Partners in Crime (Gambling on Love Book 4) Read online

  “You loved it down there when you were a kid. You would spend hours searching for sea glass and shells while the rest of the kids played in the water. We would have to drag you, kicking and screaming, home. I think this job is meant to be yours.” She gives me a wink through the mirror. The beach has always been my happy place. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, but my parents found creative ways to take me and my nine brothers and sisters on adventures. Going to the beach was an all-day event. Mom would pack us lunch and dinner, and we would play in the sand until the sun went down. My favorite part was looking for sea glass with my dad. He worked for Boeing, sometimes working triple shifts, to keep a roof over our heads, but he always made time to come with us to the beach. He would follow me along the shore holding my bucket while I searched through the seaweed and rocks for magical fairy crystals. I know now that it’s just broken pieces of glass, but a part of me still believes there is a little bit of magic in those shards. Today, I could use a little of that magic.

  “I don’t know, mom. Carol told me this guy has interviewed over twenty nannies and not one has met his high expectations. These are people who have years of experience. Who have degrees in child development. I’m just an English lit major who acts more like a kid than anything.”

  “I don’t care how many degrees or years of experience those other nannies have compared to you. You are an amazing nanny, Nora. No one can match the love and passion you have for this job. It shows in the families you have worked for before. No one else could tame the wild Thompson twins, but two weeks with you and they turned into two of the most respectful little girls I’ve ever seen. There is a reason why Carol gives you the jobs everyone else runs screaming away from, because you are damn good. You go into that interview, turn on the Nora charm, and that father will be begging you to work for him.” The confidence in her tone aids in boosting my own. She’s right, I mean hell, my nickname around the agency is Mary Poppins, for god sakes. I love working with kids. Growing up, I was like a second mom to my younger brothers and sisters. I would change their diapers, feed them, and read them bedtime stories. I was born to be a nanny, and, I know if anyone can sway this guy, it’s me.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Hank

  “THANK YOU, MISS Jenkins,” I say as I close the door. Colby looks up at me and I can tell by the expression on her face, she didn’t like this prospect either. Although Miss Jenkins is more than qualified, she just wasn’t the right fit for us. I felt her strict, regimented ideals were just not what I want for Colby. I want my daughter to excel, but I also want her to be a kid and have fun while she’s learning.

  “She was mean, Daddy. I don’t wike her,” she informs me.

  “Don’t worry kiddo, I didn’t like her either. Let’s hope this last candidate is a winner,” I say with a hopeful tone. Twenty-three times the charm. Maybe I am being too picky. Is it wrong to want the best for my kid? This person is going to be helping to raise my child, living in my home. If we’re not on the same page this is not going to work.

  “Daddy, can we have a tea party for Miss Nora?” she asks.

  “Of course, Princess. Why don’t you go grab your tea set while I make us some snacks.”

  “Don’t forget the mini cupcakes, Daddy,” she instructs before turning to run up the stairs to her bedroom.

  I turn and head for the kitchen, grabbing the file on Nora Cunningham off the foyer table. I flip through the pages while I walk. Nora is twenty-six, a graduate of the University of Washington, and a Seattle native. Her references are impeccable. One even says I would be a fool not to hire her. This Nora must have made one hell of an impression on this family. I’m kind of surprised they didn’t take her with them when they moved to Germany. Their loss, fingers crossed, my gain.

  I toss the file onto the counter in the kitchen. Before I have the chance to get the tea started, Colby is back with her tea set in hand, and dressed up in her purple fairy wings and matching tutu. Colby is all girl. She loves all things pink and purple, from fairies and ballerinas to unicorns. Her room looks like Barbie’s Malibu dream house exploded. But I do occasionally sneak a Star Wars movie in between the Disney Princess movies, and I have gotten her to wear BB-8 pajamas. Small victories.

  * * *

  The teapot filled, the cupcakes and cookies are on the table, and Colby is sprinkling the last of her glitter on the table while I hang the fairies on the chandelier. Just another day in the Ross house. Themed tea parties and dress up are an everyday thing in my life. Had anyone told me five years ago that I would be dressing up in fairy wings and a tiara to bring a smile to my daughter’s face, I would have told them they were out of their fucking minds. But, here I am, standing in my kitchen wearing blue fairy wings and a tutu, and I’m loving every minute of it.

