Bad Nanny (The Bad Nanny Trilogy #1)(91)

“Uncle Zay?”

I jump and drop my cell phone … watching as the screen cracks into spiderweb formation across the front.

Cool beans.

Guess I'll be replacing that when I get back to Las Vegas.

“What's up, honey?” I ask, grabbing my phone from the pavement and standing up, wishing that Brooke were here and wondering what she's up to. This morning was kind of weird, but I felt like we both understood each other, you know? Like all these feelings we're both having are just … they wouldn't work out.

I run my fingers through my hair as I look down at Bella.

“Can you come jump with us on the trampoline again? It's only fun when you do it with us.”

I smile and reach out to pinch her cheek. Bella wrinkles her face up and bats me away, turning around and sprinting towards the sliding glass doors with an adorable childish glee—until she finds out they're closed and slams into them, ricocheting backwards into the kitchen.

Fuck.

Well, that can't be any good, now can it?



When Brooke gets back, she looks exhausted, her glasses sitting perched on the end of her nose as she hangs up that big ugly camel coat of hers and looks at the snot on my shirt with a raised brow. I can't help but admire that piercing gracing the sensual curve. Damn, I'm good.

“Don't ask,” I say, pointing to the snot trails and the splatters of blood from Bella's nose. “We had a little incident with the sliding glass doors.”

“Oh my God,” she says, but I'm already holding up my hands.

“No worries. I got it under control.” I point back at the glass and the three hundred plus stickers across it. “I asked Kinzie to help the twins put up one or two tasteful pieces as a warning while I cleaned up Bella's bloody nose, but … we got this instead. If you want me to scrape them off before I leave on Thursday, I can definitely do that.”

Brooke's face droops and she shakes her head, shoving back that long gorgeous fall of dark hair. The way she pushes and shoves it all the time, I get the feeling that she has no idea how pretty it really is, how curling up next to her and feeling the silken strands drape over my skin is like heaven.

“No. It's fine. It doesn't matter.” A pause. “Will you be able to get the kids from school or …”

“Yeah, of course,” I say as Brooke takes in a deep breath and glances over at the couch. I think we both remember all the things we did there last night. Despite logging all that naughty time, I'm still not feeling my usual deflated interest, my need to move on. There's nothing here but want and need in my chest, this super creepy man-hormone thing that makes me want to piss in a circle around Brooke.

Bet that would go over well, huh?

“I'll pick the kids up and bring Bella and Grace over here after. Then I'll have to book it to get to the airport on time to pick Rob and Mercedes up. Do you have someone to watch the girls that night?”

“Not really,” Brooke whispers, her voice harsh and low. She does a good job of trying to hide her emotions, but her eyes … that beautiful brown color is practically transparent. I can see right through her, straight down to her heart. I feel like it's beating for me, but then I wonder if that's just my crazy hormone shit turning fantasies for me.

Deep breath, Zay. Deep f*cking breath.

“Well, you do now because I called your Aunt Monica up and got her to agree to watch the girls. I told her you had a waitressing job at the brewery. She didn't ask which one.”

Brooke nods and then starts toward the stairs.

I stop her with a hand on the wrist, freezing her in the exact spot that we f*cked, her back against the wall, her lingerie covered in my cum.

Jesus.

She doesn't know the plan I've cooked up for tonight, but maybe that would wipe the frown from her face? I wrap my fingers tight around Brooke's wrist and smile at her.

“It's gonna be okay,” I tell her. “You'll get through this.”

“Um,” she starts, glancing down at my hand on her skin. When she looks back up at me, her face looks exactly like it did when we first met and she told me to get out and go home. “Can you let go of me now?”

I release her with a raised brow and watch as Brooke retreats up the stairs. She doesn't come out for some time, leaving me to bounce on the trampoline with the brats yet again. Doesn't even matter that it's raining. I can't seem to corral the little monsters.

When Brooke finally does make an appearance, the sky is dark and she's wearing her trench coat again.

“I'm off to work. I'll see you all in the morning,” she says, giving the kids—and me—a bright smile. I smile back at her and give a little wave, sneaking over to the curtains and peeking outside to watch her pull down the driveway and zoom off down the street.

Brooke's aunt should be here any minute and then I am outtie, off to the Top Hat Club for a little show. I hope Brooke doesn't find it creepy, but I just really want to see her dance. Hell, I just really want to see her. No sense spending our last night apart, right?

I get the brats hooked up on the YouTube app and then—then I turn my ass right back around and activate those parental controls because damn, what were they just watching? Was that … a porno?

“Those naked people were licking each other's privates,” Kinzie announces as I groan and find some kitten videos for them to watch.