Nina Singh - Captivated By The Millionaire

He was no intruder. In fact, if she had to hedge a bet, Jess would guess he was the new homeowner. And she’d attacked him with a messy wet paintbrush.

She rushed over immediately, grabbing her damp rag off the floor along the way. “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry. It’s just that you startled me.” But her attempts to try and wipe the paint off his chest only served to make matters worse. The splotchy stain simply spread across the fabric of his shirt into one big blob of bright red. The more she tried to mop it up, the messier things got.

“Please stop,” he commanded through gritted teeth, his hands clenched at his sides. No doubt he was willing himself to keep from forcefully grabbing her hands and pushing her away. To his credit, he didn’t.

Jess wanted to sink into the floor. “I’m so sorry,” she repeated. “What in the world are you doing here?”

He blinked at her, anger clouding his eyes. “This is my house. I should be the one asking you that question.”

Through her mortification, Jess finally allowed herself to look at the man’s face. Lordy, he was so utterly striking. Sandy-blond hair just dark enough that he couldn’t be described as fair. Just enough facial hair that added a rugged masculinity to his face. Piercing grayish-green eyes. He stood about a head taller than she did. Even in his annoyed state, it was impossible not to notice just how handsome he was.

“But I had no idea you were due to arrive,” she stammered through her embarrassment. “Marie told me you wouldn’t be here until tomorrow morning. She owns the contracting company you hired. Just so happens she’s a friend of mine. Throws me odd jobs here and there.” Now she was just blabbering. Get a grip . She took a deep breath before continuing. “I was just finishing up.” She pointed to the massive painting on the wall behind her.

He didn’t even glance at it. “None of that explains why you’re here at this hour. Nor why my front door was unlocked.”

She shrugged, tried to smile. It didn’t quite manifest. “I guess I lost track of time. Like I said, I was working on the mural.”

A momentary pause of silence ensued in which he simply stood and studied her. Jess turned away when she couldn’t stand the scrutiny any longer. “It’s a castle,” she unnecessarily informed him.

“Why?”

She turned back to face him as the single word hung in the air. “Why? Why what?”

He let out a long, clearly frustrated breath. “Why are you painting a mural in the first place? I asked my assistant to hire contractors simply to apply fresh paint through the house. They were given very specific instructions regarding color scheme. Instructions that I was told were relayed to the painters.”

Jess cleared her throat, trying not to get flustered. She had to keep her cool here. “Yes, I know. Eggshell white. Throughout the whole house.” How did he not see how utterly bland and boring that was? Eggshell white could hardly be considered a color scheme for heaven’s sake. She kept that thought to herself.

He gave one sharp nod. “Correct. Very simple. At no point was there any request for a medieval castle complete with towers and banners to be drawn on the wall.”

A lump had formed in her throat. “I realize that. But I was told this was to be the child’s room and I thought any little boy or girl would appreciate—”

He cut her off with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Regardless of what you thought, you took it upon yourself to do something that resulted in a delay to my schedule.”

She tried not to cringe. He sort of had a point about that. “I apologize. But it will only take me a few more minutes to finish up.”

He squinted at her, eyebrows drawn over tight, dark, piercing eyes. “The little girl who is to occupy this room is due to arrive in just a few minutes with her little pink pony air mattress ready to inflate. Thanks to you, she won’t be able to spend the first night in her new home in her new room.”

Okay. Another good point. But it wasn’t as if there was a shortage of rooms in the house. The place was a downright mansion for heaven’s sake. Another point she wasn’t going to bring up. “Again, I apologize,” she simply repeated. “I’ll just finish up really quickly.”

But he wasn’t listening. In fact, he had stepped aside and was motioning toward the stairs. “Please just leave.”

Jess swallowed past the lump that had now grown to brick size. Damn it. She wasn’t going to tear up and cry. Not in front of this cranky, rude stranger. She’d only been trying to do something nice for a small child. Without a word, she swiftly began to gather her things.

Like the saying went, no good deed and all that.

* * *

Jordan watched the young lady descend the stairs and make a beeline to the door. He thought for sure she’d slam it behind her but surprisingly, she didn’t. Just shut it slowly with a soft click of the handle. But there was no doubt she was in a hurry to get out of the house. Well, who could blame her? After the way he’d behaved just now, it was no wonder she wanted out. He’d almost called her back to apologize as she rushed down the stairs. Perhaps he should have. But it had been such a long day and all he’d wanted to do was check out the new house then take a long shower. Only to find a strange woman hovering about. He rubbed a hand down his face and grabbed his hastily packed overnight bag from the hallway where he’d thrown it. He’d just driven four straight hours, some of it through pouring rain, on the speakerphone for most of the time, dealing with a major proposal with an important investor. He could hardly be blamed for being a little short after finding an unexpected woman in his home upon arrival. Not to mention she’d ruined one of his good shirts. No, he couldn’t really be faulted for the way he’d reacted.

Could he?

Jordan gave a shake of his head. What was done was done. He couldn’t take it back now. There was nothing for it. What was he supposed to do? Find out exactly who she was from the contracting company then try to contact her to apologize? He didn’t have that kind of spare time. And trying to catch up to her now was just downright silly. So why was he entertaining the notion of doing just that? He had to shake off the useless thoughts.

And anyway, Elise was due to arrive with little Sonya in a few minutes and he’d be too busy getting everyone set up for the night in the new place. He barely had time for a shower at this point.

Despite the press of time, Jordan turned to the painted wall of the mural she’d been working on. Now that he was truly looking at it, he had to admit what a work of art it was. Walking over, he studied the painting further, for that was what it truly was—an artistic painting. Full of detail and color, down to the tiny knights on horseback climbing the side of the mountain. She’d done all this freehand. The level of detail was breathtaking. And he’d chastised her for it.

Perhaps an attempt to find her and apologize wasn’t such a far-fetched idea after all.

Despite the overwhelming paint smell, he’d gotten a small whiff of her subtle lilac scent when she’d brushed by him as she left the room. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d noticed a woman’s scent. He recalled the uncomfortable silence and tension in the air as she’d gathered her things, biting her bottom lip no doubt to try and hide the trembling. That thought had his shame growing.

There was no denying he’d behaved like a complete bastard. No excuse would change that fact. Yet more proof that he didn’t have the temperament or the patience to be the sole guardian of a little girl. But he’d had no choice, had he?

His father’s words echoed through his mind. You have to take her, Jordan. Her mother doesn’t want her. I know how much I’m asking of you.