“And disappoint Matty forever? I don’t think so. You must go.” Amusement tinged his voice. “We’ll leave in an hour. Will that be enough time for you to get ready?”
“I suppose.” Would it be? She wasn’t one for glamming up or with an extensive preparation routine but she wanted to look her best for Matteo.
Foolish, but true.
“We’ll go out for breakfast before we go to the zoo, so don’t worry about eating.” He cleared his throat and pushed away from the doorframe. “Meet us in the foyer, then?”
“Of course.” She nodded, pleasure coursing through her veins as she watched him walk away. She was going to spend the day with Matteo. The man she not-so-secretly wanted. And she was spending time with him because he asked her to, when surely he would’ve avoided her like she was some horrific disease if he was still uncomfortable over what happened between them last night.
Last night…the memories came crashing over her, of her throwing herself at him, saying the most bold, most ridiculous things ever. He’d fallen under the same spell for a brief moment before ending it all too soon.
She needed to get over him. Needed to get over herself and her ridiculous feelings for her boss. They were ridiculous.
Hopelessness settled over her like a heavy, dark cloud. She would never know what it would be like to have Matteo Renaldi in her bed. Having him as her lover was nothing but a futile dream. She needed to cut herself off of him and now. Before she became completely addicted to him.
Matteo strode into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him so hard it shook the frame. Stopping in the middle of the room, he glanced about, his gaze settling on the dresser. Where he’d had Paige only a few months ago, sitting naked on top of it, her legs spread, revealing everything she had to offer. So beautiful, gasping for breath between their drugging kisses, moaning his name while he brought her infinite pleasure with only his fingers…
“Hell,” he growled, thrusting both hands in his hair and tugging so hard it stung. Last night’s kiss had only whetted his appetite. Being near her was too much of a distraction. He was constantly slipping. What made it worse? He
wanted
to slip.
But he would only hurt her. She wasn’t for him. He knew this. Her reputation could be damaged if word got out she messed around with her boss. Not that he knew how it would get out…
He could not think of his nanny in such a manner. She worked for him. She’d been fired from her previous job because the man—and his wife—thought she was too much of a distraction.
Paige Stewart was the best nanny he’d ever hired—and he wanted her. Desperately. Since that night when he’d found her in his tub touching herself, she’d always lingered in the very dark corners of his mind.
He burned for her. Tremendously. Had done his best to avoid her at all costs, for fear she might do something like…report him for sexual harassment. Or squeal to the media that he was a sexist pig who pushed himself on his innocent employee.
But she remained quiet. A faithful little worker, so good to his son, so good to him and so pleasant to have around. He appreciated Paige, needed Paige.
Wanted
Paige.
Taking her to Italy would prove difficult to his sanity. Being back in his homeland relaxed him. He knew having her nearby would be a torture he might not be able to resist. More like he might not want to resist.
And once he let her in, once he had Paige in his bed, he knew it would be hard to let her go. He’d been with women since his wife’s death. Not many, but enough to know his heart had hardened and it didn’t take much for him to have sex with them and then leave with no regret. He hadn’t had a serious relationship since Lucia. Hadn’t wanted one either.
There was something about Paige, though. She softened his heart, made him want to let her in so he could reveal all of his secrets and troubles and dreams to her. She was so sweet, so loving toward his son, so tempting to him…
A soft knock sounded at the door and he went to it, throwing it open to find the very woman herself standing there, a thick white terrycloth robe thrown over her slender body. She shifted on her bare feet and he glanced down, caught sight of those pretty pink-painted toenails and groaned inwardly.
That her toenails aroused him showed he had a serious problem.
“What is it, Paige?” he practically growled, feeling like an utter ass, but damn it, she was so under his skin he thought he might never get her out of it.
“I’m afraid I can’t go to the zoo with you and Matty after all.” She wouldn’t meet his gaze, kept her head bent.
“Why the hell not?”
She lifted her head at his gruff tone. “Something’s come up.” Her eyes cut away, as if she was afraid to look at him. Which in turn told him she was lying.
“I understand,” he said softly. “I’m sorry you’re unable to go with us. Matty will be disappointed.”
The guilt and misery that crossed her face didn’t give him an ounce of satisfaction. “Please tell him I’ll make it up to him somehow.”
“Oh, I’m sure you will.” But how would she make it up to him? Not that he really wanted her to. Paige not being able to go with them after all was perfect. He needed to keep his distance from her. This was a business relationship.
Nothing more, nothing less.
“I’m sorry, Matteo.” Her gaze met his once more, those beautiful bluish green eyes zeroed in directly on him. “That I can’t go.”
“It’s all right.” She seemed unusually upset. The way her gaze kept skittering away from his, how she nibbled on her lip. She looked downright guilty.
Made him wonder exactly what she might be up to. The strange sensation in his chest left him wondering why in the hell he now felt disappointed when he hadn’t even wanted her to come. Had he?
Idiot. It’s because you like her company as much as Matty does…
“Please tell Matty I’m sorry.”
“I will.”
She stared at him for a moment, her lips parting as if she was about to say something, but then she turned and went back to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her with a soft click.
Leaving him staring at the empty hallway for longer than necessary, his mind filled with questions about the sweetly and suddenly mysterious Paige.
Chapter Five
“The position calls for you to start in one week, provided you’re qualified for the job. Hopefully the timeline won’t be a problem for you.” The woman paused, shuffling through some papers. Paige clutched the phone tight and waited breathlessly, her heart pounding so loud it roared in her ears. She swallowed hard to get past the lump in her throat. “And from what I’ve gleaned so far from this quick interview, Miss Stewart, I think you’re definitely a strong candidate.”
