Curvy Nanny for the Nerd

20. Toni

Chapter 20

Toni

I tried on the jeans I wore yesterday one final time and smiled at my reflection in the mirror, because yeah, they made my ass look fantastic and gave my thighs a thick but slim look. But jeans on my first date with Brady? It didn’t feel right.

I needed something hotter. Something sexier. Something that would make him swallow his tongue even before we made it to the meal. My choices were either leather pants which were sure to drive him wild, or a dress which would make me feel sexy and would drive him wild.

I pulled out the sexy deep green dress I bought a few months ago but hadn’t found an opportunity to wear.

Until tonight.

The dress was sleeveless and velvet, perfect for the transition between daytime warmth and early evening cool. It skimmed my thighs so I decided to leave plenty of skin on display with a pair of strappy black wedges that would give me some height and even more swing in my hips. “Perfect.” I felt sexy and trendy and most of all, I felt like myself.

There was no pretending to be someone else tonight. Brady would get the full unvarnished Toni, and I could only hope he liked what he saw.

I was a little overdressed for where I planned to take him for dinner, but that was all right. One thing my mother and I always agreed on? You could never overdress for any occasion. I touched up my makeup, finishing the look with bright red lips and lash enhancing mascara before I felt I was ready for this date with Brady.

At five minutes before eight he knocked on my bedroom door and I sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly along with my nerves before I answered the door.

“Mr. Winsome, you look hot as hell.”

His lips spread into a sexy, surprised grin. “Oh. Thank you.” His gaze raked over me and heat bloomed between us. “And you look like I’ll be spending the night imagining what you’re wearing underneath that dress.”

My head fell back and I laughed. Feeling naughty, I lifted the skirt of my dress up and gave him a quick glimpse of the black lace thong. “Nothing at all worth wondering about.”

His nostrils flared and he took a step forward.

I stepped back and put my hands up to stop him. “Uh-uh, Brady. We have dinner first.” I laughed again when his shoulders fell in disappointment.

“Right,” he straightened and flashed a tight smile. “Dinner. Where’re we going again?”

“That, my friend, is a surprise. I just hope you brought your appetite.”

His hand landed on my lower back as he pressed his chest to my back, his next words were whispered in my ear. “Oh, my appetite is big and strong, Antonia. I could devour you whole right fucking now.”

My breath hitched and when I looked at Brady over my shoulder, he winked at me. Who was this sexy playful beast and where was my workaholic boss? “Good to know,” I purred. “I’ll hold you to that. Later.”

“You’re kidding. This is where you want to eat tonight?” The look of disbelief on his face was comical.

I bit back a laugh. “What? Were you expecting a fancy steakhouse or seafood restaurant?”

“No,” he said, a little too quickly.

“Liar.” I bumped his shoulder and took his hand, leading him up to the little beachside dive bar that wasn’t really a bar. With a thatched roof and a small building where you could place carryout orders, it was barely an establishment. “This place has, in my opinion, the best tacos in all of Texas. Come on, you’ll see.”

Brady gave my hand a quick squeeze and let me pull him to a table on the edge of the beach. Like a perfect gentleman, he helped me onto the high-backed stool and let his hand linger on my thigh. “This dress,” he growled.

“Better than the jeans?”

His nostrils flared. “Nothing is better than those jeans, but this dress? Fantastic.” He licked his lips and leaned in, brushing a kiss against my lips so hot that my core quivered. He took his seat beside me and smiled. “What’s good here?” He asked just as the waitress appeared.

“The fish taco platter is amazing, at least that’s what I hear, but I usually come here alone, so I haven’t had a chance to sample it yet.” I held my breath and waited for disgust or exasperation to cross his face, but Brady’s smile widened.

“The fish taco platter sounds perfect. As long as it comes with lots of different sauces?”

“It does,” I said at the same time as the waitress. “And even better? The margaritas come in big ass glasses.” I smiled at the waitress. “Strawberry mango for me and watermelon lime for him.” I turned to him, expecting to see a frown or some other sign of displeasure but there was just a hint of amusement and a small dollop of affection.

