Chapter Twelve #2
Once that was done, she towel-dried her hair, then using her fingers and the hair dryer to finish, was able to achieve big beachy waves.
Her skin was looking good these days, so Faith kept her makeup minimal but spent some time on her eyes and added a soft pink gloss to her lips.
Then she turned to her wardrobe and frowned. What to wear?
She decided on the only pair of jeans she owned and a simple white T-shirt and sneakers. Then she grabbed a small zip-up hoodie, which she tied around her waist, and a small bag for a hair tie, some cash, and a pair of sunglasses.
Faith walked toward the full-length mirror that rested against the far wall of her bedroom and studied her appearance.
She looked good. Over these last weeks, the sun had kissed her face, giving her a healthy glow.
Her hair was longer, wavier, shinier. Her eyes were a darker hue, and her lips .
. . she peered closer and touched them with the tip of her finger.
Was it possible they were still swollen from Gus’s kisses?
Heat crept up her neck. Faith turned and swore under her breath. Shit. Was she losing her mind? Was she so sex-starved that all rational thought fled her mind because of the number of O’s she’d experienced the night before?
Taco, sensing her mood, stood from his spot by her bed and wagged his tail, and her stomach dipped. What the hell was she going to do with him? More importantly, how could she have forgotten her dog?
A sharp knock sounded, and Faith ran from the bedroom to answer it, though she took a beat to get herself ready for the inevitable shock she’d get when she set her eyes on Gus. She slowly exhaled and then opened up. A man stood there, but it wasn’t Gus.
“Hal? Is everything okay?”
Her boss gave a wave and a smile, then nodded. “Sure is. I’m just here to collect the dog and I’ll be on my way.”
“The dog.” Confused, she frowned.
“Taco.”
“I don’t . . .”
The rest of her words got caught in her throat when Gus appeared. Her stomach rolled. Goosebumps appeared. And she was having trouble breathing.
Unfair, the way her body reacted to him, and she was going to have to work on some things. It wouldn’t do her any good for him to know how visceral he was to her.
Gus David was the sexiest man she’d ever met.
His eyes glittered, his smile radiated, and his body was an exhibit she wanted to explore.
His hair was wet from the shower, and he was dressed similarly in jeans and a black T-shirt.
His fresh scent was like an aphrodisiac, and she couldn’t help but smile. She had him for the whole day.
Gus clapped Hal on the shoulders before turning to Faith. “Hal here is going to take Taco because I don’t know when we’ll be back.”
“And I’m happy doing it. Since you’re working tomorrow, I’ll keep him overnight.” Hal nodded. “Just give me his food and leash and I’ll be on my way.”
Faith grabbed Taco’s leash and doled out food into a container, then handed it back to Hal.
“Okay,” the man said, motioning to Taco to follow. “You kids have fun and don’t worry about Taco. Sam loves her and so does the customers.”
She and Gus watched Hal leave, then before she could say hello or thank you or anything, Gus pulled her against him and kissed her until her head spun. Until her knees were butter and her muscles were noodles.
Until she was seriously considering gassing the road trip and spending the day in her bedroom with this man and zero clothes.
“Good morning,” he murmured against her mouth.
“Hey,” she responded quietly, trying her best to keep her shit together.
“Did you sleep well?”
“I think that’s the question I should be asking you.”
His grin was wicked. It was delicious and sinful. “Slept like a baby after I took care of a few things.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Her voice was low and throaty, and it didn’t sound anything like Faith, but she didn’t care because her focus was on his mouth. She slid her hands up along his face and stood on her tiptoes so that she could reach him.
The kiss was light and full of promise and . . .
“Is this what it means to be neighborly?”
Faith dragged her mouth from Gus’s and spied Sage standing at the foot of the stairs that led to the upper loft.
The petite redhead grinned and slowly walked past them.
The woman had a laptop in hand and a bag slung over her shoulders.
Her hair was in a topknot, and she wore a baby-blue summer dress adorned with yellow sunflowers. On her feet were a pair of flip-flops.
Sage stopped near the stairs and winked over her shoulder. “You guys keep this up and I might have to start writing about you two instead of the characters who’re giving me problems.” She gave a small wave and disappeared downstairs.
Faith reluctantly stepped out of Gus’s embrace. “Do I need anything else?”
“No. Are you ready?” he asked. At her nod, he grinned. “Okay, let’s go.”
Faith grabbed her crossbody bag and locked up before following Gus downstairs. His bike was out front, a shiny black and silver machine that looked as sexy as its owner.
“She’s a restored ’69 Shovelhead.” He ran his hands over the seat. “Not that I expect you to know what that means.”
“I’ve never been on a motorcycle.”
“No?” He turned to Faith, and she basked in the smile he shot her way. “Come here.”
She moved closer, already craving another kiss. He grabbed a helmet and placed it over her head and then secured the chin strap, and though it looked heavy, the helmet felt light on her head.
“This looks good on you.” He stepped back, his eyes moving from the top of her head down to her toes. “Do you have sunglasses?”
She nodded and pulled them out of her crossbody while Gus pulled on his helmet and hopped on the bike. He motioned for her to do the same, and she managed to climb onto the bike easily. She was so close to Gus that she felt the warmth from his body, and gingerly, she slid her arms around his waist.
“Where are we going?” she asked breathlessly.
“The city. New York. Have you been?”
She kept her face neutral. “A few times, yes.”
More than a few times, in fact. Her family owned a penthouse in an exclusive building on Central Park West, which faced the park. It was a place she would visit several times a year, mostly for shopping trips with her mother. She supposed with her family’s assets frozen they didn’t own it anymore.
The bike roared to life, and he leaned back, head turned to the side. “You’re going to have to hold tighter than that.”
They eased out slowly, and once on the street, Gus guided the bike toward Main.
He kept his pace slow, and the noise of the engine didn’t overwhelm as they headed downtown.
Aware that all eyes were on them as they rolled by, Faith gripped Gus tighter and leaned into him, loving the feel of power between her legs and between her arms. When they hit the open road, he increased his speed and the feeling that washed over Faith was one she’d never experienced before.
It was as if she’d finally shed all the heartbreak, stress, and anxiety she’d been carrying with her for months.
Maybe longer. And right now, on this perfect Saturday, with a gorgeous sun overhead, in the company of a man who intrigued her, who heated her blood and set her body on fire, she felt . . . free.
Had she ever felt this way before?
Did she care about anything before now?
Not today.
As the bike ate up the miles on their way to the city, she decided to divest herself of a past that had weighed her down for far too long.
Faith Winters was going to do something she’d never done before. She was going to live in the moment and take things as they came. She was going to live for herself.
And to hell with the consequences.
At least for now.
Or, as long as she could forget.