The need to feel his touch was stronger than her need for self-preservation. And if her physical reaction to Gus David said anything, it was that Faith was probably in over her head. He could be the guy who left her living half a life.
She should stop this until she knew for sure that she’d be okay.
But as his mouth swept across hers once more and she felt his hands on her waist, she was already lost.
She just didn’t know it.
Chapter Seventeen
July was nearly over, bringing with it the kind of weather the Catskills were known for. With minimal rain, the long, lazy days of sun and heat meant that tourist dollars flowed into town and kept the local cash registers ringing. Rentals were up, and the lake was dotted with boats, while downtown parking was filled with the kind of expensive vehicles most townies couldn’t afford.
Gus had taken advantage of the weather, and the cottages were coming along nicely. If momentum held, he figured they would finish mid-August, a few weeks ahead of Labor Day weekend, which was his original date. He stood back and admired his handiwork. There was something to be said about putting in a full day of physical labor, using your hands to make something. He’d just finished rebuilding the dock the last two cottages shared and rolled his neck as the sound of hammers and voices echoed through the trees. Walker and the crew were hard at work repairing the roofs on numbers three and four.
Shirtless, he grabbed his T-shirt off the dock and wiped the sweat from his face, eyes on the water. It glistened beneath the bright sun, the cool depths beckoning.
“Fuck it,” he thought before taking off his work boots. He doffed his shorts, which left him in a pair of black boxers, then walked to the edge of the dock and dove in.
The water was heavenly. Despite the heat, it was cool and refreshing, and he swam out a bit before floating on his back. It wasn’t yet noon, and the lake was busy. He heard the boats that skimmed across the surface and the screams of the kids on tubes and skis, and he closed his eyes. The last memory he had of this lake was fishing. Early morning. Just before dawn. He and Ford and their father.
Funny. Up until recently, it was a memory he’d never had, and a part of him wondered if it was real. Maybe he was gettingsoft. Maybe he should stop spending every night in Faith’s bed. Maybe it was too much good for a man not used to it.
He grinned, turned over, and disappeared beneath the cool water. He and Faith had fallen into a routine of sorts. She worked full-time hours at The Dock while he spent his days out here. When she served the dinner shift, he generally stopped in and ate at the bar, then the two of them left together. When Faith had a day off on the weekend, they spent the morning in bed, then drove out of town.
It wasn’t so much that he was afraid of running into his sister and having to explain her to Faith, but more that he wanted her all to himself. She was smart and funny as hell with a biting wit, an insane knowledge of pop culture, and a love for Celine Dion that was unparalleled.
She was also amazing in bed. He was pretty damn sure that the sex they were having was the best he’d ever had. And that was saying something, considering he’d had his fair share over the years. But since meeting Faith, he hadn’t so much as looked at another woman.
They both knew this thing between them had an expiration date, and he should be good with that. Why wouldn’t he be? He wasn’t a relationship guy. He’d seen first-hand how love could destroy, and he’d rather live this life solo than go through that kind of hell.
But he was starting to think it would be a lot harder giving her up than he’d first thought. Even Iris knew this was different and was chomping at the bit to meet her. Imagine that. His little sister was more interested in meeting this mystery woman than her own flesh and blood.
He frowned and headed back to the dock. His family situation was getting more complicated, and he still wasn’t sure how he wanted it to play out. He still hadn’t read the files Dozer prepared on the Boone family.
Sunday wasn’t around much — she’d taken a dislike to Walker that his buddy was taking personally. But Ford and his son were living at the lake. Hell, he’d had beers with Ford a couple of nights back while Benjamin fished off the edge of the dock. Just this morning, he’d seen the two of them taking Porter to an appointment in the city.
It was weird watching his family from the outside with them none the wiser. And a part of him felt guilty about it. That same part had so many questions that normally he’d have no problem asking. So, what had changed?
Gus hauled himself out of the water and got to his feet. He squeezed water from his boxers, then padded over to his clothes. Guess he hadn’t thought things through well enough because he sure as shit couldn’t pull on his shorts with wet boxers.
With a sigh, he dropped to his butt and grabbed his cell phone. He’d let the sun dry him up for a few minutes before he got back at it. There was a missed call from his brother, Harrison, and three missed calls from his mother.Fuck me, he thought. He knew his time was up. He couldn’t ignore her any longer.
He called her back, and she answered before it had a chance to ring — or at least it felt that way.
“Where are you?”
“No hello?” He sat back and closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself for the shitstorm that was about to happen. And it was coming. He heard it in her tone.
“Harry has a key to your place.”
“Is that a question?”
“Don’t be a smartass.”
“Sorry.”
“I have it now.”
Gus’s eyes flew open, and he got to his feet. “And?”
