A Very Merry Nanny (Very Merry #2)

Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

HUDSON

W e lost control... again . This seems to be our recurring theme whenever we’re alone.

If these next three weeks unfold like this, neither of us will survive. The relentless push and pull, the thick tension, is almost overwhelming. My mind goes hazy when she’s nearby. She disrupts my thoughts, dismantles my logic, and drives me to take risks with her.

Fuck me to tears.

Emma walks past me in the breezeway, her sweet perfume encapsulates me as she flips her wavy hair over her shoulder. The jeans she's wearing fit her so tightly that they almost look painted on. Damn, I want to peel them off her body with my teeth.

She glances back, catching me in the act of mentally undressing her. It feels like a hazy dream as her hair bounces.

I cross my arms over my chest and raise an eyebrow, completely unashamed.

“Claire saw the hot cocoa delivery this morning and noticed the hickeys on my neck. I didn’t say anything?—“

So, Claire knows. Interesting.

“I'm not worried about Claire.”

“You should be.” Emma licks her lips and studies my mouth. “My sister is very protective. And don't get me started on my father.”

That brings me back to reality. “Nothing is going on between us.”

She throws her head back and laughs. “Oh, okay, then. I guess your finger buried deep inside me was nothing?”

My cock hardens at the thought. If Jake hadn’t interrupted us again, she would be shaking under my touch, completely lost in pleasure.

“I don’t remember,” I shrug.

“You’re so good at shutting it down, but I know better. I’ve almost got you figured out, Hudson Jolly.” Her flirty tone amuses me.

“Unravel me,” I reply, stepping into the tack room, knowing my time with her is slipping away. She leans against the stall gate and watches me disappear inside.

“If you’re staying with me, we should probably set some rules,” I say, loud enough for her to hear.

I think I hear her laugh. “Oh, like give me a curfew? Ground me if I'm a bad girl?”

I chew on the inside of my cheek. It’s like she wants to be punished. “Mm. Don’t tempt me,” I say as I walk past her, two lead ropes thrown over my shoulder.

As I pass her, she calls out, “Give me your rules, then.”

I'm not even sure where to start. I walk into the stall where Jingle is, clipping the rope onto his halter. I lead him out into the open and tie him to a hook.

“I don’t want Colby to get the wrong impression,” I tell her. That’s my biggest concern. When I blurted out that she could stay with me, my son was the farthest thing from my mind. Guilt washes over me.

“I explained to him who I am and why I’m here. He knows I’m like an honorary auntie. And... I promise I won’t seduce you in front of your kid.”

“Sometimes, I don’t know how to respond to you.” I shake my head because she doesn’t realize she doesn’t have to try. A single smile, a smart-ass remark, the way her eyes soften when she looks at me—she tempts me without even trying.

“Anything else I need to know?”

“I’m hiring a nanny for Colby. I have interviews set up on Saturday. So, I need the house empty.”

“Will do. I have plans anyway.” Emma twirls her hair. “Good luck. Hope you find someone perfect for him.”

I expected a different reaction, considering her conversation with my mother. “Thanks. I have a good feeling about it.”

Emma watches me with curiosity. “So, are you going to introduce me?”

I nod and step aside. “This is Jingle, and that lovely lady in the stall at the end is Bells.”

“He's huge!” she exclaims, her hand gently gliding down the side of his neck.

“They're Clydesdales. Jingle is a gentle giant.”

“Kinda like you,” she smirks as I pick up a brush.

“Can I?” she asks.

I hand it to her, and she runs her fingers along the bristles before brushing Jingle's neck, skillfully avoiding the sensitive areas. It's clear she has some experience.

“Do you know how to ride?”

She licks her lips and meets my gaze. “You're observant. You pay attention to the fine details.”

I take a step back to watch her.

“Keep it up, and I'll put you to work,” I tease, moving past her to grab Bells.

When I glance back, her eyes are on me, her smile bright and inviting. I clip Bells on the other side of the barn and grab another brush.

