Chapter 140

The next morning, I take Mia into the kitchen for her morning meal. Beau is already there eating eggs and toast. There are dirty dishes in the sink. Did his date cook for him? Not that I care.

Beau catches my line of sight and rolls his eyes. “I’m not totally helpless, you know. I can make eggs.”

I’m not overly convinced of that, but if he’s trying to tell me his date went home, I’ll accept it. I take Mia to her high chair and then set to retrieving her bottle.

Beau moves closer to Mia and makes faces at her to make her laugh. She giggles right away.

Honestly, I’m relieved. I worried a bit last night after Beau’s abrupt departure that things might change around us. That he or I might feel awkward and make everything awkward for those around us. But Beau seems as comfortable as ever. And I don’t really mind pretending last night never happened.

Yes, I experienced some mind-blowing pleasure, but I know it didn’t mean anything. Beau is a playboy. Giving and taking pleasure is his area of expertise. Likely, last night was just some kind of experiment to him. See if he could get the Nanny off with just attention to her tits, or something.

I’m not even hurt. I know how Beau is. And after the roller coaster of Archer and Neil, it’s almost a relief to have an intimate encounter where I know exactly where I stand. Beau and I were only after pleasure. No strings attached.

And now, everything returns to normal. Win win.

Though, I do wonder…

Archer has been hot and cold from the start, and Neil is firmly off-limits. Maybe Beau would be open to a friends with benefits situation? He’s hot, and he’s shown that he’s hot for me. It wouldn’t have to mean anything. Just something to get the edge off.

Beau’s phone rings. He immediately answers it. “Hello?”

I can only hear his side of the conversation. I try not to pay attention, but it’s otherwise quiet in the kitchen as I prepare Mia’s formula.

“Melissa? Which Melissa? I don’t remember last names, sweetheart, you are going to have to be more specific. Oh. Oh. That move with the tongue.” He laughs. “Yes, of course I remember. When? Friday? I’ll have to check my schedule, but if you promise to use your tongue like that again, I’m sure I can make time.”

He laughs again.

I frown at him. And at myself. This is the guy I want to have a friends with benefits situation with? This is the kind of guy to bring a baby to bar to meet a date. The kind who doesn’t remember a girl’s name but instead what she could do with her tongue.

Not only should I not want a friends with benefits relationship here, I shouldn’t even want to be in the same room!

Beau glances at me as I walk by to hand Mia her bottle. He smirks at me and I dramatically roll my eyes. He laughs, and I feel good because this time, I’m the one who made him laugh.

“I’ll call you back, Melissa,” he says and hangs up. He puts his phone down on the counter and lifts his fork again.

I give Mia her bottle then help her keep it in place.

Beau catches me looking at him. “Something on your mind, Nanny?”

“Nothing memorable,” I say.

Confident bastard just laughs. “Sure.”

I’m curious just what exactly Melissa can do with her tongue, but I will go to my grave before I ever ask him.

“If that’s true, why do you keep looking at me?” Beau asks.

Caught!

I clear my throat. “You have something on your face.”

This time, the words hit. He immediately wipes at his mouth with his napkin. “Did I get it?”

Rolling my eyes again, I lift Mia from the high chair, and feed her the bottle with her in my arms instead. I have been looking at Beau too much, so I cross the room to look out the window instead.

When I glance back, Beau has his phone out in camera selfie mode. He’s checking his face.

Vain and arrogant.

Not worth my time.

No matter how good that orgasm was.

Later, I leave Mia with Archer and go to class. It is a sunny day with lots of people out in the quad. Nice weather always seems to give people an extra spring in their step. Me? I just feel tired. I drag my feet more than I mean to, until I finally make my way into the classroom.

Debbie waves. I flop into the open seat beside her, and both of her brows shoot up.

“What?” I ask, at the look on her face.

“You okay? You seem tired.”

I am not about to tell Debbie about my encounter with Beau. I trust her well enough, but telling other people about it might make it seem like it means more than it does.

“Just been busy,” I say. That’s not untrue.

“The Hayes’s must be running you ragged,” Debbie says. “Isn’t your contract almost up?”

“Yes,” I say. “Three weeks.”

Debbie frowns deeper.

“What is it?” I ask.

“That should make you happy, right?” Debbie asks. “But when you said it just now… you seemed… sad.”

Sad? “I am happy about it,” I say, but this time I hear myself. Debbie’s right. My voice does lilt when I talk about it.

I am happy to be so close to being free of the brothers and their drama and antics. Except… I might be lying to myself. My time with the brothers has been exhausting surely, but it’s also given me a bit of purpose. And a bit of fun.

I’ve bonded with Mia, and the boys aren’t as terrible to me as they were in the past. Neil’s even fighting to make sure I can stay these last three weeks.

Maybe I would like to stay with them longer. I’ve gotten used to Archer’s hot temper, Neil’s bossiness, Beau’s sharp words, and Steven’s logical thinking. I’ve come to look forward to the excitement they brought to my life.

And my moments with Archer, Neil, and Beau…

I wouldn’t trade them, even if they hurt to think about sometimes. It would be good for me to leave, to avoid temptation. But I would miss them.

How whipped am I? I should be clinging onto how terrible they were to me at the beginning and how cruel they can still sometimes be. I shouldn’t let a few nice words and a few hot moments sway me so completely.

I should be happy to leave and be free of everything.

Besides, it’s not like I could stay. What would that mean for Neil? He would only get that silver out when I left. If anything, I should be planning on leaving sooner, for his sake.

I sigh and look at Debbie. She seems worried, brow all scrunched.

What must I look like to her? She only knows the brothers at their worst, when she was condemned to that pit, with her name stricken. She must hate them, and she has good reason to.

There’s no excuse for how I feel. There’s not much explanation either.

And in the end…

“It doesn’t matter how I feel,” I tell her. “When it’s over, it’s over.”