Billionaire Boss, Holiday Baby

That was the problem with blurring the lines between business and his personal life. He couldn’t let himself be vulnerable. On the other hand, he would be lost without Dani’s help, so he didn’t really have a choice.

It was clear Dani hadn’t overstated her experience with children. She extracted the baby from the snowsuit, unfastened the romper and made quick work of replacing the baby’s extremely wet diaper with a clean and dry one. Fortunately, no poop...at least not yet.

Then it was everything in reverse. When they were ready to go back out into the cold, Dani hesitated.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Dani grimaced. “I’m wondering if we should try to feed her before we start walking again.”

Nathaniel brushed the back of his hand over the baby’s plump cheek. Her skin was warm against his chilled fingers. “I think she can make it. She’s a trouper.”

“Are you basing this on your personal DNA?” Dani asked wryly.

“I told you, she’s not mine,” he said sharply. “The only reason we’re taking her home is because of the storm and Christmas and the fact that every emergency worker in the city is covered in snow...literally.”

“Okay. Calm down.”

He bit his tongue to keep from making a cutting remark. Dani was helping him. He couldn’t afford to alienate her, and he definitely couldn’t risk wondering what it would be like to kiss her.

Outside, they faced the next hurdle. Three cars had slammed into each other right in front of the drugstore, effectively blocking the only exit from the parking lot.

Nathaniel cursed beneath his breath. “Well, that’s just great.”

“We can’t wait,” Dani said. “Besides, aren’t we close to your condo?”

“I don’t like leaving my car.”

She grinned. “Might be safer here than out on the road.”

He squared his shoulders. “I suppose so. I’d forgotten how insane drivers can be when this happens.”

To be fair, the streets were a mess. Road crews hadn’t been able to salt anything more than the interstates, and the swift drop in temperature had added a layer of icy danger to the situation.

In the short time he and Dani had been inside the store, the situation had grown exponentially worse. People in other parts of the country couldn’t understand, but Atlanta was particularly vulnerable to weather events like this one.

After retrieving their personal items from the car and consolidating their purchases, he and Dani struck out for the final leg of their journey.

They walked in silence, negotiating sidewalks they could no longer see and trying to move as quickly as possible.

Dani had the baby tucked inside her coat for extra warmth, which had to be a damned awkward way to walk. Nathaniel lugged the carrier and the supplies. When he offered to take the child after several minutes, Dani shook her head. “I’m fine.”

It was a miserable, soul-crushing slog through ice and snow. He could barely feel his feet. Dani must have been equally miserable, but she didn’t complain. Thank God they didn’t have far to go.

When they finally arrived at Nathaniel’s building, he had never in his life been so glad to see the doorman or the elaborately decorated lobby.

They dripped their way onto the elevator with Dani juggling an increasingly fractious baby. On the top floor, Nathaniel found his key, unlocked the door and ushered his unexpected guests inside. “Home sweet home,” he said.

* * *

Dani was frozen to the bone. Her feet had long since gone numb. Though her coat and boots were nice, they were never meant to trek through deep snow for any length of time. She had struggled to keep up. Nathaniel, by all indications, was naturally athletic. He probably played multiple sports in high school and college.

They took turns holding the baby while shedding their outerwear. Dani’s chic black dress was damp and rumpled. What she wouldn’t give for a roaring fire and a cozy robe.

At the drugstore she had paid for a handful of personal items just in case. It seemed unlikely she was going to make it home tonight, though she still held out hope. Right now, all she wanted was her own bed, a warm nightie and something fun to binge-watch on Netflix.

Now that she had stripped off her black tights with the silver sparkles and was barelegged, she began to shiver. Nathaniel noticed immediately.

“If you’re going to feed the baby, we’ve got to get you warmed up first. Come with me.”

Clutching the little girl like a life preserver, Dani followed her boss down the hall.

The first thing she noticed was that Nathaniel’s condo was three or four times the size of her own modest apartment. It was decorated in soothing shades of blue and gray with occasional pops of color. Coral cushions. An abstract painting that called to mind a Gauguin nude in the tropics. The space was silent and perfectly appointed in every way. Not a magazine out of place. No dirty socks.

Dani wanted to like Nathaniel’s home, but she couldn’t. It looked more like a magazine spread than a peaceful sanctuary at the end of a long day. She stopped in the doorway to his bedroom, unable to take another step.

Nathaniel, clearly unconcerned, rummaged in his dresser and came up with a pair of cream woolen socks and some faded gray sweatpants that looked ancient. He lifted one shoulder and lowered it with a sheepish grin. “I was smaller back in high school. These will still be too big for you, but at least they’ll stay up. I think.”

After that, he flung open his closet and found a soft cotton shirt in a pale blue. “Here we go,” he said triumphantly. “Will this do?” She caught a brief glance of neatly pressed dark suits and crisp white dress shirts before he closed the closet door again.

She nodded. “Of course.”

“Use my bathroom,” he said. “I’ll entertain the little one.”

Dani frowned. “What should we call her? The note didn’t say.”

“How about Munchkin? That’s generic enough, isn’t it?”

“What kind of mother leaves her baby in a snowstorm?”

“I think Ophelia was probably watching us from somewhere nearby. She’s a little weird, but not crazy enough to bring harm to a child.”

“Why would you get involved with someone like that?” Dani wanted to snatch the words back as soon as they left her lips. It was none of her business.

Nathaniel’s neck turned red. He avoided her gaze. “We weren’t exactly involved. It was more of a physical thing.”

“Casual sex.” She said the words flatly, oddly hurt to know that Nathaniel was no better or worse than any other guy.

“I think we should change the subject,” he said tersely. “Hand me the munchkin.”

Dani passed off the baby and scuttled past man and child, already regretting that she didn’t have the little girl for armor. Using Nathaniel’s bathroom felt oddly decadent and personal. Everything was sybaritic and gorgeous. Marble. Brass. And mirrors. Those mirrors were her downfall. She looked as if she had been on an all-night bender at the North Pole.

Wincing at her reflection, she quickly took off her dress. At least her bra and panties were dry. The sweatpants were fleece-lined, and the socks were thick and warm. The shirt was miles too big, but she rolled up the sleeves. Though she was still chilled, the borrowed clothes made her feel more human.

Nathaniel smothered a grin when she reappeared in his bedroom. Wise man not to make any smart remarks. She was in no mood to be teased about her appearance, especially when it was Nathaniel’s fault she was in this predicament.

“I bought a few bottles of premixed formula,” she said. “It’s expensive, but I didn’t want Peaches to have to wait any longer than necessary?”

“Peaches? I thought we were calling her Munchkin.”