But Sunny wasn’t shallow enough to make decisions solely based on a dazzling smile or rippling muscles. First and foremost, she had been drawn to this job by the opportunity to help heal a fracturedfamily. The Anderson girls were absolute delights, still reeling from their profound loss in many obvious and subtle ways. To Sunny, they were spectacular little sparks of light, just waiting for the flames to be fanned once again.
In many ways, the chance to nurture — and dare she say it, love — Maddie and Hailey felt too good to be true. Growing up in the foster care system, Sunny desperately craved a sense of permanence. The recent passing of her stepfather, whom she had considered her father and the one good man she had known, had shattered her heart. Though he had died over a year ago, the pain still lingered in her soul. She felt adrift again, untethered and lost, like a leaf blown in every direction by the wind. She was searching for a semblance of home, but she was looking in entirely the wrong place.
Sunny huffed out a frustrated groan, dragging her hands through her chestnut hair. On one hand, Liam was exactly the type of surly, complicated man who would have sent her running for the exits a few years ago. He kept a prickly distance, cocooned in a gruff outer shell reinforced by his brooding angst. If you didn’t look closely enough, you might miss the soulful vulnerability lurking beneath. He was like a wounded animal mourning the death of his wife — scared, wary, and steeped in quiet despair. But he had an ocean of love for his daughters.
It was that tantalizing depth that drew Sunny in, she had to admit. She had never experienced a father’s love as a child, so witnessing it firsthand was enthralling. It reaffirmed her belief in all that was good in the world. Dads were meant to love their precious little girls. If she could help Liam unlock his love for the girls, she would, in some way, help heal her own trauma — the abandoned little girl trapped within her.
Beneath his curmudgeonly exterior, Liam was a man of startling intensity, devotion, and care for his loved ones. Sunny craved thatdeep pool of devotion, which had always been lacking in her own life. That’s why she had kissed him — she wanted him to know he was good, honorable, and not alone in the world. But she had complicated things. She was meant to be a calming, nurturing presence for the Anderson household, not another problem piled onto Liam’s broad shoulders.
What a mess. How had she blurred those lines so irrevocably in just a few weeks? Especially right before her one-month review. She couldn’t have timed her impulsive action any worse.
Now was the time for total honesty. She couldn’t sort this out unless she faced the truth. Not only did she appreciate Liam as an employer, but she also felt undeniable flutters over his physical presence. In a different setting, she might have stoked that slow-burning attraction, luxuriating in heated glances and charged moments. But now there was so much more at stake than a fleeting flirtation. Her job, the girls, her standing with this family were all on the line — along with her heart.
She jumped off the bed and rushed to the small en-suite, staring at herself in the mirror above the sink.
“You need to lock this down, you first-class idiot!” Sunny growled at her reflection. “You’re a professional. Perhaps act like it!”
She stood there, panting. As much as her rational mind tried to talk sense to her reckless heart, she couldn’t fully suppress the flickering sparks at the mere thought of Liam. That angular jawline dusted with dark scruff, those piercing blue eyes that conveyed so much. The pure masculine presence contained in his powerful, hockey-sculpted body.
The wanting bloomed deeper than mere lust. It was what he represented: family, honor, sacrifice, devotion. He would never leave. He would never abandon his children to a cruel world. Maddie and Hailey would never endure what Sunny had to as a child.
Tears flowed freely now. Her deep yearning made Sunny physically shudder. She craved all of him — the wounded parts, the walled-off parts, the tender core he shared only with those he trusted most. She wanted to uncover the secrets he kept hidden behind that inscrutable stare. To lay herself bare with him — bodies, minds, spirits intertwined.
Sunny turned on the cold tap and splashed water on her face. She looked back at the mirror, not bothering to use a towel. The shock of the cold water startled her from her reverie. Heat flooded her cheeks as she buried her face in her hands. This spiraling fantasy about her employer was a dangerous road to travel, one that could unravel all the progress and trust she’d built with the Anderson family.
No, she couldn’t entertain these desires, no matter how intoxicating they felt. Too much was at stake to jeopardize her position with reckless fantasies that would never be reciprocated. Maddie and Hailey deserved stability and constancy in their lives, not the fallout of a messy workplace misunderstanding disrupting their fragile home life. Those two little girls had already endured far too much emotional turmoil for ones so young.
Fresh tears sprang to Sunny’s eyes as she imagined being torn away from them, the chaos slicing through their healing family unit. After the heartbreaking loss of their mother, could Maddie and Hailey even survive another upheaval like that? The thought made Sunny’s heart lurch violently. She had come to love those girls as fiercely as if they were her own flesh and blood in the few weeks since joining their household. Yes, love. There was no point denying it.
Which meant she would have to treat this infatuation with ironclad willpower and detachment. Liam was her boss and the father of two little girls dependent on her care. Nothing more, nothing less. He was still mourning the loss of his wife and life partner. There could be no further blurring of boundaries, no matter how tempting thepull.
Nodding to herself with fresh determination, Sunny wiped away the dampness on her flushed cheeks with the back of her hand. Enough with the self-indulgent pity party. She was a grown, capable woman who had overcome far more daunting obstacles in her life. Grit and resilience were no strangers to her. A little misplaced pining — that’s all this was.
From here on out, her employer Liam Anderson would remain exactly that — her employer, nothing more. Sunny would stamp out any smoldering embers before they could ignite into raging flames. She wouldn’t avoid him or act strangely, as that would only breed awkwardness. Instead, she would simply reframe their bond through a strictly platonic lens, focusing on their shared goal of caring for those wonderful girls.
Yes, that was the best path forward for everyone involved. She would pretend her breathless reaction to his gruff charm and masculine presence didn’t make her pulse quicken every time they were alone. That she didn’t secretly long to feel the solid weight of his body against hers, to explore his rugged mouth with her own.
“Gah!” Sunny flung herself on the mattress with a muffled shriek, snapping her eyes shut against the onslaught of X-rated images flooding her mind.
This was going to be much more difficult than she had anticipated.
Once again, she rushed to the bathroom mirror and jabbed an accusatory finger at her reflection, deepening her voice into a gravelly command.
“Pull. Your. Shit. Together. End of story. Am I making myself crystal clear?”
Sunny held her own stony gaze for a long moment, waiting for any flicker of protest or uncertainty. But the woman staring back merely nodded in understanding.
“Good.” She straightened her posture with a decisive exhale. “Then that’s settled.”
As she finally climbed between the sheets and rolled onto her side, Sunny envisioned an impenetrable steel wall being erected around her stray wants and cravings. She would treat Liam with the friendly detachment expected between an employer and employee, no different than any other working relationship.
As her heavy-lidded eyes drifted shut, those stray, forbidden thoughts began fighting to resurface once more. Sunny could exercise all the self-control in the world while awake, but dreams could not be tamed.
Sunny
Sunny’s fingers trembled as she struggled to button her blouse, squeezing her eyes shut and letting out a frustrated breath at her own clumsiness.
Get it together, Thompson.
