Waiting on Faith (She's Beautiful Series Book 2)

by Nicole Richard

  Suggestively, she trailed her manicured nail along his forearm, and all of a sudden, I felt like I was an intruder. Then irritation kicked in. I glanced at Cyrus, who had a slight frown on his lips but still bent closer to the woman, giving her his ear and listening to whatever it was she had to say. Allowing my irritation to get the better of me, I took that as my cue, shook my head, rolled my eyes, and walked away.

  Three steps later, someone grasped my wrist. I should’ve known he wouldn’t let me get away that easily.

  “Where are you going?” he asked in his deep, barely audible voice.

  “I felt like I was intruding. Thought you might like some privacy, and I definitely don’t do threesomes,” I shouted toward his ear. “She’s cute, you should go back.” I attempted a couple of steps, but he held onto my wrist and followed me.

  Annoyed with the whole situation, I looked over my shoulder, my anger simmered, and an involuntary shiver passed through me. Cyrus had the sexiest smirk on his face.

  I groaned and my anger evaporated.

  If there were somewhere private, I would drag his sexy, intense, brooding ass away and have my wicked way with him. There was definitely sexual tension swirling between the two of us. My eyes turned down to look at my wrist then back at him before I asked loudly, “What are you doing, Cyrus?” The sexy bastard licked his lips and pulled me close against his body. Before he had the chance to give me another one-word answer, Levi walked up, an obviously tipsy blonde hanging off his arm.

  Levi clapped Cyrus’s shoulder and said something into his ear. Cyrus nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and his eyes quickly darted over to me before he looked elsewhere. It was then that Addie and Monique came to stand next to me. Addie leaned close to my ear. “Hey, why don’t you let Cy drive you home? Looks like my brother made plans for the night, and I wouldn’t want Cy to have to drive all alone.”

  Addie was getting nicknamed “The Meddler”. I knew exactly what her intentions were, but it made me wonder if she were blind? Cyrus obviously wasn’t interested in me. Sure, he danced with me and bought me a beer, but he wouldn’t talk to me. He was the epitome of hot and cold. I didn’t need a guy like that, even if I would worship every ridge and dip on his torso with my tongue. I looked at her with skepticism, and a sneaky smile spread across her lips.

  The two began walking away. Girl’s night had turned into set up Natalie night.

  Before the girls were out the door, Cyrus was standing so close behind me that I could feel his warmth, and it had my mind wishing I were feeling all of him.

  Cyrus’s breath tickled my ear as his deep voice whispered, “You ready to get out of here?” Unable to find words, I nodded. He placed his hand at the small of my back and led me out.

  THE COOL AIR collided with my skin, and I relished in it. Being close to him had kept me on a slow simmer. We walked side by side to his truck, and I concentrated on his hand, which was resting on the small of my back. “So what happened in there tonight?” I asked, refusing to look at him yet.

  Those few times I witnessed his eyes giving him away without him having to say a word, did something to me. I continued walking, staring down at the asphalt and watching one boot move in front of the other.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know, maybe that caveman show with Todd?” Lowering my voice, I added, “The way you kept looking at me.”

  He reached for the passenger side door handle but didn’t open it. “Not sure, Natalie.”

  There was something hesitant in his voice, and it made me raise my eyes and look at him. His expression was stoic. I didn’t know where my lady balls came from, but I whispered. “Is it me, or did you feel it too?”

  A flash ran through his eyes, like he’d been caught. He pressed his palms on his backward cap and slid his hand down to the bill at the back of his neck. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought he was nervous.

  I placed my palm flat to his chest. “I know we just met and all. . .” He nodded, holding his eyes locked to mine. “But it felt like there was something.” I paused. I didn’t know how long I waited for him to respond, but after a beat or two, he still hadn’t answered, so I pushed on. “Am I wrong? Is it all a figment of my imagination?” Had I made all of it up? Was he trying to find a nice way to ask me what I was talking about?

