Chapter 2
TWO
JARED
It takes three seconds for me to recover my faculties.
Clenching my jaw, I reach for the curvy brunette’s arm and tug her inside the house. Without a word, I pull her coat shut and tie the belt. I add a second knot to make sure it doesn’t fly open again.
Not that I don’t appreciate the view she was showing.
I just don’t make a habit of ogling women wearing lacy lingerie in front of my daughter.
“Sweetie, can you go check on Mr. Gold?”
My hook-up arches an eyebrow. “Mr. Gold?”
“He’s our pet goldfish,” Hannah answers brightly, beaming up at her. “Do you want to meet him?”
“No,” I growl at the same time she says, “Maybe later.”
I scowl at her, but she ignores me and asks, “Do you have any other pets?”
“I wish. I want a cat. And a dog. And a hedgehog.” Hannah rolls her eyes. “But he won’t let me.”
“Pets are a big responsibility,” I say, even as I hate dragging out this conversation any longer. “Sweetie?—”
“What’s your name?” she asks, looking back up at our guest.
My hook-up hesitates a moment, darting a quick look in my direction. I shake my head. I don’t know what to tell her. We’d agreed on no real names. No real lives.
But that all went out the window the moment she appeared at my front door in her underwear.
She sighs. “I’m Delaney. My name is Delaney.”
“I like that name. It’s pretty. You’re pretty,” my daughter says. “I’m Hannah. And Mr. Gold lives in my bedroom. And this”—she points at me proudly—“is my daddy.”
Delaney raises her gaze to mine. “So I’ve heard. Daddy.”
I sigh. “Jared. I’m Jared.”
Ignoring the tension between us, Hannah carries on. “Want me to show you Mr. Gold now?”
“Sweetie.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, just holding on to my patience. “Can you please give the grown-ups a few minutes to talk? In private.”
“Ooooohhhh.” She draws out, a mischievous expression plays on her lips. “I bet you’re going to say swear words.”
“I do have a few of them on my mind,” Delaney says brightly.
I scowl at her. “Just give Daddy five minutes with the nice lady, and then we’ll get you dinner.”
Hannah moves down the hall toward her bedroom at glacial pace. I tighten my grip on Delaney’s arm and pull her into the room I use as my office and close the door.
“What the fuck is going on here?” I hiss.
“I could ask you the same thing.” She tugs her arm free and glares at me. “You’re married.”
“I’m divorced.”
“Oh.” Her shoulders drop. That seems to take most of the heat out of her expression. “And you’re a single dad.”
“Clearly.” I give her an exasperated look. “It still doesn’t explain how you found out where I live or why you chose to knock on my door.”
Her brow furrows. “Are you serious?”
“I’m pretty fucking serious.” Not to mention hanging on my last fucking nerve. “How did you get here?”
“I drove.”
“For fuck’s sake.” I glare. “I mean it. How did you get my address?”
“You sent it to me.”
“I sent it to you? I…” I trail off as a realization dawns on me. “Just a second.”
I dig into my pocket and pull out my phone. I open my messages and look at the last one I sent.
It’s my address.
And an invitation to come over now. Because I need her.
Sent to “Baby.”
When I meant to send it to… “Son of a bitch.”
“Are you okay?” She tilts her head to the side. “You aren’t having a stroke or something. Are you?”
“No. I’m not.” But this might very well push me over the edge. “I meant to text the babysitting agency I use.”
Her jaw drops open. “You were looking for a babysitter?”
“My usual nanny just called in sick. And I’m supposed to be leaving for a work retreat and recertification in”—I check the time on my screen and wince—“fifteen minutes.”
“On a Friday night?”
“It’s a weekend thing.” I scratch my jaw. “I’m a firefighter.”
Annoyed doesn’t even begin to cover how I’m feeling right now. Frankly, I wish I could blow the whole damn thing off and pretend this isn’t happening.
But it’s mandatory. Even if I know most of the weekend is going to be spent with the guys playing poker and complaining about their wives.
It’s a pain in the ass for a single dad like me who doesn’t have a family support system.
“You’re a firefighter.” She seems to perk up at that nugget. “I had a feeling you had a job like that.”
I almost hate to ask. “A job like what?”
“One that involved working with your hands.”
I lift an eyebrow at that and her cheeks flush. “What? You’re good with your hands. Plus, you have these really great calluses.”
I shake my head, even as the blood rushes from it to my cock. “I really don’t have time to flirt with you.”
“No, you don’t. You need to say good-bye to your daughter and grab your bag. Or you’ll be late.”
“I can’t possibly go now.” I don’t know how the hell I’m ever going to explain this to my boss.
“I can watch Hannah.”
“You want to watch her?” I shake my head. “I don’t even know you.”
“I can give you references, if that’s what you’re worried about. I even nannied for a summer in college before… well, before I started another job.”
“You were a nanny in college?” I don’t know why I’m asking this. I’m not really entertaining this possibility. Am I?
“You need a nanny, and I clearly don’t have any other plans going on right now.” Delaney shrugs. “It’s like it was meant to be.”
“I don’t know about that.”
But, I also don’t know what other choice I have.
The office door swings open and Hannah bounces in. “Can Delaney stay, Daddy? Pleeeeaaassseeee.”
Both of them turn to stare at me. Batting their eyes. Expectant expressions on their faces.
Hell. This is a terrible idea.
I sigh. “You said you have references?”