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 br**sts 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 ass**le?"
"At least ass**le wouldn't make me sound like a pu**y," 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 pu**y," 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 f**k 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."