Hosed: A Single Dad and Virgin Romantic Comedy

by Ruby Steele

  "This is Aunt Serena. And this is Uncle Jake." She grabs one and holds it up to her. "And this is my mommy. She's in heaven," Adley says matter-of-factly.

  I don't know what I expect Morgan to say—or whether this fact makes her uncomfortable—but I definitely don't expect her to turn to Adley and smile. "I know she's looking down on you every day, and I bet she's so proud of what a talented artist you are." She holds up a drawing of rainbows. "Did you make this for her?"

  Adley nods, a smile spreading across her freckled cheeks. "How did you know?"

  Morgan shrugs. "It's beautiful, just like you and just like her. How could it not be?"

  Adley throws her arms around Morgan's legs and hangs on tight, catching sight of me as she does. "Daddy! I want Morgan to be my nanny. You have to say yes."

  Morgan turns to look at me, her eyes flickering with uncertainty as she opens her mouth, looking entirely too much like she's about to argue the point.

  "You heard the girl, Morgan. Looks like you just landed yourself a job."

  Those violet eyes go wide, and I'm reminded of how they looked when I found her in the shower yesterday. Shocked, confused. And with more than a little heat in them as they drop down to take in my body. I fucking love the way she looks at me. Like that alone has her thinking all kinds of dirty thoughts. I noticed it yesterday at the hospital, and again just now in the hall. I want to hurry up and take Adley to school so I can try to discover what kinds of thoughts are really lurking in that gorgeous head.

  "Leo... I mean, Mr. Jacobson—"

  "Leo is fine," I cut her off.

  She swallows. "Don't you want to give me a proper interview?"

  I want to give her a proper something, but interview is far from the word I'd choose. Unless she happens to be tied to my bed and I'm interrogating her on all the places she wants me to use my tongue.

  I grin. "I just offered you a job. But if you'd like an interview, who I am I to deny you that pleasure?" I choose my words purposely, and pure lust flashes quickly across her face, gone in an instant. "Come with me to take Adley to school, and we can talk over breakfast."

  She nods, and I grab Adley's school bag and carry it for her as she skips out the door. When Morgan follows her out, I'm right behind them until Adley stops and comes up to me, pointing a finger and narrowing her eyes threateningly.

  "You better not change your mind. I want Morgan."

  I chuckle and ruffle her hair. "Don't worry, Munchkin. I'm not going to change my mind. I want her too."

  I look up at Morgan as I say it, and I know it's absolutely true. I want her in every single way possible, even though I don't even know her yet. Not really. That same magnetic draw that pushed me to go see her at the hospital yesterday after the fire is back, only a hundred times stronger. I suddenly want to know everything about her. In every way.

  It's a bad idea, no doubt about it. Dating the nanny is about as cliche as it gets. Plus, it's risky. There's a reason I only used the most exclusive agency in the city in my search for a nanny—only the best for my little girl, and I trust her care to almost no one. So even though I don't know much about Morgan, I know she's not only highly qualified but above and beyond reproach. The agency would have done a thorough background check on her, revealing a pristine record.

  So I'm not worried about her—what I'm worried about is that she might say no. Especially after she finds out some of the more unusual aspects of the job arrangement—because I have a sinking feeling she doesn't know the specifics. And that the heat that's simmering barely below the surface between us will make it too much of a job risk for her.

  Because I don't think I can trust myself around her. I know how the fact that I find her irresistible will end. If I have it my way, it won't be any other way than with her in my bed.

  7

  Morgan

  "You want me to move in with you?"

  It's a damn good thing I already swallowed my coffee. Otherwise it would be all over the table and down Leo's shirt. I try not to think about how that might be fun to clean up. With my tongue.

  I grit my teeth, not believing how this man is drawing out a side of me I never knew existed. A side that I like a little bit too much.

  He watches me with an unreadable expression, though his lips quirk in amusement. Apparently I'm forever entertaining him with my absurdity.

