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‘A bit strained?’ he questioned in a voice that would have had grown men quaking, a voice he had perfected over the years, one which was very handy when it came to controlling anyone who had the temerity to breach his barriers.
The slender, dark-haired gamine sitting opposite him wasn’t quaking.
‘It happens,’ she said, her voice rich with sympathy. ‘Just because you’re family doesn’t always mean that the relationship is close.’ She thought of her own relationship with her sister, which was anything but close even though, once upon a time, they had been far closer than they were now.
‘Jake and his parents,’ Luca said heavily, ‘went to America to live. Keeping in touch was difficult.’
‘I’ll bet.’
‘I’m an extremely busy man.’ Luca heard the irritation in his voice and was exasperated with himself for launching into explanations that were, frankly, unnecessary.
‘It wasn’t meant as a criticism,’ Ellie murmured, lowering her eyes and thinking that that was exactly how it had been meant—because what she was deducing was that Luca would have been way too busy making money to remember some cousin on the other side of the world.
‘The fact is that we have both found ourselves in a situation where adjustments have had to be made and Jake has found those adjustments somewhat difficult.’
‘Poor, poor kid. No wonder he’s had trouble settling down. I’ve come across that sort of thing a couple of times, usually involving kids who have come to London from another country, and in one instance to stay with a distant relative they really didn’t know very well. Adjusting was an issue.’
She sat up straighter, on more solid ground now that she was in possession of a few facts. ‘I don’t suppose...’ she had nothing to lose by speaking her mind ‘...it’s helped that he’s been farmed out to a nanny and a housekeeper, and heaven only knows who else, when all he probably needs is one-on-one time with you as the adult responsible for his welfare.’
‘Is that a criticism?’ Luca asked coldly. ‘Because I’ve been sensing a few of those under the demure replies and the polite questions.’
Ellie dug her heels in and shrugged. ‘I can tell you don’t appreciate it,’ she said eventually, when the silence threatened to become too tense, ‘but I’m just speaking my mind. I’m a teacher, and I have quite a bit of experience when it comes to young kids.’
‘So you’re a teacher? That’s very interesting.’ Luca dropped his eyes and doodled something on the pad in front of him.
‘Is it? Why?’
‘I feel I would have worked that out eventually,’ he murmured, and she reddened.
‘Why is that, Mr Ross?’
‘Luca.’
Ellie stared at him, lips tightly pressed together, and just like that Luca smiled.
Her expression—thorough disapproval even though she was let down by having such a delicate, feminine face, all huge green eyes, short, straight nose and a mouth that was a perfect Cupid’s bow. The more defiantly she tilted her chin, narrowed her eyes and aimed for severe, the more amused he was.
‘I’m not seeing the joke.’ Ellie’s heart was slamming against her rib cage, and not just because she knew that he was laughing at her. That smile was so sexy and, just like that, she glimpsed someone other than the ice-cold billionaire who had rubbed her up the wrong way the second she had met him and who represented everything she had no time for.
And this someone other was dangerous. She felt it. This someone other wasn’t just drop-dead gorgeous. He was sinfully sexy, the sort of sexy that should come with a health warning.
‘You should see your face,’ Luca drawled. ‘Tight lips, pursed mouth, disapproving eyes. Could you be anything but a school teacher?’
He made that sound like a source of amusement instead of consternation, which somehow made his criticism all the more offensive.
‘Maybe most of them are too scared,’ she snapped with reckless abandon.
‘I don’t care for that tone of voice.’ Cool eyes fastened on her flushed face. He realised that she had signally made no effort to try and impress him from the second she had walked into his house, just as he realised that most people did, which was something he took for granted.
‘And I don’t care for the fact that you think it’s okay to sit there and laugh at me. I’m a teacher, an excellent teacher, and if you think that it’s hilarious that I speak my mind then too bad.’
‘Not hilarious,’ Luca said slowly, speculatively. ‘Refreshing.’
His mobile buzzed and he took the call, which lasted a matter of seconds. Not for a second did his eyes leave her face.
