Page 56 of Single Dad's Hot Nanny

“My aunt is crazy,” I joked.

Mia snorted. “Have you met me? We’d be the perfect duo.”

I chuckled and then eyed her with affection. I had it bad for Mia, and I had already stopped denying the fact. However, I couldn’t act on it because respecting the line she’d drawn was the decent thing to do.

“Look, I know you want to please your parents, but maybe you shouldn’t pressure yourself too much. You’re young. You’ve got time to figure things out.” I probably sounded as if I wasquoting something out of a self-help book, but I was starting to feel edgy in this intimate setting.

“Everyone else makes it seem as if I don’t.” She hung her head. “I’m convinced my father hates me.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t.”

She didn’t look convinced. “Every time we talk, he makes me feel so worthless. I can never do anything right in his eyes, and it’s so frustrating.”

Her eyes filled with tears, and honestly, I wanted to bolt. As much as I wanted to be the person she talked to, I was starting to think this wasn’t a good idea. I might do something stupid like kiss her again. She apparently didn’t notice my struggle because she kept going.

“After our conversations, I always end up in this dark place, and before I know it, I’ve gone through a mountain of food and bottles of wine. That’s self-destructive behavior, isn’t it? Maybe that’s what a shrink would tell me.Ugh. I’ve been doingsowell. I haven’t spiraled in months, and one dinner with the old man and there I go…” She threw up a hand and sighed. “Maybe he’s right. Maybe I am worthless. I mean, I’ve made so many horrible decisions, and he’s right about?—”

I snagged her chin between my fingers. “Mia, stop. I will not allow you to put yourself down like that. You’re funny, witty, and smart, and those are the things that drew me to you before I even met you in person. You turned out to be a ray of sunshine in mine and Poppy’s lives. You’re not worthless, you’re valuable to us. You’re fucking incredible.”

I dropped my hand as soon as I realized I was touching her. “And all of that is probably inappropriate to tell my nanny…” I blew out a long, tortured breath and got up before I lost my head like I typically did around her. “I should leave you alone now…”

23

MIA

I was stunned by Michael’s speech, so I didn’t say anything. I just gaped at him like an idiot. He got up, but he didn’t walk away immediately. Instead, he stared at me for a moment. There was a look in his eyes that said he didn’treallywant to leave me alone. A muscle ticked in his jaw, and he huffed as if in resignation.

“Good night, Mia.”

He took two steps before I found my tongue. “Michael, wait…”

As he turned around, I got up. We stood facing each other. I was a little annoyed that he’d had time to school his expression because now he was frustratingly unreadable. Still, every sweet word he’d said still hung in the air between us, and for the first in a long time, I felt special and less like a screw-up.

I took a small step toward him. “I don’t want you to go.”

Michael’s eyes darkened slightly in that way they did when he was in the throes of passion or when he thought he was subtly watching me with carnal need… but it wasn’t so subtle because I noticed.

“Why?” he asked. There was a challenge in that one word that made me weak in the knees.

Goodness, he wanted to hear me say it, and suddenly, I felt timid. “I… um…” How did I put into words that I wanted him to forget that I’d redrawn the line between us? Giving in to the chemistry that sizzled between us might be one of those bad decisions I was famous for, but hell, it was still my birthday, and I wanted what I wanted. It seemed Michael was ready to give it to me if I asked.

My heart pounded as I closed the distance between us until we were mere centimeters apart, and I could feel the heat radiating from his body. Michael’s gaze was intense. The way his eyes bore into mine made me feel vulnerable as if my soul was exposed. He didn’t move a muscle, but I could see the tension in his jaw and his fists clenched at his side as if he were barely stopping himself from reaching for me. Watching him holding on to his control by a thread fueled the fire inside me, and what shyness I had fled.

I spread my palms on his chest, and his muscles bunched beneath them. As soon as I tipped on my toes and brushed my lips against his, he didn’t hesitate. He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me against him. The kiss was anything but soft. It was hungry and desperate as if we’d both been waiting for this moment for weeks.

My entire body pulsed with need as his lips voraciously moved over mine. I melted into him, and my hands moved up to wound around his neck. As our kiss deepened, my hands moved further up until my fingers threaded through his hair. The low growl in his throat as his kiss grew more demanding made me shiver. I’d never felt this intense sexual need before, not even when Michael and I hooked up the first time. The weeks of tension left us in a state like an explosion waiting to happen, and now that the fuse had been lit, there was no stopping it.

“Mia…” He murmured against my lips as his hands moved lower to grip my hips. “You’ve been driving me crazy.” He liftedme with ease, and my legs wrapped around his waist. I assumed we’d take things to my bedroom since it was closer, but to my surprise, he took long strides to the counter and set me down. “I can’t go another step further. I’m taking you right here.”

“Please…”The level of begging in my tone should have been embarrassing, but I was beyond caring. Hell, I was so needy that I almost orgasmed when he simply tugged my tank top down to expose my breasts.

His eyes darkened with desire as he stared at my chest while he reached for my shorts. I lifted my hips, so he could slide them off. I sat in just my panties with my breast spilling out as Michael frantically freed himself from his pants. It was like he’d combust if he went another second without us connected, and the knowledge that he needed me that badly sent the heat level up another notch.

I arched into him when he gripped my thighs and tugged me closer. Our hot as sin kiss had done its job getting me ready for him, so I was soaked by the time he yanked my underwear aside. The ripping sound of the material echoed in the kitchen, and even that drove my desire to a higher peak. Michael groaned when he tested the water and his fingers came away drenched with my readiness.

Without further hesitation, he plunged into me, filling me completely with one thrust. I moaned with pleasure and pure relief at having him like this again. It was like my body had been starving for this man. He set a rigorous pace that was almost bone-jarring but made my body come alive in a way I'd ever felt.

I was just as wild as he was, groping him and caressing every part of him I could. The animalistic way that we came together was the most intense experience ever. Was this primal need even possible with anyone else or was it a once in a life thing with… Mr. Right…? While I didn’t want to foolishly get caught up in the raw passion I experienced with Michael and misinterpret itfor love, a part of me was convinced I’d never find this kind of connection with anyone else.

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