The Nanny's Double Trouble

“Just another minute, Jakey. I’ll be there. I promise!” Peeling off her smelly shirt as she went, Keely darted for the bathroom. Standing on the bathroom rug by the tub, she wiggled free of her bra, kicked out of her shoes and shoved down both her jeans and panties at once.

“Keewee!” Jake shouted.

“Jakey, I’m right here! Just a minute!” she called, as she hopped around in a ridiculous circle, whipping off one sock and then the other. Flipping on the taps, switching the flow to the showerhead, she got in under the still-cold spray and yanked the curtain closed.

Three minutes, tops, she was in there. Jake called her name repeatedly. Once or twice, Frannie did, too. Keely got the mess off, rinsed in record time, flipped off the tap and shoved the shower curtain wide.

She’d stepped, dripping wet to the bath mat, and reached for her towel before she happened to glance through the open bathroom door to the bedroom.

Jake in his arms and Maisey at his feet, Daniel stood by the playpen staring at her with his mouth hanging open.

Chapter Three (#u05a98ff7-9116-578e-aa47-7dda501ee9cb)

Keely grabbed her towel, whipped it around her, stepped to the bathroom door and shoved it shut.

Only then did she sink to the toilet seat and hit her forehead with the heel of her hand. Never in her life had she been so embarrassed. Not even the day she wore white jeans on the tour bus and got her first period. Except for her and her mom, everyone on that bus was a guy. Keely just knew all those rockers had seen her shame—and okay, on second thought, that might have been worse.

But this was plenty bad.

The look on his face. Like someone had just dropped a safe on his head.

God. Daniel had seen her naked. That was so wrong. In all the ways that really counted, she was Lillie’s sister and a man ought never to see his wife’s sister naked.

Seriously. Would it have killed her to shut the damn bathroom door?

But she’d thought they were alone—just her, the kids and Maisey. She’d wanted to be able to hear them while she cleaned up, just in case...

Just in case, what? Come to think of it, she had no idea.

It’s not the end of the world, Keely. No one will die from this. Get over yourself.

Daniel tapped on the door. “Keely? You okay?”

“Fine! Really!” Her voice had the tinkling brightness of breaking glass. “We, uh, had a little accident.”

“But...you’re okay?”

Oh, hell, no. “Yes. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

He made a nervous throat-clearing sound. “I’ll just take the kids into the other room.”

“Great! Be there in a few.”

“Uh. Take your time.”

She started to call out something frantic and cheerful. “Righto!” or “Absolutely!” But she shut her mouth hard and folded her lips between her teeth so that not one more ludicrous word could escape.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, she found Daniel and the kids in the bedroom across the hall. He sat in the rocker, holding Frannie, who looked like a slightly flushed angel, all curled up in his arms, sucking peacefully on a baby bottle half-full of water. He’d dressed her in a cozy pair of pink pajamas.

Jake lay on the floor nearby, gumming a plastic teething pretzel, one plump arm thrown out across Maisey, who lay at his side. He took the pretzel from his mouth and gave her his most dazzling smile. “Keewee. Hi there.”

“Hey, honey.”

“Da-Da home.”

“Oh, yes, he is.”

Jake stuck the pretzel back in his mouth and chewed some more. Maisey nuzzled him, and he gave a lazy little giggle around the toy in his mouth.

The puddle of vomit on the rug was only a damp spot now, and the room smelled of the all-natural cleaner they used around the kids, a citrusy scent.

She made herself raise her gaze and look at Daniel. Those sea-glass eyes were waiting. She made herself speak. “You’re home early.”

“I was worried about Frannie and thought maybe you could use a break or at least another pair of hands.”

She forced a smile. “Thank you. I see you cleaned up the mess already.”

“Seemed like the least I could do.” Gently, he stroked Frannie’s fine gold hair, his rough hand big enough to cradle the whole of her little head. He pressed a kiss to her temple. “She’s cooler. I think the fever might have broken.”

“Wonderful.”

He rocked slowly, back and forth. In his arms, Frannie looked so peaceful. Safe. Content. “I am sorry.” His fine mouth twisted, and a hot flush swept up his thick neck. “For barging in on you. I should have knocked. But Jake was calling for you and for Frannie. I picked him up and he pointed at your room...”

Did they really need to talk it over?

Maybe. After all, it could be good, right? To be frank and open about it? They could clear the air, so to speak. “I left both doors open. It’s not your fault. Of course you came right in.” How red was her face? As red as his? Oh, God. “It’s not a big deal, Daniel.”

“You’re right,” he said and swallowed hard. “Not a big deal at all.”

And it wasn’t.

* * *

Oh, but it was.

For Daniel anyway.

Nothing had changed. But for every minute of the rest of that day, Lillie’s cousin was suddenly very much on his mind.

Not to mention wreaking havoc lower down.

His longtime sexual abstinence had never felt so painful. Could he be more inappropriate? All of a sudden, he was a man obsessed. Who did that? Who thought like that?

He needed to stop. Stop thinking of her, fantasizing about her, imagining what it might be like if they...

No. Uh-uh. That wasn’t going to happen. Ever. And it shouldn’t happen.