“No, you can’t come in, Lesley,” he said like he was spitting my name out. His behavior surprised me. How could there be so much rage in a small boy like him?
“Alfie, be nice to the lady,” Connor’s voice made me snap around in shock. He had crept up on us, and now that I saw him standing there, at the bottom of the steps, I felt like I’d been struck by lightning.
Connor was shirtless. He wasn’t wearing a shirt!
I squeezed my thighs together as I stared at him. He took two steps at a time to reach my side. His chiseled torso moved stealthily. His abs were like those cut out of marble on a Greek God’s statue. His skin was rough and tanned and a thin film of perspiration covered his torso. By my side, the musky masculine scent of him filled my nostrils, and I realized that I’d lost my words.
“I apologize for my son. He’s not very good with strangers,” Connor said, ruffling his son’s blond hair while I gaped at the two of them. My bags still dangled heavily from both my shoulders, and Connor hadn’t offered me a hand. His dirty blond hair grazed his shoulders and a stubble was beginning to take shape on his cheeks. He looked rugged and masculine and dripping with sexuality. I had to be dreaming this up!
“It’s okay . . . No problem,” I mumbled under my breath, making him arch his eyebrows. It was like he was enjoying watching me squirm and being uncomfortable.
“Who is this, dad?” Alfie looked up at his father, and I saw the admiration in the boy’s cool blue eyes.
“This is Lesley Evans. She’s going to be your nanny.” Connor was speaking directly to Alfie, but this was news to me too. He wanted me to be his son’s nanny? He hadn’t said anything about being a nanny! I opened my mouth to speak, but he had already cut me off.
“Have one of the guys show you around the ranch. You’ll find someone at the back. They know you’re coming,” Connor said and I clamped my mouth shut. Everything was happening too fast, and he wasn’t allowing me the chance to ask questions. What guys? Who was he talking about?
“We eat dinner at six here. After working all day on the ranch, we boys tend to get hungry pretty early,” Connor said and then looked down at Alfie to exchange knowing smiles with him. I licked my lips, preparing to ask him some question that might enlighten me a little. I was still reeling from the word. Nanny!
He looked at his wristwatch and interrupted me again.
“So, you still have a couple of hours to go before serving. Alfie will show you to your room,” he said and, before I could say anything, Connor was bounding down the steps again.
I watched him go in silence. The muscles on his back were sharply cut and pronounced, just like his bulging biceps. His waist was narrow and a dusty pair of frayed jeans clung to his thighs. He didn’t just walk. Connor strode like he was nearing wild prey. He didn’t even turn to look at me once.
“Are you coming or not?” Alfie’s voice brought me back to earth and I turned to find him already inside the house. I had no other choice but to follow him inside.
Chapter 6 - Connor
It was very obvious to me that Lesley didn’t like being here. I’d seen it in those deep green eyes of hers. I didn’t know what she had expected from this job, but clearly, living with me and taking care of my son was not one of them.
I was hacking down a tree with force. I could feel my muscles aching, sweat dripping down my back, but I didn’t want to stop. For some reason, I was filled with rage. I was angry at myself and at the world. I knew I had done nothing but behave like an asshole to Lesley ever since I met her that day at Paddy’s Pub.
She was gorgeous and kind and trying hard to make a living, and now she was stuck here with me and the ranch. Once again, I had managed to ruin her life.
Wiping my sweat off my forehead, I packed up for the day and carried my tools back to the house. When I stepped through the door, the smell of a roast chicken wafted through the air. I nearly stumbled from surprise. When was the last time we had sat down and had a proper meal? None of us – Tony, Alex, Chris or myself – knew how to cook, so it was usually a pasta dinner or a ready-to-eat meal that Alfie ate every day.
I followed the scent of dinner into the kitchen and found that the table was set. Alfie was sitting on one side, looking curiously at a piece of steamed broccoli in his hand.
“She wants me to eat this. It smells disgusting!” Alfie complained immediately, and my gaze drifted to Lesley who was washing some plates at the sink.
