Rafe was fucked. He knew there was a chance that Sloan Copeland would be even hotter in person. He knew from talking to her on the phone that her sweet voice might be even more intoxicating. He was dead fucking wrong. Dr. Sloan Copeland was a fucking smoke show, a twelve out of ten stunner. He couldn’t imagine what patients thought the first time they saw her approaching their hospital bed. Part of him prayed like hell that he would hate her children. Not the case.
Addison was hilarious and really in your face, but she understood her pleases and thank yous. Avery couldn’t take her eyes off of him, and even as they made their way around the craft store she refused to speak to him, choosing instead to whisper her responses to Stacia. He intimidated other adults, so he wasn’t shocked that a six-year-old was a little wary of this man popping up in her life. No, the kids weren’t a problem at all. And Dr. Sloan Fucking Copeland was a goddamn delight. Sweet, charming, considerate, and patient as hell. Addison lost her cool twice picking out crafts and toys, and Sloan calmly got her back in check with kindness and respect.
As he climbed back on his bike and followed them to the house, he didn’t even think about the way she treated him. The second he set foot in that damn McDonald’s and saw the way Sloan was looking back at him, Rafe knew he needed to shut all emotion down. If he didn’t, he knew he’d be asking her out instead of agreeing to take care of her children. Icy demeanor firmly in place, he turned his full focus to Avery and Addison, avoiding the way Sloan’s ass looked in her floral romper.
Around the seventh time that Addison asked him if she could use his shoulders as a diving board, he knew he was going to say yes to the job. He hadn’t told Sloan that he was only available to the end of the year. He’d wanted to wait and meet her first and feel out the whole situation. He was on board, but now he needed to come up with a way to watch Sloan’s children while avoiding Sloan completely. He scooped Addison up one more time and gently tossed her over his shoulders into the deep end of the pool. A few feet away, Avery was showing Sloan how long she could hold her breath underwater.
Rafe looked over as Avery’s head popped above the surface, her dark curls plastered to her forehead.
“Very good, baby!” Sloan cheered from her submerged perch on the pool steps. Her tits looked amazing in the simple orange one-piece she was wearing. “I counted to ten that time.”
“I can get to twenty,” Avery insisted as she doggy paddled over to the edge. “I want some water.”
Rafe realized then that he was pretty thirsty himself. “Hey Avery, can you show me where I can get some water too?”
“I think it would be very nice of you to show Rafe where we keep the cups,” Sloan said.
Avery considered her options for a moment. Then she climbed up the inset ladder, out of the pool, turning toward Rafe with her hands on her hips. “You have to follow me, but you have to dry off first. We can’t track water inside.”
“Deal.”
Rafe swam to the edge of the pool, away from the steps where Sloan was sitting, and hoisted himself out. He grabbed his towel off the deck chair, then followed Avery inside after they were both done drying off. She marched into the brand new white on white on slate grey kitchen that was attached to an even larger open concept living and dining area. She went straight for the massive pantry.
“We keep the stool in here. It’s not a toy,” she said in a stern tone. She opened the door and pulled out a wooden step, dragging it over to the faux wood, clearly scratch-resistant tile. Rafe watched as she carefully made her way up each step until she could kneel on the counter. “Mommy said feet belong on the floor and we can’t walk up here.”
“Got it. I won’t walk on the counters.” Avery seemed like she had things under control, but he moved a little closer just in case. She grabbed two plastic cups from the cabinet, gently set them down on the counter, then carefully climbed back down.
“You want me to fill these up while you put your step stool away?” he asked.
“Yes. Thank you very much.” Rafe kept his smile to himself as they stood in the middle of the kitchen and enjoyed their ice cold water. When Avery finished, she put her cup on the counter and looked Rafe dead in the eye.
“I can use that again with my lunch.”
“Very resourceful of you.”
“You’re really big.” She cocked her head to the side, trying to make sense of him.
“I am.”
“Like, you’re as tall as the house.”
“I’m not sure that’s right, but I am pretty tall. My dad’s tall too and so was my mom.”
“My mom’s short.”
