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My gaze locked on Faith. She'd poured herself into a red silky slip dress that hugged her curves. The material pulled taut across her chest while her feet were bare. It was as if she belonged here. In this room. In my home. In my bed. It was the act of a lover comfortable in their space.
My pants grew tight, and I froze in place. Not wanting to misinterpret whatever the hell was going on here.
What was going on here?
"You going to stand there and stare at me all night?" Faith chuckled before glancing my way, eyebrow raised.
She hovered over the table, wine bottle in hand.
My feet propelled me into the room, and I slid my hands into my pockets to keep them to myself.
"What is all this?"
She set the bottle on the table, then slid into a chair, and gestured for the one across from me. "This is a thank you."
I frowned. "What did I do?"
Both her eyebrows raised this time. She swept her hands around. "You gave me a place to stay. You're putting up with me."
"That's not exactly a hardship," I quipped before I could stop myself.
Her easy expression slipped. "It's not?"
Fuck, I didn't need to get into this with her. "What did you make?"
She opened her mouth as if to push it but thought better of it. "Come sit. I made us some dinner and dessert."
My stomach grumbled and she smirked. "Did you forget to eat?"
I had. "I ran a few extra miles this morning." It did nothing to clear my head of thoughts of her, but it felt good to push myself.
"Sit," she said, unfolding a cloth napkin and placing it in her lap.
I didn’t sit. "Are those mine?" I asked, nodding at the napkins. I'd never seen them before.
She smiled. "Your mom let me borrow them."
There were two place settings, not three. "Did she help you?"
Faith nodded. "She went shopping with me."
"That's where you escaped to this afternoon."
"Yup." Faith lifted her glass and then lifted the other glass.
My feet remained firmly planted.
Her smile faltered and if I wasn't mistaken, she was acting nervous. Hesitant.
The woman I'd met all those years ago never hesitated. She oozed life and fun and above all, confidence.
She wiped her hands on her napkin. When I still didn't budge, she rolled her eyes, wadded her napkin, and threw it on the chair as she stood. Faith walked toward me, slow as if she were a predator and I were her prey. She threaded her fingers through mine and tugged me to the table. “Sit. Eat.”
I ignored how good it felt to have her warm hand in mine. Didn’t tug her close, pulling her flush against me to acquaint myself with her curves. She was my friend’s little sister. I invited her to my house to keep her safe, and that was what I would continue to do.
But without thinking, I swiped my thumb against the inside of her wrist. Her breath hitched before she gently pushed me down into my seat.
I finally got a closer look at the spread. She'd made lasagna, garlic bread, and some sort of dessert. But it wasn't the food that made my mouth water. It was her. Her lips were stained a dark red. Her hair was pulled up, highlighting the long lines of her neck.
