Desire Collection: October 2017 Books 1 - 4. Maureen Child

asked. “I’ve had a nap. It’s your turn.”

      “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

      “If you say so.”

      An awkward silence fell. Maybe he was wrong about the movie.

      He debated his options. The next move could make things better or worse. It surprised him that he couldn’t predict the outcome. In a business negotiation, he would have known. But not now.

      “Dani?”

      “Hmm?” She stared at the fireplace, her expression pensive.

      “Do you mind grabbing something from my office? I don’t want to move and wake her.”

      “Of course.” She hopped to her feet. “What am I looking for?”

      “A large box on the far side of the wooden file cabinet.”

      “Got it. Back in a flash.”

      When she returned, she was carrying the package he had tried so hard to wrap artistically. The result looked even more amateurish now. “Thanks,” he said.

      “What did you do, Nathaniel? Buy her a four-foot teddy bear? This is heavy.”

      He shrugged. “It’s for you. Merry Christmas, Dani.”

      She froze, her gaze panicked. “Oh, no. I have nothing for you. This is entirely inappropriate. I appreciate the gesture, but I can’t accept.”

      “You don’t even know what it is,” he said, his tone mild. He knew if he pushed too hard, she might grow even more stubborn in her refusal.

      Her hand smoothed the bright red paper, almost a caress. “It doesn’t matter what it is,” she said. “You gave me a Christmas bonus at the party Friday.”

      “It’s not a present from your boss,” he said, losing patience. “Open the box.”

      “So it’s not from you?”

      Was she deliberately misunderstanding him, or were they fighting some war he wasn’t prepared to engage in? “Yes,” he said, jaw clenched. “It is from me. To you. Man to woman. Not boss to assistant.”

      Dani set the box on the floor and curled her legs beneath her. “Did you get whatever this is before we had sex last night?”

      “Well, of course, I did,” he said unable to hide his irritation. “We’ve both been a little busy since then.”

      She studied his face, her expression earnest. What did she want from him?

      “I don’t think I can accept a present from you, Nathaniel.” Her tone was apologetic. “It’s a lovely thought, but under these circumstances, I think it would muddy the waters.”

      He counted to ten and then to fifteen. “Dani...”

      “Yes?”

      Why did she have to look at him like he was an ogre? What did she think he was going to do to her? Lock her up in a harem?

      “Open the damned box. Or you’re fired.”

      “Fat chance,” she muttered. “No one else would put up with you.”

      Apparently losing his temper had convinced her. Strange woman.

      She picked at the paper like a Depression-era housewife planning to reuse every scrap of paper and tape and ribbon. The whole process was so slow, he wanted to bellow at her to hurry. It took a great deal of self-control to keep his mouth shut and let her finish.

      When she finally removed the box lid and lifted the tissue, her mouth opened in a cute little O of surprise. “Nathaniel. What is all of this?”

      * * *

      Dani didn’t know what she had expected. Truthfully, she had handled the gift with all the finesse of a bomb squad technician defusing a dangerous device. She didn’t want gifts from Nathaniel. Not when their current situation was so remarkably out of control.

      Once she had folded back the tissue, she simply stared at the contents, lifting one thing and the next in amazement. Nothing in the box raised any red flags. If anything, the individual items were extremely practical and thoughtful.

      Nathaniel watched her, eagle-eyed, making her uneasy. “Well,” he said gruffly. “What do you think? It’s not the most exciting present in the world, but you strike me as a very practical woman. Who knows if you’ll be able to get back to your apartment before you go to see your family. I tried to think of everything.”

      Everything was not an exaggeration. Inside the large, deep gift box was a collection of the most elegant clothing and toiletries Dani had ever owned. Dressy black pants in warm wool crepe. A red cashmere V-necked sweater. Two bras and several matching panties, more on the practical than sexy side, but very expensive.

      Beneath that were designer jeans, casual tops, elegant sets of flats in black and taupe. Tennis shoes. Socks. A whisper-soft nightgown and matching robe in the palest ivory.

      And then the cosmetics, glory be. Cleanser and lotion and mascara and everything else a woman might need to dress herself up for the holidays.

      “How on earth did you manage this, Nathaniel?” She stared at him in amazement. “I know you work magic in the business world but this is incredible, even for you.”

      He shrugged, but she could tell her reaction pleased him. “I have a business associate whose wife works at Neiman Marcus. I called her first thing yesterday morning and told her what had happened with the blizzard and being stranded. I explained in general terms what I wanted to give you. She made it all happen.”

      “In the snow.”

      “Yep. I was very persuasive.”

      “This must have cost a fortune.” She frowned slightly. “The snow was going to melt eventually. You know this wasn’t necessary.”

      “It was necessary,” he said forcefully. “Your holiday plans were wrecked. You’ve had to help care for a baby who is not yours. You’ve worked out grocery lists and prepared wonderful meals. This was the least I could do.”

      Dani set the heavy box aside and went to crouch beside his chair. “Thank you, Nathaniel,” she whispered, her throat tight with emotion. Clearly he had gone to a great deal of trouble. The sizes were all correct, too. “For a man who bears a remarkable resemblance to Scrooge, you’ve done a lovely job with this Christmas surprise.” She kissed him softly on the cheek. “I don’t know what to say. I’m touched.”

      He grumbled beneath his breath. “Babies sure as hell cramp a guy’s style.”

      She grinned. “You were hoping my gratitude would translate to sex?”

      “Nothing quite so crude.” He winced. “But I did hope you wouldn’t be mad at me anymore. I want you to be happy, Dani.”

      She noted that he didn’t add the words with me. Maybe she was being too picky. “I am happy,” she said quietly, brushing a lock of his hair from his forehead. He was holding the baby and couldn’t respond physically, but his gaze seared her with its intensity. “Do you mind if I go take a shower and try on some of these things? I can’t wait. Not that I don’t appreciate the loan of your wardrobe,” she said hastily.

      He chuckled softly, caressing her visually, giving her goose bumps. “You look fine to me just like you are, but sure. Knock yourself out.”

      Dani practically danced down the hall. After two whole days of feeling grubby and unsophisticated, she was finally going to be able to meet Nathaniel on level ground. After a super quick shower during which she kept her hair dry, she put on the new undies and tried the red sweater and black pants. Everything fit perfectly.

      Instead of twisting her hair up in a messy knot, she took the time to brush it over and over again until it swung thick and shiny at her shoulders. Too much makeup seemed like overkill at this point, but she