She had changed into a thin floral dress and I couldn’t help but stare at her ass as she moved. I felt my throat run dry. How was I supposed to concentrate on my life with an ass like that traipsing around?
“Eat your vegetables, Alfie!” I scolded him and, finally, Lesley turned to look at me. Her face was flushed, her cheeks a bright red. Her eyes were shining. She was expecting me to say something – I could see it in her gaze. “Looks good,” was all I managed and I sat down at the head of the table, where she had set a plate for me. I started carving the chicken and serving it on Alfie’s plate while, silently, Lesley poured icy cold water into three glasses.
“The guys said they’ll eat outside. They’re in the backyard,” I finally heard her voice.
“So, you’ve met them?” I asked and she sat down across from me. I noticed that Lesley was refusing to meet my eyes.
Those breasts again. Her dress revealed her deep cleavage, and I felt my mouth water at the sight. How badly did I want to suck on her nipples? My cock was a testament to that. I could feel a hard-on in my jeans and I shifted in my seat.
Lesley served herself and kept her head down.
“Yes. They showed me around the ranch and Alfie showed me my room,” she replied while my son ate noisily beside us. I glanced at Lesley as she pushed the food around on her plate. She wasn’t in the mood to eat and I didn’t blame her.
“How long is she staying?” Alfie spoke up and I shot him a look. Lesley hadn’t looked at him despite how rude he was being. It was obvious to me that Alfie had been as rude to her the whole day.
“She is staying as long as she wants to. Do you understand, son? You need to be polite to Lesley and do as she asks!” I scolded Alfie this time in a firmer voice, which seemed to quiet him – at least for now. Maybe Mother was right after all: he needed someone around to teach him his manners. I loved my son to death, but I hated the way he was acting toward Lesley.
She hadn’t looked at me at all the whole evening, so we ate our meal in silence. The fact that she was so close to me made it impossible for me to concentrate on my food. The way her dark hair fell in locks over her face as she chewed made my cock throb. I wanted her mouth on me, on my cock . . . I wanted to part her legs and . . .
“I’m done!” Alfie pushed his plate away from him and sat back in his chair with his arms folded.
“Lesley will tuck you into bed tonight,” I said and glanced at her. She had already started getting up from her chair.
“You don’t have to go now, you can finish your meal,” I said to her, while she cleared the plates into the sink.
“I’m done!” she snapped at me. I saw a streak of fire in her green eyes when she looked in my direction. Then her face was turned away from me again.
“Will you read me a story?” Alfie asked. This was the first time I saw him addressing Lesley directly. It seemed to have shocked her, too. She stopped what she was doing to stare at my son in awe. Lesley’s cheeks flushed again and she nodded her head quickly.
“Of course. Let’s go have a look at your books,” she said with a smile. Her smile affected me in a way that nothing else had before. It made me weak in my knees, and I had to grip my fork and knife harder to keep a hold of myself.
***
In the dark, I walked towards the patch of trees at the back of the ranch. It was where I usually went to think – to find some peace and quiet away from the hustle of the day. Tonight, the sky was clear and I looked up to see it dotted with bright stars. I breathed in a lungful of air and exhaled gently.
> The trees shielded me from view as I stood there staring at the house – at the life I had built for myself away from the Hamptons. Lesley was up there in Alfie’s room now, presumably reading him a story, and I closed my eyes to imagine her again.
Lesley with her long flowing hair, the breasts that stretched against her dress, her deep cleavage, and that perfect smile . . . My cock hardened in my jeans, and in the privacy of the night surrounded by the trees, I touched myself.
My cock throbbed and ached as I stroked myself through my jeans. I had known her as a kid – as a teenager. How had I never noticed her before? I was too busy chasing blond bimbos when a perfectly delicious flower was blooming right under my nose. When had her figure grown into its magnificent curvaceous self? When had her breasts become full and heavy? When had that ass developed into its bubble shape?
I stroked myself harder until I cursed to myself loudly and unzipped my jeans. Gripping a tree trunk with my left hand, I pulled my cock out and stroked more ferociously. Lesley’s face floated up in my mind.
