Where You Belong: A Single Dad/Nanny Romance (The Giannelli Series – Love in Little Italy Book 1)
Where You Belong: Chapter 3

Dammit, I didn’t want to like her. When I walked out of my office to see this beautiful woman standing in front of me, I knew I was in trouble. I was picturing some tiny nineteen-year-old. Instead, I was met with a gorgeous brunette whose curves made my hands actually flex as they ached to touch them.

I’m not shy about taking a woman home when I have the chance to curb my craving for intimacy, but I’ve never had such an immediate reaction to a woman.

Now I’m sitting here with my daughter on my lap as the two girls chat like I’m not even in the room.

‘And my favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate with a whole bunch of rainbow sprinkles on it. What is yours?’ Sienna manages to stop long enough to let Alexis answer.

Alexis smiles widely at my daughter. ‘Ooh, that’s a tough one. I would have to say mint chocolate chip or cookies and cream.’

Sienna nods her head approvingly. ‘Those are good flavors too. I would eat them. I also like to bake cookies, but Daddy never does that with me. Grandma lets me bake with her all the time. What about you? Do you like to bake?’

‘I love to bake!’ Alexis answers enthusiastically.

‘Okay, honey. I need you to go with Uncle Lucas. Daddy and Miss Alexis need to finish their conversation. When we’re done, you and I get to go home and have a nice lunch together,’ I tell her.

Sienna jumps off my lap. ‘Oookay, Daddy. Bye, Alexis.’ She waves as Lucas grabs her hand and leads her out of the office.

‘Bye, sweetie!’ Alexis responds with a wave.

When they’re gone, I attempt to bring the meeting back to where we left it.

‘I’m sorry about that,’ I start. ‘As you can see, we’re struggling to keep up with her at the moment.’

Alexis doesn’t seem bothered at all by the interruption.

‘No worries. I’m glad I got to meet her. She’s adorable and very talkative.’

Sienna never fails to charm the socks off anyone she meets. She trusts and loves like she has never known heartache. I’m thankful her mother leaving hasn’t seemed to affect her yet. Not like it has me. I’m the one who can’t quite get over the depression or guilt…or whatever the hell it is that I’m feeling these days.

‘She took a liking to you. So, where were we?’ My frazzled brain tries to remember what we were talking about before Lucas lost control of his niece.

Alexis’s eyebrows raise with a challenge. ‘I believe you were trying to figure out why a recent college graduate with a degree in finance would be looking for a nanny position. And just so you know…the reason this position is perfect for me is because it’s temporary. I’m not looking to settle into something completely outside my career interests. I just want to take the summer to really think about where I want to settle down.’

I try not to get distracted by her delicately carved face or her full mouth. She does this thing where she purses her lips when she’s thinking, and it’s incredibly distracting.

‘I can understand that. I suppose not jumping into something you aren’t committed to is admirable.’

‘Thanks,’ she says earnestly as she struggles to meet my eyes.

It feels like there’s something deeper in her reasoning for not settling down somewhere yet. Something that few people understand.

I lean back in my chair. ‘I’m not known for giving compliments out easily.’

‘I’m not known for receiving them easily. I think we would work well together,’ she says softly.

This feels dangerous. I know what I’m about to do could really come back and bite me in the ass. How am I going to live with this woman all summer? I can barely look at her now without having a strong reaction. My dick twitches in my pants at the thought of her showering naked in my house.

Fuck, I need to get a hold of myself. I’m fourteen years older than her.

‘Look, I’m not going to beat around the bush. I need you, so the job is yours if you’re interested. I have a guest bedroom with a private bath that you would move into. I would need you to move in by Sunday so you could be ready to start on Monday morning. It would be nice if we could eat dinner together Sunday with Sienna, so you two can get better acquainted.’

She does that damn thing with her lips again as she considers my words.

Fuck my life! Why couldn’t I just have hired the old lady I interviewed a couple days ago?

‘I accept. I can drive home tomorrow and pack my things.’

The breath that I didn’t know I was holding releases.

“I’ll email you all the information, including a formal offer with pay before you officially accept, but I do appreciate you coming in and willing to be so flexible.” I stand up and shake her hand, surprised by how nice the soft, warmth feels against my skin. “I’ll be in touch.”

She follows me to the door.

“Thank you again for considering me,” she says.

