Page 46 of The Billionaire's Virgin

Chapter Fifteen

Reed

I kept looking towards the door, waiting for her to show up. I had been calm on the phone, but the truth was I was worried. Of course it was Sofia; it had to be, right? Who else would have started following Taylor after she had started working for me?

“Daddy?”

“Yes, honey?” I asked, turning to Jenna.

“You’re not paying attention,” she said accusingly.

I sighed. “I know, sweetheart, I’m sorry,” I said, deciding to just be straight with her. “Daddy has a lot on his mind right now.”

“Because of me?” she asked, sitting up.

“No,” I said quickly. “Not because of you at all. It’s just…”

“Work?” Jenna asked. “Because you haven’t been working so much.”

She was a perceptive child, but sometimes I overlooked just how perceptive she could be. I smiled at her and kissed her forehead. “I like the fact that I haven’t been working as much lately,” I said. “It means I get to spend more time with you.”

Jenna smiled brightly. “I like it too.”

“Why don’t you watch this movie in my bedroom?” I suggested. “You can have the big bed all to yourself.”

“Really?” Jenna asked. She loved my room, but she rarely got to play inside it.

“Yes.” I nodded, glancing towards the door again. “And afterward we’ll have a special dinner.”

“Pasta and tater tots?”

“Sure.” I nodded. “Sounds delicious.”

Jenna gave a little jump and headed straight for my bedroom. I followed her there and set up the movie for her. When she was settled on my bed with her attention on the movie, I went back to the living room and picked up my phone to call Taylor.

“Hello, Taylor?” I said the moment she picked up. “Where are you?”

“Just entered the building,” Taylor replied, much to my relief. “I’ll see you in five seconds.”

Soon after, Taylor entered the apartment and rushed towards me. “Are you all right?” I asked.

She didn’t answer me. She just walked right up to me and hugged me. I was frozen for a moment, and then I returned her hug. We had been careful in the last month about boundaries, especially given the kiss we had shared in the hospital. We were always polite to one another, but I made sure to keep my distance so that Taylor didn’t feel like I expected anything… extra from her.

I had taken pains to be respectful and mindful of her privacy and her sense of personal space, but there were moments when I wondered… would she be offended if I kissed her again? It was obvious now that we had a connection, sometimes it was so glaring that it even caught me by surprise. But I had to keep reminding myself that she was Jenna’s nanny and I couldn’t go there.

But in weak moments, I let myself go there: what if we attempted a relationship? The image I saw in my head was nothing less than perfect. Taylor loved Jenna and Jenna loved Taylor. If we were to go there, it might actually benefit Jenna to see me in a healthy and happy relationship. There were times when I would get home, and the two of them would be in the kitchen cooking or in the living room playing games and the scene was so familial that for just a moment I could imagine what our life might be like, if we decided to take the risk.

I knew it wasn’t as simple as that, however. This was my side of things. I had no real clue what was going on in Taylor’s mind. The fact that she had stayed with us even after the kiss was a good sign, but that didn’t necessarily mean she was interested in me like that.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

She didn’t let go of me immediately, and I didn’t mind one bit. She felt so good in my arms, and it was harder than I thought to have to resist the urge to kiss her.

“I’m… okay.” Taylor nodded, as she dropped her arms and broke our embrace. “I think I’m just a little… shaken.”

“Naturally.”

“I… why would anyone follow me?” Taylor asked. “I’m a nobody.”