Page 47 of The Nanny and the Don
“Let’s see, you kidnapped me and locked me in an attic. You yell at me every time I ask a question. You avoid me most of the day, then lock me back in the attic again. I don’t see where I would have thought you were attracted to me.”
“I took you out of a situation where a guy left the country and abandoned you in his house. I brought you to a beautifulmansion and gave you an apartment rent free. I stayed away from you in an attempt to fight my desire for you. I avoid conversation to keep you from getting too close to me, but shower you with gifts. I gave you access to a chef and a maid. Not to mention the fact that I’m building you a library one book at a time,” he said with a wink. “I’m sorry. It’s been a while. I’m not too good at courting.”
I actually laughed at his statement. “Tell me about it.”
“Come here let me show you one of the things I’ve been working on while I was locked away in my office,” he requested, taking my hand and pulling me with him to his office. “I got into woodwork after I got out of the hospital. It was a long time before I could walk.”
“What happened?” I asked. He’d mentioned something about the hospital before but so far, the details were hazy.
“It’s a long story. Anyway, I wanted to ask you about the project I’m working on,” he said, snatching a sheet off of a wooden dollhouse. “You think Evie is too little for this?”
“Steel, did you make this?” I questioned as I kneeled in front of it.
The pink and white farmhouse design was absolutely adorable. As I sat in front of it, inspecting the intricate design, he turned it around so that I could see the back. There were two floors, and he had already started to put furniture in it. There was a little wooden rocking chair and even a bed and a dresser.
“The first one I made was just a replica of this house I live in. I designed it from top to bottom.”
“Wow!”
“The furniture too. I think by the time she’s five she will be ready for it,” he stated.
“Steel, I don’t know what to say. This is beautiful.”
“Oh wait, I haven’t added the best part,” he said, rushing over to his desk.
His excitement was so cute. I stood as he walked back over carrying something in the palm of his hand. My jaw dropped when I saw the little figurines in his hand.
“This one is Evie, and the other one is King.”
“Wow,” was all I could manage to say.
“It’s just a hobby. Something to keep the demons in my head at bay, you know.”
“You’re really good.”
“I’ve only shown you and the architect that helped design this place that I do this. I learned from an old man that used to buy crack from me when I was about fifteen. I dabbled with it over the years, but it was just one of those things that I could do. Once I was out of the hospital, I didn’t have anything else to do for a long time. So, I started figuring out how to make furniture to go in the houses. I never keep them, and they sell for a fortune wherever my guy sells them.”
“Every time I think I’m starting to understand you, you show me something else.”
“Good things I hope,” he said, taking a step to get closer to me.
Reaching out to him, I touched the side of his face. When I was around him, I always got the urge to touch him. Now it finally felt like it was OK. At one point, I thought it was the whole reason I’d gotten fired. As my hand swept up the side of his face, he nuzzled his cheek into the palm of my hand.
“Why were you in the hospital? Did someone try to kill you?” I asked.
“You don’t have to go upstairs unless you want to,” he replied.
“Why don’t you want to talk about what happened? Is it one of those ‘if I tell you I’ll have to kill you’ things?”
“It’s just hard to talk about. I don’t like dwelling on the past.”
“I get that I guess,” I said, removing my hand from his face and turning to walk away.
“You never answered my question.”
“You never answered mine,” I countered. “And you never asked a question.”
“Sleep with me and I’ll talk. Not for sex this time. I just want you with me. That’s why I said you don’t have to go upstairs if you don’t want to.”
