Defending Dani Read online

  “I’m having a get-together on July Fourth and thought it would be a good way for you to spend some time with the other guys in a casual environment. A good portion of the team will be in attendance, so I think you’ll enjoy it.”

  “Yes, of course, I look forward to it.” Not that he had any choice. A personal invitation from the owner of the team wasn’t optional barring a family emergency.

  “You’re welcome to bring a date.”

  “Thank you,” Sergei responded automatically. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “My secretary will email you the details. Feel free to contact her if you have any questions, whether it’s schools for your son, the best place for seafood, or an interior decorator.”

  “I appreciate that. I’ll keep it in mind.”

  “Very good. See you on the Fourth.” Gage disconnected and Sergei put his phone back on the counter thoughtfully. He’d just taken over the team in January. His uncle, Malcolm Caldwell, had died unexpectedly of a heart attack and had apparently left everything to his only and favorite nephew. There had been a bit of scuttlebutt about it because Gage was barely in his mid-thirties and had never been involved in professional sports before. He’d told the team and management he wouldn’t be making any changes until the following season, after he’d had a chance to assess everyone and the roles in the organization, but it seemed that a lot of people didn’t like him, including their head coach.

  Sergei hadn’t had much to say and kept his head down, focusing on playing and getting to know his teammates. He’d heard a few rumors about the young billionaire owner, but he’d ignored them because he’d hoped to get traded again. Unfortunately, that hadn’t happened so now he would have to pay more attention.

  “Daddy?”

  “Yeah, buddy?” Sergei looked down into his son’s big blue eyes.

  “When’s Mama D coming home?”

  “In a few hours.” Sergei ruffled his hair.

  “What’s she doing?”

  “She’s at a spa, doing…girlie things.”

  “Like dolls and tea parties?”

  Sergei laughed. “Not exactly, but kind of like that.”

  “I want her to come home.”

  “Soon. How about we get some lunch and then go see our new house?”

  “Is Mama D coming, too?”

  “After the spa.” Sergei sighed. Niko had gotten a lot more vocal after spending time at Toli’s, probably because Tessa’s daughter from her first marriage, Raina, never stopped talking. When he’d dropped him off back in February, he hadn’t been the toddler who consistently asked why. Now, it had become a way of life. Why is the sky blue, Daddy? Why is it bedtime? Why do I need shoes? Why isn’t Mama D home? Mama D was a huge part of Niko’s vocabulary and his life. He adored her, and though Sergei tried to be annoyed about it, he couldn’t. She was great with him, and more importantly, good for him. She loved him. There was no doubt about that. Though she had two nephews from Zakk’s relationship with Tiff and a biological niece that Tiff had given birth to last year, Dani was probably closer to Niko than all three of them. They were like two peas in a pod and it fascinated him. It had annoyed him at first, but with each passing day, watching his son blossom under the young woman’s affection, he had a hard time resenting her for it. Tatiana would be grateful someone loved her child that much.

  “Daddy?”

  Sergei glanced down at his son almost guiltily, as if thinking about Dani in front of him was somehow inappropriate. “Yeah, buddy?”

  “Are we eating now?”

  Sergei scooped him up, nodding. “Absolutely.”

  * * *

  The next few days flew past. Dani and Sergei worked tirelessly to set up the new house. He’d retrieved everything from storage and their first priority had been Niko’s room. He had a daybed, dresser, toy box and rocking chair. Sergei said he would paint the room after they were settled, so they focused on washing the bedding, putting away his clothes and toys, and hanging up some pictures. Sergei had gone out to get them lunch and was coming down the hall to tell them he was back when Niko’s voice wafted down the hall.

  “This is Mommy. Daddy says she’s the prettiest angel in heaven.”

  “She’s beautiful,” Dani responded softly.

  Sergei froze outside the door, unsure whether to interfere or not. Part of him wanted to hear what Niko thought about Mommy in heaven, but a bigger part of him wanted to know how Dani handled it.

  “Daddy says she watches me from heaven.”

