Chapter 15: Fifth Avenue Fling: Chapter 15

My jaw hits the marble-tiled floor.

“Clodagh?”

I don’t know why it’s a fucking question. Maybe it’s to check if my brain is short-circuiting or if Clodagh really is sprawled naked in the tub.

“What the hell are you doing?” I growl, breathing hard.

She stares up at me, her face flushed. “I’m having a bath.”

My entire body stiffens in response. Half of me, the gentleman, is flustered, while the other half, the primitive caveman, is very fucking aroused at the sight of the pint-sized tattooed little vixen.

I try not to look at the water droplets trickling down her breasts. I try not to imagine biting and sucking on her hardening pink nipples as my hands run down her body to explore her sweet pussy.

What the fuck is she doing?

I would have noticed the bathroom door open, which means…

“You’ve been here this whole time?” I ask, trying to keep my gaze averted. “Let me get this straight. You were having a bath when I was taking a shower?”

“I couldn’t find a good time to tell you I was here,” she says in a strangled voice. “I planned to wait until you finished, then leave.”

Jesus Christ. She saw me pleasuring myself in the shower.

Arousal surges through me as my eyes slide back to her. All I want to do is make a reckless mistake, climb into the bath on top of her, and lick those water droplets off her creamy skin.

She rises to a sitting position, making sure her legs remain close together, and quickly moves her red hair to cover her exposed chest. “In my defense, I was here first.”

I glare at her in warning.

My cock swells again, heavy and thick from the naked nanny in my bathtub. In my shock at seeing her naked, I’d forgotten I’m naked myself.

“Put on your damn clothes,” I growl through clenched teeth, still half convinced I’m dreaming. “I’m late. We’ll have a meeting about this when I get home tonight.”

“Yes, sir,” she replies in a whisper.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and then storm out of the bathroom. It’s only then that I realize I’ve left my phone on the shower rack.

I’m heading for a goddamn lawsuit.

***

“Clodagh?” I shout, sliding the patio door shut. She’s nowhere on the first floor, and she’s late for our meeting. If she’s trying to provoke me further, it has the desired effect.

I came home early to deal with our little awkward situation before Teagan arrived home from school.

Now she’s not even here at the time I specified. My jaw clenches.

This afternoon was a write-off. I had lunch with a beautiful, intelligent woman, and all I could think about was Clodagh in the bathtub. I had to tell Maria that I was distracted by work.

I head for the stairs leading down to her studio apartment.

My nostrils flare when I hear a man’s voice from inside.

I knock hard on the door, and Clodagh answers.

“Killian.” Her gaze shifts quickly to the wall clock, and she takes in a sharp breath. The T-shirt she’s wearing slips off one of her shoulders. “Sorry. I lost track of time. I’ll be right up.”

My hackles instantly rise as I glance between Clodagh and Sam, who is casually propped against her refrigerator.

He straightens up, eyeing me sheepishly. “Boss.”

“I told you no men in the house,” I say frostily to Clodagh.

She stares up at me as if I’m deranged. “It’s Sam.”

“I know who he is.”

“He’s vetted. He’s your staff.”

My jaw tightens. Just because Clodagh caught me in a compromising position doesn’t mean she can talk back to me.

And maybe the idea of Sam being in her studio doesn’t sit well with me. “I told you not to distract my security, Clodagh. What are you doing here, Sam?”

Hurt blazes across her features.

“I was just getting rid of a spider for Clodagh,” Sam says, his intentions written all over his face.

“They’re huge in New York,” Clodagh adds defensively. “Gigantic spiders. They must be coming over from Central Park. I have a phobia because one time, in Ireland, I woke up to use the bathroom, and when I came back to bed, there was a spider on my pillow.”

I give Sam a hard look, ignoring Clodagh. “I don’t employ you to be an arachnid assailant for damsels in distress,” I say sarcastically. “I employ you to be my daughter’s security.”

“Yes, boss,” he mumbles.

“Teagan’s at school.” She glowers at me. “I think you’re overreacting.”

Is she deliberately trying to get a rise out of me?

“Go home, Sam,” I grit out as I yank open the door a bit wider. “Clodagh. Upstairs. Now.”

Her cheeks flush pink, but she nods and silently follows me up the stairs.