Ellie had the strangest sensation of intense discomfort under that scrutiny. It was as if her body was on hyper-alert, sensitive in ways she couldn’t quite understand. She felt restless in her own skin and yet frozen to the spot, barely able to breathe.
‘The dogs have gone. I’m sure their owners will be overjoyed to have them home.’ He sat back and inclined his head to one side. ‘Can I ask you something, Ellie?’
Ellie felt that he would anyway, whatever answer she gave, so she tilted her head to one side and didn’t say anything.
‘Why are you walking dogs when you have a job?’
That wasn’t what she had been expecting and she went bright red.
‘I don’t see what that has to do with anything,’ she muttered.
‘The nanny has gone.’ He changed tack so abruptly that she was left floundering and wrong-footed.
‘The nanny...?’
‘Second in six months.’
‘That can’t be a good thing. The poor boy probably needs continuity,’ Ellie said when he made no attempt to elaborate on this. ‘Children really need defined boundaries and, especially in Jake’s situation, stability would be very important.’ Tight lips...pursed mouth...disapproving eyes... Ellie was impatient with herself for letting him get under her skin, because who cared what the man thought one way or another?
‘I fully agree with you. It’s been disappointing but what can one do? The first nanny was a middle-aged lady who was clearly out of her depth dealing with Jake. He’s extremely clever and very strong-willed underneath that quiet exterior. It would seem that he simply refused to go along with any plan he didn’t agree to.’ Luca paused. ‘He also created such a fuss about going to school that, as it came out in the wash, the woman was browbeaten into keeping him at home on a couple of occasions which, naturally, didn’t work.’
‘Has he not settled into school life either?’
‘It’s been a difficult period,’ Luca murmured with exquisite understatement.
Confused, because she had no idea where this roundabout conversation was leading, but very much aware that there was a definite destination in sight even though it eluded her at the moment, Ellie stared at Luca with fascination.
Everything about him was compelling, from the graceful, economical movements of his hands when he spoke to the proud angle of his head and the harsh beauty of his features.
For the first time, she was awkwardly conscious of the gaping chasm between them—and not just in the money stakes.
He was so breathtakingly beautiful that he made her aware of her shortcomings, and that was a place she hadn’t visited for a long time.
Growing up, she had learned to accept that when it came to looks she was second-best.
Lily was the one with the looks. Like her mother, she was tall, willowy and blonde, her vanilla hair dropping like a waterfall down her narrow back. From the day she’d been born, she had been attracting attention, and that had only become more pronounced as she had grown and eventually matured into a stunningly beautiful adolescent.
With a sister blessed with such spectacular looks, Ellie had quickly learned to fade into the background, developing skills that did not rely on physical appearance. She had studied hard, got A grades in everything, helped out during summers at the local kennels and played as much sport as she could, because being outside the house often beat being inside it.
So it was irritating now to find herself thinking about her looks and wondering what Luca saw when he stared at her with such a veiled expression.
‘I had hoped,’ Luca said truthfully, ‘that Alicia might have worked out. I’d come to the conclusion that it might have been a mistake relying on experience to deal with Jake, without taking into account that experience might come with the downside of being a little too stuffy to handle a kid of six.’
‘Mr Ross... Luca... I’m sorry that your nephew hasn’t settled over here as well as he might have. I would advise you to try and bond with him a bit more, but I’m sure you’ll ignore me. Perhaps, after this little incident, his nanny will be a little more vigilant. Maybe she just needs to get him out and about a bit more. It’s the summer holidays and there’s an awful lot going on in London at the moment for kids. Or she could even take him out of London. To the seaside, perhaps.’
‘That would be difficult,’ Luca said gently, when she had finally tapered off into silence, ‘considering the nanny has been sacked.’
‘Sacked? But why?’
‘Why do you think?’
