Alec peeked at her from over the book he was reading—a romance she’d picked out for him. He was loathe to comply, but did it with only minor grumbling. Faith had hoped it would spark some interest in getting frisky. So far all he’d done was caress her calf.
“You sighed,” he said. “What’s wrong? You don’t like the book? Which part?”
She smiled. “You know you’re a good author. Don’t fish for compliments.”
He set the book down on his lap. “It matters to me if you think I’m good.”
She had no way to gauge how seriously that statement was to be taken, so she stared at him before speaking. The tone of his voice was hesitant, his eyes bordering on pleading. He wasn’t looking for an ego boost. He was seeking her opinion, and that opinion mattered.
She tucked her feet under her legs and sat up. “I don’t think you’re good. I think you’re one of the best horror writers to hit the market in this generation, which makes you great. I’ve read this book twice before.”
Turning slowly to face her, he propped his arm on the back of the couch, his fingers inches from her face. “That means a lot, you saying that. Thank you.” The coarse gravel of his voice indicated he’d been touched by what she’d said. He looked around the room and patted her thigh. Like a pet. “Are you all packed for tomorrow?”
They’d only be gone one night. Packing didn’t require much effort. “Yes. All except my dress for the party. Lacey’s bringing one of hers for me to wear.”
He was treating her like a friend, not like someone he intended to sleep with or someone he found attractive. Faith’s heart fell somewhere near her stomach. She shouldn’t be disappointed, yet the feeling swamped her anyway. Hurt laced her throat. For once, she’d felt wanted when he’d kissed her. Desired. Not looked over and passed by. What had changed in the last couple days?
When a knock sounded at the door, Faith was relieved by the interruption. On the other side of the doorway stood Mia and Lacey, huge grins on their faces. Some of the tension drained just from seeing her friends.
Lacey held up a garment bag on a hanger. “One sexy cocktail dress, at your disposal.”
Faith didn’t remember saying it had to be sexy. She’d simply asked if Lacey had one she could borrow, not wanting to go shopping for a dress she’d probably never wear again.
Mia and Lacey strode inside, but halted when they saw Alec.
Mia turned. “I’m sorry we interrupted. We didn’t realize you had company.”
Grinning, Alec stood. “I was just leaving anyway. Early flight tomorrow.” He walked over to Faith and kissed her lightly on the mouth. Hardly a peck. “I look forward to seeing you in the quote ‘sexy cocktail dress.’”
“We’ll only need Faith for an hour or so,” Lacey said. “You can come back. Spend the night. Continue where you left off.”
Jeez. Subtle, Lacey was not. Besides, if they continued where they left off, Faith would finish reading the book and Alec would be snoring next to her.
Alec’s grin widened when he looked back at Faith. “I’ll see you in the morning.” He kissed her forehead this time—her forehead—and left.
“I’m sorry,” Mia said. “Did we ruin your night?”
“No, no.” Faith waved her hand, surprised by the tears blurring her vision.
“Oh, sweetie.” Lacey draped an arm over her shoulders and squeezed. “What’s wrong? What did Alec do? Should I send Jake to beat him up?”
Faith breathed out a laugh. “Thank you, but no. It’s nothing.” Except this nothing hurt. A lot. She’d known from day one she wasn’t the right match for Alec, but she didn’t listen to that internal voice. His actions belied his words. One minute hot, the next lukewarm. “He won’t have sex with me.”
Mortified, she sat on the couch and covered her face with her hands.
“That would make me cry, too,” Mia said, trying to lighten the mood. She put her hand on Faith’s knee and squatted down in front of her. “What do you mean, he won’t have sex with you? I thought things were going well. Isn’t that the whole basis of your relationship? Just fun for the summer?”
Faith wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffed. Leave it to her to ruin even a no-strings relationship. “I don’t know what’s going on. Every time things heat up, he . . . stops.”
Lacey sat next to her and passed a tissue. “Has he said anything?”
“Just that he wanted to take things slow.”
Lacey snorted. “I’m sorry. That came out wrong.” She looked at Mia for guidance.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Faith said. “Alec Winston doesn’t do slow. He doesn’t do commitment. Which is the problem. If he really wanted me, he would’ve had me by now.” He sure acted like he wanted her.
Mia sat on the coffee table in front of Faith and leaned forward. “Alec also doesn’t spend this much time with one person. He’s been over here every night. I’ve seen him walking over.”
“I know just what you need,” Lacey said. “Come on. We’re going shopping.”
“Now?” Faith looked between the two of them. “It’s almost eight.”
“The mall closes in an hour. We need to hurry.”
The next thing Faith knew, she was standing in a lingerie store having an uncomfortable stare down with a mannequin wearing a blue thong. “This is a bad idea.”
“No, it’s not,” Lacey assured. “You’re going to be spending the night in Alec’s apartment in New York. Let’s give him a little incentive to speed things along. Something in this store will surely make him want to jump your bones.”
“It’ll make you feel good, too,” Mia added. “Trust me. Cole goes gaga over this one set of red satin—”
“Eww! Hello? That’s my brother.”
Faith sighed. It wasn’t like she wore granny panties, not that Alec had even seen if she had, but lace and silk were a little out of her comfort zone. Boy shorts, thongs, bikini trim, hip-huggers . . . it was all so silly. If Alec wanted to be with her, she shouldn’t need this stuff.
But as she followed Lacey and Mia through the store, a yellow bra-and-panty set caught her eye. It was completely lace and cut in an old forties style, the material soft with rounded trim for comfort. She tried to picture herself wearing it and the look on Alec’s face. Wondered how the lace would feel against the sensitive areas of her skin. Her cheeks heated.
“Oh! I like that.” Lacey shoulder-bumped her. “Mia, this one?”
Mia made her way over. “Yes. Elegant and hot.”
“What are you going to sleep in?” Lacey asked.
“Uh . . . my pajamas?”
Mia grinned. “If the lingerie does the trick, she won’t be sleeping in anything.”
“You’d be able to wear this under that dress I gave you.” Lacey fished through the hangers. “What size are you?”
Faith fisted the pendant around her neck and slid it back and forth on the chain. She gave Lacey her size and prayed they didn’t laugh. Mia and Lacey had slender, but curvy frames, whereas Faith was lean. Her chest size was especially pathetic. Hope had gotten all the good genes in the family. Faith had gotten the leftovers.
What would Alec do if he had the chance to strip off her dress after the party? She felt shockingly inadequate already—she didn’t think she could handle disapproval in his eyes. She had so little experience when it came to men. Alec had experience in spades. Could she even satisfy him? Would she even know what to do?
“You know what?” Faith croaked. “It’s okay. We don’t need to go to all this trouble.”
But her new best friends didn’t listen. Faith walked out of the store with not only the yellow lace bra-and-panty set, but a pale blue and a black one, too.
* * *
Between the flight and the taxi ride to his apartment, Alec had asked Faith a dozen times what was wrong. She didn’t know how to answer. What had been a comfortable mix of conversation and silence this past week had morphed into just silence. She felt the shift in him, too. She’d caught him darting quick glances at her during the flight, only to hastily look away when she noticed. The casual way he’d touched her arm or hand while they were alone back in Wilmington hadn’t followed them to New York.