  The doorbell rings and Colby’s head pops up with wide excited eyes. She drops the last of her glitter, grabs her clipboard, and follows close behind me through the house to front door. The door creaks open and my breath is taken away when my eyes meet the vision standing on my porch in a blue dress. Fuck me, this is Nora Cunningham.

  “Hello Mr. Ross, I’m Nora.” A smile radiates across her face, and a faint giggle escapes her lips as she eyes me up and down in my tutu and wings. I can barely form the words to say hi back. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. Long flowing brown hair, eyes dark sparkling brown, and full of life. Perfect soft pink lips my mouth is watering to get a taste of.

  “Miss Cunningham, please come in,” I manage to get out.

  “Please, call me Nora,” she says. As she steps across the threshold, I catch a whiff of her perfume and it makes the beast in me roar to life. No one has ever had such an instant effect on me before. If Colby wasn’t standing next to me, I would have Nora naked and under me in a heartbeat. Calm yourself Ross, this woman might be your daughter’s future nanny. I need a nanny more than I need to get my dick wet.

  “You must be Colby,” she says lowering herself down to Colby’s level. “It’s nice to meet you.” She reaches her hand out to Colby.

  “Hi Miss Nora.” Colby beams as she slides her hand into Nora’s.

  “I didn’t know I would be getting interviewed by a fairy princess. I feel so honored,” she says taking notice of Colby’s costume. Her statement makes Colby giggle. Nora is gaining big points with both me and Colby. She’s the first to get down to Colby’s level and introduce themselves to her.

  “Do you wike tea parties, Miss Nora?” Colby asks.

  “As a matter of fact, I love tea parties,” she replies.

  “I hope you don’t mind, I like to include Colby in on the interviews,” I say.

  “I don’t mind at all. She will be the one I will be spending the most time with, and if she’s not comfortable around me during the interview than why bother hiring me?” We haven’t even started the interview yet and we are already on the same page. At least on this aspect.

  Nora rises to stand in front of me and there is a palpable heat between us. In close proximity, she’s even more stunning. Her golden, creamy skin reminds me of peach ice cream. My first instinct is to glide my tongue along the hollow of her neck before sinking my teeth into her delicate flesh, marking her. Claiming her as mine.

  “I’m glad you agree. Shall we get started?” I suggest.

  “Come on, Miss Nora.” Colby grabs Nora’s hand and pulls her in the direction of the kitchen. As soon as they disappear around the corner, I spin around to the wall next me, my head hitting the wall with a thud. The blood is surging down through my body straight to my dick. I’m hard as fucking steel, and I need to calm the hell down before I go in there. I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths while thinking about getting hit in the groin with a sledgehammer. A part of me hopes she doesn’t work out, because no way in hell will I be able to live under the same roof with a gorgeous goddess like her. But another part of me wants to hire her so I can be near her. Either way, I’m fucking screwed.

  CHAPTER FOUR
r />   Nora

  COLBY LEADS ME through the house to the kitchen and not a moment too soon. A minute longer around Hank and I would have melted into a pool on the floor. Sweet Mother of God, that man is gorgeous as hell even dressed up in fairy wings and a tutu, he’s damn fuckable. Just breathe, Nora, this guy could end up being your new boss.

  We come to a stop in front of the kitchen table. There is a pot of tea and juice sitting in the middle, surrounded by plates of pink and yellow mini cupcakes, and green frosted sugar cookies. Glitter sparkles across the wooden table and little fairies dangle from the chandelier. This reminds me of the tea parties I use to throw when I was Colby’s age. I would make my brothers and sisters dress up in princess dresses and feather boas and drink tea with me. I think Colby and I are going to get along just fine.

  “Do you wike to play dress up, Miss Nora?” she asks. It’s so cute the way she calls me Miss Nora.

  “Dressing up is one of my favorite things. I even have a unicorn costume,” I reply with a grin.

  Her bright blue eyes widen as she looks up at me. “You do?” she asks, mystified to have met an adult who likes to dress up in silly costumes.

