RAFE: A Buff Male Nanny (Loose Ends Book 1) Read online

  “Before we get down to it, I just wanted to apologize for what I said earlier,” he said

  “What—oh. Right.”

  “I was way out of line and that was real inappropriate. You have my word nothing like that will happen again. You are very beautiful, but this,” he motioned between them. “I know it’s not gonna happen.”

  Sloan felt a twinge of disappointment she couldn’t explain, and pushed that into the corner with the other odd feelings she’d been boxing up all day. “I appreciate that and I accept your apology. But you should know that I wasn’t offended. If I was, you’d definitely hear about it.”

  “They get their frank, no-nonsense nature from you.”

  Sloan laughed. “Yes.”

  “Good to know. I’m the same way.”

  “I’m seeing that.” Sloan looked up and even though they had squashed this whole lust at first sight issue, she couldn’t handle the way he was looking at her. Like, really looking at her. His blue eyes intensely reading every emotion that must have been playing across her face. A sudden heat crept over her skin as a tightness gripped her throat. It had been a long time since she felt this way. Over six years in fact. She cleared her throat and moved on. “So.”

  “So.”

  “We had our annual Copeland family board meeting and when we got to new business, I was informed that the members would like to offer you the position.”

  “Hmm,” Rafe leaned back and ran his fingers through his beard. Sloan suddenly realized that she was dying to know what that beard felt like between her legs. “Please tell the board that I accept.”

  “Wonderful.” They talked again about Rafe’s pay, which he seemed pleased with. He’d hopped off the Bakers’ family phone plan when they left the country and set up his own. It seemed easier to leave it that way. Sloan was offering more than what the Bakers paid, more than covering his expenses in that area.

  “I like to keep the girls home on Sunday. I want to get them in the habit of knowing that it’s good to take a day to do nothing. That’ll be your day off unless we’re traveling. Saturday too, but that will be kind of a flex day. I’ll let you know in advance if I need you.”

  And then they got to her least favorite part of the conversation. “Their father, Drew, has visitation one weekend a month. As I mentioned, he’s also in cardiothoracics. He has a private practice in Seattle. I’ll share that visitation calendar with you. You’ll have to take them to LAX on Friday when they get out of school. Drew arranged the recurring flight and I’ll make sure you’re on that email.”

  Rafe nodded. “Is there anything else I need to know there?” He was asking about Drew.

  “No. He’s fine. I couldn't justify turning down the job at Med and I have primary custody,” Sloan shrugged. “That’s all.” Also, she really hated him.

  They hammered out some final details and then it was time for Rafe to go. Sloan walked him out to the driveway to his motorcycle. For some foolish reason, it felt like the end of a really good date.

  Rafe climbed on his bike. Even in the dim street light, it was a lot of sexy to handle.

  “I’ll be back in the morning.”

  “Great.”

  He looked at her for a long moment and Sloan knew that for however long he was with her family, this was going to be difficult. “Goodnight, Sloan,” he finally said.

  “Goodnight.” She wanted to stand there and watch him slip on his helmet. She wanted to be close enough to feel the rumble of the engine when he started up his bike. She wanted to watch him ride off into the darkness, but this wasn’t a movie and they were not an item. She offered him a little wave and a tight smile, and then she walked into the house. She had a few things to do downstairs before she climbed into her own bed. Still, she lingered just inside the front door and embraced the small shiver that rippled over her skin the moment he started his Ducati up.

  Sloan couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t that late, but now that she had her childcare situation sorted, she thought she could at least try to get seven uninterrupted hours of blissful rest before Avery woke her up asking for waffles.

  She sat up in her bed and turned on her T.V.. Golden Girls reruns seemed like the perfect remedy, but even after one of Blanche’s killer punchlines, Sloan was still restless. She reached for her phone and texted Xeni.

  I’m screwed.

  OMG. I was waiting for you to text me, but i didn’t want to blow up your phone. How did it go?

  Really good.

  He’s really mellow, but not a pushover.

  Not too heavy handed. He’s also huge

  and tatted so he’ll have Avery’s back in

  all the parking lot fights she’ll surely

  start along the way.

  Oh good. Nothing like a large white boy in a parking lot fight.

  Why are you screwed?

  Sarah said he’s amazing and you clearly

  think he’s a good fit.

  Yeah, but...

  Sloan added the emoji of the monkey covering its eyes.

  What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?

  I think he might have a little crush on me.

  I mean I know he does.

  Um. Details please.

  He said that he’s kinda feeling me.

  Would it be weird to say that

  my prayers have been answered?

  The goddess sent you a fine man and

  someone to look after your kids

  all in one package.

  Hold on. I have something for you

  .

  Sloan waited for the next text from Xeni, but instead her silly friend called her on FaceTime. She answered the call and immediately died laughing at the ridiculous open mouth grin on Xeni’s face. She leaned over and turned on her bedside lamp so Xeni could see her.

  “Why are you calling me?”

  “I need you to see my face,” Xeni said before dropping that crazy grin. “Wait, shit. I have to send you something. It didn’t send. Call me back as soon as you get it.”

