Sweet Seduction

Chapter 12

Faith and Gray rode in silence. Uncomfortable silence. There was a lot she wanted to say, but she wasn't about to have such an important conversation when he couldn't even look at her because he was driving.

Every once in a while he glanced over, and she could see the worry, the confusion in his eyes. But she also saw resolve, as if he wasn't about to let her go without a fight. She took comfort in that. They could work this out and chalk it up to one of the many misunderstandings they'd no doubt have over the course of their marriage.

"Where are we going?" she asked, finally breaking the silence.

He reached for her hand, curling his finger around hers. "You'll see. We're almost there."

She recognized the area as an affluent neighborhood just north of Houston. They drove deeper into the residential area where the houses grew larger and more beautiful, the landscaping speaking of professional hands.

Then he turned into the circle driveway of a large stone house. The yard looked as though it hadn't been tended to in a while, or at least only a cursory hand had been applied.

"Come on," he said as he got out.

She met him around the front and he took her hand to lead her to the front door. To her surprise, he pulled out a key and inserted it into the lock.

“Gray?”

He drew her inside, and the smell of fresh paint quivered over her nose. The house was empty. No furniture, nothing on the walls except the gleam of new paint.

"This is where I've been spending so many evenings," he said gruffly.

She stared around at the foyer, the stairs and the open living room beyond.

"But Gray, we can't afford this house, I mean, we already picked out our house."

He smiled and pulled her through the living room. "I got a good deal on this one, and I knew you really wanted something larger, something we could grow into. When I saw it I just knew I had to have it for you. It was a foreclosure. Needed a lot of work. I've done what I can myself. Painting, new carpet, stuff like that."

She looked around, trying to absorb all he was saying. So many of her dream items were featured prominently in the house. The big fireplace, the big picture windows and a patio leading off from the living room through glass doors.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "This is really our house?"

He nodded. Then he hesitated. "That is, if there's still going to be a wedding."

Shame coursed through her. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to look at him. A tear trickled down her cheek to her mortification. Boy, when she screwed up, she went big.

He gathered her close, ignoring the stiffening of her body. He wrapped his arms around her and cupped the back of her head with one hand. His fingers wandered through the strands of her hair as he simply held on to her.

"Don't ever do that to me, Faith," he whispered. "You scared the shit out of me this morning. When I realized you'd canceled the arrangements, I went a little nuts."

She inhaled, holding and savoring his scent as she laid her head against his chest. "I'm sorry, Gray. I wish I could give you a reason. It was irrational of me, and I'm so sorry. It was stupid and childish, and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to marry me after all this."

He leaned back and tilted her chin until she stared into his eyes.

"I only have one question, Faith. Do you love me?"

Her heart shifted and melted under his intense gaze.

"So much it scares me."

"That's all I need. You loving me. Nothing else matters."

"I do. So much," she said with an ache in her voice.

"I vote we leave the tour of the house for another time and go home so we can address more important matters."

His hand slid down to lay flat against her belly, his fingers splayed out. God, there might be a baby in there. A mixture of panic and awe coursed through her at the thought.

"Yeah, let's go home," she said around the knot in her throat.

Nathan sat across the table from Julie watching her eat. He watched her smile, how her eyes lit up in response every time she spoke. How she laughed with no reserve. Was it any wonder he was always so damn tongue-tied around her? Or that it had taken him months to work up the courage to ask her out?

He'd had sex with her. Twice, technically, and even then the idea of asking her on a date had left him with a raging case of gut rot.

He wanted to ask her why. Why had she given him a blow job and then fired him as her client? Why not just say she was interested?

Why hadn't he said he was interested?

"Tell me about you," she said as she leaned forward.

The motion pinned her breasts to the table, plumping them up toward her neckline until they mounded like two ripe melons. All he could see was her lying on the bed at The House, and all he could remember was the feel of so much willing sweet flesh in his arms as he slid into her over and over.

How the hell was he ever supposed to have a normal conversation with her again? Preferably one where his dick wasn't fighting for equal airtime?

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, all I know is what Faith's told me or what I've learned from listening to general conversation. She said you used to be in the army and went to work for Pop as soon as you got out."

He nodded. "Yeah, I joined up out of high school. There was no way Ma could have paid for me to go to college. At the time I only planned to stay the minimum and let them pay my way through college, but I enjoyed it so I re-upped. I'd probably still be in if an injury hadn't taken me out."

Her forehead wrinkled and her eyes lighted with sympathy. They were such a warm brown. Like chocolate.

"It wasn't anything serious," he said hastily. "I mean, I could have stayed in the army but I couldn't remain with my specialty. Just didn't seem like much point after that."

"Oh. Still, that had to suck."

He grinned. "I thought it did at first but I came home, licked my wounds. Pop gave me a job and here I am. It's great. I like the people I work with, I make good money and I'm close to my mom and my sisters."

"Sisters?"

"Yeah, I'm the only boy. Was hell growing up with all those women, let me tell you."

"You're so full of shit. You loved it and you know it. Your eyes are all warm and gooey just talking about them."

He grinned self-consciously. "Yeah, busted. It wasn't fun when they all had PMS, but they're a great bunch of women."

"How many sisters?"