She moved gracefully, like a dancer. She always kept her chin up and I couldn’t help but imagine how those breasts would bounce if she was riding me. The tip of my cock glistened with pre-cum as I stroked and stroked, my body shaking with force at the thought of Lesley parting her legs. She had kept her head down, her eyes averted, but I had seen the spark in her eyes. Something told me that she would have liked to be taken from behind. Right up against this tree. I’d lift that dress up, up to her waist, and shove my cock into her pussy. Her tight pussy.
I stroked and slid my hand up and down my cock, my jaws were locked together, and I grunted with every move. Lesley’s beautiful lips, her wide, deep green eyes, her mouth shaping to a perfect ‘O’ as she wrapped her lips around my engorged cock. I wanted to make her feel good. I wanted her to scream my name as she came . . . And then I came.
I growled under my breath and shook as my cum spilled all over the tree trunk. I lost control of myself for a few moments as I jerked my cock to empty it of all its cum. I imagined Lesley’s face, my cock spilling itself on her nose, on her lips . . . Her eyes staring up at me, wide and expecting more.
“On my breasts, Connor . . . ” I heard her voice whispering in the cool night breeze while my body shuddered from the after-effects of my orgasm. I was panting as my mind began to settle. I had just helped myself to thoughts of Lesley while she was up there with my kid.
Hurriedly, I slipped my cock back in my jeans and leaned against the tree trunk. I told myself that I needed this. I justified what I did with the thought that I needed to get it out of the way so that I could finally move on. Now, maybe, I would be able to develop a working relationship with the woman.
I searched for my packet of cigarettes in my pocket and when I found it, I pulled one out and lit it in a rush. The smoke filled my lungs and I exhaled, enjoying the heady effect the nicotine had on me. I felt a sense of calm descending on me as I smoked it in the dark, thinking about every erotic thought I had about Lesley – the woman I should have been helping right now.
The sound of the mesh back door of the house opening and closing alerted me and I looked up to find Lesley leaving the house.
She had her arms wrapped around herself, a thin cardigan tightened around her torso and for some reason, she was headed straight in my direction. I flipped the cigarette down on the ground and stamped on it with my foot. In the dark, I took a few steps to the side and hoped that the trunk would keep me hidden out of her view. It was obvious that she had no idea I was already there. She thought she was heading to the discreet patch of trees in the back to be by herself.
I watched her from under my heavy lids, those fantasies of her still very much alive in my head. I knew I should have felt guilty for what I had just done, but I didn’t. I was just glad to see her again.
Lesley was walking towards the trees, her head down and her feet carrying her swiftly. I could tell that she was thinking about something – something grave was on her mind. Was she trying to get away from me? From Alfie? From the ranch? That feeling of guilt was returning to me again. What had I brought upon her? She didn’t deserve this treatment and she definitely didn’t deserve this life. Most importantly, she didn’t deserve to be fantasized about and ogled at from a distance. This woman deserved to be worshiped and cared for in a way that I never would be able to.
Then I heard a soft whimper escape her lips when she drew closer to me and I realized that Lesley was crying.
Chapter 7 - Lesley
I couldn’t hold back the rush of tears any longer. It came spilling out of me in the comfort of the darkness. I thought I could cry in peace. I leaned myself against a thick tree trunk, sunk my face into my arm and sobbed.
Alfie hated me. I could see it in his eyes, in his tone of voice . . . Even tonight when I tucked him into bed and read him his story, he was only tolerating me. How was I supposed to do the job that had been assigned to me? How was I supposed to be a good nanny and companion to Alfie if he despised me? I wished I could help him. I sympathized with the kid. Being deserted by your mother at such an early age can’t be easy . . . But he wasn’t even willing to give me a chance.
And then there was Connor. I thought I could keep hating him, but it was impossible. He was sexy in a way that no man could ever be. Despite how rude he was and how coldly he treated me, I was still attracted to him.
