Page 29 of Nanny's Baby for the Italian Mafia Boss

I lick my dry lips, my heart pounding with desire as he drags his lips across my neck. “I only work for you,” I say weakly, my voice shaking. I can’t believe he would be so blunt about whatever has been going on between us.

He scoffs out a laugh, but it’s dark and full of disbelief. “Whatever you need to tell yourself.”

I somehow find the strength to pull away from his magnetism, but it’s difficult. The more I try, the more I want to sink into his embrace. He is a force, a pull, and resisting is nearly impossible.

He can’t get away with thinking he can control my life.

“Just because I’m your nanny doesn’t make me your property, Matias.” I stand, stepping away. “You are my boss. This can’t happen. And for you to come here and interrupt a good day because of your… ego? I’m actually not sure why you came at all. Now, Ella is playing by herself when she had met a friend. You shouldn’t have been thinking about me, but about Ella. You could have talked to me if you think it’s inappropriate for me to speak to other people while I’m with your daughter.”

He's up and in front of my face before I can blink. He towers over me. His scent invades my headspace and causes me to lose my train of thought. There’s a hint of his body wash, something with pine like all men use, but his cologne is different. It’s warm, reminding me of the sweet twist of honey bourbon and how it slips down your throat with ease.

“It isn’t about you talking to people when you’re with Ella. It’s about you talking to other men. With or without Ella. You feel this between us, and you can fight it all you want, but you can’t ignore there’s something here. So yes, when I find out there’s a man wanting what I want, I tend to go a little feral. You are mine in my mind, Sophie. Right here.” He taps his temple. “But if it helps you, then you need to know, youwillbe mine.” His voice deepens to such a low point, the baritone rasps.

The kids laughing and running around us fade away. All that’s left is me and him, the breeze trying to push me closer, and the curious watchful eyes of Gianni.

“I won’t be,” I manage to say, hating that I have to say it. “While I can feel something here, it’s something that cannot happen. I don’t trust men like you to be in my life so intimately, Matias. Men like you changed my entire life for the worse when I was younger. Men like you take. I refuse to be another object of your desires only to leave me wounded again.” I hike the bag that’s full of snacks up onto my shoulder.

He stares at me, lost, a bit hurt, and I can tell he has no idea what to say to that. “I am not those men,” he says in a whisper just as Ella runs and slams against his legs.

We’ll see about that.

“You came!” Ella squeals.

He looks down and the turmoil on his face disappears when he sees Ella. The smile is real. He is so happy to see her. He picks her up and swings her around.

“I couldn’t stay away from you. I had to come see you. Have you tried the monkey bars?”

She rolls her eyes. “Daddy, you know I can’t reach them yet.”

He scoffs and starts walking. “I’m here now. You can do anything.”

He makes it so hard to fight him when he is such an amazing father. Maybe he isn’t the kind of man to take until there is nothing left, but it’s a chance I’m not willing to risk. Matias is powerful, in more ways than one. He has the ability to play me like a damn violin until all my strings break. I can build myself back up, connect the strings again, but instruments never sound the same when their originality is broken.

I watch from the bench as Matias helps Ella onto the monkey bars. He looks so out of place in his expensive suit, but he’s just like any other parent. He stays with Ella the entire time, his arms open and ready to catch her so she doesn’t fall and hurt herself.

“You’re doing it! You’re almost there!” he celebrates her as she swings her body to grab the other bar.

She’s nowhere near close to the end. She’s four bars in, but his belief in her causes Ella to smile, pushing her forward.

“He isn’t like those men. None of the Milazzo brothers are takers. They are givers.” Gianni sits down next to me and crosses one leg over the other.

“You told him someone was talking to me. That would be the only way he would know.”

“I did.” He doesn’t bother lying.

“Why? You had no right to do that. I am my own person. I can choose who I want to spend time with.”

“Whether you like it or not, Sophie, your life will never be the same. You agreed to that when you took this job. If you want other men in your life, you need to be prepared that Matias is willing to fight to be the only man you consider.”

“Why?” I ask, just as Ella screams.

Gianni and I both stand thinking she fell and hurt herself, but she’s jumping up and own and Matias is swinging her around. When he sets her on the ground, she bolts to me.

“Sophie! Nanny Sophie, did you see me? I did it!”

“I did see you. You did such a great job.”

“How about we get ice cream to celebrate?” Matias asks.

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