Bang (Blast Brothers #2) - Sabrina Stark Page 0,24
holding a pint of ice cream in one hand and a spoon in the other. "Oh, hi." She winced. "I didn't wake you, did I?"
She had, but not in the way she thought. Choosing to keep it simple, I replied to the gist of her question. "No."
My bedroom was located a long way from the kitchen and insulated for sound. But it didn't matter. Lately I hadn't been sleeping so great, tossing and turning in my oversized bed. And the reason for this was standing a few strides away.
The time was just past midnight, and Cami was wearing little white shorts and a thin pink T-shirt. Her hair was tousled, and her face was scrubbed clean of all makeup.
The lack of makeup wasn't a surprise, and her face didn't look much different than it had over dinner with me and Willow.
Unlike the last few nannies, Cami favored a more natural look.
I liked it.
In more bad news, it wasn't the only thing I liked, especially now as I eyed her from across the kitchen. Her clothes – they were skimpy enough to sleep in.
Hell, maybe she did sleep in them.
In her bed.
Just down the hall from my own.
Fuck.
Now that was a thought I didn't need.
From the open doorway, I told her, "I came down for water."
She glanced down at the pint of ice cream of her hand. The pint wasn't yet open, and she'd wrapped a paper towel around its exterior, as if to protect her hands from the cold, or maybe to catch any condensation.
Either way, she looked cute as hell.
With a sheepish smile, she said, "Yeah, me too." She lifted the pint of ice cream in a mock toast. "Honest."
I was so distracted by the sight of her, I'd lost track of the conversation. But hell if I'd let her see it. With a tight shrug, I replied, "Oh yeah?"
She gave a solemn nod. "Sure, but here's the crazy thing. When I reached for the water, the pint of ice cream jumped right into my hand." In a stage whisper, she added, "I think it might've bit me."
I wanted to smile. But it wouldn’t be smart, so I didn't. "Is that so?"
Her own smile faded. "Maybe."
And now I felt like a dick for not giving in to the joke. But Cami was dangerous even if she didn't know it.
I'd brought her here for Willow, not for myself. The only problem was, I was having a hard time remembering that.
I was wearing dark running pants and a basic white T-shirt. This wasn't what I slept in, but it was what I wore when I ventured out of my bedroom at night.
The truth was, I slept naked. Lately, that was a problem, too, because being naked in the house, even behind a locked door, was a troublesome reminder that Cami the Nanny might be naked, too.
And just down the hall.
As the thought crossed my brain, I felt the brain down below begin to stir. Shit.
I shifted my stance. It was time to get out of here, and fast.
Deliberately, I moved toward the fridge. As I did, Cami stepped aside, clearing my path to claim what I wanted.
Water.
And only water.
Striding past her, I opened the fridge and reached inside. I grabbed a bottle of water and made a mental note to begin storing some in my bedroom.
I didn't care if they were cold. Better to drink it at room temperature than to risk being alone with Cami.
The habit wasn't a new one. I'd done similar things with the other nannies, too.
I'd avoided them when I could, and kept a safe distance when I couldn’t. But with them, the dynamics had been the polar opposite.
With them, the goal had been to keep their focus elsewhere – on Willow and not on me.
But with Cami, the problem was on my end, not hers.
And it was a problem. The biggest kick was, it wasn't going away. It was only growing larger.
She wasn't going away either, not if I could help it.
She was great with Willow and no slacker in the nanny department. During the last month, I'd noticed more than she realized – the laughter coming from the kitchen, the sounds of their voices as they read to each other on the sofa, the giggles on both sides as they told each other the dumbest jokes.
Willow was happier than I'd seen her in years. But me?
I didn't know what I felt. But it wasn't happiness.