“And why the hell are you thinking about my daughter’s nanny?”
“Stop getting your panties in a twist. The body of a twenty-four-year-old woman was found in a dumpster this morning. Her throat was slit. Her mother passed away when she was a kid, and she was raised by her alcoholic father. She left home at seventeen and got into drugs and prostitution. Alex is a survivor, and if she wasn’t, that could have very well been her. Despite the shit she dealt with when she was a kid and leaving home at eighteen with practically nothing, I’d say she’s one of the strongest women I’ve met. She didn’t let her circumstances define her.”
“No. She didn’t,” I said. “She chose to swim instead of sink.”
“Anyway, I have to go.” Simon got up from his chair.
“Thanks for coming over.” I stood up and gave him a hug.
“No problem. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
It was Wednesday night and we gathered at Sebastian’s house to celebrate our mother’s birthday.
“So, when am I going to get another grandchild?” she asked as she stared at Julia and Sam from across the table.
“Mom, we aren’t even married yet,” Sam spoke.
“So what. That doesn’t matter in today’s age. Look at your brother. If it wasn’t for him being careless, I still wouldn’t have any grandchildren.”
“Mom, stop.” I shifted in my seat.
“Julia and I have talked about it, and we’d like to wait at least a year,” Sam said.
“Well, as far as I can tell, you two are my only hope. I’m not getting any younger you know.”
“You’re plenty young.” Alex smiled at her.
“Thank you, dear. But I want more grandchildren.” Her brow arched as she looked at the four of us.
“Don’t look at me,” I said.
“Me either,” both Simon and Sebastian spoke at the same time.
After dinner, we gave our mother her gifts and topped the celebration off with a two-layer fancy decorated cake that one of the girls at the restaurant made. It was a beautiful night as we gathered outside on the patio that was decorated with lights and a roaring fire in the firepit.
“Will you sing me a song?” Lily grinned as she sat next to Alex.
“How about later,” Alex spoke.
I walked over, picked up Sebastian’s guitar and handed it to her.
“My daughter wants you to sing to her.” I smirked.
She took the guitar and set it on her lap. I went inside the house to grab a beer, and when I stepped back onto the patio, Alex was singing You Are My Sunshine to her. I stood back and stared at her as I listened to her beautiful voice.
“She’s a nice girl.” My mother walked over to me.
“Yeah, Mom. She is.”
“Lily seems really happy. She talks about her all the time. How did you find her again?”
“I ran into the back of her car.”
“That’s right. And now look, it’s almost like fate. Wouldn’t you say?”
“I guess.” I furrowed my brows at her.
“She’s young, she’s beautiful, she takes care of your daughter, you seem happy, Lily is happy.”
“What’s your point, Mom?”
“She’s perfect wife material.”
“Okay, stop right there. She’s Lily’s nanny and that’s it.”
“If you say so, my darling son.” She patted my face before walking away.
As Alex strummed the last chord, Lily wrapped her arms around her and gave her a hug. It was getting late and way past her bedtime.
“Come on, baby girl. We need to get you home and into bed. Go say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa Curtis.”
After we all said our goodbyes, we walked over to my house.
“Go change into your pajamas and brush your teeth,” I told Lily.
“On it, father.” She saluted me, and Alex let out a laugh.
“What a great party that was,” she said as she took a seat on the couch. “Your mom was so funny how she was asking for more grandchildren.”
“She has a knack for making us feel uncomfortable. Saying it to Sam and Julia is one thing, but to look at the rest of us, she’s crazy.”
“You don’t want anymore children?” she asked.
“Nah., I have Lily and she’s all I need. So, unless Julia gets pregnant, my mom is out of luck.” I smirked.
“I’m ready for bed,” Lily spoke as she walked into the room.
“Let’s go, baby girl.” I grabbed her and threw her over my shoulder as I carried her up the stairs.
After we tucked her in and said goodnight, Alex went to her room and I went downstairs, poured myself a scotch and took it into my office to deal with some emails that had come through earlier. Just as I finished, I looked up and saw Alex standing in the doorway in her black silk robe.
“The shower in my bathroom is leaking.”
“Okay. I’ll look at it tomorrow,” I spoke as I stared at how beautiful she was.
“Thanks. I’m going to head to bed.”
“Alex, wait.”
I stood up from my seat, walked over to where she stood, grabbed her hand and pulled her inside my office.
“Do you really want to go to bed this second?” My hand trailed inside her robe and stroked her breast.
“But Lily.”
“She’s upstairs and we’re down here.”
I shut and locked the door.
“We can pretend we’re two teenagers having forbidden sex while our parents are home.” I wrapped my arms around her from behind and my tongue stroked the flesh of her soft neck.
“You’re such a risk taker, Mr. Kind.”
“Some risks are worth it.”
My hand traveled between her thighs and up to her the edge of her panties while my fingers pushed them to the side.
Chapter 27
Alex
Our bodies were interlocked as we sat on the soft rug that laid on his office floor. My nails dug into the flesh of his back as my hips rocked back and forth.
“My god, you feel so good,” he moaned. “Come for me.”
I was already teetering on the edge of the cliff as it was, and the words he whispered in my ear sent me over the top and into oblivion.
“That’s it. Oh god, that’s it,” he moaned as his arms tightened around me and we both came at the same time.
I brought my hands up to his face and stared into his sexy blue eyes. It was in that very moment I knew it was too late. I’d fallen in love with this man, and nothing could be done about it. He brushed his lips against mine before getting up.
He went to his room, and I went to mine. I understood why we couldn’t sleep in the same bed with Lily in the house. She was too young to understand and very impressionable. Plus, Stefan protected her at all costs from anything that might damage her fragile little mind.
Friday had come and it was time to board the private jet and head to Vegas. When I stepped on the plane, I was enthralled at the luxury of it, but I was also extremely nervous for I’d never been on an airplane before. I sat with the girls while the guys sat on the other side, talking, laughing and making jokes to each other. Stefan didn’t even attempt to sit by me. Did I really expect him to? I wasn’t sure.