Wanted: Wife for Hire (The Diamond Club Book 8) Read online

  “Yep. The showers only take quarters. I think you get about two minutes of hot water for twenty-five cents.”

  He stared at her as if she’d said that pink elephants would be at the campsite. Deni laughed, delighted with his appalled reaction.

  Sebastian shook his head and turned his attention back to the road. “You’re making that up.”

  She laughed and snuggled down into the soft leather. “Nope. It’s true.”

  In response, he merged over into the next lane and pressed a button on the steering wheel. There was a ringing sound and then his assistant answered. “Yes, Mr. Hughes?”

  “I’m going to need several rolls of quarters brought down to me, in about,” he looked at the clock on the dashboard, “five minutes. Can you make sure someone is ready with them when I pull up?”

  “Of course, Mr. Hughes,” she answered quickly, but Deni could hear the curiosity in her voice. “I’ll have them ready for you immediately.”

  “Thank you,” he said and pressed the button again.

  “Neat trick,” Deni said softly, still smiling. “It would have been hilarious to get out there and discover that though.”

  “Not in my mind,” he grumbled and made a U turn, heading towards the bank instead of the highway.

  “Depends on your perspective,” she replied with a saucy grin.

  Conversation halted for several moments while he maneuvered through heavy traffic on West Chestnut Avenue. When he turned right, the bank was right there and, immediately, someone came out of the building with what looked to be a bulky bank bag.

  Her eyes widened as the barely-twenty-something young man rushed out. “Oh my, you are really planning on long showers, aren’t you?”

  But she rolled down her window and took the bag. Sure enough, it was much heavier than she’d anticipated.

  “Thank you so much,” she told the eager-to-impress gentleman.

  “My pleasure, Ms. Hughes,” and he backed up a step. Sebastian pulled back into traffic and turned around. Now they were heading towards the highway again.

  “Any other tips you’d like to share with the class?” he asked, relaxing back as he merged onto the highway. Since it was early enough on a Friday, the traffic wasn’t too bad. In another hour or so, this would be bumper to bumper traffic. An hour later, the highway would be a parking lot.

  Deni smiled at his caustic tone, thinking about all of the wonderful adventures he was about to experience. “Oh, there are lots of tips and tricks to camping. But I don’t think I can list them all right now. Camping is sort of a figure-it-out-as-you-go type of experience.”

  He sighed and moved over to the next lane. “Lovely,” he grumbled, causing Deni to smile. But she turned towards the window so he wouldn’t see her amused expression.

  An hour and a half later, they pulled into the campsite that Sebastian’s assistant had reserved for them. Since it wasn’t a holiday weekend, the campground was only about half full, which meant that they didn’t have neighbors on either side of them.

  “We’re here!” Chloe exclaimed from the backseat. She’d been extremely patient during the entire trip, only asking for a bathroom break once and snacks a couple of times. Thankfully, Chloe’s nanny had anticipated such issues and had packed a bag filled with nutritious snack items, all of them cut up for small fingers and mouths.

  “Yes, we’re here,” Sebastian agreed. He turned to Deni. “What do we do first?” he asked.

  Deni noticed the less than enthusiastic expression on his handsome features, but suppressed another chuckle. “The first thing we need to do is put up the tent. That way, if it rains, we have a place to shelter besides the car.”

  Sebastian frowned at the sky, as if he were ordering the clouds to disappear.

  “Tent it is,” he decided, stepping out of the SUV to help Chloe out of her booster seat. They moved to the back of the truck, and stared at the wall of “stuff”. It was packed right to the roof of the SUV and Deni had no idea where the tent might be.

  Deni made an executive decision. “I think we need to unload everything so I know what is here.”

  Deni looked at Sebastian, then he looked at Chloe in his arms. She shrugged as if to say, “She’s the boss,” and then they both turned to Deni.

  “What does a tent look like?” he asked.

  Deni couldn’t stop the laughter this time. “Once it is set up, a tent looks like a house, but with zippered doors and windows. It’s made of waterproof fabric and the windows are screens to keep the bugs outside. Since someone went out and bought everything this afternoon,” she said, looking at the supplies, “I’m guessing that the tent will still be in a box. But let’s just get everything out and we’ll figure it out, okay?”