“She’s short-ish. She’s about average height. Do you know what average means?”
“No. I have to pee.”
“My bad. Please.” Rafe moved out of the way. Avery walked backwards down the hall, keeping a firm eye on him until she disappeared around the corner. He had to appreciate her vigilance. No one was going to get the jump on Avery Copeland.
Rafe refilled his water glass. He needed a few more minutes before he laid eyes on Sloan again. He got about thirty seconds. Sloan came walking into the kitchen, Addison wrapped in a towel by her side. “I think we’re ready for some lunch. What about you two—oh. We’re down one.”
“Water break turned into a bathroom break.”
“Ah, okay,” Sloan said as she absently stroked the back of Addison’s head. “Are you hungry?” she asked Rafe.
“I could definitely eat.” Your pussy. Right now. Splayed out on this kitchen counter.
“Great. Miss Addison, you know the post-pool drill.”
Addison nodded. “Rinse off, lotion up.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Addison turned on her heels and ran for the stairs.
“How many peanut butter and jam sandwiches does it take to satisfy a man your size?” Sloan asked with a teasing smile. She wasn’t flirting. It was an honest question. Instead of giving her an honest answer, he wanted to tell her what a man his size can do for her.
“Wonderbread sandwiches, five. If you have some thick artisanal slices from your local Whole Foods Market, I should be okay with two.”
“Good lord, you’re going to eat me right into the poor house.” Sloan laughed and turned toward the fridge. “You’re in luck. We have both. You have a preference?”
“Nah. Surprise me. Dealer's choice.”
“Mom?” Rafe turned at the whine in Avery’s voice.
“Yes, baby?”
“I’m hungry. So, so hungry. I’m sooooo hungry. Help.”
“Well sister, you are also in luck. Go get washed up and lunch will be ready in a bit.”
“Okay.” She looked like she was going to head upstairs, but she looked dead at Rafe again. This kid was really letting him know who ran things around here. “Are you going to be our nanny this time? Our nanny quit and it was rude.”
“I think your mom and I are going to talk about it. Can we let you know when we know?”
“Okay. If you’re not going to stay, say goodbye first,” Avery said as she grabbed the edge of the counter and started jumping up and down. “Leaving without saying goodbye is rude.”
“You’re right. I will not leave without saying goodbye.”
“Okay.” Avery hopped up and down a few more times before taking off to join her sister.
Sloan rolled her eyes. “See, she came around.”
“She’s tough, but fair.”
“True,” Sloan said with that smile that Rafe was starting to love before a sober look came over her face. She leaned against the counter, arms across her ample chest. She was ready to talk business. “So, I don’t want to sound desperate, but please say yes. The girls love you and my Spidey senses are telling me that you’re obviously a good guy.”
“I wouldn’t say all that,” Rafe let slip.
“God, just tell me now if you’re secretly a huge asshole.”
“I—I think we have problem.”
Sloan’s expression droppe
d. “What is it?”
Rafe sucked in a deep breath and decided it was best to tell Sloan the truth. She was only growing on him and seeing her every day, even if only for a few hours, wasn’t going to make things any easier. “I’ve never worked for a single mother I was this attracted to before. I am very attracted to you.”
“Oh?” Sloan seemed genuinely confused, like he’d be a fool to think she could be anything close to sexy.
“Is that crazy?”
“Yes? I—no? I just—I didn’t expect you to say that. I—nevermind. Okay.” Sloan let out a long sigh, then put her hands on her hips as she examined those scratch-resistant faux wood tiles. He could see where Avery got the gesture from. “I guess it’s not impossible.”
“Are people not usually attracted to you?” Rafe asked. It was his turn to be confused. How was every man who encountered this woman not lining up just for a chance? What the fuck was her ex-husband’s problem?
“Not the people I want, but that’s not the issue. How big of a problem are we talking?”
“It’s not going to impair my judgement, but I’ve been trying not to look at you all day.”
“Oh.” Rafe watched her beautiful face as her full lips twisted up at the corner. “Okay. Well. Unless you think it’ll impact your ability to look after the girls… do you?”
