He took a deep breath and told himself to stop being a twit. They’d sat down together in the restaurant only the other evening. He hadn’t eaten with her, sure, but he’d managed conversation, a light flirtation, and she hadn’t run for the hills.
He tucked the pale grey shirt into his black jeans and slipped on a black jacket. Hopefully it said he’d tried, but not so hard he looked like a prat. As he reached for his phone, it started to ring.
Emma (sis).
Briefly he shut his eyes as a heavy dose of guilt swept through him, dragging at his insides. Then he exhaled sharply, hit decline and headed for the door.
She looked stunning, was his first thought as he spotted Faith by the bar, talking to the waitress – Becky, if he’d remembered correctly. Up until now he’d seen Faith in practical trouser suits but tonight she had on a simple green silk dress. It flowed elegantly over curves that his fingers itched to trace.
Becky shot him a quick smile before moving away, leaving him and Faith alone.
‘Am I late?’ Mentally he slapped himself round the head. She looked like a million dollars and that was the best he could open with?
She gave him a flash of her warm, wide smile. ‘Not at all. One of the advantages of having a meal in the same place you live and work. I cut the journey time right out of the equation.’
Nerves fluttered unhelpfully around in his stomach and Adam tried to settle them. Tried to remember this was the same woman he’d had such an enjoyable evening with two nights ago. ‘Which part do you live in?’ She raised her eyebrows, giving him a playful smile, and he realised how that must have sounded. ‘I didn’t mean … I’m not expecting.’ He huffed out a breath and she laughed softly.
‘Relax, I know. I have a few rooms at the back of the hotel.’ She lightly touched his arm. ‘Are you okay?’
Embarrassment flooded through him. ‘Nothing a stiff drink won’t fix.’ He forced himself to take a breath. And then another. ‘Sorry, I’m making a total hash of this. Truth is, it’s been a long time since I went out to dinner with a beautiful woman. I’m trying to remember my steps.’
Her expression softened. ‘If it helps, I’m feeling a little nervous myself.’ A slow smile spread across her face. ‘You just called me beautiful though, which gives you plenty of bonus points in the bag already.’
‘Enough to cover me if I spill my drink over you?’
‘As long as it’s not the one I buy you, yes. What would you like?’
‘A pint of whisky?’ he asked dryly. ‘But I’ll start with a shot and see how I go.’
Becky poured their drinks and they took them to one of the many spare tables – clearly Tuesday nights were slow. Remembering manners drilled into him by his parents, he eased the chair away so Faith could sit down. She looked surprised, but not displeased, so he guessed he hadn’t forgotten all of his etiquette.
‘So.’ She took a sip of her wine and gave him a considering look. ‘How does a man who looks like you, go for so long without a date?’
A blush – for pity’s sake, the last time he’d blushed he’d been thirteen – stung his cheeks and Adam swallowed down a mouthful of his drink. ‘I guess I’ve not seen anyone I’ve been interested in.’ Until now. The words were on the tip of his tongue but he stopped them, aware he wasn’t ready for anything more than a pleasant evening in the company of a gorgeous woman.
You’ve imagined kissing her though, his inner voice reminded him. Imagined her naked.
He coughed, crossing his legs before he gave away his thoughts. Clearly, he was ready for something more, though quite how much of a something, he wasn’t sure.
‘How about you?’ he asked, keen to steer the conversation away from him and on to her. ‘You admitted to being nervous, yet you don’t strike me as a woman who lacks confidence.’
She winced. ‘Do I come across too strong? I know a few men who’d find it a bit weird being asked out for a drink by a woman. They prefer to do the asking.’
He shook his head. ‘I like a woman who isn’t afraid to go after what she wants.’ When she raised her eyebrows Adam frowned, replaying the words again in his mind. Shit. ‘I didn’t mean to imply you wanted me,’ he added hastily, feeling another flush creep up his neck.
‘Of course not.’
Her eyes sparkled with amusement and Adam sighed, exasperated with his own ineptitude. ‘I’d ask if we could start this evening again, but I can’t guarantee I’ll be any better the second time around.’