  He looked doubtful, but he walked over to the wooden picnic table and set Chloe down on the bench-seat. “Stay there, honey.”

  Chloe sat, but she craned her neck, trying to see everything.

  For the next fifteen minutes, Deni and Sebastian unpacked the SUV. There was a sleeping tent as well as a dining tent, which was really luxurious. “Wow! When I was a kid, I was always jealous of the families that had these,” she commented as she set the mostly screen-mesh tent next to the sleeping tent, ignoring the incredulous look from Sebastian.

  “This is cool!” she exclaimed when she pulled out a plastic ball and twisted the sides, which made the ball open up into two halves.

  “What is it?”

  Deni grinned, looking at both of them. “Let me read the instructions before I tell you. If I’m wrong, I don’t want either of you to be disappointed.”

  Deni burst out laughing as they gave her identical blank looks.

  “Seriously! This will be awesome! Let’s set up the tent,” she announced now that everything was out of the truck, including three coolers filled with foods that looked to be completely prepped with recipes taped to the outside of the bags. She was super impressed with the organization of Debbie. This would save them hours of work!

  She looked up from examining the contents of the coolers to find both Sebastian and Chloe looking at her expectantly.

  “Right. Neither of you know how to set up the tent,” she muttered and stood up. “No problem. Okay, the first thing is to find the flattest part of your camp sight.”

  “Why?” Chloe asked, jumping off the bench and walking over to the enormous stack of supplies.

  Deni grinned. “Because you don’t want to roll out of your bed,” she teased.

  It took the three of them about an hour to set up the tent, mostly because Chloe wanted to “help”, which meant she wanted to stand inside the tent while Sebastian and Deni staked the floor and pushed through the poles. It took a bit more maneuvering to avoid poking the child, especially when she kept getting directly in line with the poles.

  But she was giggling and having a good time. With each giggle, Deni would glance at Sebastian to catch the slight smile to his handsome features. It was almost as if this was the first time he’d heard her laugh, which made Deni doubly determined to get Chloe to laugh more often. Children were special and should laugh as often as possible. Too soon, life would take away that joy, she thought.

  “It looks great!” Chloe announced jumping up and down inside the tent. “We did great!”

  Deni laughed since Chloe had been more of a hindrance than a help, but she nodded her agreement. “Yep. It looks pretty good! Now the dining tent, right?”

  She and Sebastian moved the picnic table a bit further away from the tent, with Chloe “lifting” one of the benches. The dining tent was easier to erect since Sebastian understood the process this time through. And also because he put Chloe on his shoulders this time, having her help him slide the tent poles through the top instead of letting her get inside.

  “Okay, that’s done.”

  “I’m hungry!” Chloe announced, lip quivering slightly.

  Deni looked up at the girl who had her hands wrapped around her father’s forehead. She looked about ready to have a
meltdown and Deni gulped. Since she wasn’t a full time mom, she hadn’t anticipated this.

  Thankfully, Sebastian carried Chloe over to the coolers stuffed with food. “How about if we figure out what is for dinner, and get some snacks for everyone? Can you help me pick out what we’ll have for dinner?”

  Deni brought the brand new cooking stove into the dining tent and figured out how to set that up while Sebastian lifted the heavy coolers, carrying them into the dining tent. He looked so magnificent carrying them in that she didn’t have the heart to tell him that the coolers had wheels and could be rolled. Unfortunately, he figured it out with the third one and frowned at her.

  Deni shrugged and turned away, pretending to figure out what they were going to have for dinner.

  “You knew that those things could roll, didn’t you?”

  Deni jumped since his voice was right beside her ear. She didn’t move, feeling the heat of him too close to her back. Instead, she swiveled her head slightly, looking up at him. “Um…yes, well, you seemed to enjoy it and I didn’t want to ruin it for you.”

  He pulled back and she breathed a sigh of relief as she grabbed one of the big plastic bags for dinner and moved over to the cook stove.

