Page 25 of Nanny for the Firefighter

Just as I wipe away the drool on my bottom lip, Mason walks into the living room with a tired grin.

“Hey,” I offer, scrambling to sit up and straighten my clothes. “You’re home early.”

He nods. “Yeah, I’ll admit it. I missed Mia. But I looked in earlier. It looks like you guys got along well.”

I’m confused for a moment, still trying to process the fact that I’m now speaking to the man who was just starring in my sex dream.

“Oh! You have home cameras. That makes sense.” I shake my head. “Yeah, we did. Mia is a great kid.”

The pounding of my heart settles some as I think about Mia. She truly is wonderful, and getting to hang out with her was a blast. I will definitely enjoy being her nanny.

“Where, um…?” Mason looks around, clearly wondering where his kiddo is at.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” I put my hand on the back of my head, trying to smooth down my hair. “She’s taking her afternoon nap. I’m sure she’ll be up any minute.”

Mason nods again, a slight smirk touching the corner of his mouth. “You taking a nap, too? Looks like you were having some dream.”

My heartbeat ramps right back up, and I can feel my cheeks burn even harder than before.

“Oh, I…she just…”

I’m scrambling. We both know it, and I have nothing to offer to save myself.Fucking hell, just change the subject.

“Mia has tons of energy. I understand how you stay in such good shape if you’re always running around after her.”

I reflexively look up and down Mason’s body and immediately regret it.

Nope, that was definitelynotthe thing to bring up. Fucking shit. I am so bad at this. When did I get so bad at this?

A sigh escapes as Mason fights back a grin. I’m years out of practice. I know that much, but damn. Even I’m impressed by my fabulous lack of skills.

He chuckles, and the sound is as charming as ever. “I’m glad to hear you had fun. And yeah, Mia is a handful. So…thank you. For watching her today. I definitely needed to get caught up on work.”

Now, I’m the one nodding, but I have no doubt that I look like a damn bobblehead. I quickly stop myself as Mason comes to sit down on the couch next to me.

I can feel the weight of his presence, this strong, towering force looming from the seat next to mine. We’re notthatclose, a comfortable distance, but every part of me wants to reach out and touch him.

No. Absolutely not. You cannot do that. You and Mason…well, there is no you and Mason. No, no, no.

Mason stretches, his arms going over his head, and I hear his back crack. Sitting at a desk all day is not what I would have pegged Mason’s job to be, but it’s clear he finds other ways to stay so fit.

But I really need to stop thinking about him like that.

Still, as he settles against the couch with a sigh, his hands go to his tie, loosening it and undoing a few of the buttons at the top of his shirt.

It’s like he’s forgotten I’m even here, and I’m not sure how to feel about that.

He seems comfortable enough with me, which is a good thing, but on the other hand, it’s a bit too easy to ogle him when he’s not paying attention.

And ogle him I do.

With his shirt unbuttoned like it is, I can see the top of Mason’s chest, the fine dusting of hair covering his skin peeking out from behind the crisp fabric.

There’s something about the way a guy can loosen his tie like that that’s undeniably attractive. I chew on my lip, Mason’s eyes still closed as he lays his head back against the couch.

“Long day then?”

Jesus, what am I? A bartender?

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