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Temporarily reside with him, Kristina corrected. If it didn’t work out, she would simply walk away, though she’d probably not return to her native Wisconsin. As long as she didn’t do something stupid—like fall madly in love with Drew Connelly if there wasn’t any indication he could love her back—this shouldn’t be a problem. But if he was anything at all like the man behind the e-mails, admittedly she was already a little bit in love with him.
Sliding out of the car, Kristina grabbed only her tote bag, opting to leave her suitcases in the trunk, and headed up the sidewalk, fear following close behind. Did she really want to do this?
She hadn’t really done anything yet other than agree to live in Drew’s home on a trial basis. And there was that little matter of conducting a background search on Drew Connelly to see if he was legitimate, including having Tori’s policeman friend make certain he had no criminal history. He was more than legitimate—a wealthy man who’d grown up in a powerful, renowned Chicago family, proverbial pillars of the community. He enjoyed a great deal of success, judging from the size of his house, a beautiful red-brick home with neatly manicured grounds and gardens, situated in a prosperous neighborhood.
Once on the porch, Kristina pressed the bell before she could change her mind. She waited an excruciating amount of time for someone to answer her summons. Her heart pounded in her chest and her palms began to perspire.
If only she’d seen a picture of him, not that his physical appearance would sway her one way or the other. Lord knew men had judged her on that issue one too many times. Though she’d learned to deal with her above-average height, her practically non-existent waist-line, her more-than-ample hips and breasts, at times throughout her life she’d longed for a different body type. But she’d stopped wishing for something that could never be and found comfort in knowing that maybe someone might accept her for who she was inside instead of what she wasn’t outside. Maybe that someone was Drew Connelly. Regardless of what he looked like, Kristina refused to be anything but pleasant. After all, the man beneath the facade was all that counted. Looks didn’t matter.
The door opened to a stout man dressed in a flannel shirt and khaki slacks, slightly balding, not very tall, and if he was twenty-seven years old, then she was a size six.
At least his smile was warm, cheerful. “Good morning, missy. Can I help you?”
Kristina sent him an answering smile, a shaky one. “Is this the Connelly residence?”
“Yes, ma’am. Are you from the agency?”
“The agency?”
“The nanny service.”
Nanny service? “Uh, well, no. I’m supposed to be meeting with Drew Connelly. Is that you?”
His laugh was loud, buoyant. “I wish, but I’m afraid I’m a little longer in the tooth than Drew.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Tobias Connelly, Drew’s grandfather.”
Kristina took his hand for a quick, robust shake, admittedly relieved. “I’m Kristina Simmons.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss— Is it Miss?”
Obviously the man knew nothing about the engagement, and Kristina thought it best not to make him any the wiser. “Yes, it’s Miss.”
“Well, Miss Simmons, is Drew expecting you?”
“I think so.” She hoped so.
He opened the door wide and gestured her inside. “Come on in then.”
What Kristina encountered in the foyer took her breath away. A staircase with a highly polished banister climbed upward toward the second floor. To her right, a formal living room displayed exquisite furniture, priceless antiques, she would guess. To her left, a library housed shelves full of books and comfortable leather sofas. Before her, a long entry hall with gleaming slate-colored ceramic tile seemed to stretch for miles.
The place was all opulent elegance, polished to perfection. The home most dreams were made of.
So what in the heck was she doing here, plain Kristina Simmons from Oshkosh?
Tobias yelled, “Drew, you have company!” startling Kristina.
“I’ll be there in a minute!” an irritable masculine voice called back.
The elder Connelly chuckled. “He’s having his coffee. You don’t want to deal with him until he does. He can be a real bear in the morning.”
Oh, wonderful. A man who didn’t do mornings, Kristina’s favorite time of day. “I see.”
“Do you want me to show you to the kitchen?”
“No!” She hadn’t meant to sound so panicked, but she felt it best to stay near the exit in case she needed a quick escape. “I mean, I’ll just wait for him here.”
“Would you like to have a seat?” He indicated the formal furniture in the adjacent living room. It looked nice, but not all that comfortable.
“I’m fine, really.”
“Okay. I’m sure he’ll be here in a minute.”
Another minute might not be enough time for Kristina to prepare, especially for a bear.
