Finding Faith [Red Hook, Texas 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  She turned on a small nightlight by her bed.

  Her big bed was in the middle of the room. Her room was neat and didn’t have much stuff besides a dresser and chair by the window. It was so different from his messy room.

  He was tempted to pinch himself in case this was just a dream. He had dreamt about her so many times. He looked down at her and she had her hands on his shoulders. She was built slender and he loved how she felt against his body.

  She gifted him with a sexy smile. “Do you know how many nights I fantasized about you?”

  “You noticed me?” He couldn’t believe this sexy woman had fantasies about him.

  Faith rolled her eyes. “Are you serious? You are a walking hottie and that loud bike only adds to the appeal. Holly once mentioned you were a fireman and that added another fascinating facet to the stranger who always ordered black coffee and sat at the same table. My imagination ran wild.”

  He chuckled and hugged her. She smelled like fresh rain and she was so soft. She felt good in his arms. He wouldn’t mind holding her for longer, but his body was tense and hard from wanting her.

  “Like what?” he couldn’t resist asking.

  She blushed and he thought she was adorable. “Like you rescuing me without a shirt on.”

  He laughed out loud and hugged her. “That would be so dangerous in a real fire, baby.”

  “Hey this is my dream, buster, and I liked all those muscles on display just for me.”

  He leaned in and took her mouth in a steamy kiss. It was like touching an electrical charge. He felt it down to his toes. She was letting out a sexy, throaty sound that turned him on.

  He felt her hands grab his T-shirt and lift it up. He helped her, wanting to feel her hands on his bare skin. It was his turn to moan when her hands explored his chest, abdomen, and back with slow, soothing moves. He sensed her eagerness and it only turned him on more. He wanted her just as bad.

  When she cupped his erection through his jeans, he almost lost it. He unbuttoned his pants and helped her pull them down to his knees. His cock was glad to be free and sprung forward.

  “Wait a minute.” He pulled out of the kiss reluctantly. “Why am I the only one undressing?”

  Faith giggled. “Sorry. I was eager to make my dream a reality.”

  She pulled her sweater over her head, leaving her wearing a silky pure white bra. Her breasts were the perfect size, high and firm. He cupped them and he felt her nipples harden right away. He reached around her back and unclipped the bra, letting it fall to the floor. Her skin was pale white.

  “Beautiful,” he whispered. His fingers traced every curve of her breasts and his thumb caressed her pink, rosy nipple. She closed her eyes and let out a little sound of pleasure that went straight to his cock.

  She opened her eyes and unbuttoned her jeans. She slipped them down her hips along with her panties and boots. She did it so gracefully. While she was doing that, he clumsily got rid of the rest of his clothes, almost tripping over his own feet. How mortifying that would be. He sat on the edge of her bed. She looked so sexy and so slim, standing before him with no reservations. Her legs were long and toned as if she ran every day. He couldn’t wait to taste every inch of her skin.

  He pulled her down on top of him. She landed with a thud on his chest and laughed. Her hair tickled his cheek. It smelled fresh and flowery.

  “Anxious much?” she teased, wiggling on his hard body.

  He groaned, loving her sense of humor. “You bet your sweet ass, I am.”

  He even grabbed her soft, round ass cheeks for good measure. She gasped loudly.

  His hands slid to her flat belly and to the juncture of her legs. He felt her legs open slightly. His hand fit in between her thighs. He encountered a hot, moist pussy. Her curls were moist and he used his fingers to explore this exciting woman in his arms. He refused to think of tomorrow. He wanted to enjoy tonight and for once not worry about the future.

  She moaned his name and it excited him to know she liked his touch. He stroked her velvet folds while capturing a hard nipple into his mouth and sucking it hard. He feasted on her breast.

  She let out another soft cry. He felt her hands gripping his loose hair. He hadn’t even noticed he lost the tie holding it back.

  “I knew your hair would be as soft as silk.” She sounded like she was talking to herself and he grinned. So she liked his hair? She was so honest and refreshing.

