charged the air and Amy moistened her dry lips. She shifted from one foot to the other, not knowing how to answer. This morning he’d looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.
This was another first. In all the years she’d worked for Dan, he’d never spoken to her like this before. There had always been a professional boundary that had never been crossed.
“Of course I think of you,” she finally managed to stammer.
He smiled and paused as if he expected her to elaborate.
But what else could she say? She certainly wasn’t about to bare her soul and confess her desire for some skin-to-skin action. Not to mention that her heart had lodged itself in her throat, making speech impossible.
Thankfully Dan didn’t press her for more. Instead he crossed the room, flung his suit jacket over a chair and loosened his tie.
Amy could feel her cheeks warm. She turned back to the counter and scrubbed a nonexistent spot with her sponge.
He stopped directly behind her, so close she could smell the spicy scent of his cologne and feel the heat from his body.
She turned and he was right there. Just like this morning it struck her how big he was, how tall. How overwhelmingly male in every way.
Her heart picked up speed.
His gaze lazily appraised her and his eyes darkened. “You’re so beautiful.”
The compliment rolled from his lips like warm honey. It wasn’t true, of course. The sprinkle of freckles across her nose and the extra twenty pounds she constantly fought made her wholesome, rather than beautiful. But suddenly, under his admiring gaze, for the first time in her twenty-eight years, Amy felt beautiful.
“Thank you.”
His lips quirked. “You’re very welcome.”
Could she be any worse at this flirting stuff? It didn’t seem possible.
She started to ask if his meeting had gotten canceled when he took another step forward and his body brushed hers. In that instant Amy forgot how to breathe, much less talk.
With the gentlest of touches, Dan slid his fingers into the warm silky mass at her nape, letting his thumbs graze the soft skin beneath her jaw.
Waves of chills and heat raced through Amy until she was nearly dizzy. He was going to kiss her; she could see it in his eyes. She tossed the sponge to the counter without shifting her gaze from him.
His lips lowered and she let her eyelids drift shut, anticipation coursing through her…
The front door slammed shut.
Amy jumped as if she’d been shot. Panic raced through her. Emma couldn’t find the two of them together. She raised a hand to push Dan away and found only air.
Her gaze darted around the room and after a long second it finally sank in…she was alone. There’d been no Dan and no almost-kiss. Heat rose up her neck. She’d had vivid dreams before, but never with Dan as the star player.
“Amy, I’m home.” Emma’s childish voice rang out from the foyer.
“In the kitchen,” Amy called back. She rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand. Though it had been only a dream, her lips still tingled.
“Is it ’bout time for dinner?” The petite six-year-old bounded into the kitchen, a streak of dirt on her cheek and a grass stain on one knee. “I’m hungry.”
Amy couldn’t help but smile. Dan often joked that the little girl’s stomach was a bottomless pit. Emma could eat and five minutes later be hungry. “Once your father gets home, we’ll have dinner. He shouldn’t be too late.”
Amy opened her arms and the girl ran to her. When Amy had been Emma’s age, hugs had been in short supply. She’d vowed when she had children, she’d make sure they knew they were loved.
Amy couldn’t imagine anything better than having a family of her own—a husband to love, a child to cherish.
Her arms tightened around Emma. One day she’d be a mother. But for now, she had Emma to love.
Emma laid her head against Amy’s chest. “I love you.”
Tears sprang to Amy’s eyes at the child’s sincerity. “I love you, too, pumpkin.”
Yes, for now this would most definitely do.
Chapter Two
Out of the corner of his eye, Dan Major saw a stylish young woman across the bar and realized he knew her. He smiled and she waved.
“Another Dan fan?” Jake Stanley’s lips curved upward. “How in the world do you do it?”
“Stuff it, Jake.” Dan grabbed some peanuts from the basket in the center of the table and popped them in his mouth.
Seeing old girlfriends only reinforced why Dan found it hard to date. He liked the companionship but women always seemed to want more. Bree was a perfect example. Though she’d professed to being devoted