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Authors: Karen Erickson
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Matty reacts when you leave him. How can you desert him, Paige? He adores you.” Matteo shook his head.
“Please don’t say that. I’m not deserting him.” Her eyes filled with tears and she blinked them back. Damn it all to hell, his heart softened, and he refused to feel sorry for her. She wanted to leave him. “You know I can’t stay here. It’ll be too hard.”
“Why?” he practically growled. “What will be too hard?”
“Being near you. Knowing I—I shouldn’t be with you.” She swiped at the corners of her eyes with both hands, trying to stop the tears that slowly slid down her cheeks. “It’s too difficult, Matteo, and such torture. I’m so afraid. What if we became a couple and then eventually we break up? What if you find someone else and I have to watch you…watch you fall in love with her?”
Swallowing hard, Matteo shook his head. He didn’t want to hear this. He didn’t want to face the harsh, cold realities. “You worry too much.”
“Someone needs to. What would our potential relationship do to Matty? He’d see us together and then when we’d split and I would disappear…that might devastate him, especially after the loss of his mother.”
He was floored. She was bravely laying it all on the line. Declaring her feelings for him while he’d rather hide behind his gruff exterior and claim he didn’t want to touch her for fear of a sexual harassment suit down the line. Or worse, that it was just flat out wrong, with she being his son’s nanny and he being her boss.
But really, he was afraid. Afraid that what they shared could turn into so much more, and that scared him more than he cared to admit.
“We could try,” he started, his voice soft, but she cut him off with a glare.
“We shouldn’t. It’s not what you really want. And I shouldn’t want it either.” She pushed away from the table and stood, grabbing her notebook, bending over so she could snatch the pen from the floor. When she stood, her gaze met his, the beautiful blue-green depths turbulent. Full of defiance. He’d done this to her. Pushed her to the edge until she felt as if she had no choice but to leave. “I’m going to bed. Since you already know my secret, I have a nine o’clock interview tomorrow morning. I arranged it so Matty will go on a play date with his friend Nathan. His family lives in the building, you’ve met the parents. I won’t be gone long.”
“Should I consider this you giving me notice, then?” he bit out, the words taking everything from him just to say.
She stared at him for a long, quiet moment, her lips tight, her gaze narrowed before she nodded once and offered a quiet, “Yes.”
And with that, she walked away, exiting the kitchen without looking back.
Disappointment settled low in his gut. He was losing Paige. And he wasn’t trying to stop her from going.
Chapter Six
Paige sat on the floor of her room, methodically going through her clothes. Her suitcase lay open on her bed, two drawers she’d pulled completely out of the dresser rested on either side of her. Even though she didn’t have the new job yet and Matteo hadn’t told her otherwise, she knew deep in her heart she was unwelcome in the Renaldi household.
She had exactly what she wished for. So why did she feel so empty inside? So lost?
Frowning, she stood and started shoving everything into her suitcase. It didn’t matter if it was folded or not, all her clothes were going in there. Piled on top of each other, pairs of socks falling to the floor. She bent over and grabbed them, tossing them one after the other.
There wouldn’t be a trace of her left in this place. She wouldn’t allow it. If he couldn’t so much as say more than one stupid sentence to her when she told him she wanted him, then she couldn’t stay. The man was in complete denial, stubborn beyond belief. He made her so angry she wanted to smack him.
And then kiss him.
Emitting a frustrated little growl, she went to the top
“Please don’t say that. I’m not deserting him.” Her eyes filled with tears and she blinked them back. Damn it all to hell, his heart softened, and he refused to feel sorry for her. She wanted to leave him. “You know I can’t stay here. It’ll be too hard.”
“Why?” he practically growled. “What will be too hard?”
“Being near you. Knowing I—I shouldn’t be with you.” She swiped at the corners of her eyes with both hands, trying to stop the tears that slowly slid down her cheeks. “It’s too difficult, Matteo, and such torture. I’m so afraid. What if we became a couple and then eventually we break up? What if you find someone else and I have to watch you…watch you fall in love with her?”
Swallowing hard, Matteo shook his head. He didn’t want to hear this. He didn’t want to face the harsh, cold realities. “You worry too much.”
“Someone needs to. What would our potential relationship do to Matty? He’d see us together and then when we’d split and I would disappear…that might devastate him, especially after the loss of his mother.”
He was floored. She was bravely laying it all on the line. Declaring her feelings for him while he’d rather hide behind his gruff exterior and claim he didn’t want to touch her for fear of a sexual harassment suit down the line. Or worse, that it was just flat out wrong, with she being his son’s nanny and he being her boss.
But really, he was afraid. Afraid that what they shared could turn into so much more, and that scared him more than he cared to admit.
“We could try,” he started, his voice soft, but she cut him off with a glare.
“We shouldn’t. It’s not what you really want. And I shouldn’t want it either.” She pushed away from the table and stood, grabbing her notebook, bending over so she could snatch the pen from the floor. When she stood, her gaze met his, the beautiful blue-green depths turbulent. Full of defiance. He’d done this to her. Pushed her to the edge until she felt as if she had no choice but to leave. “I’m going to bed. Since you already know my secret, I have a nine o’clock interview tomorrow morning. I arranged it so Matty will go on a play date with his friend Nathan. His family lives in the building, you’ve met the parents. I won’t be gone long.”
“Should I consider this you giving me notice, then?” he bit out, the words taking everything from him just to say.
She stared at him for a long, quiet moment, her lips tight, her gaze narrowed before she nodded once and offered a quiet, “Yes.”
And with that, she walked away, exiting the kitchen without looking back.
Disappointment settled low in his gut. He was losing Paige. And he wasn’t trying to stop her from going.
Chapter Six
Paige sat on the floor of her room, methodically going through her clothes. Her suitcase lay open on her bed, two drawers she’d pulled completely out of the dresser rested on either side of her. Even though she didn’t have the new job yet and Matteo hadn’t told her otherwise, she knew deep in her heart she was unwelcome in the Renaldi household.
She had exactly what she wished for. So why did she feel so empty inside? So lost?
Frowning, she stood and started shoving everything into her suitcase. It didn’t matter if it was folded or not, all her clothes were going in there. Piled on top of each other, pairs of socks falling to the floor. She bent over and grabbed them, tossing them one after the other.
There wouldn’t be a trace of her left in this place. She wouldn’t allow it. If he couldn’t so much as say more than one stupid sentence to her when she told him she wanted him, then she couldn’t stay. The man was in complete denial, stubborn beyond belief. He made her so angry she wanted to smack him.
And then kiss him.
Emitting a frustrated little growl, she went to the top
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