She drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I’m going to tell you something, but I don’t want you to take it the wrong way. I don’t want you to read too much into it or ask any questions.”
Her pleading gaze pinned him to his seat. Right then, he would’ve done whatever she asked. “I promise.”
“I’ve spent the majority of my life feeling unwanted. I made a promise to myself when I moved here that I would start over. If you can’t or won’t be honest with what you want, you should leave me alone. I’m out of my element as it is, Alec.”
What the hell was he supposed to say to that? The air in his lungs thinned as he stared at her, making breathing difficult. A thousand questions and arguments rolled through his head, but a promise was a promise. The blatant urge to protect her, to slay her dragons and lay claim, rose again. What kind of fucking monster had made her think she wasn’t wanted?
He should leave her alone, like she asked.
“Considering I’m a writer, you leave me strangely bereft of words.”
The waiter came and cleared their plates. They refused dessert. Alec paid the tab and offered her a walk down the tourist strip, more for his sake than hers—he needed to clear his head. She nodded her approval. They’d been walking for twenty minutes past the independent storefronts when she finally addressed him.
“Do you find me attractive?”
He stopped and turned to face her. This had to be a trick question. Some female ploy they all knew to confound men. “Yes.”
Even though it was dark, he could see the pink tingeing her cheeks. “And it’s not just because I’m helping you through your writer’s block?”
That was asinine. For her benefit, he thought it through. “No.”
She continued the walk as if she’d never spoken. He let her go a few steps before his brain caught up.
“Hold up.” Gently, he grabbed her wrist and tugged her flush against an ice-cream parlor to get out of the way of tourists. “What game are you playing?” Christ, she smelled better than the shop behind them.
“I don’t play games. I needed to know if your attraction had anything to do with me or if it was based on gratitude.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “They just don’t make them like you.”
“What?”
“Nothing.” He opened his eyes and forced his gaze off her mouth and on her eyes. “Why did you need to know?”
She drew a breath, and the action caused her breasts to brush his chest. “I’ve never been in a serious relationship. I don’t know if I’m even capable. You’re guarded and hesitant to enter one. Let’s just see where this thing goes. No pressure. No guilt.”
Just when he thought she couldn’t throw him any more surprises, she blindsided him with a left hook. “You don’t seem the type for flings or one-night stands, Faith.” And really, that’s all he could offer.
“What about a summer romance? You’re going back to New York. I’m staying here. The relationship has an end date. You get your out clause and I get my adventure.”
“Adventure.” Is that what she wanted? Could it be as easy as that? It didn’t feel right. Deep in his gut, he knew Faith didn’t take relationships of any kind lightly.
Still, he wanted her.
“Fine,” he said with a nod. “Come on. I should get you home.”
Before his car turned back into a pumpkin.
chapter
twelve
Faith rested her cheek against the cool glass of Alec’s passenger window. The wine from dinner had gotten to her. Having infrequently indulged in alcohol, she hadn’t really known what effect it would have. Her body was hot, her skin tingling. She wasn’t sure if she should attribute that to Alec or the wine. It had also loosened her tongue. She’d been more outgoing and outspoken than ever before.
A summer fling. Lord. As if she could handle Alec Winston, even for just one summer.
Yet she wanted a life, wanted more than to just exist. What better way to start than jumping in headfirst with him? He could teach her things. She wouldn’t have to worry about making her world fit with his or all the complications, because he’d be leaving. They were temporary.
It had also felt good to talk about Hope with someone. Though the loss of her sister still cut deep, she wanted others to know how wonderful and strong she was, how lucky Faith had been to have her. Not talking about Hope seemed like forgetting she was ever here. And that would be a shame.
Alec pulled the car through the front gate and veered to the left to park in front of her guesthouse. The lights in the main house were off, even though it was barely nine. Lacey and Jake said they’d crash with Ginny for the night so Faith could stay out late if she wanted.
The dome light filled the dark car when Alec opened the door. Oh boy. Would he kiss her on the doorstep? Did guys still do that? He strode around the hood and to her side before she had her seat belt off. Taking his offered hand, she got out and walked with him to the door.
Now what? She waited, her gaze glued to his chest.
“Invite me in.” His voice was a hoarse rumble that made her muscles clench. It wasn’t a demand, but a gentle request.
She nodded and opened the door.
He followed her inside, glancing around after she flipped on a lamp. His gaze traveled over the picture of her and Hope on the mantel before moving on to the bookshelves beside the fireplace. “I thought you said you never read my books.”
Shadows cut across his body and half his face, making him look dangerously handsome. His black hair seemed darker somehow, and she wanted to run her fingertips over the slight outgrowth on his jaw. He wore a white button-down dress shirt untucked from his jeans, which fit him well enough to tease at the glorious body that lay underneath. It had been a long time, if ever, that she felt this turned on or attracted to a man. Even the way he stood, hands in his back pockets and one foot off to the side in a careless whatever pose, was attractive.
His gray-blue eyes leveled on her when she didn’t answer.
She set her purse on the coffee table to give herself something to do. “No, I said I’ve never seen any of the movies based off your books.”
He glanced at the shelves again. “Pretty extensive variety of fiction here. Fantasy, romance, cozy mysteries . . .”
“Horror’s my favorite, or really dark suspense.”
A corner of his mouth quirked and she had to swallow a moan. “Why’s that?”
She shrugged. “Reading them makes the problems in the real world seem weak by comparison.”
He breathed out a laugh. The muscles in his shoulders tensed, as if straining. “And why haven’t you seen any of my movies?”
What was with all the questions? “They never get it right. Movies ruin books . . .”
She didn’t have time to finish her thought because he jerked his hands out of his back pockets, strode the few steps separating them, and crushed his mouth over hers.
His hands grabbed her waist, pulling her flush against his hard body as he angled his head and deepened the kiss. His tongue slipped past her lips and tasted, stroked until she had an idea of what he’d be like in bed. The rhythm and pace he’d set. The talent he’d bring. God, she so didn’t think she could handle him.
Regardless, he felt too good to let go. Her fingers drove into his thick, wavy hair like she’d been wanting to do since she’d first laid eyes on him. The move seemed to spark some kind of animal instinct in him because his fingers slid from her waist to her hips and dug into her flesh. He moaned, rocked against her so she could feel the long, hard strain of his erection against her belly.