Nanny Wanted (A Bad Boy Romance)

by Mia Carson

  Reider’s cell vibrated again in his pocket, and he groaned. The second he saw it was Micah, he turned the thing off and shoved it back in his bag. His cousin had texted him nearly every half hour all day long, and he was ready to track him down and tell him to stop freaking out every two seconds. Reider had stopped reading the messages two hours ago and dreaded the car ride home. He’d never hear the end of how he ignored Micah’s need to be near the one person he could lean on without feeling embarrassed or ashamed all day. Yet this morning, all he’d seen was anger from Micah before he’d walked off to class.

  Whatever his cousin was going through, maybe it was time he saw a shrink before he decked Reider out of spite.

  He reached the lecture hall for his last class of the day and glanced around, but there was no sign of Johanna yet. He picked his seat in the front row again and waited to see what her move would be. He heard her before he saw her and looked up. When her furious glare struck him, he straightened in his seat and cursed. So much for this being an easy afternoon. She’d changed her blouse and wore a tight black t-shirt instead. Her friend said she would see her after class and went to find her partner, leaving Johanna to approach the seat beside Reider.

  “Nice to see you weren’t permanently damaged,” he muttered, lounging back in his seat and meeting her furious glare with one of his own. “Going to stand the whole class?”

  “Checking to make sure you don’t have anything else you could spill on me.”

  “I think you’re safe,” he grunted.

  She dropped her tote to the floor with a thud, nearly hitting his foot, and slid into the open seat. He watched, unable to look away, as she pulled out a notebook and that same pen with the chewed cap. She tapped it on the desk then brought it to her lips and bit down hard on the plastic.

  As her lips closed around it, he shifted in his seat, mentally cursing her and those perfect pink lips on the pen instead of somewhere on him. Where the hell did that thought come from? You can’t do this! He pinched his arm and focused on the throbbing pain instead of watching whatever Johanna did beside him. Thankfully, Professor Ashford walked in and greeted the class warmly. His gaze lingered on Reider and Johanna for a moment, and he smirked.

  “Now then, if you’ve all had a chance to introduce yourselves to your partners, we’ll begin today’s lesson. Towards the end, I’ll give you a little time to go over exactly what is expected of you both,” Ashford told them.

  Reider prepared for an hour of boredom as Ashford started his lecture. His eyes were drawn to Johanna again. Her pen rarely left her paper as she jotted down nearly every word Ashford said. He smiled and settled back in his chair. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad thing if he didn’t have to take notes the whole semester. Every time she glanced his way, he made sure to glare so she wouldn’t see what he was really thinking about with her sitting so close. The hour ticked by, and Reider found himself doodling in his notebook in a furious effort to stop thinking about Johanna’s breasts with their perky nipples or the dreams returning to his mind.

  When Ashford clapped his hands and told them they had the remaining time to look through the assignment and make plans with their partners, Reider needed the time to readjust himself before he could stand again.

  Johanna stuck her pen in her mouth, chewing on the cap as she flipped back through her notes. When her gaze landed on his blank sheet of paper, minus the scribbles, her face fell and reddened. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Seriously? You didn’t take a single note?”

  “Why should I when you’re over there zooming through it?” he said. “I’ll snag whatever I need from you.”

  “Like hell you will,” she muttered and slammed her notebook shut.

  He shrugged as if it didn’t matter and leaned closer. He flipped open the packet of papers they got Monday as she did the same. He read over each assignment briefly, and the good mood fantasies of Johanna put him in earlier disappeared in a shot.

  “This is going to take hours to finish,” he said. “Outside of class.”

  She nodded and chewed on her pen. He didn’t want to feel anything but contempt for this woman, or the heat pouring through his body from checking her out, but when the fire disappeared from her eyes and was replaced with worry, he couldn’t stop the ghost of sympathy filling him.

  “We’ll have to find a place to meet outside of town,” he told her firmly. “Somewhere neither of our families will see us.”

  “Still,” she said quietly, “this is a ton of work. There’s no way they won’t find out.”

  “We have to be careful,” he warned. “I’ll give you my number, but don’t save it in your cell. We’ll keep it pretty far out, a place they wouldn’t expect us to go.”

  She nodded. “Perfect. Looks like our first assignment is due in two weeks. Want to meet this weekend?”

  “Can’t,” he said. “Might be better to keep our meetings during the week, anyway.”

  “Why’s that?” she asked sharply.

  “How easy is it for you to disappear from your brothers on the weekend?” he asked, looking her in the eye. The words were harsh, and when he caught the glimmer of pain dance over her face, he frowned, mentally kicking himself. She’s a Chadwick, he reminded himself hotly. You don’t care about her emotions, you idiot.

  “Not easy. You’re right, during the week is better,” she replied quietly. “I’ll text you a place and time, say next Wednesday?”

  They exchanged numbers, and as they packed up in silence, Reider did his best to keep his mouth shut, telling himself he didn’t care about the woman beside him. Not in the least, but the question slipped out before he could catch it. “Rumors are going around that your brothers are setting you up with a future husband. How’s that going?”

