The grip on her hand tightened.
This wasn’t happening. No way could an attraction form so quickly, be so intense. She’d been convinced the tension and fascination was one-sided. Apparently not.
Darcy swallowed, wondering what he was thinking, feeling. She didn’t want the awkwardness to settle between them. This was only day one, though, so she’d chalk it up to them getting a feel for each other...not the chemistry that was growing and already causing problems.
“Do you want to give me a tour of the house?” Darcy asked, needing to remove herself from temptation.
Colin blinked, dropped her hand and nodded. “Of course. I also wanted to let you know that if you need an evening off to go out or have some personal time, just give me notice. I don’t expect you to put your life on hold and work twenty-four hours a day.”
Laughter bubbled up and Darcy couldn’t keep it contained. Colin’s brows drew together.
“You find that funny?”
Waving a hand in the air, Darcy shook her head. “I have no social life. I won’t require any time off.”
He tipped his chin down slightly, causing a longer strand of dark hair to fall over his eye as he studied her. “You keep surprising me.”
Besides his striking looks, Colin had a voice that would make any woman tremble with need. She didn’t want to tremble, didn’t want to have any type of unexpected attraction toward this man or any other. From here on out, until her agency was back in business, Darcy vowed to stay focused. No men, regardless of how lonely she was. She didn’t need someone to complete her, not by any means. But there were those nights she missed being held, missed the powerful touch only a man could provide.
“I’m really pretty simple,” she told him. “My work keeps me happy so I don’t need anything else.”
“What about friends? Boyfriends?”
Okay, that wasn’t subtle. Was he asking as an employer or as a man?
Pulling her self-control up front and center, Darcy stepped away from him and headed out of the kitchen. “How about that tour while Iris is sleeping?”
* * *
Two weeks and a great deal of sexual tension later, Colin led Darcy down the hall toward the back of the house, well aware of her closeness behind him and even more aware of the unspoken attraction that seemed to be hovering between them. He’d been struggling to keep any emotions hidden. He didn’t want her to look at him and see any sign of lust. Colin had no room for such things, not when he and his daughter were desperate for help.
But each time he’d seen Darcy with Iris, something had moved in him. Something he couldn’t identify. He assumed at this point she had no boyfriend. She’d made no mention of one even though she’d never come out and answered him when he’d grilled her on the subject her first day.
She’d managed to put him in his place without a word. Fine. He didn’t have time to get involved in her personal life and he sure as hell shouldn’t want to.
Earlier today, when he’d mentioned working out, he’d seen a brief interest pass over her face. He figured if he showed her the gym and they both made use of it, maybe they could work through...whatever this was brewing between them. He couldn’t speak for Darcy, but fourteen days of strain and sexual tension was taking its toll on him.
Colin headed toward the back of the house where the first floor bedroom had been turned into a gym. He’d specified to his designer all the equipment he’d need to continue his therapy on his own and to keep in shape. He had to keep his workouts inside now since his injuries prevented him from going out for a run or rock climbing. He’d never rock climb again. His one main passion in life had been stolen from him.
Shoving aside unwanted anger and frustration, Colin eased the French doors open and stepped inside.
“I know you’re busy with Iris, but I wanted you to know this is available to you any time you want to use it. I have weights, a treadmill, elliptical, bike, all top of the line.”
“Wow, you certainly take the meaning of home gym to a whole new level.” Darcy glanced through the room and smiled. “I’ve never had much time to devote to a workout before.”
Colin didn’t think she needed to work out at all, but he wanted to extend the offer since he’d been using the gym and he hadn’t invited her to make use of the space yet. Darcy’s shapely body was perfect from every angle...and he’d studied it at every opportunity since the moment she moved in.
“You’re more than welcome to everything in here if you decide you’d like to try,” he told her.
“I’ve never used any of these machines before,” she muttered. “But I’m sure I could muddle my way through.”
Or he could offer to show her.
Colin cursed himself. If they were both going to use this space, he knew they had to do so at different times. The last thing he needed to see was a sweaty, flushed Darcy because that would conjure up a whole host of other images and fantasies.
At this point, he had to get something out in the open. They’d gone two weeks with passing glances and innocent touching as they worked with Iris. Each day he found it more difficult to quash his desires. And Darcy was a damn good nanny, so getting rid of her was not an option.
“I need to be honest with you,” he told her.
Tucking her long hair behind her ears, Darcy nodded. “Okay.”
“You’re a beautiful woman,” he began, hoping he wasn’t making a mistake. “There’s a pull between us and I don’t think I’m being presumptuous when I say that. However, I plan to remain single and I have every intention of keeping our relationship professional.”
Darcy’s mouth had dropped open. For a moment he wondered if he’d gone too far or if his imagination had taken over.
Upfront and honest was how he preferred everything. Okay, obviously there were exceptions since he was keeping a colossal truth from her. But his royal status wouldn’t affect her life. She was a nanny, she’d get paid, they would part ways in less than six months and their personal lives could remain private, for the most part.
“Then I’ll be honest, too.” She laced her fingers in front of her and lifted her chin. “I won’t deny the attraction. I mean, you have to know what you look like, but that’s just superficial. I still don’t know you very well because you’re so quiet and brooding, but my main focus is Iris. I promise I’m not here looking for anything other than a job. I’ve had enough difficulties in my life the past few years. Does that help ease your mind?”
Part of him wanted to know what she’d been through, but the other part told him to shut up and deal with his own issues. Had she just called him brooding? He suppressed the urge to smile at her bluntness. Admiration for this woman who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind mixed right along with his arousal where she was concerned. The combination of the two could prove to be crippling if he didn’t keep a tight rein on his emotions.
Still, Darcy wasn’t like any woman he’d ever known. She wasn’t blatantly sexual, she wasn’t throwing herself at him even though she’d admitted to being attracted, and she’d been in his house ample time to try her hand at seduction. Not once had she come out with skimpy pajamas or purposely been provocative to try to capture his attention. Perhaps that was just another reason he found her so intriguing and refreshing.
Would she be so controlled if she knew who he really was, how much he was worth?
Being a member of royalty had always made him an instant magnet for women. His late wife hadn’t cared about his status, which was one of the things that had initially drawn him to her. But then reality had hit, and the accident that nearly claimed his life wedged between them at the same time she’d discovered her pregnancy. Months of stress and worry had torn them apart and for once in his life, money couldn’t fix his