2. Lexi

Please don't let Holden wear a tight button-down, and his eyes that probably pop with a forest-green shirt with jeans.

I stare up at the clouds in the sky at seven in the morning, as if someone is listening and can save me. Please just do that, I wish. Nor can he wear that cologne that is crisp to the nose. And as an extra hope, maybe he got rid of that wave of brown hair that I want to rake my hands through.

Anyone in the sky, please. I beg of you.

Holden must know that I'm here, as the security guard of the subdivision let me past the gate to a street with gorgeous lake houses. I raise my finger to press the doorbell, but before I can touch the button, the door soars open, catching me by surprise.

My eyes drop to a little boy that is the spitting image of Holden. His face is soft as he stares at me, then the corners of his mouth hitch up. He's a lot taller than I last saw him when he was maybe two or three.

"You're pretty." He smiles.

"Uh… thanks." I return his smile, as he is cute.

"Don't throw your charm at our guest." Holden arrives behind his son and sets his hands on Harry's shoulders, and oh no, it's a white t-shirt today, giving me a glimpse of the muscles on his arms. "Hey, Lexi, come on in."

I follow and take in my surroundings of a big modern house with an open staircase. It's all industrial feel and clean, with the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lake. Holden continues to walk toward the kitchen, and I seem to follow in tow.

I'm always up for spontaneous adventures. It's why I've spent time traveling and going where life takes me. If there is something I like, then I make a point not to hide it. I'm not a shy person in the slightest, nor am I afraid of many things.

Walking into Holden's house after he got my pussy excited yesterday? This has me slightly nervous.

"Are you sure this a good time to talk about the Dizzy Duck?" I ask, skeptical, as Harry hops up onto the stool at the kitchen island.

Holden opens a cupboard to pull out a box of cereal. "I don't have many options today. I need to head down to Bluetop to sample new wines at the Blisswood winery for our new cellar at the Dizzy Duck," he explains as he hands Harry the box of chocolate cereal. "Besides, I lost a nanny last week, so I need to get the kids to school."

I blink a few times, attempting to absorb the situation happening around me.

"Lori, on the double," he calls upstairs.

"You'll have more luck calling her on her cell," Harry says with a full mouth.

Holden drags a hand through his hair. "Except, she lost phone privileges due to yesterday's little stunt." Holden looks in my direction, as if it's normal that I'm here. "Coffee?" He points to the machine.

I haven't even taken my coat off. "Uh, no, thanks. Again, are you sure about right now?"

His chuckle is low, humorous, and sexy as hell. "No choice, remember? Now tell me the game plan." He grabs a carton of juice. "Lori!"

I shake my head, accepting that this is how this is going to go. "So, uhm, I need a room to keep samples to compare to the existing fabrics and colors. I'm thinking we need to minimalize the use of carpet and focus on area rugs and use bright wood for the walls."

Holden checks on his son who is chomping away. "Lori, seriously, we have twenty minutes!" His attention returns to me. "Timeline?"

I survey the scene of chaos then question the thought in my head about why Dad Holden makes my stomach tighten below my navel. "Right, timeline. We will start with the lobby, which could take a week if we have the right team of contractors. It's just that furniture orders can take a while."

"We'll pay for priority orders," he notes.

"The bedrooms will take the longest, as we will give the larger rooms more of a luxury suite feel. I think the rooms will need a month. We can work in a wave so you still have a few rooms available at all times."

"Great."

Is he even listening?

"Are you going to say yes to everything?" I wonder.

Holden's eyes slice straight to me as he pauses in preparing his kids for their school day. "Probably. I'll trust you with this, just tell me when the budget goes haywire." His gaze snaps to the clock on the oven just as a girl with braids set on the top of her head passes me and grazes my arm without concern.

"I'm here. Can I have my coffee now?" Lori slides up onto a stool next to her brother.

Holden smirks to himself. "No, because you're only twelve."

She scoffs. "So unfair. I'm no longer a kid."

He gives her a doubtful look. "Oh, I know. You've been trying to prove that for weeks. Hence, why we lost the nanny last week."

"Ugh, not my fault. She wouldn't let me have my space," Lori protests.

"She was nice," Harry voices his opinion.

"You both put her bras in the freezer," he deadpans, and my eyes bug out. Then Holden smiles tightly. "Well, we get nobody new since the wonderful antics of you two have gotten us banned from the agency list." I'm beginning to feel awkward standing here. Then Holden remembers I'm present and his demeanor returns to normal. "You have the budget, and the contractor will meet you later today to go over initial ideas."

