He stared at her, fascinated. He wasn’t used to women who didn’t wear make-up.

All the women he knew wore make-up. Even the ones that favoured the ‘natural’ look spent at least half an hour in front of the mirror before they emerged from the bathroom.

Not this girl, it seemed.

Despite the fact that it was August and the weather was hot, she was wearing a blouse that buttoned up to her neck and a skirt that buttoned down to her ankles. She looked at him periodically, reproach and a certain wariness evident in her huge eyes. She looked fresh and innocent and very, very young.

Evidently she was expecting him to drag her off to his lair and have his evil way with her, he reflected wryly. She obviously thoroughly disapproved of him and her blatant condemnation made him vaguely irritated and more than a little uncomfortable.

She reminded him of Little Red Riding Hood and she was making him feel like a very, very bad wolf.

Assuring himself that she probably wasn’t innocent at all, he turned away and cursed softly under his breath.

He had more sense than to be taken in by a pair of wide eyes and an innocent expression. The girl was trouble. It was more than likely that she knew full well that the baby wasn’t his but had identified him as an unlimited source of cash.

Thanks to all the press coverage, he was a constant target for women seeking an easy way to supplement their income and this girl was no exception. Despite that innocent expression, she was trying to fleece him.

He paced the kitchen while she finished feeding the baby, his temper held on a very tight leash.

Finally the baby was fed and looked decidedly sleepy.

The girl glanced at her watch. ‘It’s six o’clock. She usually has her bath and goes straight to bed. Do you have a travel cot?’

‘Yes, but be warned that she’s only going into it on a temporary basis while we discuss what needs to be discussed,’ Alex bit out. ‘Once we’re finished, you’re both going home.’

‘She no longer has a mother,’ the girl said, her voice decidedly wobbly as she scooped the baby out of the high chair. ‘It isn’t fair to deny her a father as well. As far as I’m concerned, her home is with you until we work out what to do.’

Alex closed his eyes and cursed all women under his breath and then strode out of the kitchen and up the staircase that led to the bedrooms, aware that she was struggling to keep up with his pace.

He flung open a door that led off the long landing and she gasped in delight.

‘What a perfect room!’

Alex gave her a frosty look. ‘Well, don’t get too used to it. She’s only going to be in it for an hour.’

‘No, she isn’t.’ The girl placed the child on the floor and reached for the bag that she’d carried upstairs. ‘I need to get her changed. I’ll join you downstairs when I’ve finished.’