It was early, the sun glowing warmly into my bedroom against the floor-to-ceiling glass looking out over the pool. I glanced next to me at Kelli, still fast asleep on the far side of the bed, her back to me, her hair splayed over the pillow. It had grown cool last night and the comforter was pulled up to her shoulders. I thought about brushing it back, tracing my hand along her curves, then decided against it. Kelli had never been a morning person. Unlike me. I liked getting up with the worms, so to speak, and starting my day relatively early, which gave me more time later in the day to do things I wanted.

I threw the covers back and eased out of bed, wearing only a pair of dark blue boxers. The house was quiet. I ran my fingers through my hair and down my stubbled cheeks, trying to organize my thoughts around what I needed to get done today. I headed for the foyer then through the living room, glancing at the pool water shimmering as the sun rose incrementally higher. I headed into the dining area of the kitchen, smiling with a sense of pride in my home. My shelter. My sanctuary.

Sarah had already set the table for breakfast for Kelli and me. She was quite handy to have around. I moved toward the refrigerator but stopped abruptly at the sight of Sarah standing on the other side of the countertop, screwing the nipple on to a bottle filled with formula.

She startled and gasped, almost dropping the bottle, and lifted her free hand to her throat.

"Sorry about that," I said, my gaze sweeping over tousled hair draped over her smooth shoulders, the spaghetti straps of her clingy pajama top emphasizing the mounds of her breasts. My cock twitched. At any second, I was going to be guilty of standing in the kitchen in my underwear goggling at the nanny.

I turned, reached into the refrigerator, grabbed a box of orange juice and lifted it to my mouth, guzzling. The cold liquid ran down my throat, cooling me a degree. I swallowed and winked at Sarah, whispering, "Don't tell Kelli. It's a pet peeve of hers."

Sarah merely stared, her eyes sweeping from my face, down my chest, and then farther downward before coming back again. There was a surprising tightening in my belly and my dick wiggled with interest, and I covered my reaction by taking another gulp of orange juice, holding it in my mouth several seconds until I swallowed. My composure restored, I folded the top of the carton back and replaced the box in the fridge.

I didn't know why I just stood there, letting her look her fill, but I couldn't help the surge of pleasure that raced through me as her gaze lingered on my chest. I was practically naked and I wasn't quite sure what to do about it. I wanted to act casual. After all, this was my house. If I wanted to walk around naked, I would. Besides, she wasn't seeing anything more than she would have if I'd been wearing swimming trunks and taking a dip in the pool. Still, the flush of color in her cheeks, the tight way she swallowed, and the slight flutter of her fingers as she quickly lifted her hand to play with a wedge of hair caused my heart to accelerate.

"You're up early," I said, then paused and barely held back a grimace. What a stupid thing to say. Obviously, she was making breakfast for Ethan. "He sleep okay?"

She nodded. "He always does. I think he was sleeping through the night at about two weeks old, maybe into his third week."

I nodded, then thought about what she’d said. "So, have you been a nanny for Kelli since the beginning? Since she delivered?"

She hesitantly nodded. "It was pretty early on," she replied, still not moving.

We stared at each other for several moments. She could've turned and left the kitchen, but she didn't. Finally, I grinned. "Are you always an early riser, or is it just because you got up to feed Ethan?"

It didn’t matter, not in the least, but if I wanted to continue to stand here, watching the way her cheeks flushed with color, ever deeper as she tried to keep her gaze from dropping to my waist again, I had to say something. I felt a tinge of pride that she seemed to find my body so attractive. I supposed all the work I did in the gym — lifting free weights, sit-ups and crunches — had paid off. I did have an impressive six-pack. Her gaze jolted up from the area around my belly button and back to my face. The flash of color rising in her cheeks was adorable.

"What?" she said, twirling the bottle on the countertop. "Oh, no, I've always been an early riser."

"Me too," I said, casually crossing my arms over my chest and leaning my shoulder against the stainless-steel of the refrigerator. "I find that I'm much more focused in the morning, and I usually hit my limit about midafternoon."

She nodded, glanced down at the bottle, then back at me. "I would imagine that designing software takes a lot of focus and concentration. I couldn't do it."

I chuckled. "I don't think I could do what you do full time, that's for sure. You seem like a natural, like you've been taking care of babies all your life, but you're not that old." I belatedly realized how that sounded. "I didn't mean that to come across as a negative," I amended. "But you can't be… what, twenty-five, I'd guess?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know? Kelli told you?"

I grinned and shook my head. "Nope. I've always been pretty good at guessing ages. I think I'm a pretty good judge of character too, and in my line of work, that's important." I shrugged. "But what I meant, with your level of comfort with taking care of Ethan, I can imagine that this isn't your first go as a nanny, is it?"

She smiled and was about to reply when there was the brush of fabric against my shoulder. I glanced to my side and found Kelli standing behind me eyeing Sarah with a threatening look. It was there for just an instant, and then she pasted on a smile and glanced up at me.

"Are you sneaking orange juice out of the carton again?"

I nodded, not sure how she knew. Was that jealousy I‘d seen in her gaze? I could tell by her body language, she didn't like what she’d seen. Was it the fact that Sarah was still in her pajamas? The fact that I was wearing only boxers? Or was it that we were talking pleasantly with one another?