"Great," I say flatly because I'm still trying to digest this show in front of me.

Lori glares at me. "Who is she?"

"The hotel's new interior designer. You don't remember her, but you've met her before when I played on the ice up in Michigan for the Golds. She's Coach Moore's daughter," he explains.

I give her a weak smile and a curt wave which causes her disdain to intensify.

"Fantastic. Another one to put you on a pedestal," she says sarcastically.

Holden brings his hand to the back of his neck and tries to de-stress with utter failure.

"I need my recorder for school. We have music class today," Harry reminds Holden.

Holden now rubs his hand over his face. "Maybe… in your room or the TV room? Check there."

Harry stands up, ready to search. "Don't forget my lunch." Harry runs off while Holden looks like he is about to melt in frustration.

"Fuck me, lunch making. What the hell goes into that? The nanny normally did it," Holden says to himself, and he massages his temples.

"Well, look at that. Someone curses and sets a perfect example for his kids," Lori berates him.

My eyes gawk because this girl has some attitude. Now I understand why Holden is about to lose his cool on a daily basis.

"Okay." He snaps his fingers. "Let me think. What does the nanny throw into a bag?"

Really? How does he not know? It's simple logic what a child eats for school lunch. Isn't it?

Ah damn, I shouldn't get involved, but I know Holden well enough, and I'm bold in my life encounters, not always needing approval. Which is why I step forward and walk straight to him then search for the lunch bag and spot it near the fruit bowl. I'm going to assume Lori buys her lunch at school since there's only one bag.

He doesn't seem to notice what's happening, as he is in a daze. "So yeah, just do what you need for the Dizzy Duck. I want to have a reveal in a few months and invite a few photographers and writers for blogs and magazines."

I throw an apple into the bag then grab bread from the bread box. My eyes scan the kitchen for where a knife might be. Maybe I should be questioning what I'm doing more, but thinking can happen later. "In the moment" is my philosophy. But I should examine why I'm working in sync with the man in the room.

"We're still on the deadline that you indicated originally?" Now I'm the one caught in an odd moment of multi-tasking.

"Three months," he states while I pull out a peanut butter jar from a cabinet.

Spreading jam and peanut butter on bread, I continue our conversation. "Fine. We should have weekly meetings to check in, too."

"Sounds good."

Now I'm attempting to find some other snacks. I spot the pantry and head straight there. Opening the door and walking in, I examine the shelves then find a granola bar, water bottle, and small bag of crackers shaped as fish.

We say nothing as he watches me, unsure what is transpiring. After tossing everything in, I zip the bag then pass it to Holden by slamming it into his chest. "Here. How can you not know how to make a school lunch?" I'm brazen with my astonishment.

His eyes are saucers, unprepared by my tone of slight disapproval.

Harry walks to his father and takes his bag, oblivious to who worked their lunch-making magic and assuming his dad suddenly became a sandwich wizard. "Thanks. I'll meet you in the car."

Holden and I seem to be in a stare-off, ignoring his children as they slide backpacks off chairs and walk toward the hall where I think the garage is.

I cross my arms, not sure why I'm not afraid to level with Holden, even if he is my semi-boss.

"Wow. Someone isn't afraid to be bold." His eyes remain locked with mine.

"I'm not some shy girl, if that's what you remember of me. In fact, I've never been scared of everything I do in life," I defend, speaking my mind.

He scoffs before his tongue darts out to sweep across his bottom lip. "Everything?" The innuendo is there, I'm not reading it wrong.

Heat swims through me. I wasn't thinking about the broader spectrum of everything, including the X-rated kind, but it's also the truth. Standing taller, I will own this moment. "Yes, everything."

Holden snickers. "Thanks for the insight, and just FYI, I know how to make a lunch. You've just caught me on a day when my mind is somewhere else, and last time I checked, we're all allowed to have one of those mornings. Come on, meeting done. You can leave via the garage." His tone is curt before he turns on his heel, and yet again, I trail along, not sure if I pissed him off.

But then halfway down the hall, he stops in his tracks, causing me to bump into his back and get a whiff of the cologne that I'm sure will soak into my coat fabric. His instant turn brings us close, with our bodies brushing as his eyes dip down, and I peer up.

"You owe me," he says, his tone serious.

I frown in surprise. "I owe you?"

"Yep." His P is sharp. "Remember, one of us has an IOU, and it isn't me." I'm confused, and he must see it. "I believe I was out with the team once, and I caught you at the bar when you were twenty and you were attempting to buy a drink with your friend. The bartender was about to card you, but I stepped in and told him that you were a friend of mine so he wouldn't ask."

