“Choc chip. They were yummy.” She throws her arms around Erin’s neck. “Sorry, I didn’t save you any. Pop-pop ate them all.”
“Dad,” I mock growl. “You couldn’t leave me one of my daughter’s cookies?”
“Yes, well.” He scrubs a hand down the back of his neck, looking sheepish. Mostly because Mom is giving him the same look she used to give us kids when we’d pilfer her kitchen for goodies. “It’s my house.”
“So you’re the new nanny?” Mom’s attention finally zooms in on Erin. “You’re a lot younger and prettier than I expected.”
“And stubborn,” I add before my mother can go any further with that line of thought. The next thing young and pretty will turn into is “she has childbearing hips” and “I’m not getting any younger.” “Never seen anyone so determined to get the job. Abby loves her too.”
“You’re planning on sticking around for a long time then, Erin?” Dad asks. “May as well consider yourself a part of the family. Isn’t that right, son?”
“Um, yes, well.” Oh shit. I might be overly friendly with the nanny, but they’re welcoming her to the family like they know something is going on. “You know Erin’s with us in a professional capacity. It’s not, uh—”
“That’s a lovely sentiment,” Erin interjects.
“Yes, come and go as you like,” Mom says. “I’d love to see my granddaughter as often as you’d like to bring her to visit.”
“Thank you. As long as I’m Abby’s nanny, I’ll take you up on that.” Erin smiles at both of my parents. By the time she catches my eye, she’s mollified my parents and kept me from sticking my foot in my mouth.
“We better get to the airport. I need to catch my flight.” I take my daughter from her arms and Erin gathers up Abby’s belongings.
In the car, Abby will not shut up about Spot and how Pop-pop said he would take her fishing soon.
“We’re going to catch fishes this big,” she says, holding her arms out wide. “Pop-pop says so. Do you like fishing, Erin?”
“You’ll probably go on a day Erin has off.” I glance at my daughter in the rearview mirror.
“I’m sure you and your pop-pop will have lots of fun,” Erin says. “Like I used to with my grandpa.”
Erin’s gaze drifts to mine more and more as we get closer to the airport, and she puts her hand down on the seat beside her leg. I fight the urge to grip it, to lay her palm on my thigh. I want to kiss her or say something about what happened earlier today, but there’s so much we haven’t talked about. Like the fact that Paynter and Chloe busting us is a timely reminder that we have to be a lot more careful, especially around Abby. I don’t want my daughter thinking of Erin as anything more than her nanny. As much as I want Erin, I’m not going to give Abby some misguided hope that she can rely on anyone as much as she can on me. And how does Erin feel about the fact I’m going to continue to pay her to be Abby’s nanny when I also want to fuck her into my mattress every night I’m home?
By the time we get to the drop-off zone outside the airport Abby’s asleep, her head is thrown back at an uncomfortable angle and her mouth hangs wide open. So I lean across the back seat to sneak a kiss on her forehead while Erin comes around to the driver’s side. When I close the door, we hover next to each other. We’re close enough to touch, but neither of us does. I breathe deeper, just to fill my lungs with her scent. To our side, somewhere on the pavement, a flash goes off, and she blinks.
Probably someone taking photos of me, so I don’t hug or kiss her despite how much I want to. It’s best we don’t give them anything more than they already have. Just two people facing each other on the pavement, not sleeping together. “I’ll call you as soon as I land.”
“Okay,” she says.
“Look after my little girl.” I take a step back.
“Abby will be fine.” She smiles. “You know you don’t have to worry about that.”
“Think of me?”
“Haven’t been able to stop,” she whispers.
And then I spin on my heel and collect my suitcase and clubs from the back of the Range Rover. By the time I shut the back, Erin is settled behind the steering wheel. Stepping up on the pavement, I tap my forehead with my pointer finger, and with a wave she drives off. The whole thing feels odd, and I walk into the terminal almost relieved that I’ve got a week to work out the rules of this new situation between the nanny and I.
***
Abby wraps both arms around my neck and squeezes. “Can you tell me about the ducks that flew up when you hit the ball into the water again?”
When I got home a couple hours ago, Abby attached herself to my leg like a new shoe and started chattering on about the ducks she and Erin saw on television while they watched me play. Thankfully, she didn’t mention my pathetic swing that landed the ball right in among the ducks with a plop that made them ruffle their wings and quack as they swam away. “Sweet pea, I’ve told you everything.”
Erin sits across from us on the other sofa, one foot curled up under her, her fingers fast at work on a loose thread on one of the cushions. Her gaze tracks mine, while I take in every little movement she makes. I haven’t been able to ignore her since I walked in the door. Haven’t been able to touch her either. And I want—no, need—to get close to her. My skin is buzzing. And after the calls we shared where she told me about her sexual fantasies, the moment I saw her at the airport I wanted to kiss her, push her up against a wall and get inside her. More than that, I wanted to wrap my arms around her waist and bury my nose in her hair.
Fuck, If Callum knew that when he was congratulating me earlier for staying out of the spotlight he was really congratulating me on fucking my nanny, he might not have been so impressed.
She gives me a tight smile and squirms.
