Shifter Nanny Agency

by Celeste Raye

  John didn't think it had anything to do with the wine, but he was going to leave it at that. She was politely saying that it was too much and he had to agree. He was the one that had pushed her away. What would have happened if he hadn't?

  That question ran through his mind as he walked out the door, and John wondered if he would be in the same position again. John tried not to think about it though. It wasn't going to do him any good and the last thing he needed to do was dwell on it.

  His father, Dominic, was convinced that he was going to have to use his collateral. John didn't want to believe it was true, but there was a reason he had chosen Laura specifically. Now that he knew her and had tasted her, it was an impossible task in his mind. He was already having second and third thoughts.

  The more John thought about it, the more frustrated he became. He went to bed that night thinking about Laura. He tried to sleep, but it didn’t come. Around three o'clock in the morning, he got up. He ignored the scent of the woman that was driving him mad. She was only a couple of doors down the hallway.

  John decided that he needed to take a run. He usually didn't have to go to such lengths to sleep. He worked hard every day, and by the end of it, it was generally pretty easy to fall asleep.

  First, he was worried about what he would have to do, and that was just meeting her one time. Now he was worried about so much more. He shouldn’t have been concerned. She was just one of the witches in one of the evilest covens in the area, maybe even the whole country. What her family had done before and what they were trying to do to his kind should have been enough of a reason for him to keep his distance and not think about her like that.

  Once he got outside, he shifted into his bear form and almost immediately felt better. His senses were heightened, and a lot of the thoughts started to melt away. He let the beast take over, and all had to do was hold on for the ride.

  John did not know how far he had gone before he finally stopped. His whole body was tired, and it still wasn't enough. He wanted to keep going, pushing.

  He let out several roars before he turned back around and made his way back to his place. He had to switch back into human form about a mile before he got there. By the time he got home, it was past six in the morning, and he was surprised to see that the nanny was up and about. She was already making breakfast.

  “Good morning. I have some muffins that are about to come out of the oven; would you like some?”

  John groaned inwardly. All of the time and energy that he had just spent to get her out of his mind was immediately wasted.

  “You're up pretty early.”

  “Yeah, I just couldn't sleep.”

  “I hear you. I didn't sleep a wink last night.”

  “Maybe it's jet lag or something. I hear that happens to some people.”

  He didn't know what to say, and he just nodded his head. He was quite sure that it had nothing to do with the time difference.

  Maybe, in a way, it had to do with his father and all the drama that came with him, but mainly, it was because of her. It was because of the kiss that he’d known better than to start. He had essentially made the problem a million times worse, and now John was going to have to live with it.

  “Yeah, maybe that is what it is.”

  He wasn’t sure about that assessment, but it was certainly better than the conclusion he had come to. His conclusion was that she was doing something witchy to him. It was the only thing that made sense to him. There was no way he could see any of this coming. Why would he have, when he had never felt this way in his life? How could John possibly know that it would be her?

  “Look, Laura, about last night…”

  She stopped him and told him that she would rather not talk about it.

  “It was just something crazy that happened, and I know that it’s never going to happen again. I think it’s just best that we forget about it, don’t you think?”

  It was, of course, the right thing to do. He agreed with a nod. It was exactly what needed to happen, but John didn’t feel like he was relieved. If anything, he was more anxious than ever. It was like he was getting his way, but what he wanted wasn’t what he needed.

  “Good, I am glad that is out of the way. So, are you staying here today and going to the new park that we found with huge castles, or do you have work?”

  “You know, you make it hard to pick the latter when you say it like that.”

  Laura smiled. “That was the point. Your daughter always tells me that she wishes you were there. I know that it would mean a lot to her.”

  John had a million things to do, but he wanted to stay with Laura as well. She had done something to him, something he didn’t understand and even as they agreed to not talk about the kiss, he still wanted to do the very same thing again. Repeatedly actually.

  He was going to spend the day with the two of them and one of them was going to drive John insane.

  Chapter Ten

  Laura was just about packed. She had put together a picnic so that they wouldn’t have to leave for lunch. The park was big, and there were still many places to explore. Dana was practically vibrating, she was so excited, but John was holding back a bit.

  His phone rang as they were going out the door. Dana made a big sighing sound when he took it and pushed her blonde hair back.

  “And then there were two.”

  Laura walked outside with her. “What do you mean?”

  “Dad gets a call and then he leaves. That’s just how it happens. It’s how it always happens.”

  Dana was upset, and Laura tried to convince her that she was wrong.

  “He probably had to take a call for work.”

  “It’s always something. Or he needs to help his dad.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “Because he’s the leader and Daddy will be the leader one day. So, he’s gone to the pack a lot.”

  “The pack?”

  They were outside of the car; Ernest was putting her bags in the truck. Dana must have realized what she was saying because she got quiet.

