River of Love(2)

She downed her drink to keep the word Okay from slipping out and set the empty glass on the bar. “Thanks, but I’m actually getting ready to leave.”

“Now, that would be a shame.” His eyes dragged slowly down her body, making her feel vulnerable and naked.

Naked with Sam Braden. Her entire body flamed, and he must have noticed, because his eyes turned midnight black.

“You look incredibly beautiful tonight, and it’s Cole and Leesa’s big day. You should stick around.” He leaned in a little closer. “And dance with me.”

It wasn’t like her jelly legs could carry her out of there anyway. Incredibly beautiful? Faith had been told she was pretty often enough to believe it, but incredibly beautiful? That was pushing it. That was smooth-talking Sam, the limit pusher.

She had to admit, he had this pickup thing down pat. His eyes were solely focused on her, while she felt the gaze of nearly every single woman in the place on her like they wondered what she had that they didn’t—or maybe like they wanted to kill her. Yup. That was probably more accurate.

“The wedding was lovely,” she managed. “I’m happy for Cole and Leesa, but I’m hosting a car wash at Harbor Park tomorrow afternoon. I should really get going so I have time to prepare.”

Sam stepped closer. His fingers caressed the back of her arm, sending shivers of heat straight to her brain—and short-circuiting it.

“Harbor Park?” The right side of his tempting mouth lifted in a teasing smile. “Surely you won’t turn into a pumpkin this early. You can’t leave without giving me one dance. Come on. Think of how happy it’ll make Cole to see you enjoying yourself.”

He was obviously not going to give up. Maybe she should just give in and dance with him. She had no desire to be another in the long line of Sam’s conquests, but it was just one dance, and then she could leave, and he’d go back to any of the other women there. That idea sank like a rock in her stomach.

Her stupid hormones swam to the surface again. You did ask nicely. Maybe she was reading too much into this dance. It was just a dance, not a date.

But his eyes were boring into her in that I want to get into your panties way he had. She’d seen him give that look to several other women tonight.

Several. Other. Women.

Ugh! Why was she even considering this?

It was his hand, moving up and down her arm, making her shivery and hot at once. And those eyes, drawing her in, making her feel important. She wasn’t important to Sam. She knew that in her smart physician assistant brain, but her ovaries had some sort of hold on that part of her brain, crushing her smart cells.

Faith glanced at the dance floor and caught sight of Cole whispering something in Leesa’s ear. They were such a handsome couple, and Cole was such a kind boss. Maybe she should stay a little longer. She didn’t have to dance with Sam. She could just talk with him until he got bored and moved on.

Cole’s eyes turned serious, and Leesa looked over, too. He said something to her and headed in their direction with a scowl on his face and an angry bead aimed at Sam. Shit. This was not good. He was her boss.

Oh my God. What was she thinking? She shouldn’t dance with her boss’s brother!

“Actually…” Panic bloomed inside her chest as Cole neared. Cole respected her, but she knew he’d noticed the way she got flustered around Sam. He’d seen her turn beet-red with Sam’s compliments when Sam visited him at the office. She didn’t need him seeing her all swoony-eyed over him now.

“I really have to go, but thanks for asking, Sam.” She spun on her heel and hurried away before she could lose her nerve.





Chapter Two


“STOP BEING A rebellious kid and focus on someone or something else,” Cole seethed at Sam as Sam watched Faith slip out the door.

Sam was baffled. Women rarely turned him down for anything, much less a dance, but Faith saying no did something funky to his gut. The urge to go after her was stronger than anything he’d ever felt, but he was hemmed in by Cole breathing down his neck.

And maybe his conscience.

“Chill, bro.”

“Chill? Sam, she’s my employee. She’s a smart, professional woman who happens to be excellent at her job. The last thing she needs—the last thing I need—is you screwing up her career.”

Sam scrubbed his hand down his face with a heavy sigh, wishing he understood all the reasons he was so consumed with Faith. Sure, she was hot, but so were plenty of other women. Maybe he was just being rebellious, because the feelings gnawing at his gut were definitely out of character for him.

