Page 26 of Curvy Nanny for the Nerd

It felt good, the noise and the chaos and the laughter. For too long this place had been quiet and lifeless, and with the arrival of a fiery beauty, everything in my life had been turned upside down.

And I couldn’t find it in myself to be upset about it.

Sure there were secrets between me and Toni that prevented us from becoming more than whatever we were right now, but that was a worry for another day.

Tonight, everything was perfect.

Just fucking perfect.

Chapter 14

Toni

It was late enough in the evening that Layla was already asleep, but early enough that I wasn’t. Brady was holed up in his office doing his mystery work that he didn’t want me to know about, so when the phone rang and Lucy’s face lit up, I answered with a smile.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Mrs. Rush who’s forgotten the little people.”

Lucy’s laugh sounded down the line, putting a smile on my face. “You’re hardly the little people, Toni. You’ve got more personality in your pinky finger than most of us have altogether. How’s the new placement?”

I rolled my eyes with a heavy sigh. “It’s great. Layla’s a wonderful little girl. She’s wicked smart, and she’s so spunky she could’ve been me in an alternate universe.”

Lucy shared my laughter. “That’s great. And how are things with Mister Hot, Neryd and Mysterious?”

“Complicated.” That was the simplest answer for a situation that was anything but simple. “Very fucking complicated and not in the good, he makes me feel all torn up inside kind of way either. Just plain complicated.”

Lucy laughed again. “Does he make you feel all torn up inside?”

Yes.“Maybe.”

“Liar,” she shot back, her tone good-natured. “You slept together.”

“Yes. A lot over the past few weeks.” My bed still smelled like him, which only made me remember all the things we’d done together and to each other in the bed beneath me. But it also served as a reminder that we were always in my room, never his. Because behind his door were his secrets.

Lucy squealed with excitement. “That’s a good sign. Isn’t it?”

“No, Lucy. It’s not good. It’s terrible.”

“Oh,” she said, slightly deflated. “Is he that bad in bed?”

My head fell back and laughter exploded out of me because only Lucy, so in love with her hot, sexy husband, would sound so devastated by that fact.

“No, he’s terrific in bed. It’s the best sex I ever had, period.”

“Okay, now I’m really confused. The sex is so good you’ve been banging nonstop and he hasn’t fired you. What am I missing?”

“Everything, Lucy,” I said dramatically. “We’ve been sleeping together. We live together and eat meals together, and we spend time together after Laya goes to bed. It all feels very intimate, like it’s going somewhere, but it isn’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because he clearly doesn’t trust me. I still don’t know his last name or the name of the company he works for, or even if he owns the damn company! And that’s not the worst part.” I felt like a crazy person right now, overly emotional and paranoid, which was exactly why I’d stayed away from relationships these past few years. Men were more trouble than they were worth.

“What’s the worst part, Toni?”

I looked over my shoulder and lowered my voice. “It’s like he goes out of his way to make sure I don’t know anything about him. When he talks about work he makes a point not to say the name of the company or offer up any details about his work. I only know its gaming, because Layla said something about it once, probably by accident.”

“Maybe he’s just not good at opening up?”

I appreciated Lucy’s effort, but I shook my head despite the fact that she couldn’t see me. “It’s a trust issue I think.”

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