Page 43 of Bellini Born

The girls were a saucy mess by the time we were done, and I declared, “Bath time.”

“Need an extra set of hands?” Matteo offered.

I paused with Serafina halfway lifted out of her highchair. “Uh . . .”

Did I? I mean, I’d bathed the girls every night this week without help, so technically, Icoulddo it myself. But curiosity got the better of me as I began to imagine what it would look like to have a man rumored to be dangerous, violent even, help with bathtime.

Before I could respond, Bianca made the decision for me. “Yes! Please, Papa? I want bubbles!”

Matteo’s lips curved into a devastatingly handsome smile. “Then bubbles you shall have,principessa.”

The little girl jumped out of her chair with a cheer as she took off running for the staircase tucked into the corner of the kitchen.

There was a moment of sheer panic when I watched her sauce-covered hand reach for the railing.

Luckily, Matteo was a pro, calling out, “Freeze!”

Bianca stopped dead in her tracks at her father’s command.

Rising from his seat, he said to me, “I’ll carry her up.”

“Thank you,” I breathed out, relieved that the walls would be saved from a tomato sauce finger painting fiasco.

With zero regard for the white shirt he wore, Matteo pulled his daughter into his arms and propped her onto his hip. I, on the other hand, wasn’t quite so careless with my clothing, holding Serafina away from my body like she was a bomb about to explode.

It was impossible to tear my eyes away from the firm ass in my face as I followed the man who was too hot for his own good up the stairs.

I’d slept with my fair share of fit men. My entire social circle in college was athletes, and competitive swimmersalwayshad their muscles on full display in those skintight suits. But none of them had me practically drooling over their bodies the way Matteo did.

Behind us, Enzo shouted, “Why sure, I’d justloveto clean up!”

Matteo peeked backward with a roll of his eyes. “Next time, eat at your own house!”

They really did bicker like brothers. “How do you two get anything done at work?”

Something flashed in Matteo’s eyes when they met mine. “It’s not easy. Especially lately with him being around so much after hours too.”

“Is that because you’re alone with the girls?” I asked. “If so, I think I’ve got it handled going forward.”

A heavy exhale rattled his chest. “The girls are only part of it. You being here helps, but it doesn’t change the fact that my annoying older cousin will be stuck to me like glue for the foreseeable future.”

There was clearly something he was unwilling or unable to tell me, so I didn’t press further.

We stepped into the girls’ shared bathroom, and Matteo set Bianca down to turn on the faucet. He left his hand under the rush of water, testing the temperature. Once he was satisfied, he grabbed a bottle of bubble bath and added a generous amount to the filling tub.

I stripped Serafina out of her diaper and threaded her legs through the infant seat that suctioned to the bottom of the tub. Bianca gathered up an armload of mermaid dolls from the basket in the corner and dumped them into the water before climbing into the water with her baby sister.

Bubbles multiplied quickly, some breaking free to float through the air. Serafina let out a squeal that echoed off the tiled walls as she slapped at the water. Bathtime was her favorite and worked like a charm to tucker her out before bed. Most nights, she barely finished even half of her bottle before she passed out in my arms, so deep in sleep that she didn’t stir when transferred to her crib.

Dropping to my knees, I grabbed the bottle of baby shampoo and poured some into my hands. I worked a lather into Serafina’s hair before trying to wrangle a squirming Bianca to do the same.

Like we’d done this together a million times before, Matteo and I worked in tandem to get the girls clean. While I was on soap duty, he took charge of rinsing the suds away.

If someone were watching from the outside, they might even mistake us for a real family.

Ugh. I was going to blame the preschool pickup gossip squad for that thought. Their speculation about Matteo looking for a new mom for the girls had clearly fucked with my head.

I was their nanny, nothing more. Even if their daddy was downright delicious and was currently the star of my sexual fantasies.