clock on the wall in the shape of a rooster. “This means that much of my business will be conducted very early in the morning. That’s why living in is nonnegotiable.”
“I could come first thing in the morning, say at six a.m.” She’d almost said five, but that was her father’s favorite time to roll out of bed, not hers.
“That won’t work.” Oliver tapped a finger on the table. “If I’m speaking with a client at two a.m. and Ollie starts crying and needs attention, I need someone here who can tend to him.”
“He could spend the night with me at my parents’ home.” The words came out in a rush, before she even considered what her folks might think about having a toddler underfoot. All she knew was the idea of being under the same roof with Oliver Fortune Hayes night after night was...disturbing. “That way, you could conduct business without any interruptions at all.”
When she finished speaking, Oliver shook his head. The set of his jaw said there would be no changing his mind. “I want Ollie’s schedule to be disrupted as little as possible. If I hadn’t already canceled other trips to see my family, I’d have canceled this one and remained in London. Ollie has experienced more changes in the past few months than any little boy should have to face.”
“You care about him.”
Oliver looked perplexed. “Did you think I didn’t?”
Well, she wanted to say, sometimes you treat him like just one more thing in your life you need to handle. But she knew that wasn’t being fair. Her interaction with Oliver and his son had been minimal.
“No, of course not.” Shannon blew out a breath. “You’re probably right about not injecting more change into his life.”
He relaxed in his chair. “Any other concerns you’d like to discuss?”
Shannon cleared her throat. “What about meal preparation, laundry and housecleaning duties? Would those be something you’d expect from me?”
“Negotiable.”
“I would need time off.”
“I’m not a slave driver, Shannon.” His lips lifted in a boyish smile before he became all business again. “At a minimum I would require you to be here between the hours of midnight to noon, Monday through Friday. However, I’d prefer that during the working week you remain on duty until six p.m. That would allow me to have some sleep knowing Ollie is safe under your care.”
Though he was proposing some pretty long hours, she would have every evening free. Other than Rachel, most of her friends worked eight-to-five jobs, and this really would be no different. “What about weekends?”
“Those days are yours.”
She tapped her index finger against her bottom lip. “It’s tempting.”
“I’d like you to start immediately.”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself, Bucko.” The word, commonly used by Shannon and her sibs, slipped out before her lips could trap it and swallow it whole.
“Bucko?” Oliver raised one dark brow. “I don’t believe I’m familiar with the term.”
His lips twitched ever so slightly.
Sheesh, the guy was appealing. And that was part of her concern.
Shannon jerked her gaze from those lips and squared her shoulders. There was no getting around it. The elephant in the room had to be addressed. “There’s one thing we haven’t yet discussed. How you respond may be the difference between my accepting your offer or respectfully declining it.”
Oliver’s eyes turned flat. He folded his hands before him on the table, his gaze never wavering from her face. “You have my undivided attention.”
The fact that Oliver was being so businesslike should have made it easier to spit out the words stuck in her throat. But somehow, having those blue eyes focused so intently on her made her feel like a schoolgirl about to admit to a crush. Dear God, what if she’d only imagined the chemistry between them?
Shannon shifted in her seat and hesitated, despite knowing there was nothing to do at this point but take a deep breath and plunge ahead.
She focused her gaze on a spot over his left shoulder. “Ever since we’ve met, I’ve noticed this crazy kind of electricity between us. That’s why I think it’s important we agree up front to keep things strictly platonic between us. Giving in to the attraction would only complicate the situation.”
She was out of breath by the time she finished. Had he been able to understand what she was trying to say? She’d spoken so fast—too fast—the words tripping over each other in her haste to get them out.
“Electricity?”
Of course if he was going to pick one word to focus on, it would naturally be that one. But it was the twinkle in those blue eyes that had her jerking to her feet, a hot flush shooting up her neck.
“Forget it. Forget I said anything. This isn’t going to work.” To her horror, her voice shook slightly.
It wasn’t the hint of amusement in his eyes that had gotten to her. It was the frustration of not being able to make herself heard. Of her concerns and feelings being summarily dismissed.
That’s how it had been with Jerry the Jerk. No matter how many different ways she’d told him to back off—that she wasn’t interested—he never heard her.
Because he didn’t want to hear what I had to say. Because I didn’t matter.
As emotions flooded her, Shannon whirled toward the door.
She’d taken only a step or two when Oliver grabbed her arm, his expression contrite.
“I didn’t mean to wind you up.” He loosened his grip but didn’t let go. “You have my word as a gentleman that I will never take advantage of you while you’re under my roof and in my employ.”
Shannon blew out a shaky breath and swayed slightly, conscious of his hand on her arm. He stood an arm’s breadth away, near enough for the intoxicating scent of his cologne to tease her nostrils and make her want to lean close.
Step back, she told herself. She needed to put some distance between her and Oliver. That way she could think. That way she could breathe.
But her feet were as heavy and unmoving as if rooted in concrete. At that moment Shannon didn’t have the energy—or the desire—to move.
Instead she tilted her head back and once again found herself drowning in the shockingly blue depths of Oliver’s eyes.
Oliver stepped toward her, hand outstretched.
The heat in his gaze ignited a fire in her belly.
A zillion butterflies fluttered in her chest. Shannon moistened her lips and, as she caught another whiff of his cologne, reconsidered her hardline stance of only a moment ago.
One kiss.
What