“So, are we riding today?” she asks, struggling to reach the top of Jingle's back. He's a large horse, and even I sometimes find it challenging, standing at 6 '2”. Emma doesn't seem to be much more than 5 '8”.

“We need to deliver a wagon to my father in an hour,” I tell her, retrieving a stool.

I bend down to set it at her feet.

When I look up, her lips curl upward as she places her hand on my shoulder and steps up. Our gazes lock, and time seems to stand still as I admire her pretty face. A lifetime passes between us, and she takes my breath away.

Realizing how deep I’m in already, I clear my throat, rising to my feet.

We're eye to eye as I tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “How long are you stayin'?”

“I'm letting you decide.”

“And what if I never want you to leave?”

She inhales sharply, licking her plump red lips, and I feel a shift between us. “I'm letting you decide that, too,” she whispers.

I smile, leaning in to kiss her before stepping away. She returns to brushing, and I move to Bells, needing to create some space. Emma doesn’t respond.

“When I was a kid, I begged my dad for a pony. Growing up in New York, it was impossible, so he sent me to horse camp every summer until I graduated high school. That's when I became obsessed with cowboys. I've never shared that with anyone before.” She nods and glances at me. “It’s because you actually listen. Most people don’t.”

“I'm not most people,” I reply. I'd listen to anything she wanted to share in her gentle tone. Her voice flows like a calm melody on a warm summer day.

“Riding is how I've spent my summers since I was old enough to remember.”

“I can almost imagine it. A young you, riding around the farm, shirtless.” She smiles.

“Basically, winters were for farming, and summers were for planting. I love trail riding a few hours before sunset when everything shines like gold,” I say, getting lost in the thought. “Maybe one day I'll introduce you to my boy, Dakota. He's a beautiful white Arabian I rescued after he retired from competing, and he loves to run. Colby's little wild thunder pony shares the same pasture. He's fire engine red, and his name is Thor.”

Emma moves to the other side of Jingle, taking the stool with her.

“I'd like that. I haven't ridden in a long time,” she replies, her back toward me. “Did you know Jake gave Claire rules last year?”

“I didn't know that.” The first time I met Claire, I knew she was the one for my brother and that they would get married. Everyone in the family felt the same way. “I assume they were broken?”

“Oh, they completely decimated them,” she laughs. “It made me think about my own rules.”

“Mm. The famous five,” I mutter.

“They're off the table. For you,” she says, continuing to brush, not looking at me. I stare a hole through the back of her head.

“Absolutely not,” I reply firmly.

She turns to face me. “My rules won't stop whatever this is. It will be your own that holds you back.”

“That's usually the case,” I admit, aware that I’ve halted every potential relationship I could’ve pursued. But no one has ever stopped me in my tracks...until Emma. “When do you plan on moving in with me?”

“I'm not moving in. I'm temporarily staying,” she explains. “And don't ask me how long; I don't know.”

I move toward her, grabbing her palm. Her breath hitches as I massage my thumb into the center of her hand. I pull a pen from my pocket and write the code to my front door. “Now you have the keys to my house...”

“Next up is your heart,” she quips.

“Good luck, babe. You'll need it.”

“And every person who's ever told me that, I've proven wrong with a smile on my face. Be careful; your luck might actually work.”

I gently cup her cheeks and brush my nose against hers. “Is your heart fluttering right now?”

She grabs my shirt, fists tight. “You know it is.”

Slowly, I lean in and kiss her passionately, my fingers threading through her hair. Warmth spreads across my cheeks as I smile against her plump lips, wanting her close. Everything else fades away, and emotions take over while our tongues dance together. The air is charged with electricity, and the spark between us nearly burns me the fuck down.

“Stay with me through Christmas,” I whisper against her mouth.

“Consider it done.”

We delivered the wagon to my father by the pavilion, and it was a nice ride. She sat close beside me as I showed her how to handle the reins. There were so many stolen glances and silent conversations that I couldn’t stop smiling.

