bent close to his girlfriend’s, listening to something she was saying, and Nate was staring at Faith.
“What happened to your friends?” he asked.
“They’re off dancing. Man hunting.”
The look on Nate’s face was priceless, the line of his mouth tightening. “Are you going to join them?”
She finished her drink and placed it down on the table. “No.”
“Good.” He knocked back the rest of his and slammed it down on the table. “I’ll get us all another round then.”
Sam got her attention as Nate disappeared again. He looked more mellow than he had before, but she guessed his girlfriend probably had to take credit for that.
“You okay?” he asked with big-brotherly concern.
“Fine. Great, in fact,” she said.
“Nate sorted out your ex yet?”
Faith prickled just at the mention of Cooper. “Not that I know of.” Maybe Nate had? The truth was, so long as Cooper never came near her again she didn’t really care.
“I’ll talk to him about it when he gets back.”
Nate was back before she knew it, her drink in front of her and his hand sliding down her back again. She’d come to crave his touch, the indent of his palm against any part of her enough to make her shudder. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but she liked it.
“Thank you,” she said, taking a welcome gulp of alcohol.
“You’re welcome.”
“Stop making eyes at my sister and slide me my beer,” her brother grumbled.
Faith saw the way Kelly touched his arm, smiling to herself as she gave him a look that said, Enough . Faith hadn’t seen her brother in a serious relationship before, and she liked that it was someone else keeping him in line for once. Fingers crossed he managed to hold on to her.
They chatted about nothing in particular, and Faith leaned across the table for a bit to talk with Kelly again, but Faith was so aware of Nate that she found it almost impossible to concentrate on what she was saying. His body was warm against hers when he shuffled closer, his mouth so tempting when he spoke to her, her eyes dropping to focus on the fullness of his lips every single time. The more she tried not to think about him like that, the more she wanted him.
“I’ll be back in a moment,” Faith said as she stood, carefully smoothing her hands over her skirt to make sure it was in place. She collected her purse and made her way through the crowd, heading in what she hoped was the right direction for the restroom. She needed a minute to gather her thoughts, to figure out what the hell she was doing.
Once she was in there she checked her reflection in a mirror, reapplied her lip gloss instead of splashing the cold water on her face that she was craving. After spending so long on her makeup she wasn’t about to ruin it. What she did do was let the cool water run over her wrists, cooling her body and calming her at the same time. Nate hadn’t even done anything, yet she was all twisted in knots over just the thought of what he could do to her.
Once she’d finished in the restroom she stepped out, was about to brave the crowd and head back to their table when a hand closed over hers, taking her by surprise.
“Faith.”
Her pulse ignited, first from the shock of a man grabbing her unexpectedly, then all over again when she realized it was Nate. Her heart was pounding, her initial reaction to shove his hand off and run. But he wasn’t Cooper. It was Nate. Nate wasn’t going to hurt her.
“I was just making my way back,” she said, trying to slow her breathing.
“Your brother’s up dancing. I was just coming to get you.”
She stood dead still, stared up at him, heart pounding so loudly she was certain it was about to beat right out of her chest.
“Nate…”
He stepped closer, released her wrist, his eyes fixed on hers.
Screw it . Maybe it was the alcohol, the fact that they’d been dancing around whatever the hell it was going on between them since the moment she’d arrived at his place, or the fact that
“What happened to your friends?” he asked.
“They’re off dancing. Man hunting.”
The look on Nate’s face was priceless, the line of his mouth tightening. “Are you going to join them?”
She finished her drink and placed it down on the table. “No.”
“Good.” He knocked back the rest of his and slammed it down on the table. “I’ll get us all another round then.”
Sam got her attention as Nate disappeared again. He looked more mellow than he had before, but she guessed his girlfriend probably had to take credit for that.
“You okay?” he asked with big-brotherly concern.
“Fine. Great, in fact,” she said.
“Nate sorted out your ex yet?”
Faith prickled just at the mention of Cooper. “Not that I know of.” Maybe Nate had? The truth was, so long as Cooper never came near her again she didn’t really care.
“I’ll talk to him about it when he gets back.”
Nate was back before she knew it, her drink in front of her and his hand sliding down her back again. She’d come to crave his touch, the indent of his palm against any part of her enough to make her shudder. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but she liked it.
“Thank you,” she said, taking a welcome gulp of alcohol.
“You’re welcome.”
“Stop making eyes at my sister and slide me my beer,” her brother grumbled.
Faith saw the way Kelly touched his arm, smiling to herself as she gave him a look that said, Enough . Faith hadn’t seen her brother in a serious relationship before, and she liked that it was someone else keeping him in line for once. Fingers crossed he managed to hold on to her.
They chatted about nothing in particular, and Faith leaned across the table for a bit to talk with Kelly again, but Faith was so aware of Nate that she found it almost impossible to concentrate on what she was saying. His body was warm against hers when he shuffled closer, his mouth so tempting when he spoke to her, her eyes dropping to focus on the fullness of his lips every single time. The more she tried not to think about him like that, the more she wanted him.
“I’ll be back in a moment,” Faith said as she stood, carefully smoothing her hands over her skirt to make sure it was in place. She collected her purse and made her way through the crowd, heading in what she hoped was the right direction for the restroom. She needed a minute to gather her thoughts, to figure out what the hell she was doing.
Once she was in there she checked her reflection in a mirror, reapplied her lip gloss instead of splashing the cold water on her face that she was craving. After spending so long on her makeup she wasn’t about to ruin it. What she did do was let the cool water run over her wrists, cooling her body and calming her at the same time. Nate hadn’t even done anything, yet she was all twisted in knots over just the thought of what he could do to her.
Once she’d finished in the restroom she stepped out, was about to brave the crowd and head back to their table when a hand closed over hers, taking her by surprise.
“Faith.”
Her pulse ignited, first from the shock of a man grabbing her unexpectedly, then all over again when she realized it was Nate. Her heart was pounding, her initial reaction to shove his hand off and run. But he wasn’t Cooper. It was Nate. Nate wasn’t going to hurt her.
“I was just making my way back,” she said, trying to slow her breathing.
“Your brother’s up dancing. I was just coming to get you.”
She stood dead still, stared up at him, heart pounding so loudly she was certain it was about to beat right out of her chest.
“Nate…”
He stepped closer, released her wrist, his eyes fixed on hers.
Screw it . Maybe it was the alcohol, the fact that they’d been dancing around whatever the hell it was going on between them since the moment she’d arrived at his place, or the fact that
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