Building Faith (Long Beach Series Book 2)

by Dani Matthews

  She hesitates and slowly shakes her head. “Not really.” Her eyes immediately turn worried as she quickly adds, “Not that I don't ever want to try it, but it's a little intimidating...just the thought...you know?”

  I squeeze her hand, wanting to reassure her. “I already told you I don't want that with you. There's a lot we can do that's not missionary that'll be exciting enough without it, okay?”

  “But if you like it...”

  “Angel, I said I don't want that with you. I didn't care about them, I care about you. Moving on,” I say, desperate for the topic to be over with. “I think we'll slow things down for a bit. How about when you're ready to take things to the bedroom—your bedroom,” I clarify, “you let me know and we'll explore sex with each other when you're comfortable and ready for it.”

  “Why my bedroom?” Her voice is soft as she looks at me searchingly.

  I knew it. She hates the fucking bed we're sitting on. It doesn't show on her face, but the fact that she's studying me closely tells me I hit the figurative nail right on the damned head. I give her a look and quirk an eyebrow. “You think I didn't realize the bed turns you off? I didn't get it right away, but I figured it out shortly after you put a stop to things.”

  “Oh,” she looks embarrassed and sheepish at the same time, which makes her look adorable. “I knew that no matter who I would sleep with next, that I wouldn't be their first or second or anything like that. I know you've been with...a lot of women.”

  “I'm not going to lie, I have,” I confirm bluntly, refusing to lie. “I can tell you this though, I've never been with anyone I really care about. Not like you. You'll be my first in that regard.” In my book, Zoey doesn't count. I wasn't as fascinated with her as I am with Faith. Yeah, I'd cared about her when we'd slept together, but it had been a meaningless fuck because we'd both been drunk.

  Shit.

  Does Faith know I've been with Zoey...and Bev? Bloody hell. I bet that won't go over real well. It's definitely not worth bringing up this early on with our relationship, but sooner or later I'm going to have to come clean with her. She's gotten close with Zoey, and through Zoey she'll get to know Bev.

  Faith slowly nods. “So my bedroom it is. I'm going to be honest, your past intimidates me. I don't have much experience...”

  I lean forward and touch the bottom of her chin so that I can peer into her eyes. “I love that you're not experienced,” I say, giving her absolutely no reason to doubt my words.

  “You do?”

  “Hell, yeah. I get to be the one you try new stuff out with. I get to see your reaction and be the one to learn what you like, don't like, and what really sets you off.” I give her a devilish grin. “I'm looking forward to that.”

  “Me too,” she says softly.

  “Backing off now,” I mutter as I release her chin and sit back. “Sitting too close to you is going to start trouble.”

  This causes her to smile as her eyes gleam. “I like your kind of trouble, but I have to agree, not tonight.” She turns serious. “Ace, we're both serious about this, right? We're not going to date other people?”

  “No one else,” I agree.

  She looks relieved. “And what do we do about Caleb?”

  A sigh escapes me as I run a wary hand through my hair. “I think it would be wise if we keep what's going on between us to ourselves. My reputation is pretty bad, and he's warned me off you a couple of times now. He's going to be against us the second he hears about it,” I warn her.

  “You really think so?”

  I give her a look. “He's seen me go through women like I go through bottled water. Yeah, he's going be against us.”

  “If this works out between us, we'll have to tell him eventually,” she points out.

  “I know. Let's make sure we got something solid first. Going to him now would be a mistake. If we've got a good thing going and we've been together for a while, we'll tell him. That way we've already cemented our relationship, because I can tell you right now, he'll cause trouble.”

  “But he's so laid-back. I can't see him deliberately sabotaging our relationship.”

  “Faith, he'll come after me. You know that, right?” I ask, needing her to take off the figurative rose-tinted glasses she's wearing.

  Worry flickers in her eyes. “What will happen between you two?”

  “Bad shit until he can forgive me for going behind his back,” I tell her bluntly.

  “I don't want to ruin your friendship—”

  “You're worth it,” I cut in.