‘Yes, well... I’m sure she will have learned from this episode...’ Ellie vaguely wondered whether the sacked nanny could take him to some kind of industrial tribunal for unfair dismissal but somehow she couldn’t envisage anyone, least of all a young nanny, having the courage to do anything of the sort.
And sadly, whilst the poor girl probably did deserve a second chance, it was fair to say that letting her charge escape did come under the heading of dereliction of duty.
‘I would hope so but it doesn’t matter because it’s not my problem.’ Luca pushed himself away from the desk and linked his fingers on his washboard stomach. ‘My problem isn’t what the sacked nanny does now. My problem is what I do now...’
CHAPTER TWO
LUCA HAD REACHED a decision. He’d done what he did best. Faced with a problem, he had brought his natural creativity to the situation, thought on his feet and come up with a solution.
He’d sacked the nanny. He needed cover. And it wasn’t going to fall on his shoulders because he didn’t have enough hours in the day.
Miss Muller, efficient though she was, could hardly be expected to turn her hand to child minding a six-year-old. She’d never had children and, from the little he had glimpsed of her interaction with Jake, an eagerness to make up for that lack was not there.
And the agency wasn’t going to be much help in the immediate future. They were painstaking when it came to the business of sourcing nannies. Leave it with them and he could be collecting his pension before they came up with a replacement, especially given the short, chequered history of the previous two, both sacked.
Cover was staring him in the face. The girl was perfect. He was good when it came to reading people and he could read that this one would be up to the job.
He would lay his cards on the table soon enough but first he would find out as much as he could about her personal circumstances because her personal circumstances could be used to his advantage.
He would at least have to determine her availability.
It didn’t occur to him to ask her directly whether she would be able to step into the breach because getting what you wanted always panned out better once you’d got a feel for the lie of the land. A lifetime of dealing with people had given Luca a healthy scepticism when it came to making sure he got the best possible deal from them.
This girl was no gold-digger, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be tempted to try her luck if she thought she could pull a fast one.
‘You never told me why you were walking dogs.’ He lazily returned to the question he had earlier directed at her. He tilted his big body at an angle that allowed him to watch her closely from under lowered lashes. ‘You have a job. I don’t know what teachers get paid, but I’m assuming it’s not so little that they have to take a begging bowl onto the streets.’
‘Walking dogs isn’t the same as taking a begging bowl onto the streets.’
‘Figure of speech. Shouldn’t you be enjoying your respite from tetchy kids and classrooms?’
‘I...’ Ellie reddened. ‘I like dogs,’ she said lamely. ‘And I like walking.’
‘And that’s very commendable, but you surely must do it because of the money?’
‘I... As it happens, I find the additional income very useful.’ Ellie heard herself stutter out the truth and immediately told herself that it was nothing to be ashamed about and that she shouldn’t let herself be cowed into editing her personality which was, by its nature, open and honest.
‘Why?’
‘Why? Mr Ross, Luca, I’m not one of your employees. I don’t actually have to tell you anything.’
‘Instead of getting worked up because I’m asking you a few questions, you need to sit back and listen to me without interruption for a few minutes.’
Ellie’s mouth dropped open.
‘You probably want to get back to your house as much as I need to return to work, but there was something I wanted to propose to you, and I think you would be open to my suggestion—especially if you tell me that you need money.’
‘I never said that I needed money.’
‘You don’t have to but I’m good at joining dots. I heard the anxiety in your voice when you talked to me about reuniting those dogs with their owners. You were apprehensive about upsetting them. You don’t want to upset them because, however much you love dogs and love walking, it’s not a labour of love for you. Ergo, you need the money.
‘Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t give a damn what you want the money for—addiction to fine wine, an obsession with designer clothes...or maybe you’re saving for a round-the-world cruise. I don’t care. It’s all the same to me. You have no criminal record, because checks would have been done on you before you became a teacher. Here’s the deal.’
He leant forward, palms flattened on the desk. ‘I no longer have a nanny and I can’t afford to spare the time out for babysitting duties. Miss Muller isn’t going to be able to step up to the plate here and I would not ask her to. However, as I said to you, my nephew took to you and that in itself speaks volumes. Combined with the fact that you clearly need the money, we could work together towards a satisfactory solution to my problem.’
