January’s menu

BARONESSA GELATI

in Boston’s North End

In addition to all our regular flavors of Italian gelato, this month we are featuring:

 A six-foot-tall scoop of prime Italian man

When his heart was broken two years ago, Nicholas Barone vowed never to fall in love again. But even the firstborn son of the Barone dynasty can’t control destiny.

 A cherry-topped dollop of all-American girl

Gail Fenton had lived up to the moniker, but now she wanted to see how the other half lived. Armed with self-help magazines and faulty confidence, she set out to find the seductress living within.

 Deep, rich helping of Barones

With their long, colorful history, the Barones are one of Boston’s most famous families. Their three-generation gelato business has attained Fortune 500 status, but for the eight Barone heirs, the family’s true legacy is love and honor.

Buon appetito!

Dear Reader,

Get your new year off to a sizzling start by reading six passionate, powerful and provocative new love stories from Silhouette Desire!

Don’t miss the exciting launch of DYNASTIES: THE BARONES, the new 12-book continuity series about feuding Italian-American families caught in a web of danger, deceit and desire. Meet Nicholas, the eldest son of Boston’s powerful Barone clan, and Gail, the down-to-earth nanny who wins his heart, in The Playboy & Plain Jane (#1483) by USA TODAY bestselling author Leanne Banks.

In Beckett’s Convenient Bride (#1484), the final story in Dixie Browning’s BECKETT’S FORTUNE miniseries, a detective offers the protection of his home—and loses his heart—to a waitress whose own home is torched after she witnesses a murder. And in The Sheikh’s Bidding (#1485) by Kristi Gold, an Arabian prince pays dearly to win back his ex-lover and their son.

Reader favorite Sara Orwig completes her STALLION PASS miniseries with The Rancher, the Baby & the Nanny (#1486), featuring a daredevil cowboy and the shy miss he hires to care for his baby niece. In Quade: The Irresistible One (#1487) by Bronwyn Jameson, sparks fly when two lawyers exchange more than arguments. And great news for all you fans of Harlequin Historicals author Charlene Sands—she’s now writing contemporary romances, as well, and debuts in Desire with The Heart of a Cowboy (#1488), a reunion romance that puts an ex-rodeo star at close quarters on a ranch with the pregnant widow he’s loved silently for years.

Ring in this new year with all six brand-new love stories from Silhouette Desire….

Enjoy!

Joan Marlow Golan

Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire

The Playboy & Plain Jane
Leanne Banks

Special thanks to Marilyn Puett

for being the silver lining in a dark cloud.

This book is dedicated to all the wanna-be girl jocks.

I’m right there with you!

LEANNE BANKS,

a bestselling author of romance, lives in her native Virginia with her husband, son and daughter. Recognized for both her sensual and humorous writing with two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times, Leanne likes creating a story with a few grins, a generous kick of sensuality and characters that hang around after the book is finished. Leanne believes romance readers are the best readers in the world because they understand that love is the greatest miracle of all. You can contact Leanne online at leannebbb@aol.com or write to her at P.O. Box 1442, Midlothian, VA 23113. A SASE for a reply would be greatly appreciated.

Meet the Barones of Boston—

an elite clan caught in a web of danger, deceit…and desire!

Who’s Who in

THE PLAYBOY & PLAIN JANE

Nicholas Barone— An American through and through—but his Italian blood runs hot. Nicholas was raised to honor family and strive for perfection. But the successful bachelor’s not a gentleman 100% of the time, much to the delight of Boston’s eligible women….

Gail Fenton— A virgin—but, she fears, not for long. Not when her new employer, Nicholas, oozes sensuality. She claims to be immune, but she’s soon caught between decadent urges and good sense….

Carlo and Moira Barone— As parents of eight grown sons and daughters, they’re professional worriers. But when it comes to matters of the heart, no one knows better than these two, whose love defied all the odds.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Prologue

She’d been a blue-eyed beauty with a body that could send a man’s brains straight to his crotch. She’d also had a faithless heart of glass that could cut a man to ribbons.

If Nicholas Barone had been a superstitious man, he would have admitted that the Valentine’s Day curse on his family continued. Almost two years ago, on February 14, he’d bought the ring and been prepared to propose to Danielle Smithson.

He remembered using his key to enter her apartment, wanting to surprise her, only to overhear her boasting to a friend on the phone that she was going to “bag the big one tonight.” Justifiably confident of her allure, Danielle had feigned an attentiveness he’d later learned was purely calculated to achieve her goal. In this case, Danielle had been willing to pretend she adored Nicholas in order to get her hands on his family’s money.

Bitterness still filled him at the memory of the ugly scene that had followed. When she’d been unable to deny her deception, she’d done her feminine best to placate him. Nicholas might be American through and through, but his Italian blood ran hot, and he’d sworn he would have nothing to do with her.

Even at this moment, standing in the darkness of his daughter’s nursery on this January day, he felt anger roll through him with renewed strength. He looked down at the sleeping one-year-old daughter he hadn’t known existed until ten days ago. Just after Nicholas had broken up with Danielle, she’d found another man with a hefty bank account and had apparently tried to pawn Molly off as his daughter.

He took a deep breath and exhaled a fraction of his bitterness. Drawing solace from the sight of Molly’s innocence and vulnerability, he heard footsteps from behind him. His mother and father, he suspected. His father would deny it, but when it came to his eight children, both of his parents were professional worriers. When Nicholas recalled the shenanigans he and his siblings had tried to pull over the years, it was a wonder his parents hadn’t been driven over the edge.

Feeling his mother’s hand on his arm, Nicholas turned. His father, a man who’d always managed to inspire respect despite the fact that he stood under six feet tall, shook his head as he glanced at the crib. Fierce anger emanated from him. “I’ll never forgive that woman for keeping your child from you. To think you wouldn’t have learned you even had a daughter if Danielle hadn’t died. I can never forgive her for that.”

His father’s bitterness echoed Nicholas’s. “We don’t need to spend energy forgiving Danielle. She’s dead. I have my hands full helping Molly make the adjustment to living with me and accepting me as her father.”