  Her gaze locks on mine for a moment, and I watch as the resignation seeps in. “It's getting late. I think we covered everything, or are we leaving anything out?”

  “I'm sure there's more to talk about, but the important stuff has been sorted out.” I rise to my feet, forgetting that I'm wearing nothing but a towel. The knot has loosened up and the towel begins to slip down my hips. I grab it quickly, flashing a few pubes but not my dick.

  Faith is still sitting on the bed, and she's frozen to the spot, her eyes glued to my crotch. I watch as she literally bolts off the bed and rushes out of my room, tossing a “Call me later!” over her shoulder.

  I chuckle knowingly. That girl wants it bad. I turn and holler out the door, “We're going bungee jumping!” while knotting the towel again.

  “What?” she calls back.

  I walk out of my room and down the hall to find her standing at the apartment door, her hand on the knob. “We're going bungee jumping tomorrow. Be ready by noon,” I inform her.

  She flashes me an excited grin. “You're the best, you know that?”

  Before I can answer her, she's gone.

  With a shake of my head, I walk back to my room to put on some clothes. My eyes narrow on the bed as soon as I walk through the doorway. I like restraining women. Hell, I love it. But I don't need it, at least not with her. Faith isn't the type of woman you restrain, especially with the past that she has. I'll never hold her down or take away her ability to move.

  I decide right then and there that the bed has to go tomorrow. It's going in the dumpster—all of it. I'll get a new box spring and mattress, and I'll wait on getting an actual bed frame. If I can't attach restraints on anything, it'll avoid temptation. I will not turn Faith into my other women. I'm going to do right by her. This shit is new to me, but I'm going to do my damnedest not to screw it up.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Faith

  Surprisingly enough, it was easy to for me and Ace to fall back into our regular routine during the past few weeks. Only now we spend a lot of time kissing and touching. Well, he touches me. A lot. We've never taken anything to the bedroom though, and I haven't let him kiss me down there yet. I'm finding that I'm enjoying taking things slower, and there's no pressure to rush into sex. I know it's coming, though.

  Soon, too.

  Which is why I need Zoey's help.

  I grab my phone off the island counter as I leave my apartment to walk to work Monday morning. After taking the elevator to the first floor, I step through the front door and into the warm California sunshine. I know the temperature won't stay like this forever, because it's mid-October. Pretty soon, it's going to start cooling down into to the lower seventies, and you won't have the sweltering heat pulling at you the minute you walk outside. I smile to myself as I begin to go through my short contact list for Zoey's number. Winter in California is going to be a whole lot nicer than winter in Arkansas.

  Suddenly, my phone rings in my hand, startling me. It's my mom. I quickly put it to my ear, happy to hear from her. “Hi, Mom.”

  “Hi, Sweetie. I miss you.”

  “I miss you, too. How are things there?” I ask while walking around a pedestrian tying his shoe on the sidewalk.

  “Quiet. Ben has friends keeping an eye on Oliver, and he's still in town,” she informs lightly.

  “Has anyone been asking questions about where I took off to?”

  “Not really. A few acquaintances have, and I've
just kept it light and said you took off for a long overdue vacation.”

  I can't help but smile with amusement as I shift my purse over my shoulder. I've come upon the first intersection and reach out to press the button for the crosswalk. “Mom, you do realize six weeks is a lot longer than just a simple vacation, right?”

  “Sure, but no one's become nosy yet. I'll worry about additional questions when the time comes. So, what are you up to today?” she asks with interest.

  I glance at the jogger beside me as I wait for the light to turn red. His eyes are on me, and he's kind of cute. I watch as his eyes slowly trail over me with interest. I'm wearing shorts and one of my many tank tops. I don't really have to dress up for work, so I don't. I'm amazed he thinks I'm worth checking out. I quickly avert my gaze the other way and see that the light has changed.

  “Faith?”

  “I'm on my way to work,” I tell her as I remember that she'd asked me a question. I'm walking briskly across the street when I hear the sound of tires squealing on asphalt. Before I can look up, a body slams into mine, and I'm landing in a heap of tangled arms and legs with someone. My left elbow and hip smarts slightly, and I lie there on the hard cement feeling stunned.