He glanced at the door she’d just gone through and wondered what had made her rush off. Was it Cole or was it him? Why did he care? There were plenty of other women in the room. Usually having so many options would steal his focus, but all he could think about was the look in Faith’s eyes right before she turned to leave. It was a determined, almost frightened look, and that bothered him. He wasn’t a scary guy by any stretch of the imagination.

Dude, really? Okay, maybe he was scary to a girl like Faith. He wasn’t exactly the suit-wearing, relationship-committing type of guy she probably went for.

“Maybe you’re right,” Sam relented.

Cole’s jaw loosened a little.

“I don’t want to mess up her life. It’s just that she…intrigues me.”

“Half of Peaceful Harbor intrigues you, Sam.”

He scoffed. If you only knew the truth. The women he went out with didn’t intrigue him; they only turned him on. There was a big difference, one he hadn’t even realized himself until this very second.

“There’s something different about Faith.”

“You’re right there is. She’s off-limits, and you’ve always wanted what you can’t have.” Cole draped an arm around Sam and turned to face the rest of the guests. “There you go. A bevy of women, all thrilled to have a shot at you. Take your pick. Just keep your zipper up around my employees, will you?”

Sam glanced around the room. His reputation had never bothered him before. In fact, he was proud of it. Sam was good to the women he hooked up with. He treated them with respect, tried to make them feel special in the few hours they shared. But as he met the glances of several pretty girls, he didn’t get the same urges he usually did. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Faith had said: Have you run out of girls already? Everything was rubbing him the wrong way now, including Cole’s ribbing, which he’d heard his whole life. And though he could hardly believe it, even his reputation was rubbing him the wrong way.

The itch in his hands disappeared, apparently unwilling to be scratched by just anyone tonight. Sam turned back toward the bar, wondering how many drinks it would take for him to stop thinking about Faith.


**

FAITH DROVE STRAIGHT to her apartment. She threw her keys on the couch and stomped into the kitchen, opened the freezer, and stuck her head inside.

“If you’re looking for the Chunky Monkey, I finished it.”

“Not looking for it,” she said to her best friend, Vivian, who was visiting for the weekend. “Just need to cool off.”

Vivian scooted up onto the counter. “Oh, do tell. If you have to cool off, then the wedding didn’t suck?”

Faith slammed the freezer shut. “The wedding was gorgeous, just what I expected. It felt like an intimate gathering of Cole’s closest friends and family, and about six dozen single women swarming over Sam.” She rolled her eyes.

“Hot and single tend to draw women,” Vivian teased.

“Not helping. I told you I didn’t want to go.” Faith sighed. “At least it’s over. I can check off that duty box for work and focus on tomorrow’s WAC event.” Two years ago, after a painful breakup and after too many shots and not enough sleep, Faith had started the online forum for women who had been cheated on. Vivian had been right there, egging her on. The next morning, hungover and still just as hurt by the breakup as she’d been before the alcohol, Faith had decided the forum was a solid idea, and a meaningful one. She’d set out to create a safe place for women to vent about the wrongs that had been done to them, and it had quickly grown to be a nationwide community of women supporting women. They’d since created chapters in different cities. Tomorrow’s car wash would include women from all over Maryland, and the proceeds would go toward hosting fees and, at some point, site redesign.

“You should have put me as your plus one for the wedding, like I told you to,” Vivian said. “I would have reminded you of how hot you looked. So, tell me what you’re not telling me, because you look like you’ve been made out with and left hot and bothered.”

I wish. “I didn’t think we both needed to suffer through my work obligation.” She went to her bedroom with Vivian on her heels.

“Sam asked me to dance.” She took off her jewelry, gazing at her reflection in the mirror and wondering what Sam had seen when he was standing so close he could have crawled beneath her skin. She thought she’d been in control of herself and her responses, but now that she had room to breathe and air that wasn’t full of him, she remembered she’d asked him if he’d already gone through all the women there. Real cool, Faith.