Page 86 of Nanny for the Mercenaries

More like a key to my heart.I chuckled at the stupid metaphor.

Trish swung her big eyes up at me. “What’s so funny?”

I wanted to tell her the silly joke, but I didn’t want to make a big deal about it. “Nothing.”

Before she could call me out on it, there came a soft knock on the door. Both of us tensed, fearing that it might be Kaylee, but when the door opened it was Archer who slipped inside.

“I am not here for sex, I assure you. I wanted to—oh.” He blinked when he saw me. “I was coming to comfort you.”

“I don’t need any comforting,” I teased, “but I bet Trish would appreciate the extra man-warmth.”

Trish laughed at the joke, and so did Archer. He came around the other side of the bed, and Trish rolled over to curl against him. I twisted with her, spooning her from behind.

“I could use a bit of comforting, myself,” Archer revealed.

“Really? You still get nervous before missions?” Trish asked.

“Usually not, but it has been a while since I crashed a helicopter. And this will be the first time I’ve done it on purpose.”

“I would think crashing a helicopter is surprisingly easy,” she said.

“It is. Quite easy indeed. The trick is crashing it and escaping alive.”

“Oh. Right. That part is important.”

Archer glanced over at me, then back down at Trish. “I actually have another reason for being here tonight. If something goes wrong tomorrow, there cannot be any evidence that we are American or British mercenaries. I will be removing all identifying materials from my person tomorrow. But I would like you to hold onto my dog tags…”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, for fuck’s sake…”

“I did not intend for it to be a big deal,” Archer said, glaring at me. “I simply want someone to hold onto them for safekeeping. I trust Trish more than shoving these in my luggage.”

Trish laughed. “This is a lot of pressure.”

Archer frowned at her. “I am sorry. I would not have asked if I thought…”

“No, no, it’s not that.” She reached into her shirt and pulled out my tags. “This is why I’m laughing.”

Archer looked at the dog tags, then up at me. “Oh, piss off.”

“What? I was here first!”

“Only because I was kind enough to ensure our daughter was asleep before sneaking into the nanny’s bed,” he countered.

“Kaylee fell asleep an hour ago. You’re just mad that I won.”

“I can wear them both!” Trish insisted. She grabbed his dog tags and draped them around her neck. “You two are comfortable sleeping with me at the same time, but you think it’s weird for me to wear both dog tags while you’re gone? That’s ridiculous.”

Archer and I shared another look. “That is a valid point.”

“I’m fine with it as long as you are,” I said. “As long as mine doesn’t touch yours.”

“Indeed. No touching.”

Trish made a funny face. “Who cares if they touch? It’s not as if…” She trailed off. “Oh. I get it. Ha ha.”

She adjusted the tags into her top, then snuggled between us again. I molded myself against her body and sighed happily.

“Am I a distraction?” she asked.

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