Page 152 of Nanny and the Beast

His eyes narrow into slits.

"You're joking, right?" he says.

I clasp my hands together, trying to hide their trembling.

I'm too afraid to say the truth. And the truth is that I care too much about this man. I always told myself that I wouldn't fall for the wealthy, arrogant type, but I never really had a choice when it came to Klaus. He sucked me into his orbit from the very first time we met. He's had me in the palm of his hand ever since.

"Emma, look at me," he says.

I lift my gaze. I shouldn't be ashamed of this. I'll let my eyes cry. I'll let my heart bleed. I'll let my soul hurt.

"Do you really think that little of me?" he asks.

"I don't know what to think when it comes to you," I whisper. "That's what scares me the most. You know everything about me, but I feel like I barely scratched the surface when it comes to you."

"I'm sorry I made you feel that way," he says, taking my hand in his. His thumb brushes against the back of my hand. "If I've been distant, it's only because I have a lot on my mind."

"Why?" I tilt my head, studying him. "What changed all of a sudden?"

His eyes look haunted. Whatever it is, he doesn't want to share it with me.

Something occurs to me then.

"Is Vera an old flame?" I ask.

"No," he replies, his brows knitting together. "She's only ever been a friend to me."

"Okay, what is it then?" I ask.

"Can you take my word for it when I say it has nothing to do with what you said or did?" he says.

I want to press him further because whatever it was, it rattled him. But maybe this conversation can wait until later.

"Okay, I'm sorry," I say. "I didn't mean to jump to conclusions like that."

"Emma," he says, squeezing my hand in his larger one. "You're allowed to express your emotions with me. I meant it when I said that I want to know every little thing that's going on in that beautiful head of yours."

As we stare at each other, I'm hit by a wave of longing. I want to kiss him right now, just to reassure myself that nothing has changed between us.

And by the heated look in his eyes, I can tell he's thinking the same thing.

I don't expect him to actually go for it.

He cups the back of my head and pulls me closer. He looks into my eyes for a moment before his heavy gaze drops to my lips. Everything inside me thaws as he presses his lips against mine.

It's a reassuring kiss—one that lets me know he's not going anywhere. It's a kiss of ownership. He's staked his claim on me and marked me as his.

"You belong to me now, Emma," he says. "And I take care of what's mine. Do you understand that?"

My heart all but combusts. I didn't know it was possible to feel this much. But this man makes me feel everything all at once.

"Okay," I whisper.

"Good," he says. "Now let's go to my platonic friend's house for dinner."

"You don't have to say it like that," I say, standing up.

His large hand rests on my lower back as we walk toward the parked car. The second we step outside the coffee shop, his fingers dig into my skin. He's on edge. His eyes scan our surroundings, looking for an invisible threat.

---