I do remember now, but still my mouth opens at the ridiculousness of this. "And?"

"I joked that you owe me, and you agreed."

"That was said in jest," I rebuff.

His finger comes up to wave side to side as he shakes his head. "Nope. In your appreciative state, you asked the bartender for a pen then wrote on a napkin." He pretends to search his memory. "Oh yeah, ‘I owe Holden West a favor one day, signed Lexi Moore.'"

Crap, it rings a bell and is something I totally would do. "What? Nobody would take that as fact. It was having fun in the moment," I justify.

Holden gives me a satisfied smirk. "Putting it in writing kind of cements it. So, Lexi, I'm calling in that favor now."

My entire face squinches from adjusting to the feeling that he isn't joking one single bit, but still I play along. "What might that be?"

"I don't think staying at the hotel for so long is ideal, especially with the room next to yours getting a leak fixed. It could get loud. Treat the hotel more like an office."

"And? Where do you suggest I stay?"

The lines of his mouth stretch so far that his wide smirk nearly makes me want to swipe it off his face by any means possible because it's infuriatingly annoying, cocky, and a little too sexy for seven in the morning.

"My guesthouse."

My entire body must show that nothing about that sentence feels normal. Especially as his tone is so simple.

"Why would I do that?" Because seeing him a bit more than I should feels kind of dangerous.

"That favor you owe is the reason. You can pick up Lori and Harry at school for me once in a while, maybe even do a few drop-offs. I need to find more permanent help, but I have to find a new agency that doesn't know the history of the employment turnover in my house."

I'm nearly dizzy from shaking my head. "No." I continue to shake. "I'm not a nanny, and that's more than one favor."

"You owe me, and we'll count this as the IOU," he repeats.

Returning to a normal stance, I hold my hand out low. "Here's you helping me buy alcohol when I would have charmed my way with the bartender anyways." Then I bring my hand up high. "And here's you asking me to drive your kids around. Not exactly even on the favor front."

Holden tsks. "Lexi, if you could have charmed the bartender, then why didn't you?"

"Because it wouldn't have been as enjoyable. It is by far better to say a 27-year-old pro-hockey player bailed me out. My sorority sisters had a thing for you." I'm maybe too honest around him.

"Well, you did rely on me, so a favor owed is where we are. Plus, with all the redecorating happening, then I could use all the extra rooms I can get for guests, and not to mention that your dear old dad mentioned you were once an au pair in England. See? You love kids. There are many reasons why this isn't a big deal. I might even throw extra budget your way for redecorating and give you a reference for an upcoming hotel deal that I might have."

My eyes widen, and my hip tips out with my arms crossing over my chest. "Bribing me now?"

"Call it extra incentives for following through with your favor. So, what will it be, Lexi?"

Hearing my name on his tongue seems to swirl desire, and everything about him in this moment is a turn-on. I don't need that. My brain even bypasses his mention of extra budget and references, which is an added bonus for my dream job. I desperately need a clear mind to get out of this situation.

But that's not in my cards today. Instant clicks with people are a weakness to me and always sink me into full commitment mode.

Because I blurt out, "Fine."

What the hell? I'm free-spirited, but this? I clearly don't have the backbone to use a one-syllable word that begins with N.

My finger comes up to point to him, as I feel the need to justify my impulsive decision. "I'm doing this because I'm a good Samaritan to civilization and a caring, thoughtful person. Not to mention I hate being bored, and I doubt that happens here."

He claps his hands together with an overdone smile. "Wonderful. You just dropped into my life when a hotel refresh is essential and I still need to balance my little heathens, aren't they cute?"

My fingers come up to rub my temples. "This is…" I have no words.

That exhilaration inside of me bubbles again, especially when Holden steps once forward and it closes our space. "Totally not a good idea, but I'm kind of out of other options right now." He's straightforward, at least.

"Wonderful. Bad ideas," I deadpan.

His grin is full of accomplishment and trouble. "I love how you are very agreeable."

"Well, I aim to please." I'm being sarcastic, but it's too late. I close my eyes at my choice of words. This is, oh no. I blow out a breath and open my eyes to find Holden eyeing me up and down, which isn't helping me keep my body from crossing all the wires.

"Duly noted." He tilts his head before he turns and heads straight to the garage, and I trench behind.

Duly noted.Yeah, let me just add a warning in my head and between my legs to that list.