Jaimie, a tall redhead wearing tight jeans and a red leather jacket, gasped. “Oh, he’s darling!”
Darius dryly said, “We think so, too.”
He walked from behind the desk over to the playpen. “Would you like to hold him?”
Jaimie turned and smiled at Darius. “Yes!”
He directed her to take him out of the playpen and she eagerly did so. But he also watched her like a hawk. Through the one-hour question-and-answer session, Jaimie didn’t miss a beat, but Darius still didn’t seem to like her.
When tall, blond, gorgeous Liz Pizzaro arrived, Darius brightened.
“Come in!” he said, rising from the leather sofa where he’d been sitting to chat with Jaimie.
Whitney’s chest tightened oddly. It was such a cliché for the woman of the house to be jealous of the nanny that she refused even to let her thoughts wander to the possibility.
“That’s Gino,” Darius said, pointing to the baby who was now growing restless in the playpen.
Liz didn’t wait for an invitation. She reached in and lifted Gino out and into her arms. “What’s the matter, little guy,” she crooned.
Gino screeched. But Liz only shook her head and smiled. “He’s tired. Yet he’s not very fussy. I’m guessing he’s a really good baby.”
Darius laughed. “Well, we think so, but we’re prejudiced.”
Liz jostled Gino and made him giggle. “Daddies are supposed to be prejudiced, aren’t they?”
Darius winced. “I’m Gino’s half-brother. Not really his dad.”
Liz blinked innocently. “Of course, you’re his dad. I can tell by how protective you are that you take the job as his guardian seriously.” She smiled. “And that’s what dads do.”
Whitney suppressed her own smile. She didn’t even have to wait for Liz to leave to know what Darius’s choice would be.
“Gino just seemed more comfortable with her.”
She nudged his foot with the toe of her high heel. “It didn’t hurt that she called you Gino’s daddy.”
Darius raised his eyes until he snagged her gaze. “Is that so bad?”
Whitney’s heart expanded to painful proportions. “No.” Guilt assailed her. It suddenly seemed abundantly wrong to take Gino away from Darius, even for visits. Yet it seemed equally wrong for her to simply drop her life and move in with a man she barely knew.
There didn’t seem to be a middle of the road to this problem unless Darius could mend the rift with his brothers and get close enough to them to ensure that Gino wasn’t his only family.
SUNDAY NIGHT, when dinner was over, Whitney rose from her seat and motioned for Darius to follow her.
“I took the liberty of having my secretary gather some information about your bothers, just to get some background details.”
Darius also rose from the table. “You investigated my brothers?”
“No. I just had my secretary run a quick search. I told her to get only background information. Nothing serious. Just enough that we would know some basic things.”
His eyes narrowed. “I have no desire to poke into my brothers’ lives.”
“We’re not poking. We’re just looking. Lawyers never go into a courtroom or a meeting unprepared.”
“CEOs don’t go into meetings unprepared either.”
She turned and smiled. “Exactly. So my secretary got enough background information that we won’t feel at a disadvantage when they’re here.”
They stepped into the office. She directed him to sit on the sofa in front of a low coffee table. Carrying the thin file she retrieved from the desk, she followed him and sat beside him.
The second she sank into the smooth leather, his nearness overwhelmed her. He’d taken a walk outside after spending time with Gino when they got home from work and he smelled like fresh air and baby powder. A week ago that would have sent her into a tailspin of despair. Today, it only reminded her that she was attracted to this man. It didn’t scare her. It didn’t make her crazy. It was simply a fact.
She licked her suddenly dry lips and forced her mind back on the info her secretary had found.
“Okay. We’ll do Cade first.” She glanced down and read aloud, “Cade Andreas, age thirty-one, net worth—” She paused, forcibly told herself not to gape, and read the number on the page.
Darius snorted. “I see that little oil thing worked out for him.”
She cleared her throat. “Yes. I guess it did.” She returned to her reading. “He’s a loner who doesn’t really socialize too much, except with the employees of his ranch.”
“All of which I already knew.”
“Okay.” She rifled through the sheets until she came to the first page for the information on Nick. “How about this? I’ll read Nick’s sheet. You read Cade’s. If either of us finds anything noteworthy we’ll tell the other.”
Darius leaned back, got comfortable and began reading.
Whitney almost mimicked him, until she realized that leaning back into the soft sofa they’d be side by side, almost touching. Sort of close and cuddly.
Arousal sparked, sharp and sweet, at just the thought. It leaped through her, awakening the more dangerous longings. To be held. To be loved. But, luckily, her common sense rose up. It might not frighten her anymore to be attracted to Darius, but a relationship between them wasn’t practical. No matter how much they now understood each other, they still had a baby to raise together. If they tried a relationship and it didn’t work, Gino would suffer.
So she leaned forward, away from him.
“Here’s something interesting. Cade is married.”
That perked up her senses. “Really?”
“Yes.” He glanced up at her, obviously confused. “But he didn’t bring a wife to the funeral.”
“Do you think he’s the type to leave his wife at home?”
Darius shrugged. “Who knows? A man who says ‘sticks in my craw’ could do just about anything.”
“Should we plan for a wife?”
“Nope, if he didn’t mention bringing a guest, I’m not planning for her.”
“Okay.” She went back to her reading, then had a change of heart. “Maybe we should plan for a guest.”
“We have plenty of extras. If we need something Mrs. Tucker will find it.”
“You’re sure?”
He pierced her with a look. “Positive.”
“Maybe we should check?”
“No. He should have told us he’d be bringing a guest. Since he didn’t, I’m not going out of my way. If he wants to be inconsiderate that’s his choice.”
At his snippy tone, Whitney laughed. “I see that hits a nerve.”
He set the paper down again. “It doesn’t hit a nerve. I think he has the right to behave however he wants to behave, but if the tables were turned I’d be more considerate. That’s why I don’t expect a lot out of him. Frankly, I’m surprised he’s interested in Gino. He’s busy with his oil company. He’s got a ranch so big I’m not sure even he knows