Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 53516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
His hips pressed into mine, and he was hard. Really hard and very long beneath the towel, and that slight pressure made me breathless. And hungry. Oh, so very hungry for this man with his big muscles, his strong hands, and his grumpy demeanor.
Grumpy. My boss was a grumpy son of a gun, but he was also hot. And passionate.
And my boss.
I pulled back, mortified at what I'd just done. My eyes went so wide I felt them drying out almost immediately. My mouth dropped open, and I couldn't look away from Xavier's erection and the way it bobbed behind the towel. I didn't want to, but I forced my gaze up to his face and found his nostrils flaring and his eyes dark with—was that desire? "I'm sorry, Xavier—I mean Mr. Holloway. Shit. I didn't mean to…I mean, I shouldn't have…shit." I turned on my heels and rushed to my room, locking the door behind me.
What had I done?
Would he fire me?
And if he did fire me, where would I go? Could I continue to work as a nanny?
I didn't know, but I knew who would. "Hey, Toni, sorry to bother you. Do you have a minute to talk?"
"Yeah, sure, just eating my way through a box of barbecue ribs and caramel popcorn. What's up?"
It sounded gross, but pregnant women had odd cravings. "How's the pregnancy?"
"Good, and when it's not good, it's awful. What's wrong?"
I frowned. "Who said anything was wrong?"
"The tone of your voice. Talk to me about anything other than my tiny bladder and increasingly strange cravings. Please!"
I laughed. "Okay. Don't laugh, but is there some kind of curse on Executive Nanny Services?" I laughed again because I realized how ridiculous that sounded.
There was a long silence before laughter bubbled out of Toni. "What did you do?"
"I kissed my boss," I blurted out and replayed the last five minutes in as much detail as I could.
"It sounds more like the dad kissed you."
I thought about it and nodded even though she couldn't see me. "Still, I shouldn't have kissed him back. I shouldn't have ogled him. What am I going to do?"
"That depends on what you want to do and on what he wants to do."
"That is not an answer, Toni! There is nothing to be done. He's my grumpy boss, and this is my first job."
"Yeah, yeah," she said dismissively. "And no one tells you how difficult it can be when there's an attraction. You get close to single parents, you become a unit, and maybe even friends. Or more. It just depends on the twosome."
That made sense, but it didn't answer my question. "Okay, so what do I do?"
"Whatever feels right. If it happens again, figure out if that's what you want. If it doesn't, can you go back to your normal relationship?"
"He's usually grumpy and gruff, so that shouldn't be a problem." I might not be able to stop thinking about the sight of him in nothing but a towel, but I wasn't a bold woman, so there was no chance of me attacking him when he realized it was all a big mistake. "Thank you, Toni."
"No problem. And hey, let me know how it all turns out."
I rolled my eyes. "You don't have to sound so happy about it."
"I don't have to, yet here I am, sounding all happy about it. Good luck, Rosalee." Her laughter sounded as the call ended.
My smile faded as I changed into something cozier, and then I sat for five minutes and thought about what to do next. The answer came immediately, and once I knew what I wanted to say, I ventured out of my room and found Xavier in the living room wearing nothing but a pair of loose-fitting pants and wool socks, nursing a beer. "Hey."
He looked up and his gaze raked over me, making my nipples harden to stiff peaks in my thin white T-shirt. I clenched my thighs together inside my flannel pants and waited for his gaze to reach my face. "What do you want?"
I will not let that attitude get to me right now, I reminded myself. "I just wanted to apologize to you for what happened earlier outside the bathroom. Not about snapping at you, because you totally deserved that, but for kissing you. I've never, um, attacked a man like that before, and I truly am sorry. It was completely unprofessional, and I understand if you need to replace me." I waited for Xavier to say something, hell, anything, but he just stared at me, or maybe he stared through me—I couldn't be sure. When it became clear he wasn't going to respond, I turned and went into the kitchen.
I might not have a job tomorrow, so I sat at the kitchen table and ate my weight in soup and biscuits.