So, my nose hadn’t been wrong.
He didn’t engage because, with Walker, this kind of crap could go on all day long. Instead, he told Candy that Walker was from Texas, which coincidentally was where her family had come from. That started up an entirely new conversation, and with no choice but to keep Candy and Liam company, Walker gave Gus an aggressive one-finger salute while he raised his beer in return.
Gus knew the potatoes were going to take some time, but he kept busy checking on them, and when Faith appeared, he took the large salad bowl off her hands and put it on the table. She’d changed into jean shorts and a simple T-shirt, but she’d left her hair loose. He liked it loose.
An image of his hand fisted in the waves momentarily blinded him and he damn near fell off the side of the deck.What in the actual fuck? He might be getting too buzzed.
“There are cold drinks in the cooler,” he said pointing, across the deck. “Soda. Water. Beer and coolers. Help yourself.”
“Thank you,” she replied softly.
The cooler was on the ground, so she had to bend over to get access. Gus should look away. He should turn the fuck around.
But her smooth thighs and round butt were definitely more interesting than the potatoes on the grill. He let his eyes wander, hell he was only human, then after a couple of seconds, looked away and got busy turning the potatoes. Once he was done with each one, Gus leaned against the railing. The sun was starting to set, and it hit all sorts of lights in her hair. He bet it felt like silk.
“What a great night,” she said, then took a drink from the bottle. Her mouth was incredible.
“Yeah,” he replied gruffly. “Supposed to be like this for the next ten days.”
“Where’s Sage?” she asked, turning to him.
“She’s away for the weekend.”
“Oh.” Faith chewed on her bottom lip. “Do you know where she went?”
“No clue.”
“Do you know what she’s writing?”
Gus shrugged. “I’m not much of a reader.”
“I used to love reading. Fantasy mainly. I love me some good world building.”
“Game of Thrones-type stuff?”
She nodded.
He watched her closely, wondering at the shadows that crept over her face. “So, what happened?”
She looked at him and frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You said youusedto love reading.”
She took another pull from her beer and looked away. “I still do but life kind of got in the way and the things I loved to do kind of fell away. Reading was one of them.”
“What were the others?” He asked the question because he was genuinely curious. Was it because he knew next to nothing about this woman? Or was it something more?
“I ride.” She cleared her throat and picked at the label on her bottle. “Or, I used to anyway.”
“Horses?” He had a restored ’69 Shovelhead at his place in DC, and he knew she’d look good on the back of it.
“I had a beautiful red roan . . . Cinna.” Her voice trailed off, and she exhaled.
“Did she die?”
“No.” She slowly shook her head but didn’t offer anything more.
“The potatoes are good and ready.” Walker called from the grill. “Let’s get those steaks on.”
