“Would you prefer candy girl?” I ask, chuckling at the blush on her cheeks as I walk away.
***
Faith
If I datedanyone, I would date Jason Dare. I lean back against the door and sigh like a teenage girl crushing on her first date. My God, that man has an ass to die for.
When I wasn’t carrying candy baskets upstairs, I was ogling his rear end in his suit trousers. I can only imagine him naked, and that is the idea that has me shivering when my thoughts should be on whether my slashed tire was a freak incident, as I told Jason, or a warning sign from the brother I ran away from.
When we were younger, I loved my brother, but as he grew up, Colton developed… issues, and that is putting it mildly. Drugs took over his life.
I step away from the door, hating that I am going down this train of thought, but I can’t help it. The tire brings up all sorts of fears. And memories.
Colton showing up after our mom died unexpectedly, demanding his share of the estate, only to find out he was disinherited. His rage and anger. Though my mom wasn’twealthy, she wasn’t poor. She had money from her parents, which she saved, and she took out a life insurance policy with me as the beneficiary.
I double-check the lock and dead bolt on my door, as the memories continue to flow. As much as I would have liked to share the money with my sibling, I agreed with my mom. Colton would throw the money away on drugs, so I honored my mother’s wishes and refused him.
I should have known that wouldn’t be the end of it. Colton came by high one night, broke into my apartment, grabbed me around the neck, and threatened to kill me. That was the moment I understood the brother I knew was lost to me, and fear like I’d never known encompassed me.
Maybe I should have called the police, but I was afraid of angering him more. I know from experience he never stays behind bars for long, no matter what petty crime they pick him up for. So within three days of his threats, I quit my job, packed up the necessities, and left my small Midwestern town, heading to the biggest city I could think of, where I could get lost.
I checked into a hotel with cash, then found a lawyer willing to see me that same week, and he filed paperwork to change my name from Faith Holland to Faith Lancaster. Understanding the rush, he pulled strings to get me in to see a judge, who he convinced my life was in danger. And as I still had faint bruises on my neck, and photographs I took immediately after, he was willing to seal my records.
I’ve been in New York for a year, and I’ve moved fast with everything I’ve done. I have a new name, a new life, a shop I leased because it already had a commercial kitchen… and as I glance around my apartment and out the window, I remember I also have a slashed tire that might or might not present a problem.
Is it any wonder I turned Jason down? From the time my dad left, leaving me to feel like it was my fault, that I was too much of a burden for him, I learned to distrust men. If the one who was supposed to love and take care of me couldn’t stick around, why would someone I merely dated?
I’m not a virgin, but I definitely don’t get involved with many guys. Yet for the first time, I was severely tempted to break my no-dating rule. Jason got my blood pumping, desire flowing, and he made me want to step out of the hidden comfort zone I’ve cushioned myself in for most of my life.
But I can’t. I know better than to trust any guy, let alone a nightclub owner I just met. Even if he was my savior tonight.
CHAPTER TWO
Jason
Idrive awayfrom Faith’s apartment, a basket of candy on my passenger seat and my mind on the sexy woman I left behind, an unusual occurrence. I never have problems leaving a female in my rearview mirror. I’m not an ass, I just don’t get attached. Something about Faith gets to me, and considering she turned down my request for a date, I’m better off forgetting about her. Except her tire was slashed…
I shake my head and ride uptown to my cousin Gabe’s apartment. His wife, Izzy, greets me at the door, her three-year-old son, Noah, in her arms, her wild hair a halo around her head, her pretty face lighting up at the sight of me.
“Jason! Come on in. Gabe said you’d be stopping by.”
I kiss her on the cheek and chuck the boy under the chin. “Hey, little man. You’re getting so big.”
The child holds up three fingers, wiggling to get down from his mother’s grasp. “I was just going to give him a bath. I’ll get Gabe for you,” she says.
As I step into the apartment, Gabe meets up with me in the entryway. He pauses to play with his son, lifting the child into the air and laughing with him before settling him into his mother’s arms, and they head for his bath.
“I’m always shocked to see you so light-hearted and laughing,” I say. “Sorry. It’s just so different from the man you were.”
Gabe’s eyes light with pleasure. “Look what I have in my life to make me smile.” He glances toward where Isabelle took their son. “You’ll see yourself one day.”
“Oh, no,” I automatically say. “My life is full enough.”
“Until you meet the right woman.”
My thoughts immediately go to the gorgeous, shapely blonde with a good sense of humor and the ability to charm me. “Hey, I brought you some candy,” I say to Gabe, lifting the basket. “A… friend gave it to me.”
“Is thisfriendthe reason you’re running late?” Gabe asks, a wry smile on his face.
