The Nanny and the Beast: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Read online

  “Close it,” I say, not looking up.

  I soon realize that I’ve never left anyone in charge of anything and that rescheduling my appointments would be Sara’s job. But trusting someone to do my job itself would be a different matter. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and once I started listing my tasks it isn’t so hard. I just have to tell people that they are responsible for these matters and the only thing that makes it difficult is that I’m not used to delegating anything to anyone.

  But from today forward, that’s going to change.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Eliana

  Lily’s at school, Lucas went to the office, and I’m still on summer vacation, so I grab a book and read in the garden.

  It’s a beautiful landscaped area that’s divided into sections. There’s the adult and the junior pool. A quiet area that’s shaded by trees and a mini canopy.

  I was told by one of the maids that Lucas used to enjoy sitting there during the summer to work. I can’t imagine him being an outdoors person, but then he did love being out by the beach and having his feet in the sand.

  It’s the sunbathing area that I go to now.

  Everyone’s in the house and besides no one can really see this part of the garden. Which is lucky, because I really don’t want everyone seeing me in my bikini. A bikini that Lucas bought me, along with a few new sundresses and summer outfits. I tried to refuse to let him pay, but the man is so stubborn.

  I pull off the sundress I’m wearing, and lay down on one of the loungers. I open my book, but I’m distracted by thoughts of Lucas. So much has changed in such a short time.

  Or maybe I just want to think that.

  I’m not his girlfriend. In fact, I really don’t know what I am. I’m being paid to watch his daughter, and even though I’ve quickly become attached to them both, one word and I’m flat on my ass, homeless and jobless.

  A shadow darkens the area above me.

  “Now isn’t this a nice sight to come home to.” Lucas’ deep voice rumbles around me.

  I think about grabbing my dress and covering myself, but then there’s nothing that he hasn’t seen before, and the way he’s looking at me now, takes away all insecurities that I have about my body.

  “Great Expectations,” he says, pointing to the book. He sits in the chair opposite me. “I read it as a kid…The life of Pip’s interesting enough, but the way Dickens describes it is amazing. It’s the kind of language that was used and has been forgotten.”

  “That’s because we’re in modern times.”

  “Yes, but we go through the whole transition of Pip being younger and dealing with poverty, and the decisions that he made in the past, which reflect who he becomes as he gets older.”

  I’m enjoying the fact that we’re sitting and talking about something other than Lily, or something leading to sex. I could sit here and watch him talk about it all day.

  “I liked Pip from the start,” he says, taking the book from my hands, and flipping through the pages.

  “Why?”

  “I think I kind of saw myself in him. He makes stupid mistakes. I think that’s the part that I can relate to so much.”

  I shake my head. “Other than working too hard, what mistakes have you made?”

  He laughs, “More than I can count. I’m far from perfect.”

  “But you are a perfectionist.”

  “Yes,” he frowns, and looks away, his expression growing distant.

  “I’m sorry if I said something wrong.”

  He gives me a sad smile. “No. It’s just something my ex used to tell me.”

  I swallow hard. “Do you miss her?”

  “No.” He hands me the book back. “In some ways, when she left it was a bit of a relief. The part that I couldn’t handle was her leaving Lily.” His nostrils flare and guilt floods his expression. “And then I practically did the same thing.”

  I reach out and take his hand.

  “I had my excuses. Work. Money. Feeling like Lily was better with anyone but me. I blamed myself for marrying and having a child with someone that wasn’t capable of loving anyone but herself. In some ways I wondered if I wasn’t just like Stacey.”

  “Incapable of loving others?”

  “Yeah.” He shifts on his chair, and captures my chin, blue eyes focused on me. “But I’m starting to think I was wrong.”

  I suck in a breath.

  He stands abruptly, then the next thing I know, I’m in his arms, and he’s carrying me like a caveman into the house.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to fuck you.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “Hard. And I didn’t think you’d want the help watching.”

  “I am the help,” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck.

  He grunts, “Not for much longer, if I can help it.”

  My stomach twists at his words. Is he thinking about firing me?

  I knew this wouldn’t last forever, but to think that it’s almost over before it barely started, makes my chest hurt.

  Enjoy yourself, my body screams.

  Protect yourself, my heart hammers back.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lucas

  I claim her mouth, reveling in her taste, her scent. It’s so easy to lose myself when I’m with her.

  My cock is hard, straining, and I catch her glancing down at it, her tongue darting over her lips.

  God, what she does to me.

  The thought of fucking that pretty little mouth nearly sends me over the edge.

  “Come here,” I grunt, pulling her down onto the bed with me, so that she’ straddling me.

  Gaze locked with mine, she places her hands on my chest and lifts so that my cock nudges at her pussy. She’s already wet and ready for me.

  Slowly, she slides down, and her eyes close, a small gasp of pleasure on her lips.

  I tease her nipples, and she lets out a small mewling sound as she rides my cock. She begins to rock against me, slowly, steadily at first, then faster, harder. She’s greedy for me. For her release.

