Then he turned and followed Faith out the door, his feelings about her family shifting and tumbling like flakes in a snow globe.
* * *
The instantthey’d driven out of sight of her parents’ house, Faith said, “Pull over.”
“Why?” He steered to the curb and put the car in park. “Did you forget something?”
He glanced into the back seat as if the answer was lying on the floor mats, then whipped back around when she unbuckled her seat belt and reached over to undo his.
“I didn’t want to put on my lipstick until I had a chance to greet you properly.”
He understood immediately and met her halfway as she leaned across the console, unable to wait another second to touch her. He rested his hands on the sides of her neck so he wouldn’t disturb her hair, but there was nothing careful about his kiss. It was hot, hungry, his tongue sweeping into her mouth to tangle with hers. She smelled like hairspray and expensive perfume, and it went straight to his head.
“Let’s skip this thing,” he growled when they broke apart. “Go back to my place. Nobody’ll notice we’re not there.”
“Don’t tempt me.” She ran her hand down his arm. “You in a tux is making me crazy.”
His hand dropped to her leg, exposed when her skirt had shifted as they kissed. His fingers traveled upward, and she shivered. But before things could get really interesting, a car approached from the other direction, slowing as it passed them. He reluctantly removed his hand and put the car back in drive.
“You’re too hot for a front-seat make-out anyway,” he said. “That dress is back seat material at the very least.”
She primly patted her hair, then reached into her purse and pulled out a tube of lipstick and a mirror. “Damn straight. Let’s get this over with so we can go have formal-wear sex.”
But getting it over with proved to be difficult once they arrived in the ballroom. Digham employees were packed in elbow to elbow, a few of whom he knew but the majority of whom he didn’t. Faith though? She knew everyone.
“Sure! I’ll make a call!” she chirped at the end of a conversation with an older couple, both of whom were lifetime Big Dig employees. It was the sixth interaction of the night that ended with her promising to follow up with a grandchild’s school or to see about adding some new subject to the tutoring roster. His head spun at the names she recalled and details she was able to dredge up about their family members, professions, hobbies. They’d agreed to attend the event as colleagues only, but it was hard not to look at her with hearts in his eyes when she was kicking ass and taking names all the way around the room.
“Doing okay?” He gave in to temptation and traced his fingers over the curve of her shoulder. “Can I get you a drink?”
She tilted her head toward him. “That would be amazing. Something with gin?”
“For you, anything.” He needed to actually leave her side to fetch it for her, but his body didn’t want to be separated from her quite yet. Not when she was smiling up at him, all red-lipped and radiant. His eyes swept over her hair. “I notice there’s no blue tonight.”
She pursed her lips in a smile. “Please. I don’t need courage to face down this crowd.”
“I do,” he said, glancing around at the tuxedoes and glittering gowns surrounding him. “I almost asked if I could borrow some of your dye for myself.”
She laughed and brushed her fingers along one of his curls. “Anytime.”
“There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”
At the sound of his boss’s voice, Faith yanked her hand away, and Leo took a small step away.
“Carlisle. Hi.” The moment with Faith had been punctured by a man who sounded annoyed that Leo hadn’t read his mind and somehow presented himself without a search. He barely controlled his scowl as he asked, “Can I help you with something?”
Carlisle Lockhart didn’t even glance Faith’s way as he said, “A few people were curious about my newest employee. Are you free for some introductions?”
No. He wanted to bring Faith drinks and watch her work the room for the rest of the night. But he also knew that it was important to meet more of his Digham coworkers, so he nodded. “Of course.”
Carlisle looked even less pleased to be dealing with Leo at a party than he usually did when they had to interact at the office, which was saying something. But as the man started to pivot away, even Leo, with his minimal experience in corporate life and events where everyone wore tuxedoes, knew that doing so without acknowledging the woman standing next to him was beyond rude.
“Carlisle, have you met Faith Fox? She runs Beaucoeur BUILD, the Dig Greener grant recipient.”
His boss’s eyebrows jumped, then lowered immediately as he looked from Leo to Faith and then back again. Faith jumped right in.
“Hi again!” She extended her hand, and Carlisle gripped it with the tips of his fingers in a half-hearted shake. “We met at Digham HQ in July. You helped me find the foundation office.”
His frown deepened. “Oh, that was you. You look”—he blinked—“different.”