  “Hey! You okay?” an unfamiliar masculine voice asks from above me.

  I blink and look into the jogger's eyes with confusion. “Wha...?”

  His eyes harden. “Some dumbass ran the light.” He eases away from me and then puts a hand behind my back, helping me sit up.

  I try to shake away the confusion and look around. There are other pedestrians standing around, staring and whispering as they look at me and the jogger.

  “Anyone get the license plate?” The jogger calls out.

  They all shake their heads and one woman says, “It happened too fast.”

  “Here, let's get on the sidewalk,” the jogger tells me. I shakily rise to my feet and allow him to lead me to safety. He peers at me questioningly. “You want to call the police and report this? You were the first one out there, the rest of us hadn't even stepped off the curb.”

  I probably should report it, but I know it's not Oliver. It was just a coincidence. What is it with people nearly running me over these days? I give him a wobbly smile and shake my head as I adjust my purse over my shoulder. Miraculously enough, it'd stayed at my side throughout the ordeal. “It happened too fast for me to be able to give any details. Thank you for pushing me out of the way,” I say sincerely.

  He nods. “I think next time, you might want to look both ways. People break the law all the time, makes more sense to be overly cautious than not,” he says lightly.

  “Thanks again,” I tell him as I look around. “Did you see where my phone went?” With all the commotion, I must have dropped it when I hit the ground. We look around and find it near the curb. After thanking the jogger one last time, I turn and begin walking towards the café again with the phone to my ear. My mom is yelling my name with alarm.

  “Mom, I'm fine,” I cut in as I stretch my left arm out to peer at my elbow. The skin is red and a little rough, but I'm not bleeding.

  “What happened?” she demands.

  “Someone ran a red-light. A pedestrian knocked me out of the way before I was hit,” I tell her lightly. I'm still a bit shaken up, but admitting that to her would likely cause her to hop on the next flight out here.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I'm fine,” I promise. “In fact, I'm already walking down the block to my job.”

  “You're not reporting it?” she asks sharply.

  “It's not him, Mom. There's no point. No one got a look at the license plate, and I'm not hurt.”

  “But it should be reported—”

  “I don't want to deal with the police. Not again, okay?” I cut in warily.

  There's a long pause. “All right. I'm just glad you're okay.”

  “Me too.”

  My mom sighs in my ear. “Do you have any idea how strange it is to walk past your bedroom and not see you in there reading a book?”

  “I miss not seeing you and Dad, too. It feels weird being on my own, but I'm learning to enjoy it. It's nice being independent,” I admit.

  Moving out here has been the best thing to ever happen to me. It's made me learn to live and has helped me figure out who I am and what I want out of life. I've made up my mind that I'm not going back to Arkansas, but I won't tell my parents until this thing with Oliver is over with. I don't want to stress them out more than they already are.

  “Well, if you're not home by Christmas, your dad and I plan on coming out there to spend it with you,” my mom announces.

  “But what about Ben and Della? The baby's due around that time,” I point out.

  “We'll put the trip on hold if Della has the baby, but only for a week or so. We still want to see you, Faith. I'm hoping you'll be home by then. Maybe Oliver will come around and stop trying to make you pay for Justin's sins.”

  I don't think it's going to be that easy. He's tried to kill me twice. I highly doubt he's going to suddenly get over his anger. I flashback to the courtroom when Justin's prison sentence had been announced. My mom had started crying in relief, and I'd watched the back of Justin's head as he let it drop forward with defeat. Then, upon hearing loud sobbing, I'd caught sight of Justin's mother being held up by Oliver while his father stood near, staring stoically at his heartbroken wife. Oliver's eyes had been on me though, and the look had chilled me to the bone. I'd read the promise of retribution in his gaze.

  “I guess only time will tell where his head is at and what his intentions are,” I say quietly as I reach out and push open the glass door to the café. “Hey, Mom? I'm at work now, can we talk later?”

