"No," I growled in answer to the last question. "She doesn't know about the club, but she knows about me and that I've been to a sex club in the past."
My brother's eyes got so wide it would've been funny if it were someone else we were talking about. "You told her about—you know? And she didn't freak out?"
That earned him a smile. "No, she didn't freak out. She's exploring that side of herself to see what she likes, what gets her off." I shook my head. "I'm not saying any more about that."
"Wait, are you trying to tell me she was a?—"
"I'm not telling you any damn thing, so drop it." That was Rosalee's business to tell, not mine.
"Okay, but you like her. It's obvious you like her—I'd guess possibly more than like her—from the way you couldn't stop looking at her." Nate smiled. "That's a good thing."
"Is it? I'm no good at this shit. The last time I tangled with a woman, she almost cost me my business."
"Not every woman is like her, Xavier. You know that, don't you?"
Logically, I knew that. "It's still something I can't help but think about." That relationship shook my faith in everyone around me except my family, and it turned me off relationships. Until Rosalee. "I don't think she's like that," I admitted.
"Then why are you hesitating?"
I shrugged. "It's new. She's young, and she works for me."
Nate laughed. "All things you should've thought about before you took her to bed."
"Too late for that." I had thought about it, honestly, too many times to count. "I couldn't resist her." Everything about her was simply irresistible.
"Oh man, you have it bad, and I am damned happy for you. It's about time. But there's one other thing you left out."
"Yeah? What's that?"
"It's obvious she doesn't know who you are."
"Yeah," I agreed.
"And worse, she suspects that you're lying to her about something." Nate shook his head. "If you'd told me that, I wouldn't have come up with work shit, but I need your advice on a few things."
I nodded in acknowledgment that Nate was absolutely fucking right. I could still see the look in her eyes. It was a mixture of curiosity and disappointment because she knew she wouldn't get the answers she sought. "We'll get around to it," I said, more to myself than to my brother. "I still have my name, so it's not like I'm hiding who I am from her." It was a weak argument, but it was all I had.
"Sooner rather than later, Xavier. If you never listen to anything I tell you, listen to this: If she learns about this from anyone but you, she will feel hurt, angry, and betrayed. You might lose her. If you're okay with that, keep on doing whatever it is you're doing up here."
"Nate."
He held up his hands. "I'm done. That's all I'm going to say about it, I promise. Mostly." His lips twitched, and then he burst out laughing just as the back door opened and Rosalee and Violet tumbled inside, laughing together. Nate stood. "There she is, folks, my new favorite girl in the whole world!" He crouched down and Violet ran straight into his arms. "I'll visit with her while you take a look at those files. Please."
I took the box and slipped inside my bedroom to look over the contracts and other files Nate had brought for me. Most of it was standard, but there were a few tricky items from my competitors who were trying to get a bigger advantage than they were entitled to. Nate was right to bring these to me.
I got lost in the paperwork for hours, and everything else ceased to exist. There was a strange humming in my arms and legs as I went through each sheet, line by line, until I was satisfied that every hidden trick was uncovered.
By the time I emerged from my room, Nate and Rosalee were having dinner in the kitchen. They laughed together like old friends, and I felt something I couldn't quite describe, but it felt a hell of a lot like jealousy.
Of my own damn brother.
Turned out Nate was right. I had it bad for the nanny.
Chapter 28
Rosalee
"It was very nice meeting you, Nate." I accepted his farewell hug simply because I knew he was doing it to get under Xavier's skin. "I think you and Violet are off to a strong start in your uncle-and-niece relationship."