“No,” Rafe said honestly. Yeah, he wanted Sloan. Bad. But that wasn’t enough to change who he was at his core. While he might be blunt and honest, he wasn’t stupid and he wasn’t a dick. This casual Saturday afternoon was a breeze, but Sloan needed someone she could trust to hold things down twenty-four seven.
From what she told him, she operated for hours upon hours, a few days a week. And even when patients’ lives weren’t in her literal hands, her job came with a lot of demands. She couldn’t settle for a nanny who would do anything less than help her children thrive. He knew he was the right person for the job. “It won’t be a problem.”
“Okay, good. Let’s see how the rest of the day goes, but I’d really like it if you could start tomorrow. I can handle your attraction to me, if you can.”
“Yeah, I guess. Sounds good.”
“Good.” Then Sloan changed the subject like he hadn’t just told her wanted to deep dick her into next week. “Can I put you on apple slices?”
“Absolutely. I’m good with a knife.”
“Knife block is right there and you can grab three apples out of the crisper. Or seven. I don’t know how much fiber it takes to keep this system running,” she said with a little laugh as she gestured up and down his tall frame. Rafe narrowed his eyes at her and walked past her to the fridge. He grabbed three apples, rinsed them, and then settled in next to Sloan at the island and started chopping.
3
Sloan deserved an award for her performance in “I Spent the Last Eight Hours Pretending Everything is Totally Cool.” Years of telling patients that they were in the safe, capable hands of a doctor who was barely old enough to drink had kicked her people-reading skills to an eleven. She knew when people were comfortable with her. She knew when people wanted to patronize the shit out of her, but had the decency to hold their rude comments back. She also recognized a good vibe when she saw one. She could tell that she would click with someone on more than one level.
Or so she thought. All day, Rafe had been completely polite and perfectly sweet with the girls, which was all that mattered right now. With Sloan? He’d been cordial with a side of frosty. Not mean, but he was making it very clear what kind of a professional he was and how important it was to him to bond with the girls. Which was exactly what Sloan wanted and the exact reason she did the smart thing and packed up her drooling lust for Rafe in a neat little box and tucked it way in the back of her brain attic. She’d planned to leave it there to collect dust until she forgot all about it. And then Rafe had to go kick down the door and spill the contents of that box-o-lust down the stairs.
So, Rafe was attracted to her. Cool. No big deal. She thought she’d handled it well. Brought the focus back to the job at hand. People were attracted to other people all the time. People were attracted to other people they worked with all the time. So, they were attracted to each other, even Rafe didn’t know it. It was no big deal. If Rafe decided to take the job, she would just keep the nasty, filthy thoughts that had been running through her head when she watched his wet, tattooed body glistening in the afternoon sun to herself. No big deal.
The rest of the afternoon went as well as Sloan hoped it would. She hung back as they ate lunch and let Rafe talk some more with the girls while he showed them how to use crayons with watercolors. They told him that they were starting kindergarten in a week and they were excited because they’d already met their teacher Mrs. Brown and she was very nice. They wanted their “aunt” Xeni to be their teacher, Addison explained, but her classroom was across the hall, so they’d still be able to see her. Rafe knew Mrs. Brown too, and agreed that they would enjoy being in her class.
Avery finally came all the way out of her shell and peppered Rafe with questions about his tattoos. The girls were enthralled by his explanation of how the ink goes under the skin and Sloan was very pleased when he went on to explain that they had to wait until they were done growing to get tattoos of their own.
When bedtime rolled around, Avery and Addison made it very clear that Sloan needed to step all the way aside and let Rafe handle things.
“If he’s going to be our nanny, he needs to know how to do it,” Avery said in the same exasperated tone she used when Sloan tried to tell her something she was already knew. Sloan put up her hands in surrender and stepped aside. Addison took pity on her mom feelings and let her pick out tonight’s pajamas, but after the girls were changed and in bed, Sloan slipped outside to listen at the door. Rafe really did have everything under control and Avery was on him correcting any tiny misstep. Sloan was sure they’d heard her snort of laughter when she told Rafe that he needed a manicure.