  “Anyone know where a pan is?”

  Chloe jumped up. “I know!’ she announced energetically and raced out of the dining tent. A moment later, she dragged a black pan that Deni recognized as cast iron. They were heavy pans!

  “I’ll help you,” Deni called.

  But Chloe shook her head. “I’ve got it. I’m just like my daddy! We can lift heavy things, right Daddy?” she said, looking up at Sebastian with awe in her eyes.

  “Exactly!” he replied. “No weak little girls, right?” he teased, lifting both child and pan into his arms, carrying Chloe over to Deni to deliver the pan.

  Deni beamed as she took the pan, but was painfully self-conscious and careful not to look up into Sebastian’s eyes. Why was she acting like this? It was ridiculous to be so aware of a man who only thought of her as an employee. And if the truth were known, she felt like an employee. Okay, so she was an employee! Except during those times when he was close by, or when she watched him carrying something. Those muscles should be illegal, she mentally grumbled.

  Deni dumped several ingredients into the pan and turned up the heat on the camping stove. Because the pan was cast iron, it would take a few moments for the pan to heat up, but once it did, the pan would be perfect for either the stove or a campfire.

  “That smells incredible,” Sebastian commented and Deni jumped, she hadn’t realized he was so close. Immediately, he put his hands onto her hips, holding her steady. “Careful,” he soothed, one of his thumbs rubbing her side. “No accidents on the first night of our adventure.”

  Deni couldn’t stop trembling. She felt her toes curl with the heat and need that his hands ignited inside of her.

  “Dinner is going to burn,” he said, his voice low and incredibly close to her ear.

  She looked down, startled to see smoke coming up from the cast iron pan. “No!” she gasped and turned down the heat, grabbing one of the wooden spoons to stir. Crisis averted, dinner saved. But Deni glared at the man who moved away from her with a knowing chuckle.

  Sebastian sat down at the picnic table and lifted Chloe up onto his lap. He was satisfied now that he had proof that he wasn’t the only one suffering a case of lust. His hands could still feel the trembling in Deni’s small waist when he’d touched her. And she smelled so damn good! All soft and feminine and interesting. Those jeans were enticing! He’d been thinking about her all week, irritated that she’d stayed away from their nightly dinners after Monday night. Granted, she’d told him before each meal that she would be gone…but that didn’t diminish his irritation at not seeing her at the end of each day. Over the past few weeks, he’d come to…not just expect, but anticipate her smiles and saucy responses.

  If he went to bed clenching his teeth as sexual frustration gnawed at his gut for the elusive woman, he wanted to know that she was suffering right along with him.

  Why that was important, he wasn’t sure. It wasn’t as if he was going to do anything about their attraction. He had to focus on Chloe, on ensuring that she was safe from his ex-wife’s clutches. Besides, he’d never truly marry again. And Deni seemed like the kind of woman who would need marriage and the forever kind of promises that he no longer believed in. A marriage such as what they were enduring wasn’t the same type of commitment.

  Such a pity, he thought as he only half listened to Chloe explain the agenda for the rest of the night. He was more focused on watching Deni, on the soft pink that touched her cheeks when their eyes met while she continued to stir.

  Her hands were trembling as she stirred and she kept sneaking glances at him. He wondered what she was thinking about. He’d wager big money that she was nervous about sleeping in that tent tonight. When he’d agreed to Chloe’s request for an experimental camping trip, he hadn’t considered that the three of them would be sleeping in one big tent. Together. No separation other than sleeping bags.

  What the hell had he gotten himself into?!

  “You okay?” Chloe asked, putting her small hands on his cheeks. Sebastian realized that he’d just sighed heavily and forced a smile. “I’m fine, sweetie,” he said and kissed her chubby cheek.

  “Dinner is ready,” Deni announced. Both of them looked over at her as she lifted the skillet off of the stove and looked around. “Any idea where plates are?” she asked.

  Plates. They hadn’t found them yet.

  “I’m hungry,” Chloe whined.

