“No boyfriends?”
“Lovers?”
“None,” she said.
“Really?”
“Do you find that hard to believe?”
He leaned back and smiled. “I do.”
“There’s no one, Mr. Dark.”
“Call me Hawk.”
“Hawk, is there anything else?”
“We have family get-togethers. Other clubs come and join in the fun. I’m going to need you here for those to keep an eye on Bethany. You’re not allowed to date any of the club brothers while you’re in my employment, or even to date. If you decide to date someone outside of the club, I want to vet him first.”
“Wow,” she said. “That’s a very strange arrangement.”
“My kid, my rules.”
“Okay. I can handle that.” It wasn’t like she was dating anyone right now. She tried to think back to the last date, and it had to be well over a year now since that disaster. She’d been content to be on her own.
“Yeah, I want you to start immediately. Will that be a problem?”
Staring down at the little girl, she couldn’t help but smile. Who could resist such a charming child? “I’ve got no problem with that.”
“Awesome. How do we do this?”
“If you call the agency they will handle all the details and contract and stuff. I’m going to at least pack a few things. Would that be okay?”
She stood up and her heart melted as Bethany snuggled in against her.
“Will I be meeting her mother?”
“Her mother’s dead.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m not. The woman was a waste of space. We’ll come with you. I came in my car so we can get your stuff and then I’ll take you to my place.”
“You don’t need to do that. I can pack something and drive to your place if you give me the directions.”
“Not happening. Another condition is you’re going to have to do as I tell you.”
“I’m not a child.”
“My house. My baby. My rules.”
She stared at him. She hated to admit it, but she was a little turned on by the fact that he had his rules and was taking charge.
“Fine. I just didn’t want to put you out of your way.”
“You won’t.” He grabbed the baby bag.
A biker with a baby bag was the hottest thing she’d seen all year. He wore his leather cut, but there was no denying his thick muscles.
She normally didn’t go for a guy with a beard, but his made him look ruggedly handsome. Dangerous. Deadly.
Get a grip.
Following him out of his office, she saw several of his members waiting. Some of the women were pretty much naked, walking around in their underwear. She was sure she saw a guy being serviced by one of the women in the back of the club.
Note to self. Buy sanitizer for whenever she visited the club, not that she’d be visiting it often.
This wasn’t a social call.
She put Bethany into the car seat and climbed into the back.
Hawk didn’t question her as she settled in, buckling her seatbelt. She was a little nervous at how she reacted around him.
He was the first man in a long time that she couldn’t seem to … ignore. Pushing some hair off her face, she glanced out of the window, trying her hardest not to look back at him, even though she really wanted to.
Every now and then, she looked toward him, wondering what he was thinking.
“We’ll have to take those groceries with us,” he said. “Some of them would spoil.”
“Yes, they will.”
She’d never been good at conversation.
It was one of the reasons she loved spending time with kids. They were happy to talk about anything. The movies they watched. The food they ate. The bubbles they made in the garden, or even the fact they went to the potty.
She never talked about her bathroom breaks with anyone.
There were limits to what she would share.
“Do you have any other children?” she asked.
“None. Bethany is all I have. Have you always taken care of kids?”
“Yes. When I was married I worked in a nursery, but for the most part I’ve been a nanny. I love it. I love looking after children.”
Fortunately, the journey wasn’t that long, and as he parked up, she opened her door.
“I’ll be down in a minute.”
She rushed up the flight of stairs to her own apartment. Her hands shook a little as she opened up her door.
This was a new chapter in her life.
She was going to be a nanny for a biker.
It was a little surreal.
A lot surreal, actually.
Especially as she was having some dirty thoughts about said biker.
Throwing some clothes into a suitcase, she grabbed the perishables into a couple of bags and closed the door behind her. She’d come back and get the other stuff she’d need. The furniture came with her apartment, and as she’d be renting it out, she wouldn’t need to worry about it.
Making her way down to the car, she saw Hawk standing outside the car, smoking a cigarette.