Page 41 of Curvy Nanny for the Nerd

“Right, but you’re not curious?”

“Oh, I am. But I’m also resigned. This is what it is and how it has to be, which means I’m working on being fine with it.”

“You’re hurt,” she guessed correctly.

“Annoyed,” I lied because it’s what I did.

“Yeah, of course. That’s what I said.”

I chuckled. “You’re such a good friend.”

“I am, aren’t I.” Lucy sighed and shook her head. “You like him and if I had to guess I would say youmorethan like him. But your instincts are right. If he doesn’t open up then what’s really between you?”

“Really great sex,” I answered. “Which isn’t as important as I thought it would be. Holy shit, is this like growth or adulthood or some other scheme?”

“All of the above,” she answered with an amused laugh. “Great sex is great but it’s only great because your feelings are involved, so if they aren’t returned or they come with strings, you might as well settle for emotionless really good sex.”

“Damn. Have you always been this good at giving advice or is it marriage and non-stop orgasms, oh, wise one?”

“Um, all of the above?”

We shared a laugh and even though I didn’t feel any better about my situation, just talking to Lucy made me feel better in general. “Thank you for taking time out of your busy new life for me.”

“Always. And if you need to talk or a guest room to crash in, our door is always open.”

“I appreciate that but maybe whenever whatever is going to happen, happens, I’ll treat myself to a vacation I’ve been meaning to take for the past few years.”

Lucy tossed her head back and laughed again. “Only you can say something like that and have it make total sense.”

“It’s a talent,” I smiled and rolled my eyes.

“I’m here except for right now because I have to go. There’s a baby in the house that needs to eat.”

“Okay. Kiss your kiddies for me. Thanks again, Lucy.”

“Anytime. Love you. Bye.”

I ended the call and shoved my phone into my back pocket before putting away all thoughts of the future. For now I was determined—and yeah maybe a little delusional—to live firmly in the present.

Chapter 23

Brady

This is why I don’t do relationships.Those words kicked around in my brain on and off all morning because my focus was divided, half on work and the other off stuck on Toni. Why was she the woman who’d gotten under my skin? What was it about that fiery red hair and sassy mouth that called to me and made me broke all of my rules?

Most of all, what was it about her that kept me longing for her even when she wasn’t around, even when she didn’t want a damn thing to do with me?Like now.

She’s made herself scarce since she accused me of only wanting her for sex.Just like all the others.Her words had pissed me off but they’d also broken my heart just a little. How many idiots in her life had she encountered who didn’t see how great she was? How sexy those curves were and how beautiful she was engulfed with passion? How did they not see what I saw?

Doesn’t matter, does it? I see how great she is and I still managed to fuck it up.

“Dammit,” I growled and shoved away all thoughts of Toni so I could focus on work. The teams were all caught up and some were even ahead of schedule and I wanted, no Ineededto keepthat momentum going. So I did what I always did when I didn’t want to think about the world around me, put my head down and focused on one task at a time.

Sometime just after noon a sharp knock sounded on the door and I leaned back with a smile, knowing who was on the other side.

“Come in.”

The door opened and there was Toni looking hot as hell in an unusually feminine dress, green with white polka dots and cut just low enough to give me a glimpse of her pale cleavage. “Hey.” That one word came out shy, almost uncertain but it was at odds with her squared shoulders and straight spine, and the confidence that she oozed. “Busy?”

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