Page 32 of A Lot Like Forever
Chapter 7
Nate groaned, the noise coming from deep within him. She might be younger than him, his friend’s little sister, but she was sure as hell all grown-up just like she’d claimed to be. There was nothing about that girl left.
“That’s the worst excuse I’ve ever heard,” he muttered, but he still didn’t back away.
“Sam’s gone,” she said, both hands to his chest now, then running up and over his shoulders. “It’s just you and me.”
“No.” He forced himself to say the word, wanted so badly to do the right thing, but it still wasn’t enough. Because he wasn’t good, never had been, and the more he knew he wasn’t allowed something . . .
“I wasn’t lying that I needed a teacher,” she whispered, on her tiptoes now, mouth so,soclose to his.
“And I made it very clear that you don’t need a goddamn teacher.” His fists were balled, his fingers tightening as he tried to resist the urge to touch her. Why was she doing this to him?
“You’d rather I find another man for the job?” she teased.
But he didn’t want to be teased, wasn’t in the mood.
Nate used every inch of his willpower as he slowly closed the gap between them, mouth hovering over Faith’s as he bent down. “You so much as mention another man . . .”
She sighed into his mouth as he closed his lips over hers, kissing her so softly it almost killed him, was almost impossible to maintain.
“I won’t,” she whispered when he pulled back. “I feel safe with you. It’s only you I want.”
Nate slipped an arm around Faith, the other hand snaking around the back of her head, fingers tangling in her long hair so he could lock her in place, kissing her rough. He wanted to do wicked things to her, things he’d fantasized about for years and refused to ever think could come true.
“No one can know about this,” he muttered.
“About what?” she innocently replied, the rise and fall of her breasts as she caught her breath making him want to rip her dress down to expose them, to finally see what she looked like bare.
“We’re going home!” he commanded. “And I’m not touching you until we’re away from here, okay? If Sam sees me so much as look at you like I want you in my bed, the next time I see him he’ll have a gun to my head.” He looked down at Faith and wished he’d kept that last part to himself. “Sorry.”
“Let’s just go,” she said. “You can make it up to me later.”
Nate grabbed her hand when they neared the crowd, needing to get past a ton of people to make the main exit. He’d only had a couple of drinks all night, so he was fine to drive, and he just wanted to get the hell out and to his car. Faith’s petite hand fitted perfectly into his, her hold tight. Whatever the hell he’d just done, there was no going back. And as much as he didn’t want to piss Sam off, Nate also wanted Faith.Like he’d never, ever wanted a woman before.
* * *
“So here we are.”
Nate pushed open the front door and took a few steps inside. It was dark and he’d forgotten to turn any lights on, so he fumbled his hand along the wall until he connected with the switches. His brothers had all sorts of fancy lighting at their new places, but he didn’t care that the main house was a bit ancient. It was immaculately maintained and the old girl had one hell of a history, so he wasn’t exactly hankering for something brand-new. He dealt with shiny glass and chrome buildings on a daily basis, so many of their investments in New York were in the city, and he liked a bit of history at home.
He glanced back at Faith, saw her standing awkwardly near the front door still, suddenly looking a whole lot like the young Faith he’d been warned away from so many years ago and not at all like the confident young woman who’d just propositioned him in the bar.
“I was half-expecting Sam to be waiting on the porch for me.”
She smiled, but her lips only just moved, hovering at the corners. “He’d had too much to drink to be able to drive, and I don’t think Kelly will let him out of her sight until he sobers up.”
“He wasn’t drunk; that’s what worried me,” Nate said grimly. “It’s gonna take a while to repair the damage.”
“And us?” she asked, her bottom lip catching beneath her top teeth.
Nate groaned and stepped toward her, taking her hand in his and looking down into her eyes. “There is no us, Faith,” he said. “It’s not because I don’t want there to be, but you don’t need me as some sort of a rebound guy. And you sure as hell don’t need an angry brother on your hands.”
She raised her gaze, reaching to touch Nate’s face. “I don’t want you to be my rebound, Nate.”
He sighed and fought the urge to kiss her. “I can’t be any more to you than a rebound, Faith. Any ideas you have about something more . . .”
“I don’t want more,” she said, her fingers strumming a gentle note across his skin, his cheek, and then his jawline. “I just want to have fun for the summer, before life becomes a whole lot more serious. And I want you to . . .”
