Page 22

Lux

T he air was chilly, but it helped calm my mind.

Instead of the tears taking a weight off my chest, they only seemed to make the pressure of it all just that much worse.

Because she wasn’t supposed to see that. No one was. I had always been a person that kept all my emotions carefully locked away, never showing too much, even to my family.

With the exception of my sister, no one had ever seen me cry past the age of seven. It was at that time, when my relationship with my mother was at its worst, that I vowed to never let people see me in a vulnerable state.

I took pride in my cold and unbothered demeanor. People couldn't take advantage of it like they did vulnerability.

I never intended to cry in front of Juliette, no matter how good of a person she was. But it felt like my tears had a mind of their own. One minute, I was furious because of how her brother was treating her, and then all of a sudden they were running down my face.

I was glad Bella didn’t see it. The last thing she needed was to see the only person she could lean on in this world having a mental breakdown. And luckily, she was too worried about what Juliette was feeling to even notice me.

It was for the best.

I had stayed behind even when Juliette told me to leave. I hid myself beyond the sliding glass door and eavesdropped on their conversation.

I was more curious than anything else. I had a feeling that I knew what she was going to do with the money I gave her, and I was proud of her when she confirmed it.

Her needing this job made so much more sense now. She was going to use it all on her brother’s education. Based on my math, nannying didn’t give her much, especially after whatever cut the agency took out.

And she was going to give every single penny of it to him.

She would still work herself to the bone, live in less-than-perfect situations, never splurge on herself—or at least I assume she didn't, given the small number of boxes she’d brought so far.

It was all so he could have a chance at a good life. But he didn't want any of it.

I couldn’t help but feel for her. I didn’t want her to suffer like this, to work so hard for a little payout, to put others first only to be knocked down.

She seemed happy enough, but she was too sweet for this world.

She shouldn’t have lost her parents so young. She shouldn’t have been kicked out of her aunt’s. She shouldn’t have to work so hard for the bare minimum.

I should have offered more than a million for her.

She was worth far more. I looked at numbers for a living, and no number seemed enough to me.

What I didn't expect, though, was his reaction. How angry he got.

I didn’t fault him for not wanting to follow the traditional path, a lot of people didn’t, but to treat his sister so cruelly…

It reminded me a little bit too much of myself and my younger years, when I would talk back to my sister for no reason other than I could.

I saw myself in him. And I saw my sister in Juliette, even though she was much more fiery than Juliette, especially when she got angry.

But my sister, just like her, was caring. Especially when it came to her family.

“Can’t sleep?”

Speak of the devil.

I trained my eyes on the pool and the hot tub, trying to distract myself even for just a moment. But it was no use. I couldn't avoid her, nor did I want to.

I turned around on the lounge chair, locking eyes with Juliette. She was in a yellow cotton pajama set. Shorts and a tank top with small little flower patterns on it.

To top it off, she wasn’t wearing a bra. Because of course.

She was sin and temptation wrapped in one gorgeous, innocent-looking little package.

There was nothing inherently sexy about what she was wearing, but seeing how the shorts hugged her milky thighs and how I could see just a sliver of her stomach underneath the tank top had me feeling like this was the sexiest lingerie she could ever show up in.

Is she wearing panties under those shorts? I thought before shaking the thought away.

“No. I take it your bedroom is okay? I didn’t get to show you around?—”

“It’s fine. Bella showed me the most important parts of the house already.” She paused, probably noticing I hadn’t stopped staring. “I should leave you?—"

“You came at just the right time,” I said, pulling my eyes from her body to meet her gaze. “Did you check your email?”

She shook her head. Her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail at the top of her head. I had the urge to pull on it and bare her neck to me.

“I left my phone back in the room. Something wrong?”

I motioned for the lounger beside me, but instead she sat on mine.

Her ass was just on the edge and brushed against my legs.

I moved to the side to give her more space.

Her closeness was allowing me to look at details that only made my need for her worse.

Like the slender expanse of her neck that I now could see had a small little freckle on the back.

One that was usually hidden by her hair.

My eyes fell down her body again, stopping at her breasts. My mouth watered at the sight. The fabric was so thin that it hid absolutely nothing. Especially her hard nipples.

Her hands were placed on her thighs, her shorts riding up and practically showing me her ass. But my eyes shot up to her breasts again.

I want to pull one of those nipples into my mouth and bite.

It was incredibly hard to pull my eyes away, but I had to. This was important. I had thought long and hard about it and finally decided that I was just going to go for it.

“You’re fired.”

The words didn't fully sink in at first. She looked at me expectantly before letting out a shocked scoff.

“This again?” she asked, standing up and placing her hands on her hips. Anger twisted her face, and for a moment, I allowed myself to enjoy the sight of it. “Is it because I saw too much? You know what? This time I’m not begging?—”

I grabbed her wrist and forced her to sit back down. Electricity zapped through us at our contact. Her eyes shot down to where we connected and then back up to mine.

“I let your boss know that while you’ve been the best nanny I’ve ever had, I’m terminating my contract with them after one too many issues with the agency.”

She gave me a confused look.

“Okay, and…?”

“And if you’d like…” I cleared my throat. Here goes nothing . “I want to hire you directly as our live-in nanny at double the rate you were getting before.”

A frown graced her beautiful face, and I wanted nothing more than to kiss it away.

“I knew you wouldn’t walk away from the agency yourself. They are shitty at best. Corrupt. They don’t take care of their people, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I weren’t the only guardian pissed off at them. But it’s less about them and more about you. I’m not offering you this?—”

“Because you pity me?”

