“I don't even snore.” Zayden sits up and lifts two fingers in some kind of weird salute. “Swear to God. You can ask any of my ex-girlfriends.”
I stare at him across the table, and I have no clue what to say. This guy's in town for, what, another week or so? And he's my nanny. My unpaid nanny. But he really is hot and I'm eager to try all sorts of other things in the bedroom …
Before I can answer, the baby starts fussing and Zay gets up from the table, patting me on the head as he passes.
“Be right back,” he says as I lean forward and try to sneak a peek at him through the pass-through window into the dining area. I catch sight of Zay's dark head bending down and standing up with Sadie clutched to his chest. He moves away for a moment and I hear some rustling before he appears in the kitchen and flicks on the tap, a bottle clutched in his hand. “Guess somebody's into an early morning snack today.”
I stand up, my chair sliding across the kitchen floor as my heart pounds in my chest.
I want to have sex with Zayden again, but I'm not sure I can handle it right now.
“I'm completely worn-out,” I say as I take a few backwards steps towards the dining room/living room area. Zayden turns and watches me as I slink away, raising his brows at me. “You'll take the kids to school in the morning?”
“Nanny Zay to the rescue,” he says with a smile. I don't wait around to see what else he has to say, retreating into my new bedroom and closing the door … but not locking it.
I kind of hope he barges in again, like he did earlier.
He doesn't. But that doesn't keep me from dreaming about it.
This Brooke girl is tricksy, tricksy, tricksy. Like a fox.
I smile as I wrestle a screaming twin into his car seat. Even this many days in, I can't tell which one is which. Mercedes and Rob decided to name the boys Michael and Ike. Like they somehow missed the joke, right? Mike and Ike. Like the candies, those little colored chewy things? You know what I'm talking about.
“Listen up, candy cakes,” I tell Mike (or Ike), “we all have to grow up someday. Boy, this is your day.” The kid just screams as Kinzie and Bella whine and stick their fingers in their ears. The little blond one, Grace, is already asleep. “Sorry, bud, but you're going to preschool today if it kills me. Uncle Zay needs a fucking break.”
“Curse jar,” Kinzie screams over her brother's shouts as I move back and bump right into Brooke. If I said the collision of our bodies didn't make me hard as a rock, that'd be the biggest fucking lie I ever did tell.
“Off to class?” I ask and Brooke nods, a pair of black glasses on her face that I've not seen before. I push them up her nose as she bats my hand away. “You wear glasses?”
“Contacts normally, but my eyes are too tired today. That, and I have a quiz. I have to be able to focus completely on this.”
“Well, if it helps, you look all studious and shit. Very sexy.” I gesture at her wrinkled black button-up and slacks, at the long beige coat she's wearing. Brooke gives me a weird look and slides by, heading to her car as I watch. Hmm. My usual tactics don't seem to work very well on this chick.
I wave good-bye as she pulls down the driveway, wondering if she really just used me yesterday or if I might be able to convince her to give sex with me another go.
You're making a serious mistake here, bro, I tell myself, but I brush the thought off immediately. Nah. Nah. I know what I'm doing. Like I haven't been in this situation a million times before. I have more ex-girlfriends than I do fingers and toes. Not a biggie. Either Brooke wants to play the friends with benefits game with me, or she doesn't.
“Can we please gooo,” Kinzie whines from inside the van.
I roll my eyes and climb in, starting up some Hailee Steinfeld as we back down the driveway to start the arduous journey to preschool … and then kindergarten … and then elementary school. And then home to feed the baby and read books made out of cardboard.
Ah, what sweet hell is this?
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Rob screams at me as I pull the cell away from my ear and feel myself frowning. “You are not a goddamn nanny, Zay. What the hell do you think you're doing with this girl?”
“Um, first of all, I'm doing her a favor here. Second, I didn't tell you all of this, so you could scream at me. You know, Kinzie's the worst one of them all. She kicks and spits and bites me. What the hell is up with that?”
“Listen, Zayden,” Rob starts as I flop down on Brooke's couch and accidentally sit on a chihuahua. The weirdest part of all is that it doesn't seem to mind. I lift my butt up and push it away from the center couch cushion. “Kinzie has hyperactive blah blah blah blah blah.” Of course, Rob doesn't really say all those blahs, but who the hell cares what he's actually talking about. Not this guy right here.
“Personally, I think she needs a spanking with a wooden spoon, kind of like the ones Mom used to give us as kids.”