She gave him a considering look. ‘You know it might just be because it’s been a while since I last had a meal with a man who wasn’t a member of my family, but I’ve got no complaints with this first date. If that’s what it is. A date.’
He inhaled sharply, knowing this was the time to push back. To make it clear that though he liked her, he wasn’t in the right place for anything more than dinner and conversation. ‘I’m hugely attracted to you,’ he blurted instead.
A gorgeous smile bloomed across her face. ‘And I to you, so there’s no need to worry about impressing me. Consider me already impressed.’
His heart was beating so hard he could barely think. He wasn’t a stranger to women coming on to him – there was something about height and muscles that appealed to them. But it was rare that he was interested enough to want to encourage it. To want to flirt back. Reaching for his glass again, he swallowed the rest of his drink before setting it down and staring straight back at her. ‘Safe to say, the feeling is mutual.’
She gave him another slow, sexy smile. ‘Good to know.’ She nodded towards his glass. ‘Would you like another before we eat?’
He shook his head. ‘Better not. I don’t think drunk me is great company. Besides, I believe catching your mutts is only a one drink reward.’
She laughed, and he felt a puff of pride at being the cause. ‘You deserve one for your quick thinking alone. Then there’s the fact that the sight of you with a dog under each arm gave me the best laugh I’ve had in ages.’ Her eyes travelled up his chest, lingering a moment on his lips before meeting his. ‘Besides, we both know rewarding you with a drink was just a ruse to get you alone.’
Tingles of awareness shot through him. He felt like a dormouse, albeit a giant mutant version, waking up after a long period of (sexual) hibernation. Disorientated, definitely. Hungry – in his case a fierce carnal hunger – abso-bloody-lutely. His groin was tight, his blood hot, his heart in thumping overload, though his lust was tempered by the knowledge that just talking to Faith had tied him in nervous knots. If they took this to the next stage – and let’s face it, the leap from light flirtation to the images burning his brain was a huge one – but say they did. That he managed to convince her, convince himself. What then? Was sex like riding a bike? Would it really all come back to him?
Faith was still watching him, her eyes curious, and he wondered what she was thinking. Was she also imagining them taking the next step? Or was she just keeping her one and only guest happy?
Chapter Eight
Faith watched as a mixture of embarrassment and confusion flickered across Adam’s face, at odds with the heat she saw in his eyes. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been so direct, but she’d never seen the point of pretending not to like someone. Besides, he wasn’t trying to hide his attraction to her either. He just clearly wasn’t used to flirting. Who would have thought the giant, macho lumberjack of a man would be so endearingly shy? Though shy was the wrong word, because he certainly hadn’t lacked confidence when dealing with Guy Bannister.
Just when dealing with her.
He glanced up from his scrutiny of the menu. ‘What wine would you like?’ His mouth curved in another of his small, unconsciously sexy smiles. ‘On second thoughts, maybe you should do the choosing. It is your place.’
‘Only if that masculinity of yours isn’t going to take another hit.’
He chuckled, handing her the wine menu. ‘Give it your best shot. And while you’re at it, tell me what you recommend for the food, too. I eat anything as long as it isn’t moving.’
God, but he was gorgeous. Not just the powerfully built body, or the rugged, beautifully masculine face, but his whole self-effacing, slightly reserved demeanour. His dry wit. A hugely attractive male with the body of an Adonis who wasn’t cocky, wasn’t in love with himself.
Faith gave their orders to Becky, choosing the same meal for Adam as she was having herself. As Becky stepped away, she caught Faith’s eye over Adam’s broad shoulder and winked, giving her a thumbs up.
Totally unaware of the effect he was having on the female staff, Adam leant back in his seat. ‘So.’ He ran a hand through his short hair, letting out a rueful smile. ‘I’m trying to remember what we were talking about before … well …’
‘Before we both admitted we were attracted to each other?’