  "You don't even know me," I sputter.

  "Honestly, I'm surprised the agency didn't tell you more about this position. They usually make sure the candidates are on board before they send them over."

  I shift in my seat, not sure if my reasoning makes me sound even more desperate than I am. If that's even possible. "I think they tried. But I told them I would take the first available interview, no matter what it entailed."

  He lifts a brow. "Regretting that yet?"

  I laugh in spite of myself. "Ask me again later. Right now, tell me why exactly you want me to live in your house?"

  He crosses his arms and leans back, stretching his legs out under the table, and I feel a little electric current run through my body as they brush against mine. He's been doing that all morning, and I'm not sure whether it's by accident or not. A touch on the shoulder here, a brush against my arm there.

  "Obviously you're familiar with the constraints of my line of work. I work crazy hours, often for days at a time. Things come up unexpectedly, and I have to work longer than planned. My sister and brother are great in a pinch—like yesterday."

  I flush as I remember yesterday. The way he felt pressed against me in the hospital room, even though I know that's not what he's even talking about.

  "But," he continues, "they can't always be there. I need to know that when I'm at work, Adley has someone with her who doesn't have to worry about anything except her. Someone I can trust."

  My brow furrows. "And that person is me? How do you know you can trust me? We just met."

  "First," he says, leaning forward again with his elbows on the table, steepling his fingers, "the extensive background check the agency runs tells me you're trustworthy. But more that that, I just know." He shrugs.

  He just knows. He says it like that's explanation enough. But there's a deeper meaning underlying his words that I'm not quite able to understand.

  "Leo..." I look away quickly as his gaze heats, focusing on my hands for a minute as I try to keep my face carefully blank. "Me being available to stay with Adley for several nights in a row is a far cry from me living in your apartment." And it's a damn nice apartment. The rent for my cracker box was outrageous, and it was a dump. I can't even imagine what a three-bedroom apartment in New York City costs. Or how he affords it as a firefighter.

  "Where are you staying now? Where did you stay last night?" he demands.

  "The hospital," I mumble.

  "And tonight? Where will you go?"

  I swallow. I don't know. I have no idea where I'm going to stay. If he hires me, I might be able to use what little money I have to stay in a cheap motel. A really, really cheap motel. I could probably stay in Mina's dorm room, but that wouldn't last for more than a few nights.

  "That's what I thought," he says. "Look, I'm not saying it has to be a permanent situation. You'll be staying there half the time anyway, and right now you have nowhere else to go. Why not just consider it a job perk?"

  I roll my eyes. He's something else. I'm tempted to ask if other job perks include watching him walk around in a towel, having him look at me as if I'm something he wants to devour, and feeling his insanely huge cock press up against me if he gets too close.

  My thoughts must be written all over my face because he chuckles in the seductive way he did yesterday and gives me a salacious wink.

  "Oh my god, Leo. This is a bad idea on so many levels." It's the weirdest thing. I don't know him any more than he knows me, and our situation is beyond awkward and unusual, but I feel oddly comfortable with him. Like it's perfectly natural for us to sit and talk about this over breakfast.

  "Is
it?" he asks. "Just how bad?" He grins devilishly, and I squirm at the way that mouth makes my nipples tighten and pressure build between my legs. I squeeze my thighs together in an attempt to release some of it.

  Okay, so scratch that whole perfectly natural bit. I'm anything but comfortable with him. In fact, he sets my entire body on fire.

  "So very bad," I say, trying to go for my best stern teacher expression, but I just dissolve into laughter when he waggles his eyebrows. Under all the tension and heat, there's still an elemental pull between us, a vibe that just clicks. I know instinctively that we'd be good together. If that hadn't just been made impossible by the fact that he's about to be my boss.

  "Seriously, though, Morgan," he says, reaching across the table for my hand. "I've never seen Adley take to anyone that quickly. Regardless of what you want to do about your living situation, I want you to be her nanny."

