The Nanny And Her Scrooge. Deanna Talcott

veins, yammering in her ears, making her feel weak, dizzy.

      The kiss was so good that she nearly forgot why she was there and what his intentions were. His palate offered an intoxicating mixture of chocolate, wine and cherries. The combination of chocolate and wine was as seductive as an aphrodisiac; the tangy hint of cherries on his tongue left her craving more.

      The kiss became fervent, demanding. Seconds ticked away before he expertly pulled back. Even then, his mouth still teased hers, his nose ending the intimacy with a tempting Eskimo kiss.

      Nicki struggled to open her eyes, and a sigh involuntarily rippled through her. Her reflexes tightened as he released her, and she was vaguely conscious that her fingertips were biting the shoulders of his tuxedo.

      A low sound of approval rumbled through Jared’s chest. Then he chuckled, effortlessly lifting her, his strong arms still twining at her back. “You,” he whispered, “are an amazing actress.”

      Actress? What was he talking about? Nicki thought woozily. Hearing an edge to his voice, she desperately tried to focus. His face floated over hers, and her attention centered on the cleft in his chin, the jutting angle of his jaw. Above, his brow was shadowed, his mud-dark gaze perceptive.

      The realization hit her like a dash of cold water. He thought she was trying to seduce him!

      The scenario, unbidden, rolled through her head: Winter Park’s most-sought-after bachelor routinely fought off the advances of every gold digger within a five-hundred-mile radius. He thought she was one of those!

      “I—I was only trying to make things look…genuine,” she said, leaning back into his supporting hand and trying to put some distance between her chest and his. “At your request.”

      His gaze bored into hers, but his mouth twitched indulgently. “Yes. Well, it was a convincing performance. I can’t fault you for that. Maybe I’ll have to give you a bonus.”

      A feeling of helplessness, even defeat, washed over her. How was she going to work for this man if he second-guessed everything she said, everything she did? And it was insulting, for him to think everything she did was based on money. “Jared, this isn’t going to work. I know what you’re thinking and—”

      He seemed to anticipate her objections before she uttered them. “Shh,” he interrupted. “It’ll be fine. This is just a one-time thing, and we both know it. So what? I was the one who ordered up the command performance,” he admitted, lifting a shoulder. “Don’t be so defensive about kissing me back.”

      He had picked up the beat of the music and they were dancing again, smoothly and without a hint of hesitation. Nicki had followed his lead, and hadn’t even realized it. “I wasn’t kissing you back,” she hissed, talking into his shoulder so no one could see or make out what they were saying to each other.

      “Really? So you didn’t enjoy it?”

      A cold, hard feeling settled in the pit of Nicki’s stomach. She never had been good at bold, outright lies. Stretching the truth a little, like playing the part of Santa Claus or filling in as Jared’s current love interest, was entirely different. “Keep in mind,” she said finally, “that I’m only doing my job.”

      “And let me just say, my little Saint Nicholas, that you do it very well.”

      Amusement flickered behind Jared’s eyes, and for an instant Nicki wondered if he was baiting her. She’d never admit that his kiss had left her shaken. If anything, he’d simply caught her off guard…because she certainly wasn’t attracted to him. She liked good, solid men. Men who worked hard, played hard, and were committed to a strict set of values. Jared Gillette had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth—he had no idea what the real world was about. He had no idea what it felt like to hurt.