  “What—” Xeni ended the call and two seconds later a video text popped up.

  She thought she was seeing things when she looked at the thumbnail, but when she pressed play her eyes almost fell out of her head. It was a video of a White guy and a Black guy, both shirtless in a backyard or something, going head to head in a push up contest. The White guy was definitely Rafe. Beardless and missing the tattoo that now covered the right side of his neck, but she could tell it was him.

  Whoever was counting had them at sixty push ups a piece, but they were starting to slow down. At around seventy-five, Rafe looked like he was going to tap out. At seventy-eight, he collapsed to the ground before getting to his feet. The crowd around him went wild as the other man picked up steam at the obvious ego boost and did ten more pushups. Finally, the Black guy stood and they clasped palms. A gentleman’s bet.

  Sloan immediately called Xeni back. “Where did you find this?”

  “Girl, you gotta learn how to Instagram deep dive. His sister posted it.”

  “Jesus.”

  “You’re gonna hit that, right?”

  “Um, no. He’s my nanny!”

  “That is true, but if he’s single and you’re single... Who is he gonna go to. HR? You are HR!”

  “No.”

  “Okay, so what exactly happened? What did he say?”

  “He said he’d never worked for a single mother that he’s been attracted to before.”

  “And what else?”

  “That’s it. I asked him if his attraction to me would make it hard for him to focus on the girls. He assured me it wouldn’t and then, before he left, he apologized for mentioning it. He said he’d never mention it again.”

  “And you believe him?”

  “I mean, yeah. He just doesn’t seem the type to bullshit me like that. So he thinks I’m cute or whatever, but it ends there.”

  “Here’s my solution. Wait a few days. He could secretly be wack as hell. Like, you can be wack and
good with kids. Trust me. There are some wack dudes in elementary education who are amazing with kids.”

  “There are wack dudes everywhere.”

  “Exactly. See if he’s wack. Like, give him a few weeks. You might—wait. You’re attracted to him, right?”

  “You’re asking me that? After you sent me that video? Under different circumstances, I would let him destroy this. Just wreck it.”

  “Okay. Well, if, after a few weeks of catching him shirtless doing the laundry or doing some adorable shit to get Addison to stop crying, you don’t want him to really bang that pussy out, I’ll never suggest you get with him again. But if you find yourself thinking about bouncing on his lap, I’m going to tell you to roll up on him after the girls go to sleep or while they’re up with their dad. I’m going to tell you to pop a titty out and ask him what’s good.”

  “Has this ‘pop a titty out’ method worked for you before?”

  “I have yet to meet a man worthy of these titties. But when I do, oh I’m popping a titty out.”

  Sloan couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, okay.”

  “But for real. You’ve been alone for three years. If you two are into each other, just be adults and talk about it. You can figure it out and not scar the girls forever. If it’s too dicey, then yeah, don’t go there. But if not…”

  “We’re not feeling each other. He just likes the way I look and I like the way he looks.”

  “Mhmm, okay.”

  “I’m going to bed.”

  “Don’t sprain your wrist watching that video on repeat.”

  “Bitch!” The last thing Sloan heard before she ended the call was Xeni’s cackle.

  Rafe went home and did exactly what he had to do. He packed up all the stuff he wanted to bring with him to the Copelands’ before giving himself an at-home, budget manicure. Then he spilled a gallon of jizz jerking off to the thought of pulling the crotch of Sloan Copeland’s bathing suit to the side and fucking her clean into next week.

  He’d told her how he felt and her confused reaction made it clear that even if she liked the look of him, her attraction ended right there. It made sense. This was the real world, not some perfect fantasy where he could somehow engage in a no strings attached fuck-a-thon with the single mother he now worked for.

  He fell asleep with Sloan on his mind, but when he woke up in the morning, he was ready to get back to business. His job for this week was to get a sense of Avery and Addison’s rhythms and to look for areas where he could be more helpful to Sloan.

  Rafe rolled out of bed and walked into the kitchen where his step-mom, Monica, was making some toast.

  “Good morning,” she said, her voice still gravelly.

  “Rough night?” Rafe kissed her on the cheek, then started digging around the fridge. He found just enough real milk for his cereal. His sisters already tore him a new one for trying out their almond milk.

  “We didn’t stop playing until two, but I won. And I finally got to cuss out Larry Page for disrespecting your father.”

  Rafe bust out laughing. Monica engaged in some pretty intense spades tournaments with her friends from her old neighborhood. His dad was terrible at the game and people loved to give him shit for it.

  “I’m sure Joe appreciates you defending his honor. He could also just learn how to play.”

  “He said he can’t play against me because he loves me too much to win and he can’t be my partner because he’s distracted by my beauty.”

  “Oh, that’s slick.”

  “That’s your daddy. Hope dragged him out on another one of their nerd adventures, so I’ll drop you off at the doctor’s house when you’re ready.”

  Before he could thank her, he heard the telltale sign of a teenager sprinting across the house. Seconds later, his other sister, Gracie, came sliding into the kitchen. She was still in her night shirt and sporting a pair of Spongebob slippers.

