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I scrubbed a hand down my face. "Jesus."
Faith walked towards me, and my breath seized in my lungs.
"Excuse me," she said quietly, gesturing to her wine.
I was blocking her way. I side stepped. "Right. Sorry."
She chuckled, and it sounded like music to my ears. Faith swirled the wine in her glass. "Want to sit by the fire again or are we going to bed?"
A sudden image of us in bed together flashed through my mind. If I were smart, I'd leave her here and go to bed. On my own.
But I wasn't feeling smart. I wanted to be near her. To talk to her. Catch up and see how her day went.
"It's early. Let’s go to the library."
I checked the French doors to make sure they were locked up and turned off the lights. We walked together to the library, and I set about preparing the fire again.
A sudden feeling of déjà vu descended upon me.
"Your mom's the best," Faith said with a smile as the fire crackled to life.
"She is," I agreed, stoking the fire until I was sure it wouldn't go out. "Although I'm not sure I can look her in the eyes anymore."
"Oh, please, your mom is a woman and like I said before, it's just a body part. I wouldn't dwell on it."
"If you say so."
"I do."
Faith tucked her feet to her side and wrapped her arms around herself. Noticing her shiver, I lifted a blanket from a nearby basket and placed it on her lap before taking a seat in the wingback chair.
"I have to go back to the city next Friday," I told her. "I can have you stay here with Mom and get a bodyguard or have you come with me."
She cocked her head. "A bodyguard. Seriously?"
"I won't leave you unprotected."
"You make it sound like folks are coming here with pitchforks to attack me."
I lifted a brow. "Another Beauty and the Beast reference? Really?”
She smirked. "In this case, I'm insinuating I'm the beast if people are coming after me."
"There might not be pitchforks but I won't take any chances where you're concerned."
"Why?" A groove formed between her brows. "Why do you care so much about my safety?"
Great fucking question.
The purple bruising around her eye was lighter, less intense. I suspected she covered it with makeup today because I could barely make it out.
"Will you be joining me in the city or not?"
Her back straightened. "You're just going to ignore my question, aren't you?"
"City or stay here?"
"You're seriously a stubborn pain in my ass."
