Page 20 of Big Trouble

Official Rules for Wind from the East Nanny Service

Rule #9: Nannies are on duty from the moment the children in their care wake up.

Winnie’s take away: Holy shit! It’s what time???

Winnie

When I wake the next morning, I’m half convinced everything that happened last night was a dream. I’m alone in my bed, and I don’t remember the last time I slept that well. That hard.

I grab my phone from the nightstand and realize that I’ve slept in. Panic floods my system with adrenaline and I jump out of bed.

I get ready as quickly as possible, throwing on a pair of shorts and a graphic tee. Brush my teeth, wad my hair into a messy bun and I’m ready. I creep downstairs hoping that by some miracle, I’m still up earlier than Brody.

That hope dies in my chest when I hear his masculine voice along with the higher sounds of Clementine’s coming from the kitchen.

I step into the room ready to make some excuse for my sleeping in that morning, but the words dissolve on my tongue when I see them. Clementine is standing on a chair next to her father. And they’re making pancakes.

For reasons I’d rather not explore, tears spring to my eyes.

“Winnie!” Clementine chirps when she sees me. “We’re making you breakfast.”

“Me?” Another burst of panic floods my system. I sneak a glance at Brody and he’s looking right at me. He turns off the stove and says something low to his daughter that I can’t hear.

“I’m so sorry for sleeping in,” I say. “I’m not really sure⁠—”

“Don’t worry about it, Killer, you needed your rest.” His voice is intimate, close to my ear as he steers me via his hands on my shoulders to the kitchen table. He squeezes said shoulders, then returns to the kitchen to help Clementine finish the plates.

They get to the table with plates piled with pancakes, a bowl of fresh berries, a bottle of syrup and a can of whipped cream.

“Do it, Daddy, show Winnie,” Clementine pleads.

Brody chuckles and the noise hits me right in the nipples. Shit. What have I done? Broken several of those clauses, right? I mean technically I didn’t crawl into his bed. But I goaded him last night. Flirted. Practically dared him to touch me.

Brodie holds the can of whipped cream up to Clementine and she opens her mouth. He squirts a puff of the white stuff between her teeth. She licks her lips and swallows it down. Then he does the same to himself.

My eyes lock onto his tongue as he swipes the cream off his lips and licks it into his mouth. The movement of his Adam’s apple when he swallows is nothing short of mesmerizing.

Then he’s right there, standing next to me, holding up that can of whipped cream. He raises his eyebrows in a clear challenge. I open my mouth and he shoots some inside. Then it’s his turn to stare as I lick up the sweet foam and swallow it.

Clementine claps, breaking the spell between me and her father.

What exactly is happening this morning? The knots in my stomach tell me it can’t possibly be anything good. Brody helps Clementine make her plate, then eyes me.

I stab one of the pancakes with my fork and bring it to my plate. It has a smiley face cooked into it and that’s just too damn adorable for words. My heart is in so much trouble. This man, which unbelievably sexy man, is the kind of dad every little girl needs. I’m pretty sure I ovulate in that moment.

He makes his plate and then sits across from me as Clementine chatters about her chickens and how they still haven’t figured out how to lay eggs properly.

Brody’s hot-chocolate eyes watch my every move and I’m wilting under the weight of his attention. Did everything that happened last night happen on purpose? Had it been all intentional on his part? And to what end?

Was he trying to create a scenario in which I would quit or he would have terms to fire me? Is that what this was all about?

But my guts says he’s not that kind of man.

Sure, he tried to fire me when I first started working here, but lately he’s been friendlier. Flirty even. But if he doesn’t want to fire me, then why did what happened last night … happen?

And more to the point, why didn’t more happen?

After he ate me out like I was his last meal, he didn’t seemed to expect anything in return. He just curled me onto my side, with his front to my back, his arm wrapped around my waist. He murmured that I should go to sleep. And somehow I did!