  “Yours reminds me of fire, especially in the sun.” He paid her the compliment and he meant it.

  His fingers found her clit and played with it until she was moving around wildly as if she couldn’t stay still. He reversed their positions until she was lying underneath him. He bent to the floor and grabbed a condom out of his jeans. Luckily he always carried a few. He hadn’t planned on having sex with Faith, but he was grateful for the chance.

  He quickly put the condom over his hard, erect shaft while she watched. It turned him on when she licked her lips. He wanted this to last, but he knew it was going to be hard. This was not going to be the only time he made love to her tonight. Once would not be nearly enough.

  “Are you ready, sweetheart?”

  She nodded eagerly and opened her legs wide so he could see her glistening pussy. Little hairs of red covered her mound. How he wanted to taste her, but he was so eager to be inside her body. Next time, he swore. He couldn’t wait one more second. She bent her knees, giving him an excellent view.

  He planted his forearms on either side of her shoulders and held himself up. She wrapped her legs around his waist.

  “Impatient much?” he teased. He felt an unfamiliar feeling in the region of his heart but he ignored it. He didn’t want to feel emotion. He concentrated on the sexy firecracker in his arms.

  She nodded. “I need to feel your hard cock inside of me now. I already feel the fire and we barely started.”

  He loved her attitude. It was refreshing and made him feel excited. His cock twitched as if saying “get on with it.”

  He entered her slowly, stretching her skin. She groaned with pleasure and arched up, helping him glide his way in. She was wet and he bit his lip to keep from groaning loudly.

  “Oh yes. You feel wonderful,” she said in a low, throaty voice. “I knew it.”

  He drove in deep and it was like nothing he ever experienced. It was heaven. Her grip on his shoulders tightened and her nails dug into his skin. He began to move in a frantic, out-of-control rhythm. Not with the usual practiced moves he was used to. He tried to slow down. He didn’t want to hurt Faith, but he felt like a wild savage wanting to claim his woman.

  His woman? No, he had a woman once and she was gone. He liked Faith, but this was not the beginning of a relationship. This was casual sex. He heard the word liar going through his head but he ignored it.

  He pumped in and out of her, and her hands moved to his ass as if wanting to pull him closer.

  She nibbled the skin at his throat and shoulder. Her teeth lightly nipped his skin and he was tempted to ask her to leave her mark on him but he held it in. He was getting too possessive and that was dangerous. He wanted to leave a mark on her to warn other men away.

  “I am so close, Faith.” He groaned.

  “Me too, Adam. Go hard, it’s okay. I like it,” she assured him with confidence. “I want to feel everything you have to give me.”

  He needed no more encouragement than that. He pumped into her wet pussy with all he had, shaking the bed. She hung on tight, encouraging him with her sexy moans and yelling “oh yes!” several times. His moves were quick and he forgot everything but how it felt to be inside of Faith. She was writhing beneath him and he could smell their intimacy. He inhaled the scent and it made him feel primal.

  “Yes, Adam!” she cried out loud, almost shouting. “Harder.”

  He felt her shudder violently and knew she reached her climax. He held on to her tightly, and with a few more thrusts he reached his own peak. His body felt like it shattered into a million li
ttle pieces. His climax was so fierce it scared the hell out of him. He had never come so hard before.

  He realized he let his weight fall on her, so he moved off of her after a minute or two. It took him a few more minutes to catch his breath. It felt so right to have her in his arms like this. He ignored the warning bells in his head. He was so satisfied and so relaxed he didn’t want to think logically. Not right now.

  When he could speak again, he looked down at her flushed face. She was so sexy with her tangled hair and swollen lips. “I have a few more condoms.”

  She let out a happy laugh. “Well, let’s not waste them. You could be the bad boy biker taking what he wants from poor, shy me.”

  Adam tickled her side until she was giggling. He loved her tinkling laugh.

  “You, shy? Please. I’m the one who should be trembling with fear.” He snorted.