"Three. Two are married but the baby is in college."

He could see the question she wanted to ask but was too polite.

"I send Ma money so Tracy can get her degree."

"That's awfully sweet of you," she said in a quiet voice.

He shifted uncomfortably, heat creeping up his neck. "She's a smart kid. I consider it an investment. She'll probably own the world in a few years and then she can support her big brother."

Julie smiled and put down her fork. "I just love a guy who blushes. It's incredibly sweet."

Fuck if his face didn't light on fire, and the heifer knew it. And why the hell was she talking to him like he was her big brother or something? Her mouth around his dick had certainly removed any possibility that they were going to be just friends.

Sweet? He frowned in disgust. Yeah, it was just one beat off her telling all her friends that he was just adorable. Next thing he knew, he'd be the guy all her friends considered their big brother. The one they all went to when they had guy trouble. Always the confidant and never the main event.

He had the sudden urge to beat his head on the table. Maybe he should be talking about dodging bullets or rescuing hostages from some hellhole in South America. Women went for that kind of shit, didn't they? Anything but sweet. Have mercy.

"You look like you just swallowed a bug," she said as she peered at him.

"You called me sweet," he said in disgust.

Her eyebrows went up. "You'd rather me call you an asshole?"

"At least asshole wouldn't make me sound like a pussy," he grumbled.

She looked incredulously at him. Swept over him with her gaze, up and down then back up again.

"You're the last man I'd ever worry about coming off as a pussy," she said, her eyes gleaming.

"Oh?" Now it sounded like he was fishing for compliments, but this woman's head was harder to get into than Fort Knox. How the fuck was he supposed to know what she was thinking at any given time? She was as erratic and helter-skelter as a drunk butterfly. Who knew what the hell she'd ever do or say next?

"Strong. Rugged. Sexy, even. A bit dense, but otherwise, very nice," she purred.

Now even his ears were red, he was sure. "I've been told I'm a man and it's my lot in life to be dense."

"Well, you have me there," she said out of the side of her mouth.

"So what about you?" he asked as he sat back to study her. "What's your story?"

She looked mildly discomfited by the question, and for the first time looked at a disadvantage. And to think he couldn't imagine this woman ever not on top of things. She exuded confidence. She was sure of her place in the world, and that, to him, was about the sexiest quality a woman could possess.

She raised her wineglass to her lips and took a long sip. Her perfectly manicured nails tapped a moment on the crystal as she seemed to collect her thoughts.

Then she grinned and set it back down again. "I would love to lie to you and tell you that I've traveled the world collecting men for my harem, or that I've rubbed elbows with the rich and famous, but the simple truth is, I'm a small-town girl who's never been out of the great state of Texas. Sad, isn't it?"

His brows drew together. "You could have fooled me. You seem so ... I dunno, knowledgeable, and I don't mean book learning as much as you just seem to have lived a lot of life."

"Well thank you, I think. That almost sounds like a compliment."

"It was intended to be one. You seem to have your head on straight. You're confident and beautiful. I imagine you could go anywhere you wanted and fit in."

She looked completely caught off guard by his assessment. For a long moment she just stared at him as if trying to figure out his angle. This was a cynical woman, and he could see the wheels turning in her head. She thought he was plotting his way into her pants. Flattery, pretty words, all the usual stuff.

The problem was, he sucked when it came to wooing a woman. And while he'd love nothing more than to go home and strip every piece of clothing off her with his teeth, he could wait. If she expected a full-on assault, then he was going to give her just the opposite if it killed him.

"You make me feel like a fraud," she finally said with a rueful smile.

"That wasn't my intention."

She shook her head. "Oh, I know. I'm beginning to think you're actually a sincere guy."

"You say that as if it surprises you."

Her eyes glinted with amusement. "It does."

"Okay, so tell me more. You've never been out of the state of Texas. Any plans to change that?"

She leaned back with a thoughtful look. "You know, I hadn't really given it any thought. I'm so busy with my salon. Don't get me wrong, I spend plenty of time dreaming, but I never really thought about making it a reality."

"What do you dream about?"

She blushed. Actually blushed. He had to snap his jaws shut to keep from gaping, because anything that made this woman blush had to be good.

"My dreams aren't up for discussion until at least the fourth date," she said with a cheeky grin.

He smiled and reached for his glass. "I'll keep that in mind."

He sipped at the wine and tried not to grimace. Anything more refined than beer was wasted on him. This entire restaurant gave him hives, but he figured this was a place that Julie would slide right into.

"You want to ditch this place and go get a beer?"

He blinked and stared at her over the glass that was frozen in midair on its way down to the table. Had she read his freaking mind? Surely he hadn't voiced his thoughts aloud.

"Not that I don't like where you chose for dinner," she said in a rush. "But this is way more Serena and Damon's speed. I'd just as soon head over to Cattleman's and have a beer and some greasy French fries."

Yes. Dear God, yes. He had to control the urge to scramble out of his seat and haul her out behind him.

"You sure?" he asked calmly. It sounded so much better than hell yeah!

She shrugged. "It's up to you."

He held up his hand to motion for the check before the words were completely out of his mouth. Beer and French fries sounded damn good to him. Even better, tasting beer and French fries on her lips later.