Tobias sent her a questioning look as if trying to read her thoughts, uncover her secrets. “I should’ve known you weren’t from the agency,” he said. “You’re not at all what they sent the last time, some skinny young thing with barely a brain in her head.”
Kristina was definitely not skinny, and not brainless under normal circumstances, though at the moment she questioned her wisdom. Obviously Drew Connelly was without a nanny. Could this be the reason behind his request for her to move in? “Then I assume he’s looking for someone to take care of Amanda.”
“As of early this morning. He had to fire the latest one because she wasn’t doing her job. Another reason why he’s in such a foul mood.”
That relieved Kristina somewhat. At least it appeared he hadn’t brought her here solely to replace his nanny.
Tobias grinned. “I’m sure he’ll be much better now that you’re here. Nothing like a pretty girl to brighten a young man’s morning.”
A pretty girl? “Thanks,” she muttered, realizing he was probably only being polite, a good trait, one she hoped he’d instilled in his grandson.
Tobias glanced at his watch then regarded her with kind eyes. “I hate to have to part good company, but I was just on my way out. Every now and then I need to check on the boy, make sure he’s staying in line.” He opened the front door and sent her another cheery smile. “Take care, Miss Simmons. I hope we see each other again soon. Have Drew bring you around some time. I know his grandmother would love to meet you.”
With that he was out the door, leaving Kristina alone to wait for the mysterious Drew Connelly.
On wobbly knees, she turned to one of the windows framing the front door and surveyed the surroundings outside. Drenched in the mid-August sun, a beautiful parkway sporting benches and lush lawns split the street, a lovely place for kids to play under the watchful eyes of their parents. Kristina wished she could abandon her shoes and play at the moment, but no matter how tempting that thought, she couldn’t run away now.
She kneaded her clammy hands, wondering what Drew Connelly was really like. A younger version of his grandfather, maybe. Kind and considerate, once he had his caffeine. But what would he think of her? Drew had said in his e-mails that appearance didn’t matter. Still, after he saw all of her, not just a head-shot photo, he could very well change his mind.
The sound of footsteps on tiled floor echoed behind her, signaling that the moment of truth had arrived.
Straightening her shoulders, Kristina turned and stifled a gasp at the man coming toward her—a gorgeous man wearing a gaping navy robe that revealed a spattering of dark hair on a well-defined chest and a pair of low-riding pajama bottoms that showcased his board-flat belly. He stopped for a minute then continued on more slowly before halting a scant few feet away.
Kristina actually had to look up at him, an uncommon occurrence considering her height. His narrowed eyes were shockingly blue, his mussed wavy hair raven black. He looked entirely too sexy, as if he’d just crawled out of bed.
Just crawled out of bed?
Heavens, had he forgotten she was coming? Had she got the time wrong? Was this really him?
“Drew?”
His gaze roamed lazily over her, from forehead to feet, then settled on her eyes. “You must be Kristina,” he said in a low, husky voice.
At the moment she wasn’t sure who she was, or if she could clear away the shock, both from his appearance and his steady perusal, in order to speak. “Yes, I’m Kristina. Am I early?” Am I crazy?
“It’s barely 8:00 a.m. I think that would qualify as early, especially on a Saturday.”
“That’s what time you told me to be here.”
He frowned. “I did?”
“Yes. I have it right here.” She rummaged through the nylon tote thrown over her shoulder to retrieve the final e-mail. “It says, ‘Come at 8:00 a.m. We can talk before Amanda wakes up.”’ She shoved the paper back into her bag and when he didn’t respond, she added, “Do you want me to come back later?” Or maybe never?
“Kristina! You came!”
Kristina turned to find a flaxen-haired little girl wearing a pink satin nightgown, bounding down the stairs as fast as her tiny feet would allow. Once she reached the bottom, she kept going and hurled herself at Kristina’s legs, nearly knocking Kristina backward in the process.
She knelt and smiled, her hands braced on the little girl’s thin shoulders. “Let me guess. You must be the maid.”
She giggled and squirmed. “I’m Amanda. You can call me Mandy like my daddy if you want.”
One innocent smile from this beautiful child, and Kristina was already in love. “I’d like to call you Mandy, if it’s okay with your daddy.”
