Page 46 of Nanny and the Beast

"Are you?" he asks. I don't know if I imagine it, but he's closer to me than he was a moment ago. Our bodies are drawn to each other like heavenly bodies that can't help but orbit around each other.

"I find it refreshing," I say. "I like that you say whatever's on your mind without holding anything back."

I remember the words he said to me last night. “If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from me, little girl.”

"Can I look at the email?" he asks.

I come crashing back to reality.

I open the email app and hand my phone over to him. His jaw hardens as he stares at the email.

"Are there more?" he asks.

"Yes," I say. I know each of them by heart.

"You didn't delete any?"

I shake my head.

"Good girl," he says.

Warmth pools between my thighs. I'm feeling things for this man that I barely understand.

He pockets my phone.

"Are you taking my phone away?" I ask.

"I'll issue a new one to you in a few hours," he says. "I'll have all of your contacts and apps synced, but I want you to stop using your old email and social media. And if you ever receive anything even mildly threatening, I want you to inform me immediately."

"Okay," I say.

"You'll be assigned a bodyguard who'll be with you at all times," he says. "If you ever get the feeling of being watched or followed, I need you to contact me right away."

There's a lump in my throat.

"Thank you," I say.

He nods. I can tell he wants to say more, but he doesn't say anything.

"I care about the kids," he says finally. "I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt them."

"I know," I say. "And I didn't mean to insinuate anything earlier."

He nods and studies my face. "Are there any other secrets you're keeping from me, Miss Turner?"

I think about the other night when we bumped into each other at Elysium.

It takes everything in me not to avert my gaze. If I did, he'd instantly know that I was hiding something. I could lie, but something tells me he would see right through me.

"If I told you another secret, will you tell me one of yours?" I ask, looking up at him through my lashes.

His face is only inches apart right now. I'm intoxicated by his proximity, but it's not enough. I want more.

And I can tell by the way he's looking at me that he's thinking the same thing.

Someone clears their throat, breaking the spell between us.

Helena stands a few feet away. I don't know how long she's been there. I didn't even hear her approach.

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