Page 27 of Curvy Nanny for the Grumpy Single Dad

“Dante.” She looked at me through lust heavy lids and licked her lips.

I blinked away the fog of desire and frowned. “Shit.” I gripped her ass again and lifted her in the air before I set her on her feet. “That shouldn’t have happened.”

Anger flared in her eyes and she gave my chest a shove, a hard shove. And then another and another. She pushed me until I stood in the hall, still frowning.

“Don’t worry, it won’t happen again!” She slammed the door in my face which was no less than what I deserved.

I knocked and whispered against the door. “What about dinner?”

Lucy’s answer was a loud thud as if she’d tossed something at the door.

“So not coming then?”

A low grunt sounded, followed by another thud.

“More for me,” I mumbled to myself and made my way back downstairs to join my daughter for dinner. No sexy nanny distractions involved.

Chapter 17

Lucy

Dammit, that’s what I got for being stubborn.

My mom would have said that I was cutting off my nose to spite my face, and I would very likely have stuck out my tongue behind her back because she was right. I was a master at making myself suffer just to prove a point, or worse, to make someone else feel guilty for slighting me. It didn’t matter if I had to pay for it later, I never regretted it.

Not even now as my stomach growled furiously with hunger, did I regret not taking Dante’s dinner invitation. It was well after ten o’clock and I was so hungry that if I didn’t get eat something now, I might not be able to sleep properly. I took one last glance at the small fridge in my suite stacked with soda, water and ice cream sandwiches and decided that I was too old to eat ice cream for dinner, which meant I had to venture out of my room and into the kitchen. Sustenance is what my body needed, no, my body craved it at this point, so I snuck down the stairs and hoped like hell that the growling monster in my belly didn’t wake up the whole house.

I glanced around the kitchen, checking the oven to see if anything was left warming inside, and then the microwave. Nothing. Of course Dante hadn’t saved me any food.

“Last time I do him a solid,” I grumbled to myself and headed over to the fridge. It was fine that he hadn’t thought of me, because a sweet gesture like that might have made it difficult to stay angry and annoyed with him.

Yep, it was aa very good thing, in fact. I smiled as I pulled out everything I would need to make a killer deli style sandwich. Dotty had onion Kaiser rolls in the bread box that were almost the size of my head and I took my time cutting into it and slathering mustard on one side and tapenade on the other, before I stacked it with turkey, salami, pickles, tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts. I took the first bite before I put everything back in the fridge and groaned loud enough that it echoed around the giant kitchen.

“Thought you said you weren’t hungry.” Dante’s deep voice startled me and I choked on a gasp, but then the honeyed sound sent a shiver straight down my spine.

I refused to acknowledge the shiver was from anything more than my skills as a sandwich maker and dove in for another bite. I felt his eyes on me, and since my stupid traitorous body refused to ignore him the way the rest of me was determined to, I turned slowly and stared at him while I chewed. Why did he have to look so damn good? Even now dressed in his expensive flannel pajama pants and nothing else, he made my mouth water even more than the sandwich, which honestly tasted a little worse at the sight of Dante’s abs and pecs, and goodness gracious, that trail of dark hair that disappeared behind his waistband.

Stop ogling your boss! I admonished myself and shook the fog of lust away with a shrug. “I felt like a sandwich.” I took another bite and that punch of red wine vinegar was so good my eyes rolled back in my head. “Problem?”

Dante’s gaze was like a lover’s caress as it slid from my face down my neck to the swell of my ample breasts. Too late, I realized that it was the tank top I slept in—without a bra—and my nipples beaded under the heat of his intense gaze.

“No,” he grunted. “No problem,” he said a little firmer and less grumpy as he turned away from me. “Put some damn clothes on.”

Instantly my hackles rose at his tone. “These are pajamas, thank you very much. And if you can’t handle it, then maybe you should go away,” I growled. “At least I’m wearing a shirt,” I mumbled under my breath.

Dante turned slowly, and I wish he hadn’t, because I was still staring at the broad planes of his back. “This is my home.”

“Mine too as long as I’m the nanny.” I flashed a smile that was guaranteed to piss him off. “Lena’s asleep, and I’m hardly dressed inappropriately, so I don’t see what the problem is. If you can’t stand the sight of a regular woman close your eyes, or better yet, go to your room.” I held my smile in place and ignored the sting of humiliation that though he’d kissed me—more than once—Dante did not find me attractive.

Stupid, Lucy.

Instead of another, darker scowl, Dante hit me with a smile and a huff of laughter. “Did you just tell me to go to my room?”

I jutted my chin out defiantly. “I did. I didn’t ask you to come down here, you came on your own and then judged me because you don’t like what you see. Correct the problem by leaving.” I stared at Dante and waited for him to respond, my heart slammed against my chest in anticipation.

His green gaze darkened, heated with desire, and the moment was so hot I swore the kitchen smoldered in anticipation of the fire. Dante’s mouth parted ever so slightly and I knew that look, I’d seen it enough times now to know what came next.

I stifled an unintentional gasp and took a step back, one finger aimed right at his shirtless chest. “Nope. Not happening again!” I took a step backwards and then leapt forward, grabbed my sandwich and darted across the kitchen before I paused. Dante stood in the doorway, but there was enough room to slip through if I sucked in my belly and turned sideways, without touching him. That’s exactly what I did and when I was free, I darted up the stairs, the sound of Dante’s deep laughter trailed behind me.

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