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Faith wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. “Okay. Thank you.” She released him and headed out to the deck. She stopped at the door and turned back. “Don’t make it a habit.” She held up a finger. “One night.”
He laughed and watched her slip through the door, then took out plate settings and the cloth napkins his mother insisted he needed for special occasions and set the table. He returned, dished up the pasta in a serving bowl, sliced and placed the bread in a basket, got butter, parmesan cheese and the rest of the wine. Brandon loaded it all onto a tray and carried it out to the table.
“Wow, you’re going all out.”
“Is that a problem?” he asked, topping off their glasses and taking a seat across from her.
She hesitated briefly. “I… No. No it isn’t.”
Something in her eyes gave him pause, but he chalked it up to her being as unsure as he was about their growing feelings for each other. He waited until she fixed her plate before filling his own. “Do you want some cheese?” She nodded. He stood and grated some over the pasta.
Faith held up a hand. “That’s good. Thanks.” She buttered a piece of bread and took a bite. “Oh, my goodness,” she said, moaning. “Tell your mother this is fabulous.”
Brandon grinned. “I’ll do that. How’s the pasta?”
“It’s really good.” She peered into the bowl. “Just checking to see if there is any left. Since I’m letting you be bossy tonight, it’s only fair that I get the leftovers. The bread, too.”
He paused with his fork midair. “And what do I get?”
Faith leaned forward and rested her head in her hands. “Oh, I don’t know. What do you want?”
He hardened immediately and it took everything in him to stay seated. The sultry smile and sparkling dark eyes tempted him to show her right then and there what he wanted. Stick to the plan. “If you keep looking at me like that, you’re going to find out real quick.” He would show her that and more. Later.
She didn’t say anything else, but for the rest of the meal, the heat rose between them.
Afterward, he overrode her attempts to clean the kitchen. Instead they took their glasses of wine outside to the patio. Brandon set his on a small table. He removed a blanket from a deck box, sat on a lounger and coaxed Faith down onto his lap. He draped the blanket over her legs. “Comfortable?”
She snuggled closer. “Very. I wish I had something like this at home. I’d be out there every evening.”
“You’re welcome to come hang out anytime,” he said without thought.
She angled her head and studied him as if she couldn’t believe his offer.
“I mean it.” Normally, the idea of any woman having free rein in his private space would send him running in the opposite direction. This time, however, he didn’t feel the same panic taking hold and wondered why.
“We’ll see.”
They sat in companionable silence as the sun went down and the stars came out. It had been a long time since Brandon enjoyed being with a woman so much and he hoped she’d be receptive to his plan.
“Are we going anywhere else?” Faith asked sometime later.
“No, why?”
“Just wondering since you had me bring a change of clothes.” She shifted in his lap and looked up at him. “Then what do I need them for?”
“For you to change into later.” She narrowed her eyes and he smiled inwardly. “Are you ready for the next part of our evening?”
“What are you up to, Brandon?”
“Just trying to make sure I’m better than good.” Brandon swung his legs around, stood with Faith in his arms and carried her inside and upstairs to his master bathroom. He placed her on her feet. “I have something special planned for you after your bath.”
Faith placed her hands on her hips.
“You gave me one night to be bossy and I plan to take full advantage.” He filled the tub and added some of the vanilla bubble bath he’d purchased.
“Why are you doing this?” she whispered. “This is… I mean we’re not really…”
“I know.” He understood what she meant. Technically, they weren’t in a relationship and, normally, he would never go to such lengths for a woman with whom he had a very temporary arrangement. “But there’s something growing between us, Faith, and I don’t want it to stop.”
