As the hour rolled on, Bethany slowly fell asleep, and he hummed to her, sitting in the living room with her resting against his chest.
Grabbing his cell phone, he took a quick selfie, wanting to remember this moment for when she was a pain-in-the-ass teenager.
He wasn’t going to let her go near boys, or have anything to do with them. She was going to stay the pristine little virgin.
Finally relaxing, he closed his eyes and hoped that she didn’t wake up any time soon. He had lost track of the last time he’d actually slept for more than an hour or two.
She was going to be the death of him.
He tensed up as she wriggled, her hands moving on his chest. He waited to see if she’d woken up, but she didn’t. She let out a sigh, and sleep once again had hold of her.
Breathing out a sigh of relief, he closed his eyes and let sleep claim him.
****
The following morning Hawk sat in his clubhouse kitchen, drinking some nasty coffee and eating rubbery pancakes. Casey, for all of her talents with her mouth, couldn’t cook for shit, but at least she tried.
Bethany had allowed him to have three hours’ sleep last night and that was a world record. He was starving and tired.
“You know, you could use one of those nanny services.”
“I’ve seen the shit that some of those nannies do,” Red said from down the table. He was his soldier at arms and another man he trusted with his life. “You’re better giving your daughter to a pack of wolves.”
“They’re not all bad. Besides, some places actually vet the women or men that come here.”
“It’ll have to be a girl,” Hawk said, finishing off his pancake and quickly taking a swallow of his coffee as the food seemed to scratch his throat on the way down.
“How come?” Casey asked.
“It’s too much of a clash. We don’t need him trying to prove shit to us,” Hawk said.
“Seriously? What if she responds better to guy nannies?” Casey pointed at his daughter.
“Not going to happen.”
“I can’t believe you’re being sexist.”
“I want a woman to care for my kid, not a dude. How is that sexist?”
“Because you believe taking care of kids is women’s work. Don’t even try to tell me differently. I’ve heard you say it one too many times.”
“What can I say? I think women have different places in this world. The kitchen is one of them, for the kids.”
Casey rolled her eyes. “You won’t be getting any blowjobs any time soon.”
“Again, for me, that is a woman’s job.”
Casey was tapping away at her mobile, and suddenly it dinged. “You’re very welcome, by the way. They’re the best service around. I know because my sister needed one, and she totally raved about them.”
“What was wrong with your sister having them?” Bear asked.
“She and her hubby needed some time alone, and seeing as he didn’t like me taking care of his kids, they organized a nanny for the entire week. It was so good she decided to stay with them.”
“Yeah, ’cause he’s not banging the nanny,” Red said.
“No, he’s not.”
“Please, all guys bang the nanny,” Bear said. “They’re young and want to have a daddy to teach them how things go.”
“You’re fucking gross,” Hawk said.
“Come on, Hawk, you’re telling me you wouldn’t bang your nanny?” Red asked.
“I won’t bang any woman that’s taking care of my kid.”
“Okay, I’ve got to have a wager on this,” Red said. “Bear, you in?”
“On if Hawk will bang the nanny. I’m not parting with my money until I see the nanny. She could have missing teeth, stink, and have a cackle for a laugh. Not doing that shit. I know Hawk, and he’s picky about who he has on his dick.”
None of them mentioned Bethany’s mother.
That had been an accident, but he wasn’t in the habit of sleeping with vermin. Not anymore.
“You can bet all you want. It’s not going to happen.”
“Just try the number. Even if she’s able to get Bethany down at night, I’m sure it’ll be worth it.”
****
Jasmine Clark had a meeting in two hours. She had to get some groceries, head to the post office, and of course make sure she wore something presentable as she’d been asked to go on an interview. Not her personally. She worked for an agency that had nannies in four different areas. Those nannies that had finished a job or been let go had gotten the notification, and seeing as she was nearest to the proposed job, then she’d been the one to be asked.
She didn’t know who it was for, only the where.
That was another thing; her GPS was totally down, so now she was having to use a good old out-of-date map to find the location. She lived close, but not that close to where her next job was. She was running so behind.