CHAPTER NINE
Nora
I STRIP OFF my yoga pants and toss them in the washer with the rest of my darks. With the flick of my hip, the door closes. I spin around and dance my way back to the kitchen for a little liquid happy. The house is quiet with Hank and Colby both still asleep upstairs. I have a good hour to get laundry done before Colby wakes up and my day really begins.
The first few weeks of living with Hank and Colby were awkward, more so for Hank than me. While I was attending University of Washington, I lived at home to save money. My only saving grace, in this situation, was that I grew up in a house full of siblings. Although I haven’t lived with anyone outside my family, I know to knock before entering any room inhabited by a boy. Walking in on my older brother jerking off in a tube sock was lesson enough for me. Hank, on the other hand, has never lived with anyone over the age of five. But raising a little girl has taught him to respect a woman’s space. It’s taken some time, but we have found our rhythm and routine.
I stand over the coffee pot and breathe in the fresh, dark roasted aroma. If spirit animals were a real thing, coffee would be mine. Even the sound of it pouring into my cup is heaven to my ears. With the first sip I can hear the angels singing. While the coffee works it magic, I look over Colby’s schedule for the day. It’s my favorite day of the week. Today we have our weekly hot cocoa date at Starbucks after Mommy and Me yoga, and then we end the day with cupcakes at the park before her daddy-daughter date with Hank.
Hank should get a Father of the Year award for doing these dates every week with Colby, especially with the surprise date he is taking her on tonight. He’s taking her to see the new live action Beauty and the Beast movie, and he commissioned me to make him a beast costume to wear to the theater. Just when I think this man can’t possibly get any more perfect, he goes and does a thing like this. Like I needed any more of an excuse to sit on this man’s face. This also proves Zoe is right, that Hank is the perfect man for me. I won’t tell her that, at least not yet. Spending the past two months getting to know him better, through our nightly talks, has brought us closer. We’re more like friends rather than boss and nanny. I’m sure I’ve crossed a boundary by becoming friends with him. The caretaker in me wants to be the shoulder for him to lean on, or, in his case, just to be a listening ear. He hasn’t really had anyone to come home to that he could vent about his day or have a good laugh with. If I can be that for him, I will happily cross that boundary. Plus, it means I get to spend more time with him and who wouldn’t want that.
I am standing behind the island, with the last sip of my coffee warming its way down my throat when the back-door creaks open and a shirtless, sweaty Hank steps inside. I about drop the cup in my hand when I get a full, unobstructed view of his tattoo cladded chest. He’s got me so distracted by his insane body, I can’t put together the pieces of how the hell he made it out of the house for a run without me seeing him. I can’t take my eyes off him. I’ve had an idea of the magnificent body that has been hiding under his suits and Henley shirts he normally wears around me. My imagination has filled in the rest, but it pales in comparison to the tattooed, golden-tanned, panty-killing body standing a few feet away from me.
I shake myself back into reality and wipe the drool from my chin. “When did you get up?” I ask. Normally Hank goes for his runs at seven. Not that I’m complaining.
“I let Colby sleep in my bed after she had a nightmare so, for the rest of the night, I kept getting kicked in the back and slapped in the face. After the last kick to the kidney, I decided to get up.” He strides over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. I watch the muscles in his back flex as he opens the door. It should be a crime to look that sexy opening a refrigerator door.
“I feel your pain. We took a nap together on the couch a couple days ago, and I woke up on the floor.” I snicker. Colby has to be part wildling.
Hank twists off the cap of his bottle and takes a gulp of the cold water. As he turns in my direction, his view of all of me finally unobstructed by the counter, the water in his mouth comes spitting out. He quickly turns his back to me. “Um Nora, you aren’t wearing any pants.”
I glance down at my lower half and there are my blue cotton panties for the whole world to see. Apparently, seeing Hank without a shirt made me completely forget the fact that I wasn’t wearing any pants. “I am so sorry. I was doing laundry and decided to add the bottoms I was wearing into the load.” I scramble to find something to cover me up. All I can find is a roll of paper towels. I rip off a few sheets and wrap them around my waist.
Hank turns around and lets out a hardy laugh. “That is not doing any good. I’m trying to be a gentleman right now, but if you don’t put on a pair of pants soon, I’m not going to be able to control myself.”
“Okay, but if I have to put on pants then you have to put a shirt on. I can’t think straight with those glistening muscles staring at me,” I tease.
He takes a few steps toward me. “Oh, am I distracting you? Well, here, let me cover up.” He stops in front of me and then reaches for the paper towels, ripping one square off. He places it in the middle of his chest. “Is that better?” he asks with a sly grin.
“Oh yeah, that is so much better,” I say in a sarcastic tone. I really want to reach up and run my hands all over the chiseled plane of his chest. “You should wear that more often.”
“Only if you wear the matching skirt.” He winks.
“I’ll go grab some pants from the laundry room.” I turn and head toward the laundry room. “It’s a good thing I wasn’t wearing a thong or you really would have gotten quite the show.” I can’t help but to tease him again.
“Nora, don’t you know it’s not nice to tease a man who hasn’t had sex in four years.”
His statement stops me dead in my tracks. I slowly turn back around and take a few steps back into the kitchen. My brain is struggling to comprehend what I just heard. That can’t possibly be true . . . there is no way. He has women falling all over themselves to get his attention wherever he goes. No, it’s not true.
“You’re messing with me aren’t you, there is no way that is true. Have you seen yourself? You are panty droppingly hot. There is no way you have trouble getting sex,” I say, completely stunned by his admission.
Hank tilts his head to the side, and his eyes glide down my legs. “I must not be that good looking, your panties are still on.” He chuckles.
“That’s because I’m holding them up because every time you walk into the room they want to go down to my ankles,” I unabashedly admit. Hank just shakes his head and laughs. “Seriously, you have not had sex in four years?”
“I’m not messing with you, Nora. When Colby came along, I put all my focus into staying clean and taking care of her. I spend all day at work, and then I come home and spend time with Colby. By the time all of that is done, there’s not much time left to go out looking for pussy.”
“Hank, you know I would be happy-”
“Nora, you work for me, I don’t think it would be appropriate for us to start sleeping together,” Hank interrupts.
It takes all that I have not to drop to the floor with laughter. “Jude Law would disagree with you on that fact. Yes, I am your nanny, which means I’m here to take care of Colby while you are gone, so if you need to go out and get some, I can stay with Colby,” I suggest, secretly hoping he won’t take me up on the offer. If anyone is going to take that man out of his self-induced celibacy, it’s going to be me.
“You’re sweet to offer, but really, I’m fine. Now, seriously, go put on some damn pants or I will be forced to take off my paper towel square,” he threatens.
“Oh please, no don’t, I’ll never survive.” I fake terror and run for the laundry room.