“Okay. Let’s nail this out, once and for all. I’m not a—what’s the right word here? I’m a tall White dude with a bunch of tattoos. I know how that freaks people out. I’ve also spent my whole life being calm and gentle with children. It’s alright just to be a calm and gentle guy.”
“I’m seeing that.”
“I want to make this easy for you, but I don’t want to scare you away, so I’m not going to run up on you every time I see you or every time we’re alone. I thought you were avoiding me. And I thought you were going to text me. What happened to that?”
“I was kind of avoiding you. And as far as the texting goes...I chickened out. I don’t know. Maybe this was a bad idea. I am not casual.”
“Okay. Let’s forget about texts and pretending we’re not attracted to each other until one of us cracks. I like you, Sloan. Period. I’m calm and I’m gentle and I’m not about the bullshit. I’m also not looking for some reason to not like you.”
“It’ll take, like, eight years for that to sink in.” Sloan slid off the stool and faced him. At her full height, she still only came up to his chest. “I like you too. It hasn’t been a whole week and I like coming home to you. I thought if I pretended you weren’t taking up so much space in the room, I would somehow stop wanting you.”
“Did you get a chance to talk to your mom?”
“Yeah.” Another sigh. Maybe Rafe shouldn’t have brought Pauletta up. “We talked about Tess, actually. Every time there’s a change in my life, my mom gets anxious. In a nutshell, she’s not used to not being at my side, even though she has my nephew to look after now. She’s worried. I get it. It’s just—I don’t know. I miss her, but we still need space.”
The toaster oven dinged. “Hold that thought.” He brought her the plate, then fixed her a glass of the rosé she seemed to be rationing. She groaned with pleasure as she tossed back half the glass to wash down the first bites she’d taken of her enchilada.
“Oh, god. This is so good.”
“You were saying, about your mom?”
“It’s nothing. I’m not moving back to Rhode Island. My family can’t move here. I’m definitely not moving back to Seattle. Lots of complex, conflicting emotions. You wanna see the heart I operated on yesterday?”
“Uh, sure.”
Sloan grabbed her phone and turned to Rafe with a bright smile. It was Avery all the way. “Today we’re going to learn about coronary artery bypass grafting.” She held out her phone and, sure enough, there was a human heart right in the middle of an open chest cavity. It was pretty fucking gross, but Rafe sat back and let Sloan tell him all about the procedure she’d successfully performed.
Rafe understood about a fifth of what she said. His GED didn’t cover advanced medical knowledge. Still, he liked the way Sloan lit up when she enlarged the picture and walked him through the procedure. He might never fully understand the issues she was having with her mother, but Pauletta Copeland could not deny that Sloan had found her calling.
“I can’t imagine cutting someone open, let alone fucking with their organs.”
“I mean, I didn’t fuck with his organs. I fixed it.”
“Sorry. Poor choice of words. I would not trust myself to even attempt to fix someone’s organs. Can I offer the lady more wine?”
Sloan smiled, “No, I’m good.”
“More water then?”
“I will take more water. Thank you.” Rafe felt her eyes on him as he took her plate and her wine glass over to the sink, then got her more filtered water. “This isn’t a part of your job,” she said when he joined her back at the island.
“It’s a part of the other job I might want to interview for.”
“What job is that?”
“The man in your life,” he said with a little cock of his head.
“Woooow.”
“What? What’s the problem? Why won’t you let me be great?”
“Yeah, I’m the only thing holding you back.”
“Heating up food for you and hearing about your day is not some kind of hardship.”
“I know. I just—you don’t have to.”
“Maybe I want to.”
They were quiet for a moment, just listening to sounds of the Dodgers pull ahead in a 3-2 lead. The whole setup was pretty simple. Two people sitting together. While Rafe was aching to get between her thighs again, he could also admit to himself that he’d been hoping they’d catch a moment like this.
“Avery challenged me to a fist fight this morning.”