Kristina glanced up to find Drew hovering over them, looking less than pleased. “Mandy, why don’t you go upstairs so I can talk to Kristina alone?”
Amanda stuck out her lip in a practiced pout. “I wanna talk to her, too.”
“Later, Amanda Elizabeth.”
When Amanda hung her head and looked as though she might cry, Kristina gave her a quick hug. “Tell you what, sweetie. Why don’t you go up and get dressed, then find me some of your favorite toys? I can come up and see you in a little while.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
“You’re not going to go away?”
Kristina’s heart squeezed tightly in her chest. Obviously Amanda had been left before, maybe often. Maybe her father was one to bring women into their life then push them away as soon as Amanda got close to them. Maybe this was a bad idea.
She straightened and said, “I won’t go away right now.” It was all that Kristina could promise at the moment, since the decision now rested on Drew. “I’ll come up as soon as your dad and I are finished talking.”
Amanda looked wary, disappointed. “Okay.” She trudged back up the stairs, looking over her shoulder now and then, probably to see if Kristina would keep her promise.
Once the little girl was out of sight, Kristina turned back to Drew. He’d cinched his robe, covering his chest completely, but he looked no less attractive and no less uncomfortable.
He studied the ceiling for a moment before bringing his gaze back to her. “Look, Kristina, there’s something I need to say to you.”
Considering his serious tone, Kristina had no doubt what he was going to say. After taking one look at her, he’d probably changed his mind. So much for appearance not counting.
She glanced at the staircase and found it empty. Still, she didn’t want Amanda to overhear the dismissal. “Is there some place more private where we can talk?”
“Sure. Right this way.”
Kristina followed Drew Connelly down the lengthy corridor, preparing for the moment when he told her this was one huge mistake.
Two
Drew wouldn’t have been more surprised if Lilly had driven up on a Harley. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting of Kristina Simmons, but this wasn’t it.
She settled on the sofa in the den; he took the lounge chair across from her. Avoiding his gaze, she surveyed the silent room, allowing him to assess her unassuming attire of plain white sandals and sleeveless coral dress that revealed not much more than arms and ankles. Her skin was bronze in coloring, surprising, considering her long dark auburn hair. She was tall, probably close to six feet, and nothing at all like the women he usually dated.
Kristina Simmons was a throwback to a time when women were women, with ample breasts and generous curves that left no doubt about their gender. However, she tried to conceal those attributes behind loose-fitting clothes, probably because that look was no longer in vogue, thanks to the assumption that a woman had to be emaciated to be attractive. But Drew could imagine every fine detail. Man, could he imagine, and he needed to stop doing that immediately before he embarrassed himself.
Kristina’s big brown eyes proved to be one of her most notable features, eyes that had frozen him in his tracks when he’d first seen her standing in his foyer. Eyes that assessed him now and then while he considered what he needed to say.
“Did you have any trouble finding the house?” Lame, but he couldn’t think of anything beyond small talk at the moment, especially when his gaze kept drifting to her full lips.
“Not at all. You give great directions.” Her sudden smile revealed white teeth that contrasted with her golden coloring. It was also wan, self-conscious. “Your house is beautiful. So is your daughter.”
So was Kristina Simmons, in a natural, unsullied way, Drew decided. She didn’t wear much makeup. She didn’t have to. Her skin was flawless, her lashes thick and long, fanning against her cheeks when she lowered her eyes, as she did at that moment.
“Mandy’s a great kid,” he said. “Precocious, I guess you could say.”
“Intelligent, I’d say.” She grabbed up the decorative pillow next to her and hugged it to her chest, her eyes fixed on some focal point to her right. “Okay, so what did you want to tell me?”
He knew what he needed to tell her—this whole ridiculous scheme had been masterminded by his grandmother. But the way Kristina looked at the moment, unsure and circumspect, he didn’t have the heart to blurt out the revelation. He’d have to ease into it gradually. “I think we should talk about this arrangement.”
She tossed the pillow aside and scooted to the edge of the sofa, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, and met his gaze head-on. “Look, I’ll make this easy on you. I realize you’re surprised by my appearance, and I know you said in your e-mails that it didn’t matter. But I can certainly understand why you might not find me suitable.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, a good-looking rich guy like you could have any woman he pleases. A woman who would be, shall we call it, more svelte, delicate. Thin.”
