He needed answers and if he were being totally honest, revenge against whomever had killed Stacia and set Hunter and him up. But rapping with his son and Gabi first thing in the morning brought peace to some long-forgotten part of his soul. A part he thought had died a long time ago.
As Conner finished rapping about the fish and did his “gangsta” pose, Gabi applauded. The little boy looked as if he’d swallowed the sun. He wasn’t immune to Gabi, either.
Kingsley’s entire life had been set on course by the actions of someone else. His silver-spoon existence had been taken away but he’d done his best to claw his way back, and having Conner made it all the more important that he succeed. But when he stood here near Gabi he had a glimpse of a life that might have been. Something he could have had if life hadn’t been so cruel.
Damn. He was feeling sorry for himself and he couldn’t tolerate that.
“I can get Conner ready if you want to get dressed and then we can go have breakfast.”
“Yippee!” Conner said, dancing around.
“Okay, but isn’t this my job?” she asked.
Kingsley nodded. “We need to get your schedule figured out. I have a meeting this afternoon with a potential client and I have to fly out for a few days after that. But we can discuss that over breakfast. I did promise you’d have time to do your work, as well.”
Gabi crossed her arms under her breasts. He was trying to ignore how sexy she looked in a sleeveless navy blue T-shirt and a pair of long, flowing pajama pants. But he wasn’t doing a great job. Frankly, he knew that it was a cliché to hit on his son’s nanny, but in this case he’d known Gabi way before she’d been Conner’s nanny.
Still, he knew that hitting on her wasn’t going to go over well. And he was smoother than that. Really, he was. No matter how kissable she looked. In fact, she looked like the woman he remembered from college. She wasn’t wearing any makeup and the tough, businesslike facade she had worn yesterday was gone, leaving in its place a woman he wanted to cuddle up to.
“Why are you staring at me?” she asked as Conner went over to his closet to find his beach shoes.
“Because I want to kiss you.”
“You aren’t going to act on that, because the contract I sent over prohibits fraternization between the nanny and anyone in the house.”
“That’s why I struck that clause out. Whatever happens between us started a long time ago.”
Conner came back out of his closet.
“We can discuss this later. You aren’t going to get your way every time we negotiate.”
“We’ll see,” he said.
Gabi walked away and Kingsley watched as she firmly closed the door between her room and Conner’s.
“I like her,” Conner said.
“Me, too,” Kingsley admitted to his son. He helped Conner change and then supervised him brushing his teeth and washing his face.
He was always struck by how quickly Conner was growing. It wasn’t that long ago that Kingsley would have had to do both chores for him. But now he was independent enough to do them himself.
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Are you ready for breffest?”
“Yeah, Con, I am. Let’s go.” Kingsley reached out to his son and felt that tiny hand grip his so securely. Whatever went down in the next few months it was paramount to Kingsley that Conner—and by extension, Gabi—was protected. Obviously, some stray sparks had burned her when Stacia died. Finding Stacia’s real killer, clearing his name once and for all and making sure that justice was served...that was a tall order. But one that King and Hunter felt sure they were up to.
Hunter had heard that their old football coach had retired and was living in Carmel not too far from Kingsley’s new home. Hunter planned to visit the old man and see what he remembered. The party where Stacia was killed had been held at his home on campus.
“What time are you leaving today?” Gabi asked as he entered the kitchen. He noticed that she had a bowl of cereal and fresh fruit prepared for Conner.
Conner scampered up onto the bench seat and started eating.
“Not until this afternoon.”
“I need to run back to my office and sign some papers and I’d like to bring my assistant out here so she knows how to get here. It was a little complicated and Melissa isn’t the best with her GPS.”
Kingsley was irritated. He wanted Gabi here. That was what he’d paid for, but he was aware of how well saying something like that would go over. He needed her and he was willing to let her go for now. “Okay, but I want lunch, just you and me. Mrs. Tillman will watch Conner. We need to get a few details settled before I leave.”
“What details?”
“We can discuss it at lunch,” he said. He wanted to be alone with Gabi. He didn’t question it. He’d been operating by his gut for a long time and it hadn’t let him down—except for that one night with Stacia.
He was determined to put the past to rest and to make things up to Gabi. But he knew deep inside that it was her icy exterior that made him want to do it. He wanted to crack through it and find the young woman who’d been so in love with him that she’d come to visit him in jail.
* * *
Gabi had done her best to avoid Kingsley and she felt like a coward. But standing on the threshold of the terrace in the sun with the gorgeous view of the Pacific in the background, she was almost glad she was here. She’d come out here not just to be a nanny to Conner, but also to put the past to rest for once. Her mother was always keen to point out that she kept all men at arm’s length.
She dated.
She was a woman and had needs and got tired of her own company, so of course she’d been out on dates and even hooked up occasionally. But she had yet to be with a man for more than one night, and she had studied enough psychology to recognize that pattern for what it was. Kingsley had left a part of her scarred when he’d rejected her.
So she was here in part to heal. To somehow bring closure to that one-night stand they’d had and hopefully make it possible for her to have a real relationship and give her mom those grandkids she was desperate for.
“I wasn’t sure you’d come.”
“Why not? I like to eat just as much as the next person.”
“This isn’t just about the meal. You’ve been avoiding being alone with me since you moved into my house,” he said.
He wore a pair of perfectly tailored dress pants and a button-down shirt that had been cut to his size. Kingsley wore his wealth well. And she had to admit that she admired him for it. She was sick of seeing men in baggy jeans on the streets. Kingsley took pride in his appearance and she liked it.
She’d worn a sleeveless sheath dress in turquoise that her mother had told her brought out her eyes. Her mom spent a lot of her time making sure Gabi was presentable to the world.
Kingsley led the way to the table and held a chair out for her. She sort of regretted missing dinner last night. She’d feigned sleepiness and gone to bed early. But she’d needed time to shore up her barriers. To focus on what was important—the kids who’d get the playground that his fee was paying for. Conner, who needed a nanny focused on the job of caring for him and not his superhot dad. And rebuilding her shattered feminine self-worth. That was why she’d stayed away, but today, with the sun shining and Kingsley sitting next to her looking as though he’d stepped out of one of her dreams, it was hard to remember any of that.
“Why