  I can't help but smile. "That much is a done deal. Who am I to go against her wishes? Seriously, Leo, she is super sweet."

  I want to ask him more about what happened to her mother, but even though we have a good rapport going, I know that would be crossing the line. Still, I'm curious.

  "She's amazing. You'll see." He cocks his head and studies me for a minute, then leans in, determination written on his magnificent face. "I think it would be a good idea if you got to know her a little better before I leave you alone in a couple days. You don't have a place to stay tonight. Adley needs to acclimate to you with me around. It's only logical that you stay with us tonight."

  "That's logical?" I shake my head, but his confident expression tells me he knows he's got me.

  I can almost convince myself that it makes sense. Just like I can almost convince myself that I can keep this job purely professional. That I don't already see how badly this could end.

  8

  Leo

  It's the strangest thing having Morgan in my home. It shouldn't be. I've had nannies before that had to stay overnight while I worked forty-eight-hour shifts. But none of them were Morgan. I don't even know what she is to me, and I don't really want to think about it because she's already occupying way more space in my brain than I'm comfortable with.

  All I knew earlier this morning was that it made sense. She needed a place to stay, and I had one. But I know that's not all of it. I want her here. I want to spend time with her. I want to find out everything about her. And yeah, I want to get my hands on that hot little body. My cock inside her mouth. There's nothing right about it. I can't justify what I want to do to her, so I don't even try.

  We spent the afternoon together shopping for some things to get her through the next few days until she has time to replace more of the things she lost in the fire. I was shocked to find out she didn't have any type of insurance in place and that she truly does have nothing to her name. I'm more than a little curious about her situation, but I don't want to press her and make her uncomfortable. But she's been living alone in the city in a dilapidated apartment building, and she apparently has nothing in the way of savings.

  "I like Morgan. I'm glad you picked her," Adley says to me as I tuck her blankets around her and drop a kiss on her forehead.

  "Me too," I say simply. That's the only thing simple about it.

  "Good." She smiles, and it turns into a yawn. "Night, Daddy."

  "Goodnight, angel."

  I turn off her lamp and watch her for a few minutes, her breath already evening out as she quickly falls asleep. She's always been like that, falling right to sleep within moments. I count myself lucky. I had no idea how to take care of kids when she was born, and I did it on my own from day one—with the help of my siblings. But I never had to deal with hours on end of trying to get a kid to sleep.

  Brushing her bright hair away from her face, I feel a rush of emotions. She's so little but so strong. I want nothing but the best for her. And even though I know my reasons for hiring Morgan are not entirely professional, I'm just as sure that she is the right person for the job. She was fantastic with Adley tonight, and I know I made the right choice.

  I just have to find a way to deal with the overpowering desire she ignites in me every time I look at her. Easier said than done. Just the thought of her now has me standing up, wanting to go check on her.

  Certain that Adley's out for the night, I leave her tiny room, pulling her door shut behind me, and walk down the short hall to where Morgan is settling into her even tinier room. Stopping at her doorway, hot desire rockets through me as I find her with her back to me in nothing but shorts that barely cover her ass, slipping a silky nightshirt over her head. The glimpse I catch of her smooth, bare back makes me wish I'd shown up just a minute earlier.

  I clear my throat involuntarily, and she whips around, her face flushing, eyes widening with shock. "Leo! I thought you were in Adley's room."

  "I was. She's asleep." I step into her room uninvited, needing to be nearer to her. She doesn't move as I close the distance, and I don't stop until there is only a foot of space between us.

  Her throat moves as she swallows, and my eyes drop down to the smooth, pale column of her neck. I wonder if it tastes as good as it looks. I realize I must look as predatory as I feel, because her breath hitches, her breasts now drawing my attention as they rise and fall rapidly.

  "That was fast," she whispers. "Is that normal for her?"

  I nod, not wanting to talk about details of the job at the moment. When I lift my gaze back to her face, she's watching me with a mix of fear and anticipation. It hits me that she wants me to do something about this attraction just as much as I want to.

