“Fart whistle?” I jerk my head back in disgust. “I think I prefer the swear words.” I hear Cassandra laughing behind me and quickly step back to introduce her. “Luke, this is Everly’s nanny, Cassandra.”
“You can call her Cozy,” Everly corrects.
“Cassandra, this is my youngest brother, Luke.”
Cassandra walks over and shakes his hand. I bristle slightly as I watch him rake his eyes down her body. Luke is Cassandra’s age, so something about seeing the two of them next to each other irks me. I wonder if he would be Cassandra’s type?
He’s about an inch shorter than me but has me beat in the muscle department. When he’s not flipping houses with my brothers, he’s at the gym, religiously. I’d probably work out more too if I had the time. Even my morning swims seem to be few and far between these days.
“There are two more brothers, right?” Cassandra asks curiously.
“Yes, Wyatt is number two, and Calder is number three,” I answer.
“And you’re number one?” Cassandra looks at me with her round eyes that look so fucking innocent, I can’t help the reply that tumbles from my lips.
“I’m always number one.” I wink and feel a rush of attraction surge through me when crimson climbs up Cassandra’s neck all the way to her cheeks. Fuck, that’s hot.
And…fuck do I immediately regret saying that out loud. Especially when I turn to find my brother staring at me like I’ve grown a second head. His eyes dart from me to the nanny.
“Let’s go, Uncle Luke,” Everly groans and grabs my brother’s hand to pull him out the open door.
“Okay, Evie! Keep your shirt on.” Luke laughs and shoots me an odd look.
“I’m wearing a dress.” Everly spins to show it off.
“So you are. You look beautiful.” Luke tugs on her bubble braided ponytail before turning to leave. I walk to the door to close it behind them and hear the rolling of distant thunder.
“Careful out there, it looks like it’s going to storm,” I say, just as a flash of lightning illuminates the twilight sky.
Luke waves me off. “I checked the radar, and it’ll be done before we’re out of the movie. Plus, I’ve got the truck, so we’ll be fine. See you in a few hours.”
I close the door and turn back to find Cassandra standing in the foyer. She wrings her hands awkwardly in front of her.
“Thank you for your help with her hair.” I slide my hands into my pockets and walk toward her. “I know it’s your night off, so I hope it was okay I texted you.”
“Text me anytime.” Cassandra smiles, and I see her neck contract as she swallows. She chews her lip nervously. “It’s Friday night. No big plans for you?”
I inhale a deep breath and shake my head. “I’m having the guys over here for poker next weekend, so I’m planning to lay low and hydrate before I assault my liver with too much whiskey.”
“That sounds smart.” Cassandra licks her lips and shoots me a shy smile that I feel right in my groin.
“You?” I ask even though I don’t know if I want to hear the answer.
She hooks her thumb over her shoulder. “I’m going out tomorrow night with my friend Dakota, so I’m probably going to hydrate tonight too.”
“That’s good,” I state stupidly.
“Yeah,” she confirms.
A moment of silence falls between us, and I have to press my lips together to stop myself from asking if she wants to watch a movie with me. It’s a bad, bad idea to hang out with the nanny when Everly isn’t around. Plus, if I sit on that couch with her, there’s no telling what might happen underneath a blanket.
I blow out a slow breath. “I’m gonna go hit the shower.” Cold shower. Arctic, blazing, ice-cold shower.
“Right, sorry. I’ll get out of your way,” Cassandra stammers and turns on her heel, nearly tripping over her flip-flop as she hightails it out of my house.
And I watch her leave…boy, do I watch her leave.
The raging thunderstorm outside is the perfect soundtrack to the ridiculously erotic Mercedes Lee Loveletter book I’m currently reading in bed. After the awkward tension I felt at Max’s house tonight, I had to do something about the overwhelming emotions coursing through my body.
So as soon as it was dark outside, I slipped into my sexy chocolate satin night dress, the one that barely covers my breasts that Dakota forced me to buy a couple of months ago because “all single girls needed a sexy nightie to stay in touch with their ‘womblands.’” Something she heard on Tik Tok, I’m sure.