  She rose up and straddled his hips. She arched her eyebrow at him and he found her so amusing. “So I’m the bad girl biker taking control of the shy boy next door? I can deal with that. I get to be in control this time, so you should be scared.”

  His cock twitched eagerly underneath her. He put his arms underneath his head, giving her control. He tried to look scared but he couldn’t. He was too excited. Damn she was so much fun. He hadn’t expected this. “Go for it, babe. Have your wicked way with me, just don’t hurt me.”

  Faith laughed and leaned down, gripping his hair tightly. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

  Chapter 5

  Faith checked her cell phone again, feeling like a fool. Adam had sneaked out while she was asleep. The louse hadn’t even woken her up or said good-bye. Now he was ignoring her calls and he hadn’t even come into the coffee shop. Holly was right. He liked an easy lay, and boy had she made it easy. She felt like dirt. It had been six days and yet he hid from her like she was going to stalk him. She sighed and resisted the urge to throw her phone across the room.

  “Faith, you have a delivery.” Kara, one of her new employees told her. Jenny was putting the pumpkin Faith and Holly had carved in the window. Halloween was right around the corner.

  Faith put Adam out of her mind and back on business. Business was the only dependable thing in her life. She had let Adam make her forget for a moment, but no more. She had to forget about him and mark him down as a big mistake.

  “Thanks, Kara. Watch the counter for me and I’ll go put it away.”

  Kara nodded. She liked being in the front with the customers. She was a senior in high school and worked part-time in the late afternoons. Faith really liked her. Jenny was a single mom and worked in the mornings while her son was in school. Faith was glad she hired helpers. It left her with more free time. She had thought for a moment she and Adam would hit it off and maybe keep on dating. What a fool she had been.

  She put away all the supplies and went to her office to catch up on some paperwork. Kara would call her if it got too busy.

  Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she took it out. It was Adam’s number. She calmed her beating heart and answered it calmly.

  “Hello.”

  “Faith? It’s Adam.” Like she wouldn’t recognize his number or his voice.

  “Yes, Adam?” She kept her voice even and calm. She wanted to act like a shrew and ask why he had been blowing her off all week like a low-down dog. How could she have forgotten men were unreliable? She let lust melt all her brain cells.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t returned your calls. Work keeps me busy,” he stated. She could tell he was uncomfortable calling her. Probably the women he usually dated never expected another phone call. They probably disappeared quietly out of his life. Didn’t he know she was not like that?

  “Really?” she replied sarcastically. “They give you no days off?”

  He sighed loudly and suddenly she was angry and frustrated.

  “That’s fine, Adam. Use work as an excuse. I never expected a marriage proposal after our night together, but I thought we were at least friends. Yet you snuck out without saying thanks and you ignore my calls.” Calmness went out the window when faced with the obvious fact that what she thought was a wonderful night had meant nothing for him.

  “I’m calling you now,” he said in an angry voice.

  “Why? To remind me you fucked me and now you never want to see me again so I should quit calling you?” How dare he sound angry. She was the injured party here, not him.

  “I never made you any promises,” he spit out in a frustrated voice.

  “I know that, Adam, and like I said, I wasn’t asking you for a trip to the jewelry store or an announcement in the paper, but I expected you to act like a man and not sneak out. I expected you to still speak to me as a friend and not make me feel like a cheap tramp,” she pointed out.

  He muttered underneath his breath but it was too low to make any sense.

  “Okay, Adam. Message received. If we see each other I am to pretend we never met. Right now I wished we hadn’t.”

  She hung up and turned her phone off. She would not cry. He didn’t deserve her tears. Men were faithless jerks. When would she learn?

  * * * *

  Five weeks later

  Adam sat on the couch, flipping through the channels. He couldn’t find anything to watch to take his mind off of Faith. He felt guilty for blowing her off after they spent that wonderful night together. He had snuck out before morning like a coward. Her words had hit him like arrows to his conscience. She had been right. He never meant to make her feel cheap. He felt guilty because that night with her had gone beyond physical need and it sent him into panic mode.

