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He picked up without hesitation. “Paige? Everything okay?”
“We’re fine.” His cousin’s voice was soft as if lowered to keep from waking her children. Classical guitar music played softly in the background. “The girls are both finally asleep. I’ve been worried about you all afternoon. How are you and the twins? I feel so bad that I couldn’t help you out.”
“No need to call and apologize. We prefer to steer clear of strep throat.”
“Actually I’m calling about Vic and Claire…”
Oh. Hell. In the chaos with the twins, he’d actually forgotten that his cousin Vic’s wife had gone into labor today. “How’s she doing?”
“She delivered a healthy baby boy just before midnight. Nine pounds thirteen ounces, which explains the C-section. But Mom and baby are doing great. His big sister and big brother can’t wait to meet him in the morning.” Two boys and a girl. A family.
Seth scratched the kink in his neck. “Send my congratulations when you see them. I’ll swing by for a visit when I get back in town.”
“I’ll let them know.” The reception crackled as it sounded like she moved her phone to the other ear. More guitar music filled the airwaves… Bach, perhaps? “Actually, I called for a different reason. Now that Claire’s had the baby and Vic has picked up their kids, her sister Starr says she can watch the twins. They know her two kids. They’ll have a blast. You could fly Olivia and Owen up early in the morning before your first meeting.”
“That’s a generous offer…”
“My girls won’t be contagious in another day or two once the antibiotics kick in, so I can relieve her then. No worries.”
Her plan sounded workable. And yet, he hesitated, his gaze drawn back to the suite where Alexa slept. “You’re all busy with your own families, and I have a plan in place here.”
“You’re family,” Paige insisted sincerely. “We want to help.”
“I appreciate that.” Except he genuinely wanted his kids near him—and he wanted to keep Alexa near him, too.
The thought of cutting his time with Alexa short—it just wasn’t happening. Crazy, really, since he could contact her later, after this deal was cinched. If she was even still speaking to him once she realized he never intended to give her the Jansen Jets contract.
No. His time to get to know Alexa was now. He needed to figure out this unrelenting draw between them and work through it. She was here, and he intended to keep it that way. “Thanks, Paige, but I meant it when I said I’m set. I have help.”
“Hmm…” Her voice rose with interest. “You have a new nanny?”
His family chipped in most of the time, but he didn’t want to take advantage so he hired a couple of part-time nannies on occasion, all of which Paige would already know about. “Not a nanny. More of a sitter, a, uh, friend actually.”
“A female friend?” she pressed, tenacious as ever.
“She’s a female, yes.” Definitely female.
“That’s it?” Paige laughed. “That’s all you’re going to tell me, eh?”
“There’s not much to tell.” Yet. His eyes drifted back to the suite as he envisioned Alexa curled up asleep, wearing his shirt.
“Ah,” she said smugly, “so you’re still in the early stages, but not too early, right, or she wouldn’t be there with your children. Because, as best as I can remember, you haven’t dated much and none of those women ever got anywhere near the twins.”
His cousin was too insightful. The way she homed in on the intensity of his draw to Alexa so quickly made him uncomfortable.
He shot up from his seat. “That’s enough hypothesizing about my personal life for one night. I need to go.”
“I’m not giving up. I’ll want details when you return,” Paige insisted, getting louder and louder by the second. “And I want to meet her. I know you guard your privacy, but I’m family and I love you.”
“Love you too, cuz.”
“So you’ll talk to me? Let me know what’s going on in your world rather than hole up the way you did after Pippa—”
“I hear a kid,” he cut her short. “Gotta go. Bye.” He thumbed the off button and flipped the phone in his palm, over and over.
