Page 138 of The Nanny and the Beefcake
Everything had changed since she’d gone to the gym, and Raz had looked through her as if she didn’t exist.
Now, when he looked at her, he devoured her with his eyes as if he were counting the hours until they were alone.
She and Raz had revealed the darkest parts of their souls to each other. She’d connected with the man on a level she’d never thought possible. She couldn’t deny how happy she’d been these last few weeks. But it wasn’t a forever happiness. She’d known this the moment after they’d made yab and oh, so yummy love. She’d looked into Raz’s eyes and saw the truth. He wanted her, but there was still pain in his gaze. A pain that held him back. She wasn’t that different. And yet, nannying for Sebastian, creating Pun-chi yoga, learning to run with a donkey, and playing house with the man had felt like a life, a real life.
But it wasn’t.
This was a transaction.
Her situation hadn’t changed from the night she and Raz were arrested.
Raz had agreed to help her find her O, and she was here to care for his son while he trained.
This was about her needing a job and Anders and Alec needing tuition money.
It was a business deal.
A deal that had an expiration date.
“After I win,” Doug continued, breaking into her thoughts, “we could take a hike up Rickety Rock Mountain.”
Sweet Buddha’s belly!
Doug dropped theW-word.
Win.
The rush of frenzied energy coming off Raz amplified tenfold. He’d gone from run-of-the-mill surly to super-charged beefcake mode in the blink of an eye. This wouldn’t be pretty. It was one thing for Doug to ask her out. It was a whole different ball of cosmic wax to throw a competition wrench into the mix.
“You seem pretty sure about winning,” Raz shot back, not missing a beat, as Beefcake quickened his pace.
“It’s in my blood. My family’s been racing burros here in Rickety Rock since the race started. And Ace is a strong partner. We shouldn’t have trouble clenching the title,” the man answered, patting the burro as they got closer to the creek.
“Are you up for some friendly competition now?” Raz tossed out. She could tell that he was going for nonchalance, but she heard the edge in his voice.
“Ace and I are up for it,” Doug answered.
“We race to town. One mile. Go as hard as you can,” Raz answered, setting the terms.
They had to be running a swift six-minute mile by this point. How much harder could they go?
“Do you want to put a wager on this?” Doug asked, lengthening his stride as she bristled. “Perhaps a kiss from the lovely Libby as the prize?”
She was no prize. Plum, sensing her irritation, released a huff of a cry as Libby parted her lips, ready to tell Zen Dougie where he could kiss her when Raz caught her eye. They shared a look—one look that spoke volumes.
I’ve got you, plum.
She could hear it as if she could read his mind.
“No bets, Doug. We do it for the glory. We’ll go on your count, Libby,” he answered, then gave her a glimpse of that boyish grin.
If they weren’t rocketing down a mountain with donkeys, she would have kissed him.
“Thank you,” she mouthed.
“I’m not always a beast,” he answered.
Her pounding heart skipped a beat.
