Desire Collection: October 2017 Books 1 - 4. Maureen Child

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СКАЧАТЬ was what Nathaniel Winston would look like on lazy Saturday mornings before he climbed out of bed. Or maybe he sleeps in the nude, Dani. He can’t very well do that with his executive assistant and a baby in the house.

      Her cheeks hot, she debated her course of action. Peaches took it out of her hands. The little girl chortled loudly. Nathaniel shot straight up in bed, wild-eyed. “What’s wrong?” He scraped his hands through his hair.

      “Nothing,” Dani said quickly. “Sorry to wake you. But I need to start dinner, and I can only do so much one-handed. I thought Peaches would be asleep by now, but she obviously knows it’s Christmas Eve, and she’s too excited to close her eyes.”

      Nathaniel didn’t seem amused by her whimsy. “Let me have her. We’ll play in the den and stay out of your way.”

      “How thoughtful,” she said, deadpan.

      His sharp look questioned her sincerity, and rightly so. It didn’t take a genius to see that Nathaniel wanted to avoid Dani as much as possible. Fine. She didn’t need him in the kitchen getting underfoot anyway.

      Fortunately, her ambitious Christmas Eve dinner menu consumed her attention for most of the subsequent hour. Once she had seared the roast and tucked it in a deep pan flanked with carrots and potatoes, she put the pie together and popped the sweet treat in the oven with the meat, very glad both dishes cooked at the same temperature.

      The condo had a small dining room just off the kitchen. Inside a modern-looking buffet, Dani found navy placemats that matched the navy-and-cream stoneware in the kitchen cabinets. It frustrated her not to have the trappings of holiday colors or even a store-bought poinsettia. Even a couple of red candles would have been nice.

      That was the problem with bachelors. They didn’t know how to set a scene anywhere but in the bedroom.

      Oops. Thinking about Nathaniel and bedrooms was bad mojo. She was already in trouble for her innocent thank-you kiss. Best not to let him see that she was curious enough and attracted enough to be fascinated by thoughts of his private life.

      Which brought her directly back to Peaches and Ophelia. Damn Nathaniel’s mystery woman. How had she found the chutzpah to pull off such an outrageous stunt?

      Brooding over the baby’s lack of a proper Christmas didn’t help matters. Best to concentrate on what she could control. The only thing left was to put together a spinach-and-almond salad and prepare a light dressing. Serving pieces were ready. She and Nathaniel could take turns holding the baby during dinner, if necessary.

      The roast and pecan pie had to cook for thirty more minutes. Plenty of time to put the Christmas tree in the den and decorate it. That meant running into Nathaniel again, but at least he had put on a shirt before he left his bedroom.

      She knew that only because he had made a quick appearance in the kitchen earlier to grab coffee. Neither of them was dressed for a formal Christmas Eve meal. She supposed he had kept his appearance very casual in light of her predicament.

      Wistfully, she imagined what it would be like if they were actually dating. She might find herself wearing a very special, sexy dress, knowing, or at least hoping, that Nathaniel would remove it at the end of the evening.

      After her boss’s chilly reception earlier, it took a measure of courage to intrude on his privacy. But the den was arguably the best place for the tree, and this designer condo needed a punch of color and light, tonight of all nights.

      Nathaniel didn’t look up when she entered the den dragging the tree along behind her. The fir had lost a significant percentage of its needles en route from the store, but it was still presentable. With the heavy plastic base already attached, all Dani would have to do was add some water tonight before going to bed. After all, the tree would stand guard beside the fireplace barely twenty-four hours before the lord of the manor tossed it out. She was pretty sure she knew Nathaniel that well.

      Without speaking, she unboxed the tiny lights and began twining them around the tree, attaching one strand to the next. Still, Nathaniel didn’t acknowledge her presence. Peaches sat on his knee, trying to get one of his shirt buttons in her mouth. Nathaniel held her firmly, but his attention was on the television. He flipped channels rapidly, presumably checking the football scores.

      When she finished the tree and plugged it in, she expected at least a token comment. Her boss was mute. He had to have noticed the cheerful Christmas tree. It upped the cozy factor of the den tenfold. But maybe Nathaniel just didn’t care. Stubborn, gorgeous man. She didn’t know whether she wanted to kiss him or smack him.

      Subdued and disappointed, she tweaked a branch and turned to walk out of the room. “Dinner in twenty minutes,” she said over her shoulder.

      “Wait, Dani,” he said.

      She turned around, bracing herself for criticism. “What?”

      He lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “I don’t mind the tree. But don’t expect too much from me. This holiday stuff isn’t my thing.”

       Five

      A man knew when he was being an ass. Dani walked out on him without another word. Nathaniel was fully cognizant that he was exhibiting every characteristic of a bad host. The stupid Christmas tree was charming. And festive. Even Peaches cooed when she saw it. So why had he deliberately downplayed Dani’s efforts?

      Why were the aromas wafting from the kitchen both tantalizing and unsettling? He didn’t want his condo to smell like Christmas. He didn’t want a tree. He didn’t want Dani.

      What a liar you are. His libido was more honest than he.

      In barely twenty-four hours, Dani had transformed Nathaniel’s hideout from the world into a warm, holiday-scented, incredibly appealing home. How she had done it so quickly and so well, he couldn’t exactly say. It was more than the groceries and the tree, though he couldn’t put his finger on what was so different with her here.

      Maybe it was the baby. Everyone knew that babies were precious and cute. Perhaps little Peaches was bachelor kryptonite. He sniffed her hair, wondering for the millionth time if he was her biological father. Shouldn’t he be able to tell instinctively? Wasn’t there some sort of parental bonding moment when all became clear?

      If there was, he hadn’t experienced it yet.

      Dani didn’t bother calling him to dinner. His phone dinged with a blunt, unemotional text. It’s ready...

      Standing up with a sigh, he took the baby to the tree. “Do you like it?” he asked softly. “It’s supposed to have ornaments, but I don’t have a single one.”

      The baby reached out to grab the lights. She’d probably chew the cord in two if he let her. Those bottom teeth had to be poking through soon. “No touching,” he warned, nuzzling the top of her head with his chin. “We’d better go wash up for dinner before Dani loses patience with us.”

      The kitchen was filled with steam, delightful smells and a woman who resembled his efficient executive assistant, but in this setting looked more like a wife. The knot in his stomach grew.

      Dani glared at him, clearly upset that he hadn’t appreciated her efforts with the tree.

      “Smells СКАЧАТЬ