Page 44 of A Lot Like Forever
“I’m not having sex with you,” she muttered, lying half on top of him, half on the sofa. “I’m dying here.”
“I like you for more than just sex, if you really want to know,” he said, stroking her lazily. She might be feeling annoyed-exhausted, but he loved the way working out made him feel. If his body wasn’t aching then he hadn’t run hard enough, and the fact that he was tired from sexandrunning was enough to keep a smile on his face. Besides, it didn’t take him long to recharge. Nate flexed his hand, wincing. The only thing that annoyed him was the fact that his hand hurt like hell when he moved it a certain way after having to deal to Faith’s ex. If it wasn’t pain-free by morning he’d be taking a trip past his doctor’s office to get it checked, but for now Nate was choosing to ignore it.
“Do you like me enough to talk business?” Faith asked.
He shifted his weight so he could look at her properly. “Are you secretly here to unearth secrets about me? Because I don’t give interviews, I don’t like journalists, and I sure as hell don’t like undercover ones.”
“Nate, I . . .”
He laughed. “Sweetheart, I’m just kidding. Well, I’m not actually, all that was true, but I trust you.”
“I just, well, I want to be successful,” she admitted. “I want to make something of myself.”
“Well, you’re talking to the right person.”
She scoffed. “Either you’re making fun of me or your ego is stupidly big.”
Nate leaned closer so he could plant a kiss on her mouth. “Neither. What I meant is that I take success very seriously. Plenty of the businesspeople I deal with might call me an asshole because I’m tough when it comes to the deals I put together, but you’ll never hear me telling someone they can’t reach the goddamn sky if they make it their goal.”
She sighed. “So you wouldn’t laugh at me if I said I want to be the most successful female art consultant and trader in Texas?” Her voice was softer than usual, uncertainty clear in her tone.
“Faith, I don’t think you’re aiming high enough,” he said honestly, taking a sip of his beer and watching her do the same.
“Really?”
“There’s no reason you can’t be better than the best man, for starters, and don’t just limit yourself to Texas. Dream big, baby, and don’t let anyone stand in your way.”
That made her crack up. “Like Cooper-type douche bags, you mean?”
“Hey, he’s not going to be bothering you again anytime soon.” Nate smiled to himself, pleased that he’d dealt with the situation personally. He’d done what he had to do without going too American Psycho on the guy, and Nate genuinely doubted Faith would ever hear from him again. “Let’s just say that if he saw either of us again, he’d cross the street to avoid a confrontation.”
She smirked. “Can I ask what you did to him, or do I not want to know?”
Nate shrugged. “I didn’t kill him, but I did teach him a lesson.” He held up his bottle and clinked it against hers. “To your successful career.”
“One day,” she muttered. “Right now it’s just a dream.”
“Quit working at places like Joe’s and find a gallery to start out in,” Nate suggested. “Offer to work for free if they don’t have an opening; learn the ropes from the bottom up. I’m not knocking your degree, because you sure as hell need it and it’s incredible how hard you’ve studied, but if you want to impress people you need to show you have the practical skills, too.”
“There’s that little issue of money, Nate,” she said, moving away from him a little so she could lean against the back of the sofa and tuck her knees up. “I can’t work for free, finish off my post-grad, and work somewhere for money to pay my bills, too.”
“So stay living here for a while,” he said, like it was the most obvious answer in the world. He sipped his beer and kept his eyes on her at the same time, wondering why the hell he’d just said that. Two days ago, hell,oneday ago he was cursing the fact that he’d let her stay at all, and now he was suggesting she stay longer?Indefinitely?
Then again, one day ago they hadn’t been sleeping together, and having her around was a whole lot nicer than he’d expected. His house had always been so strictly off-limits to anyone other than family, which meant his fun with women had been confined to the apartment or hotel rooms. But there was something about seeing Faith curled up on his sofa.
“You mean that?” she finally asked.
“Yeah. Why the hell not?” Nate kicked his feet up and stretched out. “You keep the house tidy and cook a few meals for us, and in exchange you can live here for as long as you need.”
“But--”
“No buts,” he insisted. He’d made the decision and he was going to have to live with the consequences of dealing with Sam and any other shit that came his way. “Stay or don’t stay, the choice is yours. But if you want a shot at the career you’re dreaming about, take the opportunity and don’t look a gift horse in the mouth when he’s staring straight at you.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, setting her bottle down and pushing up on her knees so she could shuffle forward.
Nate put his bottle on the floor, less interested in drinking than the beautiful woman approaching him. Her hair was still damp and falling over her shoulders, which had had the enticing effect of wetting the thin material of her cotton tank. Faith’s mouth was slightly parted, her eyes on his as she moved even closer.
“I thought we weren’t having sex?” he joked, sitting up slightly and reaching for the hem of her top so he could lift it up and over her head.
