Alpha Dragon's Nanny: A Dragon Shifter Romance (Billionaire Shifters' Nanny Mates) Read online

  Once Tommy called him back, he said that he would be over to the office in a few minutes. Antonio told him that he was at the docks instead and Tommy paused.

  “You’re on the boat?”

  Antonio agreed and Tommy said that he would be there in five. Something changed in his voice. He knew that Antonio wanted more information, so why was he so hesitant about it all? What was his reasoning? Antonio hung up and was even more thoroughly convinced that he knew nothing about what was really going on. He was going to find out, though. Antonio was going to figure out what was going on, yet he hoped that it ended with Josselin coming home with him.

  Antonio had to push that thought away, knowing that it wasn’t going to do him any good to think that way. His body was already thinking about claiming her, but Antonio told himself that it wasn’t to be. Not only was she too young, but she was also human, an unaware human and that could lead to problems. Antonio had to be convinced that it wouldn’t be major ones. What was Tommy up to?

  ***

  “Tell me what is going on.”

  Tommy’s smile faltered, but he picked it up pretty quickly and sat down. The seat was leather and made a sound when he did.

  “How did the interview go?”

  “With the child?”

  Tommy scoffed. “She is twenty-three and has a wealth of experience. I talked to everyone that she babysat for since she was fourteen, and every single one of the families loved her and had nothing but good things to say.”

  Antonio sat back, making his own sounds, and then sighed. He didn’t know what to think and Tommy wasn’t helping him. He felt like he was being set up.

  “What is it about her that makes you think that she is perfect? Do you think that Ophelia will like her or something?”

  Tommy waved him off. “Your daughter likes everyone once she gets to know them. She is like you, just a little bit like sandpaper, but smooths out everyone around her. It will be fine. That’s not why I chose her.”

  “Then why?”

  “Because she needed this job about as badly as you need a good nanny. This is the fourth one this year and we’re only into September. That’s not good odds. This one will stay the distance because it is in her best interest. Others have faltered under your rules, but you won’t have to worry about that with Josselin. There will be no interferences. It is perfect for the lifestyle you lead and the sort of employee that you need on hand. Her loyalty is off the charts. This is the one, Antonio. Trust me.”

  “Would you tell me if there was more to it?”

  “Like what?”

  Antonio was frustrated. He wanted to know her true story and when he heard about the abuse and practical torture at the hands of her family, he wanted to take his rage out on someone.

  “What makes you think she isn’t damaged goods?”

  Tommy paused; smile gone. “Aren’t we all damaged goods? She has no family to pop in and ruin things. She has no need to run out and drink at night, telling your secrets. All of the problems of the past won’t apply. I thought long and hard about all of it, combed through her background. I’m telling you, boss. This is the one.”

  Antonio was settled a bit more and if he was honest with himself, he liked the idea of her being perfect. He couldn’t help the attraction that he had to her. That was now the only problem he could see, yet Antonio figured that he would be fine to control himself. It’s not like he was a complete animal, well, at least not completely. He did have another side, a thinking side.

  “You like her, don’t you? That’s what has your panties in a bunch.”

  Antonio growled at Tommy and he just laughed it off. If he would have done it with anyone else who actually knew who he was and what Antonio was capable of, they would have gone running. Not Tommy, though. He was always down for it all. He wouldn’t even blink when Antonio was in his darkest mood. He would just smile and ask him if he was done raging. Antonio could be burning down a forest and Tommy wouldn’t seem to care. He had always liked that nonchalance about his second. It was also nice to have an assistant that was always able to handle himself, even if there was an insane amount of pressure thrust on him. That was when he seemed to do the best.

  “We are not talking about it.”

  “It doesn’t matter, I saw the way you looked when you started talking about her. You like her and that freaks you out.”

  “Well, she’s a baby, and she’s human.”

  “Twenties and so what? It wouldn’t be the first time that one of our kind was with one of hers.”

  “Yeah, but I have never gone that way before. You know how I feel about it.”

  Tommy shrugged. “I just brought you a nanny. That’s what you asked for. If you want something else, I would be more than happy to look for that as well.”

  Antonio frowned at the answer. He didn’t want to think about it like that. He hadn’t dated since his mate died in childbirth. It was hard as a single dad and others had tried to hook him up with different women, but he didn’t want any of them. He was still not over the death of Katarina. It was going to take time, more time than he had been given so far.

  “I am not even getting into that conversation with you. I know that you are doing what you think is best but walk away from that, Tommy. I am fine and I’m not ready to move on. Not yet.”

  Tommy looked like he was going to say something, and Antonio was grateful that he didn’t. He doubted that he would like what Tommy was going to say, anyway. Antonio didn’t want to hear how it was time. That wasn’t what they were there for. They were there for the nanny and he told Tommy to make the arrangements.

  “I will fly out to the house this evening. You have to figure out how to get her there. I don’t know what is going to happen when she looks out and only sees clouds. The restrictions will have to be met. Do you think she will stay away from wandering? If not, I don’t know how you will explain the castle.”

