Protecting the Babysitter: A Billionaire Alpha Male Romance

by Bloom, Nikki

  “Okay,” I resigned softly. “I’ll stay.” Maybe it was a mistake deciding to stay, but there was no way I could put any distance between Erik and I now.

  * * *

  Stepping into his penthouse, I really felt like I’d come home. Instantly, I felt a sense of security and felt stupid for leaving the safety of his home in the first place.

  “I need to get out of this damned suit and shower,” he announced. He didn’t release my hand as he made his way up the stairs.

  “I promised I wouldn’t leave. You don’t have to carry me with you to shower,” I said and laughed.

  “I have to take you with me if we’re going to have make-up shower sex,” he stated. He didn’t even have to look back to know that his words had the desired effect because he snickered with satisfaction and kept walking. He really was the biggest tease I’d ever known.

  My body, however, was already buzzing with excitement from his announcement. We didn’t quite make it to the bathroom before clothes started flying. His torso was bare and my top had been lost somewhere in the hallway by the time we made it the master bathroom. My legs were wound around his waist, and our lips and tongues clashed as he blindly navigated his steps.

  “I love how you can turn me on in no time,” he murmured against my mouth.

  “You turn me on,” I panted. He didn’t even have to touch me to get my juices flowing. All he had to do was speak and I was ready to jump him. It was insane. “I’ve never been like this with anyone else.”

  “Good, and you never will be.”

  His male arrogance and possessiveness was such a turn on. I was placed on a hard surface and only then did I realize that we’d reached the bathroom. Sitting on the sink’s counter, I watched Erik curiously as he turned on the water in the massive tub.

  “I changed my mind; we’re having a bubble bath instead. That’s more romantic.”

  “I thought you didn’t do romantic.”

  “I find that I do plenty of things with you that I don’t normally do.”

  I smiled and watched him prepare the bath. He claimed that he didn’t do romance yet everything he did was beyond romantic. As the tub filled up, he returned to help me to my feet. The remainder of my clothes were removed, then I watched eagerly, hungrily as he finished undressing. He stepped into the tub and held out a hand in invitation. The instant I joined him, I attacked him with my mouth and hands.

  He caught a hand moving toward his jutting shaft. “Not so fast.”

  With a smirk, he spun me around and order me to sit. “We’ll get to that, but first…”

  The hot water on my skin as the bubbles engulfed me felt heavenly. I had no idea I was in such dire need of a hot bubble bath. He sat behind me and I heard the snap of a bottle, then fingers threaded in my hair. I released a moan, reveling in the delicious feeling of his strong hands massaging my scalp. “I’m going to take care of you. You’ve been too wound up for the past few days. I’m going to help you relax.”

  I wasn’t accustomed to anyone taking care of me. It felt great. He washed my hair, kneaded my tense shoulders, bathed me until I was practically melting. He reached for the hanging shower head and turned it on to rinse my hair. I sighed as the warm water cascaded over me. “Feeling better?” He murmured in my ear. His mouth slid over my neck and shoulders and I leaned into him.

  “Much better. If you keep pampering me, I might fall asleep right here.” My words were already thick with drowsiness and I leaned heavily against him.

  “I’d better do something to wake you up because I’m not finished with you yet.” He switch off the shower and settled back with me in his arms. One hand trailed down my arm while the other slid down my abdomen. My breath hitched when his fingers brushed my mound. “Still falling asleep?”

  Swallowing, I shook my head. “Nope.” My body had come alive, hot with need and aching for his touch. He gave me what I wanted. A finger teased my clit, making me gasp and arch my back. My body hummed with pleasure when he slipped between my folds. Already, he found my sweet spot and stroked the spongy wall. I began quivering. The man was gifted when it came to pleasing women, plain and simple. “Erik…” his name escaped as a breathy whisper.

  “Hmm?” His warm lips moved down the column of my neck, across one shoulder. I felt high, intoxicated with lust and pleasure.

  “You’re really good at this.”

  “I aim to please.”