  Her hands stilled, and a tremor passed over her body. Ashford announced that class had ended and they could leave. Johanna slid out of her seat and stood, slinging her tote angrily onto her shoulder and nearly whacking him in the face in the process.

  “Let’s make one thing clear, Reider,” she snapped. “We are only partnering to get through this class, pass, and graduate. I don’t care about your life, and if you ask me anything like that again, I will ram my pen into your eye socket. Got it? See you Friday.”

  She stormed out of the room before he could say another word, not even waiting for her friend, who rushed after Johanna after shooting Reider a glare. He slammed his things back in his bag and ignored Tommy when he called out for him to wait up. Reider needed a drink… a few drinks. Once he was out the door, he turned his cell back on and wished he hadn’t. There were messages from Micah and a few voicemails saying he was ready to leave an hour ago. He had texted Micah his schedule earlier and tucked his cell away after texting his cousin back, saying to meet him at the Wrangler.

  The next week was going to be a nightmare. Between Micah’s mood swings and Johanna threatening to disfigure him, Reider wasn’t sure which one should worry him more.

  4

  A week later, Johanna made certain her friend was with her when she left campus after texting her parents about her after-class plans. Melody was her excuse for coming home late, but in reality, she headed far out of town to finally meet with Reider. All through class, he had glared at the white board while she did her best to take notes, but she had been distracted and all she could do was jot down a word or two here and there.

  “Are you sure you don’t actually want me to go in with you?” Melody asked after Johanna had parked the car outside the coffee shop.

  “No, no need for him to freak out,” she said. “You’ll be alright alone?”

  She shrugged. “There’s a bookstore. I’ll get lost in there for a bit. Text if you need me, and I’ll come charging in to save you, but maybe… no, never mind. Not going to go there.”

  “What are you going on about?”

  “I’m thinking that maybe Ashford is right. This could be really good for you both.” She smirked when Johanna’s mouth fell open. “Text me w
hen you’re ready to go and don’t kill him, at least not yet.”

  She sauntered off down the street, and Johanna muttered prayers for her patience and tolerance so she didn’t strangle her friend. It was bad enough that Reider cropped up in her thoughts at the worst times lately. Melody hinting at some good actually coming of this nightmare brought the pen to her lips so she could chew on it as she marched into the coffeehouse and found a table. After grabbing a coffee and danish, she plopped down at the table near the window and watched people pass by. Thankfully, this far out of Lincoln, no one recognized her to give her trouble, which was why they had decided to come so far outside the city. Less chance of anyone telling their families they were together.

  If every day could be like that, she’d be content with life.

  As Johanna nibbled on her danish, she glanced around the small coffee shop, noting the cozy furniture around the hearth and the cabin feel to it, different for the middle of Nebraska. She liked it and settled back in her seat. Here, away from the watchful eyes of her brothers, she could relax and let her mind wander. Her life was taking turns she’d hoped to avoid, but so far, there was no way out and it ate at her every day. The charity event coming up was going to be her personal hell as the twins paraded her around for their friends like a damn show horse. She would have to stand there and smile and be polite, or they would ensure her life was even more miserable. Worse, they would take it out on Izzy.

  Wonder if Reider has the same issues, she thought absently, and her lips twitched in a smile, picturing his face.

  The past few nights, he had appeared in her dreams as their simple handshake turned into so much more. Her fingers brushed against her lips, remembering the lingering dream from last night and how flushed she had been when he walked into class that afternoon and sat down heavily beside her. All through the hour, her gaze had darted to his face, his lips, and his piercing green eyes until Ashford dismissed them. When he turned to say he would see her for their first meeting, all she’d been able to do was nod as her heart pounded painfully against her ribs. None of it made sense. She could never have anything to do with him.

  Even if they tried it, even if they snuck an innocent kiss, if her brothers found out, they’d pull her out of classes and marry her off before she had a chance to react. She didn’t want to think about what they would do to Reider.

  After she finished her danish and refilled her coffee, she sat and checked her watch. Twenty minutes late. She knew if he was thinking like her, he had taken the long way to drive out of town so no one would see. She shrugged and pulled out her notebook and pen, nibbling on the end as she watched people stroll up and down the main street of this small town. It was quaint and quiet, and she would give anything to live out here instead of in their stone and brick mansion.

  When an hour ticked by, she texted Melody to let her know Reider was late and tried calling him. As the phone rang, she wondered if he had done this on purpose to set her up and chewed on her pen cap angrily. Leave it to a damn Marquette to make a fool out of her when they needed to complete their work for a class. She needed to be able to rely on him, but as always, his family name proved his character perfectly. As another twenty minutes passed, she stood and shoved her things angrily back into her bag, ready to leave, when tires squealed outside the coffee shop. She glanced up and saw a Wrangler, no doors attached, parallel parking in a hurry, and watched Reider hop out, running for the front door.

  The second he stepped inside and spotted her, he hung his head and rushed over. “I’m sorry I’m late,” he said. “Please, don’t leave. We still have to get this done.”