Sloan pressed her knuckles to her lips before she turned to him. “She’s going to get kicked out of Whippoorwill before lunch time. Are they driving you insane? You can tell me.”
“The hard part is not laughing. Avery’s funny.”
“Oh my god. Now you know my pain. We were at Trader Joe’s and this rude White lady cut in front of us in the checkout line. Avery told her to get to the back of the bus because we were there first. The cashier and I just stared at each other. We were both dying inside. I had to tell her to be nice ’cause she’s gonna end up in jail or worse, but it was hilarious.”
“Gracie is just like her. She’ll be fine.”
“I know, but it’s my job to worry.”
“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to introduce her to WWE. Show her that it’s rehearsed. Two of the Bakers’ kids were obsessed with a few of the Divas and they had a blast play fighting without actually trying to kill each other.”
“That might work. I haven’t watched wrestling in ages. Let me check it out first?”
“Yeah. I’ll record SmackDown for you.”
“Thanks. I should head to bed. I’m beat.”
“Bed sounds like a good plan.”
She stood and closed the small distance between them. Rafe’s legs parted, making room for her to get nice and close. “Can I get one of those calm guy hugs?”
“Why not?” The soft weight of her felt amazing against Rafe’s body and so did the light squeeze of her arms around his waist. Almost as good as the soft brush of her mouth against his neck and the perfect way their lips finally fit together.
7
Sloan was going crazy. She walked out of the women’s restroom at the Century City AMC, Addison’s hand held tightly in hers, and she knew she’d fully lost her mind. She spotted Rafe bent over, tying Avery’s shoe right near the parking validation machine, and right then and there, she made up her mind. Tonight she was going to have sex with Rafe. Or at the very least, get up the courage to touch his erection.
It was the last Friday before school started and she’d promised the girls that she would take them to the movies. She could have handled them alone, without Rafe’s help, but the girls wanted him to come along. As they made their way through the parking garage and up the escalators to catch the six p.m. show of Piglet’s Big Adventure, she was grateful for the backup. It had been a long, busy week and Sloan was getting used to having Rafe around for the girls’ bedtime.
This was something else though. Out in the wild, Rafe really was something to behold and so was the way people reacted to him. Drew was taller than Sloan, but he was still way shorter than Rafe and he didn’t have the tattoos. By Rafe’s side, Sloan felt like a VIP of the kindergarten set as people practically jumped out of his way to let them by. They got a few stares, but Sloan didn’t miss the people who were just straight up checking him out.
Of course he backed Sloan up when Addison started winding up for a soda-related tantrum. He was on the clock. There was stark difference between being home with Rafe and the girls and being out. As they walked out of the theater and he gently slid his hand down Sloan’s back, she had the fleeting feeling that she could get used to this, having Rafe with her. Especially after seeing how good he was with the girls and just how comfortable they were becoming with him.
There also seemed to be another shift between Sloan and Rafe. Sometime in the last twenty-fours, after the goodnight kiss they shared, Sloan was starting to feel like it maybe wa
sn’t so crazy for her to be crushing on him and for him to be crushing on her back. Sure, there was a minefield of what the fuck in front of them if anyone found out that she was making out with her nanny, had let him fingerbang her into oblivion and was hoping he would do all that and more the next time they could steal some time alone.
It was more than his insanely good looks or the sexy tattoos crawling up the sides of his neck that made Sloan want to jump him the minute she and Addison came out of the restroom. It was the way he looked at Avery when he held up his massive fist for her to bump. The gesture drove Sloan insane, especially as it had been co-opted over the years, but the way Avery smashed her tiny fist to his and then practically jumped into his arms made Sloan’s left and right ventricles work a little harder. It was so damn cliche, but there was something so incredibly sexy about a man who was good with kids, especially your kids.
When he saw her, he shot her a devastating smile, then set Avery back on her feet. “Survived the mad rush to the ladies’ room?”
“We did. And now I think it’s time to head home and get in bed. How about it, love bugs?”