That didn’t set well with Drew. Inaccurate assumptions about him never did. “Do you really think I’m that superficial?”
“I really don’t know what to think. I wasn’t exactly expecting you.”
That made two of them. He hadn’t counted on her either, a woman who had his imagination working overtime. “What were you expecting?”
“Honestly?”
“I think that’s probably best.” Although he had yet to be honest with her.
“I was expecting someone a little more—”
“Homely?”
“Plain.”
“So was I.”
A slight splotch of pink colored her cheeks and she grabbed the pillow again. “At least one of us wasn’t wrong.”
How could she say that? Didn’t she realize that she had a simple beauty a man would have to be dead not to notice? Not to mention she’d made a connection with Mandy immediately. How many times had he hoped to see that happen with any of the women he’d introduced to his daughter? More times than he could count, and it hadn’t happened—until now. Maybe Lilly was right. Maybe he’d been looking in the wrong places. But the Internet?
Regardless, he had no intention of getting caught in the matrimony trap any time soon. He’d tried that once and it had been one of the most devastating experiences of his life. Amanda was the only good thing to come out of it.
But how could he tell Kristina Simmons that he wasn’t interested without making it seem as though her looks had something to do with it? How could he explain it to his daughter, who had looked at Kristina with open worship, without destroying her completely?
Damn Lilly for putting him in this predicament without regard to Amanda’s feelings. Or Kristina’s. If he sent Kristina on her way now, he might lead her to believe that he was as superficial as she’d assumed. Not to mention he’d have to deal with his grandmother’s and his daughter’s wrath. Now what was he going to do?
Then something occurred to him. Maybe he could subtly convince Kristina that this wasn’t going to work out. Maybe he could totally turn her off, let it be her idea to leave. That was a better plan. A great plan.
First, he’d start with a leer. God knew he’d seen it done enough times in the office when one of the male staff members had the hots for one of the secretaries. If that didn’t scare her off, then she was a lot tougher than he’d presumed. “Well, Kristina, I think you’re an exceedingly attractive woman.” Hell, he sounded like a bad impression of Dudley Watts, Connelly Corporation’s resident lecher.
Unfortunately, Kristina found the fringe on the pillow more interesting than his attempt at being seedy. “Thank you.”
“And I’m looking forward to us getting to know each other better.” At least he sounded a little more suave. Less Dudley, anyway.
She glanced up from the pillow, surprise in her expression. “Then you’re saying we should go ahead with this arrangement?”
“Unless that’s a problem for you?”
Her gaze faltered once again. “No. I agreed to do this, and I think we should give it a try.”
So much for his first attempts to discourage her. He would just have to try harder to convince her that he had questionable intentions. “Do you need help moving your things?”
“Everything I own is in my car.”
“You’ve been living in your car?”
That earned Drew a smile. “Not hardly. My lease ran out on my apartment this week, so when you asked me to move in, I decided not to renew. I guess you could say that this couldn’t have come at a better time.”
Now Drew felt even worse. If he put her out, she’d be—for all intents and purposes—homeless. Back to plan A—dubious overtures. He leaned forward and attempted a come-on look, although his face felt stiff with the effort. “I think you’ll find my bed more than comfortable.”
She leaned forward, too, seeming oddly relaxed. “Really, Drew, you don’t have to give up your room. As I told you before, the guest room will be fine.”
He sat back. “You think we should have separate bedrooms?”
“Of course, exactly what you proposed in the e-mail. I agree with you that we shouldn’t even consider that kind of intimacy with Amanda living in the house.”
Lilly had obviously set him up for sainthood. If he told Kristina he’d changed his mind, that he wanted her in his bed—not exactly an unappealing thought—then he’d definitely look like a class-A jackass. He couldn’t go quite that far…yet. “Just checking to see if we’re on the same page with this.”
“We are,” she said. “I believe we need a lot more time before taking that step in our relationship.”
So much for plan A. “Tell me more about yourself,” he said in hopes of coming upon something else to convince her to steer clear of him.
“I’m not sure what I can say that I haven’t said in my e-mails.”
