11. Dylan

11

DYLAN

" W here do you think you're going?" I pulled Jessica against my chest. The scent of her hair filled my nostrils. Cherry blossoms and strawberries. I don't know if that was really what those smells were, but it was fruity and made me think of flowering trees in the spring.

Her skin was warm and her body soft and pliant in my arms. She wiggled, and I was filled with thoughts of how her skin felt against mine.

She sighed and relaxed against my chest for a long moment. When my hands began roaming, rekindling the flames that burned between us earlier, she pushed against me.

"I have to go," she complained.

"Where?"

She was right where I wanted her, where she belonged.

"To my own room," she murmured.

"Afraid the boss will find out?" I teased.

"I certainly am. He'll freak out if he wakes up and I'm not around."

My sleep- and lust- addled brain took a moment before I realized she was talking about Max.

"If he doesn't find you, he'll just come looking for me," I said. Max always seemed to come into my room when we didn't have nannies in residence.

She sat up, holding the blankets over her delectable breasts. "And how often does he find women in your bed?"

"Never." Why was she testing me? We should be asleep… or doing other more interesting activities.

Her eyebrows went up in a silent question.

"I don't bring women home. I have a son who asks questions and a mother who doesn't need to know about that part of my life," I explained.

"Right, son who asks questions. So, what would you say when he finds the nanny in bed with Daddy?"

I shrugged.

"He then thinks nothing of it for you to sleep with the help. What does that teach him? How do you explain that to the next nanny agency when Max pipes up and asks why she isn't sleeping with you?"

A sudden flash of nerves sparked. "You aren't leaving us, are you?" I just found her, got her for my own. She couldn't leave.

Jessica shook her head. Her hair tumbled in messy cascades over her shoulders. "No. Hypothetically speaking, what if? Hmm? How do you explain that? Do you really want Max telling your mother about us?"

She had a point.

I rolled in closer to her and kissed her exposed skin. "I concede. You win. The nanny doesn't sleep with the daddy, at least not in Max's little world. And it's my place to tell my mother about us."

I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling. There was so much more to what happened between us than two adults enjoying each other's company and bodies. I had a houseful of family. I needed to figure out how much my mother needed to know.

The bed shifted as she got up. "I don't think you should mention there is anything between us to anyone, at least for a bit."

"There's no need to be secretive, Jessica. Mother will figure something is going on sooner than later. And the rest of the staff will as well. It's not like we have to hide from anyone."

Fully dressed in her pajamas, she climbed across the bed and lay down across my chest. She reached out and brushed at my hair, and I touched her arm, trailing my fingers across her skin. I liked touching her.

"I like that we don't have to hide, but I can still get in trouble from the placement agency."

"You don't have to worry about your job," I said.

"You say that now, but… Give me a few days, please?"

"Fine," I said with a huff. "I won't say anything, but I'm not going to pretend something hasn't happened."

"I can live with that," she said right before she leaned up and pressed her soft lips to mine. "Go back to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

‘Go back to sleep.' Those were crappy last words before she left my room. My temper surged, and all vestiges of sleep left my body. I started at the ceiling in a mood before I ripped the covers off and stomped to the bathroom and took a hot shower.

By the time I worked up a lather, I had also worked up a plan. Fine, I didn't have to tell the world that Jessica and I had started something more than a working relationship. I was going to show them. I headed down to my office. I checked any emails and assigned tasks for today that needed to be handled.

By the time the sun came up, I had reassigned certain to-dos and answered the handful of emails that needed my attention first thing. I shot Sarah a message letting her know I would not be reachable for the day.

Send anything that cannot be delegated to my email. I will get to it tonight. I will not be in my home office, working remotely at any other location with a laptop, or accepting work-related phone calls during the day. Please flag messages for priority handling. There isn't anything pressing that should cause you issues .

I hit Send and then quickly dashed off a second email. Take a long lunch and consider leaving early. Have a quiet day .

I'd give her an extra day off once I returned to the office. That wasn't going to be today, maybe not even tomorrow.

