Page 7 of Nanny and the Beast

“Rosalie?”

“I sense a darkness in her, Klaus. I can see it in her eyes.”

“She’s just grieving the loss of her mother,” I say.

She shakes her head. “It’s more than that.”

I look at Helena’s round face. Her naturally rosy cheeks are drained of color, leaving her pale. The only time I’ve seen her this pale is when she heard the news of the car crash.

“Give me one good reason,” Helena says.

“What?”

“Give me one good reason you didn’t give Miss Turner a chance.”

“She’s not the only nanny in the world,” I say.

“She was perfect for the job. She had glowing recommendations from her previous employers. She’s warm and compassionate. The kids really liked her.”

“I don’t want to get into this right now,” I say.

Helena purses her lips.

She’s not going to leave until I give her an answer. I could lie to her, but she’d see right through me.

“Klaus,” Helena says.

She reaches for my shoulder. I squeeze my eyes shut, recoiling from her touch. I see explosions behind my closed eyelids.

War. Pain. Suffering. Death.

“I’m sorry,” she says immediately, pulling her hand away.She knows better than to touch me.

There’s a sour taste in my mouth. I know sleep won’t come to me tonight. I’ll stay up thinking about everything that turned me into this.

“It’s because she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” I admit.

Helena blinks. This was probably the last thing she expected me to say.

“And I don’t want to bethatguy, okay? I don’t want to be the man who can’t stop staring at the fucking nanny.”

Helena nods and looks out the window.

Fall has kissed the countryside, turning everything red, orange, and yellow.

But I don’t see the beauty of it anymore.

All I can think about isher. The way her dark eyelashes framed her big eyes, the way she smelled like freshly baked cupcakes, the way her defiance made my cock so fucking hard.

“It’s a shame, though.” Helena sighs. “James really liked her.”

“He’ll forget about her by tomorrow,” I say.

As will I.

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