Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Grady turned on a dime, not bothering to slow his stride. Even without looking, he could hear the willowy woman with the fire-red curls following behind him, doing her best to keep up. What the hell had the Haven Agency been thinking, sending this woman to him?
When he’d reached out to them for someone to help prepare his daughter for school and help her recover from the trauma of losing her mother, he hadn’t thought they’d send someone...
so... so… damn young, so damn—he had to admit—appealing.
The Haven hadn’t sent him a nanny. They had sent him a partner in crime for his daughter.
Stopping in the foyer, he picked up a notepad from a small table and took his phone out of his pocket.
This had been a horrible idea and a complete waste of time.
What had he been thinking, inviting a woman to stay in his house and help take care of his child?
He wasn’t ready. For that matter, Rose probably wasn’t ready either.
It was all he could do to keep himself from grabbing Sage by the scruff of the neck and shoving her back out the door. God, his heart was racing, and his skin was on fire. That hadn’t happened in a long time. Hold on, just a minute.
It’s not her fault, his conscience tried to tell him. No way in hell was he reacting to her. Luckily, he’d gotten quite good at ignoring his conscience over the past two years.
Thumbing through the notepad, he stopped and laid it open on the table, punched in the number, and listened for the ring.
“You didn’t give me a chance to show you what I can do,” the girl with the wildfire hair said.
What in the world was she doing? Didn’t she know better than to follow a strange man twice her size into his home? She would be at his mercy if he were the kind of man to take advantage of the situation.
This would be a lot simpler if she got back in her car and hightailed it back to Wilder. Instead, she stood just inside his foyer with her arms wrapped around her middle and her foot tapping impatiently on the floor as if demanding an answer. He had to give it to her, she had guts.
“Who are you calling?”
She was putting forward a tough front. It might have worked, too, if her stomach hadn’t rumbled softly. For some strange reason, he found himself wanting to forget about the Haven Agency and order her to follow him into the kitchen so he could make her a sandwich.
Grunting at her noncommittally, he turned back to the table and listened to the other end ringing.
They were taking forever to answer. He vaguely wondered if his very direct dismissal of the other nannies was making them reluctant to pick up the phone.
When footsteps clicked across his wooden floor, he turned to see her advancing toward his family room.
Her fiery curls bounced with each step. The swing of her hips was distracting, and for a moment, he stared before blinking himself back to reality. No way did she need to stay.
Grinning at him over her shoulder, she asked, “Should I take my suitcases to my room now?” just as someone at Haven answered his call.
“You won’t need a room,” he told her.
“I’m sorry?” came a tinny voice from over the phone. “You’ve reached the Haven Agency. Were you trying to reach a hotel?”
“No, this is Grady Kane. The nanny you sent to help my daughter just arrived, and I need to speak to someone.”
“Hold, please!”
“No, no, no, don’t put me on—” he tried to demand, but it was too late. They’d fucking put him on hold.
“Is that your daughter sitting on the rug? Do you want me to share a room with your daughter?” Sage asked.
If you’re sharing a room with someone, it’s going to be me.
Oh good. His cock decided to join the conversation. Because, of course, it would choose now to speak up for the first time in over two years.
Go back to sleep because that isn’t happening, he informed his cock.
“No, you don’t need a room because you’re not staying,” he repeated to the wildfire threatening to destroy any semblance of peace he had.
“I beg your pardon?” the tinny voice from his phone said. “Were you trying to reach the Haven Hotel?”
Fuck. Who the hell was he even talking to? “Yes… I mean, no! I’m not looking for a hotel. I need to speak to someone in client services.”
“Hold, please.”
No! What the fuck?
“You can’t fire me before you’ve even seen what I can do,” Sage said, looking around as if trying to find something to chain herself to.
“I can do whatever I want,” he growled.
“I beg your pardon,” the tinny voice said again, this time filled with indignation. “You most certainly cannot do whatever you want. This is not the Haven Hotel. Please don’t call this number again.”
“Come back here,” he barked into the phone, but it was clear the call had been disconnected.
Barely containing his frustration, Grady tossed the phone on the table before turning his glare on Sage. The woman had sashayed her sexy ass right into his house while having no idea who he was or what he was like. She should never have come alone.
If she were from Wilder, she probably had a Daddy of her own. How could any decent Daddy let his Little–because this girl was definitely Little–come by herself and practically move in with a complete stranger?
And, yes, he realized he was the one who had hired her in the first place.
But somehow, when he’d pictured a nanny, he’d thought of some dowager aunt or…
hell, Mary Poppins. He didn’t know. But he hadn’t expected some wildfire of a girl with freckles across her nose and cheeks, and sapphire-blue eyes that he’d love to see filled with heat from his kisses or tears from his spankings.
Not that he had the right to spank her now or ever. And had his mind really gone there for the first time in over two years?
Just stop thinking about it, he told himself. Yeah, he’d get right on that.
And what was she looking at? She had stepped back toward him and was looking around the foyer, into the kitchen to her right, and the family room to her left.
He did the same, picturing his home through her eyes.
When was the last time he’d cleaned this place up?
How had he not noticed that one of the lights in the foyer chandelier was out?
Truth be told, since the sudden passing of his wife two years ago, he’d been walking around in a fog.
And if he was going down the honesty track, he might as well admit that he’d hired Sage for a reason.