  Her thighs tighten and I can feel the rippling of her pussy as it milks my cock, drawing me into pure ecstasy. Her cry of pleasure is my undoing, rasping over my senses. My fingers tighten on her hips, holding her tight, and I thrust, grinding into her until I’m coming in hot spurts inside of her, coming harder than I ever have before.

  I roll over, pulling her with me, so that her head is resting on my chest.

  We don’t speak. Just lie there spent. And soon I feel her breaths go even, and I know she’s fallen asleep.

  I need to figure out what I’m going to do with her, because I can’t keep pretending that she’s just the nanny.

  She’s so much more.

  I reach over, careful not to wake her, and grab my cell, then type in a quick message to Sarah informing her that I’m going to take the rest of the week off.

  That’s what Eliana does to me. Makes me want more than just work. More than just money. Because what the hell is having that stuff worth if I don’t have someone to share it with?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Eliana

  Lucas went back to work today, and after spending an entire week with him, I’m already missing having him around.

  He said he’d be back by six for dinner. A couple of weeks ago I wouldn’t have believed him. But with the changes he’s made recently, I do. He’s really trying. With Lily. With me. I know I shouldn’t hope for it, but it’s like he’s accepted me into his life, and not just as the nanny. As something more – something more permanent.

  I glance in my bathroom mirror at my reflection, and finish applying my make-up.

  He’ll be home soon.

  I bought a dress, a sexy red number that I hope he’ll like. I’ve even cooked dinner. I just thought that it would be a nice change for the two of us to sit down and for me to look like more than just a frumpy college student. To try to look like I actually belong in his world.

  Not that he’s ever ma
de me feel like I don’t belong. In fact, he’s done the complete opposite.

  He’s made me hope.

  Lily is at her grandmother’s house for the night, so it’ll just be the two of us. I plan to talk to him about us at dinner.

  I’m younger than him, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t know things, I’m just less experienced. He has a decade on me. One that he’s spent running a billion-dollar multinational company whereas I’ve been trying to survive. We come from completely different worlds. But I feel safe when I’m with him.

  Maybe this really can work. And if he has other expectations, then it’s better to know now before my heart gets anymore attached.

  I decide to tie my hair up in a bun—I saw a couple of videos on YouTube about how to do it with the wild curly hair that I get from my Mexican heritage—and this dress nicely shows off my curves.

  The lady in the store said that the dress suited me. I looking at my reflection, I have to agree. I’ve lost a few pounds, which I sum up to all the sex I’ve been having.

  It’s as if Lucas clicks his fingers and I’m turned on. He doesn’t even have to touch me. I just have to think about him, and I’m left wet and wanting.

  I’m walking down the stairs, and I’m just about to go to the kitchen and make sure that everything’s ready for when he comes home, when I hear the front door open.

  He’s home earlier than expected. I turn, ready to greet him, but freeze cold.

  “Who the fuck are you?” A woman stands at the front door glaring at me.

  I recognize her immediately from the photo in Lily’s room – Stacey.

  Shit. What do I do?

  “I asked you a fucking question. Who are you and what the hell are you doing in my house?”

  Her house?

  “I’m…ah…Eliana…Lily’s nanny.”

  Why didn’t I say Lucas’s girlfriend? Maybe because I didn’t even know if they were legally separated. Sure, she left, and that was over a year ago. But was it official?

  “Where’s my daughter and husband?” If looks could kill, then I would be dead.

  Husband.

  “They’re not here.” My voice breaks on the words and I can feel tears burning behind my eyes.

  So they are still married.

  “You look like a prostitute, not a nanny.” Her gaze rakes over me with disdain. “No wonder Lucas hired you. Well, I’m back now, so you can go pack your bags. I want you out of here before my husband comes home. The last thing I need is some little tramp running around my house when I’m trying to put my marriage back together.”

  Tears burn my eyes.

  This can’t be happening.

  Humiliated and heartbroken I turn.

  The woman is still screaming as I take the stairs up to my room, but at least she doesn’t follow me.

  I pack my bags quickly. Lucas will be home soon. I need to be gone by then. I can’t have him seeing me like this. I don’t want to be here when he reunites with his wife.

  Swiping angrily at the tears that fall over my cheek, I take the back stairs towards the garage.

  And just like that, my fairytale is over.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Lucas

  As soon as I walk into the house, I know something is wrong. There’s music playing. The high-pitched screeching of Opera, and all of the drapes have been closed. And there’s a strong fragrance coming from the dining room, a familiar smell, and it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

  The moment I enter, I choke.

  Not only because I see Stacey sitting at the table wearing lingerie that leaves nothing to the imagination, but also because she’s sprayed the damn place with that horrible scent she used to use to mask the stench of alcohol on her breath.

  “There’s my darling husband,” she says in a sing-song voice that makes my stomach roll.

  Coughing, I walk out. My first and only thought – Eliana.