  “I’m sure she does. All mommies watch over their little boys and girls.”

  “But you’ll watch me from down here, right?”

  Sergei winced.

  “Of course.”

  “You’re not going to heaven, are you?”

  “Gosh, no. I’ll be right here making sure you’re safe and happy until I go to Colorado to play hockey. Remember?”

  “I don’t want you to go,” Niko whispered.

  “I know, buddy, but you know how Daddy plays hockey for work? That’s what I do too.”

  “Did Mommy play hockey?”

  “Um, I don’t think so…”

  Sergei cleared his throat. “Hey, guys, lunch is here.”

  “Yay!” Niko took off towards the kitchen and Sergei glanced at Dani apologetically.

  “I’m sorry. I heard the last part of that—Tatiana didn’t play hockey.”

  “I didn’t think so, but I wasn’t sure.” She smiled, placing a picture frame on Niko’s dresser. It was of Tatiana holding Niko just minutes after he was born; Sergei had taken it and it was one of their favorites.

  “I don’t know how much to tell him,” Sergei admitted. “He’s three and a half. He wasn’t even two when she died. He doesn’t remember anything about her, and while I don’t want him to forget her, it’s not really fair to implant my memories in him.”

  “I don’t think it’s unfair,” she said mildly, putting a few stray pairs of socks away. “You have to tell him the things about her that are most important but then let him conjure up her memory in whatever way works for him. You have pictures and stories, which will be enough when he’s older. Eventually you’ll probably remarry and—”

  “No.” He spoke more sharply than he intended, shaking his head. “I’m not interested in doing it again. Tatiana was my second wife and I think two strikes is plenty.”

  “Two strikes?” She cocked her head. “Did your first wife die, too?”

  “What? Oh, no. We divorced.”

  “Well, that might be a strike, if you want to label it that way, but having your second wife pass away isn’t a strike… It’s more of a walk.”

  He smiled at the odd but endearing baseball reference. “Maybe,” he agreed. “It just feels like I wouldn’t be a good bet for a woman after one divorce and one death. What’s next? Me dying?”

  She shook her head. “Such a pessimist! How about next time is your soul mate? Your happily ever after? The woman who makes all your dreams come true?”

  He arched a brow. “Seriously? That’s for romance novels, honey. I got as close as I was going to get to that with Tatiana and there were no happy endings there. At this point in my life, I’m looking for a friend-with-benefits situation, someone who might be willing to put up with a single dad who has a black heart in exchange for good sex and maybe some nice vacations.”

  “Yikes.” She wiped her hands on her jeans. “You’re cynical as fuck.”

  “Aren’t you the one who said you have no luck with men?” He followed her towards the kitchen.

  “Well, yeah, but I still have hope that there’s a guy out there who doesn’t mind that I’m more muscular than he is and will fall in love with me anyway.”

  Watching her walk ahead of him, Sergei wanted to point out she wasn’t more muscular than he was, and if he wasn’t the cynical bastard she’d just told him he was, he’d be more than happy to show her how much he didn’t mind her beautifully strong body. He could have a lot of fun with a bea
uty like her, if only she wasn’t so young. And Zakk’s sister. And his nanny. Not to mention the ramifications for Niko if things went south. Jesus, he needed to get laid or he’d be panting outside her bedroom door every night. Maybe one of the guys on the team knew some local girls who enjoyed no-strings sex. He’d have to give Aaron a call. The pickings were supposedly slim, at least based on statistics, which was why the puck bunnies were all barely legal. He wasn’t interested in girls that young, though.

  9

  Within a week, Dani had the house whipped into shape. Sergei had dropped a small fortune on kitchen supplies, linens, and all kinds of things he hadn’t even thought about, but he didn’t mind. He was closing on the house in a few days, he’d contacted a service that was going to start sending nannies for them to interview, and he’d signed him and Dani up at a local gym so they could both stay in shape. He toned it down in the summer to give his body a chance to rest after the abuse it took the other eight or nine months of the year, but Dani was ramping up and he wanted to make sure she had every opportunity.

