Page 26 of Single Dad's Hot Nanny

I sat back and regarded her with mild annoyance. “I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

“Poppy is a smart, intuitive kid. She knows when someone is really here forher. I’m telling you, Mia was. Poppy will flourish under the right female attention, Michael. Mia is it. Trust me.”

My jaw tightened. I’d always felt a little guilty about Poppy’s lack of a mother. I loved her to death, but I could never give her what a woman’s presence could. I thought of the way she’d clung to Mia, and my resolve weakened. However, I rebuilt and reinforced it fast. I’d hire anyone but Mia.

The fact that I vividly remembered the taste of her on my tongue… I didnotwant to know how the nanny’s pussy tasted, for Christ’s sake! Was that so wrong? I didn’t want the woman I had a one-night stand with to be in my house babysitting my daughter.

I heaved a sigh as I got out of my car and gazed up at the apartment building where Mia lived. To my chagrin, I had tobacktrack on my vow to never see her again because I couldn’t bear to see my child so devastated.

One week after I’d fired Mia, Poppy still walked around looking at me as ifI’dstolen her joy. The accusing looks from Amber were getting ridiculous, too. I felt like a villain in my own home.

As I marched up the stone steps to enter the building, I couldn’t help remembering the last time I was here. I still couldn’t believe my one-night stand had found her way back into my life, and it seemed she was here to stay this time because Ineededher.

However, even as I stood in front of her door, I tried convincing myself that I didn’t need Mia orsweet troubleas I liked to call her. I almost turned around and abandoned my mission, but I couldn’t disappoint Poppy. I’d foolishly promised her I’d get Mia to come back. I sighed with resignation as I knocked. I had to stomp on my pride and beg her to take the job as our nanny.

12

MIA

I glanced at my ringing phone and felt a pang of guilt for ignoring the many calls. It was my brother, but I was reluctant to answer. I knew he’d ask about the job I’d told him I’d gotten. The one I got fired from in just three days. It would be too humiliating to admit another failure, but I didn’t want to lie to him either. The only solution was to not speak to him at all.

When it stopped ringing, I blew out a relieved breath. I’d be able to comfortably talk to him when I secured another job and was on my way to being a productive member of society. That would happen in a couple of days because I got a stroke of luck after Michael gave me the boot. I’d landed a job. Waitressing wasn’t my dream job, but it was a source of income. I’d get the shark extorting me out of my life for good soon enough.

A knock on my door pulled me from my thoughts, and my heart stuttered. Lately, when I heard a knock, it was a cause for panic since it could be that scary guy from last week. The one who threatened to do very graphic and disturbing things to me if I didn’t tell him where my ex-boyfriend was or start paying his debt.

When I heard the knock again, I got up and backed away as if that would help. If there was a criminal on the other side, they wouldn’t let a door stop them from getting inside. Part of me expected it to be kicked in at any moment. The knocking continued, and I pulled in a breath and inched closer to it. I was so terrified that I didn’t even want to look through the peephole, so I asked, “Who’s there?”

“Michael...”

My heart, which was pounding rapidly, came to a screeching halt and then sped up again.“What?”I whispered. His voice was loud and clear and recognizable, but I still couldn’t believe he was outside my apartment, so I looked through the peephole.

I spun around and leaned against the door. “Oh my gosh.” It was really him, and it was too late to pretend I wasn’t home.

“Mia?” he called.

“Erm…” I swept my living room with disgust. There was evidence of my recent bout of depression everywhere. Cookie boxes and chocolate bar wrappers were strewn on the center table. Empty cartons of Ben and Jerry’s and wine bottles littered the floor…

Did I really consume all of that? That was the thing about stress eating. You didn’t realize how overboard you went until you clawed your way back to the shore of sanity and saw the wreckage you left behind.

“Just a minute!” I dashed around, scooping up some of the wrappers and ice cream cartons. I couldn’t let Michael see what a mess I was. At the same time, I couldn’t leave him outside forever, so I hid the wine bottles behind the throw pillows. I tugged at my wrinkled t-shirt and dusted cookie crumbs off my face as I hurried back to the door. A slight creak echoed as I pulled it open.

Our eyes locked, and I had to pull in a breath because something kicked me in the chest. How could I still be attractedto the man after everything that had happened between us? Although, in my defense, he was incredibly hard to resist. Michael was the kind of man who could turn heads in any room.

He had that effortless masculine magnetism about him. The way he towered over me and held me in his unwavering gaze, wearing that ridiculously sexy somber mask would melt my defense if I wasn’t careful.

“What… what do you want?”

His sharp gaze moved over my face and something like concern flashed in his eyes. “Are you alright?” he asked.

The question surprised me, but then I was reminded that Michael wasn’t acompleteasshole under his serious mask. The guy I spent the night with last month had been incredibly sweet. He was observant, too. I was sure my distress was written on my face.

No, I wasn’t okay. My life was a mess,Iwas a mess, and my father thought I was the disappointment of the millennium. I’d been holding it together just fine even after Michael’s harsh firing until I spoke with Dad. I always spiraled after conversations with him… so I spiraled at least once a month.

I cleared my throat. “I’m great. Never been better.” Michael was right. I was a big fat liar. My gaze slid away from his.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” he asked.

I looked back at him with disbelief. Was he for real?

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