Curvy Nanny for the Nerd

8. Toni

Chapter 8

Toni

T he 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.”

“Right,” he winced as if I’d slapped him.

“It’s not a judgment, I swear. Just an observation.”

“She seems to like you more than she likes me.”

I flashed a wide, playful grin. “I’m a likeable kind of gal.”

Brady laughed, shaking his head as if he found me amusing, possibly endearing. “That you are, Toni. How do you do it?”

I laughed. “I don’t know. Part of it is just my upbringing I guess, always be polite and well-mannered. That combined with growing up as an only child gave me the required confidence to just be me.”

His brows rose. “Just like that?”

“Not quite. It took me some time to find myself and even longer to own it.”

His gaze intensified as if I was a puzzle he needed to figure out. “You seem pretty comfortable in your skin to me.”

“I am, but I wasn’t always.” I sighed, laying back so my focus was back on the stars. “I was expected to be something I’m not, including thin and quiet.”

“I think you look great,” he said almost automatically. “And quiet is overrated. This place was too quiet before you came around, and I’m not sorry about the change.”

Holy shit, was that a compliment? I laughed nervously at his unintentionally kind words. “Thank you?”

He smiled again and I was grateful I was already sitting, because my knees went a little weak at the sight of his smile.

“You’re welcome.” He looked up at the sky and sighed. “You really think Layla is all right?”

I nodded. “Yes. She’s sad and working her way through her grief, but yes, I think she’s doing fine. Other than the getting kicked out of school thing.”

“Yeah,” he sighed, the weight of the world on his broad shoulders. “I’m failing her, aren’t I?”

“No, but I think you should make time for her. She needs to know she’s loved and not just an obligation.”

He sat up. “Did she say something to you?”

“Not directly.” I turned to face him and our gazes collided, sending a wave of fire through me that made me gasp. “But, she thinks you don’t want her here.”

Brady looked at me with hurt filled eyes as if I was accusing him, and I wanted to reach out, to smooth the frown from his brows and wipe away the pain my words caused.

“It’s not that,” he began and shook his head.

“Brady, I know.”

“How can you possibly know that?”

“Because I lived that life.” It wasn’t something I shared freely, but for some reason I wanted to ease his pain. “My parents sent me to boarding school when I was Layla’s age, said it would teach me what I needed to learn to survive in the world. What they meant was, in our world.”

“ You went to boarding school?”

I laughed. “You don’t have to sound so surprised. I wasn’t meant to be the society wife type though, and I’m fine with that.”

“It’s not that, it’s just,” he trailed off, shaking his head, but I didn’t need him to finish what he was going to say. I’d heard it plenty of times over the past few years.

“It’s just why would I choose to be a nanny when I could be anything else?”

Surprise flashed in his eyes. “Yeah.”

“This is what I wanted to do.” It was as simple and as complicated as that. The longer Brady stared at me, the more uneasy I felt, and it wasn’t that anxious kind of unease, it was the sexual tension type. The kind that had me squeezing my knees together and ignoring the tightening of my nipples in my bra, the way my belly quivered. I stood quickly, maybe a little too quickly to be graceful. “I should, uh, go to bed.”

Brady stood, a hint of a smile on his lips as if he knew what I was doing. “I’ll walk you up.”

“No need,” I stammered. “I know the way.”

He flashed another killer smile and nodded towards the door. “So do I.”

Knowing I was beat, I nodded and moved past him, making my way inside. The house was dark and quiet, the tension swirled around me and Brady, thick and heavy. I sucked in a near silent deep breath and let it out slowly as we began to climb the carpeted stairs.

This is just my boss being kind, nothing else. The heat between us is only in my mind. It’s not really happening. The heat of his body against my back was like eating chocolate and oysters while downing a saucer of absinthe all at once. Or something similar.

My legs slowed as the door came into view and I urged them forward. This isn’t me waiting for some end of date kiss— which I haven’t done in ages— this is my boss walking me to my room. My attempt at rationalizing the situation didn’t help, not when he was so close, so masculine. So potent.

“This is me,” I said, attempting to sound easy and breezy.

Brady smiled. “Thanks for the chat, Antonia.”

Yep, there went that flutter low in my belly again. “Toni,” I whispered back breathlessly.

“Right,” he whispered and stepped closer. “Toni. You feel like an Antonia to me.” His warm breath fanned against my face and his smile worked its way down my spine and curled around my waist. And then his hands curled around my waist and pulled me flush against him. His heart thudded against his chest, his body was hard everywhere. Everywhere .

“And how exactly does an Antonia feel, Brady?”

“Like this,” he growled and pressed his lips against mine, letting his tongue swing back and forth across the seam of my lips. “And this,” he said with a smile as he let the tip of his tongue trace the shape of my lips.

Had any man ever caused such a reaction with just a kiss?

“And this,” he growled as his hands slid down from my waist and gripped my ass at the same time his tongue slipped into my mouth. Brady explored the depths of my mouth, the dark, wet recesses and the different textures of my tongue. They danced together, polite at first and then hungry, and then so intense that I felt every drop of my blood as it rushed through my veins.

This was what a kiss was meant to be. Hot and fast, and so out of control it made your head spin. It made you forget what the smart thing to do was, it made you forget your own damn name. Everything but how to enjoy the moment and that’s what I decided to do, enjoy this impromptu make out session with my hot boss.

My skin was hot and flushed, my panties were soaked and his big, capable hands were the only things keeping me on my feet. I leaned into him and let my hands roam his body, feeling every hard plane and ridge of his chest and abs, down his strong back and firm ass. Holy fuck, Brady the nerd is ripped!

Brady the nerd.

That thought jolted me out of the kiss-induced stupor and I pulled back. I didn’t know this man, not really. I knew his first name was Brady and he did something with computers. I knew he cared for his niece after her parents died, but that was it. No last name, nothing important other than how his body felt beneath my hand.

This is the definition of a bad idea, I told myself and took a step back. “I should, um…good night.”

He smiled, and it was as if the kiss never ended because I could still feel his mouth on mine, his tongue devouring me. “Good night, Antonia.”

I opened my mouth to remind him that my name was Toni, but Brady put two fingers to my lips.

“I like Toni,” he purred. “But I like Antonia better.”

Holy. Shit. My tongue slipped out and slid against his fingertips and he pulled back as if my tongue had burned him. “Good to know.” With that I slipped into my bedroom and closed the door, pulse racing wildly at the hot as fuck exchange.

I enjoyed the moment. Enjoyed the memory of his mouth on mine and his hands on my body. Enjoyed the heavy lidded, lust filled look in his eyes when I licked his fingers.

And then I proceeded to freak the fuck out.