Strange flutters burst to life in my belly.
First-day jitters, I told myself.
“Morning.” I pushed through the weirdness and gave him a small smile. “I was just making the kids’ lunches.” Moving past him, I returned to my spot at the island.
“Good morning. What did you make?” Suddenly I felt the heat of him at my back as he looked over my shoulder.
He smelled good. Not spicy or musky or “cologney.” He smelled fresh and citrusy. So he was a body wash over cologne kinda guy, huh?
Regan, stop thinking about how good he smells.
“Uh … peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.” I half glanced over my shoulder. “Is that okay?”
“They’ve never tried them together like that. It’s an American thing. So we’ll see.” He thankfully moved away, but only to open the fridge and return with two different yogurts. I finally looked up at him and found myself caught in those amazing eyes.
Why had I not noticed how truly spectacular those eyes were?
I really wish you’d stop noticing now!
“Strawberry for Eilidh.” He handed me a yogurt. “Or raspberry or anything with berry in it. No peach, no banana, no vanilla or chocolate … and nothing with bits in them.” His eyes danced with humor. “Eilidh has an issue with food textures.”
I grinned, putting the strawberry yogurt in her lunch bag. “Noted.”
“Lewis will eat anything, but right now he’s on a chocolate pudding kick.” Thane gave me the little pudding cup. “If he doesn’t stop eating them soon, though, we’ll need to force switch him back to a healthier option.”
“Okay. I can do that. What else should go in?”
He reached for his coffee, and my gaze followed the movement. His large hands looked strong, his skin naturally olive-toned, long fingers but big knuckles, veins popping across the top. I wondered if his forearms were veined and strong too.
More flutters in my belly. I guiltily looked away.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
I had a thing about nice hands on a guy. Nice hands turned me on. And Thane’s were just about the nicest, most masculine pair of hands I’d come across.
They’re just hands.
And he’s your boss.
And stop thinking the word hands!
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
“You okay?” Thane asked.
“Huh? Yeah. Of course, why?”
He studied me with narrowed eyes. “Because you didn’t respond to my answering your question.”
Oh my God.
That’s right, Regan, zone out on the first day on the job. “I’m sorry. What was your answer?”
Thane frowned. “You’re sure you’re okay? Did you sleep well in the annex?”
“Like a dream,” I assured him. At his continued frowning, I didn’t want him thinking I was a flake, so I blurted out, “I was staring at your hands.”
His lips parted in surprise. “What?”
Oh, Jesus. Well, you’ve said it now! “The reason I didn’t hear your answer was that I noticed you have … hands.”
Amusement lit up his blue eyes, and I could tell he was struggling not to laugh. “That’s right. I do have hands.”
Flushing with embarrassment, I rolled my eyes at myself. “Right. You have hands. I meant you have nice hands.”
“I have nice hands?” he repeated, still scrutinizing me with a sexy smirk on his beard-surrounded lips. I really wanted to take a trimmer to that thing.
Realizing I was staring at his mouth, I flushed harder and looked down at the kids’ lunches. With a blasé shrug, I replied, “I notice nice hands on people. Probably comes from my god-awful attempt to draw them for about a year of art class in high school. Hands are hard.”
“Hands are hard.” I didn’t have to look at him to know he was laughing at me.
“Anyway, you were saying about the kids’ lunches?”
“Well, hang on a minute.” He stepped closer and held out his left hand before us, his fingers splayed. “Are they nice enough to do some modeling, do you think?”
I gave him a pretend dark look at his drollness.
His eyes sparkled down at me. “Do you think I should start wearing gloves? Are my hands a danger to people’s libidos? Am I causing unwitting chaos every time I bring these puppies out? I mean, if people start daydreaming about them, like you just did, while they’re in a car with me, it could—”
I shoved him playfully. “Shut up!”
Thane gave a bark of attractive laughter, winked, and set his coffee cup down in the sink. “There are snack packs of fruit in the fridge. Grapes for Lewis, raspberries for Eilidh. Stick those in. Fruit juice packs are in the pantry. I’m going up to wake them before I leave.”
As he took the stairs two at a time, I tried to ignore the uncontrollable butterflies in my belly.
“Oh, hell,” I muttered under my breath, hanging my head in despair.
Ten minutes later, Thane returned downstairs, and I tried to be more professional. “If you let me know what time you get up in the morning, I can make your coffee so it’s ready,” I said as he filled a to-go cup.
“Thanks, but no need. Just switch the coffee machine on.” He disappeared down the hall and returned a minute later in a fitted leather jacket that was just so yum—
Looking away, I focused on cleaning the kitchen. “I had a coffee. Hope that’s okay.”
“Of course.” He approached, forcing me to look at him. I kept my expression blank and didn’t stray from his face. Not that it helped with my sudden problem. “Help yourself to whatever you like. And if the kids are not down for breakfast in ten minutes, go get them. Sometimes Eilidh needs help to get ready in the morning too.”
“No problem. I’m going to braid her hair today. Maybe a fishtail—or a mermaid tail, as Eils prefers—or I could do a braid crown …”
He didn’t ignore my inane rambling. In fact, he didn’t seem to find it inane. His expression softened. “I don’t know what that is, but I’m sure she’ll love it.”
Oh, boy, the tender look was even worse than the laughter.
“Okay, you better go, right?” Go, leave, now!
“Breakfast: cereal. No need to get fancy. I always treat them to a big breakfast at the weekend. Cereal is in the pantry. Lew likes Corn Flakes, no sugar. Eilidh likes Froot Loops.”
“Got it.” I gestured toward the door. “I have everything handled, I promise.”
Thane frowned. “We haven’t gone over your domestic duties.”
“Do laundry, clean house, cook dinner, right?”
“Right.” He eased backward. “But just lightly dust in my office. I want nothing moved.”
“You got it.”
“And Eilidh likes her bears arranged on her bed and around her tepee exactly so.”
My mouth trembled with laughter. “She and I will have a good talk about that.”
His eyes widened, as if a thought just occurred to him. “The kids are learning to clean up after themselves, so if their rooms are a bomb scare, no dessert after dinner. That’s the rule and they know it.”
“Good to know.”
“Lachlan should have a car for you in the drive, and Robyn said she’d guide you to the school so you know where you’re going.”