“Did you hear Emma's moving in with Hudson?” Jake asks Lucas as we load tree-cutting equipment onto a lowboy. His words pull me out of my thoughts about her.

“Temporarily,” I reply, not reacting.

“She told me,” Lucas says. “I think that's great. I hope you don't mind that she agreed to be my holiday hookup. We're not exclusive or anything, though.”

I almost forgot Lucas was pretending to be into Emma. “You're still fucking lying.”

“When I see her Saturday night, I'm going to ask her to move in with me instead. Let's see who she chooses.” Cockiness drips from his tone.

“She's not going out with you,” I shoot back. Emma mentioned that she would be busy on Saturday. Is that what she meant?

He shrugs. “Ask her. Guaranteed she'll be with me. I even asked her to wear a skirt for me. I can't wait.”

I narrow my eyes and tense my fist. I'm five seconds from fucking him up.

“Hey, hey,” Jake says. A single look from me is enough for him to know I'm about to explode.

“Emma is never exclusive with anyone, Hudson,” Lucas says. “Not even you.”

I step forward, but Jake pushes his hand against my chest. “Don't do this.”

Lucas chimes in, “He doesn't want to claim her, but he doesn’t want anyone else to have her either. That's chicken shit.”

I walk away, taking off my gloves.

“Hey, we're not done,” Lucas yells. I hop into the truck, exhausted from his attempts to provoke me. Jake climbs into the passenger seat, and we leave Lucas behind.

I pull my radio from my hip. “Hey, Mickey and Branson, can you meet Lucas at the equipment shed and help him finish loading saws?”

They respond and say they're heading that way. I'm not a complete jerk and won't make him do it alone, even if he deserves it; I need him to work on something else afterward.

“Were we as stupid as him at that age?” Jake asks.

I laugh. “Probably worse, but I don't have the patience for it. Once he pushes my buttons, I have to walk away.”

We ride in silence for nearly ten minutes. The road smooths out but gets bumpy in spots. Before next season, we'll need to grade it because it's becoming washboarded. It's a road only farm workers use, and it slows us down. Time is money.

“Let me off at the front gate, please,” Jake says. It's five minutes away. “Are you entering the cookie contest this year?”

I'm grateful for a topic other than Emma.

“You know I enter every year.”

“And you lose.” He turns to me. “I think you should make the chocolate chip pecan ones—the ones you bake when you're in love.”

I groan.

“Emma's entering, and she’s probably going to win it.”

“Pfft. No way. I'm winning this year.” I roll to a stop.

“Claire said Emma's a cookie shark. She got hooked on baking when she was dealing with her last breakup. Apparently, she got good at it. You'll need a miracle to beat her.”

That breaks my heart. Baking is how she kept her mind busy when she was sad.

“Or maybe I'll recruit her to my team,” I tell him.

He laughs. “Fuck, you're going to make me so rich. Remember, I want to be paid before Valentine's Day. Three big ones.”

“Get the fuck out of my truck,” I say, and he reaches for the door, still smiling.

“I'm happy for you,” he says.

“Why?”

He grins, not needing to say it. The suggestion of falling in love lingers in the air.

Jake pats the truck and walks away. Claire awaits at the front gate, welcoming guests. As soon as he's close, he wraps his arms around her waist and kisses her neck. She turns, and their lips meet.

My thoughts immediately drift to Emma. I pull my phone from my pocket, seeking confirmation about something.

Hudson

Do you have plans for Saturday night?

Emma

I do.

Hudson

Can I convince you to cancel?

My heart hammers in my chest. After everything that happened today, will my brother win her over, or will it be me?

Her text bubble appears and disappears several times.

I hold my breath, waiting for her reply.

Emma

Sorry, I can't. I'm free next weekend, though. For now.

Maybe my baby brother isn’t lying about his feelings for Emma. Perhaps she’s exploring her options for the holidays.

I don't know if I can handle that I actually give a fuck. I thought I’d gotten rid of all those years ago.