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His gaze raked down her bare arms, instantly covering her with goose-bumps of awareness. She was in his bed. Could he see how her nipples strained toward him? She hoped not.
“Wouldn’t hurt you if you did,” he assured her, “but I thought you might share.”
Not waiting for her to respond, he climbed into the bed beside her. Faith grabbed for the tray, certain the contents would topple, but it didn’t budge. What kind of mattress was this anyway? A very expensive one, she decided, trying to ignore Vale’s long frame stretched out beside her, fluffing pillows behind his back. Trying to ignore that now every cell in her body strained toward him as if she were metal and he the most powerful of magnets.
Mr. Magnetism pulled back a plastic wrap and spread cream c
heese on a bagel, offering the pastry to her. “Have fun with the girls last night?”
Reaching for the bagel, she nodded. “You have a lovely family, Vale.”
“Lovely?” He curled his nose, preparing a plate of food for himself. “They’ve snookered you.”
“And you?” she asked, popping a bite of the bagel into her mouth. “Did you have fun with the boys, doing all those wild bachelor party things men do?”
She’d meant her question to be teasing, casual, but when he turned to her there was nothing teasing in his eyes, nothing casual in the way her heart mimicked a space-shuttle launch.
“I’d rather have been with you.”
Vale watched Faith’s eyes darken to a deep green at his admission. He wasn’t accustomed to things spouting out of his mouth that he hadn’t planned to say. But his words were true.
He would much rather have been here with Faith than at Steve’s bachelor party.
Several of the groom’s football buddies had apparently thrown him a huge bachelor party in Philadelphia the weekend before so last night’s had been more about tradition than one last yahoo on the town.
The entire time Vale had wondered what Faith was doing, how she was getting on with his family.
He wondered that a lot these days. He’d be sitting at home and would glance at his watch and wonder if she’d still be awake and, if so, what she was doing. Sometimes he wondered if Faith wasn’t why he worked so many hours, just so he’d have an excuse to see her.
Which was crazy. If he wanted to see her outside work, all he had to do was ask her out.
But something in the way her green eyes darkened and her bagel stopped halfway to her mouth told him maybe that wasn’t all he had to do.
Which was perhaps why he’d never asked her out.
That and the fact she had a bright career ahead of her at the clinic and didn’t need personal issues muddying the waters. He didn’t need personal issues muddying the waters. Other women were disposable in his life, but he enjoyed working with Faith. Enjoyed the constant she provided.
“Was Steve’s party not a success?” Her gaze didn’t quite meet his.
“Bachelor parties aren’t my thing.” Did she have any idea how beautiful she was this morning? He’d wondered about her hair—now he knew. The long tousled-from-sleep golden strands looked like extensions of the sunbeams streaming in through the windows, casting a halo around her angelic face.
Her eyes were huge, her lips full, her face naturally classic. He’d never wanted to brush his fingers over a woman’s skin more. Never wanted to tangle his fingers in a woman’s hair more. Never wanted to kiss a woman more.
Never wanted to be inside a woman more.
Which was why he should climb out of the bed just as he’d done after lying next to her for a couple of hours, unable to sleep for the temptation of her sweet vanilla fragrance and warm body. He’d not slept a wink and had known he wasn’t going to with her lying next to him. Still, he’d lain next to her, knowing she was feigning sleep and wondering why she bothered, wondered why he himself bothered. Had she thought he’d force her into something she didn’t want? That he’d seduce his way beneath those awful fuzzy pajamas she wore?
When she’d touched his face, he’d thought he imagined the light touch and had instinctively clasped her hand. Lying in his bed, holding Faith’s hand, had felt right, but had left him throbbing with need. After she’d gone to sleep properly, he’d risen, logged into his computer, and gotten some work done, all the while distracted by Faith in his bed and by how much he wanted to wake her with his mouth, his hands, his body over hers, moving in hers.
“Is there anything about weddings you like?” she asked, apparently oblivious to where his thoughts had gone. Or purposely ignoring that he was likely looking at her as if he’d like to have her for breakfast.
“Open bar?”
“Besides the free booze?” She popped the torn-off piece of bagel into her mouth and he envied the food.
“The cake?” Why was he imagining that pink tongue of hers licking frosting from her lips? His tongue cleaning a spot she missed?
Her gaze met his. “Be serious.”
