Bad Nanny (The Bad Nanny Trilogy #1)(36)

“Six?” Monica asks, blinking mascara laden lashes at him. “There are six?”

“My four. Her two. If I can handle it, I bet you'd have no problem.” He winks at her and bumps my aunt with his shoulder. Her shocked expression is so worth it. “Let's say you meet us here around seven?”

“Well, I don't know—”

“Perfect.” Zay leans in and kisses her on the cheek, and Monica takes a shocked step back. “Thanks Aunt Monica. Can I call you Aunt? Brooke and I are so damn close, we'll probably be getting hitched before you know it. Come on, we'll see you out.”

He moves towards the door and opens it, waiting for the two of us to follow him. I'm not sure what he's up to, but I give him a look. Zayden remains unfazed as I lock the door behind us and walk Monica out to her fancy black sedan. She climbs in, but doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

“We better get in the van,” Zay whispers, tickling my ear with his breath. I can smell him when he's this close, like fruit and spices, like a warm house on a cold day. My skin jumps and prickles, all the places I want him to touch flashing neon in my mind.

I don't intend to actually go anywhere with him, but I climb in the car anyway and wait as he straps the baby in. Monica's still not gone when Zay gets into the driver's seat and starts up the engine.

“Where are we going?” I ask as he backs us out of the driveway and waves at my aunt. I watch over my shoulder as we pull away and see that she's on her phone. Admittedly, that kind of freaks me the hell out. She could be calling my mom. What time is it in Scotland right now? I have no f*cking clue. “You don't think she'll actually show up and watch all the kids, do you?”

Zay shrugs.

“Why not? It was worth a shot. Besides, if she does show up, think of all the fun we'll have together. It'll be a big sacrifice on my part, but I'm always willing to let you try a little exhibitionism with me, see if it's your thing.”

“Uh-huh.” I cross my arms over my chest and turn to look at him, glancing around the van at the scattered toys, at the stickers spread across the backs of the seats. “Whose van is this?”

“My sister-in-law's,” he says as he pulls up to the intersection and turns right.

“So,” I pause and think for a second. “That story you told my aunt, it was true? The kids are all related to you?”

“Yup. All four of them.” Zay doesn't look at me as he follows some predetermined route he's got in mind. I blink at him a few times. “Don't ask why anyone would want to breed so many monsters so close together. I haven't the slightest f*cking clue.”

“How long have you been their nanny for?” I ask, because he did say he was going back to Vegas soon, didn't he?

“About, uh, seven days?” he says, like it's a question even he doesn't know the answer to.

“And … you were a nanny back in Vegas then?” There's a long pause where Zayden reaches down to scratch at his belly, eyes focused wholly on the road. Before he answers, he reaches over to the radio and turns up some stupid chart-topping pop song.

“Not exactly,” he says with a slight crinkle of his eyebrow. It makes his piercing dance and sparkle in the sun, but I'm not paying attention to that. Nope. Not looking at the full, ripe shape of his lips, the way his tattoos emphasize the muscular lines of his throat.

“If you weren't a nanny back in Vegas, then what did you do?” Zay lifts up a finger and points at his nose ring.

“Body piercer Zayden Roth at your disposal,” he says, flashing me a giant smile as I feel my heartbeat pick up speed. This time, though, it's from irritation.

“Body piercer?” I ask, thinking that particular title suits him a hell of a lot better than nanny. Then again, he seems so good with the kids. It was one of the reasons I took a leap of faith in the first place. “Zayden, a body piercer is not the same thing as a nanny. Why did you tell me you were one? To try and win my trust?” I feel like getting pissed now, shoving up the sleeves of my black button-up as I turn in my seat and put my legs in the space between us.

“What? No. No. Hell, I was just f*cking around with you, but as soon as I said the word nanny, you jumped ship on me and got all cute and doe eyed.”

“Doe eyed? I do not get doe eyed. And how are you acting like this is my fault? If you weren't really a nanny, you should've told me that in the first place.” I sit back and lean against the window, trying not to hyperventilate. It hits me suddenly, looking at this guy, that I just lost my virginity to him. And I don't even know who he is. Like, at all. “Why … why would you lie about that?”

“It was a joke,” Zayden emphasizes as he takes us past the park and turns left toward town. “My brother called and begged my ass to come up here and take care of his kids.”

“So, you have other experience caring for children then? Babysitting friends' kids? Taking care of younger siblings? Oh my God, do you have your own kids?”

“Um, no, no, no, and definitely not. I'm sort of playing it by ear here. It's not nearly as hard as everyone makes it look.” Zayden lifts up his phone; it's covered in some brightly colored skin with a Japanese anime girl on the back of it. I pinch my lips tight. “When you've got a smartphone, what can't you do? I ask and it tells. Easy as pie.”