Guilt kicked around in his gut for shutting down Paige and for taking advantage of Alexa’s help. He should send Alexa back to Charleston and then impose on the sister of a cousin-in-law because his ex-wife had dumped his kids off without warning…
Hell, his life was screwed up, and he needed to start taking charge. He’d meant it when he said he could separate the personal from the professional. But he also heard Alexa when she said this was moving too fast for her. She needed more time, time they wouldn’t have if she went back to Charleston while he stayed here. He suspected once she went home, she would erect mile-high walls between them, especially once she learned he’d never planned to sign her cleaning company.
He needed longer with her now.
His mind filled with a vision of Alexa chasing his kids around, all wet from the tub. Warm memories pulled him in with a reminder of the family life he should be having right now and wasn’t because of his workload. Having Alexa here felt so right.
It was right.
And so, he wasn’t sending her back in the morning. In fact, he had to find a way to extend their window of time together. He not only needed her help with the children, but he also wanted her to stay for more personal reasons. The explosive chemistry they’d just discovered didn’t come around often. Hell, he couldn’t remember when he’d ever burned to have a particular woman this much. So much the craving filled his mind as well as his body.
The extension of their trip presented the perfect opportunity to follow that attraction to its ultimate destination.
Landing her directly into his bed.
* * *
Sunlight streamed through the window over the array of clothes laid out on the bed. So many clothes. Far more than she needed for a day or two.
Although as Alexa looked closer, she noticed the variety. It was as if whoever had shopped for her had planned for any contingency. Tan capris with a shabby chic blouse. A simple red cocktail dress. A sexy black bathing suit that looked far from nanny-like and made her wonder who’d placed the order. At least there was a crocheted cover-up. And for this morning’s breakfast…
She wore a silky sundress, floral with coral-tinted tulips in a watercolor print. Strappy gold sandals wrapped up and around her ankles. She scraped her hair back with a matching scarf that trailed down her back.
There was a whole other shopping bag that a quick peek told her held more clothes, underwear, a nightgown and a fabric cosmetics bag full of toiletries. Once upon a time, she’d taken these kinds of luxuries for granted, barely noticing when they appeared in her room or at a hotel.
These days she had a firm grasp on how hard she would have to work to pay for even one of these designer items. What a difference a year could make in a person’s life. Yet, here she was again, dancing on the periphery of a world that had almost swallowed her whole.
Steeling her resolve to keep her values firmly in place, she strode from the bedroom into the sitting area where Seth was strapping the twins into the new, top-of–the-line double stroller.
He looked up and smiled. The power of his vibrant green eyes and dimples reached across the room, wrapping around her, enticing her to move closer into the circle of that happiness. A dangerous move. She had to step away, for her own peace of mind. She wasn’t wired to leap into intimacy with a stranger.
A stranger who became more intriguing by the second.
Surely a billionaire who knew how to work a stroller couldn’t be totally disconnected from everyday reality. That insight buoyed her, and inspired her. Actively learning more about him would help her on many levels. Knowing more about him was wise for her work.
For work, damn it, not because of this insane attraction.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yes, I believe I am.” She could do this. She could keep her professional face in place, while discovering if Seth Jansen harbored any more surprises in that hulking hot body of his.
“Glad the clothes fit. Although for breakfast with the twins, we might be better off draping ourselves in rain ponchos.”
Before she could laugh or reply, his phone rang and he held up a hand. “Hold on, I’ve got to take this. Work call coming in.”
He started talking into his cell and grabbed his briefcase off the sofa. Opening the door, he gestured her ahead. She wheeled the stroller forward, out into the hall and toward the elevator.
The fabric slid sensuously against her skin with each step as she pushed the stroller into the elevator while Seth spoke on his phone to his partner… Rick…briefcase in his other hand. Each glide of the silky dress against her skin reminded her how vibrantly in tune her senses were this morning, and, as much as she wanted to credit the sunshine, she knew it was last night’s kiss that had awakened something inside her.
Something that made professional goals tougher to keep in focus.
