Akko Kagari home was amazing. Ten thousand square feet, maybe fifteen thousand—though it was hard to judge something that massive when Diana was used to living in three hundred square feet.

The woman herself left her awestruck. As gorgeous as a movie star, with rangy muscles that made her mouth water, just looking at her was enough to make her lose her words right in the middle of a sentence. She is 24 years same she was—and she made woman her own age seem like girls .

When she had approached her at the grand opening of Kagari Montgomery's media headquarters in England , she'd actually started to tremble. It had seemed like a pivotal moment that would change her life forever, when a gorgeous, charming billionaire wanted to talk to her. She'd fantasized that the sparks flying everywhere weren't just in her imagination. "Diana ," she could almost hear her saying in her, sexy voice, "let me whisk you away to my private lair for champagne and caviar."

Only to have her fantasies blown sky-high when she had asked her to interview as a nanny for her Four -year-old daughter.

Diana was still laughing at herself; obviously, she'd been the only one feeling any sparks. But that didn't make her any less mouthwatering, even in jeans. Especially in jeans.

Her stomach did backflips as she sat across from her in her living room, but she had her crazy attraction under control.

Sort of.

"Miss Cavendish," Akko said.

Oh, that voice… It was enough to make a girl spin out into fantasy again.

"Please, call me Diana."

Only her best friends called her Diana. Akko and Amanda were two of the Kagaris , five billionaires who had taken the world by storm with their business prowess in many different fields. She knew a little about Akko's past. Like Amanda and the other Kagari's, she hadn't been born into money. She knew what it was to be poor, and she admired them all for what they'd accomplished.

Amanda had given a glowing recommendation to Akko. Though technically she wasn't her boss, since she owned the whole company, Amanda had been really sweet to her since she'd landed the job when she was eighteen. She'd worked there part time ever since she'd aged out of foster care, scraping together every dime to go to college. Amanda had helped there too, with company-sponsored scholarships, something for which she could never thank her enough. She said she reminded her of her kid sister, who was close to Diana's age.

Not that she wanted Akko to think of her as a little sister. She already had a big brother, even if she hadn't seen him in years. Thinking of him made her chest hurt, so she pushed away the memories as she focused on what Akko was saying.

"Amanda told me that in addition to working at her store, you also take care of kids."

Nodding, she said, "I graduated from Luna nova last May with a degree in child development. I'd like to be a teacher someday, but right now, I want the one-on-one, full-time experience." She didn't add that she also needed to beef up her cash reserves after using everything for college, even with the scholarships.

She looked at her with a penetrating gaze, seeming to weigh her every word, figuring out how it fit into the whole picture. She wondered if that was part of the reason she was hugely rich and successful—because she took note of everything.

Sitting in a big leather chair next to her, Akko shifted her legs a little wider. "That's very commendable, getting your education while you're working. So tell me more about how you envision teaching my daughter ."

Swallowing hard at the ridiculously sexy picture She made, Diana settled into the buttery smooth leather of the sofa. With an intricate pattern of vibrant colors, the carpet was so thick it tempted her to take off her shoes and sink her toes into the plush pile. She couldn't imagine living in a place like this. Just walking from the front door to the living room had seemed like a mile across polished hardwood floors, past paintings and artwork that probably cost a fortune. But live here she would, if she got the job taking care of Layla.

Her smile grew bigger with the memory of the day she'd played with Akko's daughter at the youth center Amanda was building in England. "I like to play in the sandbox rather than sticking kids in front of the TV to let their little minds get warped by cartoons. Not that there's anything wrong with cartoons," she clarified. "As long as they're the cherry on top of the sundae, rather than the entire meal."

"I agree," Akko said with a nod. "Children should be outdoors, enjoying nature, playing with insects, and chasing frogs."

As a kid, she'd lived in an apartment—lots of different apartments—and the only insects she could have played with were cockroaches. The only frogs she'd seen were in stagnant pools of water left behind in abandoned lots. When she wasn't in school, she'd spent her time buried in the pages of books.

"I like the zoo," she continued, hoping she was saying the right things. The problem was that she smelled so good, like clean, hot female. It was messing big-time with her concentration. "And you've got a Park almost in your backyard." Her huge home was nestled in the trees overlooking the lake. Footpaths probably led up into the hills right from the back door. "Is that why you chose to live in England —because it's so much prettier than Japan ?"

"After I had my new factory located here, I figured it was easier to build our home nearby."

She was so matter-of-fact. Did she ever chase butterflies with her daughter ? She hoped she did.