His mother squeezed his arm again. “Molly will accept you in no time. I can still help take care of her.”

Carlo Barone put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “I don’t want you overdoing. You may still turn men on their ears when you walk into a room, but you shouldn’t be chasing after a one-year-old all day and night.”

Moira Barone might not have been born Italian, but she knew how to stand her ground. She lifted her red-haired head with a trace of defiance. “If you can continue to be CEO of the top gelati company in America, why can’t I chase my one-year-old granddaughter?”

“I continue to be CEO because Nicholas is COO and I can trust him. My children have finally left home. I have earned the right to my wife’s undivided attention at the end of the day. No?” he demanded.

Nicholas hid a grin at his father’s possessiveness. At sixty-three, his mother was still the light of his father’s life. “I appreciate you helping take care of her the past ten days and I still want you to be involved with Molly,” Nicholas assured his mother. Although his mother had been perfectly willing to care for Molly, Nicholas knew his daughter was demanding. The poor child cried frequently since she’d arrived at his home.

“Because Molly has lost her mother, I know I need to create a stable environment for her. My housekeeper does an excellent job, but taking care of children isn’t her forte. With my demanding position, I need a nanny. I’ve already contacted a couple of reputable agencies.”

His mother’s eyebrows knitted in concern as she glanced into the crib. “If you’re sure,” she said uncertainly.

“I am,” Nicholas told her.

“Nicholas is right. He will take care of the bambina and we will be good grandparents,” his father said.

“I can still visit her as often as I want?” his mother asked.

Nicholas’s heart softened. His mother had already grown attached to her first grandchild despite Molly’s crying jags. “Every day, if you like.”

Moira sighed, turning to Nicholas. “She is such a beautiful child. She looks just like you when you were a baby. Curly black hair, blue eyes and a stubborn chin.” She slid a sideways glance at her husband. “You got the dark hair and stubborn chin from your father. But like your father, you’re a good man.” She met Nicholas’s gaze. “You’ll be a good father. Molly’s a very lucky girl.”

Nicholas’s heart squeezed. His mother’s vote of confidence was a balm on his troubled soul. He was still reeling from the news that at thirty-five he was a father, and heaven knew, he wasn’t an expert on one-year-old girls. “Thanks, Mom.”

She smiled and kissed his cheek. “It’s only the truth,” she said, and glanced at her husband. “I’ll get my coat.”

Carlo squeezed his wife’s hand. “I’ll be with you in just a minute.”

She nodded. “Just remember to keep your voice down. Sleeping baby.”

As soon as his mother left, his father cleared his throat. “If you need anything, you must call me immediately.”

Nicholas nodded. “I’ll handle this.”

“I know you will,” Carlo said. “You’ve met every challenge put before you. I’d hoped you would find a love like the one your mother and I share…”

Bitterness suffused Nicholas again. “I found Danielle, instead.”

“You’re young,” Carlo protested. “Your life isn’t over.”

“My focus now is on providing for my daughter. With a nanny, I’ll have no need for a wife.”

“A nanny can’t take care of all of a man’s needs.”

“A man doesn’t have to marry to take care of those needs,” Nicholas said dryly.

Carlo wagged his finger. “One day you will understand the needs of the heart. But for now you’re right. You must concentrate on taking care of your daughter.” He hesitated a moment and his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “You were going to propose to Danielle on Valentine’s Day, weren’t you?”

Nicholas knew his father was remembering the Valentine’s Day curse that had left its mark on more than one generation of Barones. His father had never professed belief or disbelief, just an underlying wariness. “Yes, I was. We fought and she left town.”

A thoughtful silence followed. Carlo glanced at Molly. “If the curse is true, this time it has brought you a gift.”

One

Gail Fenton looked at the doozy of a run in her panty hose and tried to tug the hem of her dress lower to conceal it. She wasn’t having a good hair day, either, but with her noncompliant red curls, she couldn’t remember ever having a good hair day. Perfect grooming probably wasn’t a requirement for the job of nanny to a one-year-old, but looking like a slob during the interview wouldn’t help her chances, either. Then again, if Gail felt out of place in the elegant formal living room of Nicholas Barone’s luxurious town house, how must his poor little girl feel?

Nicholas Barone’s assistant, Mrs. Peabody, who explained she’d come from the office to assist her boss with these interviews, looked over her half glasses. “Your résumé says you hold a degree in computer science. Why do you want to be a nanny?”

Translation: Are you nuts to give up the prestige of a computer position to change diapers? Gail was accustomed to the question and had her answer ready. “I find working with children much more rewarding. Children smile, hug and laugh. Computers don’t.”

“Then why didn’t you major in early-childhood education or something similar?” Mrs. Peabody asked.

“My brother’s influence,” Gail confessed. Her brother, Adam, had wielded his influence in several areas, and with both parents gone, Gail had been susceptible to his guidance until recently. “My brother encouraged me to major in computer science because it’s a marketable field and I’ve always been pretty good with computers. But during the summer before I graduated, I took a position as a nanny and loved it. After I graduated, I worked with Manatee Computer Services. The company recently downsized, and I saw this as my opportunity to do something I want to do—work with a child.”

“Your references are excellent,” Mrs. Peabody mused. “You realize this is a live-in position?” she asked.

“That’s no problem for me,” Gail said. “My roommate is getting married.”

Mrs. Peabody nodded thoughtfully. “I think Mr. Barone should meet you. Please wait while I get him.”

Gail felt a jiggle of nerves in her stomach. “I’ll be here,” she said with a smile.

As soon as the woman left, Gail rose and paced around the beautiful room. At her age, twenty-five, she was surprised at her case of nerves. Although she’d wanted a career change, she hadn’t realized how much she wanted this job. She wanted more of a feeling of connection in her life. She stopped pacing to study a collection of family photographs on the wall.

The Barones. There was a passel of them, and their names and faces frequently graced the Boston Globe society and business pages. She wondered what it would be like to have that many brothers and sisters, and felt a pinch of longing. With both her parents gone, it was just Gail and her brother now, and although Adam was generous with his advice, he was busy with his own career. Gail had plenty of friends, but since college she’d missed feeling as if she really belonged.

