Chapter 8
EIGHT
ROMAN
Iwatched as she stepped out of my office and into the hallway, closing the door between us. I had that gnawing feeling that I was making a mistake, a huge mistake that I’d come to regret and hate myself for later.
But what the fuck was I supposed to do?
I needed a nanny for Sophia, and whether I liked it or not, I was out of choices.
The well had run dry on the nanny front, and it was all my fault.
Really, I blamed them. They all had something wrong with them.
Nobody was competent anymore. I had to micromanage every aspect of their day, and I didn’t have time for that shit.
The longest anyone had ever stayed was no more than a couple of months.
The shortest was probably the woman who only lasted a couple of hours.
I practically had to hold up a sign telling her when to breathe.
I knew at some point, I’d get distracted and forget to hold up that sign, and I couldn’t have anyone dying on my property. I wasn’t getting sued.
I reminded myself of all the reasons it was a good idea to bring Sasha on.
One: I knew her, her family, and how she was raised. I knew she was intelligent and capable of handling responsibility.
Two: She was family, and Sophia needed that.
And three: She loved her. I knew that Sasha would die if it meant giving Sophia one more breath, and that’s the kind of person I wanted watching my kid. I knew it would take some adjusting, but it was all the adjustments I had planned to make for my only child.
I leaned back in my chair, my eyes finding the picture of Chloe on my desk.
I’d looked at that photo a million times, but it always seemed to tell me exactly what I needed to hear.
That night, I felt she was telling me I was doing the right thing.
It felt as if she were saying she had sent Sasha to us in her place. I wasn’t sure how to think about that.
Chloe was always trying to push me into getting to know Sasha. She was only fourteen or so when Chloe and I bought our house. My mind drifted back to the first time she ever came over.
“I just don’t understand why you’re resisting so much when it comes to my sister,” Chloe said, leaning against my desk as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“She’s young. It’s just weird,” I told her, scooting my chair up.
I put my feet on either side of hers, so she stood between my parted knees.
I rested my elbows on my thighs as I leaned forward, placing my hands on her waist. She was dressed only in a bikini, a sheer cover-up on.
My head fell forward, resting against her stomach.
She laced her fingers into my hair. “What does her age have to do with it?”
I looked up at her. “I don’t know… I feel like I’d be babysitting. I know she’s your little sister, but I suck with kids. And a teen kid?” I grimaced. “What the hell would I even talk to her about?”
“She’s a great kid. You’ll like her. I promise. She’s really smart. When you speak to her, I promise you won’t think she’s a dumb kid. She can actually hold a conversation that doesn’t circle social media or selfies. Promise.”
My hands slid up under her bathing suit cover and around to her ass, which I cupped and squeezed.
“I’d rather not,” I said, biting her hip.
With her hand in my hair, she pulled my head back until I was looking up at her, meeting her gaze. “Come outside with me, or you’re going to be very lonely for a very long time.” She arched her brow.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“If you think I’m saying that you won’t get any unless you do as I’m asking you, I’m saying exactly what you think I’m saying,” she teased, grinning from ear to ear.
A groan fell from my lips as I released her and fell back into my chair. I loved my girl, but I didn’t want to mess up by saying something wrong to her family. Chloe was close to her family.
I didn’t want to spend the day lounging by the pool with her parents and little sister.
I had work to do. A million things needed to be done if I ever wanted my idea to turn into a real business.
For a moment, I wondered how long I’d be able to last. I think she read my thoughts, because she began slowly uncovering her body with a shy smile.
I watched her let the sheer material pool at her feet, leaving her in nothing but her bright red bikini.
“Better get a good look now because you won’t be seeing any of this for a very, very long time.
” Her fingertips traced the triangles of her top until she pulled them in separate directions, allowing her perfect tits to bounce freely.
Her dusty pink nipples were hard and small, pointing directly at me.
My mouth fell open as I watched her massage her breasts.
I slid from my chair and stood before her.
“I hope you’re burning this to your memory, Roman.”
I leaned down quickly, drawing her hard bud into my mouth.
I sucked on her nipple while thrashing my tongue back and forth across it.
It made her weak in the knees, and she gasped as she threaded her fingers into my hair, pulling me closer.
My hands moved back to her ass. Just when I was about to pick her up and set her on my desk, she pushed me away, causing my mouth to make a popping sound as she yanked her breast from my mouth.
I fell forward as she spun away. I caught myself and turned to look at her. She was grinning from ear to ear. “You think that will be enough to last you a while?”
“You’re mean.”
She laughed. “I know. But you don’t have to be. Take the day off and come hang out at the pool with my family and me, and then tonight, you’ll have full access to all of this.” She gestured down her body. “And I promise, I won’t stop you. You can do anything you want.”
“Anything?” I asked, lifting my brow.
She grinned and nodded.
“Anything,” she said.
I pushed myself forward. “Let me get my suit on.”
I went walking past her and popped her on the ass as I headed toward the door, making her laugh.
Ten minutes later, I walked onto the back patio, where Chloe, her mom, dad, and sister were sitting around the circular table. I squeezed Chloe’s shoulder as I pulled out the chair next to her. Her hand covered mine, and she looked up at me with a smile.
“Hey, baby.” I sat beside her and leaned over, giving her a quick peck on the lips.
“Glad you could join us,” Mr. Willis said, leaning forward and grabbing his bottle of beer.
“This daughter of yours drives a mean bargain,” I told him, squeezing her thigh under the table, right where she was ticklish.
She laughed and squirmed before pushing my hand away, making me laugh.
I looked over at her mom. “Mrs. W., it’s good seeing you again.”
