Page 26 of Falling for the Nanny

Cat swayed closer, her fingers smoothing across my chest, hooking over my shoulders. I lowered my mouth, hovering just above hers, but before I could make a final decision, she closed the distance between us. Her body pressed closer to mine as she pushed up on her toes, her mouth fusing with mine.

It felt like a release in its own way. The torrent of backlogged want finally had a channel, and though the kiss started slow, I couldn’t keep that pace. I tightened my grip on her and slid my tongue between her lips. She responded with a moan that went straight to my cock. I could have her now, on the floor. Or maybe I could hold out until I got her to the bed. My cock got harder, picturing her beneath me, on top of me, bent over the headboard. We could finally satisfy the need festering in both of us.

But then what the hell would we do if it wasn’t satisfied? And right now, I couldn’t imagine one round on the closet floor exorcizing this mountain of pent-up desire. I’d want her again and again, and we’d end up in some fucked up version of a family. The lines would get blurred. There was only one way it could end, and that was bad.

Lily would suffer.

Hell, I would, too.

Unwillingly, I broke the kiss before it went too far.

Cat looked up at me, her lips still glistening, her eyes dazed. “David?”

“We had an agreement,” I said, feeling like I’d been drugged. “We made rules.”

She nodded. “I know. But I don’t think we made enough of them.”

I laughed shortly. “No, clearly not. New rule–we can’t be alone together.”

“That should take care of it,” she whispered.

I wondered if she felt the same mixture of frustration and disappointment that I did. I knew that eventually, I would be glad we hadn’t given in tonight. In the morning, when things weren’t complicated, I’d pat myself on the back. But for now, I was just pissed off at myself and at her. I’d known this wasn’t a good idea from the beginning. She was too beautiful. But if she wasn’t so good with Lily, maybe I could fire her and end this torment.

Instead, I was trapped with her. It was like the two of us were surrounded by a ring of fire, the heat pushing us inexorably toward one another.

But if we gave in, it might burn us alive.

* * *

I spent a lot of the following week in my office, careful to avoid being in the same room with Cat as much as possible. It wasn’t sustainable–staying away from her meant distancing myself from Lily too–but it was all I could do for now, until I figured out what the hell to do about this mess.

I was so focused on Cat, though, that another mess dropped itself neatly into my lap. Or rather, it showed up on my doorstep with three travel trunks and a hat box.

“Hello darling,” my mother said when I opened the front door and just stared at her, nonplussed. “Didn’t you get my messages?”

“No.” I hadn’t, though I believed she’d sent them. The problem was, she was notorious for texting the landline or sending emails to my company’s HR department rather than myself.

My mother’s sunny smile brightened another degree. “Well then isn’t this a pleasant surprise?” She handed me her hat box and then bent to pick up a small carrying case I hadn’t noticed before. With a small dog I definitely hadn’t noticed inside. It looked like a teacup poodle or something equally absurd. Small and white with huge eyes, it pressed its nose up against the bars and whimpered.

“It’s okay, baby,” my mother crooned. “We’re home now.” She knelt down and undid the latch. The poodle stuck its nose out and looked around in what appeared to be great dissatisfaction.

“Mom,” I said dangerously. “What the hell is that?”

“A yorkie!” she straightened up and dusted her hands together. “You’ll love him. I named him after you. Now make yourself useful and help me bring in my things.”

Before I could process which part of her statement was most absurd, I heard small, light footsteps running down the stairs. Lily appeared on the landing, bright eyed and feeling almost back to normal. “Grandma!” she said, delighted. “You’re early!”

“You knew she was coming?” I barked in surprise.

“She emailed me.”

“That’s strange considering every time I ask her to email me, she swears she doesn’t know how.” I was aware of Cat standing back on the landing, watching all of this with an amused expression. She was in her usual work uniform of jeans and a nice blouse, but for some inexplicable reason, her hair was loose around her shoulders instead of up in its customary ponytail. I saw my mother become aware of her, too, and do a double take.

“Why, Mrs. Barnes,” she said, putting a hand to her chest. “You look fabulous. You must tell me where you got your work done.”

Cat smiled at her easily. I noticed she was easy with most people who weren’t me. It must have been all the years she was a bartender. “Didn’t David tell you? Mrs. Barnes moved to California.”

“I emailed her,” I said blandly, and I could tell it took Cat effort not to laugh.

---