I leaned forward, making sure she could see how dead serious I was.

“There is nothing to pity about you,” I said in a serious tone.

“You are beyond capable. You are strong. You are caring. You are a dream of a nanny and…” I searched for a word.

Friend didn’t seem right, but she wasn’t my lover either.

“A person. I am offering you this because you deserve it and are being severely underpaid for what you are doing for us and your experience. I can’t tell you how much it means to have you here with us. But I want to show it at least.”

She looked down at her hands, which were folded on her lap.

“Why are you doing this?” she whispered.

“You deserve it.”

I grabbed her hands and tugged on them until she looked at me. Her eyes were wide and slowly reddening.

“You deserve this and so much more, Juliette. Stop selling yourself short. Please.”

Her lower lip trembled, and suddenly I was hit with a younger version of her who had no one to take care of her. No one who gave a damn.

My hands acted on their own, cupping her cheeks.

“Are you just so in love with me that you’re trying to keep me near you?” She was trying to make a joke, but her voice was weak and vulnerable.

“Do you want the truth?” I whispered.

My eyes fell to her lips.

This is so wrong. We already crossed the line; doing it again would just guarantee it ended badly.

“Can I start tomorrow?” she asked, evading my question, and I leaned back, slightly confused.

When she got up, my heart dropped. Right. Space. We needed space between us. It’s for the best. For the best. For the ? —

Her hands played with the hem of her flimsy tank top.

“Well?” she asked. “If I can start tomorrow, it means tonight —” She sauntered over to the inground hot tub surrounded by rocks.

She sat on the edge and removed her tank top, but she was facing away from me.

With her hair up, I had a full, unobstructed view of her lightly toned back, waist, and hips.

I wanted to trail kisses up her spine. “We wouldn’t be breaking any rules. ”

Jesus fucking Christ.

I got up faster than I ever had in my life and walked the short distance to her, taking off my clothes as I did. By the time I sank into the hot tub and moved in front of her, I was only in my underwear.

She opened her legs for me, and I was instantly there, kneeling on the small stone lip underwater. My arms wrapped around her, my hands cupped her ass.

Her breasts were right in my face, tempting me, but I kept my eyes on hers.

“Yes,” I whispered. “The answer is yes.”

“To what?” she asked breathlessly. “I think I need clarification, sir .”

I couldn’t hold back anymore. I pushed myself up and covered her mouth with mine.

She moaned against me, her lips opening to give me access.

We were in a frenzy, our tongues fighting more than dancing. The aching need for each other was obvious in the desperate way we kissed. Our bodies melded together. Our hands were everywhere. Even the smallest amount of space between us was too much.

Heat zapped from my head to my toes.

Her taste was divine. And I knew her cunt would taste even sweeter.

I tried to show her everything with that kiss.

That I was telling the truth. That I wanted her. Needed her. That she was starting to become a pivotal person in my life.

That I have fallen for her.

Since the club, I had been a goner. There was no way around it. It was a single moment that sparked my obsession. One moment that would change our lives forever, and back then, to me, it had been just another day. Just another night out looking for a fun time in the arms of a beautiful woman.

I never thought one decision would bring her into my life.

I was sure of it now. Juliette was the person I’d never thought I’d find.

She was the person I was supposed to fall in love with.

I knew deep in my soul that she was sent to me.

I don't know what I did to deserve it, and a part of me was afraid that the universe would realize their mistake and snatch her away from me, so I’d make sure to hold on extra tight.

I just had to show her all of it.

I broke our kiss so I could leave wet, open-mouthed ones down her throat and chest, pausing to give her perfect tits the attention they deserved.

“Fuck, Lux,” she moaned and arched into me as I dragged my tongue across the rosy bud. I sucked it into my mouth, circling it with my tongue in between.

She was already becoming a writhing mess, but I was no better. I was losing control. My movements became rougher. I pulled her closer to me, my hands gripping her ass.

My teeth sunk into her nipple, and I was met with a deep groan.

“Lux, touch me. Touch me right now. Please.”

“You beg so sweetly, darling, how can I resist?”

I pulled her shorts right off before I was pushing her back to lay flat on the stones.

I dove into her pussy, my mouth latching onto her clit, two fingers entering her immediately. I wasn't playing around. The first time we were together, we only had a single night, and while I made sure to make the most of it, I wasn’t this desperate.

But back then I didn't know how it felt to be with her or how it felt to be without her.

All I could think about was that I only had these few hours where she could be mine, and I needed to make sure it was a night we would never forget.

I looked up to see her hands plucking her nipples. She was spread out, not hiding a thing from me. Her legs were wide open, giving me more than enough room to fuck her.

I worked her pussy hard, sucking her clit rhythmically and working my fingers in and out of her, paying close attention to the way she writhed.

When I did something she liked, she arched, and her breath got caught. When she wanted me to go harder or faster, she would spread her legs as wide as they went, her wanton begging but a whisper as she got closer and closer to her orgasm.

My name on her lips was intoxicating, a drug I wished to bottle and use whenever I felt particularly miserable.

“Don’t stop,” she begged. “I’m so close. Lux. Please. Please. Pleas?—”

She came with a cry. Her cunt squeezed my fingers, sucking them in for more, and I made sure I fucked her hard and fast through her orgasm, my lips never leaving her clit. Even when she was done, I made sure to lick her up clean.

But once she lay limp, I got up, pulling her with me.

“Lux, what are you?—”

“Quiet,” I said as I carried her into the house, naked and all. “I’m not done with you yet.”