To prep her for this interview, Amanda had told her that Akko was a brilliant high-tech robotics manufacturer—and a bookworm. Crossing the mile-long foyer, she'd caught a brief glimpse of a library jammed with books. If she got the job, she'd love to spend as much of her free time there as possible. Evidently, Akko had put herself through college with scholarships and hard work, blowing through in three years instead of four. Her ideas and inventions were so groundbreaking that her professors had told her to forget earning a PhD and move right into industry instead, so she had started her company, Trebotics International, when she was about her age.

Though she admired her for her smarts and her success, she didn't know anything about her as a mother . Or as a woman . But Amanda had said was the best mom any kid could ever have. She had also mentioned that Layla's mom had dropped out of the picture early and rarely saw her daughter.

How had that affected Akko and Layla?

"One of Layla's previous nannies had a boyfriend she constantly talked with on the phone when she should have been paying attention to my daughter . Will that be a problem for you?"

"I don't have a boyfriend, or unlimited texting and minutes on my cell phone." She couldn't afford a smartphone, and she'd signed up for the cheapest service plan she could get and plus she was not into boys. "So you definitely won't find me distracted by my phone."

"I'm glad to hear that. How many children do you currently babysit?"

Interesting that she wanted to know more about her actual experience with children rather than what she'd taken in school, but she knew that book smarts weren't always the same as hands-on learning. "Six, but only part time for each. One is my best friend's little boy. She's a single mom, and I help out with her son."I also work for four women who aren't working moms, taking care of their kids when they've got errands or appointments. I wouldn't be leaving them in the lurch if I came to work for you." She didn't want her to think she'd dump her if a better opportunity came along. "I've got friends who would love to work for them. I'd just have to make arrangements." It would be difficult leaving the kids, but she needed the full-time job. Both Amanda and the moms understood that, though it was harder for the kids to accept. "They all said they'd give you references."

"I'd like to speak with them."

She fished in her bag for the list. "Here you go." Their hands brushed, and she went warm all over.

As she looked over the names, numbers, and addresses, she noted that she had sun lines at her eyes, and she wondered if she swam with Layla in the huge pool she'd seen through the French doors. Or maybe they spent time in the playground out back, with its swings, slides, monkey bars, and huge sandbox.

She was rich. she could give her daughter anything that was for sale. But she hoped she gave her daughter time too.

Looking back up at her, she asked, "How long have you been babysitting?"

"Since I was sixteen." Not counting the foster homes where she'd taken care of the younger kids.

"And you're twenty-four now?" She frowned slightly as she said her age, but before she became worried, she said, "Eight years is good experience."

She smiled, then dove in with her own question. "What would my duties be?"

"You would get Layla up in the morning, take her to school. She started kindergarten this year, and she's attending a private school in Luna Nova Valley."

That was twenty-five minutes away. She thought about the morning commute traffic and how brutal it was as more companies moved into Luna Nova Valley .

As if she could see the thought bubble over her head, she said, "My driver Jasminka would drive you when you take Layla out." Akko Kagari and her daughter lived a life she'd seen only on TV, with private drivers and mansions. "You would also be responsible for her nutrition. I have a cook, but I'd want you to make sure she's eating healthy."

Nutrition had been part of her education. "No treats?"

She smiled for the first time. And she stopped breathing.

Literally stopped.

No one should be allowed that much gorgeousness. She would see that smile in her dreams.

"Treats were my favorite thing as a kid. Probably because I didn't get many." She said it with a laugh, but she wasn't sure she bought the way she tried to play off Her difficult childhood with a smile. Diana hadn't grown up with much either—and she'd also learned how to smile through it. "In any case," she continued, "treats are fine every now and then, but I don't want her gorging on candy and soda." With that, she went on with her duties. "She is only in school in the morning, so I would want you to devise lesson plans for the afternoon. Trips to the zoo and other activities that teach her would be great. She is learning to swim, and I'd want you to continue, as long as she's got her water wings on."

A commotion in the hall drowned out the rest of Akko's list—a young voice, the stomp of running feet. For a little girl, Layla Katsugi made big noise, which she loved.

She flew around the corner, sliding on the hardwood floor until her toes hit the rug. "Mommy, Mommy, you gotta see!" A moment later, she saw Diana. "I know you."

"We met a month ago at the house your Mommy was building with her friends."

Layla had a mop of hair as dark as her Mother's and cheeks that hadn't lost their baby roundness yet. The most beautiful thing was her eyes. Crimson red eyes like Akko's. She ran around the coffee table and flung herself at her on the sofa, grabbing her hand. "You gotta see too."

