Jesus Christ, Cipriani, you arrest perverts for this shit all of the time! I told myself as I watched the new babysitter—Camryn Moreau—bend down to look my five-year-old daughter in the eyes. She was seventeen, but that didn’t distract me from noticing that she had an awesome ass. I just hoped she couldn’t feel my eyes on her; they had to practically be burning a hole in her low-rise Abercrombie jeans. Technically, 17 was the age of consent in Missouri, but I was still being a creep. Your fiancée will be home any minute now. You’re engaged to someone your age, remember? I sighed, fiddling with my tie and trying to get my mind out of the gutter. I felt old and gross staring at a teenager that way. I was only 24, and a young 24 at that. I was energetic, loved life, and in good shape. I could probably pass for 20 on a good day. Of course, that didn’t change the fact that I was, in fact, 24—and that was too old for this little girl. Camryn shook my daughter’s hand and then stood up, flashing me a smile.

“I’m really looking forward to baby-sitting for you this summer, Officer Cipriani,” she said, her warm indigo eyes meeting mine.

“Mm… me too,” I replied, my voice sounding a little more like a purr than was appropriate. I cleared my throat. “I mean, it’ll be good for Mollie to have someone fun to hang out with. Grandma’s getting a little senile to play Barbies. Last time Ken ended up lost looking for Grandpa Cipriani in the lingerie department of Dillards.”

She giggled, and then covered her mouth self-consciously. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh… that’s really awful.”

I smirked. “Awful, but true. It’s all right; Ma’s lived a good life. I’m the youngest of seven—the way youngest, so she’s seen all her grandchildren get older. We’re not a long-living bunch, the Cipriani’s, so she’s just grateful to have been around to see her family get even bigger. I just don’t want her watching my kid all summer. I mean, Mollie is still asking what lingerie is…it’s tough to explain.”

“…Are you lying?”

“Hm?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“About the lingerie department thing?”

“Well… yeah. I just thought it made a pretty good story. The senility stuff is very true… and really nothing to be joked about. Gosh, I’m sort of a jerk. I love my mama, don’t get me wrong…I’m a huge mama’s boy—I fit the Italian stereotype!” I laughed awkwardly. “You’re gonna change your mind about babysitting here. I make a lotta bad jokes.”

She ran a well-manicured hand back through her bleach-blond mane. “Trust me, my mom is the queen of bad jokes. Lacie will be able to tell you all about that.”

Lacie. Your fiancée. Quit flirting with the kid. Lacie worked for Camryn’s mother, which was how she ended up babysitting for us. I looked down at my suit jacket and picked imaginary lint off of myself. Anything to keep me from staring at Goldilocks.

“Daddy?” Mollie asked, tugging at my sleeve.

I looked down at her. “Yes smalls?”

“Where ya going?”

“Daddy and Mama have to go to a special dinner for Uncle Park,” I told her. Parker Gray was the chief of police in the fair town of Harper’s Grove, and my mentor. Mollie worshipped him, and he was wonderful with her.

“Can I go?”

I knelt down and kissed her forehead. “Not this time, Mollie-Wallie. This is an adult thing, you’ll be bored. You get to stay here and play with your new friend Camryn.”

She pouted and crossed her arms.

“You’re just like your mother,” I informed her, giving her a light tap on the nose. “You’ll have fun. I promise. You and Camryn are gonna be buddies all summer, so why don’t you make all sorts of great plans…because guess what?”

“What?”

“Camryn has a car! Maybe if you’re really good some days she’ll take you to the pool or the movies,” I said, smiling over at the entrancing girl who was standing just behind my darling daughter.

“Really?” Mollie’s eyes widened at the prospect of a summer not dominated by watching Grammy brush her six cats.

“I dunno! Better ask her!” I ruffled her hair and stood up again. “I’m going to go powder my nose. Lacie will be back here in a few. You can talk with her about your pay rate and such. Thanks again for coming on such short notice, Camryn.”

“My pleasure,” she said. Her voice had changed a little, it was less sweet and syrupy and more… suggestive…? Or perhaps that was wishful thinking.

God. I was a sick sonofabitch.

Sorry, Ma.

I went into the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror.

“I, Niccolo Cipriani, am getting an erection at the thought of Babysitter Barbie.” I whispered, turning the water on as cold as it would go. “I, Niccolo Cipriani, am a really gross fella.” I splashed the water on my face, as if it would cleanse me of being a total pervert. I had a gorgeous fiancée who I was madly in love with…there was no way I was going to become one of those assholes that ran off with the nanny. I wasn’t going to ruin things with Lacie just because I had a little—okay, big—lust attack over the sitter. It happened to everyone, probably. I mean, if she’d walked into any guy’s house they would’ve thought she was hot. It didn’t make me a bad person. Did it?

“Nick! I’m home!” I heard Lacie call.

“Hey, hon!” I answered. “I’ll be right out!”

I ran a hand through my dark hair.

“Merda,” I grumbled.

I felt hands settle on my hips.

“Uh-oh. You’re cursing in Italian,” Lacie said, concerned. “What’s the matter, Niccolo? Are you nervous about your speech?”

“Sì.” I nodded. “Yeah. I am.”