“Sounds good to me. Now I just have one question. Is this the kind of place that has fresh chips and salsa?”

The waitress smiled. “On the house,” she said and disappeared.

Brady turned his full attention to me, a smile on his handsome face. “So, did I pass?”

“Pass what?”

“Your test.” He leaned in close enough that I felt his warm breath on my face. “Bringing me to this taco stand for dinner?”

“Not a test, I’m just allowing you to see me. The real me.”

He studied me for a long moment and then sat back and stared some more. “And this taco hut is the real you?”

I nodded. “It is, part of me anyway. Just because I grew up with access to money and everything that brings, doesn’t mean that’s who I am. I love fish tacos and margaritas as much as I love my Louboutin wedges,” I told him and kicked my leg out to show off my shoes.

“If the tacos are as good as you look in those shoes, I totally get it.” He brushed a fingertip up from my ankle up to the hem of my dress. “A nanny who loves tacos and designer shoes. Tell me more.”

“I like kids. But I grew up surrounded by nannies and house staff who were all nice, but I was a job, you know? Other than the housekeeper, I was a duty to them. I wanted to give kids an adult who was interested in them and cared about their everyday lives. Someone who cares about what they have going on beyond how it makes their parents look.”

“Sounds like a story?” He leaned in close and took my hand.

I rolled my eyes. “It’s an age old story of a wealthy woman wanted to mold her daughter in her exact image. I balked and rebelled at every turn, and our relationship worsened with every act of rebellion.” I hated to think about the shit my mother said to me over the years and the awful things I said in return. “Enough about me. Tell me about you and Marnie.”

“We were close growing up despite the age difference. She was my best friend and my protector, but she left for college before I was ready. We were as close as we could be as adults, but she and her husband traveled for work and I was busy building my company.”

“Your company,” I said flatly. It didn’t take a genius to figure out he owned his own business, but that was all I knew. “What exactly is it that you do, Brady?”

His eyes widened in surprise. “You haven’t looked me up?”

I shrugged and looked away. “No. I like to get to know people for myself, not through the filter of other people. I want to know what you want me to know.”

He looked uncomfortable, but I promised myself that I wouldn’t get upset or hurt if he didn’t want to share.

“I’m just curious how you spend your days when you’re holed up in your office. What fires you up?”

He leaned forward with desire swimming in his eyes. “You.”

I bit back the disappointment I felt and changed the subject just as our margaritas arrive. “To the best margaritas in Houston.”

Conversation shifted to more mundane topics that didn’t mean anything. Subjects like sports and music, things I wouldn’t remember tomorrow or the next day. The highlight, other than the view of Brady, was the tacos.

The moonlit walk on the beach should have been romantic, and it was, kind of, but it was colored by Brady’s reluctance to open up and share anything about himself.

It doesn’t matter, I told myself over and over again. He didn’t owe me the details of his life. He didn’t owe me anything.

“Toni.” Brady stopped in front of me, pulling me from my thoughts. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” I said a little too brightly, punctuating it with a too-bright smile. “Just got lost in thought for a second.”

“What’s on your mind?”

I sighed and turned to face the water, black except for the moonlight glittering off the waves. I could’ve given him my usual snark and a flippant answer about how we don’t share intimate details about our thoughts and lives, but I didn’t want to do that. It wasn’t a bad thing that he was wary of people. I got it. So I turned back to him with a smile, wrapped my arms around him and pressed my lips to his.

Brady responded instantly, his hands gripped my waist before sliding down to cup my ass. He moaned like his hands belonged right there on my ass, squeezing and pulling me close enough to feel just how much he was enjoying this kiss.

My eyes fluttered shut and I gave myself over to the moment and to the kiss. I gave myself over to this man.

But only temporarily, my brain reminded me. Brady wasn’t mine, not to keep anyway. So I would enjoy this—whatever it was—for as long as it lasted.

And I wouldn’t, under any circumstances, give him my heart.