Bang (Blast Brothers #2) - Sabrina Stark Page 0,29

window, it opened up on the first try. With obvious relief, she yanked it all the way up and shimmied back into the house, leaving us staring after her.

As she turned and shut the window behind her, I blew out a long, shaky breath. The poor nanny.

I turned to look at Willow. With an awkward laugh, I said, "Hey, guess what I'm thankful for."

"What?" Willow asked.

I reached out and gave her a playful tap to the tip of her nose. "You."

She grinned. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah." And I meant it, too. I really liked her, and not only because she had never locked me out of the house. For some reason, she and I just clicked.

The truth was, this wasn't feeling like a job at all, even if the guy who employed me was a different matter entirely – as I soon learned when I asked him about the birthday thing.

Chapter 18

Cami

Mason gave me a hard look. "Was that a serious question?"

It was nine o'clock in the morning, and I'd just returned from taking Willow to school. I'd parked in the attached garage like I always did, and had entered the house expecting to find myself alone.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

When I entered the kitchen, I'd spotted Mason near the fridge, dressed in tailored slacks and a thin white T-shirt. At the sight of me, he'd frowned like I'd just barged into his bedroom uninvited.

And me? I'd blurted out the first thing that had popped into my head, or rather the second thing, considering that the first thing was a totally inappropriate observation that he looked way too fine standing there only semi-dressed.

I replied, "Of course it was a serious question. So…Was I? Her birthday present, I mean?"

His mouth tightened. "No."

I waited, wondering what he'd say next. And when he said nothing, I refused to let it drop. "Just so you know, she told me to ask you, so I'm not breaking her confidence, if that's what you're worried about."

His eyebrows lifted. "Do I look worried?"

No. He looked like the kind of guy who made girls swoon, even while standing in the kitchen.

How unfair was that?

From what I could tell, he was wearing the lower half of a business suit, along with the T-shirt that would go underneath his dress shirt, and then eventually his jacket and tie.

What did this mean?

Was he halfway dressed? Or halfway undressed?

According to his schedule, he was supposed to be returning from Ohio later on tonight. But instead, here he was, looking good enough to eat.

From watching him on TV, I'd seen him wearing clothes that weren't terribly different – meaning jeans and a thin T-shirt.

On the show, he'd looked spectacular, whether he was swinging a hammer or glowering at whatever poor slob happened to cross his path.

And now, he was glowering at me.

The only problem was, he was the kind of guy who made glowering look sexy. His hair was tousled, and his eyes were dark and brooding, the kind of eyes a girl couldn't get lost in, if she wasn't careful.

His gaze locked on mine as he said, "Do I?"

I blinked. "Do you what?"

"Look worried."

Oh, crud. Once again, I'd lost track of the conversation. With renewed focus, I replied, "No. But you do look irritated."

"Good call." As he said it, he crossed his arms, making his biceps bulge in a way that didn't help my concentration.

Still, I tried again. "At least tell me this. Did she ask for me as a birthday present?"

"She did."

I almost sighed in relief. At last, we were getting somewhere. "So, that's why you hired me?"

"No. Just like I said."

Oh. I guess he did. And yet, I remained oddly unsatisfied. Or maybe my dissatisfaction stemmed from something else entirely, like his T-shirt. It was definitely a problem.

The thin cotton clung too perfectly to his pecs, showing off muscles so fine, I was trying hard not to stare. On top of that, his biceps were pumped, and his six-pack was so perfect, the thin fabric of his shirt did little to disguise all of those interesting lines and ridges.

And now I was pretty sure I was staring.

With a start, I yanked my gaze upward. "Yeah, I know you said that, but I feel like I'm missing something." I gave him a pleading look. "I know you probably think I'm just being nosy, but I'm trying to understand the family dynamics here."

When his only reply was a cold look, I summoned up an encouraging smile. "I like Willow. I like her a