Page 46 of Nanny for the SEAL

She seems to be able to get me to laugh no matter what mood I’m in. As I chuckle, trailing along as she heads to a small bar setup she’s made on one corner of her kitchen counter, I take in Ivy’s house a bit more.

It’s in rough shape and needs plenty of work, but I can see that she’s been tackling one project at a time.

The old wallpaper I remember from the few times I said hello to the previous tenant is gone, and the floors I walk on now are beautiful.

I’m glad I was able to help Ivy find someone to do the work for her at a reasonable cost, even if I had to nag Damon into cutting her a break on my behalf.

“What are you having?”

She turns around with a grin, resting back against the counter and still wearing her blanket over her shoulders.

“Apple cider with whiskey in it.”

I smile. “Sounds perfect.”

Ivy whips up a drink of my very own, and it’s not long before we’re chatting. As much as there should be tension, making every word like pulling a tooth, I can’t help but relax around her.

She puts me at ease even as she drives me wild in a way that I still have trouble wrapping my brain around.

You shouldn’t be feeling this way. She’s your nanny.

But my brain can tell my heart that a million times, and I know it’s never going to go along with it.

I just…like her—a lot.

We sit on her couch with our drinks, and before I know it, there’s another drink, and we’re sitting closer.

“You know you keep this up, and you’ll get me drunk. That what you want?” I cock a brow at her, smirking.

Ivy giggles, sipping at her own concoction, her cheeks a delightful pink. “Two toddies, and you’re out? What a lightweight.”

Nudging her with my foot, I snicker, narrowing my eyes at her. “Oh, I’ll drink you under the table, little thing. Need I remind you I’m like twice your size.”

“Trust me,” Ivy drawls, “I’m very unlikely to forget how big you are.”

We both pause for a moment, hearing the innuendo, and Ivy’s stare goes down into her glass. She swallows, releasing a long breath through her nose.

As she looks back up at me, my blood is overheated, every inch of my skin itchy and humming to do something, to…make some type of move.

Xade…

“Okay, enough’s enough. What are we doing, Xaden? What is…” she gestures between us, “this?”

Well, fuck. That was direct.

FIFTEEN

Ivy

Xaden freezes, just blinking at me like I’ve given him a pop quiz about trigonometry or something. My heart is in my throat, and I can hear it screaming in my ears.

I didn’t necessarily mean to blurt it out like that, but these past few days of dancing around each other have gotten to me. Something was going to break—apparently, it was the dam that kept my words in.

Still, I’m also not blind, and I’m not stupid. I’ve noticed how we act around each other, and as much as I have been “denial girl,” I just…can’t anymore.

I’ve seen my own worries reflected in Xaden’s eyes, and I understand it. I do.

With all he’s lost and the things he hasn’t told me yet, I know why he feels so torn.

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