"Layla ," Akko interrupted. "We're in a meeting."

A harried older woman appeared in the doorway, wisps of hair flying out of a bun that had probably been neat that morning. This must be the temp Akko said she had brought in while she was searching for a full-time nanny. "Mrs.Kagari, I'm sorry. Layla , come here." Her voice was more tired than annoyed.

But Layla was too excited to listen. Diana plucked her up and set her on her lap, a wriggling bundle of boundless energy. She was adorable. She wanted to spend her days with someone so happy and sweet, take her to the zoo, chase butterflies, teach her the names of birds.

"You know"—she gave Layla the biggest smile—"it's nice to let people finish what they're saying. So as soon as your Mom's done talking, then you can show us whatever you want".

"It's my new Lego set Lotte gave me!" She couldn't stop bouncing. Diana remembered Lotte from the day at the youth home, a sweet young girl—a sister of one of the other Kagari's, maybe?

"All righty then. We'll finish up, then you can show us your Lego." She gave Layla a solemn look. "I'm a Lego master, by the way."

"Cool, me too!" She nodded vigorously, her curls bouncing. Then she stopped and bit her lip, and she was struck by how much of a mini-Akko she was. "I forgot your name."

"It's Diana."

She beamed at her. Yup, the kid version of her mom's smile. "I like your name." With that, she hopped off her lap.

When Diana turned back to Akko, she was staring at her with her head cocked slightly. "A Lego master?" She shook her head. "Even I have a hard time putting some of them together."

"I doubt that," she said, which made her smile again. Oh, that smile. It got under her skin, made her hum inside. Everywhere inside. "You were saying? About my duties?"

"We've pretty much covered it." She began to list the things she'd get out of the deal. "You'd have your own suite next to Layla's . You could eat meals with us, but you'd be free to raid the kitchen. Sunday would be your day off. If you wanted to make prior arrangements to go out in the evening for a date or whatever, that would be fine. I try to be home in the evenings and on weekends for Layla."

"Like I said, I don't have a boyfriend, but I get together with my Friends sometimes in the evenings."

She nodded, then said, "The salary is twelve hundred a week, plus medical insurance."

She barely managed to keep her chin from hitting her knees. "A week?" She couldn't believe it. It rivaled what she made in a month. Plus benefits.

"Considering that you would be on duty almost twenty-four hours a day, six days a week, it's reasonable."

"Reasonable?" She was afraid she sounded like an airhead repeating everything she said, but her offer was beyond anything she'd dreamed of. "I mean, yes, it's totally reasonable."

Especially considering all she had to do was look after an adorable little girl and live in a fabulous mansion with her own suite. And she could have all the sizzling-hot fantasies she wanted about Akko, whose bedroom would undoubtedly be just down the hall. Completely secret fantasies, locked in a compartment inside her brain that she'd wait to open until she was alone.

If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was compartmentalize. She'd spent six years in the foster care system after her mom died, so Diana was a master at living a rich fantasy life without confusing it with reality. Everyone deserved a dream world. In fact, it was healthy—as long as you knew the difference between fantasy and reality, and Diana always had.

She knew what it was like to have things ripped away from you at a moment's notice, when you thought a foster family cared about you only to realize it was the money they received that meant the most, or their real daughter hated your guts so you had to go. And she knew about other things that still gave her nightmares sometimes—foster fathers and brothers who didn't care about the personal boundaries of the new foster girl.

So, yes, she definitely kept her dreams uncontaminated by reality. And this job was far better than anything she could have dreamed up on her own. If she got it, she would owe Amanda for recommending her, more than she could ever repay.

"I'll check your references tonight." She tapped the list she'd given her. "But after what Amanda said, it all looks good. I'll give you a call tomorrow."

Please, she silently prayed as she grabbed her bag, hire me and make this dream real. "I really like Layla. she's a great kid."

"I'm lucky to have her." Love filled Akko's voice when she talked about her daughter . "And she obviously likes you. I hope you have time to see her latest Lego masterpiece before you go."

"Of course."

They stood at the same time, suddenly close beside each other at the edge of the coffee table. For the briefest of moments, she let her eyelids drift shut as her senses drank her in—that fresh rain scent, the heat radiating off her body, the gentle wash of her breath across her hair.

Layla was so cute, and the setup was amazing. But Akko? Well, she was the cherry on top of her sundae.

And if she got this job, she would make sure nothing screwed it up.