The Nanny

Chapter 7

I pull my sweater tighter against my arms, ignoring the chill in the air. I stop outside the pub and take a deep breath, tuck a loose curl behind my ear, and step through the doors.

"There you are." Max smiles at me from behind the bar, stepping out to wrap me in a tight hug.

I smile and breath in his calming scent, hugging him back for a moment before pulling away. "I know you still have another twenty minutes but I walked here faster than I thought I would." I slip onto one of the barstools as he steps back behind the bar.

"No problem at all. Want a beer?"

"Guinness please." I watch him turn to pour me a glass and eagerly take it from him, sighing as I take a sip. Some things never change, like my love for beer.

I can't help but to study Max while he works. He's so friendly, everyone here seems to love talking with him. I smile as he says something to a man sitting at the bar as well, causing him to throw back his head in laughter. He's funny, and so kind so far. And his arms, mmm. I watch his tattoos ripple as his arms flex, easily picking up a large crate of clean glasses before carefully beginning to put them away. I sip my beer and shoot him a sly smile when he looks at me, I've been caught.

His shift is over before I know it, and he emerges from the back room having changed his clothes. I feel my mouth drop slightly as I take in his black long sleeve button up shirt and dark jeans, a pair of black vans completing the look. He slips into the barstool next to me and shoots me a goofy smile. "Hey."

"Well hello there." I smile at him and can't help but feel my cheeks flush slightly. He cleans up REALLY well.

"Did you want to go somewhere? Or were you enjoying the free booze here." He says playfully, and I glance at my second beer I was working on.

"Let's go somewhere. Pizza maybe?" I take a large gulp of my beer, trying to finish it off faster.

"Sure, whenever you're ready." His eyes crinkle in amusement as I quickly swallow the rest of my drink, stifling a small burp. Cheeks burning, I nod at him and slide off the stool, following him out of the pub.

The air is crisp outside, a reminder that it was the first day of September. I make a mental note to take Lia to get supplies tomorrow since she starts kindergarten next week, and can't help but to feel a little sad at the thought. I rub my hands up and down on my arms as we begin to walk, the air biting through my sweater.

"Cold?" Max asks, and I nod at him. Within a moment I feel his warm arm wrap around my shoulder, my hip rubbing against his as we walk, never breaking stride. I slide my arm around his waist and can't help but sigh at the warmth.

"Why are men always so warm? It's like you all are a bunch of furnaces." I complain, as me being perpetually cold didn't seem quite fair.

"I don't know, but it gives me a reason to put my arm around you so I don't mind." He responds, squeezing me close to him for a moment and making me squeak when his fingers touched my ticklish sides. He chuckles and lets me go after a moment, still keeping his arm wrapped around me however.

We each buy a slice of pizza at the small shop he steered us to before walking to a nearby park and sitting at one of the tables there. I feel my stomach growl the second we sit and quickly open my box and grab the slice, taking a large bite.

"Ughhhhmmmm." I moan lightly, closing my eyes as the delicious and greasy food hits my tongue. I really need to stop making sounds when I eat.

"Wow, you really like food huh?" He laughs, and I feel my cheeks grow a bit red.

"I only moan for good food so it just means I approve of your pizza place choice." I say quickly, defending my food moans. He chuckles at me and begins to eat his slice as well. We eat and chat about random things, and I can't help but notice we've been edging closer and closer to each other. I rest my head on his shoulder and feel him wrap his arm around me, and I'm just about to lift my head up to look at him when I hear it.