Page 12 of Curvy Nanny for the Cowboy

It was like having dirty dreams about a professor,ultimately harmless unless you let your mind run away with thoughts of more than a fantasy, which I didn’t plan to do.

I’d never had such a visceral reaction to a man before, not even after catching a certain Hemsworth brother in nothing but a pair of bronzed, perfectly tight buns. There was something about Colton that was magnetic, that made me behave differently than I might otherwise have. He had a presence that wouldn’t be ignored, even though ignoring it was the best course of action for us both.

I focused on my breathing and my poses, keeping my body tight and in the moment. That was what was important, not some sexy raven-haired rancher who barely tolerated me. The sky started to change colors, and the air outside grew warmer, and my body felt good as I shifted from one pose into the next, my body and my peace of mind the central focus. The more positions I found, the more my focus turned inward, and my racing heart calmed. This was just what I needed, no matter how I came to it.

“Where are your clothes?” Colton’s question came out low and angry; his growl bounced around the wide-open space.

Doubled over as I was with my head between my legs, I flicked a gaze up at him and arched a brow. “My clothes are right here, as you can clearly see. Is something wrong with your vision?”

His jaw clenched as if he was reaching for patience or control, orsomethingalong those lines. He said nothing, but the weight of his gaze held me in place for a long time.

I finished my position and stood up tall, getting in his face in a manner more aggressive than usual. “Do you have something against me exercising?”

“No.” His answer came quickly, but it did nothing to appease the anger bubbling to the surface within me.

“Do you think someone like me shouldn’t be dressed this way? That I should cover up more?”

“You’re basically naked,” he swallowed. “Anything would be more covered up than…this,” he said and motioned at my yoga attire.

It wasn’t anything I hadn’t heard before, but the immediate hurt that pulsed through me was impossible to ignore. I motioned to my outfit as my anger grew. “My tank top covers me from the top of my boobs all the way to my waist,” I said and flicked the waistband for emphasis. “My shorts cover more than any standard bathing suit. I am completely covered, so I can only assume that yourrealissue is with my body. Well, guess what?” I poked his chest, too worked up to realize the potential ramifications of my actions. “Not every single woman you come across is going to be tall and leggy and slender with huge tits. That’s not me, and it never will be, and that’s all right with me. I like my body the way it is, and if you don’t like it, that’s too damn bad. Close your eyes!” My heart raced rapidly, and my breaths came in sharp and shallow as I snatched up my yoga mat and stormed across the yard and back into the house.

Who in the hell did he think he was, anyway? Nobody policed my attire or my appearance, at least not anymore. I’d spent too much of my life trying to squeeze myself into someone else’s box of what was beautiful and appropriate and right.

No more.

I was who I was, and anyone who didn’t like it didn’t matter all that much to me, not even if he wrote my paychecks. Perhaps especiallybecausehe signed my checks. He didn’t have to like the way I looked as long as he appreciated that I was damn good at my job. That’s what mattered. It was theonlything that mattered.

As I climbed into the hot shower, I tried to ignore the wave of disappointment that washed over me at the thought that a man like Colton, hot and buff and sexy as hell, didn’t find me physically appealing. It was his loss, I told myself, even if I didn’t fully believe it; I knew it was true. I didn’t need my boss to be attracted to me, but to hate how I looked enough to yell at me to cover up?

Yeah, that hurt.

It hurt like hell.

But it was also the story of my life, so I washed quickly, rinsed off, and got dressed, determined to get on with my day without thinking one moment more about Colton and his disdain.

Chapter8

Colton

Imade my way across the field that led from the barn where the horses were kept to the house, body sore and covered in sweat. Today was hot, and I was in a bad mood. Again. Things hadn’t gone well with Molly yesterday morning. I reacted badly, but the last thing I expected to see before I had my first cup of coffee was Molly and those spectacular curves encased in the tiniest scraps of fabric possible while still being decent. She was bent in one ungodly position after another.

Ass in the air.

Thighs spread.

Bent like a pretzel.

Tits facing the sky.

My cock stood up and responded instantly, which pissed me off, and instead of taking the matter in hand—literally—I’d gone out there and taken it out on her. Worse than being a lech of a boss who got hard looking at his twenty-year-old nanny do yoga, I made her feel bad, like I thought there was something wrong with the way she looked. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

I bit back a groan as the house came into view. A lone figure knelt in the grass, and I knew I was in for another round of torture. The closer I got, the clearer the view became of Molly on her knees, bent over so her heart-shaped ass wiggled as she yanked weeds free of the long metal flower beds that had been neglected since long before Sara’s death. The more her pregnancy with Hunter had progressed, the more insistent I became that she give up strenuous tasks like gardening.

Seeing Molly there now created a swirl of emotions within me. Seeing someone else tending to the garden was hard, but it felt right. More than anything, it was those pale pink leggings she wore—as if in defiance of me—that clung to her ass in a way that revealed she was wearing no panties.

No. Panties.

“Come on, you little fucker, get out of there,” she growled and pulled, the move making her ass sway and jiggle temptingly. “Gotcha!” She held the weed up like it was a spoil of war, her smile wide as she slammed it into the bucket beside her.

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