  They’d worked out this morning and now she was reorganizing the kitchen cabinets for what seemed like the tenth time as they waited for the first nanny to arrive. Sergei was a little nervous, unsure what to expect. He’d specified that he wouldn’t need anyone for a month or so but waiting until the last minute wasn’t a good idea. The agency said it was no problem and they would let all the candidates know they wouldn’t be starting immediately, but Sergei still wasn’t sure how he would handle it if he found someone he liked.

  “You don’t cook, right?”

  “I use the grill, and if I have to I can make eggs and stuff, but nothing to write home about.”

  “Well, the kitchen is organized if you ask the nanny to cook so—”

  “She’ll have to cook, won’t she? For Niko?” He ran a hand over his short blond hair. “Shit, Tanya dealt with all this with our old nanny… I don’t even know what I’m supposed to ask.”

  “You mostly have to see how she is with Niko,” Dani said gently, meeting his eyes and surprised to see a flicker of uncertainty. He was always so confident about everything; she hadn’t expected him to show weakness when it came to hiring a nanny.

  The ringing of the doorbell ended all discussion and Sergei moved to go answer it. Dani followed, since Sergei had told her he wanted her opinion on each candidate, but she hung back, wanting to make her assessment from a distance.

  The woman was probably in her late twenties, with long, jet-black hair and a pair of Coke-bottle glasses. She wore skintight jeans, a halter top and…four-inch red stilettos. Dani dipped her head to hide her astonishment as the woman sashayed into the room, looking around with interest.

  “Well, this place is swanky! They didn’t tell me the guy was wealthy—but I shoulda guessed based on the assignment. You this Sergio guy I’m looking for?” She looked Sergei up and down, slowly and purposefully removing the massive lenses covering most of her garishly made-up face.

  “That’s me,” he said dryly, not even batting an eyelash at her misuse of his name. “Sergio.”

  Niko had moved towards Dani and now buried his face against her leg.

  “This is Niko,” Dani said, lifting the little boy and trying to understand why Sergei didn’t just throw this bimbo out. “He’s a little shy sometimes.”

  “Oh, he’ll be all right,” the woman said absently. “He don’t have to watch.”

  “Watch?” Dani blinked.

  The woman turned and eyed her. “But no one said anything about a threesome.”

  “A threesome?” Dani’s mouth fell open.

  “I’m sorry,” Sergei shook his head slightly. “Did you say threesome? Are you from the Xavier Agency?”

  She gave him a wide grin. “Sure, honey. Now you sit on down over there and I’ll make sure you have a good time. What do you want to do about your girlfriend and the kid?” She started unbuttoning her jeans.

  “I’m not—” Dani began, her eyes widening.

  “She’s…” Sergei’s lips had begun to twitch. “I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding,” he finally said, biting back a laugh. “I’m sorry to waste your time, but I don’t think we’ll be needing your services today. I’ll be sure to add a nice tip when I get the bill.” He was ushering her towards the door.

  “But they said—”

  “I know.” He was chuckling as he opened the front door again. “Initiation, right? Sorry, but we have company coming and I can’t play along today, but you’ll be paid for your time. Have a nice day.” He shut the door and snickered.

  Dani just stared, Niko still snuggled against her shoulder. “Was she a…stripper?”

  He nodded, still holding back laughter.

  “So who… I’m so confused.”

  “Any time you’re new to a team the guys tend to do some hazing. I’m older and have been around so they’re not going to do something stupid like try to shave my nuts, so—”

  “They shave guys’ nuts as a hazing ritual?” She grimaced.

  “Usually just in the minor leagues, but it still happens on occasion at our level.” He was still shaking his head. “Since I’m single, I guess they figured sending me this stripper when they knew I had a nanny coming to interview would be funny. I wondered why Aaron was asking so many questions about the nanny—” He cut off as the doorbell sounded.

  “I’ll get it,” she said firmly, handing him Niko and walking to the front door.

