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4
Faith sunk into the hot,scented water of her bath and relaxed for the first time since she’d arrived home to find her parents going through old photo albums with Leon. They meant well, but they didn’t seem to see the way their friend kept eyeing Faith up like she was dessert, even when she supposedly had a boyfriend.
Resting her head against the end of the tub, she closed her eyes and released a long breath. Thank God for bathrooms with locking doors. For a while, she just lay there, enjoying the peacefulness. Then her phone rang. She considered ignoring it but decided she’d best check who it was. Sitting up, she dried her hand and reached for the phone, a smile passing over her face when she saw Shane’s name on the screen.
“Hi,” she answered. “Fancy hearing from you.”
“We need to get our stories straight,” he said, getting right to the point.
She smiled. He wasn’t much of a talker, and she didn’t recall him ever ringing her except to arrange babysitting. “Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Her body heated. Hearing his voice while she was naked turned her on like crazy.
“Details like how we got together,” he continued. “When we first kissed, what made us change from friends to lovers—things like that. They might ask, and I want to be prepared.”
“You’re such a boy scout.” Her smile widened. “I should probably be clothed for this conversation. Do you mind if I call you back soon?”
He coughed on the other end of the line. “You’re, uh, naked?”
So much for not making the conversation weird. “I’m in the bath,” she explained. “I just got in, but I can wash up and call you back in ten minutes.”
He made a strangled sound. “No, no, I don’t want to rush you. This is fine.”
“Are you sure? Because you don’t sound okay.”
For a few seconds, he was quiet, then he said, “I’m only human, and thinking about you naked isn’t helping my concentration, but that’s not your problem. Stay where you are.”
She bit her lower lip, secretly thrilled that she was affecting him that way. Was her sweet, clueless Shane flustered because she was undressed on the other end of the call? How flattering. Except for returning her kiss, which could have been more out of shock than anything else, it was the first time he’d given any indication he was attracted to her. But then, he wasn’t a particularly open person, and she knew it wouldn’t have been easy for him to admit, so she didn’t push for anything more.
“Okay, thanks.” She shifted, warm water gliding over the length of her body. “As far as our story goes, I suggest we stick as close to the facts as possible. I’ve already told my parents it’s a new relationship. We’ve been seeing each other for a couple of months.”
“I can work with that,” he said. “Perhaps we could say I’ve always admired you from a distance, but I was finally brave enough to make a move.”
She smiled. “I like it. We could say we fell for each other a little bit more every time I watched your kids.” The twang of her heartstrings told her the statement hit a little too close to home. After all, wasn’t it true that she looked forward to those brief moments when they were alone more than nearly anything else?
“How about our first kiss?” he asked. “And are we sleeping together?”
“Hmm.” Faith thought on this. “We kissed on the doorstep one evening as I was about to leave your place.” She closed her eyes, imagining herself in the moment. “You couldn’t bear to let me go without finally getting a taste of me. And as for sex....” She laughed. “We want to tear each other’s clothes off so badly, but we’re waiting for the right opportunity to have an evening away from the boys before we do.”
Faith’s wordsechoed in Shane’s mind.
You couldn’t bear to let me go without finally getting a taste of me.
Did she know how close to the truth she’d struck? Every time he saw her, he grew more desperate to touch her. To taste her. Fortunately, he had the strength to resist. If she ever found out how he felt about her, she wouldn’t be comfortable spending so much time around him and his sons. Hell, even just talking to her now, knowing she was nude and thinking of him, had him painfully hard. He chose to ignore the erection because it was horribly inappropriate, and also because it had been years since he’d had sex, so it wasn’t unusual for him to be hard at the thought of Faith. She awoke the primal part of himself he preferred to keep under wraps.
That said, his condition had been ten times worse since she’d kissed him. Now that he knew how it felt to hold her, to rub against her, to sweep his tongue inside her mouth, he wanted to do it again and again and again until he’d memorized her.
He cleared his throat. “That sounds believable.”
Except... it didn’t. Not to him. If Faith were his, he doubted he’d have the mental fortitude to hold out for a suitable opportunity. He’d probably lure her into a coat closet and have his way with her the first chance he got. If possible, he grew even harder, and buried his face in his pillow, groaning.
“Shane, you okay?”
“Fine,” he muttered, because he didn’t want her to hang up. Strange as this conversation might be, he wanted it to continue. It had been too damn long since he’d spoken with an adult one on one without having to rush off to do something with Dylan or Hunter. “How’s your family?”
She laughed, and the sound warmed him from the inside. There was just something about her. Her mood was infectious. “They’re good. Mum spent the day dragging Leon around the shops, and Dad escaped to play golf with a couple of old friends. They’re watching a movie at the moment, so I snuck away for quiet time.”
