Curvy Nanny for the Nerd

27. Brady

Chapter 27

Brady

T oni was sick? She’d gotten dizzy today? Why was this first I heard of any of this? If she was too sick to do her job then I should’ve been the first to know. She hadn’t said a word, not that it surprised me at all since she hadn’t said much to me for too many days to count, unless you counted greetings and farewells. And I didn’t count that, especially since they were mostly for the benefit of Layla so she didn’t have a clue that anything in her life had changed.

What was wrong with her and why hadn’t she told me? As her employer, if nothing else, had a right to know. As Layla and I sat down for dinner an insidious thought worked its way into my brain. What if Toni hadn’t said anything because she was setting the stage for another payday? A much bigger one?

Stop it, I told myself. Thoughts like that were how I ended up in this uncomfortable situation in the first place. The truth was that I had no real, concrete reason not to trust Toni. She’d proven herself to be incredibly trustworthy and the problem was now that she could no longer trust me. I hadn’t given her a reason to want to open up to me, in fact I’d given her plenty of reasons not to trust me with her body or her heart.

I wasn’t able to get much out of Layla about Toni being sick other than a brief dizzy spell. It was clear that my niece was worried but she trusted Toni when she told her it was just everyday sickness.

I should just trust her too.

I tried, but I failed. All throughout dinner, my mind was stuck on what was wrong with Toni. What if it was something significant? What if she needed some kind of long-term treatment? Who would she go to for help? I was so focused on my curvy nanny that I absently agreed to Layla’s request for two big cookies for dessert.

Still, after dinner I couldn’t work because I was too damn worried about Toni. At bedtime, all I wanted was to have her in bed beside me, her curvy body curled around mine so that the scent of her skin lulled me into a deep and peaceful slumber.

When it became clear that sleep wouldn’t come easily, I kicked off the bedding and got to my feet and went in search of a cold glass of water. I needed to do something about the Toni distraction. I needed to find a way to get her to forgive me or I needed to forget about her. I already knew forgetting her wasn’t an option.

But luck was shining on me because I found Toni in the kitchen, lit by the refrigerator in a pair of shorts that showed off her silky thighs and a tank top that showed off nearly all of her midriff. This is my moment, I said and crept closer until I could smell her fresh from the shower scent. “We need to talk.”

Her shoulders stiffened and that was the only clue she’d heard me or that I’d startled her. She turned slowly, closing the fridge door, before her gaze settled on my face. Her green eyes studied my face carefully, folding her arms as if preparing for a fight. “Are you unhappy with my work?”

My brows dipped forward at her question. “What? No.” I shook my head because I was anything but unhappy with her work. “You’ve brought Layla out of her shell and you’ve managed to bring us closer together. I’m grateful to you for that.”

“Okay.” That one word was clipped but it held a wealth of emotion and none of them were positive.

“About the things I said, Toni. I didn’t mean it and I owe you-,”

She stopped my apology and shook her head. “You don’t owe me anything Brady. I work here and you pay me for that service. It’s the only thing you pay me for,” she said, a hint of fire in her green eyes when she said that last part. “Besides all that, I think you meant exactly what you said so there’s no reason for you to apologize. I know where we stand.” She looked away as if she was hurt and I’d never felt more like a dirtbag.

“I didn’t mean it,” I insisted wholeheartedly but she refused to hear me, keeping her gaze averted. “You have to understand that women haven’t historically been interested in me as a person, Toni. Before I was rich I could hardly get a first date never mind a second one, so imagine my surprise when suddenly I’m one of the most eligible bachelors in the state.”

“Poor Brady has beautiful women throwing themselves at him,” she said and rolled her eyes.

“That’s what I thought at first. But then there were hints dropped that we should go to this restaurant or make a stop at that jewelry store. We should go away to Paris for the weekend. And slowly it all started to make sense. They were willing to put up with me to access my money.”

Toni folded her arms and stared at me, her gaze narrowed to slits. “And I asked you for all of that too, right?”

“No,” I sighed. “But those experiences over the years made me cynical. Made it hard for me to trust people and it turns out that’s a hard habit to break.” I flashed an embarrassed smile because it was embarrassing to admit that to this woman who was always so confident in who she was.

“I get it,” she finally said, her voice full of resignation.

“You do?”

Toni nodded. “Trust isn’t easy for any of us who have been hurt which is pretty much most of us.”

“I’m glad you understand.” At her words, relief crawled over me and alleviated the weight pressing down on my chest and shoulders.

“And when you meet the right woman, you’ll want to break that habit for her.” Sadness colored every syllable. It darkened her eyes and flattened those full lips out to a tight, straight line.

The finality of her words rammed into my gut with the force of a fighter jet and the breath left me on a grunt. She really didn’t get it, did she? I shook my head to clear it because this had to be some kind of alternative universe. “Toni.” My tone was pleading but I reached out to her, she took a step back. “What if I have met the right woman?”

Her lips tugged into a smile that lacked any hint of humor or joy. “You haven’t, Brady. If you had any interest beyond sex you would want me to know about your life’s work. Your passion. Your business. That’s what normal people talk about when they care about someone. But you don’t and I’m a big girl, I can handle the truth. I don’t need to be told twice. Or three or four times, either.” She took two big steps to the right, just far enough out of my reach that I couldn’t touch her again, and then Toni walked away from me.

Too bad for Toni I had a few inches on her and in two steps I reached out and tugged her wrist. “Toni, stop,” I growled and pulled her back until our bodies were pressed together. The pressure in my chest loosened at the familiar position, chest to chest and hip to hip, when nothing else in the world mattered but me and her.

Her eyes widened and a gasp escaped between her pouty lips. I took advantage of the moment and fitted my mouth against hers, so hungry for a taste of her that I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think straight. The moment our lips touched it was like I was home again. Everything in the world made sense and the ache in my chest disappeared.

She tasted like chocolate and strawberry lip balm and the moment her lips parted, I slipped inside her mouth, devouring every corner of her mouth. I laid claim to it because she was mine. She didn’t know it yet and yeah she kind of hated me right now, but the way she kissed me back told me it wasn’t too late.

Not yet.

Her arms snaked around my shoulders and she tattooed her body against mine, flicking her tongue against mine, nibbling my bottom lip while her fingertips played along my hairline, teasing the sensitive flesh and sending a shiver down my spine.

I deepened the kiss and she didn’t protest, didn’t pull away. Toni pulled me closer and opened her mouth to me, moaning as pleasure filled her body. My fingertips moved back and forth against her silky midriff and every shiver that stole through her, made my cock harden with need, with unsatisfied desire. I wanted this woman more than I wanted my next breath. I needed her.

Which meant I needed to make her see. I needed to make it right.

I pulled back slowly, pressing my forehead to hers. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Toni. It will never happen again.”

“I know,” she sighed and pressed one final butterfly kiss to my lips before she stepped back and sighed. Her gaze studied my face as if she was trying to memorize the details and then, without another word, she turned and walked away.

This time I didn’t follow her, didn’t call her back. I watched the slow and steady swing of her hips as she disappeared from view. She walked away as if nothing had happened, as if that kiss hadn’t affected her the way it had me when I knew that it had. I felt the intensity and the desire in her kiss. “Dammit,” I growled into the empty kitchen because what else could I do?

I didn’t know yet but I spent most of the night wide awake plotting and planning what I needed to do to make Toni see that she was it for me.

She was the right woman.