  Irritated with myself, I held my palm face up. “Forget it. My imagination has been known to get the— ”

  His lips crashed against mine, cutting off any excuse I was about to offer up. Barely a second ticked before my knees almost buckled under me. He must have felt me sway, because he wrapped one arm around my waist and twisted his other hand into the back of my hair, pulling me closer to him, holding me up.

  The way he tilted his head, leaning in and kissing me felt possessive, lusty, and careful all at the same time. I reached between our bodies, twisted my fists in his black T-shirt, pulled him closer, and kissed him with fervor.

  Would it be bad to have a one-night stand?

  Cyrus groaned as his hands ghosted down the side of my body and came to a rest on my hips. Another swirl of our tongues had his grip tightening, and he pulled me flush against him. If I thought I was feeling the heat earlier, nothing compared to the heat burning through me at that instant.

  He ripped his mouth from mine, and thank God for that. If he hadn’t, I might have started stripping right there.

  “Cyrus.”

  He pressed a finger gently to my lips quieting me, and his voice was thick with lust. “First, it’s Cy. And after that”—he pinched my chin lightly—“if you still think I didn’t feel anything tonight, I’m not sure how I could convince you.”

  I leaned my floating body against the passenger side of his truck, and a giddy smile pulled at both corners of my lips. He wants me too.

  A chill passed through me as Cy’s finger slid a stray piece of my dark cherry-red hair behind my ear.

  “You’re gorgeous,” he said softly before both his palms were pressed against the truck, inches from the side of my head.

  He stepped closer to my live-wired body, and I swear if he came any closer, I would most definitely combust. I tucked my fingers in his back pockets, pulling him into me a bit. I wanted him to turn me to ash. Our lips met again, and Cy groaned against them.

  “What are you doing to me, woman?”

  I smiled against his lips, feeling the effect I had on him and arching my back a little so I was pressing against him harder. Fisting my hands in his pockets, I pulled him impossibly closer, rolling my hips, teasing him.

  “Natalie, we gotta stop. We’re in a parking lot, and I’m not giving strangers a show,” he admitted with hooded eyes and a husky contradicting voice.

  It was my turn to groan, and he moved his lips away. I dropped my forehead to his chest. It rumbled with laughter before softening to a low chuckle.

  Bastard.

  He slid his finger under my chin, lifting it until our eyes met once more. Surprisingly, this time they were playful and sparkling.

  “Hey, let me take you home.”

  My chin lowered, I nodded into his chest, and slowly my common sense kicked back in. He was practically a stranger, and I barely remembered his last name! If he hadn’t stopped, I wasn’t sure I would have cared if we put on a show. The security I felt in his arms made me feel safer than I ever did in Trent’s, and it had me throwing caution to the wind.

  For some reason, that scared the shit out of me.

  AFTER TASTING HER, I wanted to claim her too. Make her mine. Say fuck off to all the Todds who thought they could have a piece of her. That thought freaked me out, but strangely I was okay with it. To say I believed in love at first sight would probably label me as a pussy, but this girl slid right under my skin before I even had a chance to stop her.

  The ride to her house was quiet. I could still feel her rubbing against me, and I did my best to adjust my aching hard-on without her noticing. I turned up the radio a notch when A Thousand Horses came on
singing “Smoke.”

  Not too long after, we were pulling into her driveway, and I let the diesel engine idle for a minute before I shut it off. She half turned her sexy body toward me; a sheepish smile played at her lips.

  “Thank you for the ride.”

  “You’re welcome.” I nodded, silently cussing at myself for being tongue-tied again. I had pulled back out of habit and felt like a prick when her smile faded and her eyes shifted away from me.

  Shit.

  “Natalie.” Her name slipped out slightly panicked, but her hand was already on the handle, pushing the door open.

  “Don’t worry about it, Cy. Thank you again for the dance and the ride home.” Natalie slid out of the truck and slammed the door.

  I watched as she squared her shoulders, tilted her chin a notch, and sauntered her sexy ass all the way to the front door. After turning the doorknob and pushing the door open, she turned back to look at me with a sad frown on her beautiful face. My gut clenched as though it was in knots. Slowly she crossed the threshold and shut the door.