Ellie stared at him in a daze. She was accustomed to controlling situations. It was part and parcel of her job, but right now she felt as though she had handed the reins over to someone who was cheerfully steering her in the direction he wanted her to go.
‘I’ll admit my immediate reaction to you showing up at my front door with my godson was one of instant suspicion.’
Ellie was fascinated by Luca’s lack of apology for behaviour that frankly had been pretty outrageous. When she had walked Jake back, she had anticipated gratitude. She had mentally prepared an informative speech about the importance of family and of understanding the psyche of children. It was going to be a severe speech, as befitted the situation. She had even mulled over the possibility that she might step into a quagmire that would necessitate outside intervention. She worked in a school where that sort of thing had occurred on a couple of occasions, although something about Jake had made her think that his family life wasn’t going to be a disaster zone. His clothes had been dishevelled and muddy from the dogs but expensive all the same.
She hadn’t anticipated a series of events that had seen her told coolly that she could have been hauled down to a police station, accused of staging the whole thing for money and then eventually been given the all-clear without a hint of remorse.
‘I got that,’ Ellie said tightly as her mind continued to whirr. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was larger than life in every sense of the word and in his presence every nerve-ending in her body was on red alert, every sense and pulse stretched to breaking point. From the proud angle of his head to the luxuriant dark hair and exotically sculpted features, the man oozed more than just sexuality and it knocked her for six.
And now he was offering her a job?
‘Naturally I would do my own background check on you anyway,’ he murmured, half to himself.
‘You’re offering me a job?’ Just in case she’d got hold of the wrong end of the stick.
‘The circumstances are a little unusual,’ Luca admitted. ‘It’s not in my nature to jump into anything without first testing the water, but I need someone to look after Jake, and sooner rather than later...’
‘But you could always just take a couple of weeks off work. Maybe go on holiday with him whilst the agency finds a replacement. If he’s had trouble settling down then a holiday might be just the thing he needs.’
‘I don’t have time for holidays,’ Luca said flatly.
‘Never?’ Ellie asked incredulously, wondering what the point of being rich was if you never took time out to enjoy your hard-earned cash. If she had money, then she would travel the world. It was a luxury she had never had.
‘There’s no time off when you’re running a business the size of mine.’ Luca shrugged. ‘It may sound harsh but I’m simply being realistic.’ He leaned back and sighed heavily, with a hint of impatience. ‘This escapade has made me realise that Jake needs someone who is not only capable of taking him from A to B and making sure he is fed and watered, but someone with whom he has some kind of bond. He clearly didn’t bond with either of the previous nannies, but in the space of a very short time he managed to do that with you, and I’m guessing your experience as a teacher has something to do with that.’ He looked at her shrewdly. ‘So here we are.’
‘I already have a job,’ Ellie said. As job offers went, this one certainly hadn’t been wrapped up in any pretty packaging. He was in a jam and she was a possible solution. No beating about the bush with any niceties.
‘Teaching, and walking dogs for the additional income.’
She decided not to go down the ‘needing money’ road again. Luca made her nervous and uncomfortable and she couldn’t think of anything worse than working for him. ‘There’s no way,’ she said politely, ‘that I would ever consider jacking in my full-time job to become a nanny to your godson. I love my job. I enjoy working with lots of different kids.’
He would make a terrible employer. It was obvious that he was as warm and cuddly as a rattlesnake. He thought nothing of getting rid of people who didn’t live up to his high expectations and, while he was quick to blame, he didn’t seem prepared to accept that he might be the root cause of Jake’s behaviour.
Work for him?
She would rather walk on a bed of burning coals. Part of the reason she enjoyed what she did, aside from the satisfaction of working with the kids, was that she really loved the people she worked alongside.
They were on her wavelength. They were all part of the greater caring community who didn’t rush to put themselves first.