Breakfast wasn't ready by the time I emerged from my office. I headed back upstairs to peek in on Jessica and Max. What would she say if Max found me in her bed with her? Right, the nanny didn't sleep in Daddy's bed. So what would it take for her to consider my bed our bed?

I looked in on Max. He was stirring. I thought about sitting on his bed and being there when he woke up. Before I could move, the door between his room and Jessica's opened. She looked half asleep as she yawned and rubbed her fist into her eyes.

"Morning, beautiful," I said.

"Hey," she said in a soft voice. She crossed to me and put her hands on my chest as she leaned in for a kiss.

"You'll kiss me, but?—"

"Don't be like that," she pleaded.

"I was teasing," I said.

"Do I look awake? Why are you already dressed?" She looked me up and down. A frown creased her brow. "Don't you have to go to work? You're in jeans."

"And you're in pajamas." A smile curled my lips. She looked delightful in those pajamas.

Max sat up and announced, "I'm awake."

"Hey there, big guy," I said as I lifted him out of bed. "You want to spend the day with me? I thought we could maybe do something fun."

Max's eyes went wide and he whispered, "Can we go see fish?"

"The aquarium?" Jessica asked.

Max nodded solemnly.

"That sounds like you'll have a fun day." Jessica reached out to take Max from me. "Let's see if we can find something appropriate to wear. Don't you have a shirt with an octopus on it? Or maybe your shark shirt?"

Max leaned toward her with enthusiasm. "Sharks," he said as she caught him.

"Are you planning on dressing thematically too? Do I have to change?" I asked with a laugh.

Jessica shook her head. "What? What do you mean, dress thematically?"

"If Max is going to wear a shark shirt to the Aquarium, do you have a dress with sharks? Do I need to go find something with a fish on it?"

She stared at me and blinked a few times. "As a matter of fact, I do have a dress with sharks on it. But why would I need that?"

I laughed. She was still sleepy, or I wasn't being obvious enough. "Because I meant we would go out and have a fun day together ." I circled my hands together, encompassing all three of us.

Her eyes opened wide as her jaw dropped, and she smiled with her mouth open. "I would love that. Really? Should I wear my shark dress?"

Max nodded enthusiastically.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll let you get ready. I need to go find a shirt with a fish on it. I'm sure I have one. I'll meet the two of you downstairs for breakfast."

Jessica set Max down. "Go look for your shirt. I'll be right there."

We both watched him leave the room.

She stepped up to me. "You think you're being tricky, don't you?" She poked me in the chest.

I shrugged. I was completely innocent of whatever she was accusing me of.

"I'm on to you, Dylan Anderson. You think you're going to trick me into behaving like there might be something going on between us."

I took her hand in mine and pressed her fingers to my lips. "There is something going on between us, and I'm not afraid to let other people know it."

She lifted her brows at me.

"I promised I wouldn't say anything. You didn't tell me I had to avoid you in public and pretend to find you distasteful." I tugged on her hand and pulled her flush against me. I could feel her softness through our clothes. My body tightened. Too many clothes.

"I need to go before he pulls the dresser down on himself." She kissed with a fast, familiar peck against my lips and then was out of my arms.

When I met the two of them in the dining room for breakfast later, I was a bit disappointed she wasn't in a shark dress. But I wasn't wearing anything with fish on it either. Max, however, had on shark shorts and a shark T-shirt.

"I figured he more than made up for my lack of enthusiastic dressing," Jessica said as she set a plate in front of my son and then began filling a plate with eggs for herself. "Are we spending the entire day at the aquarium, or did you have other plans?"

"You haven't taken Max there yet, have you?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"We will either be there all day long, or we'll look at two or three exhibits and then he'll be done. We have a family membership. Remind me to stop by guest services so we can make sure your name is on the plan. That way, you can take Max there at any time," I explained.

"I had no idea about the membership. That's great. I haven't been inside the place for years. I'm really looking forward to this. Thank you for including me," she said as she sat with her breakfast.

"I plan on including you in my life. This is just the beginning."

A charming blush highlighted pink across her cheeks.