Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 48446 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 242(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48446 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 242(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
“What? No, I want—”
“Just go do it. I’ll be right there,” I said, leaving him no time to argue before I walked away from him. “I’m gonna get the lights, check the doors, and set the alarm.”
He left without another word.
I turned everything off, made sure the house was locked up for the night, armed the security system, and joined him in the bedroom. He was sitting up in bed, shirtless, bottom half under the covers, waiting for me. He said nothing as I stripped down, changed into sleep shorts, and walked around to my side of the bed, the left side, the one closest to the door.
“Get in bed,” he said, throwing back the covers in invitation.
I got in and turned off the light on the nightstand before lying down, arm under the pillow.
“Why don’t you want me?” he asked softly in the darkness.
I reached a hand for him. “I always want you.”
Instantly, he was snuggled up beside me.
“We’re both being idiots,” I said into his hair, inhaling him, my fingers sliding lazily up and down the smooth skin of his bare back. “You think if you don’t come home and fuck me, I’m gonna lose interest in you. And I think if I ain’t riding bulls no more, you won’t want nothin’ to do with me.”
His breath caught as he clutched at me.
“We’re both grown men, Cy, thinking such foolish things.”
He took another quivering breath. “All I want is for you to realize that what you do does not dictate the kind of man you are. What you do and who you are, are two separate things.”
“Not necessarily.” I sighed, loving him draped over me, the feel of him, his weight, his breath, as he tilted his head back, over the side of my neck. “I think what a man does, what anyone does, is part of them, but I’ve always thought that if I wasn’t wild, you wouldn’t want me. I thought you had an idea in your mind of what you wanted, and if I wasn’t that, then you wouldn’t be interested.”
He groaned loudly. “For the love of God, Weber, I don’t give a shit what you do. I don’t need a cowboy or—”
“A prince?”
“Hell no,” he grumbled, lifting so he was looking at me. “You’re loving and kind and gentle, and no one makes me laugh like you do, no one gets me like you do. I mean, I took one look at you and threw caution to the wind. I never did that before in my whole life, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cursed that decision, because apparently the second I saw you, I fell madly in love with the one man I can’t have.”
I pulled him down to me, my eyes closing as his lips sealed over mine.
“Jesus, Weber, do you realize you sigh like you’re coming home every time you kiss me?”
“Yeah, I know,” I grumbled.
“Don’t sound so happy about it.”
“It ain’t funny,” I told him before rolling him onto his back and making sure he didn’t want to talk anymore.
“I thought we weren’t going to do this?” he asked minutes later between kisses, panting.
“Don’t tease me. I can’t help it. I’ll miss being in bed with you when I’m gone.”
“Like I’m going to let you go.”
I didn’t have it in me to argue.
SIX
Amale nanny, no matter what year it was, seemed to elicit quite the interest. All the folks at Lyn’s boss’s house were absolutely riveted. I didn’t see what the big deal was, but what was surprising was the acceptance. All those powerful businesswomen, just like Lyn, and they found me new and shiny and didn’t think it strange that I was there.
I was complimented on how good the boys looked, how polite they were, and over their manners. They didn’t run around like crazy people, drop anything, or make a general nuisance of themselves. Micah helped open doors, Tristan said please and thank you, and Pip brought the hostess a glass of water because he thought she looked thirsty. They were a hit. I gave all the credit to Lyn; she volleyed it back to me. Apparently, my manners were rubbing off on them, even after only a few days.
To Lyn’s colleagues, I was her employee, so after the novelty wore off, they ignored me. I joined the other nannies, who treated me like a buddy, sharing about their hopes and dreams, about going to college, and finally, moving on to juicy gossip about their employers. They encouraged me to stick to my guns when demanding days off, and suggested places to take the kids on outings that were both free and educational. They were, as a group, far more accepting than I could have ever imagined. We were all doing the same job. I was one of them, and the camaraderie was nice. And while I had no misconceptions that I would always be met with such openness, their friendly banter and lack of judgment felt very refreshing.