The sound of a woman’s cultured voice and a child’s loud wail broke her reverie. Gail peeked out the doorway and spotted a statuesque, red-haired, older woman in what was obviously a designer dress. Not one smoothly coiffed hair was out of place, Gail noticed in awe as she absently smoothed her hand over her own mass of curls.

The woman held a howling, dark-haired little girl in her arms. She glanced up with a pained expression and met Gail’s gaze. “Our Molly is still adjusting.”

Curious, Gail craned her neck to get a better look at her potential charge. “A lot of us feel a little cranky when we first wake up. Amazing what a diaper change, juice and a cookie can do.”

The woman smiled and walked closer. “A diaper change for adults?”

“Well, you must admit some adults act like their underwear is a little too tight, and they don’t have the excuse of a wet diaper.”

The woman gave a throaty chuckle. “So true. I’m Moira Barone and this is Molly. Sorry I can’t offer my hand.”

“I’m Gail Fenton. Pleased to meet you and Molly.” Gail gasped at the beauty of the screaming child. “My goodness, she’s gorgeous. Even with her face red as a tomato.”

Moira chuckled again, then shook her head. “I think she’s just getting herself more worked up.”

Gail blew into the baby’s face. Molly paused in her screaming and opened her eyes, her long black eyelashes damp with tears. She stared hard at Gail, and her lower lip protruded as if she was gearing up for another cry.

“Peekaboo,” Gail said, and moved out of sight.

Silence, followed by a hiccup.

Gail popped back. “Peekaboo,” she said with a smile and moved away.

Silence again. Molly turned her head to search for her.

Gail moved back into view again. “Peekaboo.”

A slow smile curved Molly’s mouth.

Moira shook her head in amazement. “I have eight grown children, and I had completely forgotten peekaboo.”

“Too many garden-club meetings with society matrons,” a man said as he strolled into the room with Mrs. Peabody by his side.

Gail glanced at the man and her jaw dropped. Well over six feet tall, jet-black hair, chiseled facial features and the lean, muscular kind of body that no doubt had women littering his path. He probably had to beat females off with a stick. The glint of ruthlessness in his eyes affected her stomach. Other women would try to tame him, but she possessed neither the attractiveness, sex appeal or polish necessary to match wits with or seduce a man like Nicholas Barone. Besides, she knew he’d never look twice at her. Darn shame, but that was the truth. Oh well, she supposed she could admire him from afar.

She instinctively turned to Moira. The older woman was safer. “The power of peekaboo is greatly underestimated, but I’m sure you would have remembered it soon enough.”

“Perhaps necessity might have jogged my memory,” Moira said, looking down at her grandchild. “Or desperation.”

“And what would a computer specialist know about peekaboo?” the man asked, his eyes cynical.

Gail paused less than a beat. She suspected there was a reason for the cynicism, but she disliked the attitude. Something told her he wasn’t a man who worried about being liked. She met his gaze head-on, confident in her ability to care for the man’s child, and just as confident about her lack of feminine appeal. “I could write a dissertation on the subject of peekaboo. The wonderful thing about peekaboo is that it requires no special equipment and can be employed at any time, just about any place. But there are some requirements for the game.”

He arched a dark eyebrow. “And they are?”

“A sense of humor and a willingness to—” She broke off, her stomach a riot of butterflies at the intent way he stared at her. Gail felt heat rush through her bloodstream.

“Willingness to what?” he prompted.

She cleared her throat and prayed in vain that her cheeks weren’t turning fire-engine red with embarrassment. “A willingness for the adult involved to completely ditch his or her dignity,” she said, pretty sure she’d just lost hers.

His lips twitched slightly. “Is that so?” He glanced at her résumé. “Why isn’t ‘peekaboo specialist’ on here?”

Gail laughed in a combination of relief and amusement. “I knew I’d forgotten something.”

“Nicholas Barone,” he said, extending his hand and meeting her gaze.

She accepted his handshake. “Gail Fenton, but I imagine you already know that.”

“You imagine correctly. You’ve met Molly,” he said, glancing down at his daughter. “Bellisima,” he said to the child, then dropped a kiss on her forehead.

Molly stared up at him and her lower lip protruded in a pre-wail position.

Gail couldn’t blame the child. If Nicholas seemed larger than life to her, she could hardly imagine what a baby might think of him.

“Please join me in the living room,” he said to Gail. “I have a few questions.”

“Of course,” Gail said. “It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Barone, Mrs. Peabody and Molly,” she said as the tyke began to fuss. Gail followed Nicholas into the living room.

“She hasn’t smiled for me yet,” he muttered, motioning Gail to sit across from him on the couch. He took the large wing chair.

“She’s in awe,” Gail said.

He shot her a look of doubt. “Awe?”

“Well, yes. To normal people, you’re quite tall, but to her, you’re huge.”

“Normal people,” he said, rubbing his chin.

“Average,” Gail corrected, thinking he was one of those men who couldn’t miss a day of shaving. “Something tells me you’re not familiar with the idea of being average,” she said, and bit her lip. “Sorry. That was way too personal for an interview.”

He nodded. “Yes, it was, but you’re right. Barones aren’t allowed to be average.”

She saw a world of experience in his blue eyes and knew without his saying that he had always pushed himself, that much had been required of him and that he had done whatever it took.

He glanced at the application again. “I still don’t understand why you would choose to be a nanny when you could work at any number of top companies.”

She bit back a groan. “I like to play peekaboo,” she said. “Computers don’t.”

He remained silent as if waiting for the real explanation.

“When I work with computers, I don’t feel as if I’m making an important contribution. But when I take care of a child, I feel as if I’m shaping the future. I love the feeling of connectedness I get from caring for a child.”

“Mrs. Peabody tells me both your parents are deceased,” he said.

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, surprising her with the gentle note in his voice. “You have one brother?”

“Who has tried to micromanage my life.”

He shot her a questioning glance, amazing her with his ability to extract information with just an expression.

“After I attended community college in Iowa, he persuaded me to finish my education here in Boston.”

