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He drank some water down contentedly before returning to bed. As he lay back down, she rolled over and snuggled up against him. It had been so long.Too long.
This had been the first time since it all had happened that his mind not been consumed by thoughts of that day. He knew things were still in the air and he’d need to check in with the pack, but for now, he deserved one night off. There were things to be dealt with tomorrow, many things, but for now he just focused on the feeling of her against his chest.
CHAPTER15
Winona woke early and slipped out from under the covers, as was her habit when “on the job.” Of course today was a little different. Trying not to wake the boss when getting out of bed had never been in her job description previously. She chuckled under her breath. She had gotten the idea that everyone slept a little sounder in the safe house. She read it for what it was, Rollo’s way of letting her know that the boys wouldn’t be walking in on them last night.
Her mind drifted back to last night.Wow. It may have been her mind that drifted back, but it was her body that remembered.Jesus, girl. She felt a pulse of heat move through her core. Okay, focus…let’s go.It’s a new day.
She padded over to the bathroom happily, closing the door behind her and then opening the door to her room.Well, this is convenient.God, what a whirlwind. She still felt swept up in it. Last night had been incredible. Amazing. She almost had to pinch herself. It was almost unbelievable.
Julie isn’t going to believe this.
Julie, right.Okay, now she definitely had to talk to her.
Rollo. Who would have thought so much could change, could even happen, so quickly? She could smell him all over her still. She sighed as she got in the shower. Okay, right, well, maybe things had changed in some ways, but the boys would still be up soon.
She showered and got dressed, and when she was about to head downstairs she saw it. Her phone was laying right on the nightstand. She looked down at Rollo as he lay facing away from her. Of course her phone is there. Her heart soared, but God, was this confusing.
She scooped up her phone and checked the reception.
What a crazy few days. That was the understatement of the century.Beyond crazy. Plenty of juice, but no reception.Right, safe house magic stuff.Well, one thing at a time. Obviously, things had changed. I mean, duh. Still it definitely felt good to have it back.That he gave it back.Right. Right, it’s all good. This is crazy.
She made an effort to turn off her brain and made her way to the kitchen. It was a bit of a mess.Well, some things never change, she thought. Four boys, even four pretty well behaved boys, five with Rollo, had a way of creating a mess. For the most part, it was clean, but she washed the few remaining dishes and gave the floor a sweep. She wanted it to be perfect for when Rollo and the boys came down.
If only she had grabbed her painting supplies, she thought. The morning was so still. It would have been perfect, she thought, as she looked at the light streaming in over the plants in the living room.
Let’s not get carried away, honey. You are still the nanny. This isn’t a vacation.Right, she thought, but they were all asleep.
She decided to take the rare moment of solitude to just explore a few of the nearest rooms. The first few she entered were relatively run-of-the mill, or at least not too crazy. One seemed like a sort of den area, but more like one you might encounter in the turn of the century, with little gathering points of grouped chairs and side tables. Then the next was a sort of family room, but with nineteen sixties décor.
Weird.
She needed to have a word with the decorator, she decided. But it was the next room that really got her attention. Upon entering, she was immediately greeted with floor to ceiling bookshelves around the room. A small cozy fireplace hugged one wall, and leather chairs sat in various positions, each with a side table or two, all with a few books stacked on top. This room too seemed dated. Maybe Nineteen thirties, she thought. She wandered in a few steps and scanned the first few books that lay on the nearest table.
Shifter Fae Relations, read one. And then “Fae Crossing, A History.”
And then there was one final book she quickly glanced at.“The Dark Fae Handbook.”
Dark Fae? What’s that?
She barely knew anything of fae, but Dark fae? Her mind only had a second to ponder before her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the distant patter of little feet as the boys started coming down the stairs a handful of rooms away.
She heard a cry of “I want bacon!” and wasn’t totally sure if it was from Marcus or Jasper. It was almost immediately followed by a competing cry of “No, more pancakes!”
They all charged in in a pile.
“Okay, okay, let’s see what we have in the fridge, shall we?”
The kids simmered down as she began to get a meal organized. Yes, they were a handful, but not totally unmanageable. It’d only been a few days, though. Maybe they were on their best behavior. That was possible, but they seemed pretty good. Certainly the best behaved shifter kids she had ever dealt with. She couldn’t imagine, really, why he’d had a hard time keeping nannies. The boys, while definitely energetic, had really been a delight. She could handle them, no problem.
Right. As a nanny.She felt that old nagging sense of not belonging return for a second before she pushed it away.Winona, get over it, you’re not ten. Yes, this is different. Much different.
Though she was more than a little tired from the festivities of the previous night, she happily, more like mostly happily, fulfilled all the boys’ breakfast wishes. Pancakes and bacon were whipped up to order. She found some frozen berries in the freezer, so the boys got to pick between blueberries, raspberries, and even some chocolate chips.
“You boys don’t know how good you got it,” she said as she dealt them out. “And where is your dad anyhow?” she added. He was missing all the good stuff.
“He was probably up late working. He likes to sleep in sometimes,” Marcus said.