“I’ve been working on my dad’s motorcycle,” she heard him say. “These are working man’s hands.”
“Working men should file their nails.” Avery said. Sloan was raising some cold-blooded young ladies and she couldn’t be prouder.
“If you stay, you’ll have to do our hair sometimes and you’ll definitely have to file your nails or they’ll snag on our curls,” Addison said.
“Got it. Get a nail file. I’m on it. I think it’s time to say goodnight.”
“Tell Mom you want to be our nanny,” Addison said in a stage whisper.
“I will. Do you want goodnight hugs or goodnight high fives?” he asked, scoring himself even more points.
“High fives!” both girls said.
There was a round of giggles before she heard Rafe say, “Goodnight, tiny people.” A few seconds later, Rafe squeezed his large frame through the smallest crack the doorway would allow.
“They’re a tough crowd, but I think I did okay,” he said.
“You did great.” They were so close, Sloan was forced to ignore the smell of sunscreen on him. “You want to head down to the kitchen? I’m just going to say goodnight to them and then we can talk.”
“I’ll be waiting.” Sloan decided it was best not to wonder if there was any innuendo in his tone. Instead, she offered him what had to have been the most awkward smile before she slid into her girls’ bedroom.
“So, what do you think?” she whispered as she sat on Avery’s bed. Addison jumped out of her bed and came over to join them, nudging Sloan’s arms out of the way so she could sit on her lap.
“I like him,” she said.
“I like him too. I like him better than Tess.”
“Oh, well I guess that means a lot,” Sloan said. “You loved Tess.”
“Not anymore. Tess is a dickhead.”
“Hey!” Sloan scolded. “We don’t use language like that.”
“You called her a dickhead yesterday.” Shit. Avery must have heard her talking to Xeni. She had to remember the NSA age
nt monitoring her phone had nothing on her kids.
“And I was wrong to say that. It’s okay to be sad or angry with Tess, but don’t call people names. I’ll try to be better about it.”
“Let’s stop talking about Tess,” Addison said with some resolve and a pained sigh. If Sloan ever saw that dickhead again...
“I like that idea. Let’s move on for good. No more Tess chat. So Rafe gets a thumbs up?”
“Yes, but we have a lot to teach him. He’s a boy and he’s White,” Avery said.
Sloan snorted. “He is both of those things. He’s nice too, yeah?”
“Yeah, he’s nice. And he’s more patient than Daddy,” Addison added.
“Oh? How so?” Drew was a good father, but he was a little high strung. Reason number 8,578 their marriage ended.
“Daddy won’t let us do anything ourself.”
Avery sprung up in her bed. “Yeah! He doesn’t. Rafe is good at teamwork. Daddy wants to do everything himself.”
“Okay, okay. Let’s not get into Daddy tonight. I’m going to talk to Rafe and I think there’s a pretty good chance that tomorrow, he will be your new nanny.” That news was met with an enthusiastic “YAY!” from both girls. Sloan couldn’t explain the relief she felt. The girls had been too hung up on the move to L.A. to make a real judgement call on Tess when she first hired her, but now she was glad the girls were on board with someone new, someone Sloan was pretty confident she could trust.
“So now,” she sang as she stood and swung Addison around. “I say goodnight to my darling love bugs.” It took her another ten minutes to get them settled again. She had to field a few more questions about tattoos, and eventually she headed downstairs to talk to Rafe.
She found him in the kitchen, finishing up the dishes. Sloan paused just for a moment to take a mental snapshot of his ink-covered forearms as he set another plate in the dishwasher. “I can handle those,” she said. Her voice sounded weird again. Bitch get a grip.
“Not a problem. I think best when I’m moving around.”
“I’m the same way.” Sloan pulled out a stool at the island and waited until he put the last plate in the dishwasher. She tried not to watch him too closely as he dried his hands, but those arms with those tattoos were enough to make a girl sweat a little. He pulled out the stool at the corner of the island and took a seat.
RAFE: A Buff Male Nanny (Loose Ends Book 1) Page 3