Inherited:OneChild(10)

His arms.

"I have a strict policy forbidding interoffice fraternization."

"I don't work in your office." The instant the words escaped, she   inhaled sharply, aware of how much she'd given away with that single   thoughtless comment. "I mean-"

He cut her off without compunction. "That policy extends to all my   employees. I've never treated anyone who works for me with anything   other than complete and utter professionalism." He paused deliberately.   "Until today. Until you. Why is that, do you suppose?"

Her eyes darkened and she shook her head in open denial. "I have no idea."

"Yes, you do." He hadn't budged an inch, and yet for the first time   since they'd met, she took a step backward. "Something unexpected   happened between us. Something that caused me to ignore one of my   cardinal rules. Do you have any idea how unusual that is?"

"If CPS suspected we were involved, it would cause untold problems," she   was quick to say. "You can't afford to risk that, not if you're  sincere  about keeping custody of your niece."

"I'm dead serious."

"Then her needs must come first."

"I agree. But that doesn't change what happened today." He straightened   and took a step in her direction. "Nor does it change what's occurring   between us right now. If our reaction to one another is this bad after   one day, what will it be like after a week … a month … a year?"

"Stop it, Jack." He could see she wanted to continue her retreat, wanted   it with an intensity that flowed off her in hot, desperate waves. A   painful vulnerability settled over her, one that affected him more   profoundly than he thought possible. She held up her hand to halt his   forward progress. "Are you trying to convince me to quit? If that's your   goal, you're succeeding."

He shook his head. "I don't want you to quit. But I'm not going to   pretend that the attraction between us doesn't exist. In order to make   our relationship work, we have to deal with what we're experiencing and   decide how to handle it."

"Fine. That's easy enough." She sucked in a quick breath while   scrambling to take charge of the situation. Not that he'd let her. "We   ignore it. We are careful to never be alone together. And we absolutely,   positively keep our hands off each other."

"My hands were only a small portion of the problem."

Her gaze flashed to his mouth. "Hands. Arms. Lips. And every other part of your body."

He continued toward her, booting her chair out of his path. It skittered   across the flagstones with a squeak of surrender. "That's one option, I   suppose."

"Oh, God," she whispered. "Please, Jack. It's the only option. If we   can't control ourselves, I'll quit. I won't have any other choice. I   can't lose control. I can't. Not ever again." She ground into silence as   he halted a mere foot away.

Curiosity consumed him. "What happens when you lose control?" he asked softly.                       
       
           



       

To his concern, her chin quivered. "Nothing good."

"A lesson hard learned?"

"Exactly."

"Then I won't touch you first."

Jack hated making the promise. He was a ruthless man. A man who let   nothing stand between himself and his goals. A man who'd learned the   hard way to give no quarter. But a single anguished look from a pair of   tumultuous golden eyes had him relenting. Softening. Clearly, he'd lost   his mind.

Annalise's relief was palpable. "Thank you, Mr. Mason," she said formally.

He turned from her, furious with himself for not taking advantage of   what he'd been able to accomplish so far. Time was still of the essence.   He needed to move her from the role of nanny to the role of wife as   soon as possible. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to hurt her in the   process.

"No problem." He glanced over his shoulder, forcing out a teasing smile. "If you change your mind, feel free to say something."

Her mouth relaxed into a shadow of her old grin. "You'll be the first to know, I promise."

His cell phone vibrated and he checked the caller ID. "It's my lawyer,"   he explained to Annalise before distancing himself from her and taking   the call. "What's gone wrong now?"

"Aren't we in a glass-half-empty mood."

"Do I have reason to be?"

"Only if you haven't found someone," Derek admitted.

"I found someone." He spared Annalise a brief glance. She'd joined   Isabella beneath the tree, sitting close enough to participate in his   niece's play, without invading the little girl's territory. "The trick   will be keeping her. I may have pushed too hard, too soon."

"That's not like you."

"There's a reason for that," Jack responded wryly. Like having difficulty keeping his hands off her. "What's wrong now?"

"Actually, it's mixed news. I managed to postpone Mrs. Locke's next   visit. Told her you and the new nanny and Isabella were all going off on   a little trip together so you could bond."

Bond. The word continued to haunt him and had him clamping his back   teeth together. "I thought you said the news was mixed. That sounds like   good news to me."

"It would be if Locke hadn't also informed me that she plans to make a final report after her next visit."

"What?"

"Calm down, Jack. I'm going to fight it and I'm pretty certain I'll be   able to delay things again. But it would help if you had a loving wife   cum nanny in tow the next time the Locke woman comes calling."

"I'm working on it."

"Work harder. Does this one have the qualifications I suggested?"

"Yes. Not a lot of experience, but she does have the appropriate educational background."

There was a delicate pause, then Derek asked, "What's she like?"

Jack's focus strayed in Annalise's direction again. "Different," he stated succinctly.

"Good different?"

"Let's just say that our marriage won't be dull." A sudden thought   occurred to him. "Before I forget, I need you to contact our private   investigator and have her thoroughly checked out. I know he did a   preliminary run on all the applicants. Tell him to dig deeper on   Annalise Stefano. I don't want any surprises that might come back to   bite us."

"I'm on it. So, where are you going for your vacation?"

The question caught Jack off guard. "Come again?"

"I told Locke you were going away. That wasn't just hot air. You're going to have to actually do it."

"I can't afford the time right now." He felt like a broken record.

"Find a way." Before Jack could argue, Derek added, "What the hell do   you think will happen if Locke discovers you've been going into work?   She won't be happy."

"Damn it, Derek."

"It's either that or you take my earlier suggestion. Let Isabella go.   You can find a good home for her. Then you can give your business all of   your attention. You don't have to marry. You don't have to deal with   CPS. No more headaches. No more stress."

No more Isabella.

Jack closed his eyes. "Enough. I'll do it."

"Have a nice vacation."

Jack snarled a final comment before flipping his phone closed and   crossing the yard in long, ground-eating strides. Annalise and Isabella   peered up at him with identical looks of curiosity.

"Good news," he announced. "Pack your bags. The three of us are going on vacation."                       
       
           



       





Four




B right and early the next morning, Jack had all the luggage loaded and   Isabella and Annalise installed in the car. She turned to him as they   pulled down the driveway and smiled brightly.

"So, where are we going?" she asked.

He eased into the boulevard traffic before sparing her a brief glance.   "You'll be pleased to know that I took your advice. I've arranged for us   to stay at a small bungalow on the beach."

He was careful not to use the word vacation. When he'd said it the   previous day, Isabella had reacted with something approaching hysteria.   It wasn't until Annalise made the connection between the word and the   accident that had claimed the lives of Joanne and Paul that she'd been   able to figure out a way to comfort his niece.

Annalise grinned. "A bungalow on the beach, huh? Sounds fantastic."