Behaving Badly in Vegas (Vegas Love #3)

25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Charli

I lay in bed last night and listened to Hunter over the baby monitor. Part of me felt slimy for intruding on his private thoughts. The other part felt sad.

It wasn’t only me he rejected.

The man rejected anything that resembled warmth and love.

He had to be one of the most broken men I’d ever met.

He wasn’t wrong that I planned on leaving, but it didn’t have to be forever. When I went back to Oasis, there was no reason we couldn’t still be together. He’d need a new nanny, but not a live-in one. Preferably one over sixty with gray hair and sagging boobs.

Maybe I was being ridiculous. I’d only known Hunter for a short time, but he’d grown on me. I saw the man behind the mask he wore around everyone else and I understood why he wore it. Hunter was about control and letting anyone see him as anything other than the confident man he portrayed wasn’t acceptable .

It was clear from what I’d heard that Hunter did see me as more than just the nanny. He and I had crossed a line that couldn’t be uncrossed, but it would only be awkward if I let it be. Yes, my feelings were hurt last night. However, if I wanted to prove to him that I wasn’t too young, I’d have to buck up and move forward.

Hunter was a no-show in the kitchen for breakfast the next morning. He showed up after working out, kissed Carina on the head, and went right to his room, barely sparing me a glance. Not much of a shocker since I’d anticipated his avoidance of me. For someone who thought I was too young, he was the one acting childish.

Exhausted by his Jekyll and Hyde routine, I packed up Carina in the stroller and took her to the park. We both needed some fresh air.

As we walked around the pond, I thought about the way Hunter touched me last night. No one had ever made me feel so beautiful. Gentle fingers cupping my cheek. Blue eyes peering into my soul. Husky voice demanding I tell him no. The filthy words that came out of his mouth when I didn’t, and the way he feasted on me like I was his last meal.

I should have been upset about how the evening ended. But for a few glorious minutes, sprawled out on his bed, I felt wanted.

Desired.

Beautiful.

My core clenched as I thought about it.

Carina babbled as the ducks came into view. I pulled out the bread I brought and threw pieces on the grass, close but not too close. The ducks waddled toward us, and Carina let out a loud screech. Her little hands clapped together as she laughed and laughed.

“You like the duckie, don’t you, baby girl?”

“U…u…uk”

I immediately realized my mistake. If her first word ended up being fuck , Hunter would not be amused, although he’d have to shoulder some of the blame. “Can you say quack? Duckies go quack, quack, quack, quack.”

“Uk!”

I winced and tried again. “How about da da? ”

“Uk.”

I gave up. “Yep, that’s a fucking duck.” I threw some more bread, and the ducks waddled closer, pecking at the ground with their yellow bills. Carina waved her arms around and squealed with delight.

“Someone’s a happy baby today.”

I looked up at the woman with the Pomeranian we’d seen last week. “Yeah. She really likes the ducks.”

“I can see that. Mind if we sit with you?” Without waiting, she sat on the bench while her dog, Teddy, put his front paws on Carina’s stroller.

Carina laughed and smacked the dog on the head with her tiny hands. “Gentle, baby girl.” I took her hand, showing her how to pet the pup. “I was hoping we’d see you two again,” I said.

“Oh, me too. That baby is too cute. You must be a proud mama.” She stared as Teddy licked Carina’s hands. Carina immediately shoved them in her mouth.

I cringed. That dog had probably licked his butt less than ten minutes ago. “I’m not her mom. I’m the nanny,” I said, pulling out a pack of wipes from the stroller. I took each hand and gave it a thorough wipe down. A dog’s mouth was supposedly cleaner than a human’s, but I wasn’t sure if that was fact or fiction. After tossing the wipes in the trash, I held out my hand. “I’m Charli.”

She grabbed my hand with her perfectly manicured fingers. “Ginny. Sorry, I just assumed.”

“No worries. It happens all the time.” I lifted Carina from the stroller so the dog couldn’t give her another tongue bath.

“How long have you been her nanny?” She tilted her head to the side and gave me a head-to-toe glance.

“Only a week, but it seems like a lot longer.”

She gave me a big, toothy smile. “Hmm. That’s understandable. Babies are a lot of work.” Ginny stood and began petting Carina’s soft hair like she was a dog instead of a human being. “How are the people you work for? It must be hard taking care of someone else’s baby?”

I bounced Carina on my hip. “It’s a single dad and he works a lot, so sometimes we’re like ships passing in the night.” It was a half-truth. Last night, we were like two ships running off course and colliding. “Plus, Carina’s an easy baby.”

Ginny ran her finger down Carina’s cheek. “I bet her daddy is hot, huh?”

I didn’t have much experience with this, but the question seemed bold. It wasn’t like we were friends; we barely knew each other. “We don’t have that kind of relationship.”

She rolled her eyes. “But you’re not blind. Come on. You can tell me. Who am I gonna tell?”

Good question. It felt like a trap. I assumed our meeting was random, but I didn’t put it past Hunter to test me. “He’s a decent-looking man.” Downplaying our relationship—considering I didn’t even know what that was—seemed like a good idea.

“Rich too, I bet.”

“What makes you say that?”

She motioned toward Hunter’s apartment building. “Honey, nobody poor lives there.”

I shrugged my shoulders in a noncommittal way. Hunter’s money was none of her business. Or mine, for that matter. “All I care about is that my paycheck clears.”

“Okay, I see how it is. We’re not talking about your hot, single sugar daddy.”

I pulled Carina closer to my chest. “Whoa! He’s not my sugar daddy, just my boss.”

“Hey, no judgment here. Can’t blame a girl for trying to move up in the world.”

“I don’t need a man to take care of me.” It was only half-true. If I was so great at taking care of myself, I never would have ended up working for Hunter Dorsey in the first place.

She held a hand against her chest. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m sure you can take care of yourself. I’m all for women being independent, but a man with money never hurts. It’s how I got these.” Ginny cupped her boobs and pushed them up in her sports bra. “If you play your cards right, you could get some too,” she said with a wink .

My jaw dropped as I looked down at my tiny boobs. Hunter didn’t seem like the type of man who would pay for breast implants, but what did I know? Maybe he was into big boobs. I mean, what man wasn’t?

Suddenly self-conscience, I readjusted Carina to hide my tiny titties. “I wouldn’t count on it.”

Teddy let out a yap and pulled on his leash. “Someone’s anxious to get moving,” Ginny said with a smile as if she hadn’t insulted me. “We better get going. It was great seeing you two.” She leaned in and kissed Carina on the head. “See you soon, sweet girl.” Then she turned on her heels and wiggled her fingers at me over her shoulder. “Toodles, Charli.”

I stood there stunned. It was one of the strangest interactions I’d ever had. I’d thought maybe the two of us could have been friends, but now I wasn’t sure I wanted to. Reading people was my specialty and something about her set all my alarm bells off.

It wasn’t like she was the only female in Vegas obsessed with men and money. However, she was the most blatant one I’d ever met. She was a walking red flag, and I pitied any man who was fool enough to fall for her.