  They had made love three times that night, and each time it had gotten better and better. That had scared him. He wanted to keep holding her and never let her go. He wanted to wake up next to her.

  Faith wasn’t a casual hookup. He could have stuck around and talked to her. Holding her in his arms had made him feel peace and contentment. Something he hadn’t felt since Josie. A flash of Josie’s smile and short blond hair appeared in his mind. He thought of her less and less and the pain had dulled. Then guilt hit him and he felt like he was betraying her by longing for more with Faith.

  He had ignored Faith’s phone calls but he felt horrible. Then he called her with that lame excuse, saying he was busy with work. He heard the pain in her voice. She knew he was making excuses to not see her again, and he felt like a low-down snake.

  He admitted it, if only to himself, Faith made it hard for him to hang on to his loyalty to Josie. He had sex, but it never got him emotionally involved. It satisfied a physical need and then it was over. With Faith it wasn’t like that. He wanted more.

  Today was Thanksgiving. He had spent it with Alana and Noah at their new house. All of the Garcias had been there too, along with him and Liam. It had been loud and crazy but so much fun. Usually he worked, and so did Noah and Liam. There hadn’t been much reason to celebrate holidays in the past.

  Alana had asked about Faith and he told her it hadn’t worked out. He saw Alana’s disappointed expression and he had quickly changed the subject. All he did was think of Faith and their night together. He picked up the phone every day to call her and apologize for his callous attitude but hung up before it rang. What could he say? “Forgive me for being a coward.” He could explain about Josie and his fears. Faith had a gentle heart and might forgive him. Did he want to be forgiven? Memories didn’t keep you warm at night. Memories didn’t give you someone to talk to or spend time with. He existed, but was he living a full life? No. The answer came right away. How many times had he lectured Noah to make up with Alana before it was too late? And it had almost been too late. Wasn’t he guilty of the same thing? He liked Faith. Not just because she was beautiful to look at, but she was fun and she made him feel happy. She was independent and determined to succeed on her own. She made him smile and feel glad to be alive. Maybe he should talk to her and at least explain his fears.

  He turned the TV off and grabbed his truck keys. He jumped i
n his truck and drove to her neighborhood. He was disappointed when he saw her house shrouded in darkness. She had mentioned she hardly ever spoke to her mother, so where did they spend Thanksgiving? He hated the thought of them being lonely. He should have acted like a man and swallowed his panic. He could have invited her to his brother’s house. He sighed and headed home alone.

  * * * *

  Faith and Holly decided to spend the holiday weekend in Austin, away from Red Hook. It had been hard on Faith to not go and look for Adam. She had been hurt by his rejection. She knew he was a playboy but she never expected him to be so cold about it. He never even came by the shop anymore. She wanted to rant and scream at him, but she had to take the blame too. Hadn’t Holly told her he liked casual good-time girls only? She should have said no to a date, no to him going home with her. She had been too weak to resist him and now she was paying the price.

  They stopped by and saw their mom. She had been so surprised since they hardly ever spoke these days. A phone call on Christmas and birthdays was it. She had burst into tears. They treated her to dinner and for once she was sober. She admitted she met someone special. A man who was helping her stay sober.

  “I joined AA. It’s been six months and it is hard, I won’t lie, but so far so good. I didn’t want to tell you girls until I reached one year. I know how many times I promised to quit and never did. This time I’m trying hard,” she said proudly across the table. Her red hair, like Faith’s, had strands of gray going through it, but she looked healthy and she had gained weight. She lost the scrawny, unhealthy look Faith remembered her by. She was dressed casually but nice. “Ted goes with me and is very supportive. I have a job at a grocery store and it keeps me busy. I have picked up the phone to tell you girls, but I was so afraid I would mess up.”

  Faith had reached out and grabbed her mother’s hand. She had learned long ago to let go of her anger toward her mother. “That’s great, Mom. I am so proud of you. You look great.”