“Good morning, dear.” I turned toward Sarah again, but with scarlet cheeks, she quickly excused herself and rushed out of the kitchen, saying she needed to feed Ethan.

Kelli looked me up and down, then raised her hand and placed it on my chest. A fingernail traced one of my nipples and then skimmed down my abdomen toward the waistband of my boxers.

"You shouldn't be wandering around naked, you know," she said, the silk of her wrap pressing against my side seductively.

I shrugged. "I didn't even think about it. The house was quiet and I thought everyone was sleeping."

She shook her head and swiped her hand across her forehead, tucking a wisp of hair behind her ears. I watched as she stepped to the opposite counter and reached into the cupboard for the bag of coffee. Her back to me, she prepared it and turned on the coffee maker, her shoulders held stiff, her back straight.

"Besides, I'm not naked,” I said to tease, sort of, but she said nothing. I didn't care for the disapproval from her, the annoyance as she raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest, emphasizing the size of her breasts.

"Close to it." She gestured with her chin toward the nursery and lowered her voice. "She's my nanny, Joel. I think this is her first time as a live-in nanny. Let's not scare her off, hmm?"

I frowned. "I have no intention of frightening her off," I said. "But this is my house, and I don't want to have to think twice before I venture from my bedroom at the crack of dawn. Which begs the question, what are you doing up so early?"

She faked a smile, shrugged. "I reached over to you and you weren't there. I thought you were in your office working." Another shrug. "I know this takeover business has got you stressed, but I hope you're not pushing yourself too hard."

The coffee machine gurgled as we gazed at one another. I wasn't sure if I believed her, but what else could it be? She couldn't possibly feel threatened by Sarah, could she? Then again, it was Sarah who took care of Ethan more often than not, even when we were all home. I wondered about that, then felt stupid for standing here in my underwear wondering if my girlfriend was jealous of the nanny when she’d just expressed concern for me.

Kelli turned to open the cupboards and pulled out two mugs. Poured coffee in both, then turned to me, handing me a cup while she cradled the other in her hands.

I decided to spit it out. "Kelli, are you having trouble adjusting to motherhood?"

She had just taken a sip of coffee and coughed lightly. "What?" she managed, wincing as she quickly swallowed.

"I've just noticed that sometimes you seem hesitant to hold Ethan or take care of him… like changing his diaper or soothing him when he's crying. I'm just wondering, are you having trouble adjusting? I can imagine that it's quite—"

"I'm not having trouble adjusting, Joel," she replied. "And I have a busy work schedule, as you know. Sarah is a godsend. I don't know what I'd do without her. You know my work takes me away and I can be gone for days on photo shoots." She glanced down at her bare feet and toenails painted a sleek pale pink, then looked back up.

There was a glimmer of uncertainty in her posture as she shrugged once again. I waited. She wanted to say more, I could tell.

"Maybe I am a little bit nervous around him," she admitted. "Sarah seems to have a knack for doing all the right things for Ethan, and he rarely cries when she's holding him. I can't say the same for me."

Her comment made sense. I took a step toward her, placed a hand on her silk-covered shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Just give it time. You'll get the hang of it. But until then, let's keep Sarah around. Sound like a plan?"

She glanced over her shoulder down the hallway and then back at me, her eyebrows lifted as she sipped her coffee. "Sounds like a plan," she echoed, then slipped past me and disappeared down the hall.

I stayed in the kitchen for several more minutes, sipping my coffee, then strolled out into the family room, looking through the windows at the blue shimmer of the pool. I couldn't get the sight of Sarah in her pajamas out of my head. Just a simple tank top with spaghetti straps, but a tank top that fit snugly, emphasizing her breasts, her pale creamy shoulders, the muscle tone in her upper arms. The top also emphasized her narrow waist and flaring hips. Though she wasn't quite as lean as Kelli, she had a figure that tightened my groin and, oddly enough, prompted a surge of desire.

Perhaps not odd. I was a man and she was a woman. But until I saw her standing across the counter like that, I’d never thought of her in that way. Kelli was right. She was her nanny. Our nanny. Still, that didn't make her any less attractive. In addition to her pretty features and a nice body, I also found myself attracted to Sarah's spirit, her confidence, and her abilities. Would I act on it? No. I needed Sarah. Kelli needed Sarah. Ethan needed her most of all. The thought of Kelli trying to care for the baby full time prompted me to frown. She wasn't ready. With my involvement at work, the extra hours I'd need to be putting in until this takeover mess was over meant we both would be counting on Sarah to be there for Ethan. She didn’t need the distraction of knowing I’d been getting a hard-on just looking at her in the kitchen.

I realized that this change in my view of Sarah was probably not for the best. Kelli and I were just getting used to living together again. The look I had seen on her face was one I’d seen before. While I tried to tell myself that nothing untoward had happened between Sarah and me, and I honestly believed it to be the truth, I was having second thoughts for the first time since inviting Kelli to move back in.

Maybe I had acted too soon, but I wanted Ethan here.

Kelli could be a bit possessive, something that we had argued about in the past. The fact that she had nothing to be jealous about now was perhaps not as obvious to her as it was to me. She also had no reason to be judgmental toward me. I wasn't the one who had screwed around.

She had.