by Soraya Lane
“Nate, I keep telling you that you don’t scare me, so lighten up,” she said, chin tilted in defiance as she stared at him. She hadn’t been lying when she’d said she was all grown-up—there was something in her eyes that told him she was a whole lot more worldly than either he or Sam had ever wanted to realize.
“And I keep telling you that you damn well should be,” he replied, fetching his key from the hallstand and marching to the door. He hauled it open and waited for her to pass through, sighing when he got another eyeful of her pert butt and endlessly long, golden-brown legs. Her skin was flawless and it made him want to trace across every inch of it. “There’s an old saying about not taunting a wolf unless you—”
Her laughter interrupted him, infuriated him, and pleased him at the same time. “Enough of the wolf talk. I think of you more like a big Labrador, Nate,” she said as she opened her own door and looked over her shoulder at him. “You can be scary when you need to be, but really you’re just a big softy.”
Nate was stationary, staring at her, wondering what the hell had just happened to him. He’d made a reputation for himself mirrored on that of his granddad, demanded respect from everyone he worked with. No one spoke to him like he was someone’s goddamn Labrador!
“You’re gonna get yourself in trouble with that mouth one day, Faith.”
She just laughed and slipped her legs into the car. “Yeah, right.”
What the hell had gotten into her? “Yeah, well you haven’t spent much time around me, have you?”
Nate stormed around to the driver’s side, equal parts furious with her and so fucking turned on he didn’t know what he wanted to do to her. The one thing he was certain about was wishing they weren’t about to meet her brother for drinks. An intimate dinner date, just the two of them, followed by cocktails in a private booth … now that’s the kind of evening he wanted with Faith. And it was exactly what he’d never let himself do with her. Because if they were drinking and alone? His self-control would be gone … as if he’d never had any in the first place.
“So do you normally go out looking like this?” he demanded once he’d pushed the keyless GO button and started backing around.
“Like what?” she asked, arching an eyebrow and clearly amused at the line of questioning. “Looking all dolled up? Wearing a dress?”
He sighed, impatient. “Like no man should be let near you because he couldn’t be trusted.”
Faith laughed and placed a hand on his thigh, her touch gentle. He shifted, wishing she’d keep her hands off him and then regretting his thoughts the moment she removed it.
“You’re just sensitive about me, that’s all,” she said. “It’s a summer dress, Nate. I’m not even showing a lot of skin.”
“Oh really? I’m sensitive about you, am I?”
“Like a bear with a thorn in his paw,” she murmured.
“Yeah, well, if I’ve got a thorn, Sam’s gonna act like he’s a bear with a bullet lodged in his ass.”
“You’re overreacting,” she said, wriggling in her seat to face him. “Now tell me how your granddad was today?”
Nate gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “He seemed good, considering what he’s going through. But then he’s always been good at making us boys think there’s nothing wrong with him.”
“And did he say anything else about the reading of his will?”
He grunted, wishing he hadn’t divulged something to Faith before telling his brothers. Keeping things to himself wasn’t usually a problem for him, but in this particular instance he’d almost needed someone else to talk it through with. Usually he could have turned to Sam, but he wasn’t going out of his way to seek his friend out right now.
“He keeps telling me not to worry, that nothing will come as a surprise to them, but I just don’t want to cause a rift. I told them a lot, but I didn’t tell them that he wanted a formal reading of it while he was still … here.” Nate pumped the accelerator a little harder. “My brothers mean more to me than anything. No amount of money or power in the world would be worth sacrificing our relationship.”
“It must be nice always knowing that they have your back and vice versa.”
Nate glanced across at her. “Yeah, it is. And now that they have wives, our circle has grown a little. Meaning I have even more people I love to protect.”
“You have a lot riding on your shoulders, Nate,” she said, her voice low. “You can give yourself a break sometimes and just be you. Around me, anyway.”
Her words made him laugh. “I’ve never had any trouble letting my hair down and partying, Faith, if that’s what you mean.”
She smiled, but she didn’t laugh back at him. “Fair point. But I think we both know that’s not what I meant.”
“So would you usually dress like that to head to Joe’s?”
“Enough with what I’m wearing, Nate!” She play-punched him in the arm as she laughed. “And we’re not going to Joe’s, so I’m hardly gonna be overdressed. I told some of my friends to join us, said it was a good excuse to put something nice on and go out, so it’s not just me in a nice dress you’ll have to worry about.”
He ground his teeth together, jaw like steel. “I don’t give a damn about your friends, darlin’, only you.”
“I’m a big girl, Nate,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, so you keep saying.” So why was it he alternated between wanting to strip her naked like the big grown-up girl she kept claiming to be and fighting the urge to wrap her in cotton wool and protect her from the world the rest of the time?
“So will we be dancing?” she asked coyly, as if she knew exactly how her teasing affected him.
“No, there’ll be no goddamn dancing,” he muttered. “At least you won’t see me dancing.”
“We’ll see.” Her voice was sweet as pie, and if he hadn’t had his hands on the steering wheel he would have grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her like she’d never been kissed before. He didn’t know what the hell had happened to her, but it was like she was on a mission to ruffle his feathers tonight, and she’d sure as hell succeeded.