  Tommy waved him off. “I will take care of everything. Trust me, everything is going to be okay.”

  “You’re not going to tell me what’s really going on, are you?”

  Tommy tried to look like he was wounded by the accusation. They both knew that he wasn’t. Whatever was going on, he was perfectly fine with it. Antonio didn't know what to think about it all. He wouldn't have agreed to it if it wasn't for it being Tommy. Anybody but Tommy, and he would not have been convinced. Even though Tommy was being a bit shady about the truth, Antonio felt like there was a good chance of it working out, so he went along with it. Something told him that it was supposed to happen.

  Chapter 5

  Josselin got dropped off a little way from her house. It was bad enough that she was going to have to explain how she had disappeared the night before because she hadn’t gone home, but it was going to be even worse if anybody saw her packing her things. It was a strange situation. Her family didn't want her there, but they didn't want her to leave either. It seemed like they were happy to make her life miserable.

  So, Josselin approached the house slowly, trying to keep it all under wraps. She did not want to be heard and knew that if she was, there would most likely be big problems because of it. Josselin just needed to get in, get her stuff, and get out. She didn't even care if she had to sleep outside in her car. Anything to get away from her family.

  Josselin went in the back way and she was as quiet as she could possibly be. There wasn’t a lot of noise in the house because it was so late. Josselin had spent a lot of the day in the hotel, waiting for Tommy. It was like he knew that she wasn't ready to go and he had made it so she could stay in for the whole day. Josselin didn't like the charity, but she did like a whole day with nobody telling her what to do and what to watch on TV.

  She tried to imagine what her family was doing without her, and it was a good feeling to know that she wouldn't be there to do all the things that she was told to do on a daily basis. As much as she resented her family, Josselin didn’t think she would miss them. They were all that connected her to her
dead parents, but Josselin had to think that her parents wouldn’t have left her with her uncle if they would have known. What mattered most to her now was her freedom. Josselin just wanted to be free to live her life…

  “What the hell do you think you're doing?”

  As soon as Josselin heard the voice, she had that sinking cold feeling inside of her, because she knew that something bad was about to happen.

  She turned around to see her uncle standing there, accusation on his lips. She tried to think up something quickly about where she had been and why she was standing there so late, gone all day.

  Josselin was sure that they hadn't missed her until they needed something, and she had been there to do whatever it was that they needed. She knew to keep that observation and guess to herself. Josselin had learned a long time ago that there was no point in arguing. Her uncle didn’t care what she had to say anyway.

  “I'm sorry that I am so late coming in. I have a job to go to and it was early, so I didn't want to wake anybody up.”

  “What kind of job is it?”

  She told him that it was babysitting in the next town over.

  “We need you around here to do real work. It's not like you can make much money doing that. Why waste your time?”

  Josselin should've said something along the lines of how much she was going to make. It was more than he made, and even though he wouldn't be too happy about her rubbing it in his face, it was all she could think to do. She pressed her lips together hard to silence them.

  Josselin didn't really care if he was happy about the situation or not. She was so close to leaving. All she had to do was pack her things and go. Josselin thought to herself that she should have probably stayed away altogether. She should have left without her things. She should have just cut bait and run.

  “I'm sorry if I wasn’t here to help with something that needed to be done. I can start in on it first thing in the morning if you like.”

  She was trying to be as accommodating as possible, so that he would let her pass. He was standing in front of the stairway that led to her room. She'd always hated it, but right now she would have given anything to have been able to go. She wanted away from her uncle and whatever malicious punishments he had started devising in his brain. He had a cruel smile on his face, and the only time he looked that way was when he was about to do something horrible. Josselin inwardly braced herself for what was to come, not knowing what it would be, but knowing that it wouldn’t be anything good.

  “Well, I think that waiting until morning would be a mistake. There is a lot that needs to be done, so maybe you should start on it now. You wouldn’t want to start off behind tomorrow, would you?”

  No matter how it was worded, she knew what it meant. It meant that she was not going to be able to sleep. That had always been one of his favorite punishments. It didn't leave a mark, but it had maximum effectiveness. It was done to make her feel like a living zombie, when she wouldn't be able to sleep for a day or two.

  Josselin had that sort of punishment many times before, so it wasn’t that unheard of. She took it in stride or tried to as best she could.

  For the first time, she didn't have much to say about it. There was no begging or pleading for him to change his mind. If Josselin had to spend one more night cleaning and scrubbing until her hands were raw, it would be worth it. It would be an easy reminder of why she had to get out of there so badly. No matter how bad her new position was going to be, she would be able to deal with it. If she could deal with her family, she could deal with anything. Josselin was pretty confident on that front.

  “Well, uncle, that seems fair. Why don’t I get started on it now?”

  He looked at her a little funny, but finally moved to let her through. Josselin didn't even need to ask what needed to be done. She had a pretty good idea. It would be the same things that she did every day. She just had to get through one night. Tommy would pick her up in the morning, and even though she wouldn't be ready and well-rested, she wasn’t going to let it get her down. Getting out of there was the objective. Sleep would come later, she hoped.