‘Yes, before that.’ He gave her a sweetly awkward smile, but it was his eyes that hers were drawn to. And they looked like they wanted to devour her. ‘I think you were telling me why you don’t have a boyfriend.’
‘I was?’
‘At least I hope you don’t.’
His gaze was riveted on her and for a long, humming moment they stared at each other. ‘I don’t. I’m most definitely single.’
What would it feel like to kiss him? She could almost feel the tingle of his lips against hers. The light brush of his beard. The heat from his hands as they cupped her face. The press of his powerful body against hers …
Becky arrived with the wine, breaking up the smouldering eye contact. When she’d filled their glasses, Faith took a gulp, hoping to cool her wayward thoughts. Focus on the question. ‘For a few years I was in a steady relationship with a guy, Patient Patrick my family used to nickname him. PP, for short.’ Adam quirked a dark brow and she laughed. ‘Nothing ever annoyed him, and trust me I can be pretty annoying at times. I’d cancel on him at the last minute, sometimes even forget totally because a guest needed sorting out and the evening just vanished. Once I missed his birthday, which I know is shameful. None of it seemed to bother him.’
‘Are you sure he wasn’t a doormat?’
She laughed. ‘Okay, I’ve made him sound really dull when actually he was a good guy.’
‘What happened?’
‘I found this place. Eventually even Patient Patrick had been stood up one time too many and decided he’d had enough.’
Adam’s eyes – clear grey, framed with dark lashes, they’d be called pretty on anyone under six foot four and less than two hundred pounds – studied her for a moment. ‘You don’t seem terribly cut up about it.’
Faith paused, trying to remember the day Patrick had dumped her. ‘I was upset. We’d been together for a couple of years and I guess I’d grown used to having him around.’ She groaned, shaking her head. ‘That sounds awful. I think what I’m trying to say is he was a good guy, but he came at the wrong time. My focus wasn’t, and still isn’t, on my love life. He deserved someone who put him first, but my priority was my career. Now it’s getting this place up and running. Mind you, at this rate …’ She tailed off, annoyed she’d started to let her niggling doubts worm their way into the open. They might be flirting, but Adam was still a guest.
A few heavy moments of silence followed, Faith wishing she’d kept quiet and Adam probably wondering what on earth he should say to her.
‘My friend Damon and I set up an architecture practice together three years ago,’ he said after a while. ‘Everyone told us we were nuts. What did a pair of twenty-six-year-olds, with only one year’s experience in the real world, know about setting up their own business?’ He smiled. ‘They were probably right.’
‘And there was me thinking you were going to tell me you’re now worth millions and you don’t regret following your heart rather than your head.’
He shook his head, though his eyes were still smiling. ‘We’re doing okay, and I don’t regret too much of it. What I was trying to say was I understand how tough it is in the early days. It takes a while for word to get around, for reputations to be established.’ He gazed quietly back at her. ‘You have a great place here. Keep doing what you’re doing. You’ll get there.’
She wasn’t sure whether it was his words, or the calm, steady way he said them, but suddenly her throat felt tight, her eyes pricking with tears. Uncomfortable with her emotional reaction, she tried to hide it with humour. ‘I take it that advice doesn’t run to keeping Chloe on the reception desk.’
To her mortification, he looked embarrassed. ‘She’s a good kid and I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s none of my business.’
‘Hey, I didn’t mean that as a dig. I actually meant it as a joke. Maybe I should have gone with I take it that advice doesn’t run to my choice in Christmas decorations.’
His face relaxed, though not as much as she’d hoped. ‘I’m sure your other guests will love them.’
‘Well, so far that’s one family, arriving in two days.’ Her eyes flicked up to his. ‘That’s why I need Guy Bannister’s booking so much. Hiring the function room for their private party, plus up to eight couples staying over for two nights. It’s worth holding my tongue over.’
‘Do you need me on dog duty tomorrow?’
He said it with a straight face but she could make out the curve of his lips beneath his beard. ‘Thank you, but my parents have promised to take them out so they don’t leap all over Mrs Bannister. My dad’s delighted.’