  This time the woman standing in the foyer was most likely a nanny. She was middle-aged, probably in her fifties, with her hair pulled back in a severe bun and her face devoid of makeup. She had on loose-fitting slacks, a button-down shirt, and black mules, a no-nonsense look on her face as she introduced herself.

  “I am Dannica Compton.” She shook Sergei’s hand and slowly turned to Dani. “I was told there was no woman in the picture. Has this situation changed?”

  “Dani’s a friend of the family,” Sergei said mildly. “She’s helping me with Niko until I hire someone. Please, come sit down.”

  The woman nodded and followed him to the couch. “Leather. Very nice. Surprised to see it in such good shape with a child in the house. You’ll have to consider finding something easier to clean. I can’t be responsible for furniture this expensive.”

  Sergei cocked his head. “Niko isn’t destructive and as long as he doesn’t eat in the living room, which isn’t allowed anyway, it shouldn’t be an issue.”

  “This is the boy?” She peered at Niko as if he were a pet, looking him up and down and then summarily dismissing him. “He’s three?”

  “Yes,” Sergei spoke quietly. “Say hello to Ms. Compton, Niko.”

  “Hi.” Niko gave the woman an equally assessing gaze, his blue eyes full of distrust.

  “I was told the hours are negotiable.”

  Sergei frowned. “I think you misunderstood. The hours will vary depending on my travel schedule. I can show you the team’s game schedule to give you an idea of how much I’ll be away, but the job is full-time, 24/7. Days off have to be arranged well in advance because once hockey season starts, I won’t be—”

  She cut him off. “Hockey season? You’re with that new team of heathens they brought to Anchorage? I’ll have no part of it.” She quickly got to her feet. “There was no need to bring the circus to town like this, with you men running about with all the single ladies.” She snapped her gaze to Dani. “You’d be well advised to steer clear, young woman, and find yourself a nice man to marry. And remember—there’s no need for him to buy the cow when he’s getting the milk for free.” She marched to the door, opened it and walked out without a backward glance.

  “What just happened?” Sergei demanded.

  “Getting the milk for free…” Dani dissolved into giggles. “Unless something changes quickly, you better think about buying that cow!”

  Sergei burst out laughing and they laughed until tears ran down their faces.

  “Aaron is defi
nitely getting payback for the stripper,” he muttered when they finally settled down, “but the agency is going to get a serious earful about judgmental asshole nannies.”

  “Yeah, that was totally uncool.” She shook her head. “But it was still pretty funny.”

  He grinned as he picked up his phone. “For sure.”

  * * *

  There were a few more interviews over the next few days, with mediocre results since Niko didn’t seem interested in either of them and Dani didn’t like them either. Today, however, Sergei was looking forward to the interview because the nanny was Russian. Though she was an American citizen now, she’d been born and raised in Moscow, coming to the U.S. for college and marrying an American. She was divorced and didn’t have children, so he was anxious to meet her. Having a native Russian speaker taking care of Niko would be a great way to keep him immersed in the language since Sergei often forgot to speak to him in anything but English.

  “What time is she coming?” Dani asked as she cleaned up their lunch dishes.

  “One thirty, so about ten minutes from now.”

  “Maybe I should make myself scarce,” she said. “You’ll probably be talking Russian and—”

  “Don’t be silly,” he interrupted. “You’re an integral part of this process and I value your input. We might speak Russian for a few minutes so I can get a feel for how Niko responds to it, but the interview will be mostly in English.”

  “Okay.” She nodded just as the doorbell rang.

  “I got it. Will you make sure Niko doesn’t have grilled cheese in his hair?”

  “Sure.” She went upstairs to check that Niko was presentable and found him playing in his room. “Hey, buddy. You ready to meet another possible nanny?”

  Niko wrinkled his nose. “I want you to be my nanny.” He looked up at her, his blue eyes darkening.

  “I’m here until I leave for hockey.”

  “I hate hockey.” He stuck out his lower lip.

  “Don’t let Daddy hear you say that,” she whispered, kneeling down so she was eye level with him. “We love hockey, but we love you more. That’s why we’re going to find somebody to help take care of you until we get back.”