  ***

  Exhausted, Josselin worked through the night and she finally got her list done. Tommy was going to be there an hour later, and she had packed up a small bag, but she plans to take more with her. She actually sat on it when she sat down, not wanting to go far away from it at all. Josselin had worked so diligently to get everything done, that she had worn herself out. Even though she tried to fight the heaviness of her eyelids, they finally closed, and she was unable to stay awake. The single worst thing she could do was fall asleep, losing her ability to leave the hellhole that she finally had the opportunity to leave.

  When Josselin woke up a bit later, she looked at the clock and cursed. It was going to be too late soon, and she had to get out of there. She was panicking but needed to pull herself together first. Josselin couldn’t mess up.

  She went to the kitchen to grab a drink and her uncle was watching her when she got there. Had he been up all night? she wondered to herself. Waiting for her? Did he know somehow what was going on? Did he know about the bag that was packed and waiting for her?

  Josselin’s mind was racing, and she asked him what he was doing up so late.

  “I should ask you the same question. I’m surprised that you’re not going to get some sleep, a few hours at least, before the morning chores.”

  Josselin shrugged. She told him that it was so close to wake-up time, that she was afraid she would fall asleep again. He made a disparaging noise like he didn’t believe her and maybe Josselin shouldn’t have shown that she was so easy to please and to do as he said. She was trying her best to keep it all under wraps, but she felt like she might lose it at any moment. Her nerves were wracked, and she had no idea what she was supposed to do next.

  He finally let it go and just stared at her from his perched chair in the dark corner. Josselin was completely freaked out when she realized that he wasn’t going to bed. He was supposed to be asleep so she could sneak out without much danger of getting caught. Even though Tommy said he knew about her situation with her family, she wondered what he would do if they went after him. Would he leave if her uncle started yelling? She was afraid that her chance to finally leave the horrible place she called home was going to be gone.

  She decided that she would be better off just waiting outside for Tommy. She went back upstairs like she was going to her room, which she did. Josselin also locked the door and decided then and there, that no matter what she had to do, Josselin was getting out of there. She had no other options, because the life she’d been leading, wasn’t the one that she wanted. Josselin wanted freedom and distance.

  Not wanting to take the chance of going back downstairs where her uncle was, not too far from the front door, Josselin knew that she was going to have to go another way. It wasn’t the first time that she had needed to leave the place unconventionally and she was prepared for what came next. She opened her window and looked down. The ground seemed a million miles away and the more she tried to ignore the heights, the harder it was. She’d done it before, but it wasn’t something that Josselin much liked. She wasn’t too into being that high up, but she had done it before. She just had to work up some courage and when she finally did, she let herself hang from the window for a moment, before letting go and dropping down as quietly as possible.

  Her heart was racing as she stayed crunched down, listening over the pounding blood in her veins. She didn’t know what to think, besides that she might be able to get away from there. No sound was coming from the house and short of him catching her then, Josselin knew that she was going to be home free. She wasn’t ready to celebrate just yet, but it was getting there. Everything was working out the way she wanted it to, the way it had to.

  Josselin slipped down the smaller roof and when she hit the ground, she was able to breathe again. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she looked around. When she didn’t see anyone waiting for her to drag
her back, she knew that she’d won. Anything that happened after that point, didn’t matter. She had feet on the ground, and she was ready to get out of there. Josselin went to the road where she couldn’t be seen, waiting for Tommy and hoping that he didn’t take too long. She didn’t know what she was going to tell him yet, but turned out, he didn’t need an explanation.

  He didn’t actually ask anything. All he was worried about was getting on the road and he offered her something to drink. Josselin started to feel a bit woozy and when she mentioned it, Tommy said that she must just be tired. “You look like you haven’t slept. Maybe you need to. It’s going to be a bit of a drive there, so you might as well get some rest.”

  Josselin didn’t know what was wrong with her, but she couldn’t stay awake. Instead, she was drifting off to sleep, dreaming about what her new life was going to be like. Anything had to be better than home.

  Chapter 6

  “Well, I guess that is one way to do it.”

  Antonio was looking at the woman fast asleep and she looked so peaceful. There was a serenity that came over him when he looked at her. He wasn’t sure what it was about, that calm and peace, but it was nice. He enjoyed it and it took a minute for him to remember that Tommy was standing right next to him. He wouldn’t understand what was going on. Antonio had just lost it for a moment.

  “How long is she going to be out?”

  Tommy shrugged. “I don’t know the exact dose. I just gave her less because she was human. It was enough and she is still breathing, so I take it that she will wake up eventually. She should be awake by morning when Ophelia gets back.”

  Antonio agreed, but he still wasn’t sure. His second was talking like he was about to leave, but Antonio didn’t know what to do with her. He was convinced that she was an angel, but he would have to see if that assessment was true or not.