* * *
Faith had no idea what the hell had gotten into her. She’d gone from being timid around Nate to being desperate to push all his buttons just to get a reaction from him. And every time she got a reaction from him it only spurred her on all the more. It was like she was playing a part, wanting to stand up to him, to prove that she wasn’t the little girl he seemed to see her as still, and to make matters worse, she was liking it. Loving it. And best of all, she hadn’t thought once about her douche-bag ex. With Nate, she knew she was protected, didn’t need to look over her shoulder.
“Do you come here much?” she asked as Nate parked the car.
“Sam and I used to come here all the time,” he said. “Not so often these days.”
“What do you think of his new girlfriend?”
“She seems nice,” Nate answered before turning off the ignition and unclipping his seat belt. “But then I’ve only met her a couple times, so I can’t really say.”
Faith watched as he got out of the car and seemed to stalk around to her side. She kept telling herself she wasn’t ready for anything to happen between them, but if they took it slow … She swallowed. She wasn’t sure if Nate did slow, but if he did … Faith adjusted her dress, made sure she wasn’t showing more than she wanted to, and clasped her purse. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t dressed for Nate tonight, and she wanted him to notice. When he opened her door she stepped out, her heels clicking on the pavement as they walked side by side toward the bar.
Nate cleared his throat as they walked, glancing at her. She just smiled back at him, pleased she’d gone with her highest heels so that she wasn’t at a complete disadvantage to his six-foot-four frame. He still made her feel tiny, in a Thor to Natalie Portman kind of way, and it wasn’t so much that she didn’t like it; she just wanted to be able to look him in the eye instead of having to crane her neck.
/> “You do look beautiful tonight, Faith,” Nate said, his brown eyes warm when they connected with hers.
She breathed deep, lost every inch of the self-confidence she’d been so full of earlier. “Thank you.”
“Now let’s get inside and deal with your brother.”
Faith watched as Nate nodded at the doorman, following close behind him. The place was already busy, full of people trying to talk over the music, which at least meant no one heard her gasp when Nate reached for her hand, his warm palm jammed against hers, fingers strong and firm as he led the way.
“Stay close,” he murmured in her ear, sending a ripple of goose pimples down her back.
Faith took her chance to do exactly that, her body skimming his as she pressed a little closer to him. Everything about him was overtly masculine: his cologne, the hardness of his body, the sheer size of him. And she wished—
“Hey, little sister.” A firm hand closed over her shoulder and she quickly let go of Nate, feeling lost and vulnerable the moment she broke the connection between them.
She turned and found herself face-to-face with her brother, and based on the look he was giving her, she was certain he’d noticed her holding hands with Nate.
“Hey, Sam,” she replied, leaning forward to press a kiss to his cheek.
Nate must have turned at that exact moment, as the smile on Sam’s face hovered straight into a frown.
“Nate.”
“Hey, Sam.”
Faith tried not to laugh; the expression on Nate’s face was hilarious. Her brother and her boss, staring at each other like two male lions about to fight for leadership rights of the pride. Ordinarily it wouldn’t have been so funny, except for the fact that she was used to them being the best of friends. She didn’t ever remember them having a falling-out through her entire childhood.
“You guys remember Kelly?”
Faith smiled at her brother’s girlfriend, calling out a hello. Nate stepped forward to kiss Kelly’s cheek, making Sam look even more pissed off, until Nate suggested they grab a drink, which seemed to settle him.
Nate’s hand slid across Faith’s back as he indicated for her to walk ahead of him and she felt a familiar shiver run the length of her spine at his touch.
“What do you want?” he said the words, so close to her ear she thought his lips were about to brush her skin.
You. The word was on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it. No matter how brave she was feeling around him, she wasn’t going to say it. Not yet. Not until she knew whether she could go through with it or not.
“How about cocktails?” she replied, glancing at him as she spoke.
“Martini? Mojito?” He laughed and dipped his head close to hers again. “Cosmopolitan?”
Faith laughed straight back. “Mojito. How about you?”
“Whiskey, sweetheart. It’s always my poison of choice.”
He was seriously too cool for school, and she would have told him exactly that except she didn’t want to sound like a silly girl for saying it. She was twenty-seven, but for some reason she still felt young beside Nate. He wasn’t that much older than her, thirty-two maybe, but everything about him had always made him seem so experienced, so worldly.
They ordered, her brother insisting on paying for her drink instead of letting Nate cover the bill, and then they headed off to find somewhere to sit. She kept glancing around, looking for her girlfriends, and just as she started chatting to Kelly two of her friends appeared.
“Hey!” She smiled and hugged Anna and Cara, trying not to laugh as they both glanced at Nate. “You know Sam, and this is his girlfriend, Kelly. And Nate, a friend of my brother’s.”
Anna boldly shook Nate’s hand and said hello, Cara waved, and within moments he was on his feet and heading to the bar to buy them drinks. Faith couldn’t help watching him as he strode through the crowd of people.
“So let me get this straight, you’re working for this guy?” Anna asked.
