Page 93 of Bad Habit
Fourteen
Mac
“So this is your place?” Faith walked into my apartment.
Suddenly I was nervous, conscious of the pizza boxes on the counter, the tile floor that hadn’t been washed since I could remember, the unmistakable tang of male in the air. “Yup.”
“I like it.” She turned toward me, a huge and genuine smile on her face. “Very comfortable.” She went to the fireplace, crouched and touched the tiles. “What’s this style called? It’s beautiful. Such intense colors, the blues and oranges and golds.”
“Mexican? Spanish? I’m not sure. The first Europeans to settle in California were Spanish, so there are a lot of influences, I guess.”
She straightened, and I crossed over to her, taking her in my arms from behind and burying my nose in her hair. Would I ever get sick of the smell of her? Soap and citrus and something so Faith.
“Is your brother home?” She put her hands on my arms and stroked them gently.
“Why? You afraid we’ll get caught?”
“Caught doing what?”
“Fucking,” I rumbled low in her ear and felt her respond in my arms, a wave of desire rippling through her spine and sliding her body lusciously against mine.
“Is that what we’re about to do?” she asked, her voice breathy. “I thought you asked me over to talk.”
“I did.” Brought back to reality, I loosened my hold on her, then taking her hand, I led her to the sofa. “Want anything to drink?” I headed toward the fridge.
She shook her head. “No, thank you.”
“Mind if I have a beer?”
“Go right ahead. You don’t need to ask my permission to do things, but…”
I turned back just as I was about to open the fridge. “But what?” I grabbed a beer and joined her on the sofa.
She was quiet, hands clasped on her lap.
“What’s wrong, Faith?” Did she already know what I’d done? My stomach tightened, and I took a sip of beer, hoping to calm it.
“Did you mean it?” she asked. “When you said you were leaving your criminal past behind?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but she continued, “Did you just say that to…” She looked down at her hands. “To get me into your bed?”
“Faith.” I set my beer down on the coffee table. “No.” I felt sick. I hadn’t lied to get her into bed, but if I wasn’t careful, I’d lie to her now. On the other hand, if I told the truth, I’d lose her.
She stared at her hands. “I know I’m not the most beautiful woman, or the most interesting—”
“You are to me. Both of those things.”
She held up her hand. “Let me finish.”
I nodded.
“Well, maybe I was finished. It’s just that I know that men, some men… that it’s notuncommonfor men to tell women lies to get sex, and I’m inexperienced… I can’t tell when… How can I be sure that you didn’t manipulate your way into my, my panties?” Her cheeks were bright red, and I wanted more than life itself to put her at ease.
“Faith.” I turned toward her and put my hand on the back of her neck. “Some men lie. That’s true. And to get sex? Definitely. But that’s not what went down with us. At all. I thought we were past this.”
She shook her head. “Yes, me, too. It’s just that Sister Henry and I talked the other night, and she doesn’t believe you left your criminal past behind.”
“You told her about my past?”
