Page 140 of Nanny and the Beast

I've heard of people's fortunes changing overnight, but I never imagined something like that would ever happen to me.

I stare at my phone in disbelief.

My heart thumps loudly in my ribcage, making blood rush to my ears.

It honestly feels like I'm living in a dream. Everything feels too joyful and luminous to be real life.

I put my phone away and look at myself in the mirror.

There's evidence of last night all over my skin. Love bites and bruised lips and messy hair. We woke up when the sun was high in the sky. He kissed me until I was drunk on him, and then he took me to the shower, where he made slow love to me like we had all the time in the world. I'm back in my own bedroom now, feeling a little dazed.

I never considered myself a sexual person, but there's an ache inside me that's making me more and more restless.

He's good at taking care of me, but I can't stop thinking about his body on top of mine.

I liked it when he showed me his animal side. I liked the way he moved on top of me, his powerful body taking what it neededfrom my smaller one. I liked that feral look in his eyes as he palmed my breasts in his hands.

His possessive nature is something he doesn't even try to hide. It's supposed to make alarm bells ring in my head, but all I hear are symphonies.

I'm still thinking about him as I get dressed for the day.

I wear an off-shoulder sweater dress with nothing else inside. Before leaving my room, I swipe red gloss over my lips.

As I knock on his door, I glance down the corridor.There's nobody else in sight. The kids have classes until noon, so they've been occupied all morning.

The heavy door swings open.

Klaus stands in front of me in a tailored navy-blue three-piece suit. His polished leather oxfords gleam under the muted lights of his bedroom. He looks so handsome that it steals the breath from my lungs.

"Why do you insist on torturing me?" he grumbles, his dark gaze sweeping down my curves before walking toward his closet.

"You look nice too," I say, stepping inside his room.

I rest my back against the closed door, feeling a little breathless as I watch him open his watch cabinet. He selects a Patek Philippe with a brown dial. The sight of him getting dressed does something to me.

"I know what you did," I say, taking a deep breath.

He raises an eyebrow.

"You donated money to the hospital where my grandmother is admitted," I say. "They sent me an email that they would erase all the medical debt and provide free medical treatment for the rest of her stay."

My heart is thumping hard against my chest.

I know that the money he sent to the hospital was probably only a fraction of his fortune, but it means everything to me.

"Why did you do it?" I ask him.

"What do you mean?" he replies.

"You didn't have to do something like that for me," I say. "You didn't have to pay off my debts."

"I wanted to," he says. "I already told you that I would take care of you."

Something blossoms in my chest. It's soft and fragrant and way too vulnerable, so I ignore it.

"My bank also reached out to me," I say slowly. "Sevenmilliondollars, Klaus?"

"For the bakery," he says. "You told me that it was your dream."

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