Since the moment I saw him in Paddy’s Pub, all I’d thought about was being close to him. I couldn’t stop staring, I couldn’t stop imagining what it would feel like to have his rough fingers all over my body. That was the reason why I was in Texas, why I’d taken up this mysterious job . . . I wanted to be close to him.
I was admitting it to myself for the first time as I stood there crying in the dark. Before that, I’d just been kidding myself . . . Telling myself that I took this job just because I needed work. Because I wanted to get away from the Hamptons and my family and make a decent livelihood. But the truth was that Connor Marshall’s chiseled torso had as much to do with it as anything else. But he didn’t look at me the same way. He looked at me like I was a piece of meat . . . like I was any other woman he could just take and discard.
I sniffled and tried to brush the tears away from my cheeks, but I felt lost and alone.
“Lesley . . . ” Connor’s voice startled me, and I whipped around to find him standing behind me. My eyes had adjusted to the dark, and I could see him clearly in the moonlight now. His face was firmly set, his blue eyes were sparkling.
“Oh, I’m sorry . . . I didn’t know you were here,” I struggled with my words and tried to control my tears. I knew they were still streaking my cheeks.
“No, I’m the one who should be apologizing,” he said and my lips parted in shock. Those were not the words I’d expected him to say. I thought he was going to laugh at me or be angry with me for being such a weakling and breaking into tears.
Instead, I watched him in a shaky kind of silence, as he reached for my face with one hand. He was stroking my cheek with the back of his fingers. I stared at him. He was wiping my tears away.
“I’m sorry for my behavior, Lesley. I know I’ve been rude to you. This is all strange and new to you . . . and Alfie is a handful. I should be kinder to you, just like you are to us,” he said as his fingers travelled from my cheek to my lips.
He was close to me, close enough for me to reach out and touch him. I wanted to so badly. I could feel my whole body shaking from the desperate urge to just touch him. Connor’s fingers traced the shape of my lips and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
Then I watched as he leaned towards me. His breath fell on my face, moving some of my stray locks away from my eyes. I could almost taste him. I could breathe in his scent.
When our lips finally grazed, I felt electric shocks running up and down my spine. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. That Connor was actually going to kiss me. I gasped when his lips pressed into mine.
H
is hands weaved into my hair, both his hands . . . He was ruffling my hair as he kissed me. His body’s force pressed me into the tree trunk behind us and I closed my eyes. This had to be a dream! This couldn’t be real!
Connor’s lips and mine fused and slipped over one another’s. My fingers trembled as I reached for his shoulders and held on to him lightly. He angled my face to the left and then the right to kiss me better. It was slow and soft and seemed to last forever.
He was the one who pulled away first, leaving me breathless and panting. I could feel the wetness between my thighs, the knots in my belly tightening. I wanted more. One innocent kiss with him wasn’t enough. This was something straight out of my fantasies.
“Sleep well tonight, Lesley,” he said and stroked my cheek again with the back of his fingers, before turning around and walking away.
I watched him in the dark, walking back towards the house with his hands stuck deep into the pockets of his jeans.
I’d forgotten about my tears. I’d forgotten about everything that was making me sad just a few minutes ago. Now, all I could think about was how this was all real. Connor Marshall had really kissed me! The change in him made me weak in the knees. He was so cold till now – until he was not . . . He was perfect. He made me feel better. He had made me feel safe.
I waited till he had gone into the house before I followed.
The house was dark and quiet when I stepped in. Everyone was asleep and Connor seemed to have gone to his room. As I took the stairs up to my bedroom, I realized that I was smiling. I didn’t think I could have anything to smile about these days.
Chapter 8 - Connor
Work on the ranch the next day was busy and it kept me distracted most of the time, although that kiss with Lesley was constantly in the back of my mind. Tony, Alex and Chris were working with me and we chatted away as usual. Working in the sun together, sharing our lunches, and cracking jokes was a part of our daily life, and I had never been more fulfilled at a job before. Nothing in the world could make me go back to sitting in an office behind a desk and crunching numbers.
My Bossy Protector: A Best Friend’s Brother Romance Page 19