  Sebastian looked around, not sure where plates might be. His housekeeper had done an excellent job of thinking of various needs for a camping trip, but she apparently forgot plates.

  “We can just put it in the middle of the table and take what we want,” Deni announced.

  He eyed her like she’d suggested stabbing someone. “Excuse me?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she announced, grabbing a piece of cardboard to protect the tablecloth from the hot skillet. She set the skillet down in the center of the table and handed out plastic forks. “Here. Dig in.”

  Chloe and Sebastian looked at each other. This wasn’t the way he ate and it bothered him. But Deni seemed to think it was a perfectly acceptable way to eat dinner. He shrugged and his adorable daughter mimicked his gesture perfectly.

  “It’s sliced chicken in brown rice with peas, corn and lots of cheese,” Deni explained, stabbing a piece of chicken with her fork and taking a bite. “There’s also some sort of cream sauce, although I have no idea what it is. But it’s amazing.”

  Sebastian stabbed a piece of chicken and Chloe scooped up a bit of the cheesy rice. They then tasted the messy meal and…

  “I like it!” Chloe whispered guiltily, as if enjoying the non-traditional meal and serving methods was naughty. She even giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

  Deni laughed as well and Sebastian stared at her, wondering why he liked the sound so much. He understood when it came from Chloe. The child was much too serious. She needed to laugh more often. But why did he also enjoy hearing the sound from Deni?

  Sebastian tried to let it go, not wanting to examine his feelings. The woman was beautiful, especially with her hair pulled up on top of her head like it was at the moment. He liked that she was here. Not many women of his acquaintance would indulge a five year old’s desire to experience nature like this. A thought occurred to him…he should have contacted Oz, Jayce, or Ryker. His friends were ex-special forces and lived only thirty minutes outside of Louisville. They could have given him tips on camping. In fact, those three probably would have dropped whatever they’d planned for the weekend and come with them. They all adored Chloe, including Oz and Jayce’s sister, Carly.

  The fact that he hadn’t even thought to contact those men demonstrated exactly how far gone he was. Deni distracted him and not just at night when he lay awake in his bed, his body hard and achi
ng for her, wondering what she was doing. He knew exactly which room she slept in each night and it was the furthest one from him. Was that on purpose? Or did she not know where he slept at night?

  A giggle from Chloe snapped him back to the present and he realized that he’d been staring at Deni this whole time while she told stories of past camping trips.

  “It’s starting to get dark,” he commented, thinking that the dim light made Deni look softer. And much more appealing. Since she was already too appealing, the light was something that needed to change. Quickly. “I’ll get the lantern. I saw it with the other stuff.”

  Deni looked up, noticing the lack of sunlight for the first time. “We should probably get the sleeping bags ready. And blow up the air mattresses.”

  “Sleeping bags!” Chloe clapped, starting that bouncing thing again. “I get to sleep in a bag tonight?”

  “Yes, honey,” he told her. “You definitely get to sleep in a bag.”

  “What color is mine, Daddy?”

  Sebastian stood up and carried Chloe over to the stack of stuff sitting beside the SUV. “Which one would you like?” He picked up the three rolls. “There’s red, blue, and green.”

  “Red!” she exclaimed, clapping again. The child loved making sounds, he thought.

  “Red is yours.” He grabbed the three air mattresses, still in their boxes, and carried them into the tent. “Okay, how does this work?” he asked.

  Deni stepped into the tent as well. “There should be a lever on the air mattresses that blows them up automatically.” She picked up one of the boxes. “At least, I hope that’s how they work. Otherwise, we might be sleeping on the ground.”

  “I don’t think so,” Sebastian grumbled imperiously. “I don’t sleep on the ground.”

  She laughed and, in the dim recesses of the tent, the sound was no longer nice. It made his body spring to life. Then she did something even worse than laughing. She bent down, the soft denim tightening over her gorgeous butt and he swallowed a groan. Turning away, he focused on getting Chloe’s sleeping bag ready for the night. Thankfully, the air mattress inflated perfectly and it was an easy thing to spread Chloe’s sleeping bag out. She wanted to go to sleep immediately.