Page 36 of Military Daddies' Nanny

Nancy rolls her head backward, her eyelids fluttering. Carlos grows tense and then cuts off his motion abruptly. He grabs Nancy flush against him, pushing forward, deeper into her as he shudders in blissful ecstasy.

In the hazy aftermath, the three of us lay quietly in the ruined bed, our labored breaths slowly evening out. I can still feel a throbbing in my groin, but I sigh contentedly. That was better than anything I could have envisioned.

As if echoing all our thoughts, Carlos leans upward and says, “So…is anybody going to talk about how fucking weird that was?”

I have no idea how to respond, so I remain silent, choosing instead to savor the sweetness of the moment.

Nancy, though, smacks Carlos on the arm. “I’m trying not to be embarrassed as it is! Shut up and let’s get dressed. We still have to go do the shopping we talked about before Drew has our heads.”

Chapter 13

Drew

I lean against the door frame, arms crossed over my chest as I watch Nancy and the kids engaged in some elaborate board game sprawled across the living room floor. Their laughter echoes through the house, a sound I'd almost forgotten existed within these walls before Nancy breezed into our lives like a breath of fresh air.

It's been just over a month since she started working for us, and already the change in Bella and Jason is remarkable. Gone are the somber, withdrawn shells of children I'd grown accustomed to tiptoeing around. In their place are two bright-eyed, smiling kids who actually seem excited about life again.

I have Nancy to thank for that miracle. She's brought light and laughter back into this house in a way I never could on my own, no matter how hard I tried.

As I observe her now, her hazel eyes sparkling as she playfully trash-talks Jason over some game move, chestnut curls tumbling around her heart-shaped face. An all-too-familiar ache blooms in my chest. She's stunningly beautiful, inside and out. She’s the kind of woman any man would be lucky to call his own.

Including me.

The thought lodges itself deep in my mind before I can quash it, as persistent and inevitable as the tide. I've been fighting a losing battle against my growing attraction to Nancy from day one.

But lately, it's become harder and harder to ignore the molten heat that floods my veins whenever she's near. The way my eyes are irresistibly drawn to the generous curves of her body, or how my fingers itch to run through those wild mahogany locks.

I want her. Fiercely. Possessively. Desperately.In a way I haven't wanted anyone since…

"Dad!" Bella's exuberant voice snaps me from my brooding reverie. "Come play with us! Nancy says we need a fourth player."

Nancy glances up at me then, those mesmerizing jade eyes holding mine as a soft smile plays at the corners of her lush mouth. "C'mon, Drew. I promise we'll go easy on you."

How can I possibly refuse?With a mock grumble of protest, I push off from the doorway and lower myself to the carpet beside her. "All right, all right. But don't expect me to throw the game just 'cause you batted those pretty eyes at me."

The words slip out before I can catch them—far too flirtatious for appropriate employer-employee boundaries. But Nancy just laughs, the sound sending pleasant tingles racing along my nerve endings.

"Wouldn't dream of it, boss man," she teases back with a saucy wink that sets my pulse thundering. "Now pick up those dice and prepare to get creamed."

We play for the better part of an hour, the friendly competition and casual banter weaving a cozy cocoon of warmth around the four of us.

In moments like these, it's so easy to imagine Nancy as a permanent fixture in our lives, not just as the nanny, but as a true part of the family. She’d be a loving maternal presence for the kids…and maybe something more for me.

The rosy glow of that domestic fantasy shatters abruptly when Carlos and Nathan burst through the front door coming home early from the shop. My brother's eyes immediately seek out Nancy, his entire demeanor brightening when he spots her.

"There's our girl!" he exclaims, striding over to ruffle her hair affectionately. "Holding down the fort without us, huh?"

Nancy beams up at him, and the intimacy of that exchanged look alone is enough to set my teeth on edge. "Always. Though I think your noteworthy absence might have something to do with how soundly I'm currently kicking everyone's ass at Catan."

Carlos barks out a laugh, dark eyes twinkling. "That's my Nancy. Beautiful and cutthroat. What more could a guy ask for?"

My Nancy. The casually possessive endearment slices through me like the jagged edge of a knife.When the hell did she become his Nancy?

Fists clenched at my sides, I watch with simmering resentment as Carlos settles himself on the floor behind Nancy, thick arms encircling her waist as he props his chin on her shoulder to survey the game board. The casual territorialism of the gesture—and Nancy's easy acceptance of it—has bile rising in the back of my throat.

Not to be left out, Nathan drops down on Nancy's other side, immediately engaging her in some inside joke that has them both dissolving into peals of laughter.

Their heads are bent close together, an air of secretive intimacy surrounding them that screams of shared experiences I'm not privy to.

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