by Maya Banks
Softly and soothingly, his hand ran over her body, petting and caressing her as he kissed the curve of her neck.
And then he pulled her even closer, twining his legs with hers as he wrapped an arm securely around her waist. Did he intend for her to stay? She reached for her blindfold, but he took her wrist and lowered it back to her side.
He sighed. In regret? He kissed her neck again, letting his lips linger for a long moment. Then he rolled away, and she bit her lip to keep from calling out, to apologize for breaking her own rules. She had her reasons for wanting things to be anonymous, and evidently so did he. It wasn't fair for her to change the rules now.
His footsteps mingled with those of the second man, and then the door shut softly, and she was left alone. She lay there for a long moment before finally reaching for the sash covering her eyes.
The lights had been turned low, and she blinked to bring the room into focus. Empty, but then she'd known they'd left. It was what she'd asked for, but had she not reached for the blind-fold, would he still be here, holding her? And why did she want him to?
She snorted in disgust and rolled from the bed, putting shaky legs over the side. She hurriedly dressed, not wanting Cole to come back while she was naked, although he'd seen her already. Before she'd been expectant. Cocky almost. Now she was shaken and disheveled and she definitely needed some recovery time to think about what the hell had gone on here. She damn sure didn't want to do it in the buff with a gorgeous man looking on.
A knock at the door startled her, and she bolted around as it opened a crack and Cole stuck his head in.
"Everything okay?" he asked gently.
She nodded.
"Damon arranged for a car to bring you home. One of his men will drive your car. He thought it better if you didn't drive yourself."
She smiled. Had Damon known how the evening would affect her? That her mind was mush and she had the muscle tone of an overcooked noodle? She would have to remember to thank him for his consideration and needle Serena some more about making the poor man wait for her to accept his marriage proposal. If girlfriend didn't want to marry him, Julie might reconsider her strict no relationship vow and marry the man herself.
Cole reached for her hand and squeezed when she placed her fingers over his palm. He didn't say anything else as he led her from the room, and for that she was grateful.
Even when he handed her into the waiting car, he merely nodded before backing off. As she rolled away from the stately mansion, she wondered about her two mystery lovers. Leaning her head back against the seat, she closed her eyes and relived those erotic moments when their mouths and hands worked over her body. She'd had good sex before, but this? This went beyond a quick, sweaty fuck, or even the more sensual lovemaking she'd indulged in. And she couldn't figure out why.
Sure, it was a new experience, and damn, but she knew what sweet little Faith saw in the kink. But her first lover ... he was something special. It hadn't just been sex to him, and it galled her to be so damn girly right now and say mushy shit like that, but the man hadn't fucked her. She'd been around enough to know the difference. Lover number two had fucked her and fucked her hard. Lover number one had made sweet, bone-melting love to her, and damn, but she wanted to know why.
Chapter 8
“So are we ignoring what happened?" Micah asked.
Nathan cast him a disgruntled look as the two headed into Malone and Sons.
"Work ain't where I want to talk about it," he muttered.
And yeah, ignoring it worked for him just fine. He was still reeling from the experience, but that didn't mean he wanted to gush on about it like a damn girl.
"Look, I don't want to recap. You just seem kind of weird about it. If it's going to mess things up, then I'd rather call it quits now. Just remember, it was your idea."
Nathan was prevented from replying as they entered Faith's office. The smells of fresh coffee and doughnuts made his mouth water. Damn, but the woman took good care of them all.
"Morning, sweet thang," Micah said as he kissed Faith smack on the lips.
Nathan shook his head. It amazed him that Micah hadn't gotten his ass kicked by a jealous man yet. He went through life loving women, and didn't much give a shit who else loved them.
"Morning, you two," Faith said. "Why's Nathan so grumpy?"
Nathan frowned and slouched in a chair with his cup of coffee.
"PMS," Micah offered. -
"Morning," Connor drawled as he walked through the door.