  “I’m going to…” I shattered with a cry that sounded nothing like me.

  Breathless and quaking, I went lax against him. “I bet you’re very relaxed now,” he purred. I could only grunt in response. “Too relaxed for more?”

  More? More sex? More of his touch? More orgasms? “Never.”

  Dragging my liquid-like muscles, I spun in his arms and straddled him. The water rose and fell and some splashed over the edge of the tub. Arms around his neck, I gazed into his eyes, turned an intense dark blue by desire. I pulled in a breath, much braver now that he’d returned the sentiment, I declared, “I really do love you, Erik.”

  “And I love you.” He was staring at me with wonder and hint of amazement, sending butterflies dancing in my stomach. He meant it and he was surprised by it. I could tell. I knew it wasn’t easy for him to admit, so it was all the more special to me.

  My face flamed when I asked, “Should we...wait until we get to the bedroom to you know...use a condom?” Ugh, could I be any more awkward? Way to ruin the moment.

  He just smiled slightly and said, “Only if you want to.”

  Heart racing and skipping a few beats intermittently, I held his gaze for a while before I lifted myself and slid onto his shaft. He had his hands resting on the edges of the tub, but then he immediately gripped my hips. I didn’t look away or blink as I took him inside, showing him just how much I truly trusted him. His sharp intake of breath echoed in the bathroom when I took him deeper until he was buried so deep inside of me, I felt like we were one.

  I moved slowly and his fingers gripped my hips as he visibly fought to keep his need to dominate suppressed. He allowed me to maintain my pace, to explore his body with my eager, curious fingertips. Finally, I increased my pace when I felt fire flickering in my core and only then did he begin to match my movements with sharp thrusts that sent me over the edge. We held on to each other as we both rode the waves of pleasure consuming us. I didn’t know what would happen next, but at that moment I was happy.

  19

  Crystal

  Two weeks later…

  “Let me get this straight, you’ve been on the run from your own father for months? And you were about to leave Seattle, but you couldn’t because you’ve fallen hopelessly in love?”

  I sipped my latte and nodded. “That’s the gist of it.” Lorie and I were huddled together, speaking in hushed tones.

  “Holy hell. That’s exciting and terrifying at the same time. And so romantic.” She sighed.

  I was shocked that Lorie was so calm about the news. She’d barely batted an eyelash. I had to tell her. I upped and quit my job days ago without an explanation and Lorie had been blowing up my phone every day after that demanding an explanation. I had to let her know I was okay. “You don’t seem surprised by any of this.”

  She swirled her drink in her cup. “Well, I’ve always known that you were running from something. You were so secretive and guarded. I figured you were trying to escape from something or someone, but your own father...” she huffed. “That’s rough.”

  The sadness that rose up nearly suffocated me. It was rough alright. I’d never been lucky enough to have a normal family dynamic. “Yeah. But I’m okay now. I’m not alone anymore.” I thought of Erik and smiled. My smile quickly faded because he was going to be incensed when he discovered that I left without giving him a heads-up. I had to. I wanted to see Lorie without a shadow. The guys Erik had on his security team were becoming a real nuisance. Sure, it was for my own good, but having someone over my shoulder constantly was beyond irritating. That’s
why I didn’t bother interrupting him at his very important meeting to tell him I needed to go out for a bit. He would have stuck one of his guys on me.

  I didn’t see the harm in running out to see my friend and going straight back to his place. I’d avoided my apartment for days after seeing that strange man the night I tried to run. I was going to give up my apartment soon; I might as well. It was safe to say Erik and I were living together. Oh, my God. I live with my boyfriend. I felt so much safer.

  “You wouldn’t have been alone even if you didn’t have that hunky billionaire,” Lorie said, placing her hand over mine.

  Warmth spread through me. “I know. I’m so glad I met you, Lorie. You’re an amazing person and friend. You remind me so much of the friend I left in New York.” It was the first time I was opening up about the positive parts of my life back in New York. “Her name is Elle. We grew up together, so she was more like a sister. I’ve missed her so much.”