  My lips curve, wanting to draw it out. To see how far I can push her before she gives in to what she's feeling. "Take a break?"

  She looks around her room, which is already immaculate, and shrugs. "I'm done here, so I guess so." Her voice holds a trace of nerves. Good. I like that I make her edgy.

  I tilt my head toward the door and turn, and feel rather than hear her follow behind me as I make my way back to the living area. It's an open floor plan, the kitchen, living room and dining room blending together as one big space—something vital to making New York apartments feel bigger than they really are.

  Grabbing a bottle of wine from the built-in bar, I hold it up for Morgan's approval. "Red okay?"

  "I guess," she says uncertainly.

  I narrow my eyes, a hint of a smile on my lips. "You aren't sure?"

  "Not much of a drinker," she admits, biting her lip.

  "Hmm. Well, this is a good one." I grab two glasses and a corkscrew and carry them to the couch, setting them on the stone and metal coffee table. I can feel her eyes on me as I uncork the bottle and sit back, letting the wine breathe for a bit.

  "How old are you, Morgan?" I'm intrigued. She's giving off a vibe I haven't gotten from her yet. One that screams inexperience and vulnerability.

  "Twenty-two," she says, licking her lips in what I'm sure is an unconscious nervous move, but one that I feel go straight to my dick nonetheless.

  "No boyfriend in the city?" I know the answer, but I want to hear her say it.

  "Do you think I'd be sitting here in my pajamas with you if I did?"

  Her sassy response takes me by surprise, and I laugh. There's the feisty girl I'm starting to get used to. But I want to make her squirm again.

  "If you did, he wouldn't be doing his job right."

  She licks her lips again, revealing that I am in fact making her nervous. I reach for the wine and pour two glasses. When she takes hers, I clink them together. "To trying new things."

  Morgan sips the wine, her eyes darting around the room. Taking in everything but me.

  "What do you mean by that?" she finally asks.

  "New things?"

  She shakes her head. “A boyfriend doing his job right." It's almost a whisper.

  Oh, fuck yeah. Now we're getting somewhere.

  I shift on the couch to face her, resting my arm along the back and letting my fingers trail along her bare sh
oulder.

  "Just that you wouldn't be sitting here with me, like you said. You wouldn't be wearing that hot as fuck little outfit. And you wouldn't be sleeping here with me tonight."

  Her lips part, her eyes blinking rapidly, and she takes another quick sip of her wine. "But it's for the job," she protests weakly.

  I lean in. "Do you always wear clothes so thin your boss can see how hard your nipples are?"

  She gasps, and my cock stiffens at the sound, and it takes everything in me not to brush my thumb across the tight buds to illustrate my point. I know I'm pushing too far. Too fast. I want to check myself, rein in the lust that's making it hard for me to think straight. Or she might be out the door faster than she can say harassment. She is working for me. Sort of.

  She takes another sip from her glass, her violet eyes wide as she watches me over the rim. But when she sets her glass down and turns back to me, I'm glad I said it. Because the desire she's feeling is all over her face.

  "No. But I've never had a boss that could make me feel like this with nothing more than words." She says it with a boldness that takes me by surprise.

  I shift again so that my mouth is only inches from her ear, my breath teasing her neck as I whisper, "Feel like what?"

  A tremble goes through her, but she doesn't answer.

  "Say it, Morgan. How do my words make you feel? What does your body do when I tell you that I haven't been able to get the image of your soap-slicked tits out of my mind? Or what it felt like to have your naked body in my arms?"

  A shudder racks her body, and I can hear her breath come out in heavy pants. I pull back a fraction until I can look into her eyes. Until I can let her see the raw hunger I'm feeling.

  "Say it, Morgan."

  "It—it feels..." Her gaze drops to my mouth, and she presses her lips together. Swallowing again, she draws in a deep breath. "It feels good."