Page 36 of Curvy Nanny for the Grumpy Single Dad

I sighed and reached out to her, pulling her back until she was half on top of me. “That’s not what I meant, Lucy. I want you, more than I should considering that you’re here for Lena. I don’t like feeling out of control and being unable to stay away from you is a form of losing control.”

“And the world will end if you lose control?”

“No.” I huffed out a laugh. “It won’t end, but I was so angry during my divorce, and the fact that my ex refused to even fight for Lena…, well, I lost my shit more than a few times.” I hated to even think about that time in my life. “If not for the fact that she didn’t want Lena, I might have lost my child, I’d gotten so crazy and out of control.”

Her blue eyes widened and I waited for the fear or the judgment, but her lips curled into a small, sympathetic smile. “I can’t picture you losing control like that. You’re so self-contained, but maybe that’s why you’re so gloomy. Holding everything in like that would piss me off too.”

I squeezed her tightly and she squealed. “I’m not that grumpy.”

“You are, and if you weren’t so hot people would totally hold it against you.”

“You mean if I wasn’t so rich,” I corrected her, because that’s what most people saw first.

Lucy snorted. “Rich people just have a lot of money, and that’s pretty easy to hate no matter what. But you’re so stupidly good looking that I’m sure you get away with a lot more than you should.”

I frowned at her words. “You’re telling me my face is more appealing than my wealth?”

She shrugged. “It wasn’t your wealth that stopped me in my tracks on the road that day. It was the tall, dark and handsome part of the equation. Otherwise, you would have been just another rich jerk.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her assessment. “That’s definitely a first for me.”

She turned to me earnestly, her expression had changed from playful to serious. “You’re a grumpy ass most of the time Dante.”

“Thanks?”

She giggled. “It’s the truth, but you’re very sweet with your daughter, and despite your grouchy attitude, you make sure Dotty doesn’t work too hard and you ask your employees about their private lives. You’re not a total ass, but this is…new to me. I don’t, ah, I don’t get this close to the men I work with, or for. Not ever.”

I’d heard that before, too many times to count. “Never?”

“No, never. I can’t deny there’s something about you even beyond that pretty face, a chemistry that surprised me. But if you don’t want this, then neither do I. You can go back to your room right now and this will be it. No harm, no foul.”

Her words surprised me. She was the first woman, other than my ex-wife, who had willingly walked away from me, and Bethany had still taken a few million dollars for her troubles. Was this offer too good to be true?

I must have waited too long to respond, because Lucy slowly pulled out of my hold and slid away until she was all the way on the other side of the bed. “I get it, Dante. We’ll just pretend that this night, and the other night, never happened. It’ll make things easier,” she said softly. “For both of us.”

“Lucy,” I called after her as she started towards her private bathroom.

She turned just inside the bathroom and tried for a smile that didn’t reach her blue eyes. “I like working with Lena, and I’m a professional Dante, I promise things will go back to normal.”

I frowned and sat up, unhappy with every single fucking word she just said to me. “What if I can’t let this go?”

She sighed. “Then I guess you’ll replace me and we’ll both move on with our lives.” She gave me one long look that felt suspiciously like goodbye before she slipped inside the bathroom and closed the door.

I don’t know how long I sat there on her bed and listened to her in the shower, wondering if I should join her or leave her the hell alone. I knew I couldn’t leave her alone, not yet. I hadn’t had enough of her and I wasn’t ready to walk away from her yet, but she worked for me.

I got to my feet slowly and stared at the two doors, one led out of this room and back to life as usual, and the other led to Lucy and her lush curves and easy smile.

Left or right.

Normal life, or Lucy in full vibrant colors.

The choice was easy.

I turned left and slipped inside the bathroom and into the shower, spending the rest of the evening losing myself in Lucy, in her laugh and her sweetness.

Chapter 23

Lucy

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