Page 6 of A Lot Like Forever
“Is the place that filthy?”
“No, it’s that empty,” she replied, her smile widening when she saw what he was carrying. “Pizza?”
He set the box on the counter. “Granddad was asleep when I went to the hospital to visit, so I decided to grab some dinner instead. You like pizza, right?”
“Is that even a real question?” Faith put down her wine and opened the fridge. “You want a beer?”
He nodded and sat down at the counter, opening the box and pulling out a slice of pepperoni. She glanced at him as he undid the top two buttons of his shirt, revealing tanned skin and a sprinkling of dark hair. She turned away. There was no doubting she’d always been attracted to Nate, but after what had happened she didn’t even want to think about being intimate with another man just yet.
“So when you said the place was empty . . . ?” Nate asked.
Faith returned with a beer and leaned forward to take a slice. “I’m guessing you eat a lot of takeout, because there’s nothing in the fridge or pantry. How long has your housekeeper been gone?”
“She retired a couple of months ago. Mrs. T did all my cooking and cleaning for me, so I eat out a lot now. Or I order in. Either way, it doesn’t involve me in the kitchen.”
“Well, I wanted to cook something nice to say thank you, but when I couldn’t find enough ingredients for anything I was starting to contemplate taking a car and heading to the grocery store.” Faith took another bite of pizza as she watched Nate’s face, but he didn’t look surprised. “Am I right in thinking you wouldn’t have minded?” she asked when he didn’t say anything, guessing he couldn’t care less.
“Depends which one you’d taken,” he replied with a grin. “I’m kidding. They’re all insured, so help yourself. You want to head to the store tomorrow, take the Range Rover.”
Faith laughed. She was used to driving a beat-up truck—and still would be if it hadn’t just broken down on her—and tomorrow she’d be able to cruise around in a vehicle that probably cost more than the house she’d grown up in.
“Thanks for all this,” Faith said, reaching for her wine and toying with the stem of the glass. And it wasn’t just being able to stay that she was grateful for. Knowing that he was protecting her was comforting, and she liked how safe she felt at his house.
“It’s just pizza.”
His throaty laugh sent a chill down her spine and she couldn’t help but smile back at him.
“Look, I’ve known you since you were a little girl, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to help you or Sam,” Nate said. “I just don’t want to cause a rift, because we both know that your brother will flip when he finds you came to me instead of him. But I think of you as a sister, Faith. I always have.”
For years she’d tried to get Nate’s attention, and nothing had worked. When she’d been younger, it had upset her that a man with such a bad reputation where women were concerned wouldn’t so much as look at her, but she’d convinced herself that it was because he thought of her as a little girl instead of a young woman. Given their history, she doubted Sam would bethatupset. Nate hadn’t stepped out of line once where she was concerned, no matter what she’d done to show him that she was all grown-up. She was the one who’d had a problem with the boundaries between them.
“You know he’s living at his girlfriend’s place, don’t you?” she asked Nate.
He took a sip of his beer and leaned over for another slice of pizza. “The cute blonde, right? He’s kept her kind of hidden away from me.”
“Ha-ha, I wonder why?”
Nate just winked at her, the tilt of his mouth in one corner telling her that he didn’t give a shit that even his best friend was worried he might steal his girl. Faith just shook her head, forcing herself not to laugh.Arrogant son of a bitch.
“I’m sure she would have let his little sister stay,” Nate said, suddenly more serious. “If that’s what you were worried about?”
“He moved in with her less than a month ago. I’m not convinced she would have been happy with me landing on her doorstep so soon.”
“You moved in with your guy around the same time, right? I remember Sam telling me that you weren’t living at home anymore.”
She sighed, not wanting to go back to that place in her mind even for a second. Bad decisions weren’t something she was used to making, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to make the same kind of mistake ever again.
“Can we make a deal that we don’t talk about either of them again? My dad or my ex?”
Nate nodded, his eyes softening around the corners as he did so. He’d been sexy before,temptingbefore, but the way he was looking at her right now was something she could start to crave. Because now he wasn’t just turning on the sexual charm—now he was looking at her like he truly cared, and she liked it. Liked the feeling of being looked after right now without having to give anything of herself in return.
“Sure. But if you want to talk about it . . .”
“I won’t,” she insisted.
“That’s settled then. So I guess we should just eat pizza and get drunk?”
She groaned, pleased that he’d changed the subject. “Does that line work when you’re trying to get lucky and take a woman home with you?”