“How does he feel about you taking this position?”

“How he feels about it isn’t important. How you, Molly and I feel about it is important.”

He nodded. “Are you engaged or in a serious relationship?”

Gail paused. “That’s personal, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but pertinent. I’ve just gained custody of a daughter I didn’t even know existed until a couple of weeks ago. I don’t want to hire someone who can’t make a long-term commitment.”

“How long-term?”

“Seventeen years,” he deadpanned, then cracked a wry grin. “Just kidding. After a thirty-day trial, I’d like you to sign a one-year contract.”

“A year is no problem,” she said, an odd assortment of emotions rolling through her. Mrs. Peabody had briefed her about the way Nicholas had learned of Molly’s existence, but the story still floored her. “Your life must have been turned upside down.”

“I’ve had to reevaluate my lifestyle,” he said, the fire in his eyes belying his neutral tone. “Providing a stable environment for Molly is my top priority. Which is why I asked that personal question. Are you in a serious relationship that can’t withstand your absence for a limited time?”

Gail thought of her wide assortment of male friends and bit back a chuckle. Serious? To them, she was one of the guys. “I’m not engaged or serious about anyone at the moment. I have several male friends, because I play volleyball on one of the more successful teams in a Boston recreational league. I also play a little basketball.”

“Volleyball,” he repeated, as if trying to put together a composite of her as a nanny.

“I was always better at sports than the arts, but I do a mean ‘eensy weensy spider,’” she said, and grinned. “I bet you’ve never asked about ‘eensy weensy spider’ during an interview before.”

His lips twitched. “Can’t say that I have.” He looked at her silently for such a long time that she had to resist the urge to squirm. “If you become Molly’s nanny, I’ll require complete honesty.”

She saw a glimmer of the hard line he probably held at the office. He was a man who would demand and get what he wanted. “I couldn’t give you anything less.”

He nodded. “Good. This position will require the two of us to communicate regularly. I think it’s best if we dispense with formalities. You can call me Nicholas.”

Gail wanted this job, but she had an instinct about Nicholas Barone. She suspected he could charm a bear out of its den, but he also probably expected his employees to submit to his will without asking too many questions. As Molly cried in the background, Gail began to think this job might be more challenging than she’d originally thought. Although she would respect Nicholas’s wishes, she needed to know he would at least listen to her ideas. “You strike me as someone accustomed to having most things your way. If I feel strongly about something, I will want you to consider it even if you don’t initially like it.”

He gave her a long, assessing glance. “I’m at ease with letting the buck stop with me. I don’t believe in shirking my responsibilities. As much as I’d like to be, I’m not an expert on my daughter yet. I will be soon enough, but until then I’ll value your input.”

In that one moment her respect for him grew. His commitment to his daughter got under her skin.

“Any other concerns?” he asked.

Just that he was so good-looking she hoped she wouldn’t be caught drooling whenever he came around. She shook her head.

“Good. We’ve already checked your references. When can you start?”

“When do you need me?” she asked, feeling a combination of excitement and some unnamed apprehension.

The sound of Molly’s cries filled the air. He didn’t blink once. “Yesterday.”

Two nights later Nicholas sank onto the bed in one of the guest rooms. The master bedroom was being painted, so he was temporarily displaced. He hadn’t slept well since he’d brought Molly home. The shock of instant fatherhood and all its accompanying concerns had kept him awake into early morning. After checking on his soundly sleeping daughter tonight, though, he felt he could finally relax. Part of it was the gut feeling that Molly felt safe and secure in Gail Fenton’s hands.

If he couldn’t make Molly feel secure, if his presence sent his daughter into tears, then he was damn determined to find someone who could make her feel safe. Gail had a natural warmth that he knew would comfort Molly. It surprised the hell out of him, but even he felt that same warmth in Gail’s presence. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but she projected the attitude that perfection wasn’t required or expected. Nicholas had spent his life around people who expected perfection, or something damn close to it.

Through the walls, he heard the shower cut off and a feminine voice singing. The sound captured his attention. A committed bachelor whose lovers rarely stayed overnight, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard a woman singing in his house.

Curious, he moved closer to the wall. A children’s song, he concluded, catching a few of the words. “Little teapot…steamed up…tip me over, pour—”

The singing stopped abruptly and he heard a loud thump, followed by a muffled shriek. Wincing, Nicholas heard a low moan, then nothing.

He frowned, wondering if she was hurt. He pressed his ear against the wall. Still no sound. He squeezed the bridge of his nose. What should he do? What if she was lying on the floor with a concussion?

Swearing under his breath, he strode from his room to her door and knocked lightly so he wouldn’t wake Molly. “Gail,” he said. “Gail, are you okay?”

No sound. Nicholas turned the knob and entered the room, scanning the floor for a body. He moved toward the ensuite bath and caught a glance of Gail Fenton with a towel precariously slung over her as she rubbed her shin. “Ouch, ouch. Ouch,” she whispered.

Nicholas would be missing a Y chromosome if he didn’t notice her long shapely legs and the fact that the towel was one breath away from revealing one of her breasts. In other circumstances with a different woman, he would get that towel off her in a New York minute, but now he needed to make sure she wasn’t seriously injured. “Are you okay?”

Her gaze shot to his and her mouth rounded in a mixture of horror and surprise. She glanced down at her body and hastily rearranged the towel. “M-Mr. Barone.”

“Nicholas is fine,” he said.

She clutched the towel to her. “I’m okay. I just slipped when I got out of the shower.”

“It sounded painful and potentially life-threatening,” Nicholas said.

She cringed. “I fall hard. It’s one of my flaws. Overconfidence. I trust my balance a little too much.”

“Maybe you were distracted by singing the teapot song.”

Her face bloomed with color and she scooted into a sitting position. “I’ll be honest,” she said in a confiding tone. “I’m no Mary Poppins, so I’ve been practicing all the children’s songs I know.”

He shrugged. “Sounded good to me until you…”

“Went splat on the floor,” she finished with a pained expression.

“Are you sure you didn’t break anything?”