“I don’t want to go to bed,” Addison yawned.
“It’ll be great. I promise.”
They got the girls home and Sloan praised the heavens when both of them were practically falling asleep as she got them in their pajamas.
“For some reason, I’m wide awake,” Sloan announced when they were alone, making their way down the stairs. Her tone was as subtle as a dump truck speeding over a huge pothole.
“I hate it when I’m wide awake. Wink, wink,” he teased.
“Well, I was going to watch a movie or something, but you don’t have to join me.”
“I’d considered retiring to my room and mulling over the life choices Piglet made on his big adventure, but I could go for another episode of Horny Millennials by a Pool.”
“Match Made In Paradise? You liked it, didn’t you?”
“After you left the other night, I watched two more episodes.”
“Well, now I need to catch up! Let’s watch John Wick 2. I haven’t seen it yet.”
“I thought you couldn’t do violence.”
“I can do, like, stunt martial arts and car explosions. Not tortured, shot in the head at point blank range violence.”
“I’m gonna go plug in my phone. You pick a movie with just the right type violence.”
“’Kay.” Sloan waited a moment until she was alone in the kitchen before letting out the breath she’d been holding. She grabbed some water, then went over to the couch and found the second installment of John Wick on her streaming service. Rafe came back a few minutes later. They’d literally been together for the last four hours, but she was still caught off guard by how sexy he was. The beard and tattoos were enough, but there was also a certain swagger in the way he walked. For some silly reason, she saw there was a chance he might not try to sit near her on the mile-wide sectional that took up most of the living room. She was relieved when he made himself comfortable right beside her.
It was time to make her move. “You wanna cuddle?” she asked.
“Fuck yeah, I do.”
Sloan moved closer and just being near Rafe again made her feel warm all over. A certain tingling sensation spread all over her body when his arm came around her waist, pulling her right up against him. This is what she’d been wanting all night.
She started the movie and for a while—like forty-five seconds—Sloan was completely enthralled with Keanu and his sweet baby pit bull, until Rafe started slowly moving his fingers up and down, just under her breast. She almost laughed thinking of how right Xeni was. The pussy juice had definitely hit her system, triggering the physiological response that came with pure arousal. Goosebumps, an unmistakable tightness in her throat and the fresh sense of determination followed it. She was getting that dick tonight.
She settled deeper into the couch, resting her head on Rafe’s shoulder. Sloan was terrible at dirty talk and definitely not the best at seduction. She decided to let her fingers do the work. Her hand ghosted up his thigh, closer to the crotch of his jeans.
“Is this okay?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah, it’s more than okay,” he replied. Sloan finally heard what raw arousal did to his already sexy voice. “Here.” He shuffled a little, spreading his thighs and pressing further into the couch. Sloan had better access then and she took full advantage, palming him with her whole hand. She’d forgotten how much she liked feeling a man’s dick swelling against her fingers. She stroked him over his jeans for a while, listening to the way he was breathing, trying to ignore to how badly her pussy was aching.
When it was clear his cock was straining against the soft denim, she carefully started working on his belt buckle. Inside she felt like she was shaking with need, but her hand was steady as she reached inside the slit in his boxers and took his girth in her hand. He spread his thighs a bit more to make it easier for her to pull his cock out.
She looked up at him as she started stroking his thick erection. His eyes were closed, his red lashes barely touching his skin. When his tongue eased out and wet his bottom lip, Sloan leaned up and kissed him. It must have caught him off guard because he jumped a little, his eyes snapping open.
“Sorry.” Sloan sheepishly pulled away, though her hand kept moving up and down.
“Don’t apologize. Come here.” He pulled her closer and then kissed her properly. Sloan melted against him, pressing her thighs together, trying to ease the throbbing ache in her clit. Unfortunately, it just spurred her own frustrating arousal. She broke their kiss and slid down on the couch. She couldn’t take every inch of him, but Sloan gave it her best try, swirling her tongue over the tip before taking the swollen crown between her lips. She’d always loved sucking dick and it been so long since she’d had the pleasure.