Two floors down, the doors slid open to admit an older couple dressed casually in sightseeing clothes that still shouted Armani and Prada. They fit right in with the rest of the clientele here. Except the woman carried a simple canvas bag with little handprints painted on it and signed in childlike handwriting. Stenciled along the top of the bag were the words Grandma’s Angels. Alexa swallowed a lump of emotion as she counted at least eleven different scrawled signatures.
The husband leaned closer to his wife, whispering, pointing and smiling nostalgically. The wife knelt to pick up a tiny tennis shoe and passed it to Alexa. “You have a beautiful family.”
Before Alexa could correct her, they reached the lobby and the couple exited. She glanced sheepishly toward Seth and found him staring at her with assessing eyes as he tucked away his phone. Her mouth went dry. She grabbed the stroller, grateful for the support as the now increasingly predictable wobbly knees syndrome set in.
Ever aware of his gaze following her, she wheeled the twins from the elevator. She needed to get her thoughts in order ASAP. She was seconds away from meeting royalty for breakfast, pretty heady stuff even given her own upbringing. Seth was certainly coming through on his promise to introduce her to prestigious connections. Knowing the Medina family could be a serious boon to her fledgling business.
Although she was confused by a person who invited twin toddlers to a business breakfast at a restaurant with silk, antiques and a ceiling hand-painted with twenty-four karat gold.
The clink of silverware echoing from the room full of patrons, she didn’t have to wonder for even a second which pair of diners to approach. A dark-haired, aristocratic man stood from a table set for six, nodding in their direction. A blonde woman sat beside him, a flower tucked behind her ear.
The wheels of the stroller glided smoothly along the tile floor as they passed a waiter carrying plates of crepes on his tray. Alexa stopped by their table.
Seth shook the man’s hand. “Javier, I’d like you to meet—”
The man took her hand. “Alexa Randall. A pleasure to meet you,” Javier said with only a hint of an accent. He motioned to the elegant woman beside him. “This is my wife, Victoria.”
“Lovely to meet you.” Victoria smiled welcomingly, while tucking her fingers into the crook of her husband’s arm. He covered her hand automatically with a possessive and affectionate air.
Good God, this place was chock full of couples swimming in marital bliss. First the elderly couple in the elevator. Now her dining companions for breakfast. She didn’t even dare look at the couple feeding each other bits of melon at the table next to them.
The numbers of fawning couples here defied national divorce statistics. Although, now that she thought about it, she and Seth had enough breakups to even out the scales.
Leaning into the stroller, Victoria grinned at the twins and spun a rattle attached to the tray. “Would you mind if I held one of these sweethearts?”
Seth pulled back the stroller canopy. “Sure, this is Owen—” he picked up his son “—and this is Olivia.”
As Victoria reached down, the little girl stretched her arms up toward Alexa instead. Alexa’s heart squeezed in response. So much so, it scared her a little. These babies were quickly working their way into her affection. Victoria eased back gracefully and left Alexa to settle the baby girl into her high chair beside her brother’s. The adults took their seats and placed their orders, so far, with no mishaps.
As the waitress placed each person’s dish on the table, Victoria spread her linen napkin across her lap. “I told Javier he really put you on the spot insisting you bring along babies, but the twins are total dolls.” She tickled Olivia’s chin. “Hopefully you’ll warm up to me, sweetie, so I can entertain you while Alexa eats her breakfast, too.”
“I think I can manage, but thank you.” She reached past her smoked salmon bagel for her goblet of juice. How well did this woman and her husband already know Seth? What kind of information might she learn during this breakfast about Seth and his possible contacts?
While Javier detailed the must-see sights in St. Augustine, Olivia and Owen fed themselves fruit—which scared Alexa to her last frazzled nerve as she watched to be sure strawberries stayed on Olivia’s tray but not Owen’s.
Seth shoveled in steak and eggs, spooning oatmeal into the twins’ mouths, while holding a conversation. She was in awe.
And a little intimidated.