“Totally. It was very kind of you to check on me, but unnecessary. I’ll just have a few very colorful bruises.”

“You’re sure you’re okay,” he said, something about her expression causing him doubt.

“Very sure. You can leave. Please.”

“Let me help you up first,” he said, moving toward her.

“Oh, no,” she said, her eyes widening as she shook her head.

He put his hands on her arms and watched in fascination as her cheeks bloomed with vivid color again. She didn’t look nearly so plain when she blushed. In fact she reminded him of a creamy white rose tipped with coral. He wondered if she blushed all over and glanced at her pink shoulders and pink chest. He looked down her pink legs to her pink toes.

“Mr. Barone—”

“Nicholas,” he corrected.

“Nicholas, I won’t die from this fall, but I may die of embarrassment if you don’t leave.”

He pulled one of his hands back, amused by her frank admission. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who blushes from head to toe.”

Her mouth straightened into a firm line. “A gentleman wouldn’t bring that fact to my attention.”

He chuckled, thinking he was enjoying this exchange far more than he should. “I’m not a gentleman one hundred percent of the time,” he said, and pulled her to her feet. “Gentlemen can be boring.”

She rushed to adjust the towel around her and Nicholas caught a glimpse of the curve of her round derriere. The sight was so distracting he almost didn’t catch her frown. “I disagree,” she said. “A true gentleman understands the value of good manners and consideration.”

“A smart man uses those to his advantage, but makes his own rules.”

Gail sighed and walked around him, the towel offering more tantalizing glimpses of her rear end with each step she took. “You’re not going to change my opinion. And with me clinging to this towel, I’m reasonably sure I won’t be changing yours. So, thank you for your concern. I’d like to get to bed now. Good night.”

His gaze latching on to her derriere, Nicholas barely resisted the urge to say, You give new meaning to the word peekaboo.

Gail survived the night, even though she felt sick every time she thought about Nicholas Barone hearing her sing in the shower, then feeling compelled to pick her up off the floor and nearly catching her buck naked. Molly soon distracted her. Unfortunately one of Gail’s most effective calming tricks involved her own hair, which Molly liked to grasp and hang on to. It meant the baby was attached to her for most of her waking hours. Gail told herself it was a bonding period and it would pass.

At six o’clock on the dot, Nicholas walked through the front door. “It’s Daddy!” Gail said, trying to convey a feeling of happy excitement to Molly. Gail feared the baby and her hottie father were off to a rocky start. “It’s Daddy,” Gail said again, heading toward the foyer with Molly in her arms.

Nicholas spotted his daughter and approached cautiously. Gail felt Molly’s hand wind around a strand of her hair. A sure sign of tension. Molly popped her thumb in her mouth and stared at her father as if she couldn’t decide if he were a monster.

“Hello, sweetheart,” he said in a low voice. “How was your day today? Did you have a good time with Gail?”

Molly wound her hand another turn around Gail’s hair and stared at her father.

“Say Da-da,” Gail prompted the child. Then she turned to Nicholas. “I think she’s focused on verbal development now. She’s making lots of sounds.”

“What is she doing to your hair?” Nicholas asked, his brow furrowing.

“I think it’s a security thing,” Gail said wryly. “Some kids use a blanket. Molly uses my hair.”

Nicholas moved closer. “It looks like she’s going to rip it out,” he said, reaching to loosen Molly’s grip.

Momentarily distracted by a whiff of his aftershave, Gail stared at the sensual curve of his mouth. She wondered how he kissed. Heat rolled through her. Instinct told her he was an incredible lover.

Not that she would ever find out. Not that she really wanted to find out, she told herself, feeling Molly stiffen. “It’s okay. You don’t need to—” She broke off when she felt Nicholas’s fingers graze the skin of her neck as he tried to pry Molly’s fingers loose.

Molly’s eyes widened in alarm. She let out an ear-rattling wail of protest.

Gail winced and shook her head. “Just let her have my hair. I don’t like it that much,” she said with a chuckle. “She can use it.”

Nicholas pulled back his hand with a frown. “She always seems to cry when I come around.”

Gail bit her lip. He was right. “Maybe it’s just the time of day.”

“Morning and night?” he asked skeptically.

“She probably just needs some time with you alone. Maybe you could start reading to her at night.”

If Gail didn’t know better, she would say she saw a sliver of terror flash through his eyes. That couldn’t be right, she thought. After all, Molly was his daughter. A big, powerful man like Nicholas Barone couldn’t possibly be terrified of his baby daughter. Could he?

“Maybe,” he said in a considering tone, his expression guarded. “Maybe another night. I have a commitment to attend a charity function tonight. My turn to be the official Barone-family representative.”

Still wailing, Molly clutched Gail’s hair tightly. “It’s okay,” Gail cooed, rubbing the baby’s back. “You’re just fine.” She glanced again at Nicholas, her curiosity aroused. “Do you mind being the official Barone representative?” she said.

He shrugged and his mouth tilted in a sexy grin. “Depends on the function and the woman.”

She nodded. “Ah,” she said, feeling a jumpy sensation at the sensual glint in his eyes. How would it feel to spend an evening receiving the undivided attention of a man like Nicholas Barone? Gail would no doubt spend the entire date stammering and blushing, unlike the confident, gorgeous women he was accustomed to. She wondered who it was tonight. “You must have a tough time choosing the ‘flavor of the day.’ I don’t remember meeting a woman who doesn’t love ice cream, so you must represent the perfect combination.”

“What would that be?” he asked. “Wealth and…”

She shook her head. “Actually I wasn’t thinking of wealth. I was thinking of ice cream and a favorite topping. Something hot,” she said impulsively, because if ever the word was an apt description for a man, it was now. “Hot fudge sauce.”

As Nicholas stared at her for a long moment, she felt a roar of embarrassment race through her. What had possessed her to say such a thing? Thinking it was one thing. Saying it was something totally different. She cringed, certain her cheeks matched the color of her hair. Was she destined to constantly embarrass herself in front of this man? “Could we just forget I said that?”

“Forget you just compared me to ice cream and hot fudge sauce?” he asked, his dark eyebrows arching.