  “Have you spoken to her?”

  “Not since I arrived in Seattle. I’m afraid to call her. I might put her in danger.”

  Lorie sighed. “What are you going to do? I mean, you can’t just give up everything in New York.”

  “Well, I didn’t really have anything or anyone there come to think of it. Just Elle. I think I can be happy here.”

  “Of course!” she exclaimed. “You’ve got Erik here. Did I mention that he’s beyond hot?”

  “Several times. And it isn’t just because I have him. There’s you and Erik’s nephew and his sister. I like it here.”

  “So, stay for good,” Lorie confirmed and shrugged. “I’d certainly love that.”

  “Yeah, but I’ll never be truly happy looking over my shoulder and wondering when my father is going to show up.”

  “What are you going to do about him?”

  “I have no idea. He just has too much power for me to do a thing.” If I went to the police, I’d likely end up swimming with the fishes because plenty of them were on his payroll. I sighed. “I don’t want to think about it right now.”

  “Okay.”

  Lorie and I chatted a while longer until I decided that it was time to go. I still wasn’t too comfortable being out in the open. That was something else I didn’t want to live with for the rest of my life. As I was hugging Lorie goodbye and promising to meet up with her again soon, I spotted someone watching us.

  “Call me. We have to do this again. Even if I have to go to your place. I miss you at work.”

  “I miss you too.” And I missed the kids. “I’ll definitely call you.” I turned to glance at the person looking in our direction again. Recognition hit me along with a dose of terror. I didn’t know how I was able to remain so calm. There was no way I could walk out with Lorie and put her at risk. “You know what, you go ahead. I’m going to run to the ladies’ room.”

  “I’ll wait. I can give you a ride—”

  “No, go ahead. I have to uh...pick up a few groceries. I’ll bite the bullet and have Erik come and get me. I guess I’ll just have to prepare myself for a lecture.”

  Lorie laughed. “It’s because he cares.”

  “I know.” I smiled even though I was freaking out internally. “I’ll see you soon. Go ahead.” I wanted to physically push her out the door just to get her away from me.

  “Alright, honey. Catch you later.”

  I let out a relieved breath when she grabbed her handbag and bounced to the door. I watched through the cafe’s window as she slid into her car and drove away. Thank God. Now I just had to worry about getting myself out of danger. Heart racing, I contemplated running, but leaving the crowd to risk being cornered alone was stupid. So, I sat down—mostly because my legs had turned to jelly. Seconds ticked by with a pair of familiar brown eyes fixed on me in challenge. When he saw that I had no intention of leaving, he strolled to my table.

  “Oh, God,” I groaned. This was really happening. On a whim, I plucked my phone out of my handbag, and called the one person I could call. I didn’t say a word, just slid the phone back into my bag and left it on the table. If Erik didn’t hang up, he’d hear everything and know that I was in deep shit.

  “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my little sister.”

  I shivered at the sound of the menacing voice as the man slid into the chair in front of me. I stared into brown eyes much like my own. That was where the resemblance ended. My brother, Luca, was the spitting image of our father while I looked more like our mother. He was also as cold and callous as our old man. That was why he’d always been the golden child. Daddy’s perfect little soldier.

  I gulped, “Luca.”

  “Ava,” he said mockingly. “But you go by another name now, don’t you, Crystal?”

  My blood ran cold. That meant he’d been watching me for some time. If not him, someone else on their payroll. I recalled the strange man watching me outside of my apartment. My prideful self hated it, but I immediately started to plead with my brother. “Please, Luca. I know why you’re here. You don’t have to take me back like Daddy wants. I’m not a threat to any of you, I swear.” My voice broke and quivered, and I cursed my fear.

  “If you weren’t a threat, why did you run, baby sis?” he asked coldly.

  “Why did I run? My own father said he’d kill me. Of course I ran. It doesn’t mean I was planning to say anything about any of you to the authorities.”