We walk out to the main area of the office, and I lead her to the exit, holding the door open for her.

“You’ll see an email from me within the hour. Nice to meet you, Miss Moretti.”

“Please, call me Alexis,” she offers.

I nod my head. “Very well. You can call me Gabe.”

“I’ll see you around, Gabriel,” her silky voice drawls out.

Ugh, the sound of my full name coming out of those lips is dangerous. No one but my parents call me Gabriel, and they only do that when I’m in trouble. But that seems fitting for Alexis because everything inside me is screaming that she’s risky.

When I walk back inside, Lucas and Marcus are standing there with shit-eating grins on their faces. I choose to ignore them as I take long strides back into my office, knowing they will be following me.

When I walk in, Sienna is sitting on the couch.

“Where’d the pretty lady go?” she asks.

Before I can answer, Marcus walks in and beats me to it.

“She was quite pretty, wasn’t she?” He takes a seat in my chair. “I think I might be asking her out on a date this summer.”

My hands tighten in fists by my sides at the idea of Marcus going on a date with her.

“You. Stay. Away,” I say through clenched teeth.

Lucas shakes his head and laughs while Marcus looks mischievously at me.

“What? Would that make you jealous?” Marcus presses me.

“Not at all. I just don’t want you scaring her away. We all need this relationship to remain professional for the sake of Sienna.”

Why does the reality of that make me feel so disappointed? I don’t plan on crossing the line, but the idea that I can’t makes my body deflate.

“Is that pretty lady going to watch me?” Sienna smiles excitedly.

I can’t help but match her smile.

“Yes, sweetheart. Alexis is going to live with us and help take care of you this summer while Grandma rests.”

Lucas and Marcus chuckle as they stand up and begin to leave the room.

“One happy little family,” Lucas teases as he walks past me.

I choose to ignore my brothers. Right now, I just want to focus on the fact that I finally have someone lined up for the summer. It’s a huge weight off my shoulders. I was beginning to think I was going to have to take some time away from work.

“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go home and get some lunch.”

I extend my hand to her, reveling in the feeling when she rests her small hand in mine. It’s such a precious moment where her innocence and age emanate.

I’m lost in thought during the drive home, thinking about the company, my daughter, and especially our new nanny.

“Can we get a doggie, Daddy?” Sienna’s angelic voice breaks my concentration.

I look in the rearview mirror to replace her looking outside longingly as a woman walks her dog.

“I’ve told you before, we don’t have time for a dog. Daddy wouldn’t have the time to train the dog properly.”

She sighs as she continues watching on outside.

“I know. I just want one so bad. They’re so cute. It could sleep with me every night, so I wouldn’t be scared of the dark.”

“Maybe when you’re older and can help out more,” I suggest, not wanting to break her heart completely.

She nods her head in agreement.

When we get home, I make us some lunch which we eat together at the kitchen table while she tells me all about the “work” she did for Uncle Lucas. I love that she wants to help out. She enjoys spending time with her family and will do so in any capacity that she can.

We spend the rest of the day hanging out with each other as I build a new wooden playhouse that I got for her. I say one too many cuss words under my breath, as it’s a bitch to put together. When I finally finish, Sienna plays in it all evening while I get some work done.

Now that she’s asleep in her room, I pour myself a glass of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. It’s a dry wine with soft tannins that stick to my tongue in the best way. One thing I’ve learned from tasting hundreds of wines, is that one of the most important attributes is distinctiveness. When you taste your wine, you want the flavors to jump out at you and show you who they are. This particular producer knows exactly how to make sure I know I’m drinking a Montepulciano wine.

It’s bold, crispy, and has a powerful aroma of earthy tones mixed with berries. When I close my eyes, I can imagine the grapes growing in clay-rich soil as the fullness of the wine comes through.

When I think of fullness, Alexis’s lips come to mind. I bet they taste just as bold and powerful as this wine. Just the thought alone makes my dick react. I groan at the power that woman’s mouth has over me after just one interaction.

After my glass of wine, I stand up and walk into my bathroom, stripping out of my clothes and getting into the shower, intending to do something about the situation going on in my jeans. Before I can do something stupid like indulge in the fantasies taking residence in my brain, I turn the temperature of the water to ice cold and stand underneath the stream as I let the water chill both my body and my thoughts.