He stopped long enough to ruffle Faith's hair, which started an immediate argument between them. For two people who had absolutely no blood relation, they'd gotten the sibling squabbling down pat. Even though Pop had adopted Faith, Nathan swore she looked enough like Connor to be his real sister.
"Where's your man this morning?" Connor asked Faith.
She scowled. "Just because I'm wearing his ring doesn't mean I have to keep up with him every minute of every day."
"Quit giving her a hard time," Micah said mildly. "I don't want her to threaten to cut off our coffee again."
"Dude, you are one pussy-whipped son of a bitch," Connor said with a laugh.
Micah arched one eyebrow. "You say that as if it's a bad thing, my friend."
Connor slung one leg onto Faith's desk and slid over until he was sitting on the edge, coffee in hand. He reached for the doughnut box and rifled through it until he picked up one with sprinkles.
Nathan cracked up. "Speaking of pussy. You're eating a doughnut with sprinkles, man."
Connor looked down and frowned then shrugged and stuffed half the doughnut in his mouth. "More sugar," he muffled out.
He pinned Nathan with a stare. Uh-oh, here it came.
"So, you catch up with Julie yet?”
Heat crept up Nathan's neck, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"Yeah, Nathan, you catch up with Julie?" Faith asked, her eyes gleaming with unholy glee.
"Leave the guy alone," Micah said. "He'll work things out with Julie in his own time."
Connor chuckled and wiped sugar from his chin. "He has to catch her first."
Gray strode through the doorway of Faith's office, his blue eyes stormy. Ignoring the others, he stalked to Faith's desk, slapped his palms down on the surface and leaned over until his eyes were level with Faith's.
Nathan exchanged surprised looks with Micah and Connor. This had to be worth the price of admission.
"Why the hell did you cancel our wedding?" Gray demanded.
Connor eased from his end of the desk and took a step back. Micah's eyebrows shot up and Nathan studied Gray's tense body language, but none of the men made any move to give the couple their privacy.
Faith's cheeks lit up in a blush. "Not here, Gray."
Gray didn't even look around. His gaze never left hers. "Why?"
"Because it's not private!"
He shook his head. "That's not what I meant, and you damn well know it."
Nathan's brow crinkled. Faith and Gray having problems? Gray was head over ass in love with the girl. It was killing him that they hadn't tied the knot yet, and now she had canceled the wedding?
Or maybe all the women of his acquaintance were just nuts. Serena was balking over Damon's wedding proposal, although Nathan didn't entirely fault her for that. Serena seemed to be an intelligent woman, and maybe she had reservations about all the female flesh Damon dealt in.
A scowl crossed his face just thinking about the idea that Damon might have seen Julie naked.
Hell.
"You don't trust me."
Nathan looked up to see a look of hurt cross Faith's face as she launched her accusation. Uh-oh. If she teared up, he was out of here. He was positively useless when it came to a woman crying. Micah didn't look any more comfortable. Connor was scowling, though, and had taken a belligerent stance, legs apart, arms crossed over his chest.
It seemed the entire world had gone mad. Maybe Jupiter was out of alignment, or Mars or Venus
, or whatever the fuck the planets did when people lost their minds.
"Trust? Trust? This has nothing to do with trust and everything to do with you pulling the rug out from under me. Damn it, Faith, what's going on here?"
And if Faith was hurt, Gray looked terrified. It was a fascinating thing to see this big man, an ex-cop, brought to his knees by a sweet, shy woman like Faith. Nathan remembered just how devastated Gray had been when Faith had been kidnapped. He'd never forget the terror in the other mans eyes. Love did some freaky shit to a man, no doubt.
Lust might make a man stupid, but love made him vulnerable.
"I won't have this conversation here," she said fiercely. "If you want to talk, then you can bring your carcass home on time and talk to me then."
Oh hell. The men exchanged quick looks and Nathan let out a silent groan. Gray was busted in a big way.
Gray's eyes softened. "Is this what this is about? My being late?"
"Gray, read my lips. I will not have this conversation in front of my brother and your friends."
