Page 24

24

MICHAEL

I jolted awake, instinctively bracing for the sound of my alarm… which didn’t go off because apparently I’d missed it. I realized that was the case when my brain processed that my bedroom was bathed in sunlight. At first, I was confused because I wasn’t used to the light when I woke up. For as long as I could remember, I was up before dawn. My body was so programmed that I usually woke before the alarm blared.

My eyes flew to the clock on the nightstand.

Six-forty-five.

There went my morning workout… I rubbed a hand over my face and then glanced down at Mia, who was still fast asleep. Her soft, warm weight pressed against my side felt good. It had been a while since I had a woman in my bed. I waited for the pang of unease to set in because for a long time, the thought of getting close to another woman didn’t appeal to me. However, the bad feeling didn’t hit. I felt relaxed. Mia seemed to be very comfortable, too.

Her head rested on my chest, and she had one arm draped across my stomach. Her face was turned up so I could admire the beauty she was. That stunning beauty that had left me amazed when I got a first look at her on our blind date. Her eyelashes fanned her cheeks, and her full lips formed a sexy pout even in her sleep. She looked so peaceful that I didn’t want to wake her.

A surge of emotions I wasn’t prepared for went through me. Although I wasn’t panicking about her presence in my personal space, the weight of what had happened last night settled in. I couldn’t ignore the apprehension that followed. She wasn’t just any woman. She was Poppy’s nanny.

It wasn’t that I regretted what happened because last night had been inevitable. The tension between us had been building for weeks, hell, months . I felt it in my bones that it was only a matter of time before we ended up here. The problem was that this time we’d crossed a line that we couldn’t uncross the way we had tried to before. I felt a bit guilty for giving in to my desires at the risk of my daughter losing Mia.

Poppy adored her. From the moment she entered our lives, she had this almost magical ability to connect with my daughter in ways I hadn’t seen before. Poppy was happier and more confident. Mia had become a constant for her.

Here’s to hoping I haven’t fucked things up , I thought as I studied at her.

As if she felt me staring at her, her eyes fluttered open. I gazed into a sea of amber and watched as her eyes changed from cloudy with sleep to being clear and alert. Immediately, her cheeks flushed rose pink.

“Hi…” she whispered.

“Hi.”

“You’re staring at me. I was snoring, wasn’t I?”

I laughed. “No, you’re a very quiet sleeper. I was just thinking…”

She went rigid and then shuffled out of my arms. As she sat up and pushed her curtain of hair out of her face, she let out a slow breath. She’d taken the sheet with her when she moved and clutched it to her chest. Her hold was so tight her knuckles were white. “Oh… of course…”

I sat up too. “It’s not what you think, Mia.”

Worried eyes met mine. “How do you know what I’m thinking?”

“The panic is right there in your eyes. I’m not about to fire you.”

Her shoulders relaxed a bit, but there was still a hint of apprehension in her eyes as she watched me.

I sighed heavily. “I hate that you think the worst every time we… cross the line.” Although those lines were completely nonexistent now.

She tucked her chin into her chest. “I’m sorry. I guess I still have PTSD from…”

“The last time I fired you.” I nodded. “Yeah, I got that. Your job is safe as long as whatever happens between us doesn’t affect your relationship with Poppy.”

She let out a little laugh. “Are you kidding? You have no idea how much I love your little girl, Michael…”

“I have a pretty good idea.” My heart warmed as my eyes moved over her face. No other woman has ever come into mine and Poppy’s life and proved to love my daughter more than the thought of getting into my bed.

“I want to keep my job because I adore her.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “I mean, I can’t say how long I’ll stay in the line of work, but the thought of leaving her…” She shrugged. “It breaks my heart. I haven’t even been here that long. Is that weird?”

I swallowed hard as our gazes collided, and I clearly saw her sincerity. This woman was burrowing herself into the depth of my soul. Did she somehow discover that the way into my heart was through my daughter? The things I’d been feeling lately were scary as fuck.

“No,” I said, clearing my throat. “It’s perfect. I appreciate that.” Her admission helped to lessen my worry. If she was as attached to Poppy as Poppy was to her, then serious shit would have to hit the fan before she walked away from the job. I could work with that comfort for now.

“Um…” Mia nibbled on her lower lip. “Last night was…”

“Incredible?” I asked.

Her cheeks turned crimson as she nodded. “Are we going to do what we did before?”

“Do you mean go back to skirting around each other and pretending I don’t want to be buried balls deep in you every time I see you?” I asked incredulously. For the sake of my sanity, we could not go back there.

Her jaw slackened.

My filter wasn’t on yet. Maybe it was because I thrived on routine, and my morning regimen—which consisted of a rigorous workout that helped me to blow off steam and gather my control—had been sidetracked. Mia would get my raw honesty.

“Fuck no,” I continued. “The horse has gone through the gate, Mia. There’s no going back now. You’re in my bed and…” I gave her a slow appraisal. “I like having you in it.”

She inhaled deeply in response.

The cynic in me, who wasn’t easy to suppress, had to put in his two cents. “I’m not promising some epic romance,” I warned. “But I’m attracted to you and clearly the feeling is mutual. We’ve already tried ignoring it, and that didn’t work.” I took a deep breath before I said what I was about to say because I couldn’t believe the words were about to come out of my mouth. “We can keep things casual and see where it goes.” I held her gaze. “If you’re interested, that is.”

“Casual?” Her eyelashes lowered to hide her eyes, but I heard the hesitant note in her voice. It worried me because if she wanted more, I wasn’t sure if I could give it to her.

“Maybe I’m thinking crazy…” I said. I definitely didn’t sound like my usual self.

She met my gaze again. “What about your initial problem with my age?”