His smile became fuller. ‘I like your parents. I’ve seen them around a few times. Your mum’s friendly, your dad seems to have a really dry sense of humour. Are they staying through till Christmas?’
‘Yep. They were supposed to head back home for a while before coming back to join me on Christmas Day. I think they want to keep their eye on me. Make sure I’m not cracking under the pressure of running this place.’ She hesitated before asking, ‘are your parents still alive?’
‘Yes. They live in France. Have done for the last ten years or so.’
It wasn’t that he appeared upset talking about them. More ambivalent. ‘Do you see them much?’
‘No.’
Faith nearly hissed with frustration as Becky chose that moment to arrive with their starters; deep-fried camembert with cranberry sauce. To her surprise though, after taking a bite, Adam picked up the thread of their conversation without any prompting. ‘I haven’t seen them in a while. Not since …’ he trailed off, took a sip of his wine. ‘Not for several years.’
Adam kicked himself. Why hadn’t he stopped at no? He knew exactly how long it had been since he’d seen his parents. Three years and ten days. Even then, they’d barely spoken. Not that there had been any animosity. Still wasn’t. It’s just they barely knew what to say to each other at the best of times – and his parents had come over at the worst of times, when he’d not been able to speak to anyone.
‘I guess they won’t be turning up for Christmas, then?’
Faith was watching him with her wide, alert eyes. He knew she was trying to understand his family situation, his dislike of the season she loved so much. ‘No.’
She frowned. ‘Will you be spending the day alone?’
He let out a strangled laugh, desperate to shift the conversation onto something else. ‘Hardly. I’ll be here, won’t I?’
A look of horror crossed her face. ‘But the restaurant will be closed. We were going to open it, but with so few bookings it didn’t seem fair on Mario and Antonio. Please tell me I warned you when you booked.’
‘You did,’ he reassured. ‘And as you know, I’m not a fan of Christmas so it’s no big deal. I’m sure somewhere will be open. Or I can always microwave something in my room.’
Her nose wrinkled in an expre
ssion he could only describe as disgust. ‘Sorry, but that’s not going to work. No way can I have you eating a microwave meal by yourself on Christmas Day.’ Her tongue peeped out from between her soft lips, presumably to capture some unseen crumb. He was so distracted he almost didn’t hear her next words. ‘My family is coming and we’ll be taking over the restaurant. You must join us.’
‘God no.’ Hurt flashed across her face and instantly he felt terrible. ‘Sorry, that came out wrong. I meant I wouldn’t want to intrude on your family.’ And hell, no way on earth had he come all the way here to avoid Emma’s invitation, only to receive a similar one. The guest invited through pity, or some sense of misplaced duty to their fellow man on Christmas Day. He was quite happy being alone and miserable.
An uneasy tension settled between them, and the camembert he’d thought was exquisite only a moment ago, was now hard to swallow. Once again Adam cursed this time of year.
‘You wouldn’t be intruding,’ Faith said finally, her voice so quiet he almost couldn’t hear her. ‘You already know me, Chloe and my parents. The only others will be Hope, with baby Jack and her husband Tom, and Charity with her other half Phil. We’re a loud and noisy bunch. We do cracker pulling and joke telling, not deep contemplation and meaningful conversation.’
Anxious not to come across as an ungrateful bastard a second time, he chose his next words more carefully than the last. ‘Thank you. I appreciate the gesture, truly I do. I’ll see how it goes.’
The waitress came to remove their plates, replacing them with the crab linguine Faith had ordered. In a bid to break the tension that was threatening to suffocate the life out of what had begun as a promising evening, Adam took a big mouthful. ‘Excellent choice,’ he said after swallowing, relieved he hadn’t needed to lie.
Her eyes skimmed over his face. ‘You look surprised.’
He gave her a sheepish smile. ‘Back to those stereotypes we discussed a few days ago; my go-to meal is meat and two veg.’
‘You should have said.’
A Little Christmas Faith Page 7