  “Give me a call when you have some free time. Have a good day, honey.”

  “You too. Love you,” I tell her before hanging up the phone. I quickly tuck it in my purse and walk over to where Flynn is filling coffee orders for the short line waiting in front of the register. I quickly stash my purse and grab an apron. The rest of the morning is hectic, and the near-miss that morning is forgotten in the mad rush of filling orders.

  I don't get a chance to call Zoey until my lunch break. The café is crowded today, so I walk down the street to a bench on the sidewalk with my cookies in hand. After sitting down, I pull out my phone and call Zoey. I'm sure she's in class, so I fully expect her voicemail. Sure enough, her recorded message plays in my ear. “If you leave a message, it better be good. Otherwise, use your thumbs and text me.” Beep.

  “Hey, Zoey. It's Faith. I have some shopping to do this evening, and I was wondering if you'd come with me? I need some advice on a few things. Give me a call or text me if you're free. I work until five.” I end the call and put the phone back in my purse.

  I start munching on my cookies as I debate how much to tell Zoey. I know my lack of experience doesn't bother Ace, but I still want to do something so I feel sexy. The last couple of times Ace has seen my panties, I've wished I was wearing something sexier. I may not have much experience, but that doesn't mean I can't dress up for him and look my best. I just don't know what to buy. Zoey would have a better idea of what a guy would like than I would. I think she's the best person to help me with my shopping. I just can't let her know it's Ace I'm shopping for.

  The rest of the day passes by in a blur. Monday's are always busy. I think it's because it's the beginning of the work week and people need their coffee fix to face it. When I was in high school, I used to hate Mondays, too. It's the worst day of the week when you know you have four more days of tests and homework before the weekend again.

  I manage to sneak a peek at my phone later in the afternoon, and I find two text messages. The first one is from Zoey telling me she'll be over at six to pick me up. The second is from Ace, telling me that he's got a lot to do for one of his classes tonight, and he won't be able to stop over later. I reply back that I have plans with Zoey and we can aim for tomorrow night.

  During the weekdays,
it's a bit of a hit or miss thing when it comes to Ace being available. If he has the spare time, he swings over from seven-thirty to about nine or so, sometimes later depending on when he has to get up the following morning. The weekends is when we go out late, or he stays at my place until midnight or later. He has yet to spend the night, and it just hasn't felt right to take that step.

  After I get home from my shift, I take a quick shower and make sure Daisy is fed and has received enough attention to satisfy her. By the time I hear a knock on my door, I'm ready to go. I quickly walk over and open it.

  Zoey grins and peers over my shoulder. “Where is the little devil?”

  I'm momentarily confused until I realize she’s referring to Daisy. “She's locked in the bathroom. She's shredded my comforter, one flip-flop, and the shower curtain. It's safer to lock her up.”

  Zoey looks disappointed. “Can I just crack the door and sneak a peek?”

  “No,” I say with a laugh as I step into the hall and shut the door, checking to make sure it's locked. “If I let you in that bathroom, you won't be coming out for a while.” I never thought Zoey would be a cat lover, but she’s taken a real liking to Daisy.

  Zoey thinks it over and nods in agreement. “Yeah, you're right. But when we come back I want to see her.” She gives me playful look and adds, “Ace is spoiling you. I hope that's the only thing he's doing where you're concerned.” Her expression may be teasing, but I don't miss the hint of warning in her gaze.

  Uh-oh. I decide to point out the obvious. I raise my hands in the air and wiggle my wrists deliberately. “Do I look like the type to be into the stuff he's into?”

  Zoey snorts. “Yeah, you're right. Never happening,” she agrees as we approach the elevator. “What are we shopping for?”

  The elevator doors slide open and we step inside. I wait until the doors shut before I clear my throat a bit awkwardly. “Lingerie.”

  Zoey's eyebrows lift with surprise, letting me know that for once I've caught her off guard. “The kind that makes you feel good about yourself or the kind that makes a man hard?” she asks bluntly.