Page 86 of The Nanny and the Nerd
“Isn’t that what I said?” he asked, reeling at her touch.
“You said, Princess Penelope,” she replied softly.
It was an easy error to make. He’d crafted Princess Amelia himself, and the resemblance between his nanny and his heroine was truly uncanny. It was as if the universe saw his design and rewarded him with the real thing. But he sure as hell couldn’t tell her that.
“A slip of the tongue,” he murmured, his pulse hammering.
She watched him for a beat. Could she read his mind? Did she know that she was the embodiment of everything he’d ever wanted?
“Okay, let’s keep going,” she said, blessedly moving on. “After they find the crack in the mountain, they crawl through the opening.” She chewed her lip and paused. “And if I’ve got my narrative right, this is the point where the game shifts from play-mode and pivots to the cut scene.”
That was it. After only one day of working on his game with zero gaming knowledge, she’d done what he and his team hadn’t been able to do. And she had no idea of her talent. Every nerve ending in his body ached for this woman. It was the sexiest of dirty talk to listen to her go on about gaming like a seasoned pro. He stared at her through the mist of warm, humid heat. Damp wisps of hair clung to her neck, and Jesus, what he wouldn’t give right now to be one of those blond strands!
“Rowen?” she pressed.
He had to focus!
“Yes, it’s the location of the cut scene. But these elements can be tricky. They can’t be too long because players want to get back to the action. However, they’re also an integral part of the experience that moves the story forward. It gives the players as well as the video game characters a moment to rest, reset, and remember why they started the journey.”
Just as the words fell from his lips, a question formed. When was the last time he’d taken a step back to reset? Hell if he knew! With his protein shakes, clean eating, and strict exercise regime, he treated his body like a well-oiled machine. But when it came to work, he hadn’t allowed himself to rest and re-up in ages.
“Okay, let’s do this,” Penelope said, cutting into his thoughts. “Remember, the writing is still pretty rough. Don’t judge me too harshly.”
He stared at the sheet. “It looks polished to me.”
She nibbled her lip again. “You’re sweet, but I’ve already caught two typos. I can make the edits once you decide if you’re okay with the scene.”
It was hard to believe that she couldn’t see her own talent.
“You’re good at this, Penelope. Everyone at the office was blown away by what you did in such a short amount of time. I owe you,” he finished. He wasn’t known for dispensing compliments, but it was easy with her. It was easy because he meant it.
She looked at him as if she saw the man hiding behind the mask. “You’re hurt. Let me help you,” she said gently, and he could barely breathe.
“How do you know I’m hurting?” he pressed. Could she see it, sense it? Was that part of their connection?
She smiled up at him. “It’s the first line in the scene,” she answered, and dammit! He felt like a jackass!
He glanced at the page and found AI-77’s first line. “I’ll heal. I can regenerate here. My operating system knows how to respond to this injury.”
She pressed her hand to his chest, and his body tingled beneath her touch.
“You haven’t been shot with just any arrow, AI-77,” Penelope continued. “It’s one of the Demon Archer’s arrows. Tipped with cyber-venom, it could kill you! And you did it to save me. If not for you, AI-77, all hope for the Five Kingdoms would have perished. Let me help you. I am forever in your debt.”
He swallowed hard, then read the stage direction and rested his hand on top of hers. “The Waters of Salvation will heal my wounds. You owe me nothing, Princess.”
“I owe you my life, and for that, you will always have a piece of my heart.” Penelope’s chest heaved as she spoke the lines. “This is where AI-77 and Amelia enter the regenerative waters. Amelia’s sheer gown clings to her body as AI-77 takes off his shirt to assess the wound. We should act this out,” she directed, then removed her hand from his chest and proceeded to peel off her shirt, revealing a sheer tank top that hugged the sweet curves of her breasts. “You need to take off your shirt, too,” she added, setting her clothing aside.
He nodded—not sure he was capable of speech. And now it was his turn. One by one, he unbuttoned his shirt in an awkwardly erotic striptease as Penelope unapologetically drank him in. He didn’t know if she was in character or if this was her, watching him, wanting him, devouring his body with her gaze. He set his shirt aside, then skimmed the scene. She had the next line. “You’re up,” he said, his voice a gruff rasp.
She glanced at the page, then returned her hand to his chest. “You don’t have to fight this battle on your own, AI-77.”
Could she feel his heart beating, hammering, responding to her touch? He forced himself to get back into character. “It’s what I was programmed to do, Amelia. It’s my primary directive.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not. It doesn’t have to be.”
He cupped her face in his hand, unable to parse reality from fiction. “Yes, Princess, it is. My one purpose is to escort you to the Ruby Castle, so you can end this evil frost that’s intent on killing the Five Kingdoms. Your grandmother, Queen Madelyn herself, wrote my mission code.” He held her gaze. “Madelyn?”
“I needed a name, and that’s what came to mind,” she responded as if she were in a dream.