"Hey, baby doll, don't be that way," Micah reproached. "You were here way before Gray. Just because he's a guy doesn't mean he automatically gets our loyalty."
Faith frowned unhappily. "I'm sorry, Micah. I didn't mean it that way. Look, why don't I just leave? Pop will be in any second, and he wanted to talk to you all. I'm just the coffee and doughnut provider and you all know it. I'm not having a personal discussion in front of God and everyone, I don't care how much I love you all."
"Goddamn it, Faith," Gray swore when she rounded the corner of her desk and headed for the door.
She nearly collided with Pop, who put his hands out to steady her.
"Whoa there, girl. Where you going in such a hurry?"
Pop's grizzled face softened in love for his only daughter. He was an ornery coot, but he loved Faith to pieces. Hell, they all did. Nathan wondered what in the world had gotten her so worked up. Gray didn't look like he had any more of a clue than the rest of them.
"I'm going to head home, if that's all right with you," Faith said softly. "I'm not feeling so great this morning."
Pop looked up, his eyes hard as he searched out the others for an explanation. Then he looked back at Faith and patted her on the shoulder. "Of course I don't mind. Go home and get some rest. I'll send over some lunch for you later."
She smiled wanly. "Thanks, Pop." She reached up to kiss him on the cheek, then disappeared out the door.
"Well hell," Gray muttered.
Pop strode in, a scowl bunching the wrinkles around his eyes.
"One of you want to tell me why my girl just left here so upset?"
"Ask him," Connor said, thumbing in Gray's direction. "Apparently Faith called off the wedding."
Even Pop looked shocked at that announcement. His glance at Gray was almost sympathetic.
"She got bridal jitters?" he asked Gray.
"Hell if I know. I didn't even know she'd called the thing off until I called to confirm our reservations only to discover she'd canceled them."
"That would explain you coming in here hell on wheels," Micah said dryly.
"Well yeah, knocked my feet out from under me." Gray stared around at the others and then at Connor. "Does anyone know something they're not telling me?"
They all shook their heads as fast as the question spilled out. As if any of them wanted to get involved in Faith's and Gray's personal lives.
Connor looked thoughtfully at Gray, some of his animosity fading. "She talked about you being late. Could it be she misunderstood? I mean, this surprise you're planning . . . Faiths a levelheaded girl, but once a woman gets an idea planted in her head, a man is well and truly screwed at that point."
"Are you saying she might think I'm cheating on her?" Gray asked in a strangled voice. "All because I'm late?"
"Ai yi yi, you two are giving me a headache," Micah complained. "There are plenty of other reasons a woman might get upset over a man being late home from work all the time."
"Oh yeah? Name one," Nathan said.
Micah shrugged. "Well, if he's coming home tired, she might feel neglected or like he's lost interest, or maybe she feels he's keeping secrets from her. Women are freakishly tuned in to when a man is holding out on them, I swear."
"How the hell do you know so much about the female mind?" Connor demanded.
"I've had relationships. It s all common sense. You just have to put yourself in the mind-set of a woman."
Four sets of eyeballs skittered over Micah like he'd lost his damn mind.
"Now who the hell tries to do that?" Pop demanded. "No man in his right mind ever wants to try and figure out what goes on in a woman's head. I tell you, its an exercise in frustration. Good way to give yourself a stroke about thirty years too early. Hell, son, I've been through two wives and three live-ins. God help me, but I prefer life as a bachelor."
Connor chuckled and shook his head. Even Micah grinned.
"He's probably right," Gray said wearily. "I've been spending all my time out at the new house. I wanted everything to be perfect so that when we came back from our honeymoon, I could surprise her with the house. Honestly, by the time I get home, all I'm thinking about is food and bed."
"Ouch," Nathan said. As dim-witted as he was when it came to women, and his current predicament sure didn't show him to be a fount of knowledge on the female species, even he could figure this one out.
"Yeah, ouch," Connor said in sympathy. "Sounds like my sister has got her feelings hurt. She's always been sensitive that way. You know that, Gray."