  “I sure do, I have polar bear and reindeer ones too.”

  “That’s so cool.” She beams, walking around the table. She sets her small clipboard down and makes two checks. I rise to my tiptoes to try and get a peek at what’s on her list, but she’s hovering over it too close for me to see it.

  As I lower back down, the little hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention, feeling Hank eyeing me as he joins us in the kitchen. It feels both good and dirty, like he’s contemplating what he wants to do to me. I’ve never had a man look at me with such intense desire before. I’d thought my clothes were going to explode off my body with the way he looked at me in the foyer.

  “Daddy, Miss Nora has a unicorn costume,” she squeals. I watch as she runs around the table and grabs a pair of pink wings hanging from the chair, then brings them over for me to wear. “These are for you, Miss Nora.” She beams. I am completely fascinated by this sweet little girl. It’s strange, but I feel a connection with her.

  “You are earning some major bonus points with Colby.” He gives me a sexy grin.

  “And how am I fairing with you?” I ask curiously, giving him a sideways glance.

  “You are winning points with me in more ways than one.” The tone in his reply is laced with a deep desire that sends warmth through my entire body. He takes the wings from my hand and helps me put them on. The slight graze of his fingers up my bare arms sends a chill through to my spine. Once the wings are in place, he pulls my chair out for me. A true gentleman. That is a rarity in this day and age. It only peaks my curiosity more as to why this man ended up a single father. What stupid woman let him and his adorable daughter slip through their fingers? He must have a girlfriend at least. Men who look like him don’t stay single for long, or that is what I’m going to tell myself if I get this job, because if I even let the idea that Hank is single slip into my head, I won’t be able to keep myself from doing wildly inappropriate things to my boss. I shouldn’t be thinking how I would love to climb him like a tree and attack that delectable mouth of his while my hands run through his dark brown hair. Not to mention, the scruff along his chin leaving a delicious burn along my face.

  I slide into my chair and watch while Hank helps Colby into her seat, then pours some juice into her teacup. He sits down across from me and pours us each a cup of tea. My eyes linger on the ornate sleeve of tattoos etched along his muscular right arm. I want to trace my tongue along the vein running up his bicep. He’s muscle stacked upon muscle with broad shoulders perfect for holding onto while he pounds you into oblivion. Looking at him, you would never know he was a detective and a dedicated father. It gives him a dark edge that makes me wonder just how dark he can get. My thighs squeeze together at the thought. God help me, my panties are growing wetter with every minute I’m around this guy. He must leave a trail of destroyed panties everywhere he goes.

  Charlie, my ex, could barely get a trickle out of me. I guess, in a way, my body knew he was a cheat before my head could process it. I should have known better, he had a reputation of sleeping with anything with a pair of tits. In my naive way, I thought that, because he chose me to be his girlfriend, I had somehow tamed the beast. Boy was I ever wrong.

  He was faithful for about a month, pretty long for a man whore like Charlie. I’d hear about his latest transgression from my sorority sisters. He’d tell me he would never do it again, beg me to forgive him, and I would because I was an idiot back then. The straw that broke the camel’s back came on the night I arrived home early from studying at the library to find him sneaking out of the room of one of my supposed friends, sliding on his jeans. He still had his pants down around his ankles when I knocked him out. I told his little whore to get him out of my sight, then I had the bitch kicked out of our sorority. I have been happily single ever since.

  Hank opens my file and studies it for a moment before looking up at me with warm brown eyes that make my heart skip a beat. I have been celibate for way too long. Get it together Nora.

  “I guess my first question is, why on earth did you pass up the opportunity to move to Germany?”

  I chuckle under my breath. It’s a question I get from everyone. “At the time, I didn’t feel it was the right move for me. I enjoyed working with the Corbin’s and their girls, but I felt like I was meant to stay here in Seattle.”

  A satisfied grin tugs at his lips. He seems pleased with my response. “I hope whatever is waiting for you here in Seattle is worth it.”

  “I’m positive it will be,” I reply, bringing my teacup to my lips. The warm Earl Grey tea calming me as I sip.