“Uh, yeah,” she said hopefully.

He shook his head and chuckled. “No. I’m sure I’ll remember that for a long time.”

And Gail made the futile wish that she could fall through a crack in the perfectly sealed tile floor of the foyer so her five-foot-eight-inch frame would disappear.

Two

After the last two busy days, Gail should have been comatose. Instead, she stared wide-eyed at the eight-foot ceiling of her elegant bedroom. Molly, the precious screaming meemie, had finally fallen asleep an hour ago. Caring for an uneasy, clingy one-year-old was both rewarding and exhausting. On those rare occasions when Molly smiled, it was as if the sun came out from behind a cloud.

Gail felt as if she was making progress with her little charge, but she worried about Molly and Nicholas. She had tried without success to encourage Nicholas to spend time with his daughter. He made overtures, but when Molly began to cry, and she always did, he backed away. Gail worried about how to bring the two of them together. If Molly continued to cry and Nicholas continued to pull away, she feared they would never develop the warm, loving relationship they both could have.

The warm, loving relationship Gail would have had with her father if he had lived. The memory of her father’s death stirred a pang of longing to which Gail thought she’d become immune.

Abandoning her effort to sleep, she rose from the bed and pulled on her robe. She yawned, scooted her feet into her pink bunny slippers and headed for the kitchen for a cup of something hot without caffeine. As she passed Molly’s room, she noticed the door was slightly ajar.

Curious, she quietly pushed the door open and spotted Nicholas standing next to Molly’s crib. Dressed in a black wool suit that had taken him from early-morning meetings to another charity function this evening, he had loosened his tie and was totally focused on the sight of his sleeping daughter.

The grave tenderness on his face made Gail’s heart twist. “Gotcha,” she whispered.

For a moment she wondered if he’d heard her. But then he turned to meet her gaze and his mouth lifted in a slow half smile. “So you did.”

Gail felt the punch of attraction all over again, but refused to let the man’s sex appeal cloud her mind. “She’s not crying,” she said, moving closer to the crib.

“She doesn’t know I’m here,” Nicholas said dryly. “Otherwise, she’d be screaming her lungs out.”

“Babies cry to expend energy. It’s not personal,” she said, and hoped it was true.

“Uh-huh.” His deep voice was full of doubt as he returned his gaze to Molly.

“Well, it’s true. It’s not as if babies can play tennis or volleyball to work off their frustration.”

“And there’s no correlation to her crying every time I come around. It has absolutely nothing to do with my presence.”

Gail wanted to say it didn’t, but she feared her nose would grow like Pinocchio’s. “Well, it wouldn’t,” she insisted, “if you would spend more time with her when she’s awake.”

“Her little life’s been turned inside out lately. I don’t want to upset her more, so I come every night and watch her. Maybe she’ll get used to me through osmosis or something.”

The combination of his wry tenderness and strength struck at Gail’s heart. “Maybe you could sing to her.”

He shot her a dark look.

“Just seems like there should be a way to make some progress,” she said, wrinkling her brow as she searched for a solution. “Maybe you could leave something of yours in her crib. Something you wear next to your skin. Something with your scent.”

“My socks?” he said.

She chuckled. “No. The objective is to help her bond with you, not chase her away. Maybe your T-shirt,” she ventured.

He stood perfectly still for a long moment, then gave a short nod. “Okay,” he said, and shrugged out of his jacket and began to unbutton his shirt. He thrust his jacket at her. “Here. Hold this.”

Gail instinctively clutched his jacket and felt her jaw fall open in shock. “Uh, you, uh, don’t have to—” She broke off as he handed her his shirt and in one motion yanked off his T-shirt. Her gaze fastened on the breathtaking, thigh-melting view of his muscular bare chest. A dusting of dark hair skimmed down the center of his chest and abdomen and disappeared beneath the waistband of his black slacks. He carefully set his T-shirt beside Molly in the crib, his muscles rippling with the movement.

He turned back to face her. “Any other suggestions?”

None that wouldn’t send her into cardiac arrest, Gail thought. She cleared her throat. “You’ll get an opportunity to be alone with her when she’s awake tomorrow night.”

Alarm crossing his face, he did a double take. “Tomorrow night!” Molly stirred, and he lowered his voice, moving closer to Gail. “You’re not quitting already, are you?”

“Of course not,” she whispered. “I have tomorrow night off. I have a volleyball game.”

He frowned, running his hand through his hair. “I don’t know if this is a good idea. Maybe I should call a sitter.”

“It requires guts and tenacity. I thought you Barones cornered the market when it came to guts and tenacity.”

He looked at her for a long moment. “What do I do with her?”

Gail’s heart swelled with a combination of admiration and compassion. Nicholas Barone was an incredibly powerful man, but he was willing to go to the mat for the daughter he hadn’t even known existed just weeks ago. “Read to her. Pay attention to her. Women are the same at any age. They love attention. They love to be chased. They love to laugh,” she said, and noticed he was standing so close to her she could see the five-o’clock shadow on his jaw. She felt suddenly light-headed.

“Women are the same at any age,” he echoed, his curious gaze winding around her like a silken thread. “So what does Gail want? To be chased and to laugh?”

She had to be imagining the intensity in his gaze, because he sure as heck could not be looking at her the way a man looks at a woman he finds desirable. Dropping her gaze to clear her head, she stared at her feet and his. He wore Italian leather shoes. She wore pink bunny slippers. She backed away. “Gail wants a cup of herbal tea. I’ll let you get back to your secret quality time with your daughter. Don’t worry about tomorrow night. I’ll leave her favorite books out for you, and if that doesn’t work, you can always make up a story.”

He gave her a blank look. “Make up a story about what?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m sure you’re creative,” she said, and the naughty thought sliced through her mind that he was probably very creative in bed. Before her mouth decided to share that thought, she took another step backward. “Good night, Nicholas.”

He nodded. “Gail,” he said as she turned.

She stopped. “Yes?”

“Great slippers.”

