much about the future with Meg? About how you’ll handle it on your own?”
She was silent for a moment before replying, and he became more aware of the background noise of glasses clinking and the dull murmur of a room full of people. Then she said, “Sometimes. Do you?”
He nodded. “And it scares the hell out of me.”
The waiter returned with their cheese platter and drinks. Jenna spooned sugar into her black coffee and stirred slowly as she regarded him. “I’m sure you’ll find someone to share the parenting with, a stepmother for Bonnie.”
She popped a piece of pear in her mouth and chewed. Liam put a finger in the restrictive collar of his shirt and tried to look anywhere but at her mouth.
“I’m not so sure,” he said, wincing at both his reaction to her and his admission of the truth.
She threw him an ironic glance. “You’re attractive and wealthy. Don’t try to tell me you have trouble getting dates.”
“Getting dates is one thing.” He helped himself to a piece of blue cheese. “Finding a woman I’d be happy to have as Bonnie’s mother is another thing entirely.”
She trapped her bottom lip between her teeth and frowned. “She might not be the next person you date, but surely at some stage you’ll find someone who would be a good fit.”
“I tend to meet rich women, many of them professional socialites.” He cut a piece of triple brie and put it on a cracker. “Or women who want to be,” he said dryly.
“I hate to break it to you,” she said, unable to hide her amusement, “but you’re kinda rich too.”
She was right. But he hadn’t started that way. Maybe to Jenna, the difference wasn’t obvious, but to him it was everything.
He took a sip of his coffee. “I grew up without much—some of the time my parents really struggled—and my brothers and I still have our working-class values. Any woman I’d consider as Bonnie’s mother would have to have those same values, no question.”
She arched an eyebrow. “There are a number of assumptions in your argument.”
He knew that. He didn’t doubt that it was possible for someone to grow up with wealth and privilege and still remain grounded, but he just hadn’t met a woman like that yet. And if he hadn’t met one so far, what were the chances of it happening in the near future, let alone that they’d hit it off and get married?
“Perhaps,” he admitted, “but I’m sure you’ve seen the women Dylan dates. Glamorous and high profile. He attends red carpet events and knows who’s who in the world of the rich and famous.”
Jenna flinched. It was so quick that he would have missed it if he hadn’t been watching her so intently. Then she composed her face into the dignified mask she usually wore for everyone except the babies.
“It’s not a world you want to be a part of.” It was a statement, not a question. She understood.
“I can think of nothing worse than attending events and having to smile and make small talk. Yet, like Dylan, that’s how I meet women socially.” He speared a piece of pear. “I think Bonnie and I will just have to make do on our own. And in the meantime, we have you, so all isn’t lost.”
“Yes,” she said, her voice free of inflection. “All isn’t lost.”
But his gut felt hollow. Jenna was an employee; she wouldn’t stay with them forever. He looked at her again and had an idea. Katherine had been with his family for years, and she seemed settled. Happy. What if he could make Jenna’s working conditions so good, she stayed just as long? Starting with a raise. She’d certainly earned it.
The heaviness that had been sitting on his shoulders eased a fraction. Of course the flaw in the plan was that employees were off-limits, especially ones he was trying to retain in the long term. His plan presumed he could live with her down the hall for years and not kiss her again. Not touch her.
And he wasn’t even sure he was going to make it through this dinner without doing that.
* * *
As they pulled up in Liam’s Jeep in front of the house, Jenna tried to stave off her disappointment that the night was ending. It wasn’t a real date. She couldn’t let herself think that, and the sooner she was tucked up in her bed—alone—the better. Safe from fantasies that Liam had actually invited her out and that she was free to follow her attraction in whatever direction it led...
Then Liam leaned across and stroked her cheek with a feather-light caress, and all her attempts at being reasonable went up in smoke. She felt herself tremble under the touch but she didn’t dare move, hope and doubts and anticipation warring inside her.
“Thank you for a lovely evening,” he said and let his hand fall. That didn’t seem to break the connection, though—it was as if the very air in the Jeep crackled.
There was no use denying she wanted him to kiss her, had never wanted anything more. And it didn’t seem as if he was bothering with denial anymore either. His eyes darkened as he focused on her mouth. Her lips parted and she drew in a shaky breath, but he didn’t come closer. The moment felt suspended in time, neither of them moving. Then his eyes changed, became pained, and his head swung away.
“We’d better go inside and check on the babies,” he said and opened his door.
Suddenly cold, she blinked. The babies. Of course. She was the nanny, after all, not someone he was dating. But her traitorous body wasn’t as easily convinced.
She pulled herself together and went with him into the house. Katherine had left a note on the hallstand saying that everything was fine, and Bonnie was sleeping soundly with her. They crept up to check on Meg, who was also fast asleep.
Jenna gave her daughter a soft kiss on her round head, then hesitated in the hall, unsure of how to end the night. There was so much unfinished between them that she had no idea of what to do, and Liam didn’t seem to be in a rush.
Perhaps simplest was best. “Well, good night, then,” she said.
“I always walk a date to her door.” He waved an arm toward her room.
“Okay,” she said, not really sure how to take that.
They took the few steps to reach her room, then she turned to look up at him. He propped a shoulder against the doorframe, his gaze smoldering. A wave of heat rushed over her skin, and suddenly she didn’t want to do the safe thing anymore. Taking a risk was by far the more interesting option. She moistened her lips and hoped her voice sounded steady. “Isn’t a kiss at the door part of that tradition?”
Liam stilled, studying her face. “You want me to kiss you, Jenna?” His voice was low and rough.
“Oh, yes,” she said on a soft breath.
He groaned and his eyes closed for a heartbeat, and she thought she might never breathe again. Finally, his head came closer until his lips met hers in a kiss that was sweeter than any they’d shared before. Their other kisses had been stolen and had been all about attraction. This was more of an exploration, and more intense for it.
His
