Page 9 of Single Dad's Hot Nanny

“I don’t mean to be impolite,” I said. My eyes moved over her face for the umpteenth time. “It’s just that you look… young…”

She put her fork down and took a deep breath.

Her reaction incited suspicion, and my eyes narrowed on her guilty face. My jaw locked as I thought the worst. What if I just spent an hour and a half lusting over someone I wasn’t supposed to be lusting over?Jesus fucking christ. I gazed at Jane with growing panic.

Her expression changed to resignation. “I was going to tell you after dinner…”

I leaned forward in my chair, apprehension knotting in my stomach as I watched her.

“I’m actually twenty-one,” she admitted. Her eyes were filled with apology.

I sat back and blew out a breath as I processed her revelation. I was immensely relieved she was at least legal, but I didn’t want to date a twenty-one-year-old. Plus, I was incensed that she lied about her age. That was a red flag, wasn’t it? Yet as I studied her flushed face and wide eyes that gleamed with remorse, my attraction to her didn’t diminish an ounce.

My short time with Jane had been nothing but easy and fun. Still…twenty-one?I didn’t do younger women, not that much younger. This wouldn’t work…

5

MIA

Watching the interest wane from Michael’s gorgeous green eyes, extinguished my hope for a possible romance. I supposed it was on me for having such high hopes before I even met the man.

Disappointment rose to leave a bitter taste in my mouth, and my appetite for dessert disappeared. Pushing away my plate, I sighed heavily. Things had been going so well with Michael. He didn’t make me feel awkward or on edge. He had this relaxing presence that made me feel unusually settled. It was like being around him countered my energy… I’ve been told that I have too much. As it turned out, the whole opposites attract theory was real. It was obvious that we balanced each other.

“Twenty-one…” he murmured. “How do I know you’re not lying about that, too?”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “I’m not lying. I swear.” I was about to pull out my ID to reassure him, but then he’d figure out that I lied about my name too.

Michael’s scowl deepened.

Goodness, it was like he was disgusted with my age which was strange. It was just my luck to encounter the one man who wasn’t impressed with an energetic twenty-something.

I studied Michael, regretting that I had been foolish enough to lie about my age. He was so nice and handsome. He was Mr. Right. Others might say I was being foolishly optimistic (again) or even delusional, but the guy I’d been looking for was right in front of me. I felt it in my bones. He’d taken my breath away when he’d arrived and called my name in that seductively deep timbre. When I had looked into his eyes, my heart had skipped a few beats.

Michael was quite the looker, with his perfect bone structure and imposing build. He looked over six feet tall, with a toned physique that must come from a rigorous fitness regimen. But it wasn’t just his good looks that instantly had me hooked, it was his very presence. After chatting with him for a while, I was thoroughly attracted.

“I can explain…” I stopped when Michael raised a skeptical eyebrow.

Embracing my embarrassment, I continued. “I know I said I was around your age when we started communicating.”

“Yes, you conveniently left your age out of your profile.” Furrows appeared between his eyebrows. “And when you said you were around my age… Well, twenty-one isn’t really around my age, is it, Jane?”

His biting tone made me feel like scum for lying. I nibbled on my lower lip and eyed him sheepishly. If I came clean and told him I was really Mia Clarke, he’d think I was a pathological liar.

“No…” I blew out a breath. “It isn’t. We started messaging back and forth before the age thing came up, and I thought we connected so well. I lied because I didn’t want you to dismiss me based on my age.” I stared at him beseechingly, wondering if he could overlook my fib. “I didn’t want to lose the chance to get to know you better.”

Michael’s jaw tightened. I could tell he did that often. He was so intense, and I even found that attractive.

“I see,” he said slowly, and then his expression went flat.

“I’m sorry…” I said lamely as I followed his gaze to our waitress. I stifled another sigh. It was easy to guess we were done here. I couldn’t blame him. Being caught in a lie on a first date was a bad sign. “We can split the check. I feel like I owe you for wasting your time.” I couldn’t afford to splurge so much on dinner, considering that I was still unemployed, but I was desperate to show Michael that I wasn’t downright awful.

He let out a soft sigh as he held me captive with those sharp, assessing eyes. “This wasn’t a waste of time. I enjoyed the evening. I’m just not…”

“Into younger women?”

“We all have our preferences.”

I opened my mouth to ask him what the big deal was but decided against it. He seemed irritated enough, yet he was calm and tolerant. That proved that he was a decent guy, and I wanted to kick myself for ruining things already.

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