Her cheeks heated at the sexy amusement in his voice. His voice was so sexy he could probably read the Wall Street Journal and a woman would beg him to bed her. Gail bit back a moan. She definitely needed to make sure she didn’t run into Nicholas late at night again. A woman needed all her faculties and fortitude to fight off that man’s impact.

The following night Gail played volleyball with her co-ed team. She’d been so immersed in her new nanny position that she had a tough time concentrating at first. Her longtime buddy and teammate, Jonathan, had teased her out of her fog. After the game and a quick shower at the gym, she joined her comrades for a celebratory round of beer at a local bar. Her mind kept wandering to Molly and Nicholas. Visions of Molly, red-faced and crying, and Nicholas, discouraged and exasperated, plagued her, so she left early.

When she entered through the heavy wooden front door, she listened for sounds of screaming. Instead, she heard Nicholas’s low baritone coming from the kitchen. Quietly walking down the hallway, she noticed his words were punctuated by pleasant gurgling noises from Molly. Pleasant? Gail silently mouthed the word wow and stood outside the kitchen.

“You like Baronessa strawberry gelato,” Nicholas said. “You have excellent taste. Would you like to hear how Baronessa Gelati was started?”

Molly gave an unintelligible babble, but once again, it was pleasant sounding.

“I knew you’d be interested. Your great-grandfather Marco came to America from Italy and he fell in love with a girl named Angelica who made ice-cream desserts. The two of them eloped on Valentine’s Day and they later opened a gelateria, which is an Italian ice-cream store. Can you say gelateria?”

Another unintelligible babble followed, and Gail smiled, charmed by Nicholas’s ridiculous question.

“That’s okay,” he said. “I’m sure my father will make sure you speak some Italian. But back to the story. Marco named the gelateria Baronessa because their last name—our last name—means baron in English. As his wife, she was the baronessa. The gelateria became very popular with locals and tourists. It was a huge success. Years passed, and my father, Carlo, who earned his MBA from Harvard, took the business national, and Baronessa Gelati can now be found in the gourmet section of grocery stores all over the world.” He paused. “Baronessa strawberry gelato can also be found all over you, little one. It looks like you’re going to need another bath, and something tells me that won’t be nearly as popular as strawberry gelato.”

Gail poked her head through the doorway. “Looks like you two have been having a party.”

Nicholas heard Molly shriek with joy and felt a rush of relief at the sight of Gail. Molly had been fretful for a good part of the evening. Serving her gelato had been an act of inspiration and desperation.

Gail smiled, and he felt an odd trickle of warmth in his gut. “I’m impressed,” she said. “It would have taken me a while to come up with ice cream.”

“But you probably would have managed to keep it neater,” he said, nodding his head at the pink mess that was Molly.

“No,” Gail said, grabbing a couple of paper towels and moving toward Molly’s high chair. “I just would have tried to get her cleaned up before you saw her so you would think I’d managed to feed her without her getting it all over herself.”

“So the just-fed clean one-year-old is a myth?” he asked.

Gail nodded. “If you think this is bad, you should see SpaghettiOs.”

“You mean canned spaghetti?” he asked in horror.

Gail winced and chuckled. “Oops. Have I just deeply offended your Italian sensibilities? Sorry, but round noodles are great toddler food.” She wiped off Molly’s face and the baby began to protest. Gail put the paper towel in front of Molly’s face and whipped it away. “Peekaboo,” she said, and Molly smiled, reaching for the towel.

Nicholas envied Gail’s ease with his daughter. Although he had hired Gail for the sole purpose of caring for Molly, he still wished he didn’t feel so damned incompetent with his own daughter. As Gail lifted Molly from her high chair, he noticed ice cream on the front of the child’s pajamas. “Be careful,” he said. “She’ll get ice cream on you.”

Gail looked down and shrugged. “No problem. I’m not prissy.”

That she wasn’t. Nicholas was not accustomed to un-prissy women. He followed Gail up the steps, his gaze caught by the sway of her cute rear end in jeans. Remembering the sight of her bare bottom, he imagined her athletic frame naked. He suspected she would appear more toned than muscle-bound. Those thighs would wrap around a man—

He bit back an oath. This was his daughter’s nanny, for Pete’s sake. And she wasn’t even his type. She was different from the perfectly coiffed women he dated. Her hair was wild. She couldn’t completely tame it even when she pulled it back. A forbidden, instinctive image of Gail naked, with her red hair flying free, her face full of ecstasy, stole into his mind.

He frowned and bit back another oath. Maybe it had been too long since he’d taken a woman to bed. Although he’d continued to attend public events with beautiful women, he’d been too distracted about becoming a father to focus on his sexual needs.

Nicholas ruthlessly pushed his disturbing thoughts aside as he joined Gail in the nursery bathroom. Gail turned the water on full force in the tub.

“How was the game?”

“Thank you for asking. We won, of course,” she said, a hint of competitiveness glinting in her eyes.

“Of course,” he said. “Does that mean you never lose?”

“You have to be careful with the words ‘never’ and ‘always,’” she said, starting to undress Molly. “But we’ve been undefeated for three years. It’s a co-ed team, and the guys don’t hesitate to blast the women when we’re not aggressive enough.”

“And there’s no one guy who is significant to you?”

“They’re all special,” she said, bending down to test the water, then place Molly in the tub. “But to them I’m just one of the guys.”

“They can’t be that blind,” Nicholas said.

She looked at him and smiled. “That was very nice, thank you. Speaking of significant others, what about you?”

“Molly is the only significant female in my present and future,” he said, feeling a faint twist of bitterness when he thought of Molly’s mother.

“But what about your romantic future? Surely there’s someone who could be special to you.”

“Nothing long term,” Nicholas said. “I’m committed to keeping my relationships with women short term. I’m up-front about it, so there are no hard feelings.”

Gail gave a snort of disbelief. “Yeah, right,” she said as she washed Molly’s belly.

“You don’t believe me,” he said, oddly affronted by her response. “I’m completely clear about my intentions with a woman. No one is left wondering.”

“Maybe not wondering, but hoping,” she said, and rinsed Molly.

“Hoping for what?”

