Page 17 of A Lot Like Forever
“Yeah, if Nate doesn’t flip out having you in his house before I come past next.”
Faith couldn’t help grinning. “So you’d find it even more amusing if you knew I was living here for a bit?”
Chloe clamped her hand over her mouth, making an indecipherable noise. “You’re kidding me? Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“ ’Fraid not.”
“Now that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all day. Wait till Ryder hears.”
Faith leaned on the doorjamb until Chloe had disappeared from sight, staring out into the bright sunshine bathing over the surrounding fields. So maybe she wasn’t imagining the spark between her and Nate. She didn’t believe Chloe for a second that Nate was twisted in knots over her; hell, he could haveanywoman he wanted, so why the hell would he be all hot under the collar for her? But it was a nice thought, to think that he felt a simmer of something.
She shut the heavy front door and laughed to herself as she went back into the kitchen to tidy up.Nate into her?She’d seen the way he looked at her sometimes, the heat in his gaze, but there was a difference between that and what his sister-in-law had said.
Faith felt a pang of desire, a hum through her body, but stamped the flame out. Could she let him touch her? Was she ready to have a man’s hands on her after . . . She gulped. She’d crushed on Nate all her life,trustedhim with her life, but it was just too soon to go there.
“Faith!”
She groaned, standing dead still, hoping her brother wouldn’t notice her. He must have seen Chloe leaving and spotted Faith. Given the fact that she’d never even managed to evade him with her expert hiding when they were kids, hiding in plain view and hoping she was a statue probably wasn’t going to work.
“Faith!” he called out again, banging on the front door this time before pushing it open.Damn!If only she’d thought to turn the lock. “Faith?”
She turned, forcing herself to smile. Sam was her big brother, and he’d always been great, if not just a little too overprotective. She couldn’t exactly ignore him.
“Hey.”
“Didn’t you hear me calling you?” he asked.
“I was just coming to the door,” she lied.
“Huh.” He kicked off his boots and folded his arms across his chest, his eyes narrowing as he gave her a look that spelled lecture. “We need to talk.”
“Come on then,” she muttered. “I’ll make us coffee.” By nightfall she’d be bouncing off the walls with the amount of caffeine she’d consumed.
“Nate coming back anytime soon?”
“Not sure; I don’t exactly have his schedule on me,” she said dryly.
“We’re talking about Nate King; you know that, right?” Sam grumbled. “You haven’t thought this through; he’s--”
“What?” she asked, spinning around to face Sam, planting her hands palms down on the counter. “Your best friend? The guy who always looked out for you when things were shit at home? The very same guy who’s always treated me with respect and never,evertried anything inappropriate with me.” She sighed. “We’re talking about the same guy, right? Becausethat’sthe guy whose house I’m crashing in, Sam. I’m here working for him; that’s it.” She didn’t point out that it was Nate who’d always kept him from doing anything stupid, like hauling him out of fights before things went too far.
“You think he’s so damn respectable, you wouldn’t know the half of it,” Sam scoffed. “Let’s pack your things up and you can come stay with me.”
“No.” She placed her hands on her hips, not about to be bossed around by her older brother. “I’m not a child, Sam; you can’t just snap your fingers and tell me what to do.”
“Nate’s . . .”
“What?” she demanded.
“He’s a womanizer. He’s used to getting whatever and whoever he wants.”
Faith laughed. “Oh, and suddenly you’re Mother Teresa just because you’ve been in a relationship for a couple of months? Cry me a different song, Sam. You’ve got a history of leaving women high and dry just like Nate has, so don’t go trying to make out like he’s the bad guy and you’re not.”
“I’m your brother, goddamn it, and I want to keep you away from him.” Sam stalked around and poured his own cup of coffee, his face like thunder. “Is it so bad that I care about you?”
Faith sighed, shoulders falling as she looked into her brother’s eyes. She nudged him with her arm as she scooped a spoon of sugar and dropped it into his cup. “I love that you care about me, Sam; I do. But I need to stand on my own two feet.”
He grunted and slung an arm around her. “Running into the arms of Nate is not standing on your own two feet, sweetheart.”