She patted my cheek, her hand looking white against my tan skin. “You’ll be wonderful, darling. As long as you remember to speak English.”

I cracked a smile and turned to plant a kiss on the top of her head. I met her honey-colored eyes and tried to forget about the girl in the other room.

“So what do you think of Camryn?” asked Lacie.

Well, so much for forgetting about her.

“Nice girl,” I said nonchalantly, spritzing on a little of the cologne Lacie had bought me for Christmas. “I’m sure she and Mollie will have a good time.”

She nodded. “I’m so glad she agreed to do this all summer! Well, Stallion, I’m gonna go change my clothes and I’ll be ready to go. Why don’t you go say goodbye to your daughter?”

“All right, doll. I’ll see you in a moment.”

I returned to the living room and found Mollie showing off her collection of Barbie dolls to Camryn.

“The one in pink looks like you,” I told her, smiling.

She chuckled. “Thanks…?”

I picked Mollie up off the floor and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Ciao smalls. I love you.”

“Ciao Daddy,” she said, wrapping my arms around my neck. “Love you too.”

“Love you more,” I countered.

“Love you most.”

“Love you more than the most.” I spun her around until she squealed and giggled with delight.

“Don’t rile her up, Niccolo!” Lacie called from the bedroom.

I rolled my eyes. “Mama’s no fun.”

Camryn smiled as I set Mollie down. Lacie appeared after a few minutes, rescuing us from the awkward silence.

“Ready Nick?” She asked.

“Sure.” I grabbed my keys from the coffee table and looked my fiancée over. She wore a red dress that showed off her perfect body and she’d pulled her long brown hair off her neck.

“We’ll probably be back around ten,” she said to Camryn.

“Eleven. Park and Sara invited us over for drinks afterward,” I informed her.

“Is eleven fine?”

Camryn nodded. “Absolutely. Don’t rush, have fun. Good luck with your speech, Officer Cipriani.”

“Call me Nick,” I said, “And thanks.”

“You look distracted, Nick,” Lacie said when we hit a red light on the way to the police department.

I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel and glanced over at her for a moment. “It’s just the speech, Lace. You know how I feel about public speaking.”

It wasn’t a total lie. I was nervous about giving the speech… but I was also still thinking about Camryn. I didn’t know what was about it that got to me so much. I’d seen plenty of pretty girls, but few had weighed on my mind like she did. She was a kid, and maybe that was part of it. In my entire adult life, I’d never been attracted to a kid. I’d done a good job keeping myself in check, sticking to my morals… it didn’t seem possible that one blond-haired blue-eyed beauty could unravel all that. The light turned green and I turned my attention back to my driving.

“It’s not just that,” Lacie persisted.

“What do you mean?”

“You just look… I don’t know… you’re not yourself.”

“Lacie…” I sighed.

“What!?”

“Just say what’s on your mind. You know how I hate when you skate around the issue.”

She shook her head. “Never mind.”

“Dammit, Lace,” I growled.

“Let’s not fight before we go to this, okay? Just one night, Niccolo, let’s not fight.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she replied.

As much as I adored my fiancée, nights without arguments were few and far between. I had a temper, that was no lie, and after a rough night on the job it only got worse. Lacie was undeniably a princess, and sometimes she needed more than I had to give. I hated the fighting, but I loved her too much to ever dream of leaving. She was the mother of my child, the girl I’d been with for nine years. We’d been engaged since she found out she was pregnant, over five years ago… but we kept putting off setting a date. I worried that marriage would change us, and that things would fall to pieces. Besides, who needs a wedding when you’re already hopelessly devoted to someone?

The dinner wasn’t awful, but it was a little boring. My speech was short and to the point. Nothing to be wowed by, but I didn’t start speaking Italian. When it was over, Lacie and I went over to the Gray’s to hang out for a while. Lacie and Sara went into the kitchen to make coffee and Parker and I settled on the sofa.

“That was really a terrible dinner. God, it went on forever.”

I grinned over at my friend. Parker was 15 years my senior, but I’d never gotten along with anyone better. He’d taught me everything I knew about being a cop, and he always had my back. When Lacie and I had first moved to Harper’s Grove, broke as hell with a new baby, he and Sara had invited us over for dinner on countless occasions. They’d been real lifesavers and I was proud to have such a good man as my best friend.

“Oh, it wasn’t so bad,” I argued. “I’ve been to worse functions.”

“Name one.”

“Um… all of my siblings’ high school graduations, my own high school graduation… and Lacie made me take her to see Sleepless in Seattle—that, my friend, was terrible.”

Parker made a face. “Point taken. Thanks for coming, though.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“So where’s Miss Mollie tonight? With your mother?”

I shook my head. “We found a new sitter.”

“It’ll be tough to replace Kristen. Mollie really loved her.”

“I think this girl has a good shot. I mean she’s really bubbly and fun… she’s actually kind of hot…uh, I meant energetic. You know… heat, energy? It’s been a long night.” I was desperately trying to figure out a way to cover my ass. Parker would not approve of me lusting after a 17-year-old. Hell, I didn’t even approve of it.

“…Nick, did you just say your babysitter was… hot?”

“Uh…”