It was no skin off Faith’s nose.
Right then, Levi looked up, and his ice-blue gaze collided with hers with the force of an iceberg hitting theTitanic.
And damn if she didn’t feel like she was sinking.
He put his hand on the blonde’s hip, leaning in and saying something to her, patting her gently before moving away...and walking straight in Faith’s direction.
Four
Levi had no idea what in the hell he was doing.
He was chatting up Mindy—who was a sure thing if there ever was one—and close to breaking that dry spell. He’d watched the little blonde ride that mechanical bull like an expert, and he figured she was exactly the kind of woman who could stay on his rough ride for as long as he needed her to.
A few minutes of banter had confirmed that, and he’d been ready to close the deal.
But then he’d caught Faith Grayson staring at them. And now, for no reason he could discern, he was on his way over to Faith.
Because it was weird he hadn’t greeted her with more than just a hat tip from across the room, he told himself, as he crossed the rough-hewn wood floor and moved closer to her.
And not for any other reason.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he said, ignoring the intent look he was getting from Faith’s friend.
“Small towns,” Faith said, shrugging and looking like she was ready to fold in on herself.
“You’re used to them, aren’t you? Aren’t you originally from Copper Ridge?”
She nodded. “Yes. But until recently, I haven’t lived here since I was seventeen.”
“I’m going to get a refill,” her friend announced suddenly, sliding out of her seat and making her way over to the bar.
Faith was looking after her friend like she wanted to punch the other woman. It made him wonder what he’d missed.
“She leaving you to get picked up on?” he asked, snagging the vacant seat beside her, his shoulder brushing hers.
She went stiff.
“No,” Faith said, lowering her head, her cheeks turning an intense shade of pink.
Another reminder.
Another reminder he should go back over and talk to Mindy.
Faith wasyoung. She blushed. She went rigid like a nervous jackrabbit when their shoulders touched. He didn’t have the patience for that. He didn’t want a woman who had to be shown what to do, even if he didn’t mind the idea of corrupting her.
That thought immediately brought a kick of arousal straight to his gut.
All right, maybe his body didn’t hate the idea of corrupting her. But he was in control of himself, and whatever baser impulses might exist inside of him, he had the final say.
“She vacated awfully quickly.”
“That’s Jonathan Bear’s wife,” she said conversationally, as if that was relevant to the conversation.
Well, it might not be relevant. But it was interesting.
His eyebrows shot up, and he looked back over at the pretty brunette, who was now standing at the counter chatting with the bartender. “And that’s her brother,” Faith continued.
“I didn’t pick Jonathan Bear for a family man.”
