Sianna
“GOT YOU.” I GRIPPEDNicky’s arm then froze. Wait. Something wasn’t right. Warm rigid muscles met my searching fingers. “Hey, Nicky, when did—” The children’s giggles were a warning. Ripping off the blindfold, I found my gaze trapped by Rayden’s cool green ones, my hand snug around his forearm. In dark jeans and a blue shirt that seemed to bring out the darker flecks in his eyes, he was, without a doubt, pleasing to the eye. Blindman’s buff just got a whole lot more exciting. Barely three days and I already knew the man, intimately. I licked my lips, and he opened his mouth to say something.
“Hello?”
What the hell? The sound was akin to nails against a chalkboard. It grated on my ears. The kids and I swung around as a woman sashayed out onto the deck.
“Well, hello there?” she said, throwing me a scathing look when her gaze landed on my hand wrapped around Rayden’s arm.
Dropping my hand, I glanced up at Rayden, brow arched. He turned away. “Kids, say hello to Aunt Camilla.”
“You must be Nicky.” She leaned forward to place a kiss on his cheek. I grinned at Nicky’s blush when she shifted her attention to Neha. “And you must be Ne—” The child scooted away from her to stand behind me.
“She’s shy,” I offered, putting a hand behind me to caress the little girl’s hand that gripped my shorts tight.
Camilla sidled up to Rayden, pressing her body close to his. Her gaze ran the length of my body. “And you are?” She sounded like she’d just vomited into her mouth. I didn’t resist the scowl that stole its way over my smile.
“The nanny,” Rayden answered, his eyes on me.
“Oh.” She dismissed me with a toss of her shoulder-length hair and stepped away.
“A college friend,” he supplied, more for my benefit, it seemed. Yet, the other woman wanted to be a lot more than just friends by the looks of things.
I shrugged, turning my attention back to the children. I watched Camilla as she attempted to befriend the children. She was pretty in a voluptuous way—her articulate make-up flawed by bright pink lips and one size too small dress. I glanced up to find Rayden eyeing me. I ignored him, finding Camilla’s tone of speech a little pompous. She was talking to the kids but came across as totally disinterested. Perhaps, she was making an effort for Rayden’s sake. I didn’t figure him for the total airhead kind of woman. Her boobs reminded me of two balls that would probably keep her afloat if I pushed her into the sparkling pool behind her. A mischief grin curled my lips. Was I being a bitch? Yes. But she started it.
“Do you make it a habit of seducing men you don’t know?” Rayden’s whisper caught me by surprise. Engrossed in my naughty thoughts, I didn’t realize he’d moved to stand behind me.
“Maybe,” I murmured. I heard his sharp intake of breath. Granted, I’d hit him below the belt with my comment, I could tell he was annoyed and wanted revenge. Still, I wasn’t about to give him the pleasure of letting him see he affected me. With Ruvash’s persistent nudging to step out of my shell, I was interested in only one thing. Getting laid. No more BOB. I needed the real thing. And Rayden was the ideal man to test my confidence. I might be an introvert when it came to men, but he was arrogant, gorgeous, and downright sexy. So, what better subject. Right? According to Ruvash, if I wanted something, I had to pull up my big girl panties and go for it. Talk was cheap, though. Whether I could keep up the pretense of the previous night’s siren remained to be seen.
****
WHEN MONDAY DAWNED, I was glad to be back at the restaurant. While I adored the kids, I had renewed respect for nannies the world over and didn’t plan on having kids any time soon. The last four days remained a distant memory as new trouble brewed in the form of my leech of a landlord. He’d decided to increase the rent yet again unless I was willing to show him my pretty underwear.
“Asshole,” I muttered under my breath and rubbed my temples.
“Hey, Sianna.”
