Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
But I want more. I want much more.
A screeching sound propels us apart.
What the fuck?
I look around and run to my bedroom to check on Guinevere. She’s fine. Sleeping peacefully. She won’t be due any more milk for a few hours at least.
When I come back into the kitchen, Eira waves her phone at me. “I set an alarm to check on Guinevere every forty minutes.”
I chuckle. “Right. So I checked on her and she’s fine.”
“Good.” She nods resolutely. “That’s really good.” Her reddened lips and mussed hair make her look wanton. It’s sexy as hell.
“We really need to keep a close eye on Guinevere,” she says. “It’s been a long evening and the next few days might be disruptive. We should probably sleep.”
“We probably should.” I just don’t want to not feel her right next to me for the next eight hours. “Come and sleep in my bed.”
Her eyebrows shoot through the ceiling.
“We’ll both keep all our clothes on,” I caveat. “We’re just going to sleep.”
“Just sleep?” she asks.
“You have to promise to keep your hands to yourself,” I tease.
“I’ll do my best,” she says.
I take her hand and lead her into my bedroom.
TWENTY-ONE
Eira
I pull away from our kiss, pressing my fingers to my lips to stop myself from saying something I shouldn’t. All the words I should be saying are buried deep at the bottom of the back garden of my brain.
There should be boundaries between a boss and an employee.
I can’t afford to lose this job.
We should keep this professional.
I can put my feelings to one side for the good of my career.
Unfortunately, logic has left the building.
“I’ll see you after work,” he says. “But call me if anything changes. And…” He smiles and it releases a thousand tiny butterflies in my stomach. “Call me anyway.”
“I won’t call you at work unless it’s urgent.” I put on my most professional voice.
“Then I’ll call you,” he says.
“Go to work,” I remind him. He didn’t want to go in today. Last night with Guinevere was intense and it’s understandable he’s worried, but I know how important his career is to him. There’s nothing he can do here to help. Guinevere is out of any danger and he’s working at the very hospital where she was treated last night. If anything happens, I’m bringing his daughter right to him.
Guinevere just needs to sleep and eat and she’ll be fine.
I know this.
Dax leaves. I lean back on the closed front door and look to the heavens.
What am I doing?
I’m Miss Sensible. I’m the girl who never crosses the line, the nanny who always knows how to sink into the background.
What am I doing?
Perhaps it was the heightened emotions of Guinevere’s illness. Perhaps tonight, after we’ve both had some time apart, things will have fizzled between us.
It’s unlikely. But it’s possible.
If things haven’t fizzled…then what?
I start sleeping with my boss? Until when?
Until he fires me.
I set about my day, unpacking from Norfolk, tidying, and doing three thousand loads of washing, in between checking on Guinevere and giving her milk, which she takes really well. All the while I try not to think about Dax, but it’s impossible. He lives here. I’m surrounded by him. I’m looking after his daughter.
I put Guinevere down after her third feed of the day, and head to the kitchen to start preparing dinner for Dax. He’ll be exhausted when he’s home and he’ll appreciate a proper home-cooked meal he doesn’t have to prepare himself. My phone interrupts me as I pull vegetables out of the fridge.
Immediately I assume it’s Dax, and I smile as I pull my phone from my pocket.
It’s Eddie.
“Hey!” It comes out like I’m having the time of my life in an open-topped jeep on my way to a Mexican resort for a week. Maybe I’m overcorrecting because it’s my sister and not Dax.
“What’s the matter with you?” she asks. “You sound really happy.”
“I always sound happy,” I reply, toning down my exuberance. “What’s the matter with you?” It’s unusual for Eddie to call me when she knows I’m working. I glance at the clock. Dax will be home in less than an hour.
“You always sound happy? If you say so,” she singsongs. “But if you thought you were happy before, you’re going to be flying to the moon when I tell you my news.” She sounds excited and I pause, waiting to hear what she’s going to tell me.
“I won a scholarship.” It bursts out of her. “They just called to tell me ten minutes ago.”
“You did?” I ask. “I didn’t know you applied for one. What’s it for?”
“That’s the thing—I didn’t! Everyone in my year was automatically entered apparently. And I got it!”
“That sounds…weird.”
“Who cares how it sounds. It covers all my tuition for this year and for last year.”
I freeze. That can’t be right. “It pays you back what we already paid for tuition?”