The Nanny

Chapter 15

When Queen arrived to Gerald Emerson's Paradise Hotel in her red satin gown, puckered painted lips and blown out waves, Kyrie nearly dropped the glass of wine in his hand. His mouth fell unhinged as he watched the woman follow Colt and Maddox into the ballroom, her black stilettos clicking against the floor to the rhythm of the music playing in the background.

With the sheath dress hugging her form, accentuating the curves of her body and exposing the valley of her breasts, he longed to trace his fingers along every inch of her. But he stood frozen, staring from a safe distance as she made her grand entrance.

A camera pointed in her direction, following her and the boys over to their grandmother who greeted the three of them with hugs and a smile on her face. Ava was pleased to see the woman in her most glorious form, and she was sure to tell Queen just how beautiful she looked.

"Thank you, Ava," Queen said to the woman. With a grin on her face and the boys staring at her in adoration, cameras flashed around her, capturing the moment.

"Why is everyone over here?" Jules asked the photographers who had gathered around Ava and Queen. "You're supposed to be getting pictures of the items available to auction tonight and photos of Kyrie and his sons. You have one job tonight, so do it right!"

Queen flinched at the harshness in her tone, but she chose to ignore Jules and kneeled in front of the boys, taking their small hands in hers. "Remember the plan. Stay with me or Daddy tonight, and don't lose sight of each other. Got it?"

Maddox extended his arm, and she took his hand to shake. With a wide, toothy grin, he said, "You can trust me, Mommy. I'll protect Colt."

"No fair," Colt complained, pouting in disappointment. "I wish I was the bigger brother."

Queen laughed. She wasn't amused by his jealousy or surprised, but she still found it childish and cute even. "One day you'll get to be a big brother, too. But for now, you get to be my little Colt. How does that sound?"

His lips turned up into a smile, and without warning, he wrapped his arms around her neck, choking her with a tight hug. Maddox joined in and giggled in her ear, expressing the joy of sharing their affectionate moment. "I love you, Mommy," Colt told her, kissing her cheek.

Shocked and confused by his claim, she looked up at the cameras still on them. A photographer captured the expression on her face as the boys took off across the ballroom to greet their grandfather.

Suddenly a voice was in her ear, and two hands were placed on her hips as she stood up to hide from the cameras. "That's your second time freezing up on them."

The shivers down her spine announced his arrival before she could turn to face him. Keeping her gaze on the cameras, she moved into the crowd, disappearing with the other mingling guests. "You shouldn't do that in front of all these cameras, Kyrie," she said just loud enough for him to hear.

With her flush against his front, he was able to whisper into her ear. The lack of space between them was intimate, sensual and even erotic, but he didn't care about the cameras in the room or the curious onlookers who had turned their attention to them. "You showed up looking like this. How do you expect me to resist you, to not touch you?"

When he cupped her ass in one hand, she gasped and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "People are looking at us," she told him. She tried to storm off, but she couldn't get far enough with everyone else in her way. She had barely taken two steps away from him when he caught her hand, pulling her back. This time, they were face to face, just like the others on the dance floor.

He draped her arms around his neck and held either side of her hips, guiding her body to the rhythm of the music. "My sons think you're their mom, Colt just said he loves you, and I'm getting married. We have a problem, Queen."