  “Everyone I have interviewed thus far has had strict daily schedules for their clients, leaving little room for fun, so my question to you is how do you plan on incorporating education into Colby’s daily life?”

  “My philosophy is that you should incorporate fun and play into educating a child. Make it so they are learning while also making it a game. Colby is four and she should be able to be a kid for as long as possible.” I glance over at Colby and give her a warm smile. She is staring at me intensely, listening to my every word. “Learning should be fun.” That statement gets a smile out of her and another check on her list.

  Hank continues his thorough line of questions. I can’t tell if I’m more nervous about being interviewed by a cop, or because he’s the most gorgeous man I have ever seen. After every question, Colby leans in to whisper in his ear. The two of them are so sweet together. Hank is such a doting, loving father. Any man who dresses up in wings and tutu to make his daughter happy is a good man. I would stand on my head dressed up as a whale if it would make Colby smile. She is such a wonderfully sweet kid.

  “Colby, would you like to ask Miss Cunningham any questions?” Hank turns his attention away from me to Colby.

  “Yes, I would, Daddy,” she replies, turning the page on her clipboard. “Miss Nora, what is your favorite cookie?” She looks over at me with an intense look on her face.

  “Hmmm.” I tap my finger on my chin, thinking it about it for a moment. “I would have to say my favorite cookie is monster cookies, because they have chocolate chips and M&M’s.”

  “Those are my favorites too.” She beams, making a check on her list. “Do you wike to bake?” She hits me with another question. Hank just sits back and watches our interaction.

  “I love to bake, and, if I get the job, I would love to teach you how to make cookies and cakes.”

  “One more question. Do you wike Tinkerbell movies?”

  “This is a good question, because if you get the job, you will be watching them on a loop,” Hank adds with a chuckle.

  “I love Tinkerbell and her friends in Pixie Hollow,” I assure them.

  “I just have one last thing to add,” Hank says. The brown in his eyes turning dark, almost black. “If you do get the job,
I would ask that if you have sleepovers with your boyfriend, that you do it on your days off and not here in the house.” The sternness in his tone sends a shiver down my spine.

  “First off, I don’t have a boyfriend, and even if I did, I would never bring him here out of courtesy to you and Colby.”

  Hank’s eyes soften as he fights back a small smile. I don’t know which part of my answer brought on that smile, but whatever it was, I hope it’s in my favor.

  “Miss Cunningham, I just need a moment alone with Colby. Do you mind waiting here in the kitchen?”

  “I’ve got cupcakes and tea, so I’m good,” I reply.

  “We’ll be right back.” Hank rises from his chair, then helps Colby down from hers. The two of them walk out of the kitchen.

  While I wait for them to return, I snag one of the yellow cupcakes from the platter in the middle of the table and proceed to lick the frosting off while listening to the waves crashing against the shore through the open window. It’s weird but I feel right at home here. Between the tea party interview and the vibe I’m getting from Hank and Colby, I feel like I belong here somehow. Hopefully, that’s a sign I’m getting the job.

  Just as I lick the last bit of frosting off my cupcake, Colby appears at my side with an excited grin on her face.

  “Miss Nora, will you be my new nanny?” she asks.

  Hank comes up behind her, wearing a smile of his own. “Colby and I have talked, we both feel you are a perfect fit, and we would like to offer you the job as Colby’s nanny, if you would like the job that is.”

  “Will you pwease be my nanny,” Colby says, giving me heart melting, puppy dog eyes.

  “Well, how can I say no to that? Colby, I would be happy to be your new nanny.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Nora

  MY HIPS SWAY to the beat of the music blaring in my room as I pack the last of my clothes in my suitcase. It has taken me three days to pare down what I was going to bring with me to Hank and Colby’s. My mom spent two of those days convincing me I only need one of my sewing machines and half of my fabric. Part of me thinks the real reason she wants me to leave a few things at home is so it will give me an excuse to pop in. I am the last of my siblings to move out. This will be the first time since my parents got married that they will have an empty nest. Thankfully for her, my oldest brother, Robert, and his wife will be having twins in a couple of months, so she will be able to play grandma. But until then she will still see me on Sundays for our family dinners.