Drew realized she had a definite advantage there. “I’m sure you can think of something. You can’t know everything about someone in a few e-mails.”
“We exchanged fifty.”
Fifty? His grandmother seriously needed to find another hobby. “That many, huh?”
“Yes, I counted them. I also kept them.”
Drew made a mental note to try and retrieve them from his inbox later, if Lilly hadn’t destroyed the evidence of her deceitful doings. “Which was your favorite e-mail?”
Her great smile traveled all the way to her coffee-colored eyes. “Let me think. I believe it’s the one where you told me one of your favorite books was Wuthering Heights.”
“I bet that surprised you.” Sure as hell surprised him since he’d never read the book. But Lilly had. His grandmother knew no shame.
“To be honest,” Kristina continued, “I think Heathcliff was a bit too tortured.”
Heathcliff had nothing on Drew at the moment. “He was, uh, unique.”
“And tortured. That’s why I’m surprised you also like romantic comedies.”
Drew nearly choked on that one, yet it also led to another idea. Maybe if he could convince her that he hadn’t been forthcoming with the truth about his tastes, she’d decide to leave immediately. “Actually, I was only trying to impress you. I really prefer Tom Clancy.”
Her grin widened. “Really? So do I. I love military thrillers.”
So much for that strategy. “Did I tell you that I like sports?”
“No, we didn’t discuss that.”
Finally, something to work with. “Well, I do. Friday through Sunday when I’m home. Whatever’s on the tube. But my favorite is wrestling.” That ought to do it.
It didn’t. Kristina looked pleased, excited even. “I am so glad to hear that. I adore wrestling. The Mangler is my favorite. Don’t you just love that crazy hat he wears? And when he takes on that woman, what’s her name?”
Drew had no clue. He’d never watched wrestling, either. “I can’t remember at the moment. I’m still pretty jet-lagged.”
Kristina’s dark brows drew down into a frown. “Jet-lagged? I didn’t know you’ve been out of town.”
“Europe. For the past month.”
“You sent all those e-mails from Europe?”
“Yeah, I did.”
The lies were getting deeper and deeper. If Drew knew what was good for him, for her, he’d put a stop to this now. He’d tell Kristina the truth. He’d quit staring at her dark eyes, her fingers dancing over the pillow, her tempting lips now parted in surprise, and just blurt it out.
Then she added, “That’s so sweet, Drew. I had no idea. Surely that cost you quite a bit of money, connecting to the Internet in Europe. You shouldn’t have gone to all that trouble for me.”
She sounded as if he’d sent her a Monet, not an e-mail. How could he tell her the truth now? He couldn’t.
Besides, after seeing the nanny off at dawn with good riddance, he had no one to care for his daughter. It might take the better part of a month to find a decent replacement. Kristina was obviously good with kids, and Amanda liked her. In the meantime, he could pretend he was going along with this arrangement and try to come up with more ways to discourage her. Simple enough, except for one minor problem: He was more than a little attracted to her. However, he didn’t intend to let that deter him from his goal.
Standing, he said, “Let’s get you settled in.”
Kristina rose from the sofa, spanned the distance between them, and drew him into an unexpected hug. Her full breasts pressed against his chest. She smelled fresh, clean, felt warm against him. Good. Too good. His hands traveled to the dip at her spine. It took all his strength not to travel lower, mold his hands to her hips, pull her closer, kiss her thoroughly.
Then she said, “Thanks, Drew,” in a silky voice, deep and slightly raspy. Drew immediately reacted to the sound, becoming steel-hard below his belt, and he wondered what she would sound like when he made love to her.
When he made love to her?
He quickly stepped back, out of her inviting embrace, away from dangerous thoughts. He had no business entertaining those fantasies, not if he wanted to put an end to this charade. He had to be strong, keep his hands and mouth to himself. No problem. He could do that.
“Let me show you to bed, Kristina.” Damn. “Your bedroom, I mean.”
After settling in to the guest quarters downstairs, a rose-colored suite straight out of a designer’s dream, Kristina sat cross-legged on the floor in Amanda’s lavender, frill-filled room surrounded by enough toys to stock a department store. She and Amanda were dressing two fashion dolls while Drew showered and dressed in the room down the hall, something Kristina dared not think about.