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6
“Miss Poppy, can you braid my hair like yours?” Archie asked, pointing at her hair.
She looked at the boy who had been swimming like an energetic fish for the past hour, and splashing around like no one’s business. Thankfully for them, they had their own private pool as part of the exquisite, beachfront home rental where they stayed. “Unfortunately no. You don’t have long enough hair, but I can style it.”
“Will girls like it?”
She winked at him. “I’m pretty sure.”
“Then let’s do it!”
They’d arrived in Honolulu one day ago, and settled into the marvelous property despite jet lagging.
The children had chosen their rooms on the second floor, a natural choice because of the large loft area filled with toys, and a huge TV and game room. This way, Poppy and Ethan ended up with the suites on the first floor. They were located across from each other, and even though a roomy hallway in between their doors served as a buffer, she wished they stayed in different buildings.
Sure, she’d been channeling her best Kate Winslet act as she could around Ethan, like nothing had changed in their professional relationship. But inside, resisting him was a different story. Or dampening the power of the fiery memories they’d made when they had sex in his office.
She’d opted for not telling Billie about it, knowing full well that her cousin would give her a hard time. Telling someone and talking about it out loud also made it more real, and she didn’t need to face that issue. Didn’t need to talk about the repercussions and listen to questions or advice.
She lowered her sunglasses, her gaze straying to Ethan, who played with Willow on the other side of the infinity pool.
Good lord, the man’s back was so big it could land an airplane. When they had their hookup in his office, they were still clothed. It had been spontaneous, raw, wild. She hadn’t had a chance to see him naked, to enjoy all the ridges and appreciate the angles of his impressive body.
Now, in broad daylight, it was impossible not to see it.
She swallowed a lump in her throat. Having sex with him should have dampened this raging desire, yet it had the opposite effect. She loved the light patch of hair arrowing down his impressive chest, and reprimanded herself for not having the chance to touch his bare skin, to let her fingers peruse his abs without hurry.
But, also, what scared her the most, was the way her heart tugged when she watched him play with his daughter. Damn it. Ethan was a good man. A good father.
He suggested this nanny deal because he had a task to complete, which would be beneficial for him. Something didn’t add up, though. He seemed like he had money. Though the jet they’d flown had been charted by his company, as well as this rental property. Still. To have those exclusive perks, he had to make a killing.
Doubts nagged at her. Why was this deal so important? If it only meant more money, could she believe his claim that he’d have more time to spend with his kids? Would he retire afterwards? No. Didn’t make sense.
Unless… he’d lied to her. He wanted more money, and that need wouldn’t go away.
She sighed. None of this should matter. Not to her, anyway.
She was here for a brief period of time. No sticking around. No feelings involved.
If he hurt those kids, though…
“Are you okay?” he shouted from the other side of the pool. “You seem pretty upset.”
She waved him off. “Oh, I’m good. Just remembering the bad ending of a movie.”
“What movie?” Willow asked.
Fuck.Her mind went blank. “An adult movie. Not for kids. Pretty awful stuff.”
“O-kay,” Willow said, making a face like she didn’t understand why that was a big deal. Or what was Poppy’s imaginary movie.
“Maybe we could go get some ice cream later,” Poppy said, anxious to change the subject, but also using carbs to distract her from her thoughts. If a mango and pineapple sorbet ice cream from a typical Hawaiian shop wouldn’t do it, then she was in trouble. Big trouble.
“Hey, Ethan,” said Roy Wills, the marketing director. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you, but I had some family stuff happen last week.”
“I’m sorry to hear. Everything okay now?” Ethan jammed his hand into his pants, glancing around them. The welcome party for the team included a whiskey tasting, paired with some exquisite local food. The entire time, though, Ethan kept thinking of how he’d much rather be with Poppy and his kids, like he had been earlier.
Of course, this was one of the reasons he came—to network and keep working toward his goal. But damn it, maybe it was the scotch, but his body felt on fire, restless, like he couldn’t wait to get out of here.
