Page 13 of The Mobster's Nanny

A few minutes later, I hear a school bell ring announcing the first lesson. With one last glance at the empty school entrance, I get into the car and drive out of the parking lot and back to Matteo’s house. God, isn’t it amazing how easy it is to get close to one of the most important members of the Messina Clan?

I see Matteo’s car in the parking space in front of the house, but while I take Dolce on a walk and explore the house all over again, I don’t even see him. I walk past the door of his office a couple of times, hoping to catch something interesting, but all I hear is the tapping of keyboards and occasional directions that make no sense to me. Still, I write everything down in my notes and go back to my duties.

Sometime after lunch, I finally go to my car to take the stuff I’ve brought from my apartment to my new bedroom here. It’s quite a bunch of clothes, books, and just personal things I want to have with me, and I stop in front of the trunk to take it all in. Yeah, it’s gonna take a few trips to the house to bring it all inside, but—

“Hey, Liss?”

I startle at the sound of Matteo’s voice and turn around. What is he doing here?

“I saw you from the window.” He points his thumb at the house, walking toward me, and damn, it’s unfair that he looks so good in a simple t-shirt and sweatpants. “Do you need help with the boxes?”

Just look at this damn gentleman! I feel a surge of warmth inside of me when he comes closer, so I direct it to fuel my anger. Does he think being so cool and polite will be enough to make me like him? Ha!

But I can’t show any of my emotions, so I force a sweet smile and wave my hands. “Oh, no, no, don’t worry. It’s alright, I—”

“No, I insist.”

“You don’t have to, really.”

But Matteo’s not even listening to me. He picks up the biggest box from the trunk, and I can only stand there, watching him with my heart beating in my throat. The muscles of his arms protrude from under the fabric, and he even gives me a quick smile before walking back to the house. Goddamnit!

But the boxes are too heavy for me to actually want to carry them on my own, so in the end I just help him with smaller bags until my trunk is empty and all of my stuff is in the room. Matteo puts the last box on the floor, not failing to flash the muscles of his back, and straightens up, dusting off his hands.

“Well, I hope you like it.” Matteo looks around before turning to me with a smirk in his eyes. “If you need anything, let me know.”

He reaches out to lay a hand on my shoulder, and god, it sounds too intimate. Wait, is he talking about sex? This bastard! A wave of heat immediately rises up my neck, and I’m almost ready to snap back at him—but Matteo pulls his hand back and gives me a quick smile before walking out of the room.

So what was he talking about? The interaction leaves me confused and bothered with my heart beating fast in my chest, but I don’t listen to it. I don’t listen to anything my body says. He is my enemy, and nothing will ever change that!

Still, I decide to stay away from him, so I stay in my bedroom until it’s time to pick Romeo up from school. I don’t see Matteo on my way out, and it’s hard to figure out whether it’s relief or disappointment swirling in my chest.

The road back to school is faster and easier now that I know it, so I arrive even earlier than I planned and stay in the car, going through my notes until the school bell reminds me to get out. I catch sight of Romeo’s green shirt in the crowd not long after. He walks down the stairs with the same two boys, Max and Misha, so I move toward them to make sure Romeo notices me.

From the corner of my eye, I notice someone else walking in their direction as well, and when I glance at her, I feel my throat pull tight. With her blonde hair, straight posture, and bright eyes focused on the boys, it’s easy to recognize a woman of Russian descent even in a crowd. I can’t even say what it is about her that sends a cold wave down my spine, but I slow down despite myself, unwilling to catch up with her.

“Liss! I’m here!”

And of course, Romeo notices me exactly at that moment. He couldn’t have chosen a better time, huh. I take a deep breath and turn to him, smiling when I see him wave his arm at me. At the same time, I notice the Russian woman directing her attention at me, but I pretend not to notice her as I walk closer.

“Hi, Romeo.” I stop next to them, smiling at the boys and finally looking at the woman as well. “I guess you’re his friends, huh?”

“Yes, this is Max, and this is Misha with Mrs. Sasha.” Romeo points at them, one after the other, finishing with the woman who studies me now with a slightly warmer look. “And this is my new nanny, Miss Liss.”

“Hi, boys, hi, it’s nice to meet you.” I look at them with a friendly smile, receiving greetings from both boys at the same time. At the same time, I look up at Sasha and, after a moment of hesitance, hold out my hand. “I’m Liss, hi.”

She looks at my hand and for a moment, it looks like she’s gonna refuse it. But then she does take it with a polite but distant smile. “I’m Sasha. A pleasure to meet you, Liss. Has Matteo hired you?”

“Yes, of course. Today is my first day, actually.” I chuckle with a hint of nervousness when I catch sight of the Italian I met this morning.

“Hector is here,” Max drawls at the same time with a displeased note in his voice. He turns to the other two. “I’ll see you tomorrow, guys. Goodbye, Mrs. Sasha, Miss Liss.”

Max runs to the man, walking with him to the parking lot, and Sasha nudges Misha to leave as well, giving me one last smile that looks colder than ice. Well, it’s good enough from a member of the Russian Bratva, so I count it as a successful first meeting. Only when she turns away do I breathe out quietly and look at Romeo, patting his back and nodding at my car.

“So, how was school? Did they say anything about your homework?”

“No, they didn’t even ask me! Can you imagine?” Romeo says with so much excitement he’s pretty much bouncing his way to the car, and I can’t help but chuckle.

“That’s good, but it doesn’t mean we have to let it happen again, right?”

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