“I just wanted to fetch some water,” Sunny explained.
“Sure,” said Liam. “Don’t let me stop you.”
Sunny approached the tap, her eyes widening as she took in the full extent of his injury from a closer vantage point.
“Let me take a look,” she said, concern lacing her voice as she stepped closer.
She was just acting on instinct, being a caregiver, Liam reasoned. It was an admirable quality for a nanny, but caring for him wasn’t part of her duties.
“It’s okay,” he replied. “Occupational hazard.”
“Ssshhh,” she said automatically, as if he were one of the girls.
A memory of Kate flashed in his mind — the way she could have him eating out of her hand.
He tensed as her gentle fingers traced over his cheekbone and eye socket, assessing the damage with what seemed like clinical detachment. He remembered that first aid was part of her training.
But her close proximity sent a pulse of energy down his spine. She smelled of vanilla and soft florals, a stark contrast to the locker room odor he’d just been marinating in.
It had been so long since he’d been this close to a woman.
Stop it, he reprimanded himself. This was his kids’ nanny and an employee under his roof, not some starry-eyed puck bunny to ogle like a hormonal teenager.
Then again, Liam wasn’t blind. He could admit that Sunny Thompson was an incredibly beautiful young woman, all dewy skin and gentle curves. The sway of her soft brown waves framed her killer cheekbones and pouty lips.
And that’s enough, Anderson. Time for a cold shower. Act your age.
Pushing back his spiraling thoughts, Liam cleared his throat.
“So…prognosis?”
“Well,” Sunny pursed her lips, studying the damage with a practicedeye, “you’ll definitely be rocking one hell of a raccoon mask for the next week. But I don’t think it’s broken — just a lot of swelling and bruising.”
“Yup,” he replied. “That’s what the team doc said. Nice to get a second opinion, though.”
“I’ll get some ice,” Sunny said. “It’ll help reduce the puffiness.”
Before Liam could argue, she turned and padded off toward the fridge. He found himself shamelessly watching the hypnotic sway of her hips beneath the thin silk robe.
Get a grip, you bloody pervert.
A few moments later, Sunny returned with a frozen gel pack wrapped in a towel.
“Go sit,” she instructed, pointing toward the living room.
Liam obliged, sinking into the couch as Sunny sat beside him and gently applied the cold pack to his swollen eye. He hissed at the shocking chill against his throbbing skin, but her other hand came up to tenderly cup his cheek, holding his head in place while the compress did its work.
“There, just hold still for a bit,” she instructed.
Liam’s gaze flickered up to meet Sunny’s concerned blue eyes. To her, this was just first aid — dispensing care as required.
To Liam, it felt like something else entirely. But what?
She was exquisite up close like this. Those subtle golden flecks in her irises, the dusting of freckles across her button nose, the curved slope of her full, pink lips.
Stop it!his mind shouted for the millionth time.
He averted his gaze to the countless photo frames on the mantelpiece — his beloved wife, Kate. What kind of scumbag had designs on the nanny when their life partner had only just passed away? Sunny was an employee, he reminded himself again, not to mention close to a decade his junior.
