“We’re two healthy, single people. Would you agree?”
She nodded, unable to answer with actual words. He was too close. Too damn hot.
“We’re attracted to each other. Would you agree?”
Again, she nodded.
“We’ve already established that we want each other so the real question is, do we take our time with whatever this is, or do we get naked right now?”
Naked. She wanted to be completely naked with this man. She wanted his mouth on her. His hands everywhere. His mouth. His tongue. But . . .
“I don’t . . .” How could she articulate what was in her head? Her life was a mess. But did that mean she couldn’t indulge in a hot affair with a man who was just as closed off as she was? “I . . . we’ve only just met and . . . well, I don’t even know your last name.”
“Something else we have in common.”
“So maybe this is a bad idea.”
He held her gaze for a few long moments that stretched so thin she wanted to scream. “I think we take it slow. Ease into this thing.” Gus’s eyes darkened. “Whatever this thing is.”
He was going to kiss her now. She felt it in her liquefied, heated bones.
And he did. Gus slipped his hand alongside her cheek and held her in place while he swept his mouth across hers. It was the lightest of touches, and yet it burned through her with all the power of a thousand suns. Instant, molten desire rifled through her, and it took everything Faith had to hold in the groan that clogged her throat.
All of this with one kiss that wasn’t even a real kiss. It was more like a promise.
Gus stepped away from her, and she walked by him, praying her knees wouldn’t give out before she made it to her apartment. She reached for the lock, key in hand.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Faith.”
She unlocked her apartment and whispered, “Okay.”
She disappeared inside, where Taco immediately pounced on her. She waited five minutes and then peered through the peephole to make sure the coast was clear. When she knew Gus was safe inside his own apartment, she took Taco outside. The dog took off for the dark corners of the yard, where the moon couldn’t penetrate, and she leaned against the railing, eyes on the night sky.
She was giddy. Hopeful. Scattered.
Faith decided she wouldn’t think about all the reasons why getting involved with someone like Gus was a bad idea. She’d been on autopilot for months now. Drowning in the remnants of a life and world she would never again be a part of. Grieving for the fairytale that, as it turns out, never really existed.
She was done with that.
The moon enveloped her under the cover of a night sky that was filled with magic, and for Faith — for tonight — it was enough to give her hope.
And for that, at least, she could be grateful.
Chapter Nine
What the fuck was he doing with this woman?
Gus frowned and stared up at the ceiling. He’d spent the night slumped on the sofa, looking up at cracked drywall, thinking of long auburn hair and a mouth that had him hard as a rock.
Getting involved with Faith was not a good idea. He knew this. First off, the woman was hiding something. It was none of his business, and he shouldn’t care, but he was curious.
Secondly, he wasn’t sticking around this place. Once his business with Porter was done, he’d head back to DC and the life he’d taken a vacation from. And even if they fell into something casual, she wasn’t the kind of woman a man up and left. Not a good man, anyway. Gus wasn’t perfect by any means, but he was honest.
He didn’t do relationships, for fuck’s sake.
Gus winced and got to his feet. Where the hell had the R-word come from? What was it about this woman that called to him? Sure, she was cute and funny, and her eyes changed color in the sun, but so what? He’d been with a lot of women, and none of them had ever made him feel like . . .
Like what?