***

“What were you playing at?” I demand quietly as soon as she takes a seat in the lounge. Her legs cross at the ankles, her hands folded on her lap, and she sits up straight as if trying to find the most reverent position to appease me.

Her face falls in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t expect to find my staff hiding in the bath while I’m taking a shower,” I snap, picturing her small perky breasts in the bath. “If I wanted a voyeuristic nanny, I would have put it in the job listing.”

Her eyes widen in horror. “What? Seriously? All I wanted was a relaxing bath.”

“You have a bath in your own studio.”

“It doesn’t have all the different jet settings,” she huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. “I wasn’t planning on watching you! You shouldn’t even have been home at that time.”

“I can’t come home and take a shower in my own house?”

She hums in annoyance. “I didn’t expect you there. That’s all I’m saying.” She sinks farther into her seat. “I’m sorry I didn’t speak up when you came in. I just froze.”

“You should have told me you were there. You shouldn’t have allowed me to…” I run a hand over my jaw, recalling how turned on I was. “To do what I did.”

Her face turns bright red, and she looks away from me. The blatant reminder of what I did in front of her, of how hard I came in front of her. Because of her.

But it’s the last time. This needs to end now. I heave a sigh. “Even if I thought I was alone, I shouldn’t have acted on my impulses. It was undeniably wrong of me—I understand if you don’t feel comfortable here anymore and want to resign. Just know that you are safe.”

That would be the best course of action. If she quits, Marcus can hire a sensible replacement, one who won’t make my blood run hot.

“Resign? I’m not resigning.” She shakes her head so fiercely that her hair flies around her face. “Not a chance. I was just taken aback, that’s all. I just never thought you’d see me like that.”

“Like what?”

Her cheeks are now a flaming pink. “Hmm… a woman.”

My frown deepens. I can see it all over her face. She’s taking what happened and running with her version of events.

“This isn’t a love story,” I say more sharply than I intended. “Don’t misconstrue it. You’re an attractive young woman, and I am not immune to that fact.” Me and every fucking man on my security team based on the other night’s drama. “But you’re my staff. That moment was a mistake, one I won’t make again. It was inappropriate and foolish behavior on my part Something I’m not proud of.”

Her green eyes blaze. She stays quiet for a few moments before responding. “Got it. Don’t worry, Killian. I know I’m not your type.”

“I’ve no qualms about admitting that I find you attractive sexually. That’s where it ends. You’re my daughter’s nanny and my temporary domestic assistant albeit not a very good one.”

She tightens her lips. I may have overstated my point. “Understood, loud and clear. Sir.”

I sigh and step back from her. How would things have gone if I was ten years younger and had no commitments? “I hope I don’t need to remind you about your NDA. Anything that happens inside my house is not to be discussed outside.”

“Of course,” she says curtly.

“Good. I’m glad we understand each other.”

We gaze at each other in tense silence for a long beat. Her lips form a flat line. I know I’ve offended her; it’s written all over her face.

“Under my contract, I’m allowed to date,” she says in a clipped tone, standing up. “I’m just not allowed to bring guys back, right?”

“Correct.”

“And there’s also nothing in my contract forbidding me from dating security personnel, am I right?”

Where is she going with this? “Technically, it’s not against the terms.”

“So Sam and I can go out when we’re not working.”

My eyes narrow. “You and Sam can do whatever you want off the clock. Just as long as it’s not in my house.”

“Fine.” She juts her chin up. “I will.”

A strange feeling grips my chest. “You want to date Sam?” I snap.

“Maybe.”

My muscles tense. What the fuck is going on with me? “Don’t distract him when he’s working.”

She looks like she wants to reply with something snarky, but she holds back. “No, of course not,” she says with a slight edge in her voice.

She’s silent again, and I’m about to walk away when she asks, “I have another question. Can I get deliveries to the house?”

“Of course,” I say, relieved that Clodagh’s love life isn’t the topic of conversation any longer. “They’ll go through explosive checks by the team.”

Her mouth drops open. “I’m not a terrorist.”

“Then you’ve nothing to worry about. What are you getting delivered? Clothes?”

“No. Wood. I want to start working on a few things in my bedroom.”

“Fine.” I shrug.

“Is there anything else you need from me, Killian?”

If only you knew.

I meet her eyes and wave her off. “No.”

She walks off, leaving me with an unsavory image of a naked Clodagh doing woodwork in her bedroom.