None of the other nannies had been effective with Rose, and Sage came with the highest recommendation from the Haven Agency, which he suspected meant she was the only one left.
She was supposed to be a specialist in helping children catch up on their education while dealing with emotional wounds.
According to them, she was exactly who Rose needed.
But that didn’t mean he had to be happy about it.
While he’d been lost in his thoughts, Sage had entered the family room where she’d discovered Rose sitting on the floor coloring. Sage sat right down beside her and pulled out a book from her shoulder bag. A dragon of all things graced the front cover.
Rose looked at Sage. Ever watchful, Grady held his breath.
With a smile, Sage asked, “Would you like me to read it to you?”
Rose glanced at the multicolored dragon with the big smile on the cover. Without a word, she nodded before returning her gaze to the floor.
Grady’s heart sank. He’d really hoped Rose would respond with words, despite knowing it would have been a miracle if she had.
God knows he’d been trying for the past two years without any success.
At least she’d responded. No matter what he thought about Rose’s new nanny, he couldn’t hold back the glimmer of hope that gave him.
Now look at him, he was smiling. He’d been determined to scowl the whole time Sage was there, but Rose’s one simple nod had done away with that plan.
Sage started reading with animated voices for each character and made silly faces to match what was happening in the book. Within minutes, a tiny giggle escaped his Rose. Grady blinked, a burning sensation in his eyes. Allergies must be coming early this season, or something.
It was unbelievable. Rose was smiling and leaning forward, completely captivated. Standing there dumbfounded, he saw Sage offering to read the story again. Incredibly, Rose gave a timid nod and scooted up onto Sage’s lap.
Sage took a breath between pages and seemed to notice she had more than one person in her audience.
Here it comes. Any minute now, she’ll throw me a know-it-all “I told you so” smirk.
Instead, she smiled at him with a twinkle in her eye and continued reading. He just stood there, entranced, unbelieving how much life she’d brought into Rose’s face within minutes of arriving at his house.
When Sage closed the book, Rose bounced up and down, clapping before tapping the book.
“Would you like to hear it again?” Sage asked Rose.
Rose nodded with a gigantic smile.
Sage looked up at Grady. “Well, Daddy? Can I read it again?”
Even though he knew Sage was only calling him “Daddy” because she was speaking for Rose, that word coming from her mouth made his cock throb. Down, boy, he commanded. Not that it did that much good.
Never let it be said he wasn’t man enough to know when he’d been wrong.
Try as he might, he couldn’t see this as anything but a good thing.
He just needed to make sure his water tank was big enough to handle all the cold showers he’d be taking in the coming months.
Bracing himself, he settled into his decision, praying his mother had been right all those times she’d commended his patience and self-control.
He crossed to a large leather recliner and sat. “She can read it one more time,” he told Rose before shifting his gaze to Sage. “And then I need to talk to Miss Sage.”
“It’s just Sage,” she said. “I’ll go grab my suitcases when I’m done.”
Seriously, who was this girl’s Daddy? Had he never taken care of her the way a Daddy should? No way was this Little girl lugging around heavy suitcases with him right there.
Trying his best to keep his scowl to a minimum, he said, “I’ll get your suitcases.”
The smile Sage sent his way made his palm itch. It was a smile much too bright to flash at a complete stranger. At least it told him he’d been successful in hiding his scowl.
Sage read the story again and took time to get Rose settled, looking through the rest of her books.
As promised, Grady retrieved her suitcases and led her to a room just off the kitchen.
“This will be your room. My room is on the other side of the family room downstairs. I’m willing to give this a try, but I have to warn you, I’m not easy to please when it comes to my daughter. ”
“Good, neither am I. See how much we agree already?”
Her sapphire blue eyes were locked on him with a spark that made his cock twitch. Stepping closer, he spoke in a voice so stern and gravelly it was practically a growl. “A warning, we have rules in this house, young lady. And I get the feeling you need them more than most.”
“Well, you know what they say about rules, Mr. Kane?” Sage lifted her chin, a spark of defiance lighting her eyes.
He’d never wanted to turn a Little across his lap more in his life. But he couldn’t because she wasn’t his Little and she never would be. “No, but I’ll bet you’re about to tell me.”
“They’re made to be broken, of course,” she said.
The tone of her voice was pure mischief. Oh yeah, his life was about to get much more interesting.
Grady gave her his sternest Daddy look. “I’m not sure whose rules you’ve ‘broken’ before, but you break mine, and you’ll find out exactly how hard it can get to sit down comfortably.”
She shivered at his words, and of course, his dick noticed. She definitely had all his attention now.
Sage smiled sweetly. Then, in a “butter wouldn’t melt in my mouth” tone of voice, she said, “Looking forward to it. Mr. Kane.”
“You keep using my last name like that, and we’re going to have a problem. Mr. Kane is my father, and let’s just say he’s the man I aspire to be. You may call me Grady.”
Sage got a look he’d seen on many a Little’s face. The one they got when a thought popped into their heads. She opened her lips, no doubt about to share it out loud, when she thought better of it. That was probably a good decision.
Grady held her gaze another beat, then he walked away before he did something stupid. Something like smacking her ass until she couldn’t sit down or kissing her so long and deep she couldn’t stand.
She was now going to be a part of everything that happened here. What the hell had he just done?