  His gaze was cool, assessing, so far from the kid full of laughter that I’d grown up with. I was afraid of my own brother. “If you’re so big on keeping our secrets, come home, Ava. Leave with me now. Father wants to see you. He misses his little girl.”

  Yeah, he missed having a woman to push around and intimidate like he did my mother. She drank herself to death because of him, and now he wanted to ensure my demise as well. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  He chuckled. “You think these people are going to help you?” He glanced around the cafe with a smirk. “I know that’s why you didn’t run. Too many witnesses around for me to do anything rash. You’ve always been the smart one.”

  “Apparently not smart enough if you’ve been on my tail for so long and caught me.”

  Luca laughed. “Still funny too.”

  “How long ago did you find me?”

  “Not long. But it was hard to get to you with that man around, and the security. So, you found yourself a rich protector. I’m happy for you. Is it serious? Are you in love?”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. You think we’re going to sit here and engage in sibling banter?”

  He shrugged. “I have a right to know about the man in my little sister’s life.”

  Through clenched teeth, I hissed, “Leave, Luca. Go back to New York and forget about me. You won’t ever hear from me again, I promise.”

  His eyes dropped to the phone in his hand and he tapped rapidly on the screen. “No can do; the old man demands you come home, and you know how he gets when he doesn’t have his own way.”

  I gulped. Yeah, people tended to disappear when Daddy dearest wasn’t happy.

  “I’m texting with him now. He already knows I’ve found you, so I can’t leave without you.”

  With Luca distracted, I considered making a run for it. But when I chanced a glance at my phone in my bag, which Luca thankfully hadn’t spotted, I remained seated. Hope flickered in my chest. Erik was still on the line.

  “I can’t believe you. You know what he plans to do to me and you’re helping him. I’m your sister. Your flesh and blood.”

  He slammed his phone down. “If you go blabbing to the wrong person, I go down too. Sorry, kiddo, but it’s either you or our entire operation.”

  “I already told you, I won’t—”

  “Not going to risk it. Get up now and let’s go. No need to cause a scene.”

  “Fuck you, big brother.”

  “And there’s the Romano fire,” he countered with a chuckle. “It’s a pity you turned your nose up at the rest of us. I think you would have been an a
sset to the family business.”

  The thought of taking any part in the “family business” made me ill. “I could never live a life of crime like you and Daddy.”

  “But it’s so much fun,” he said and snickered.

  “Leave me alone or I’ll scream.”

  “Scream and I’ll shoot.”

  I heard a click under the table that made me whimper. So much for the brave facade I’d put on. It instantly crumbled.

  “Chances are I can take you out and make a run for it before the police get here.”

  “Was that his order?” I challenged even though I was shaking like a leaf. “Take me out to shut me up permanently if I didn’t obey?”

  “Like I said, you’re the smart one.”

  “And you’d really kill me?”

  For a second, I saw something akin to regret flicker in his eyes and I felt a sliver of hope. Luca sighed, “Ava...I wouldn’t enjoy doing it but…” he shrugged and my hope died. “Come on, baby sis, don’t make this any harder than it has to be. Let’s just go. Maybe I can reason with the old man.”

  I was on the verge of tears— a complete meltdown— when a shadow appeared over us. I glanced up and gasped. I’d never been so happy to see anyone in my life. Erik stood, his face a stony mask as he stared at Luca. Something feral flashed in his eyes that made even me shiver. It was the first time I’d ever seen that side of him. He looked as if he’d hurt someone. His jaw was clenched, as were his fists, but he calmly stepped aside to reveal two men. One was in a police uniform and the other in plain clothes. The officer pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

  “Luca Romano, you’re under arrest for making a criminal threat and possession of a deadly weapon.” The officer had his hand on his own weapon as he eyed my brother with narrowed eyes. No one in the cafe had even caught on to what was transpiring. Luca still had his gun pointed at me under the table, and everyone spoke very quietly.

  “Come on, Luca, don’t make this any harder than it has to be,” Erik bit out, mimicking my brother’s earlier comment. “We heard everything.”