“Hoping you’ll fall madly in love with her,” she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Hard-earned cynicism cut through him. “I’ll never fall madly in love with a woman again. There’s no such thing as a happy ending.”

Gail’s eyebrows knitted together as if she didn’t approve of his opinion but was holding her tongue. Nicholas suspected she found it difficult to hold her tongue when she had a strong opinion. She lifted Molly from the tub and wrapped her in a towel. In one smooth motion, she plopped his daughter in his arms. “I don’t know,” Gail mused aloud, glancing pointedly at Molly. “Looks to me like you got the winning hand this time.”

Nicholas looked into the innocent wide eyes of his squirmy, damp daughter and felt his heart expand with protectiveness and love. He smiled at Molly. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

Later that week Gail met Nicholas in the kitchen as he pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator. His afternoon had been jam-packed with meetings to solve production problems. He was so tense his neck muscles felt like rubber bands pulled taut.

At her smile he felt the tension in him ease.

“Welcome home. I hate to jump you as soon as you walk in the door.”

His neck tightened again. “A problem?”

“Not really,” she said, lifting a picture frame she’d held by her side. “I just have a special request. I need a photograph of you.”

“Why?” he asked, taking a deep gulp of the water.

“To put in Molly’s room. You’re gone all day, and I think it would be good if she has a constant visual reminder of you even when you’re not here.”

He shrugged. “Okay.”

“Something informal would be best.”

He nodded. “I’ll see what I can dig up.”

“And I need you to record a message to her.”

Nicholas looked at her in confusion. “Record a message?”

“Sure,” she said, moving closer to him and handing him the frame. “I got this today. It’s so cool. We put your photo in the frame and record a message, then every time you push this button, you get to hear the message. Molly will love it.”

The excitement in her voice amused and warmed him. “How do you know she won’t start crying every time she hears my voice?”

Gail tossed him a sideways glance. “Because she’s already warming up to you. And it’s so easy. You can go ahead and record your message now.”

“Now?” he said, drawing a complete blank. “What should I say?”

“Anything. You can sing part of a song. You can read from one of her favorite books. Or you can just tell her how special she is and how much you love her.”

The doorbell rang. Gail glanced at the clock. “Oh, that’ll be Jonathan. He’s a friend,” she said, answering his question before he voiced it. “He called and said he wanted to watch a basketball game with me. You said I could use the downstairs den in the evenings if I want to have friends over. Is that still okay?”

Not really, Nicholas thought. After his hectic day, he’d enjoyed the few moments of conversation with Gail. But it wasn’t fair to completely curtail her social life just because being with her had been as refreshing as the bottle of water. “Sure,” he said. “I’m headed upstairs soon, anyway.”

“So you can record your message and find a photo,” she hinted with a wide smile, then headed for the front door. “I want to put it on Molly’s dresser, so she can see it when she wakes up in the morning.”

“We’ll see,” he muttered as she opened the door.

A tall man in his late twenties swooped Gail up off her feet. “How long were you going to leave me out there in the cold? I was starting to wonder if I was at the wrong house.”

“Put me down, Jonathan. You’re just terrified you’ll miss the beginning of the game,” she said.

“There you go breaking my heart again,” he said, allowing her feet to slide to the floor. “I didn’t want to miss one minute with you.”

“You’re full of it,” she said, dismissing him. “The only reason you’re watching the game with me is because your buddies are busy.” She glanced over her shoulder and her gaze collided with Nicholas’s. “I’m sorry. I thought you had already left. Nicholas Barone, my boss,” she added in a meaningful tone for her guest’s benefit, “this is Jonathan O’Reilly. Jonathan is one of my volleyball teammates, and also one of my best friends, despite the fact that he takes the Irish flirting thing way too seriously.”

Jonathan shot her a brief glance of mock disapproval, then extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nicholas Barone. I’ve consumed a fair amount of your fine product over the years, and I’ve admired your company.”

“Thank you,” Nicholas said, liking and not liking the man at the same time. Gail might insist that Jonathan was her friend, but Nicholas had been around long enough to sense that Jonathan wanted more than friendship with her. He resented the ease with which the man touched Gail, which was stupid. As long as Gail did her job with Molly, he shouldn’t care about her relationships. “There’s beer in the fridge if you like.”

“Thanks. I don’t want to chase you out of your own den,” Gail said. “If you’d like to join us…”

Nicholas shook his head. “No, I have some reading to do.”

“And recording,” she reminded him with a smile.

“And recording. Good night,” he said to both of them, and climbed the stairs with an uncomfortable gnawing sensation in his gut. He heard the sound of Jonathan’s low voice, followed by Gail’s laughter, and stopped halfway up the stairs. Her laughter, robust and uninhibited, unintentionally sexy, sent a rush of shocking desire though him. Something about the sound of it was addictive, and it occurred to him that making Gail laugh could be like making her climax. The notion knocked him sideways, yet at the same time he knew it was true.

She laughed again, and the same sensation rolled through him. He frowned at his response. He couldn’t recall ever becoming aroused just from the sound of a woman’s laughter. Tamping down the strange but forceful urge to be the man to make her laugh, he climbed the rest of the stairs, but he didn’t resist the temptation to leave his bedroom door open so he could hear her laugh again.

For the next two hours he scoured manufacturing reports in preparation for a regional meeting. His eyelids grew heavy, and he closed his eyes and leaned back against his pillow. He would rest for just a moment, he told himself, and slid into a dream that was more a mixture of images than a story…

He saw the faces of several of his top business managers and his father. Tension tightened his gut. Suddenly Gail’s laughter floated across his consciousness, and he was transferred from the boardroom to his bedroom.

Her hair wild and free, Gail sat in the middle of his bed offering a smile of invitation. She wore a long-sleeved flannel nightgown that he wanted her to remove. He joined her on his bed, and as he took her mouth with his, he felt her start of surprise followed by her gradual acceptance of his kiss. Her lips were sweet and responsive.

Her murmurs of encouragement made him hard. He felt as if he’d waited a long time to kiss her, a long time to take her. Kissing her only made him want more. He put his hands over her breasts and she pressed against his palms with gratifying speed.

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