Page 50 of Knot Just Their Nanny
I force a smile because that’s what you do for your mates, right? You smile and nod and give them a pat on the back, even if inside, you’re clawing at walls and snarling like a bloody idiot.
“Great,” I manage to say. “That’s... great. But don’t fuck it up, please, Liam. Sheisso good with Mia; I can’t lose her.” My desperation seeps out, and he frowns.
“You sure it’s just Mia you want her for?”
“Don’t,” I grunt, standing up and pointing at him. “Don’t.”
He holds his hands up. “Look, all I’m saying is if you figure out that growl meant more than you’re letting on, I’m not stepping back. There’s room for more than one alpha, if Zara wants that, of course.”
“Are you fucking joking right now?”
He looks at me seriously, shaking his head. “No joke. You know, as well as I do, that sometimes things get complicated.”
I let out a frustrated huff, pacing back and forth again. “Yeah, but this isZarawe’re talking about. Mynanny.”
“So you’re worried about it being a cliché?”
“What? Fuck off, will you?”
“Your words say one thing, but your face is giving off a whole other vibe, mate,” he prods.
“No! I mean—fuck.” I stop pacing and face him, realising that he’s seen right through me. “She purred at me first. It was a shocked reaction. Nothing more.”
“But now you’re jealous,” Liam says.
I want to hurl him out of the window like I did that tube of hand cream yesterday. What is he doing to me?
But deep down, lurking where it doesn’t have a right to be, there’s no point denying it; the tightness in my chest confirms it.
Liam stands up, laying a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “Look, you don’t need to do or say anything else. Your actions speak louder right now. She is under our skin and we both know it. Are you ready for it? No, probably not. Is that going to stop you? Yeah, probably. You’re Ben Scott, brooder of the century. Will I still date her? Fuck, yeah. Will I be open to you also dating her if you decide that’s in your best interest? More than open. Just let that simmer for a while. No one is going anywhere, yeah?”
“I don’t want it to be weird,” I reply.
“Why would it be weird?”
I shrug half-heartedly.
“Thinking, not acting right now.”
“I’m sick of thinking,” I admit with a grimace.
“So, you want to act?”
“Fuck off and let me have a shower. I already owe Alan for bolting out yesterday. I can’t be late today.”
“Good point. Shower and move your ass.”
My mind races as Liam leaves the room. The possibility of Zara being with someone else, withLiam, has lit a fire under me—a fire I didn’t even know was there until now. It’s not just jealousy; it’s a realisation that maybe there’s something more I feel for her than just her being the nanny.
Maybe.
Chapter 28
Zara
As I’m laying out my clothes for the day on my bed, there is a knock on the door. Crossing over to it, I open it and stare at Liam, wet from the shower, a white towel slung around his hip.
“Uhm,” I say, putting my hand up. “I agreed to a date, not a jump in the sack.”
