“Who is she?” Akim asked the twins, his gaze taking her in such a way that made Winters suddenly self-conscious and she stood straight, refusing to back down as she stared him straight in the eyes – those beautiful eyes.
Get a grip, Winters!
“She’s one of our nannies,”
“Nanny?” Akim’s brows furrowed and at that moment, Winters swore that she would punch him in the face if he dared to look down on her – attracted to him or not.
Akim looked at her from her head to her toe and back up again as if appraising her before asking no one in particular, “Isn’t she a little bit too young for that?”
Winters stepped forward, “Why don’t you tell me your age and I’ll be a judge of that?” She arched her brows too.
A smirk curled his lips to the side,
“I’m older than you and knowledgeable as well,” He hinted at taking care of the children but Winter’s mind was already down the gutters.
“I see,” Winters smirked unconsciously. Yeah, knowledgeable in pleasing her body, she thought. Just stop thinking shit. God, she was a lost cause, Winters face-palmed inwardly.
.....
The handsome guy stepped forward, his hands outstretched as he introduced himself, “I’m Akim,”
“Winters,” She enveloped his larger palm with her smaller one. Call it strange or something, but Winters had this feeling that Akim was into her because of the way his hand stroked the top of her palm. The gesture was warm and made butterflies flutter in her stomach.
Surprised by the gesture, Winters made the mistake of staring into his eyes and was enraptured. For a moment there, it was as if the both of them just existed in that single moment until they heard someone clear her throat and they broke apart immediately.
The knowing look Elsa gave Winters made her uncomfortable, the girl was too smart for her age – and mischievous as well.
Akim asked, “What crime did you commit in your past life to be the one to nanny my monstrous cousins?” He joked at her.
Oh, he was their cousin? Of course, how else would the twins welcome him joyfully if he wasn’t related to them? Winters was surprised by the information. She had been busy researching Reina and her family so as not to make a mistake, so reading about the immediate family members didn’t cross her mind. So she was crushing on a Spencer?
Winters was screwed.
Her dream was to date a normal boy and if they were to settle down in the end, they would live comfortably with her wealth. She didn’t want to settle down with a rich family like her mother and deal with their binding rules and regulations. Winters wanted to be free. In one word, she had to kill this attraction she had for Akim before it was too late.
“It’s just a job, nothing else,” Winters hoped that her sudden disinterest would kill any form of attraction between them; Akim should get the hint.
However, Ella said immediately, “Do you know Mommy got us two nannies?”
Akim seemed genuinely surprised by the information and looked around the room, searching for the other nanny, and when he didn’t find her, gave Winters a questioning look.
Winters got her mind back into gears immediately knowing that if they found out what Mimi was up to, it was game over. She needed to cover up for her.
“Oh, the other nanny. She’s around, probably finding her way around this...” Winters gestured to the house, “huge mansion. Moreover, the last thing I remember is your cousins dragging me down to hell for failing to pass her test and leaving her behind.” Winters hoped that was enough to shift their interest away from Mimi.
Akim grinned, the smile doing funny things to Winters’ stomach. Gah, she can’t fall for it. She had to be strong. Don’t fall for his charms, Winters.
“Oh, that?” The crinkles around his eyes increased with his smile, “Don’t worry, if you’d stay around for long, you’d get used to it, or maybe, if you ask nicely, I’ll teach you how.”
“No, Akim,” Elsa whined, tugging on his arms and giving him the puppy eyes that she was confident he wouldn’t be able to resist.
However, the look on Akim’s face told Winters that if she really did ask, he would tell her how and the thought made her heart skip a beat. And she was really tempted to take him up on the offer but Damn! She had to stop this! Akim is bad news for her. He’s her kryptonite.
“I’ll see about that,” She didn’t give him a specific answer. She was supposed to say no. A firm no. No, she had to get away from him as soon as possible. Thank God, it was just a day. She could survive a day with Akim, her kryptonite.
Winters’s gaze coincidently connected with Elsa’s and the girl gave her a look that said, ‘you are not going to win over me’
Winters smirked, replying through eye contact, ‘Let’s see about that’. The young girl was so arrogant that it annoyed her. Moreover, Akim was merely her cousin while he could be her boyfriend if she worked hard enough. Wait a minute, does he have a girlfriend? Surely, a handsome guy like him wouldn’t stay single? And why was she even wondering about that?
Sigh, just a few hours more and she’d be out of his hair.
“Come on, Akim,” Diego said, “Let’s go bake a cake,”
“No, wait -” Akim was still saying when he was dragged along by the triplets and Winters followed after them, grateful to have the attention moved from her for once.
The children were a disaster in the kitchen and Akim wanted to prevent that, else Reina would skin him alive if something happened. However, it was too late, the kids were already assembling the ingredients before he could even blink.
“There is no egg,” Diego complained.
“There are eggs in the fridge,” said Ella.
“Get the eggs!” Elsa ordered.
With a sigh, Akim went to get the eggs but Winters beat him to it, hence the both of them grabbed the fridge handle at the same time, his hand covering hers. Electricity danced through her body upon that contact and Winters wondered if he felt that too. However, the both of them withdrew immediately, albeit awkwardly and silence fell upon them for a minute.
“I’ll do it,” Both said after a while and moved at the same time, stepping into each other’s space such that Winters was pressed against the refrigerator’s body and Akim boxed her in unintentionally.
Unfortunately for Winters, that was the moment Mimi walked in and halted in her step.