Page 4 of A Lot Like Forever

“Screw what your brother thinks,” Nate muttered. “If you want to stay here, you’re welcome for as long as you want. But you need to tell him what happened, because if you don’t, I will.” A smile played across his lips. “Or maybe I’ll tell himafterI make that asshole pay for what he did,” Nate said in a low voice.

“I’m scared of what he’ll do if he finds out. Sam’s not like you; he could just freak out and do something stupid. You know how he is when it comes to me.”

Nate’s laugh was ice-cold. “Sugar, I’ll make sure Sam keeps his head. When I tell him that I’ve got it under control, he’ll trust me.”

“Really?” It meant a lot to her, having Nate in her corner. He had a reputation for being fiercely loyal to the few people close to him.

Nate put his boots up on the low table and smiled over at her. “You don’t have to be my housekeeper to stay, Faith. I made a promise to your brother years ago that I’d always look out for you, and that I’d, ah, well, never . . .” He laughed, shaking his head. “Let’s just say he made it very clear that his little sister was off-limits. To me, anyway.”

Faith shook her head. All those years of trying to make Nate notice her and he’d made a vow not to touch her? Typical. It sure as hell would have been nice to know that particular fact when she was seventeen. Instead she’d wondered what the hell was wrong with her that Nate King didn’t so much as look at her when she’d tried so damn hard to catch his eye.

“I appreciate the offer, but if I’m staying here I want to earn my keep.” It wasn’t like she wanted to work as a housekeeper, but she was short of cash and it was the only way she could pay her way.

“You’re sure about that?” The slight upturn of his lips told her that he found her offer amusing, and it annoyed her—she wasn’t afraid of hard work and she’d prove him wrong if that’s what he thought.

She turned to Nate, smiling straight back at him. “Oh, I’m sure. I fully intend making everyone in my life proud one day, I’ve got big dreams, and I want to know that I stood on my own two feet to get there.”

“There’s just one condition, then,” Nate said.

“What’s that?” she asked.

She could see exactly how he managed to bed so many women—that dimple alone was probably enough to get some girls stripping their clothes off. If she didn’t know him so well, she’d have thought he was making a move just with his stare alone, the way he was sitting too close, hard thigh brushing hers. Or maybe he just didn’t know how to turn the sex appealoff.

“If my brother Chase so much as looks at you, feel free to give him a bloody nose. You’d be doing me a favor.”

Heat flooded her body, warmed every inch of her. Because for a moment there, she’d wondered if he was going to suggest an entirely different type of condition.

“Aren’t both your brothers married?”

“I still don’t trust them. Not one damn bit.”