  “Never mind.”

  There was an awkwardness between the two of them, one that could be remedied if she said something. But Laura couldn’t do it. She didn’t want Dana to feel different. It was easier to keep it as it was, Dana thinking that she was just a human and ignorant to the finer points of it.

  The little girl got in the car. Laura did not want to believe that she was right about John, but it was becoming clear that she was. Laura stuck her head in the car and told Dana that she would be right back.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I am just going to hurry your dad along. Ernest is right here.”

  Dana smiled. “Tell him he has to come. He will have to listen to you. You’re the nanny.”

  Laura didn’t mention that it’s not exactly how it worked. It sounded like a good theory, though, one that made her wish that maybe it was true. She liked to believe that John was coming. He said he would.

  She went back inside and immediately heard John talking on the phone. It was hard to miss, because he had such a booming voice. He was upset.

  “I told you before, Dominic, that we’re not going to use her unless we have to. You know that it’s wise to wait with witches.”

  There was a pause, and Laura couldn’t quite make out what he was talking about. She immediately thought about herself; she was a witch, but Laura knew that it wasn’t likely about her. Shifters, in general, didn’t get along with witches. Everyone knew that. It wasn’t because of a rule of anything; it was just the way it was. Shifters didn’t trust the magic, and witches didn’t trust animals. Her working for one was a giant leap towards tolerance of the other race.

  “Yes, Dad, I did do it for that reason, but I won’t have you mucking up my plan. You’re just going to have to trust me.”

  Laura was shocked to hear him talk to his father that way. He was to be the Alpha one day soon, according to Dana, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t
in charge now. John shouldn’t talk to his Alpha like that.

  Her intention was to walk in and tell him that it was time to go. She was going to rush him for his daughter’s sake, but that’s not what was happening.

  “Don’t call me again unless you have something else. I am not going to change my mind. This is why I didn’t tell you who it was. You wouldn’t handle it well, and now I know that I was right.”

  She heard a frustrated groan as he threw something. Laura had a good idea that it was the phone and by the sound of it, it wasn’t going to make it. Her whole plan was blowing up in her face. She didn’t want to walk in there now, but Dana was waiting. Finally, she went to the door and shut it, rather loud. Laura called his name like she had just come in.

  “John, are we leaving?”

  John agreed, and there was a moment where their eyes met. Laura looked away first, solely because she was worried that he would see right through her. He didn’t want to know that she had heard it all. She didn’t want to talk about it either. Whatever he was arguing with his dad about, wasn’t something that she was supposed to be privy too.

  They walked to the car together, and Dana dramatically announced that it must be a miracle.

  “No miracle, munchkin, I just think it’s time we have some fun. I work too much. It will still be there when we get back.”

  That one little gesture had Dana smiling from ear to ear, and Laura didn’t want to ruin the moment. She wanted to know what he was talking about, but it wasn’t for her to ask. Laura was the nanny, and they had already agreed that going any further than that was a mistake.

  The ride to the park was full of Dana talking. She wanted to know all about John’s trip, and it gave Laura a chance to just kind of think everything through. Nothing was how it appeared, and the more she tried to understand the situation, the more impossible it seemed.

  When the car stopped, Dana bounded out, and John stopped Laura as she was leaving.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I am fine. Why would you ask that?”

  “You didn’t say a word on the way over.”

  Laura just grinned back at him. “It’s hard to get a word in edgewise with Dana sometimes. You know that.”

  She got out, and he let her. Laura’s arm was tingling where he had touched her, and she wanted him to do more, but knew better. She had to pull herself together. Laura hadn’t really convinced herself of that yet, but she wanted to have a good day. The next one was her day off and she didn’t want to think about what that was going to entail. She needed to go home and see if her family had come to their senses. Nothing had happened yet, and Laura was convinced that it was good news.

  Laura tried to make the rest of the day better. She wanted to think positively, but being around John too long was going to be dangerous. It was the only way that she could describe it. He was dangerous. Every time she was around him, something inside of her started to flutter.

  Chapter Eleven

  “She makes friends easily.”

  John agreed. He was watching Dana, but he was also checking out the nanny as they both were watching the three little girls play on the playground equipment. Dana had never met them before, but that didn’t seem to matter.

  “That she does. She has blossomed coming to these places. I think she just needed to be reminded that other kids her age play in the dirt and have fun. She hasn’t checked the schedule for almost two whole days.”

  “That’s a miracle.”

  “Well, I don’t know about that, but it’s progress, and I’ll take it.”

  John watched her profile and the quick smile that came to her face. He was falling for her. That’s all there was to it, and as much as he liked to think that he could stop the feelings, he was starting to think that maybe he shouldn’t.

