Fearless In Love

When Ari turned back to Matt, he was staring at her with his head cocked slightly. “A Lego master?” He shook his head. “Even I have a hard time putting some of them together.”

“I doubt that,” she said, which made him smile again. Oh, that smile. It got under her skin, made her hum inside. Everywhere inside. “You were saying? About my duties?”

“We’ve pretty much covered it.” He began to list the things she’d get out of the deal. “You’d have your own suite next to Noah’s. You could eat meals with us, but you’d be free to raid the kitchen. Sunday would be your day off. If you wanted to make prior arrangements to go out in the evening for a date or whatever, that would be fine. I try to be home in the evenings and on weekends for Noah.”

“Like I said, I don’t have a boyfriend, but I get together with my girlfriends sometimes in the evenings.”

He nodded, then said, “The salary is twelve hundred a week, plus medical insurance.”

She barely managed to keep her chin from hitting her knees. “A week?” She couldn’t believe it. It rivaled what she made in a month. Plus benefits.

“Considering that you would be on duty almost twenty-four hours a day, six days a week, it’s reasonable.”

“Reasonable?” She was afraid she sounded like an airhead repeating everything he said, but his offer was beyond anything she’d dreamed of. “I mean, yes, it’s totally reasonable.”

Especially considering all she had to do was look after an adorable little boy and live in a fabulous mansion with her own suite. And she could have all the sizzling-hot fantasies she wanted about Matt, whose bedroom would undoubtedly be just down the hall. Completely secret fantasies, locked in a compartment inside her brain that she’d wait to open until she was alone.

If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was compartmentalize. She’d spent six years in the foster care system after her mom died, so Ari was a master at living a rich fantasy life without confusing it with reality. Everyone deserved a dream world. In fact, it was healthy—as long as you knew the difference between fantasy and reality, and Ari always had.

She knew what it was like to have things ripped away from you at a moment’s notice, when you thought a foster family cared about you only to realize it was the money they received that meant the most, or their real daughter hated your guts so you had to go. And she knew about other things that still gave her nightmares sometimes—foster fathers and brothers who didn’t care about the personal boundaries of the new foster girl.

So, yes, she definitely kept her dreams uncontaminated by reality. And this job was far better than anything she could have dreamed up on her own. If she got it, she would owe Daniel for recommending her, more than she could ever repay.

“I’ll check your references tonight.” He tapped the list she’d given him. “But after what Daniel said, it all looks good. I’ll give you a call tomorrow.”

Please, she silently prayed as she grabbed her bag, hire me and make this dream real. “I really like Noah. He’s a great kid.”

“I’m lucky to have him.” Love filled Matt’s voice when he talked about his son. “And he obviously likes you. I hope you have time to see his latest Lego masterpiece before you go.”

“Of course.”

They stood at the same time, suddenly close beside each other at the edge of the coffee table. For the briefest of moments, she let her eyelids drift shut as her senses drank him in—that fresh rain scent, the heat radiating off his body, the gentle wash of his breath across her hair.

Noah was so cute, and the setup was amazing. But Matt? Well, he was the cherry on top of her sundae.

And if she got this job, she would make sure nothing screwed it up.

Chapter Two

“You sure you don’t mind me hijacking her from your San Jose store?” Matt asked Daniel over the phone.

“It’s a great opportunity for Ariana.”

Ariana had a lilting quality in Daniel’s voice. But she’d told Matt to call her Ari.

“She’s always been more interested in child care than moving up the ladder at Top-Notch,” Daniel continued. “She worked her butt off getting through college. The scholarships I sponsor are open to all my employees worldwide, but every year, Ariana aced the essay submission and earned the Bay Area scholarship.”

“She told me she graduated last May.”

“With honors.”

She hadn’t told him that. In fact, she’d almost downplayed her degree, maybe because she understood that a degree was worth a heck of a lot more with practical experience to back it up. In that, they were alike. He’d graduated and jumped in feet first. And Ari’d had eight years of experience working with kids while she was going to school. She’d be a huge asset for Noah, with both her experience and her education. There was so much to admire about her.

For his peace of mind, there might actually be too much to admire.

“It’s a win-win, Matt. You’re going to love her.”

His friend didn’t mean it in the sexual sense, but Matt couldn’t stop remembering the vision she’d made sitting on his sofa, the end-of-day autumn sun setting her golden hair on fire. He’d wanted to—

Damn it, he had to stop thinking about what he wanted. She would be here for his son.

“Noah already loves her,” Matt told Daniel. “All she had to do was admire his latest Lego creation and he was putty in her hands.”

Ari had handled his son’s interruption brilliantly, teaching Noah a lesson without getting angry or annoyed. Considering that the women Ari babysat for couldn’t say enough good things about her, Matt knew he had to have her.

For Noah, of course.

“The kid takes after his old man, always coming up with new inventions.” Daniel’s tone was laced with affection. As godfathers, each and every Maverick adored Noah. “And Ariana has more patience than a saint,” Daniel added, “which will help when taking care of a five-year-old boy with boundless energy.”

“My only concern is that she’s so young.” That was a lie. He was also concerned about how boundlessly tempting she was.

Matt was always in control of his emotions where women were concerned, especially after what had happened with Noah’s mom. Yet Ari kept sneaking under his defenses, entering his thoughts far too often. He had to put a stop to it. He was a decade older, for God’s sake, and about to become her boss.