Urgent: One Nanny Required (Crimson Romance) Read Online Free Page A

Hollywood was suffering a heat wave but this was something else and she was grateful for the air-conditioning in the terminal. Luckily, their luggage was the first to come through and grabbing both cases, she herded the jumpy cricket through the tunnel, waving their passports at the serious looking man behind the counter. The not-so-subtle “Welcome to LAX” sign and all the references to Hollywood left her in no doubt as to where she was.
    “Theo, let me know if you see your dad. Do not just run off. It’s very busy here,” she shouted above the din, hoping he heard and wasn’t nodding at something else.
    “Look — there he is!”
    She stood on tiptoes to look past the crowd. Then she saw him and her stomach took a dive.
    The stone wash denim jeans hung loosely on his tall frame, unlike the faded gray T-shirt which clung to him. His biceps bulged as he picked up tornado Theo, who had already launched himself through the air toward him. Hastily smoothing down her hair, she wished she had at least a breath mint on her. Damn! He’d spotted her and was making his way over, pulling Theo along as he went. The crowd seemed to part naturally for the tall, tanned blond hunk. And why wouldn’t they? He fit right in, whereas right now she was channeling more ugly duckling than elegant swan.
    “Hi Miss George. Nice flight?” His smooth voice, calming and frying her nerves all at the same time.
    “Belle was a little scared, but I helped her!” piped the small voice, who was already devouring the pastry his dad had handed to him.
    “Belle? I thought we were going to call her Miss George?” he knelt down to ask his son. The jeans held on more tightly to his butt then she thought they ought. Quickly diverting her gaze, she noticed a few other women had also noticed the jeans. And the butt.
    “Belle said I could call her Belle, not Miss George. Didn’t you, Belle?” Flaky pastry was dusted all over his face and she couldn’t help but smile at the happy, messy picture he made. “Yes, I did, Theo” she said, stepping back as Nick stood up, a little too close for comfort. “I’m not his teacher, so why bother with formalities.”
    “Well since we are dispensing with formalities, you best call me Nick. So should I call you Belle or Rania?” The straightforward question proved more difficult to answer than she would have thought possible, especially when it was accompanied by a megawatt smile. Giving herself a mental shake as she tried frantically to engage her brain, she smiled back determined not to let him see how he had thrown her.
    “Rania. Belle was the name of the family friend who owned the sweet shop that I took over after she died. Theo said I reminded him of Belle from
Beauty and the Beast
so it stuck. You know, the Disney cartoon.”
    Oh for the love of … He probably didn’t even know what she was talking about.
    “So that would make me the Beast?” he asked as his lips quirked up into a wry smile.
    She shrugged nonchalantly, “Seems so.”
    Much to her surprise, instead of being offended, he laughed, the happy sound strangely contagious and she grinned back broadly in response.
    “You must be exhausted. Let me get those for you. The car’s out front,” he said, gently easing the cases from her and wheeling them to the exit. Theo marched happily on the other side, leaving Rania to enjoy the view of father and son together from the back.
    She didn’t think it was possible, but it seemed to have gotten hotter from the time they arrived to the time they had walked through the terminal. Glad she had worn a dress, she fanned herself quickly, diving into Theo’s rucksack and pulling out a baseball cap and putting it on his head. First day in LA and sun stroke; not on her watch.
    A white Mercedes shone spotlessly in the LA sunshine and seeing the lights flash to signal it was unlocked, she opened the back door and settled a sleepy Theo in. Moving around to the other side as Nick stowed the suitcases, she