Page 22 of The Mobster's Nanny

No matter how many times I try to shake it off, I feel helpless. I am completely under her spell, and there’s nothing I can do to make it easier.

The memory of our kiss haunts me every day, distracting me from work and pulling me toward Liss like an invisible rope. The warmth of her skin, the natural obedience of her body, the look of arousal in her eyes when she looked up at me—oh, I would be lying if I said I didn’t dream about it at least once. But it’s not only desire that keeps me on edge.

Before I realized it, Liss became something more than just Romeo’s nanny who lives in our house and makes me go crazy about her. I catch myself thinking about her not only as an attractive woman but also as a partner, as someone who would stay with us forever. I know, it’s so naive and silly—we aren’t even dating, and who knows if her feelings for me are anything more than sexual attraction—but I can’t help it.

I want her to be mine.

“Alright, I’m going to grab some dinner,” I say into the microphone and lean back into the chair, rubbing my eyes. Goddamnit, I’ve been thinking about Liss again. I really should stop getting distracted so easily. “See you on Sunday?”

Georgiy grunts something under his breath—one of the Russian patrols got in trouble some half an hour ago, and he’s still dealing with it. “Sure, man. Where are you going, by the way?”

“To the zoo. He’s been begging to go there for ages now.”

“Ah, good, good. I’ve heard they have a new exhibition or something.” Georgiy hums, getting distracted, and I can hear him tapping on the keyboard. “Well, have fun with Romeo tomorrow.”

Yeah, and I hope it won’t be too weird without Liss around.

Tomorrow is Saturday, and she has the day off, so I can’t really tell her to go with us. Besides, I promised myself to stay away from her, right? And it’s been a while since Romeo and I had a day out with just the two of us, so it’s only for the better. It will be fun!

But when I go down the stairs and linger on the first floor, watching Liss and Romeo goof around in the kitchen, I catch myself thinking that we will miss her tomorrow. The two of them have truly bonded over the last couple of weeks, and even when Liss isn’t around Romeo keeps gushing about her. He adores her even more than I do, and I haven’t seen him this excited around someone since Sienna was killed.

God, I can’t believe I’ll have to let her go someday—but I push the thought back and join them in the kitchen.

“Papa! Look what we’ve made!”

Romeo immediately starts bouncing in excitement, and Liss chuckles with fondness, watching him, before turning to me. Our eyes meet for a moment, the smile lingering on her lips, and I catch that sparkle again, that depth in her eyes that makes my heart stutter. But before I know it, Liss blinks and looks away, taking the tension away with her, and I have no other choice but to follow her gaze.

“Oh, it looks good.”

“It’s nothing special.” She smiles with a hint of shyness, avoiding my gaze, and takes the dish to the dining table. “Just homemade lasagna and a cherry pie for dessert. Romeo said that you like it.”

“I helped Miss Liss do the layers!” he immediately adds, and I chuckle, reaching out to pat his head.

“Good job, buddy. It looks perfect.”

Well, not really—I can clearly see where Romeo got distracted and poured more sauce on one side than the other—but it doesn’t matter. It makes my heart warm just to know that Liss and Romeo made it together. What else do I need to make this evening better?

I can’t help but glance at Liss at the thought. She’s on the other side of the table, giggling about something with Romeo and keeping her distance from me, and I wish she was closer to me. I wish it was a proper family dinner, not a well-crafted copy of one.

“So what’s your plan for tomorrow?” Liss asks Romeo while I’m loading the dishwasher and she’s slicing the pie. “I’ve heard the weather will be nice!”

“Yes! That’s why Papa promised to take me to the zoo, right?”

He looks at me with big, hopeful eyes, and I chuckle, wiping my hands with a kitchen towel. “Yes, we are going to the zoo tomorrow…”

My voice trails off, and my gaze darts to Liss. I mean, it wouldn’t harm anyone if I just asked her, right?

“Liss, do you want to join us? I know it’s your day off, but we’d be happy to have you with us.”

“Oh.” Liss blinks, catching my gaze for a moment, and quickly looks away. “I don’t know, I don’t think it’s a good—”

But of course, Romeo doesn’t even let her finish one sentence.

“Yes, yes, please! Come with us, Miss Liss, it will be fun!”

His enthusiasm seems to catch her off guard, and I see hesitance in her eyes as she looks between us. Perhaps I should tell Romeo to stop bothering her or tell Liss that it’s fine, she shouldn’t listen to him. But the truth is, I want her to go. I want to spend time with her, so I only shrug when she looks at me and give her a quick smile.

“Don’t think of it as a part of your job,” I can only say because, really, I don’t want her to feel like I’m asking her to work on her day off. “I’ll be looking after Romeo, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

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