She smiled and rolled her eyes. “Now, Roman… I told you about that. We’re going to be family. You can’t be going around and calling me Mrs. W. For the hundredth time, please, call me Kathy, or even Mom.”
I offered a tight-lipped smile. “I’ll do my best.”
Movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention.
Chloe’s younger sister was sitting on the other side of her.
She must have felt uncomfortable with me around because she was trying to pull her towel up over her bikini-clad chest. She was drawing more attention to herself than she had before in her attempt to blend in.
I didn’t want to make her feel even more out of place, but I didn’t want to ignore her and be rude either.
I nodded in her direction.
“Sasha, I’m glad you could make it. Your sister has been missing you.”
Her ivory cheeks were instantly stained with embarrassment, but she offered a nervous smile as she looked at her sister.
“I missed you too,” she told her, throwing her arms around Chloe’s neck and hugging her.
Chloe adored her little sister. I always thought it was amazing how close they were, given their ten-year age difference.
She hugged her back. “Come on. What are you waiting for? Get in the pool.”
Sasha pulled away and resumed fidgeting with her towel.
“I told you I can’t. It’s too deep.” She seemed unwilling to make eye contact with anyone.
“Go on, hun,” her mom told her. “Chlo said that Roman was an excellent teacher.”
I felt all eyes move to me, and I forced a smile. The second her parents looked back at Sasha, I looked at Chloe, shooting her a look that I knew she would understand. A look that said, What the fuck did you volunteer me for?
She squeezed my hand. “What? You are a good teacher,” she said quietly as Sasha was preoccupied with whatever her parents were saying.
I leaned in. “I only taught you as an excuse to have my hands on your body,” I whispered in her ear. I bit her lobe before pulling back.
She grinned and rolled her eyes. “Consider it your good deed for the day. Come on. Up,” she said, shooing me away.
Annoyed, I took a deep breath. “Alright, Sasha. What do you say? It seems like nobody is going to leave us alone until you give it a go.”
“I don’t know…” she muttered.
I stood and held out my hand. “Come on. I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you.” I gave the best smile I could muster.
She looked up, and her green eyes sparkled as they met mine. They were breathtaking, the darker shade of green swirling and looping through the lighter shades. Toward the center, they even had a hint of gold.
She bit down on her bottom lip as she thought it over, eventually releasing it and agreeing to give it a shot. “Alright, but only for a minute.”
That was fine by me because I didn’t want to teach her to swim anyway. If anyone other than Chloe had asked me, I would’ve refused. I couldn’t say no to her, though. She knew it, and she abused the power she held.
I jumped into the in-ground pool and turned to see Sasha following me over. She left her towel at the table, but she looked embarrassed and uncomfortable in just her black bikini. She refused to look at me, and she wouldn’t stop adjusting her suit as she made her way to the pool.
“This part of the pool is shallow, so you don’t have to worry about not being able to touch,” I told her as she hesitated at the edge. She frowned at me like she wasn’t sure she could trust me.
“I’m serious. Look.” I stood to show her that the water only came up to my waist. After seeing that, she took the first step into the water.
We took a few minutes to let her warm up to the water, then went through the motions in the shallow end of the pool. Once she seemed a little more comfortable, I started leading her deeper and deeper.
Chloe, her mom, and dad were all cheering for her from the patio table.
It wasn’t until they started to cheer that she realized what she was doing.
She was swimming on her own. There was no standing because we were on the deep end, where she couldn’t touch.
When she realized this, I saw the panic fill her eyes.
“You’re doing great. Just don’t think about it,” I told her, but I could see her fear in her wide eyes.
I held out my hand, and she took it, pulling herself closer to me until she grabbed around my neck. I moved her back to the shallow end and could almost feel her heart pounding. She finally let go of the death grip she had on me once she could reach the bottom.
“Thank you for helping me,” she said, slightly breathless from fear.
I smiled at her. “I told you I wouldn’t let anything happen. Why don’t we take a little break, and we can try again in a bit?”
She pressed her lips together and nodded, but I could tell that she wouldn’t be getting back in the pool. Her mom walked to the edge of the pool and handed her a towel, which she quickly wrapped around herself. I climbed out and dried off before taking my seat at the table.
“You ready to eat?” Chloe asked everyone.
The five of us sat around the patio table and enjoyed the day. We had dinner and drinks while we talked and caught up. The afternoon passed surprisingly fast, which was nice. I was more than ready to get to that alone time Chloe had promised me.
Once the sun began to set, we said our goodbyes and walked everyone to the door.
Chloe’s dad shook my hand, her mom leaned in and pressed a kiss to my cheek, but it was the way that Sasha said goodbye that shocked me.
She’d given me an awkward smile on introduction, but after our little bonding time in the pool, she leaned in and gave me a big hug.
“Thanks for helping me,” she said softly before she pulled away.
I was so shocked that I didn’t even tell her that she was welcome. She turned and rushed off faster than I thought possible. I looked over at Chloe in confusion, and she smiled up at me.
“See, don’t good deeds make you feel good?” she teased.
I rolled my eyes and acted put out by having to teach her younger sister to swim, but deep down, I felt good.
I was happy to have made Sasha feel safe and protected, rather than awkward and out of place.
I hoped it would be the start of a regular family relationship, rather than the awkward one we’d had since I would soon be asking Chloe to marry me.
And it made me hope for a little girl of my own one day.
The way she looked at me like I’d saved her life made me feel like I was some untouchable giant.
I shook the old memory away and sighed.
There was no use in reliving memories. We didn’t live there anymore.
Hell, some of us didn’t live, period.
And it fucking sucked.