Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Chapter 8
Toni
The one thing I missed about living in an apartment since leaving my family home was having a nice place to curl up under the stars and get lost in a fascinating story. Sure, as a nanny I was often living in a large home just like this one, but so many families have no concept of personal time. If you show your face during off-the-clock hours, then you couldn’t have a moment of peace. The kids looked to you as the authority figure in their lives because you were there for them, and the parents were out of their depth and expected the nanny to pitch in out of the goodness of her heart.
That shit was tiring, so I got used to reading in my room.
But Brady, no last name, wasn’t that much of a stickler, and he spent every waking hour in his office, so once Layla was down for the night I knew I could come out here and read in peace. And the reading would have been peaceful if I didn’t keep imaging the sexy cop from my novel with Brady’s long-legged, lazy gait and his sexy smile. The man rarely smiled, but when he did—holy crap—it was a thing of beauty. His full lips spread into an almost picture-perfect smile highlighted by straight white teeth and that ever present hint of stubble that I could practically feel on the insides of my thighs.
“You didn’t have to make lunch today.”
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of Brady’s deep voice. Slowly I turned to look over my shoulder, trying with everything in me to pretend as if I wasn’t just thinking about his face buried between my thick thighs.
“Brady.” My voice came out breathless, and I cleared my throat and tried again. “Did I overstep?” I knew there were some people, mostly women, who objected to any move that would make it seem as if they weren’t superwomen who could lead board meetings and whip up lunch for a crowd.
His dark brows pulled into a frown and he shook his head. “What? No. Absolutely not. I’m grateful for your thoughtfulness, I just wanted you to know that it isn’t expected of you. It’s not part of your job description, so while it’s very much appreciated and always appreciated, it isn’t required.” He looked so sincere it was hard to look away, especially with the way his blue eyes searched my face.
And then lower.
I felt his gaze deep in my belly before the hot flushed feeling worked its way down between my thighs. Dammit, no Toni. No lusting after the sexy, nerdy, single dad.
I tried for a smile that I hoped was friendly and professional. “You guys seemed busy, and Layla mentioned that you tend to forget to eat. We made math problems out of it if that makes you feel better.”
His broad shoulders relaxed. “It does. A little. Thank you, Antonia.”
Why was it that when Brady called me Antonia it didn’t feel too formal, too stuffy and rigid? It must be the deep timbre of his voice, the smooth whiskey sound compared to my mother’s disapproving tone. Yeah, that had to be it.
“Toni,” I reminded him out of habit more than any desire for him to call me by my nickname.
“Right. Sorry.” His long legs brought him forward so we were side by side when he dropped down into the lounger beside me. “Are you settling in all right?”
I turned away from his handsome face and tilted my head up, taking advantage of the view of the stars that twinkled above us in a beautiful light display that felt like it was just for me.
“Yep. Layla is a great little girl. She’s more mature than any seven year old I’ve met, and much smarter. But there’s still a little girl in there.” She was still hurting from losing her parents, but that wouldn’t go away anytime soon.
“No kidding,” he sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Some days she sounds like a teenager. A sullen, angsty teenager.”
I laughed at his totally accurate description of his niece. “Like I said, mature for her age. But,” I turned to face him and immediately wished I hadn’t, because his gaze was focused on my face, full of heat and hunger and…wait, that can’t be right.
“But?” His lips pulled up into a crooked grin that was utterly irresistible.
“But you might be happy to learn that I don’t think it’s because she lost her parents. She spent a lot of time with adults when she traveled with them.” The little girl had lived a full life already and it was awe-inspiring.
“She talks to you a lot,” he said, the words were not an accusation but merely a statement of fact.
“I’m easy to talk to,” I shot back easily. “And she misses having people to chat with since she’s not in school.”