Relief flooded her, followed by a swift wave of worry. Matteo would be furious if she gave a one-week notice before his trip to Italy. But Claudia was there and surely she could take care of Matty… In fact, Paige knew his grandmother loved spending time with him and would probably want him with her twenty-four-seven. And Matteo had to understand that this was for the best. Despite his insistence she go with them, he had to understand how it was for the best that she stay home. They needed to learn how to not depend on her so much anymore. Soon he’d even be relieved to find a new nanny who didn’t make living in his own home awkward.
And was not accosting him with kisses.
Embarrassment rushed through her again.
“You mentioned an in-person interview?” Paige asked.
“Yes, of course. We’ll need to have one before we make our final decision. Can you meet with me tomorrow at nine a.m.?”
She had Matty tomorrow. Not like she could take him to the interview. That had disaster written all over it. But maybe she could organize a play date. “Do you have anything later in the afternoon?” She could always tell Matteo she had a dentist or doctor appointment. He’d come home early for that. Being the CEO of the company gave him some perks, though he rarely took advantage of the leaving early one.
“The earlier the better, Miss Stewart.” The woman’s voice was crisp. She was a representative from the hiring agency Paige had contacted first thing this morning. She’d filled out a form on her phone, hoping like crazy they’d call her with a list of prospective jobs, email her something, anything. She certainly hadn’t expected a call within a few hours.
“Nine should work, then,” Paige said, her voice weak, her brain scrambling. She would have to make it work. There were a few other nannies she’d become friendly with who lived in the building and the neighborhood. She could possibly call one of them and arrange a play date for Matty. The interview hopefully would take no more than an hour.
The agency representative rambled off a spot to meet, somewhere relatively close, thank goodness. Paige wrote the address down, listening as the woman offered a few more details as to what the interview entailed, as well as the position.
“Do you have a resume, Miss Stewart?” she asked when she finished listing everything.
Paige’s head spun. This was all happening so fast. “I do.” A few leftover from when she’d had some printed after losing her job with the Leonards, so she could attach them to applications. “It’s not current, though.”
“Can you send me a current one, please? I know you filled out the application, but we always like to have a resume on file.”
“Of course I can.” Could she? She had no access to a computer—she managed most of her online needs on her smartphone.
Well, she could always sneak into Matteo’s office and use
his
computer…
But that would be so wrong.
The woman gave Paige her email address before they ended the call. Paige cradled her cell in the palm of her hand, contemplating the best way to go about this. She’d received exactly what she wished for—an out. Leaving for another job would be a quick way to remove herself from the Renaldi household for good. Though she knew Matteo would no doubt be incredibly angry with her, she had no choice. She would miss Matty, Stasia, the apartment, everything here. The chance the Renaldi family gave her, how welcome they’d made her feel. They were wonderful, good people, every one of them.
Especially Matteo.
And Matty. Her heart would break when she told him goodbye.
But she had to leave. Her heart was cracking with every day that passed. She was near her breaking point, and being close to the man she was falling in love with day in and day out wore on both her emotions and her sanity.
Before she had a complete nervous breakdown, she needed to make her escape. It was for her own good—and Matteo’s.
Slipping her phone into her front pocket, she walked through the apartment, her mind awhirl with her plan. Matteo and Matty would be gone for at least an hour still, maybe a little longer. She’d heard Matteo discuss his plans for the day with his son and their afternoon together was action packed. Perfect, considering what she was about to do. She needed all the time she could get before they returned.
Nerves eating at her insides, she stood at the threshold of Matteo’s office, peeking within. The room was big, filled with dark, large furniture and a giant iMac computer sat on the desk, its sleek silver and black lines beautiful in its simplicity. She slipped inside the room, the hushed quiet making her uneasy as she settled into the rolling chair and scooted up to the desk.
The chair and the room smelled like Matteo. Closing her eyes, she breathed deep, inhaling his clean, soapy scent. The chair was expensive and comfortable, molding to the contours of her body as if it were made for her, and she opened her eyes, glanced about the room that her boss spent many an hour in when he wasn’t at the office.
It suited him. The colors were rich and inviting, the furniture bold and dark. Everything was neatly organized, not a mess or pile of papers in sight, and with a little sigh she reached out, grasped hold of the mouse and slid it across the leather pad to turn on the computer.
The monitor flickered to life, revealing a small box where she needed to enter a password.
Paige frowned. Crap. She didn’t know what his password could be. And using his computer for her personal use—personal use going against her boss in every way possible—was starting to feel more and more like a total invasion of privacy…
Her fingers poised over the keyboard, she typed in Matty’s name. No go. Matty’s name with his birthdate at the end. That didn’t work either. She tried a handful of variations as a password without any success, getting more and more frustrated every time the computer denied her access. Until she finally decided to be stupid and typed in
Paige1
just for the hell of it.
The ridiculous password worked.
Stunned, she sat there for a moment, absorbing the tiny revelation as she gripped the mouse with tight fingers. He’d used her name as his password. She shouldn’t find any sort of meaning into it whatsoever. But still…
There was no time to wonder over it now. She quickly opened up a Word document, staring at the blank page on the monitor when she realized she didn’t have her old resume with her. Cursing her idiocy, she ran to her room and snatched it up, settled back behind the desk and started putting together her new resume as fast as she could.