Maureen Child - Cinderella & the CEO (Silhouette Desire)

H i, Im your new housekeeper.

Tanner King looked the woman up and down, then once more, taking in her lush curves, heart shaped face and full lips. Late twenties, he guessed, she had long, blond hair tumbling around the shoulders of her yellow T-shirt and her faded jeans hugged her short, shapely legs like plastic wrap on a new CD. Her pale blue eyes sparkled and when she smiled, a dimple winked in her left cheek.

His body stirred and he shook his head, both at her and at the completely physical response the woman engendered. No, youre not.

What? She laughed and the sound of it rolled up and over him, sending blasts of heat through his body so fast, Tanner thought it had been way too long since hed been with a woman.

He shook his head and said, Youre no housekeeper.

One of her blond eyebrows lifted. And you know this because

Youre not old enough, for one.

Well, she said, as nice as that is, I can assure you I am old enough to clean a house. So who were you expecting? Mrs. Doubtfire?

He instantly thought of that old comedy with the man dressed up like a fat old woman and nodded. Yeah.

Sorry to disappoint. She grinned at him and that single dimple of hers made another appearance.

Oh, she hadnt disappointed. That was the problem. There was nothing about this woman that was disappointing. Except for the fact that there was no way he was going to be able to hire her. He really didnt need the kind of distraction this woman so obviously was.

Lets start over, she said, holding out her right hand. My names Ivy Holloway and youre Tanner King.

It was a long second or two before he shook her hand and quickly let her go again. He didnt much care for the buzz of something hot and sinful that had zipped up the length of his arm the moment he touched her. Which was proof enough to him that this was a bad idea.

Nothing had gone right since he had moved into what should have been a perfect house two months before. Why he was surprised at this latest setback, he couldnt say.

Sunset was spilling over the valley, twilight shifting slowly to night and the womans soft, blond hair lifted with the cool breeze sliding off the mountain. She was watching him as if he were from Mars or something. And he supposed he couldnt blame her.

This is what happened when a man with a penchant for privacy moved to a tiny town where everyone knew everything about everybody. He had no doubt that the town of Cabot Valley was curious about him. But he was in no hurry to satisfy that curiosity. Hed come here hoping to find some peace and quiet where he could work and be left the hell alone.

Of course, the peace and quiet thing had already disintegrated. He lifted his gaze to the borders of his property where acres of Christmas trees spread out as far as a man could see. It looked placid. Serene. And was anything but. Frustration simmered inside him briefly before he deliberately tamped it down again.

Look, he said, moving to block the doorway by slapping one palm on the doorjamb, Im sorry you had to come out here, but youre not exactly what I was looking for. Im happy to pay you for your time.

In Tanners experience peopleespecially womenwere always willing to be paid off. Former girlfriends received tasteful diamond bracelets and housekeepers who would clearly not work out could get a nice check. No harm. No foul.

Why would you pay me when I havent worked yet?

Because this is not a good idea.

You dont need a housekeeper? she asked, folding her arms beneath her breasts and at the same time lifting them high enough that he couldnt ignore themnot that he had been. Her breasts were round and full and the tops of them were just visible over the neckline of that T-shirt. Oh, hed noticed.

Of course I do.

And your lawyer hired me for the job. Whats the problem?

The problem, he told himself, was that he hadnt been specific enough when his best friend and lawyer, Mitchell Tyler had offered to hire him a housekeeper. It was Tanners own damn fault that he hadnt told the man to make sure the woman he hired was old and quiet and well past tempting.

Tanner was already behind on work thanks to all the disruptions around here. He didnt need yet another distraction right under his nose all the time.

And Ivy Holloway would definitely be a distraction.

While he was lost in his own thoughts, the woman ducked beneath his arm and scooted into the house before he could stop her. There was no way to get her out again without just picking her up and carrying her. It wouldnt have been difficult. She was small enough that he could toss her over one shoulder and have her across the porch, down the steps and onto the lawn in a few seconds. But as if she knew just what he was considering, she walked further into the main room. Then she stopped and turned a slow circle, taking it all in.