Page 74 of Nanny and the Beast

“Nothing happened,” I say.

“Why not?”

“Because I didn’t want to keep you waiting.”

“Bullshit,” he says. “I would have waited all night if you told me you were finally with someone. You know I would never cockblock you. If anything, I cock encourage you.”

“Please stop talking,” I say.

“What happened?” he asks. “I want all the deets.”

“You should really stop sticking your nose in other people’s business, Alaric,” I say. “It’s not an attractive quality.”

He snorts.

“This has to do with the nanny, doesn’t it?” he asks.

Heat bursts inside me as I think about the brown eyes that have been haunting me all fucking week. She’s everywhere in my head. The scent of her skin lingers in every corridor of my house. I can’t even get any peace when I close my eyes at night. She’s all I see.

I throw my drink back.

Without me having to ask for it, my drink is refilled.

“I can’t believe a woman finally got under your skin,” he says. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

“It definitely doesn’t mean what you think it means,” I mumble.

“You like her,” he says. “And you’re furious because you’ve never felt this way before.”

I can’t even deny it.

The most unsettling part is that it’s more than just carnal desire.I’m curious about her. I want to know what caused the shadows in her eyes. I want to know every thought that passes through her pretty head.

“I don’t want to ruin it for the kids,” I say. “They really like her.”

“That’s understandable,” he says. “Relationships get messy sometimes. But if you like her, you should get to know her. Especially because you never felt this way about anyone before.”

I look at my friend.

“Why can’t you be on my side for once?” I say.

“Because nobody else is going to be honest with you,” he replies.

I shake my head and take another sip of my drink.

“Look, everyone has their own issues. We’re all human. We’re all flawed in one way or another. But one thing about you is that you don’t let people in. It’s not just about physical intimacy. It’s about letting yourself open up to another human being. You can’t repress everything forever, Klaus. It’s going to come out in ugly ways.”

I think about the nightmares I wake up to.

They haven’t plagued me as much this week, but I know it’s only a matter of time before they make a grand comeback.

“It was a mistake hiring her,” I say. “Maybe I should let her go.”

“Dude, that’s the opposite of what I just said,” he says, rubbing his forehead likeI’mthe one giving him a headache.

“She’s a complication,” I say. “And I can’t afford complications right now.”

“A divine complication like this is just what you need.”

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