  That kiss that they shared was still on his mind. John knew that it wasn’t the best idea, but he leaned in to kiss her again. This time it was much different because she was taken off guard. They were around people, anyone could see, but John didn’t care. Every time he was around Laura, it was hard to fight the urge that came with it.

  “What are you doing?”

  She had pushed him back, and she was touching her lips like he had somehow burned her. He wanted more, but she didn’t. It was disheartening.

  “Why did you stop me?”

  “Because we agreed that we weren’t going to do this, remember?”

  He didn’t remember any such thing. To be fair, he couldn’t really think at the moment. There was too much going on in his mind, and there was always something there to draw him in. How was he supposed to know how to pull back? How did he convince his mind to actually want to? It all just felt impossible.

  “Yeah, but what if that was a mistake?”

  “Considering the situation, I don’t think it is a mistake. I think the mistake would be if we tried to push this along.”

  John wasn’t of that mindset anymore. He wanted to believe that she wasn’t either. He wanted to believe that all he had to do was tell her how he felt, kiss her, and then she would arrive at the same conclusion. This was supposed to happen. They were supposed to be together.

  Dana was still playing when he looked over, so he tried again. This time she wasn’t shocked, and this time, Laura didn’t tell him to stop. She let him kiss her, and his eyes immediately closed. It was just what he needed.

  She let his lips fall onto hers and kissed him back with a fever that matched his own. It was just what he wanted and needed, but then there was a call to him, and he could see that there were people there. Dana might have seen, and he admonished himself. He was falling for her trap, and he snapped out of it.

  “I am going to go help her. I will be back.”

  Laura didn’t answer. Her eyes were still closed when he walked away. He was trying to push away the feeling of her lips on his. It was going to do him no good to think about it. Being with her was just a waste of time.

  John was the one that tried to avoid Laura, or at least being alone with Laura, as much as he possibly could. After what had happened between them on the bench, it was just going to make things more complicated. His father was bound and determined to find out who he had for pressure on the witches. It didn't take much creativity for John to recognize what his father was doing. He wanted to take Laura and use her immediately. He wanted some kind of truce and something to keep his pride intact. Neither one of those things would work out well for the pack as a whole. But seemingly more important at the moment, it would do nothing good for Laura either. He refused to be the reason that something happened to her.

  In the last week, John was really starting to wonder if he had made the right choice. He wondered if he would have known Laura, if he would have even taken her to begin with. It wasn't like he had kidnapped her, but that would be the end result.

  The only difference was she was hired on instead of taken. It had been hard to find a way to get to her once John realized what needed to be done. Then he had asked for her specifically when he found out she was registered with Fran at the supernatural nanny service. It had been a coincidence that she had decided to get a job with a nanny service. It put her in his home and under his control if needed.

  What worried him most was what would happen if his father found out about how he felt about her. He would most likely be trying to use his position to take her away from him. There was no way that John was going to be able to let that happen. He would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to her because of it.

  When he got back to the bench with Laura, she had fully recovered from the kiss, and he wasn’t too happy with that. It shouldn’t have been so easy to pretend like it was all good. It wasn’t, and his constant state of need, was becoming painful, in more ways than one.

  Laura made it a point, not to look directly into John’s eyes, and although it bothered him, it was another thing that he was not going to mention. He knew that her reaction was not that far off. Whether she underst
ood it or not. He didn’t have all good intentions.

  “I am sorry, Laura. I don't know what gets into me when I am around you, but I will do my best not to attack you like that again.”

  She looked like she was going to say that was too bad, but Laura didn't say anything. John waited for her to answer, but instead, she wouldn't even look at him. He had to know what was going on in her mind, but Laura wasn't giving anything away. How could he have mucked it up so badly?

  When they got back to John’s house, Laura started to get a few things together so that she could leave bright and early in the morning. It was to be her day off, and though John knew that a little space between them would help matters, it didn't mean that he actually wanted it to happen. He thought about asking for a nightcap again but decided against it. He had pushed enough for the day. For both of them.

  John was finding it almost impossible to get sleep. Every time he turned around, the feel of her lips on his and the way that she would whimper when they kissed was on his mind. It was one of the only things he could think about at the moment. Laura was getting into every atom of his being. She was like a parasite. She had dug her way in, and now he couldn't get rid of her. He didn’t want to.

  Chapter Twelve

  Everything was getting more and more complicated for Laura. She had run off because she knew that her family was going to do something bad. That was all she could think about when she first started with John, but after a week working underneath him, he was dictating more and more of her thoughts.

  A part of her had considered not going back to see her family at all. It was becoming clear that they were going down the dark path. But now that she had spent time around John and Dana, two shifters, she started to think that maybe she needed to try to put in a good word for the ones that her family had in their sights. Laura was still under the impression that a person could say and do something to make a difference. One person. One determined person, and Laura felt like she was determined now.