She drooled down his shaft, using her hand to spread her saliva down the inches she couldn’t fit in her mouth. Her reward was the guttural moan that vibrated rough Rafe’s chest. A whimper of her own got stuck in her throat when his strong fingers flipped up her skirt and spread her legs apart. He just barely grazed her clit when she couldn’t take it anymore. Climbing over his lap, she straddled him, pressing her lips to his again. His firm grip went to her ass, pressing her against his heavy erection. She humped him shamelessly, reveling in the feeling of his dick rubbing against her cunt through the fabric of her underwear.
A small orgasm ran through her and she had to break the kiss to catch her breath. With the tenderest touch, Rafe reached up and ran his thumb over her lips.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” Sloan breathed. “I, uh—I have condoms upstairs.” Sloan had an IUD. Still, she couldn’t guarantee that Rafe carried around protection. She’d figured it wouldn’t hurt to grab some on her way home from work.
“Yeah, why don’t you go grab those.” Sloan hopped off the couch, straightened her dress as she casually took the stairs to her bedroom two at a time, slowing down only to tiptoe by her daughters’ door. She pulled the box out of the corner of the top of her bathroom linen closet. Her body trembled at the thought of just how good it would feel to climb back across his lap and take him inside her, but just as she ripped two new condoms off the roll, her mom sense activated. She shoved the box back its hiding spot after she heard the sound of tiny feet shuffling across her bedroom carpet.
“Mommy?” Avery called out.
“Yeah, baby—” Avery was standing in the doorway with tears streaming down her face. The condoms were instantly forgotten. “Oh honey, what’s wrong?”
“I had a bad dream.”
“Oh, sweetie. I’m sorry.” Sloan scooped Avery up and brought her back over to her bed. “What happened in your dream?”
“I don’t know,” she sobbed a little harder.
“It’s okay, baby. You’re okay. Let’s get you back in bed.”
“No!” Avery wailed, clinging to her with all her strength. “I want to stay with yo
u.”
“Okay, okay. Come on.” With a groan, Sloan hefted Avery up and settled against her headboard. She pulled her throw blanket over them both. When she went to reach for her phone, she realized her purse was still downstairs. Great. Hopefully Rafe would intuit the reason she’d just bailed on their sexcapades.
It took some humming, some gentle rocking back and forth, that good mom magic, but Avery finally fell asleep. Just when she started snoring, Addison appeared in the doorway, rubbing her eyes. She didn’t even say anything. She realized the party was in Sloan’s room and the only logical thing to do was to climb on the bed and make herself comfortable. Double great. Sloan surrendered to her fate and turned on the T.V., volume off.
An hour or so later, in the middle of a puddings episode of Great British Bake Off, she heard heavier footsteps in the hallway. Rafe appeared just outside her room like some sexy biker god. He poked his head in and then stepped inside, holding up her purse in one hand.
“I’m so sorry,” she mouthed.
Rafe shot her a look like she was nuts to apologize. “You know it’s okay,” he whispered back. “Rain check?”
“Oh, hell yeah.”
He came in and set her things on her nightstand. “Can you plug in my phone?”she asked.
“Yeah.” Rafe fished her phone out of the side pocket and attached it to the lightning cable by her lamp. Then he stood and gently touched stroked her braids. “I sent you a text.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
Once he was gone, she slid Avery on to the bed with her sister. After she washed the day off her face and changed into her pajamas, she looked at her phone. Sure enough, there were a couple of texts from Rafe. The first one was time stamped twenty minutes after she left him high and hard, and the rest he had just sent.
Everything okay?
You just had to say you weren’t interested.
You didn’t have to cover yourself in children.
A little chuckle escaped her lips as she texted him back.
RAFE: A Buff Male Nanny (Loose Ends Book 1) Page 8