  “Fuck!” I cursed, understanding what kind of opportunity I let slip away.

  It was barely light out, so why was some idiot pounding on my front door?

  “Davis, get up. Meet me at the bench in five,” Levi yelled. I rolled over and squinted at the red numbers reading six forty-five in the morning on a Saturday. Shit. It was too early for this. I dragged myself out of bed, grabbed a T-shirt and shorts, and headed to the bathroom for my usual morning ritual.

  Ten minutes later, I dragged my ass into the kitchen where Levi was pouring two cups of coffee.

  “Thanks, asshole. What the hell are you doing here so early?” I rubbed my hand over my face.

  “Well good morning to you, princess. Did you need another hour or two of beauty sleep?” Bastard chuckled as he handed me a mug.

  “Princess my ass. When you can bench two fifty you can call me princess all you want, bitch.” I smirked at the guy who had been my best friend since we were kids. He had never benched more than two twenty.

  He shook his head, laughing. “Almost there, your Highness.” Levi had the nerve to curtsy.

  Eyeing an almost ripe banana sitting on the counter, I boomerang it at him, but he caught it left-handed and laughed harder.

  “Come on, you ready to lift?” Levi set the banana back down.

  “Yeah, let’s do this.”

  He followed me out to the garage and took the spot at the head of the weight bench, changing out my weights for me as I warmed up. By the time I got to my usual two hundred fifty, my muscles were screaming.

  “Damn, you having some trouble today?” Levi smirked as he helped set the bar back on its stand. I glared at him, annoyed. My mood had nothing to do with him or his early morning wake-up call. It was all about the way last night turned out, which was entirely my fault.

  “Natalie must have kept you up all night if you’re too tired to get a workout in. Or maybe Natalie wore your ass out, and instead of weights we should be working on cardio for stamina.” Levi laughed at his own joke, but I remained stoic.

  I sat with my back facing him, crouching over with my head in my hands. After a beat, I heard Levi’s heavy sigh.

  “Cy, dude. Don’t tell me you choked last night. I know it’s hard, but you have to get over it. Not every girl is a Trish.”

  I ignored the comment.

  “I don’t know, there’s something about her, and I feel like an asshole for how things ended last night.” I looked over to where he stood. “I let her walk away.”

  “Maybe you should try talking to her. You got her number?”

  He grabbed the jump rope, and the whipping sound it made was distracting, making me crazy.

  I shook my head. “Nah, I didn’t even think of that!”

  “You want me to ask my sister? I’m sure she has it.”

  “Yeah, sure, whatever.” I stood from the weight bench. “Come on, man. It’s your turn. What two hundred—two-o-five?”

  “Pfft, forget that, princess—two fifty.” Levi looked at me with his infamous cocky grin and tossed the rope back on its shelf. Shaking my head, laughing again, I stacked the two hundred fifty. Whatever, if he wanted to die, so be it.

  THE LINE WAS at least ten deep when I walked into the café, and at least three more people followed me in. I found Addie, who was waving from a corner table by the window, and headed her way. She was a perfectly put together woman waving wildly at me with a red pen between her lips, a small stack of papers spread out in front of her, and a book bag slung on the back of her chair. Knowing Addie, she was probably mixing business with pleasure, correcting her Kindergartener’s homework—she was most definitely the disciplinarian.

  “Hey, beautiful. Don’t you ever take time off?”

  “I might as well get some work done, it’s not like I have a life or anything.” Her smile faltered a bit as she said it.

  I pointed at the untouched cup sitting on the table. “Would that be for me?”

  Addie nodded before taking a sip from her own cup. “Yeah, I got you a green tea.”

  “Thanks.” I smiled gratefully.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Is this your way of buttering me up before you tell me what you needed to talk to me about?

  Addie picked her pen back up and started to tap it on the stack of papers. “My brother called me this morning.”

  My eyebrows rose as I tried to decipher what she said. When it clicked, my mouth pinched in confusion.

  “And . . .” I sipped my tea, watching her over the rim of the cup.