  “You got the job with the Copelands?” she said with a big smile on her face.

  “Yeah, I gotta leave in an hour. Mom is dropping me off.”

  “Can I come with you? I really want to meet her.” Rafe glanced over at Monica before turning his attention back to the amped fifteen-year-old. “What? I googled her. She’s the youngest surgeon ever to perform a successful heart transplant and she’s Black!”

  “Let me ask her.” Rafe pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent Sloan a text.

  Morning, I hope this isn’t too intrusive.

  My little sister googled you and

  she’s dying to meet one of the most

  accomplished surgeons in the country.

  Is it okay if she swings by with me?

  My step-mom is coming too.

  Sloan sent back the laughing emoji with her reply.

  I’d love to meet them both.

  Thanks.

  Last time I’ll show up with an entourage.

  I swear.

  It’s fine. The girls won’t stop asking

  how many more minutes until you get here.

  That warmed his chest. They were growing on him too.

  Tell them very soon.

  He slipped his phone back in his pocket, then turned to Gracie who was still standing there, anxiously awaiting Sloan’s response. “You can come. Put on pants though.”

  “Pants? I can’t show up at Dr. Sloan Copeland’s house in pants. I need to impress her. Only my spring formal gown will do. If you peasants will excuse me.”

  “Who are you calling a peasant? I’m the queen of this house,” Monica replied.

  “Too true. Not you, mom. Just this bum.” She stuck out her tongue at him.

  “You can stay here.”

  “No! I’ll be nice, I swear.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Go get dressed.” Gracie took off for her room. It was the smart thing to do. “She used to be cute. Remember?” Rafe said.

  “I can’t blame anyone but myself. She got my mouth. Let me put on my face and I’ll be ready to go.”

  “Sounds good.”

  An hour later, they left his folks’ place and headed toward Westwood. Gracie whistled when they pulled up to Sloan’s house. “I have to study more.” Rafe couldn’t imagine what a new build with a pool in that area cost, but he knew it wasn’t cheap.

  “I’ll have to tack real estate listings above her desk,” Monica teased as she put the car in park. Just as Rafe climbed out, one of the twins opened the door and came out on the front steps, still in her pajamas. The way she glared at him made him almost positive that he would be dealing with Avery first. Right behind her came Sloan, sporting a loose tank top and a pair of skintight yoga pants. Rafe got one look at her and knew he was absolutely fucked.

  4

  Rafe took the few moments he had to make his way from the driveway to the front door to get his shit together. He was officially on the clock and Dr. Copeland wasn’t his to lust over. “Good morning,” he said.

  “Good morning,” Sloan replied. “Avery, can you say good morning?” Instead of following her mother’s suggestion, Avery looked him up and down.

  “Let me see your working man’s hands.” Rafe held out his perfectly filed nails. Avery grabbed his fingers and turned them this way and that. Then she grunted, possibly in disgust, before a sinister grin spread out over her face. “They’d look better with pink polish.”

  “Oh, good lord,” Sloan groaned.

  “Let’s make it through our first week and then I’ll let you paint my nails.”

  “Yesss.”

  “This is my mom, Monica, and my sister, Gracie. This is Sloan and Avery.” When she didn’t correct him, he knew he’d guessed right. “I imagine Addison is around here somewhere.”

  Sloan held out her hand and greeted them warmly. “Twin number two is really into a puzzle right now. It’s wonderful to meet you. Please come in.” Rafe stood aside to let Monica and Gracie follow them inside to the kitchen, where Sloan motioned for them to have a seat at the island.

  “Addison, baby. Come
meet Rafe’s family,” she said before turning back to Monica. “Can I get you ladies anything to drink?”

  “Oh, we won’t be staying long,” Monica said, pointing a thumb in his direction. “Just wanted to keep this one from riding across town with a duffle bag strapped to his motorcycle.”

  “Safety first,” Rafe shrugged, before he caught a glimpse of Addison coming at him at full speed. Before she could smash into him, he dropped his duffle, leaned over and scooped her right off her feet. She made a little squeaking noise of surprise as he settled her on his hip. “Hey.”

  “Hi, Rafe. Hi, Rafe’s family. I’m Addison and that’s my sister Avery.”

  “Lovely to meet you both,” Monica said with her usual warm smile. “Rafe told me you haven’t been in Los Angeles that long.”

  “Just a little over a year. I finished my residency in Seattle and stayed on for another couple years, but I was given an opportunity to get more experience in robotic surgery and I couldn’t pass that up. The girls’ dad is back in Seattle,” Sloan added like she’d been asked that question a lot. “My parents and my brother and sister are back in Rhode Island.”

  “Oh so it’s really just you here?”

  “And my twosome, yeah.”

  “Well, I don’t know if Rafe told you that me and his dad are both over at LAX. I run guest services for Delta and Joey manages the mechanics crew. Gracie and her sister, Hope, are back over at Culver City High in two weeks.”

  “Oh, what year are you?” Sloan asked Gracie, who suddenly turned shy.