Page 30 of A Lot Like Forever
“Enough!” Nate commanded, his booming voice so loud it sent chills through her. “Enough, Sam!” Her brother had turned into a maniac, throwing his head forward and trying to head butt Nate now that he couldn’t successfully use his fists.
“Sam!” Faith demanded, moving closer now that the worst of the fight was over. “Just stop. Stop!”
He looked at her, the fury in his face simmering to a different kind of anger, one she thought looked more manageable than rage since it seemed to be filled with disappointment. She wasn’t used to disappointing anyone, least of all her brother, but she was pretty sure that’s what she was seeing right now.
“Don’t you ever fucking touch my sister again. You hear me?” Sam spat out the words, looking at Nate like he’d kill him with his bare hands if he had to. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
Nate stared at him. He hadn’t looked over at her, not once, but his words were for her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied, her eyes fixed on him now instead of Sam.
“Leave her out of this, Nate. She’s not yours to protect and she never will be.”
Faith swallowed, hard, looking between the two men. She loved Sam; he’d been an amazing brother when they were kids and he still was. She was insanely proud of the career he’d made for himself and the man he’d become. But just because she loved him didn’t mean he could decide who she was allowed to kiss, or do anything else with. If she wanted to get into Nate’s bed, that was her choice, and no one, not even her brother, was going to stop her.
The two men were still staring at each other, like they could be fist fighting in a second without warning, but Nate was slowly backing away and putting some distance between them.
“She’s a grown woman, Sam,” Nate finally said. “And after what she’s been through I don’t think she needs to see us fighting.”
“She’s my sister! Mylittlesister.”
They were talking like she wasn’t even standing there, but from what Nate had told her this was a feud that had started when she was a teenager, something that had been simmering between them for some time. Sam had thought he’d stamped it out all those years ago, and now his worst nightmare had come true.
“Can we at least talk about this in private?” Nate asked, his voice still deep and calm as ever.
“What, you don’t want everyone knowing that you’re trying to get into my sister’s pants?” His laugh was cruel as he turned to her. “Because that’s all he wants from you, Faith. And once he’s had you, he’ll discard you. And who’ll be there to pick up the pieces then, huh?”
Silence stretched out between them, but Faith was at least starting to catch her breath, her heart no longer hammering like it had been. Her only concern was what Nate was about to say now, because if he told Sam the truth it might end up making the entire situation even worse.
“Don’t forget that Faith came to me, Sam. I never went looking for her, did I? I stayed the hell away, just like you asked me to.”
“So now it’s her fault? Now that she’s near you it’s her problem that you can’t keep your tongue out of her mouth.”
Faith felt like she was about to stop breathing, all the oxygen in the room gone, waiting for his answer. He’d turned what had just happened between her and Nate into something forbidden and it wasn’t.
“No. But I’d never make a woman do anything she didn’t want to do, and you’re still my friend, Sam. The best goddamn friend I’ve ever had.” Nate ran his fingers through his hair, glancing at her for the first time, the look in his eyes one she couldn’t decipher. “I wouldn’t do anything to ruin our friendship, Sam.”
“Yeah?” Sam glared at Nate like he’d like to kill him. “Well, you just did. We’re through.”
Sam spun around and marched off, leaving her standing there wondering what the hell had happened as Kelly ran after him. Nate was immobile for a moment, then launched forward, went to go after him, but Faith quickly grabbed his arm.
“Don’t,” she said. “Just give him some time.”
Nate stopped without her needing to try to restrain him further. He turned slowly, his eyes falling to hers, his smile grim, nothing like the brightness she’d witnessed earlier when she’d been in his arms.
“We really screwed up,” Nate said, reaching for her anyway and stroking his fingers down her arm. “
“No, I screwed up,” Faith said, wishing she didn’t crave his touch quite so much. She wasn’t going to lie—Nate’s skin on hers sent shoots of pleasure rippling through her, the anticipation of what could happen between them almost as sweet as each touch. And she wasn’t afraid of him, had expected to be scared of him touching her, of going there so soon, but she wasn’t. “This is all on me, not you.”
He shook his head, one side of his mouth curving up into a smile. “I didn’t exactly try to push you away,” he said, cupping her face and looking deep into her eyes. “I’ve wanted you for a long time, Faith, which is why I never should have let you stay.”
Her pulse had ignited again, the flames in her belly stirring into a full-on fire now. “But you did,” she murmured. “And you didn’t seem to mind me kissing you.”
“Darlin’, kissing you is something I could do all night.” Nate chuckled and cupped her cheek, staring at her, before letting his hand fall away. “Every damn night of the week if I had the chance.”
Faith swallowed, moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. “So just because my brother tells you I’m out-of-bounds, that’s it? You’re going to let him control you like that?”
