AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Try to be less obvious about your boner, would you?” Zander sounded happier then, taking joy in my discomfort. “She’s just ignoring you, isn’t she?”
“Yep.” I narrowed my eyes at Aggie and gritted my teeth. “Hey, Zan? Would you find it insulting if a woman said she needed to get tested after sleeping with you?”
“What the fuck? She said that? We’re clean and she should know that. We wouldn’t chance something that big.” Zander hesitated. “Is she on the pill?”
Aggie rolled her eyes at me. “You and Zander can both kick rocks.”
I unpaired my ear pods so Zander’s angry voice traveled straight to Aggie. He growled and swore between clenched teeth. “How can a woman who came so pretty and listened like an angel be such a pain in the ass in the light of day? Kick rocks? Really? I should bend her over that table and turn her ass bright red.”
Aggie’s eyes went round and her cheeks turned bright red before she dropped her towel and leaned over the table, much like Zander wanted. With her face a picture of fury, she spoke quietly as Gracie slowly got out of the pool behind her. “A better question is how can men so utterly annoying ever giveanywoman pleasure? Honestly, it’s a miracle that your personalities don’t inspire dryness that only deserts could compete with. As for bending me over this table? I’d like to see you try. The next time you lay a hand on me, I’ll flip you onto your back and throat punch you into next Tuesday.”
Zander’s laughter boomed through the speakers and I found myself grinning. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d heard him laugh so fully. “One of us does like a little throat and breath play, baby, but we both know that isn’t me. Save your feistiness for the library. Be a good nanny, Aggie.”
I watched as she straightened and forced a smile as Gracie appeared next to her. “Ready for lunch, butterfly?”
“Yeah! Can Uncle Knight eat with us? And can we eat out here?” Gracie hopped where she stood, her happiness shining bright.
“Hey, Gracie. Uncle Knight is working.” Zander was still trying to stop laughing. “He’s been slacking off, too.”
“Oh, I know. He’s been watching Aggie.” Unaware of what she’d just said having any weight to it, Gracie continued. “I don’t think he thinks she can swim.”
I hung up on Zander as his laughter spilled out of my laptop speakers. Looking up at Aggie, I saw her fighting a laugh of her own. That quickly, she was past her anger, it seemed. I closed my laptop and found myself fighting to hide a smile. “I think lunch with you two sounds great. I hear we’re having cake and ice cream. My favorite.”
Gracie held her hands up to me and I picked her up the way I’d seen her parents do a thousand times. With Zella on my mind that morning, the memories were close to the surface. I turned away from Aggie and carried a wet Gracie into the house, all while she wiggled and sang one of her made up songs.
I found Jamie in the kitchen and nodded at the man. He’d been our chef for two years and I’d gotten used to him being around. When I watched his eyes roam over Aggie’s body, though, I felt an indescribable urge to kick his ass.
She was so focused on Gracie that she didn’t see the man checking her out. When she did look up, Jamie had corrected his face into something polite. “Hey! I hope it was okay that we changed the menu on you. I bribed this one with her choice of food, so you really helped me out in the end. Putting sunscreen on her was about two million times easier today than it was yesterday.”
Jamie took a few steps closer and smiled with nearly every single one of his teeth showing. I’d never noticed that I hated his smile before that moment. “It was no problem. If it would make it easier for you, you could just text me the menu that you and Gracie want. Or just come find me in here. I never mind the company.”
Aggie nodded and looked back at Gracie. “I’ll probably need your number. I have a feeling I’m going to use bribery a lot. Which is why I’m not a real nanny, because that has to be wrong on so many levels.”
Jamie leaned against the counter and took the chance to run his eyes over Aggie again. “You’re not a real nanny? That sounds like a story I’ll need to hear.”
“Ask him.” Aggie carelessly jerked her hand in my direction. “Apparently, the Graves brothers don’t take career women seriously.”
I gritted my teeth and stepped closer to her. “Jamie, we’re going to eat lunch on the patio.”
“Um, sure.” He looked back at Aggie. “I’d still love to hear the story from you. It’s always nicer to hear things from a pretty woman.”
Gracie gasped. “Mr. Jamie called you pretty! Oh, my gosh!”
I gripped the back of Aggie’s neck and stared down at her, searching for any sign of a positive reaction to Jamie. All I saw was frustration at me, which didn’t bother me in the slightest. I lightly squeezed her neck and smiled. “Cake awaits us, ladies.”
16
***Aggie***
Itoccurredtomethat I hadn’t seen any of the guys with their shirts off right around the time Knight was taking his shirt off. After eating his weight in cake and ice cream, he’d decided to join me and Gracie in the pool. I’d felt his strength the day before, but I was still floored when he dropped his shirt on the back of his chair and stood before me with the body of a professional athlete. His chest and abs instantly had my mouth watering and I had to turn away to hide the look on my face.
I’d already applied sunscreen to Gracie and most of my body, but I couldn’t force my legs to carry me to the pool, not when Knight was going to have to apply sunscreen and I was close enough to see it smooth over each divot of his abs. I was hovering, something I had no business doing.
“Are you coming, Aggie?” Gracie splashed in the shallow end, entertaining herself with a pool float.
“Um, in just a minute, Gracie. I’m just letting my sunscreen dry.”
Knight moved closer to me and scoffed. “Liar.”
