The Billionaire Daddy. Renee Roszel

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СКАЧАТЬ to my position as nanny.”

      He was caught off guard by her prickly rejoinder, his only response the astonished lift of one eyebrow. She had spunk. He had to give her that. But if she thought her lame threat would fly in his town, she was a little naive for thirty-seven.

      Not one to give up easily, he decided to try again. “Tina’s a very good baby, Miss Quinn. My other nanny said so a thousand times.”

      She cast him an oddly petulant look but didn’t reply. “I haven’t had much spare time to be with Tina, myself.” He paused, deciding she didn’t need to know he’d been busy trying to reorient his life to accommodate a child he’d neither expected nor wanted. Now that he’d finally worked out the necessary business adjustments, this month in the Hamptons would be the second, most difficult phase. Learning how to be a “father.”

      “Will you be wanting weekly reports on her status, sir?” she asked, breaking through his thoughts. “Or bimonthly?”

      “What?” He had no idea what reports she could mean. “I don’t—” His cell phone rang. With a halting lift of his hand, he excused himself, fishing the phone from his trouser pocket.

      Lauren cringed at the memory of Mr. Delacourte’s shocked expression when she’d made her “sexual harassment” remark. He’d been taken by surprise. Clearly the last thing on his mind was flattery. He was making conversation, his motives not even vaguely sinful. Why that realization disconcerted her, she had no idea. She was not there to be flattered by the man, she was there to show him up for the irresponsible impregnator of women he was.

      Troubled, she surveyed the posh interior of the limousine. It wasn’t huge, like those stretch limo’s she’d seen in movies. It was only slightly bigger than a regular luxury car. The major difference she could see was that the white leather seats faced each other. This arrangement unsettled her, since she would have preferred not to see him every time she looked up.

      Tina had fallen asleep, so Lauren continued to scan the interior, trying to concentrate on anything other than the annoying man with his long legs casually stretched out before her. She hadn’t been able to help notice how the cotton trousers showed off nice thighs and well-developed calves. Nice thighs and well-developed—

      She wasn’t doing a very good job of shifting her thoughts. She groaned. She sensed he heard and shot an apprehensive glance in his direction. He peered at her and covered the receiver. “Something wrong?”

      She shook her head, compelling her glance to the hand-rubbed teak consoles, the CD and videocassette player. Even a color TV! She sighed. Lolling her head against the soft leather, she looked heavenward. Bright sky through the moon roof pierced her eyes and made her wince. Emotions frayed to the breaking point, she squeezed her eyes shut.

      With a calming inhale, she recalled the man who’d assisted her into the car. In his late fifties, he’d impressed her as being kind. That surprised her. She’d assumed a man like Dade Delacourte would have a driver who looked more sinister. Of course, looks could be deceiving. She’d only seen the driver for a moment as he’d opened the door for her. He’d been as courtly as a footman helping a princess into her carriage.

      A glass partition behind her separated them from the man. She thought about turning to check out the front seat of the car, but she didn’t shift around. She didn’t dare appear too much like a gawking hayseed. Surely Miss Quinn had been in limousines before and took them for granted.

      She recrossed her legs, catching a glimpse of the luxury carpet. It was pristine white, as though it had never had a foot set on it until today. Regrettably, also residing on that snow-white carpet—much too close—was a pair of size twelve tan suede bucks attached to well-developed calves and…

      This time she managed to stifle her groan. So he was good-looking! So what! What had she expected? The man was a seduction machine! She knew that already, so why was she surprised to find out that a seduction machine would most likely be seductive! Even when he wasn’t trying.

      Rich laughter drew her gaze to his face and she made an involuntary examination of his features. The car’s halo lighting reflected in his gray eyes, kindling them with dazzling beauty. His straight forehead and aquiline nose were the sort of features women would stand in line for days to behold, not to mention that chin, square and slashed with a sexy cleft. She grew peevish and unhappy with herself for finding anything about him appealing. He was a lecherous weasel.

      She threw him a withering glare, but he was too preoccupied with his conversation to notice.

      She hoped, in the next few days, she could catch him knee deep in debauchery. Spending too much time around Mr. Dade Delacourte-of-the-pretty-boy-charm-and-complete-lack-of-scruples was a dangerous idea—and not just for the baby.

      CHAPTER TWO

      LAUREN didn’t know what she expected to see when they arrived at Dade Delacourte’s seaside home. The Hampton’s palatial estates were referred to ironically as “cottages,” though they bore as much resemblance to a cottage as a pencil resembled a computer.

      Lauren supposed she expected a billionaire playboy to vacation in ostentatious, even tacky, luxury. She wouldn’t be surprised if the River Styx flowed right outside a twenty-foot, flaming gate. With this inflammatory vision in her head, Lauren was startled when Goodberry turned the limo onto a narrow, wooded lane marked by nothing more than a small metal sign reading Private Property. Perhaps the infamous river hid somewhere within the deceptively inviting forest of weathered pine and oak trees.

      She frowned, staring out the window, trying to catch any glimpse. They emerged from the peaceful woodland, and Lauren was taken aback. She witnessed no fiery gateway. The pine-scented air held no hint of brimstone. Instead Lauren saw a wonderful house, more the image of a picturesque Vermont barn than a palatial mansion. Constructed of antique barn siding and stone, the home sprawled within an unpretentious, natural setting. Even from where Lauren sat, the bluff commanded a panoramic view of the Atlantic.

      “Miss Quinn? Are you all right?”

      Mr. Delacourte’s question yanked Lauren from her musings. She could tell he had raised his voice, so it was embarrassingly clear he’d been trying to get her attention. She glanced at him. “Yes, sir? I mean, yes, I’m fine.”

      He watched her quizzically for another moment, as though it crossed his mind that she was more astonished by the house than a nanny of her qualifications and job history should be. “Quinn, if you’ll get the baby, I’ll show you to your room.”

      Goodberry opened their door, and Mr. Delacourte flicked a glance at the driver. “The oceanfront guest suite has been prepared for Quinn and the child.”

      “Yes, sir.” Goodberry stepped forward, offering Lauren a hand and smile. “May I help you, miss?”

      The servant was so old-world gallant, Lauren couldn’t keep from smiling. “Why thank you, Goodberry.” She mused again about how sweet the driver was, and stole a quick look at her unprincipled employer.

      Mr. Delacourte watched her with that same quizzical stare. Snapping her gaze away, she unbuckled Tina from her car seat and allowed Goodberry to assist them out of the limo.

      Once safely out of the car, Lauren approached the stone walk meandering from the driveway of crushed seashells. There was no real lawn, just the grasses and low flowering vegetation that grew naturally in the sandy soil. Trees lined the walk and dotted the yard, enhancing СКАЧАТЬ