Faith turned back to the girls. “Yes.” She’d never mentioned Nate to them before, never needed to. She hadn’t mentioned Nate to anyone. “I’m just doing some housekeeping for him, cooking and stuff.”
“Hmmm, what type of stuff?” Cara asked, winking and making them all laugh. Faith might not have said anything about him before, but that wasn’t fooling her friends; they knew her too well. Besides, they knew her ambitions went further, that it wasn’t like her to want to cook and clean. They all talked about moving away, making it in New York, working in beautiful art galleries or for big auction houses.
“Nothing like what you’re thinking.” She reached for her cocktail and took a sip, loving the tangy taste. “Not that I haven’t thought about it.”
Anna touched Faith’s arm, leaned in close like someone might hear them despite the loud music. “How are you feeling, after Cooper? I can’t believe the asshole actually hurt you. Sure had us all fooled by his nice-guy routine.”
She’d told her friends the truth about what had happened when she’d invited them out, and the truth was she could have turned to them if she’d needed to, could have stayed on their sofa in the little apartment they shared. But after Cooper she’d needed to feel safe, like he couldn’t get close to her again even if he’d wanted to, and going to Nate had seemed like the right thing to do, especially when she hadn’t wanted to involve her brother.
“I haven’t seen him since,” she told them. “He tried calling a couple of times, then a few texts, but I’ve just ignored him completely.” The last one he’d sent had been him pissed that she hadn’t shown for a shift, as if she was just going to turn up for work and forget about the fact that he’d hit her. He was just lucky she hadn’t called the cops.
“You’re better off without him,” Anna said. “Asshole.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Faith muttered.
“Ladies.” The deep voice from behind them sent a familiar lick of anticipation through her, and she turned to make way for Nate to pass the girls their drinks. They both smiled and thanked him, and Faith had the sudden urge to stake her claim, make it clear that he was off-limits. Only when Nate turned and looked into her eyes, his gaze wicked as he winked at her, she realized she didn’t have to. He’d been polite and charming to them, but the only one he was paying real attention to was her, and it would have been impossible for her friends not to notice what was going on between them. Whatever the hell that might be.
“You’ve slept with him already, haven’t you?” Cara hissed when Nate excused himself and sat back down across from Sam.
Faith laughed. “No. He thinks of me like a little sister; nothing is going to happen.”
“I call bullshit,” Anna said, draining almost half of her drink. “You two are eyeing each other up like a kid looking at candy.”
Faith sipped her drink for something to do, wishing she didn’t feel so guilty. She did want Nate. Bad. Always had, always would. And there was no way she could hide it from her friends.
“Let’s just say that Nate has always been my fantasy guy,” she admitted, keeping her voice low. “It’s not something I ever thought I’d act on, and after Cooper?” She shrugged. “The idea of his hands on me is kind of scary.”
“You know who my fantasy guy is?” Cara asked.
Faith and Anna shook their heads.
“Johnny Depp. The difference is that he’ll never know I exist and yours is ready to rip your clothes off.”
They all laughed and Anna grabbed Cara’s hand. Faith was pleased she’d asked them out; she’d needed their company. “We’re going to dance. Just have fun with Nate, okay? Don’t worry about us. In fact, pretend like we’re not even here.”
“Thanks for the drinks!” Cara called over to Nate before the girls disappeared through the crowd.
Faith watched them go, quickly sipped most of her drink, and then turned back to the table. Sam had his head bent close to his girlfriend’s, listening to something she was saying, and Nate was staring at Faith.
/> “What happened to your friends?” he asked.
“They’re off dancing. Man hunting.”
The look on Nate’s face was priceless, the line of his mouth tightening. “Are you going to join them?”
She finished her drink and placed it down on the table. “No.”
“Good.” He knocked back the rest of his and slammed it down on the table. “I’ll get us all another round then.”
Sam got her attention as Nate disappeared again. He looked more mellow than he had before, but she guessed his girlfriend probably had to take credit for that.
“You okay?” he asked with big-brotherly concern.
“Fine. Great, in fact,” she said.
“Nate sorted out your ex yet?”
Faith prickled just at the mention of Cooper. “Not that I know of.” Maybe Nate had? The truth was, so long as Cooper never came near her again she didn’t really care.
“I’ll talk to him about it when he gets back.”
Nate was back before she knew it, her drink in front of her and his hand sliding down her back again. She’d come to crave his touch, the indent of his palm against any part of her enough to make her shudder. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but she liked it.
“Thank you,” she said, taking a welcome gulp of alcohol.
“You’re welcome.”
“Stop making eyes at my sister and slide me my beer,” her brother grumbled.
Faith saw the way Kelly touched his arm, smiling to herself as she gave him a look that said, Enough. Faith hadn’t seen her brother in a serious relationship before, and she liked that it was someone else keeping him in line for once. Fingers crossed he managed to hold on to her.
They chatted about nothing in particular, and Faith leaned across the table for a bit to talk with Kelly again, but Faith was so aware of Nate that she found it almost impossible to concentrate on what she was saying. His body was warm against hers when he shuffled closer, his mouth so tempting when he spoke to her, her eyes dropping to focus on the fullness of his lips every single time. The more she tried not to think about him like that, the more she wanted him.