Luca Ross was part of the cut-throat community who thought nothing of taking what they wanted whatever the cost. He was arrogant, ruthless and manipulative. She’d been in his company for a handful of hours and already she felt wrung out.
‘I’m not talking about a long-term position,’ he clarified, still fully confident that he was going to get what he wanted because, frankly, he always did. ‘Of course, a suitable nanny will be found in due course, but that’s going to take time, and this time around I will have more input to the procedure than previously.’
Ellie was making a mental list in her head of all the things she disliked about him and she tacked this new one on. He probably left choosing the nannies to his secretary because he was too busy and couldn’t be bothered...
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, standing up so that he could take the hint that their conversation was at an end. Her body broke out in light perspiration as he slowly rose to his feet. He strolled towards her, in no hurry.
His long, lean body oozed latent strength and suffocating masculinity. She could almost see the flex of sinew and muscle under the charcoal-grey trousers and the white shirt, which he had cuffed to the elbow. His forearms were liberally sprinkled with dark hair. She wondered whether his chest would likewise be sprinkled with dark hair and she furiously stopped herself in crazy mid-thought.
He cast an ominous shadow as he finally paused to stand in front of her, and Ellie had to will herself not to cower.
The mental checklist of things she disliked about the man was growing by the second. Not only did he think he could get whatever he wanted but he was not averse to using sheer brawn and intimidation tactics to get there.
‘Sorry?’
‘I’m not interested in working for you.’ She cleared her throat and their eyes collided, causing the air to rush out of her body in a whoosh. ‘I appreciate the offer, but you’re better off going back to the agency, and maybe taking more of a hands-on approach this time, because you seemed to imply that you hadn’t on the previous occasions.’
‘How can you appreciate my offer when you haven’t heard the details?’
‘I don’t need to.’
‘Care to tell me why?’
‘I know you think that you can get whatever you want because you’re rich, but you can’t.’ She tore her eyes away with difficulty. He was standing so close to her that she could breathe in whatever woody, intensely masculine aftershave he was wearing.
Breathing was proving to be a problem. It was unnerving. She forced herself to remain calm and composed because he was just standing there; he wasn’t trying to prevent her from leaving the room. She remembered how to breathe and then looked at him.
‘Jake ran away for a reason.’ Her voice, thankfully, did not betray the utter turmoil his proximity was bringing on. ‘Okay, so maybe he didn’t like the nanny very much, or perhaps he got bored and decided to venture out, but the bottom line is that there’s obviously something missing on the home front and that something can only be provided by you.’
‘We’re going round in circles.’
‘Because we’re on completely different wavelengths.’ She cleared her throat and wished that he would back off by even a couple of inches so that she could get her act together. ‘And that’s just one reason why I could never work for you. We’re from different worlds.’
‘Since when do people have to think alike in order to have a satisfactory working arrangement?’
‘It matters to me,’ Ellie persisted. Since she had nothing to lose, she said, bluntly, ‘I don’t like what you stand for. I’m not into money and I don’t approve of people who focus all their energy on making it. I’m happy doing what I’m doing, and I wish you all the best in your search for a replacement for the nanny you sacked.’
Luca stared at her in silence then he nodded slowly.
He backed away, leaving a cool void behind him. Desperate to leave only seconds earlier, Ellie now hovered uneasily. He had moved back to the desk but was now perched on the edge and was watching her with a thoughtful expression.
‘So...’ She licked her lips nervously.
‘You were on your way out?’
‘Yes, I was!’ She pulled open the door and an odd thought suddenly sprang into her addled brain—this will be the last time you set eyes on this man. She blinked, surprised and bemused at the discomfiture that thought provoked out of nowhere.
Ellie thought he might have tried to stop her, one last stab at persuading her to hear him out, and she was disconcerted to find that she was almost disappointed when he remained in the office while she let herself out of the house, pausing and looking up the stairs on her way out.
Should she try and find Jake? Say goodbye? She wanted to. In a short space of time, he had touched her with his shy overtures of friendship.