As confused as ever, Millie carefully removed the teat from the baby’s mouth. His stomach pleasantly full, he blinked his eyes and focused on her. And then he smiled. A lopsided, not very confident smile, but a smile nevertheless, and the nanny gave a short laugh.
‘He’s never done that before. He’s never smiled at anyone. Can I have a cuddle?’ She scooped the baby from Millie’s arms and the baby’s eyes flew wide and then his face crumpled. ‘Oh, gosh, forget it.’ Pulling an exasperated face, the nanny lowered the baby back into Millie’s arms.
Costas immediately snuggled close and fell asleep.
The nanny rolled her eyes. ‘Well, now you’re stuck,’ she said dryly. ‘If you move, he’ll wake up.’
‘I don’t need to move. I’ll just stay here with him.’
‘You’re just going to sit holding him? That will get him into bad habits.’
‘Since when is enjoying a cuddle a bad habit?’
‘When it stops him wanting to sleep in his cot. You should put him in there and let him cry,’ the nanny advised firmly. ‘Let him know who’s boss. It’s five o’clock in the morning. Don’t you want to go back to bed?’
To do what? Lie awake, thinking? Going over and over everything in her mind? She could do that here, cuddling the cause of her dilemma. ‘I’m fine here.’
And she thought she was fine until the door opened and Leandro strode into the room.
‘Oh!’ The nanny flushed scarlet and gave an embarrassed laugh, the way women often did when they laid eyes on Leandro Demetrios. Then she tweaked her uniform and smoothed her hair. Millie didn’t blame her. Women did that too, didn’t they? She’d tweaked her uniform and smoothed her hair every minute of every day they’d been together. The only difference being that her ‘uniform’ had been the designer clothes he’d bought her. Not that any of them had helped. The truth was that no amount of straightening and smoothing had transformed her into something that had looked good alongside his extraordinary looks.
Last night he’d been very much the dominant husband but this morning he was all billionaire tycoon. Smooth, sleek, expensive and indecently handsome. Everything about him shrieked of success in a realm above the reach of ordinary mortals, and Millie took one glance at the elegant dark grey suit and knew that he was off on one of his business trips.
‘I need to talk to you before I leave for my meeting.’ He turned and delivered a pointed glance at the nanny, who took the hint and melted away, closing the door behind her.
Millie was willing to bet she was standing outside it with her ear pressed to the wood. ‘She has to go.’
In the process of looking at the baby, Leandro frowned. ‘Go where?’
‘Just go. The nanny. I don’t want her looking after the baby.’
Millie curved the baby against her and fiddled with the blanket that covered him. ‘She’s a gossip and her only interest in Costas is that his mother is dead and his father is a billionaire.’
‘Whoever I appoint can’t fail to be aware of the rumours surrounding this baby.’
‘I agree, but she showed no warmth or care towards him. And she doesn’t even like babies—she said she prefers them older. And even then she just sticks them in front of the television.’
‘Fine.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘You want me to fire her, I’ll fire her.’
‘No. I’ll do it,’ Millie said firmly, and he lifted his eyebrows.
‘You?’
‘Yes.’
Leandro gave a disbelieving laugh. ‘I’m seeing a totally different side to you today. I wouldn’t have thought you were capable of firing someone.’
‘It depends on the provocation. I’m thinking of Costas and what he needs. He doesn’t need someone who is going to think about his parentage all the time. He needs someone who likes him.’ She scanned Leandro’s immaculate appearance. ‘It’s five in the morning. I can’t believe you have a meeting at this hour.’
‘I have a breakfast meeting at my offices in Paris. My pilot is waiting.’
‘Of course he is.’ Millie gave a weary smile. Other people queued for a bus. Leandro had a pilot waiting for his instructions. It was a reminder of how different their lives were. His house contained a pool, a spa, a media room and an underground garage complete with car lift, and everything was automated.
Millie thought of the tiny flat she’d been renting since she’d walked out a year earlier. If she wanted light, she had to press a switch, and even then it didn’t always work because the electrics were so dodgy.
Leandro was frowning impatiently. ‘Why was the baby crying?’
‘I don’t know. He hasn’t had a good night. And neither of the nannies you appointed could get him to take the bottle. And having met one of them, I’m not surprised.’