“Yeah, sure.”
His heart was racing as he watched her.
Damn it.
He wanted her.
He wanted Temperance. How was this fucking possible?
She wasn’t well-kept or even well-groomed.
She didn’t wear a single designer anything.
Temperance was the furthest thing from a woman in his circle. And she has the power to bring you to your knees.
All he’d ever wanted in life was to be fucking loved. How pitiful was that? His business wasn’t even at the top of the list, nor anything else. Not his homes, or his cars. The jewels meant nothing to him, and neither did the artwork. All of the things he owned were just an investment. Cold, insignificant details in his world.
The only value was what others placed on them.
Temperance valued emotions.
He’d disappointed her in the beginning, and he wondered if he still did, or if that had now changed. Had her opinion of him changed?
This couldn’t happen.
The jealousy he felt at other men getting to know her. Watching her now, humming as she made stacks of pancakes, he wanted her for his own. He wanted her underneath him, begging for more as he fucked her pussy hard.
It had been a long time since he was last with a woman, and right now, all of his pent-up need was screaming at him to take Temperance, to claim her as his woman, even though she was his nanny. She wouldn’t be staying with him, nor would Timothy.
As if his thoughts brought the boy to them, he rounded the corner, and he watched as Temperance’s face lit up. She leaned down, pressing a kiss to his cheek and lifting him up.
That wasn’t an act.
She was happy to see the little boy.
In one conversation, she woke a need within him that shook him to the core. All of his life all he’d ever really wanted was a family of his own, and yet he had nothing. No woman he trusted or even loved, no kids, nothing.
****
Temperance clapped her hands as Timothy went down the slide all on his own. She gave a little whistle and smiled. He jumped to his feet and ran back to do it all over again.
“What are you clapping for?” Wayne asked.
His arms were folded, and since their conversation that morning, he’d been really moody. She tried not to let it show for Timothy’s sake, but Wayne was really starting to piss her off. She hadn’t asked or even demanded that he be here with them. He wanted to come, had asked to come, and she’d seen the way Timothy lit up inside.
That boy wanted a father.
He wanted stability, love, and everything a child needed. What he didn’t need was mister grumpy pants spoiling the day.
“You can go back to the office, you know. Timothy and I can walk home.” He’d been determined to take his very flashy, very expensive car. She’d been so nervous to even move in case she cracked or ruined the fine leather inside.
Never had she been for a journey in a car that made her so damn nervous to even breathe. She felt for Timothy. The little boy had stayed perfectly still, especially as they climbed in, and Wayne warned them he’d just had the damn thing cleaned.
This was why she owned a cheap-ass car. First, there was less chance of it being stolen. It ran perfectly well, and she made sure it got its necessary checks, but it also wouldn’t gain any profit for anyone trying to sell it.
Also, she cleaned it with a soap that cost a couple of dollars, and one of those hand-held vacuums. She took care of kids who were known to get carsick. She’d never had a problem cleaning up her car, and she wouldn’t scream at a child if he decided her floor was the best place to land said sickness.
“I want to know why you’re clapping.”
She waved at Timothy, and then turned to the man beside her. “You’re spoiling the day. You wanted to come, and since you’ve been here all you’ve done is glare. Timothy wants to impress you, and all you’re showing him is what an ass you can be. Go back to work. You clearly miss it.”
Timothy had moved onto the swings. He looked toward her, shaking his head, which was his signal for her not to come and push him. Only when he was ready would he wave for her to go.
He was growing up so fast, and she loved watching him thrive.
“Love,” Wayne said.
She frowned, turning back toward him. “Excuse me?”
“That’s what I’ve always wanted, even growing up. I didn’t have parents like yours. They didn’t care about me. The room that I gave to Timothy had more in it than I ever knew. I didn’t have parents growing up, I had roommates. They didn’t care if I got fed, or what was happening. At Christmas time, there were never lots of presents waiting for me. I had nothing, and no one cared. All I ever wanted was love and to have a family of my own.”