While Derio pulls up his shorts and runs over to the cat, waving his arms, I tuck my breasts back into my top and hop off the desk. Everything throbs—in the best way possible. I’ll be sore tomorrow, I can tell already, but it will totally be worth it.
Derio manages to get Nero out of the office and locks the door behind the disgruntled cat. He turns to me, looking rather shy. “I hope that was okay.”
I raise my brows. “The sex?”
He nods, walking over to me. He tucks a piece of hair behind my ears and gives me a timid smile. “Yes. The sex. And the job. I understand if you don’t want to be their nanny. I just thought maybe if you gave it time, it would grow on you.”
My resolve liquefies. “It has grown on me,” I tell him honestly. “Really. But it’s just a lot of work. I can’t do it all by myself. I’m sure—no, I know—that Felisa was a superwoman, but she had a lifetime of experience. I only have a few weeks’.”
He lowers his chin. “I understand. I will go through the résumés and start calling a few candidates in for interviews.”
“No,” I tell him, reaching for his hand. “You don’t have to do that. I just need help—your help.” I pause, my eyes flitting to the manuscript on the desk. He follows my gaze, worry coloring his face. “Don’t worry,” I implore him. “I don’t know what you’re doing in here all day long, and as long as it’s important to you, I don’t care either. But if you can just find some moments to help me, to help Alfonso and Annabella, to step up and be their brother, then I can do this. We can do this. But I need your help. I can’t do it alone.”
He licks his lips and then nods. “Okay. You are right.”
“You’re not their father, Derio,” I tell him quietly. “You don’t need to live up to him, you don’t need that added pressure. You’re just their brother who has sworn to look out for them. You can still be their brother, and only their brother, despite everything. I know that’s something you know how to do. And I know you do it really well.”
He blinks a few times and looks away from me. He nods once but doesn’t say anything else. I know part of his problem has been the insane amount of responsibility that comes with being a guardian to two young children. I know it gets even more complicated when you’re used to a different role with them. I imagine when the twins were born, Derio was long out of the house and in the middle of a budding career. He probably never saw them as much as he would have liked. It wouldn’t have been the same kind of relationship had he been raised in the house with them, had they been closer in age. He probably never really knew them until his whole world changed and they were thrust into his care.
“You will stay, then,” he says, glancing warily at me, “if I promise to be better?”
I give him a gentle smile and place my hand on his cheek. “I will stay if we do this together.”
He nods and leans in, his lips just inches from mine. “I am so lucky to have found you. You are worth your weight in gold. You are gold.” He runs his fingers through my hair. “Sono ricco. You know what that means?”
I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. It sounds beautiful.”
“It means ‘I am rich,’ ” he says. “Because of you.”
My heart is swooning a little, like it’s about to faint. I’m drowning in his sweet talk.
“And,” he says, kissing along my jaw, “this is not just a fling.” He pulls away and peers at me intently. “I am not that kind of man. You make me richer; you matter to me. I want us to be together.”
“Even though I’m the nanny?”
His lips twitch. “Maybe especially because you are. You don’t find that a bit sexy?”
I don’t want to admit that I do. “I find you sexy,” I tell him.
“Is that so?”
“Well, I just fucked you on the desk.”
He grins. “I was fucking you.”
“Oh, I forgot, that’s your job.”
“Yes,” he says, kissing me sweetly. “You do your job and I will do mine.”
“It sounds like everyone wins.”
“Everyone does.”
“Except the kids who are probably dying of boredom out there.”
He nods. “Yes. Well, what shall we do with them?”
We? Maybe he’s changing already.
I tell him about my idea of taking them to Marina Grande.
“Sounds good,” he says. “It’s too hot now and the beach will be very crowded, but the water is cool. It will be worth it.”
He grabs my hand and leads me to the door.
I pull back, just a little, and raise our joined hands in the air. “What about this?” I ask. “I don’t know if the children are ready to see us . . . well, together. Even though Alfonso did ask me if I was in love with you.”
This gets his attention. “Oh?” he says, his eyes wide. “And what did you say?”
“I told him I thought you were gross. Ew, boys, yucky.”
“Ah yes,” he says, seeming satisfied with that. “And probably true. Allora, let us take this slowly then.”
“I don’t think we can take it much slower given what we just did on your desk. By the way, I think you might have to wipe that down.”
He lets out a small laugh that lights up his whole face. He looks positively angelic. “Yes, yes.” He pulls me into him and kisses me, then lets go of my hand. “We will take it slowly in front of them. How about that?”