I sighed. “Honestly, when I made a big deal about your age, it was because I made a wrong assumption.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

I shrugged and rubbed my nape. “I was very much into you when we met… before that, even. However, when you told me your true age, I was convinced you’d be… bratty… and every moment with you would be drama-filled.”

After a few beats of silence, I feared I had offended her. However, she nodded. “I understand your skepticism. You already have a child, and you don’t want to deal with another one.”

“Precisely.” I watched her closely, praying she didn’t take it the wrong way.

“I get it.” Her lips then lifted into a smug smile. “ Ugh , I want to be bratty right now and tell you to suck it because you were so wrong.”

I fought to keep down my amusement and maintain my typical serious air, but with Mia around, I couldn’t help but laugh. The deep sound floated around the room and it was a hell of a thing. There hadn’t been any laughter in my bedroom since… ever.

She giggled when I reached for her and pulled her against me. I laid down and carried her with me so she was sprawled on top. The heat and softness of her bare skin on mine had me reared up and ready to go. “When you say suck it , where exactly would you like me to suck?” I threaded my fingers through her hair to angle her head to one side so I could run my lips along the side of her neck. “Because I can think of several delicious places…”

Mia let out a low moan when I slid my free hand between her legs from behind and stroked her slit. God, she was already wet.

“Michael…” She moaned again. “We can’t. I should get back to my room. I have to wake Poppy and get her ready for school.”

“Okay… I can make you come in a minute and half… two minutes tops.”

She laughed, but it came out as another moan when I nipped her shoulder. “What about you?”

“You can make it up to me later. Get up here.”

She frowned. “Up where?”

“On my face. I want your sweet pussy in my mouth.”

Her jaw slackened, and her eyes widened. I had to bite back my smirk. She still wore her flabbergasted expression, but she scrambled to get into position.

“Good girl,” I murmured. That made her groan. I realized that for some reason, she liked when I uttered those two words. She was almost at her destination when the sound of thuds reached us. The sound rapidly got closer, and we both paused to glance at my bedroom door. I’d forgotten to lock it because I’d been so caught up in Mia last night.

A second before a tiny body barreled into the room, Mia disappeared. I heard the thud of her hitting the floor before I even processed what happened. Yanking the sheet up to my chest, I gawked at Poppy.

“Daddy!” She stopped in her tracks and studied me with bewilderment. “How come you’re still in bed?”

Even my six-year-old knew I never slept in this late, and I doubted she even understood the essence of time. I was also surprised that she was awake. “Good morning, sweetheart. Yes, I was really tired…”

My eyes slid in the direction where Mia had skillfully flipped off me and over the edge of the bed. How the hell did she move so fast and with such agility? I hoped she was alright down there. As I soaked in the situation, I wasn’t sure if I should be amused or absolutely mortified. Maneuvering a sex life around my kid had never been a thing before.

Poppy shrugged off her confusion and went into excited mode. She sprinted toward the bed and dove in. Again, I peered over the edge of the bed, but there was no trace of Mia. She was good.

“Come on, Daddy, we have to get Mia’s presents before she wakes up.”

She’d been so disappointed about not being able to surprise Mia last night. I told her it would be perfectly fine to give Mia her gifts the day after her birthday. “Right… Why don’t you go back to your room, and I’ll meet you there? We’ll get the gifts and put them in the kitchen, so Mia will be surprised when she comes out.”

Poppy bounced excitedly and beamed. “Okay.” She slid off the bed and scurried out the door with the energy only a child would have so early. “Mia is gonna be so happy!” Her voice carried as she moved down the hallway. It thought it was sweet how thrilled she was to do something for Mia. I admired the bond they’d so quickly formed. Speaking of the nanny…

I peeked over the edge of the mattress. “Mia?”

She army crawled from under the bed and peered up at me through wide eyes.

“Are you okay?” I asked. “It sounded like you landed pretty hard.”

“I’m fine.”

With the confirmation that she wasn’t hurt, I couldn’t stop the amusement that flooded me. “Who the fuck are you, Spiderman? How the hell did you flip like that?”

She grinned sheepishly. “No superpowers, just gymnastics as a kid.”

“Really?” I admired her naked body still sprawled on the floor. I was intrigued by that revelation. “Now I’m thinking about some interesting sex positions we can try…”

“Michael!” she hissed. “Poppy almost caught us… doing the do ?—”

I chuckled at that.

“—and you’re making jokes?”

“I’m actually quite serious.”

She gawked at me, and I sighed. “Alright, that was a close call.”

What almost happened was serious, but it was so far removed from the usual orderly and calm start to my days that I had to find humor in it. Since I’d given in to my crazily intense desire for Mia, it seemed we had switched roles. My entire life I’d been the responsible, clear-headed one in the room and now my twenty-two-year-old nanny was reprimanding me. It was insane.

I jumped back into serious mode… reluctantly. As it turned out, I liked the more relaxed person I was with Mia. “Come on, it’s time for you to get off the floor. We’re safe for now.” I rolled off the bed and hurried to lock the door as she got up. Mia looked worried, so I reassured her. “She didn’t see or suspect anything, Mia. She’s six. I doubt her mind would even go there even if she glimpsed something.”

“You really think so?” She twisted her hands in front of her. “I’d hate to confuse her in any way. I mean, you said casual… right?”

We stared at each other for a moment until I nodded. “Casual,” I confirmed. “This is my fault. I should have locked the door, but I’m not accustomed to doing that. We’ll be more careful.”

Her gaze dropped away from mine, and I frowned. “Are you okay?”

“Of course. I should get dressed.”

My eyes narrowed on her, but I didn’t dig into her about the uncertainty I saw flickering in her eyes. “I’ll distract Poppy while you make your escape.”