"Now don't go bad-mouthing your sister," Pop said gruffly. "She hasn't had the best time of it in life. She's bound to be a little insecure, especially in a new relationship. Gray just has to work harder at making sure she knows where she stands."
Gray winced and rubbed his hands over his face. "God. I can't believe I'm standing here being lectured by an old fart and three guys whose idea of a steady relationship is knowing the name of the woman they're sleeping with."
Pop punched him in the gut. "Who you calling an old fart? I'll take your scrawny ass any day of the week."
"And Nathan knows her name, he's just not sleeping with her," Connor drawled.
"Yeah, yeah, you just couldn't resist a potshot. Sure, kick a man when he's down," Nathan muttered.
He avoided Micah's gaze. There was no way in hell he was spilling the beans about what had gone on the night before. If it meant getting teased by the others because he couldn't pin the little witch down, then so be it. Better that than getting his balls handed to him if it got back to Julie what he'd done.
"Have you tried talking to her, son?" Pop asked Nathan in exasperation.
"Don't we have projects to discuss?" Nathan demanded. "I'm fairly certain my private life isn't one of them."
He was roundly ignored by the others.
"He can't get close enough to her to talk," Connor snickered.
"It seems to me that you have offended her female sensibilities by being a typical, thickheaded male," Pop said sagely.
"No kidding."
"So, go talk to her. Ask her out. Seems to me that's what you should have done months ago instead of going to her for massages. A man's got to speak up for what he wants, or risk losing it."
Everyone groaned. Pop was on a roll, and when he got on a roll, well, there was no shutting him up.
Gray sighed. "He's got a point. It's only when men try to do romantic bullshit that they get into trouble. I should have just taken Faith to buy the damn house and let her do all the decorating instead of busting my ass for the last several weeks to get it ready. Now I've got a woman who apparently thinks I don't want her."
"Well, you know where she is," Micah said with a grin. "I'm sure we can handle your projects for the day. I never do like to see an unhappy woman. I'd just as soon see Faith back to her old self by tomorrow."
Nathan felt yet another damn blush work its way up his cheeks when every single one of them turned
and stared expectantly at him.
"What?"
"Seems to me you've got a woman who needs to hear precisely where she stands too," Pop said. "Go on. Take the day. Get out of my hair. But I'd prefer it if you boys got your heads on straight tomorrow so we can get some work done around here."
"I'm just glad I'm still single," Connor said. "Too much drama for my tastes."
"You'll get yours," Pop said as he dug around on Faith's desk for the paperwork she'd left. "The smug ones always fall that much harder."
Chapter 9
“I’ve sorta called off my wedding."
"Say wha?" Julie sputtered, her hands stilling on Faith's back.
Of all the things she thought Faith might say, that wasn't one of them. Something was definitely up with her. When she'd called to schedule a massage at the last minute this morning, Julie had canceled two hair appointments and another massage, knowing the real reason Faith was coming in was to talk.
But canceling her wedding? The mind boggled.
Faith remained quiet for a long time, and then Julie realized she was crying. Oh hell.
"Don't cry, honey," Julie said as she handed her a tissue. "I hate it when someone cries. It's horribly catching, you know? I'll be blubbering like an idiot right along with you and I won't even know why."
Faith picked up her head and laughed softly but her face looked positively mournful.
"Want me to continue with the massage or do you just want a shoulder to cry on?"
Faith sat up and wrapped a robe around her. "I'm being an idiot. I know I am. I should be talking to him, but I'm just so afraid of what he might say."
Julie leaned against the opposite table and stared over at Faith, who looked for the world like she'd lost her best friend. Hell, maybe she had. "You've lost me here. First, why don't you tell me why you called off the wedding and then we can get to why you aren't talking to him."
Faith sniffed, a delicate, feminine sound that annoyed Julie. When Julie cried, she let out big honking noises that sounded like a sick goose. Faith got to be all pretty and dainty. But then Faith was miserable, and Julie had just had the best night of sex in her life, so she supposed looking dainty and feminine wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
