Page 22 of A Lot Like Forever
He frowned. “No.”
“Hurt me?”
“Never.”
“Then what?” she asked. “What should I be scared of? You’ve never done anything to make me think you’d hurt me.”
Nate gritted his teeth, fisted his palms under the table “Don’t push me, Faith, because if I have you in my arms for even a second, I might never let you go.”
* * *
Faith ran her fingers down the stem of her wineglass, refusing to give in to the feelings she was having for Nate. She wanted him, she couldn’t ignore the way she was feeling, but she also wasn’t going to be made to feel like a girl. Nate was everything she liked in a man,everything she’d always desired. Trouble was, she wasn’t sure if she was ready.Yet.
“You need to stop seeing me as Sam’s little sister,” she said, keeping her voice even, taking a slow, determined sip of wine, pushing away the voice in her head telling her to stop.
“And what should I see you as, Faith?” Nate’s voice was raspy, husky as hell.
“A woman,” she said. “All grownup and fully capable of making her own decisions, especially when it comes to men.” She knew how that sounded, but she’d left her ex the first time he’d laid a hand on her and she wasn’t going to let that one bad experience scare her off the opposite sex for life. She was stronger than that.
“And what is it you want from me, Faith?” If Nate’s voice had been raspy before, it was husky and dragged over gravel now, like pure sex if ever she’d heard it. “Or is it another man you’re talking about?”
She tried to laugh, but it ended up sounding more like a choke. “Maybe it is another man.” It was a lie, but she wanted to knock Nate down a peg, didn’t want him to constantly have the upper hand. His cockiness was endearing sometimes and frustrating as hell others.
“Well, if it is,” he said, leaning back and away from her as he twirled the stem of his glass, “don’t be inviting him back here.”
“And why’s that?” she asked, wishing she had the confidence to laugh in Nate’s face and tell him that two could play his silly games.
“Because I’ll kill any bastard that tries to touch you while you’re under my protection, Faith. With my bare fucking hands if I have to.”
Silence was like a cloud above them, hanging immobile, as if about to strike with thunder and lightning.
“You’re starting to sound a lot like my very overprotective brother,” she said pointedly, once she realized Nate wasn’t going to say anything else. “The one I thought was incapable of dealing with my current situation without being a douche bag.”
“Believe me, sugar, my thoughts about you are anything other than goddamn brotherly. Never have been.”
She sucked in a breath, took another sip of wine for something to do, dinner long forgotten. “Maybe we should have just sat and eaten our spaghetti. Not said a word.”
“So you could seduce me with your culinary skills rather than your bedroom eyes?” His voice was almost cruel now, predatory.
“So we could enjoy delicious food and more convivial company, actually,” Faith told him. “I think I already made it clear that I have no powers of seduction, regardless of what you might think.” She also wasn’t sure she was up for bantering with Nate unless she was certain she was ready to go there. Which she wasn’t.
“Then let’s eat,” he said, picking up his fork again and attacking his food with gusto. “The meatballs are incredible. You’re a great cook.”
“Thank you,” she said, accepting the compliment, wishing she wasn’t thinking that food was the way to a man’s heart. Because she didn’t want or need to go messing with any hearts, hers included. Maybe what she needed was some fun between the sheets, to loosen up a little. Get over what had happened and prove to herself she was as strong as she kept thinking she was. And wasn’t as bad in bed as Cooper had insinuated.
“How about we start over?” he suggested, leaning forward for another helping, even though it had started to go cold.
Faith watched as he served himself, deciding that she might as well finish her food, too. She’d been chopping and stirring for what had seemed like hours at the time, so it seemed a shame to let it go to waste.
“What do you suggest?”
“How about I start by telling you about my day? Or maybe I should confess my sins to you?”
Faith shrugged. “Sure.” She started to eat as Nate piled his plate high.
“You know, I don’t like anyone to sense any weakness in me, Faith, which is why you rattle me. You turn up and I turn into a goddamn pussy, letting you look at me with your puppy dog eyes.” He shook his head, ran a hand through his hair. “And now I’m about to lose the most important person in my life, my grandfather, and I’m afraid it’s going to cut me off at the knees without me being able to do a damn thing about it. So I guess that makes two of you managing to dent my tough-guy armor.”
She gulped. Maybe she should have been more encouraging when he’d suggested he just tell her about his day.