  She paused in putting away her things and glared at him. “How can we do this if I can’t trust you to be on time? You’re almost two hours late! You know how our families are, and if my brothers come looking for me…” She trailed off, not wanting to picture that. “You can’t pull this shit.”

  “Didn’t have much of a choice. My aunt and uncle were killed in an accident recently, and my cousin follows me around,” he snapped, running a hand through his hair as he sighed angrily. “I had to lose him. Took longer than I thought.”

  Johanna bit back her anger and frowned. “You lost your aunt and uncle?” Why had she not heard about the accident? Not that her family told her things she needed to know.

  “Yeah, car accident over the summer,” he told her and tilted his head as he stared at her. “Why?”

  She watched the uncertainty appear on his face as he fidgeted, probably wondering why he would tell her of all people about deaths in the family. She wondered the same and couldn’t look away, too stunned at the revelation of such personal information. “Uh… I’m sorry,” she managed finally. “Really, that’s hard. I didn’t know.”

  He thanked her quietly. Johanna sat back down and motioned for him to do the same.

  “Do you want a coffee? I probably had too much waiting for you,” she said lightly and surprised herself with a quiet laugh. It’s just the caffeine, she told herself as she pulled her notebook back out. No more coffee today. You might do something stupid.

  He set his leather bag on the table and nodded. “Yeah, do you mind if I grab something? Don’t want to pass out at the table.”

  “Go ahead. I have to get my things back out anyway.” She watched as he walked to the counter to order his coffee, pulling her things out as she did.

  She tried not to stare, but her eyes were drawn to his broad shoulders and the way his t-shirt clung to every edge of his muscled body. She leaned over so far in her chair, it tipped. She quickly righted herself before she tumbled out. One glance around told her that no one had seen, and she buried her head in her bag as she dug for a pen that had not been gnawed on. He might’ve thought she was being sneaky the other day, but she noticed how much he watched her and what she did. No need to give him anything to ask questions about. He might be willing to open up to her, but she was not even close to comfortable talking to him involving anything personal.

  When he returned to the table, he set a mug down in front of her and one for himself before he took his seat. Johanna looked at it, her face scrunched. “You didn’t have to bring me anything.”

  “A gesture of goodwill and an apology for being late,” he said simply and pulled out his notebook and pen.

  Johanna thanked him and sipped it. “How did you know what to put in it?” she asked when it tasted exactly like how she usually made her coffee. “Spying on me?”

  He laughed, and the sound caressed her body, sending a thrill through her. “No, I asked the barista. And if I was spying on you, it wouldn’t be to learn your coffee habits, trust me.” His eye twitched after he spoke, and Johanna pondered his meaning. “So, let’s get started on the project then.”

  She nodded, sneaking a look at her cell for the time. Her brothers would be suspicious if she were gone too long, but the fear she usually felt at getting caught doing something she shouldn’t was overruled by the exhilaration pumping through her veins. Her finger hovered over the screen, debating for a moment if this were really a good idea, then texted Melody that Reider was there and they’d be another hour. She tucked her cell away before she could change her mind and sipped her coffee, not wanting to admit how impressed she was that he even bothered to figure out how she took it.

  “Alright, where should we start?”

  Reider wasn’t sure what to expect when he arrived so late to the coffeehouse, but it definitely was not an understanding Johanna expressing how sorry she was for a loss in his family. He bought her coffee mostly for the apology, but it felt strange not to buy her something if they were going to be there together. At the same table. Working for a few hours.

  It’s not a date, he yelled at himself as he took a drink and chanced another look across the table as she sipped her coffee. But damn, do I wish it was.

  His hand stilled, and he choked on his coffee, earning a curious stare from Johanna. “Sorry,” he said and cleared his throat. “Where do you think we should start
?”

  She flipped through the packet, her lips pursed to one side in thought. The pen went to her lips, and she chewed on the cap before she pulled it quickly from her mouth again. Reider grinned. She did that a lot, and from the way she quickly glanced around, someone must yell at her quite often for doing it.

  “A lot of the early assignments are about knowing our new business partner so we can understand how he or she might think,” she said, scanning the pages. “I guess we should start at the beginning.”

  “Right, beginning,” he said and stared at the first questions.

  He scratched his chin as he read through them, mouthing the words while he bought time to figure out how much would be safe to tell her. Though he found her highly attractive and she at least had one nice bone in her body, he wasn’t planning to reveal every last detail of his life to her. For all he knew, she’d take the answers home and tell her family. As she chewed on her pen cap, he assumed her thoughts ran along the same line as his.

  “Want to make a deal?” he asked, pushing the papers aside.

  “What kind of deal?” she replied, leaning back in her chair.

  “These questions aren’t exactly the best for our case,” he said slowly. “Why don’t we agree right now to either give each other leeway to lie to cover up the real details or we keep our answers as simple as possible? No need to go too far in depth. It’s for the class, right? Not like we’re actually going to be partners in anything outside of the assignment.”

  Was that disappointment he caught in her eyes before she blinked? Reider sipped his coffee slowly, waiting for her response as he debated if what he saw were real or not.