  “Lucas,” Stacey screams, following me, digging her sharp claw-like nails into my arm to stop me from going up the stairs.

  “Where’s Eliana?”

  “Who? That whore of a nanny? I sent her packing.”

  I clench my fists at my side. “You had no fucking right.”

  “I’m your wife and this is my house.”

  She’s completely delusional.

  “Ex-wife and you no longer live here.”

  “We’re still married and I have every intention of moving back in.” She laughs, and for some reason I feel as if I hear the chuckle of the Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.

  But I’m no fucking Dorothy and this isn’t a fucking joke.

  I point my finger at her. “This isn’t your fucking house. You don’t belong here. You left and then when I tried to find you, you told the private investigator that when you die that you’d send word. I took that to court. And guess what, darling? We’re no longer married.”

  She starts to stutter, the same thing that she used to do when I used to put her in her place. When I made her feel as little as she made me feel through the last seven years of our miserable marriage.

  She would guilt trip me into spending too much time in the office. I would ask whether she could spend less money and her reaction would be the same. The thing she’s doing now.

  “What about the money? My money? Alimony?”

  “You should have thought about that before you left. You gave up your rights.”

  “Lucas, you fucking shit. You can’t do that.” She’s running after me as I get to the car.

  “I never signed the papers, and I’m back. I’ll contest the divorce and I’ll get custody.”

  I’ve never wanted to hit a woman, more than I do now.

  I lean in close, narrowing my eyes, back teeth clenched so tight I think they may crack.

  It’s amazing how a person you think you’re going to spend the rest of your life with, can end up being the one person you can’t stand.

  “You speak to my lawyer, and he’ll talk to yours. But tell me, what judge would give custody to a woman who would abandon her own child? Get off my fucking property by the time I come back. Or I’ll call the police and have you escorted out.”

  I slam the car door, and squeal the tires as I speed down the long driveway, with one intention.

  Finding Eliana.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Eliana

  I sit on a patio chair in the backyard of Lucas’ parent’s mansion. I know I probably shouldn’t be here, but I needed to say goodbye to Lily. And in all honesty, I still have no idea where I’m going to go. I can get a hotel tonight. But without a job I won’t be able to get another apartment here in the city.

  Lily throws a ball for one the giant labradoodle named Ernie, then chases after him when he doesn’t bring it back.

  I smile sadly, thinking about how much I’m going to miss her.

  Lucas’ mother places a glass of lemonade on the table in front of me, concern etched on her face. “Do you want to tell me why you’ve decided to leave so suddenly?”

  “It’s…just time.”

  She sits down, watching me with the same intense blue eyes that Lucas and Lily obviously inherited from her. “That doesn’t sound like a real reason.”

  “Stacey’s back,” I blurt out, then clamp my mouth shut before I say anything else.

  “Oh dear.” She sighs heavily. “That woman is a nasty piece of work.”

  I hold back what I really want to say. “She’s Lily’s mom.”

  “That woman doesn’t have a maternal bone in her body. But you…” She smiles at me. “Lily loves you. Don’t think I haven’t noticed the change in my granddaughter since you’ve been around.”

  “I love her too,” I say honestly.

  “And my son?”

  Shocked by her question, I blink up at her, and stutter, “I…He’s my boss.”

  “I may be old, but I’m not a fool. You’re in love with him.”

  Am I? Yes. I know I am. But it doesn�
�t matter. Not now. Not when his wife is back home.

  I won’t be a homewrecker.

  And in all honesty, all I want is for Lily and Lucas to be happy.

  If that means having their family back together, then that’s the way it will be.

  “I should go.” Standing, I start towards the door. I’ve already said my goodbyes to Lily. Prolonging it will only make it harder on both of us.

  Chapter Twenty

  Lucas

  I have no fucking idea where to start looking for Eliana, but I start with the only place I think she might go – to see Lily.

  I breathe a sigh of relief when I see her small Toyota in their driveway when I drive up. But the look in her eyes, pure utter despair, as she comes out of the house and starts down the stairs towards her car, makes my throat tighten.

  Shit. I have no idea what the hell Eliana said to her, but I know it wasn’t good.

  I get out of the car, slamming the door behind me, and stalk towards her.

  “What are you doing here?” she whispers when I approach.

  Her eyes are red, and I can tell she’s been crying.

  “Looking for you.” I remove the distance between us, taking her face in my palms.

  “Why?” She freezes at my touch. Her whole body goes tense.

  “I don’t know exactly what Stacey said to you, but you have to know she’s a pathological liar.”

  “She’s your wife.”

  “Ex wife. You know that.”

  She looks down at the ground as if she’d struggling to believe me. “You have a child together. If she wants you back–”

  “I don’t want her fucking back,” I growl out, a little too forcefully.

  She moves away from me. I can tell that she’s not buying it. Her body language is all defensive as she crosses her arms.

  “I can’t do this. I won’t be that woman.”