CHASING TROUBLE

There was a moment of silence before Caroline said, “You’ve employed a nanny?” Her low tone did not disguise the underlying menace in it.

He met her flinty stare. “Obviously.”

Her eyes narrowed and glinted. “You had no right.”

He bristled. “I had every right. I’m his father.”

“And I’m his mother and I’m only here because I’m his mother.”

“Seema has impeccable references. She was recommended by a trusted friend,”

“I wouldn’t care if she came gold-plated! You had no right to go over my head like that, no right at all, and don’t quote the “I’m his father” line at me again; you don’t know Charlie well enough yet to know what’s in his best interests.”

“Whose best interests?” he disputed coolly. Nicholas had been prepared for Caroline’s annoyance about the nanny but her line of attack on the matter was out of order. “His or yours?”

Angry color stained her cheeks. “How dare-”

“You hardly let him out of your sight. You do everything for him. When it comes to our son, you’re a control freak.”

The dark circles under her eyes proved how much she needed a break but a break would never happen if she had to get up at the crack of dawn each day to care for their son. He’d spent enough time with Mother Caroline to know she wouldn’t trust him to care for Charlie on his own. Not yet. She’d get up and hover between them. That employing a nanny to care for their son left more time and opportunity for seduction was only secondary… The baring of her teeth made him quite sure that she would have slapped him if he didn’t have their son in his arms.

“Caring for Charlie is my job,” she snarled.

“You never relax or take time for yourself.”

“I’m a mother. It comes with the territory.”

“I was just trying to help,” he said.

Caroline’s stare tempered, became contemplative. The piercing of the laser burn lessened as the composure he’d had so much fun cracking since her arrival visibly reset itself. In a much calmer tone, she said, “In future, please consult me before making any decision about our son’s care.”Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Does that work for me too?” he challenged. “Only it seems that you’re the one who gets to make all the decisions for him.”

“That’s because I’m the one who raised him without his father for eleven months. I earned that right.” Then she looked at their son and her features softened. “But I take your point. If you disagree with my judgments then we should discuss it.”

“Who gets the final say?”

“Logic does. Failing that, me.”

Nicholas had to control every muscle in his mouth to stop it from opening and biting back some home truths to her. He was acutely aware that, though their son couldn’t understand what they were saying, he would undoubtedly be picking up on the tense atmosphere between them. He would not allow Charlie to witness any kind of war between his parents. Swallowing back the rancid taste on his tongue, he indicated the winding staircase. “I’ll show you to your rooms.”

__________

Caroline held Charlie close as she stepped over the threshold of the door Nicholas opened for her in the wide corridor, using his solid little body as a shield to protect herself from the emotions thrashing and crashing inside her.

She’d known it would happen one day soon, that Nicholas would assert his authority as a father, but she’d surprised herself at the strength of her feelings about it. Until that moment, every single decision about Charlie had been made by her and her alone. Nicholas had been absent! The times when she’d been uncertain about something she’d sought her mother’s advice but the ultimate decision had always been hers. His sudden assertion of parental authority while she was fighting the effect his nearness was having on her had made her angrier about it than she should have been… And his reasons for it.

Why would he employ a nanny for her benefit? Why would he care if she took time for herself? She knew he didn’t care a jot for her… But he still wanted her. Hadn’t she known that since their meal together? And hadn’t she sensed it before that? His desire was there in every gleam of his eyes, a sensual promise that lived as a hum in her veins.

He didn’t care for her but he still desired her as a woman, and, as she gazed around the room that would be hers for the week, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a full-length mirror. For a moment she stared at the woman with the child in her arms.

A mother. A daughter. A sister. A woman.

And then she caught Nicholas’ eye in the reflection. The icy steel she’d seen during their brief, heated argument had melted. What she saw in his gaze now… Her abdomen turned to liquid.

Caroline quickly looked away and forced her attention back to the room. It was as vast and white as the rest of the place but there were colorful feminine touches in the soft furnishings. The splashes of color were the reds and oranges she adored, colors she had in her apartment, colors she hadn’t seen in any other part of his home. Had these colorful touches been added for her…?

She couldn’t stop her eyes darting back to Nicholas. He stood by the glass door in the center of the far wall, which had floor-to-ceiling windows, watching her.

“What do you think?” he asked.

She had to swallow hard to get her throat moving. “It’s perfect, thank you, Nick,”

The returning gleam had her tightening her hold around their son, who, oblivious to the undercurrents happening around him, was merrily babbling away as he took in the newness of his surroundings.

Suddenly desperate to escape the intimate confines, she backed to the door. “Where’s Charlie sleeping?”

He stepped away from the wall, a knowing half-smile playing on his lips. “The room opposite. It’s been turned into a nursery for him. I’ll show you.”

If she didn’t have Charlie in her arms, she’d have run out of the room. The nursery was a big hit with Charlie, who immediately went crawling to the building blocks set out on the floor for him. The adjoining dressing room had been filled with brand new clothing and all the toys a baby on the cusp of his first birthday could wish for. As dinner would soon be ready, Caroline decided a change of clothes for him was needed.