  “Well, apparently he worked out with Cy this morning.” The mention of Cy’s name had my emotions flipping between turned on and blind anger, but I held my tongue, waiting for her to continue. “Levi said that Cy was in a piss-poor mood this morning.”

  I snorted and a snide laugh bubbled out of me. “I wonder why, Addie,” I said, oozing sarcasm. “I mean he was all hot and heavy, but after pulling into my driveway, he acted as if the last thirty minutes hadn’t happened. What was I supposed to do? Beg? I don’t think so.”

  “Listen, I know you don’t know Cy, and that’s probably mostly his fault. Give him a chance, though. He is a good guy—like he would give you the world. He went through a lot growing up and that makes it hard for him to open up to people.” I was about to ask her exactly what she meant by “went through a lot growing up” but her facial expression clearly said that was all she was sharing.

  I sighed and rolled my eyes. Did I want to know?

  I think I did, but I didn’t tell her that.

  “So what are your plans for the rest of the day?” I say instead.

  “You’re looking at it. I have two more stacks like this at home. Mrs. Lucas is sick and asked me to help her get caught up on work. You know I can’t say no. What about you?”

  “I’m headed to my aunt and uncles for dinner. Other than that, I’m not doing much.”

  “Sounds fun.” Addie’s phone rang, and when she fished it out of her purse, her eyes flicked to me. “Hey, I should take this. Call me later?”

  “Absolutely. Thanks for the tea.” I pushed my chair back in and turned as she answered the call.

  “Jace, I thought I told you not to call me.”

  Yeah, definitely my cue to leave.

  Aunt Claudia greeted me at the front porch, drying her hands on the front of her apron. I wondered if she was ever out of the kitchen. I smiled, happy to be there.

  “Hey, Aunt Claudia. Doesn’t Uncle Blair ever let you out of the kitchen?” I joked, giving her a kiss on the cheek and handing her the raspberry cheesecake I brought.

  “You know if I let that man near my kitchen the whole place would burn down. Plus, it keeps him out of my way.” She laughed. “Thanks for bringing dessert. I have a surprise for you, too.” I looked back, and her smile grew as she lifted her chin. “In the kitchen, go on.”

  I smiled back, but it was a little guarded. As soon as my foot tou
ched the slate linoleum flooring, I heard the voice of one of my favorite people in the world, but I couldn’t see him.

  “Spencer?” I called out. After a few more steps into the kitchen, warm arms wrapped around my shoulders from behind me.

  “I see you still haven’t grown any. Nat, at this rate you aren’t ever going to be able to ride rollercoasters.”

  I laughed and playfully jabbed my elbow in his stomach, and when I looked over my shoulder, the happy tears fell.

  “Hey! No crying. You should be happy to see me, not sad.” He chuckled and hugged me tighter.

  “Shut up.”

  His laughter was contagious. We all joined in and enjoyed a good lighthearted giggle.

  “All right you two, go catch up while I get dinner ready,” Aunt Claudia ordered, and we both nodded in unison. Spencer slid his arm around my shoulder and escorted me out back.

  “So, how’s Savannah treating you?” he asked as he sat on the top step. I followed suit, tucking my knees under my chin.

  “Everything has been great.” Spencer smiled at me and lightly shoved my knees. “I’m starting to settle in.” I’m sure the look on my face said otherwise.

  “Hey, don’t start. I want a happy trip.”

  I nodded my head, scrunched my nose, and tried to hold a smile. Of course he was right.

  “So, how’s working for my dad going?”

  “It’s the worst! The hours are flexible, the pay is great, I work with awesome people, and I’m forced to take Friday’s off. Ugh, the inhumanity!”

  Spencer nudged my shoulder and smirked.

  “Yeah, he’s always been hard on people. Remember how he would make me miss school to go to the beach? Oh, and the ice cream he would sneak us before dinner? The SHAME!” he whispered conspiratorially, and we both lost it.

  I copied Spencer and nudged his shoulder. “So tell me. What’s the real reason for your visit?”