She’d almost flooded the floor last night during their bath. If he hadn’t shown up early, she wasn’t sure how she would have wrestled them both into clothes. Whenever she thought she’d moved everything dangerous out of their reach…
Oh, God…
She lunged for Olivia just as Seth smoothly pulled the salt shaker from her grasp. Her pulse rate doubled at the near miss with catastrophe. So much for using this breakfast to learn more about Seth from the Cortez couple. She would be lucky to make it through the meal with her sanity intact.
Victoria rested her knife at the top of her plate of half-eaten eggs Benedict. “I hope he’s treating you to some vacation fun after all these stodgy business meetings are over.”
“Pardon?” Alexa struggled to keep track of the twins and the conversation in the middle of a business meeting and a dining room full of tourists.
Glasses and silverware clinked and clattered. Waiters angled past with loaded trays as people fueled up for the day ahead.
Victoria swiped her mouth with the linen napkin. “You deserve some pampering for watching the kids solo here at the hotel during the day.”
“I’m helping out with temporary nanny detail.”
Leaning closer, Victoria whispered, “It’s obvious he doesn’t look at you like a nanny.”
She couldn’t exactly deny that since she was likely searing him with her own glances, too. “Honestly we don’t know each other that well.”
Victoria waved away her comment, her wedding rings refracting light from the chandelier. “The length of time doesn’t always matter when it comes to the heart. I knew right away Javier was the one.” She smiled affectionately at her new husband, who was deep in conversation with Seth. “It took us a while to find our way to each other, but if I’d listened to my heart right off, we could have been saved so many months of grief.”
“It’s a business arrangement,” she said simply, hoping if she repeated it enough she could maintain her objectivity. “Only business.”
“Of course,” Victoria conceded, but her smile didn’t dim. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be nosy. It’s just that given what I understand from Javier, Seth has been a workaholic since his divorce. He hasn’t had time for relationships.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for.” Alexa knew full well she and Seth were sending out mixed signals. As much as she’d been determined to keep things professional with Seth the businessman, she found herself drawn to Seth the father. A man so tender with his children. At ease with a baby stroller. As adept at flying a spoonful of oatmeal into a child’s mouth as he was at piloting a plane through the sky.
These surprise insights proved a potent attraction, especially after living with her own distant father and then the way her ex had checked out on her.
Victoria’s voice pulled Alexa out of her musings.
“Honestly, my thoughts may be selfish. I was thinking ahead that if Javier and Seth settle on a contract, then I was hoping we would get to see more of each other. As much as I adore my husband, his world is narrow and he’s suspicious of expanding the circle. I’m always grateful for some girl time.”
“That would be lovely, thank you.” Alexa understood perfectly about lonely inner circles, too much so. She felt a twinge of guilt over her thoughts about using the Cortezes for contacts.
All her life she’d been warned about gold diggers. She’d always known the chances of someone seeing through the money to love her for herself was slim. And still she’d made a royal mess. She didn’t want to let the Cortez money and their Medina connections blind her to who they really were.
“I mean it. And regardless of how much time we spend visiting, let’s enjoy the day…let’s have fun.”
Fun? She should be home, at work. She took a deep breath. This situation would help her at work. Or she hoped so.
She couldn’t ignore the fact that her wish to stay right here was increasing by the second. “I appreciate how helpful you’ve been here at breakfast. The twins are my responsibility. We’re going sightseeing with the stroller, maybe do a little shopping.”
“Perfect,” Victoria declared. “I’m at loose ends. I love a good walk and shopping. And after that, we can wear them out at the pool.”
Alexa did have a swimsuit and she had absolutely no reason not to take Victoria up on her generous offer. No reason other than a deep-seated fear of allowing herself to be tempted back into a world she’d been determined to leave behind. A way of life embraced by Seth and his precious children. Her eyes were drawn back to the twins.
Just as Owen wrapped his fist around one of his sister’s strawberries—a food he was allergic to.
Panic gripped Alexa as she saw the baby’s lightning fast intent to gobble the forbidden fruit. “No! Owen, don’t eat that.”
