I felt uncomfortable even attempting to mimic camaraderie under these circumstances, but I had no choice but to try, rigid in my chair and stony faced as he continued.
“She isn’t ready for some boyfriend this summer. She’s anything but. Stephen can walk on by before even thinking about taking my girl out for some seedy date night before she’s even ready for university.”
It was the venom in his voice. The flash of fire in his eyes.
I knew then in that single moment that there wasn’t going to be even a scrap of a chance he’d ever accept me crossing the line with his daughter. Not in this whole fucking lifetime.
It was a dull spade pounding into my twisting gut, wrenching me with a whole fucking ocean of truth. I really was an utterly vile piece of filth for fucking with his little girl.
I hated myself. Both for crossing my own fucking moral line, and for betraying Colin Martin’s.
But there was more. So much more to confuse it than that.
I hated myself, but I loved that girl so fucking much.
I loved sweet Faith and the woman she was growing into. I loved how stunning she was, both inside and out. I loved the joy she’d brought into my weekend, and the beautiful reward I’d found in bringing joy to hers.
I loved everything in her. Every fucking thing that made her Faith. And I wouldn’t be able to let that go. Not easily. Not even for the loyalty of a long-term friend I should have been true to without question.
“Stephen is a bit idiotic with his words,” I said. “But there is no risk of him being disrespectful to Faith. He’s perfectly decent as a young guy.”
“I don’t care,” Colin barked. “Just keep him away from her, Miles, please. I don’t want him anywhere near her.” He paused, and there was that flash of fire in his eyes again. “I don’t want anyone fucking near her.”
There it was.
The blanket statement.
The blanket statement he really believed in.
I met his eyes and forced mine to speak the truth, at least in this token instance.
“I’ll keep Stephen away from Faith, Colin,” I said. “You don’t have to worry about him touching her.”
The relief in his face was instant.
“Thank you, Miles,” he said. “I appreciate that.”
I watched him finally leave my office with my breath held tight, so fucking grateful when that door closed behind him.
I was fucked. Absolutely fucked from that minute onwards with a tirade of where the holy fucking fuck is this fucking headed while my brain churned with the backlash.
Colin would never accept us. Not anything even slightly between Faith and me. Not until the end of days.
Diane would be in the same corner. Lashing out with the same judgement.
And so would likely the whole fucking world.
Forbidden.
We were truly forbidden.
And I was truly captivated by the girl. Snared alive by every stunning little glint in her eyes.
So just what the holy living fuck was I going to do about it?Chapter Twenty-OneFaithI was so excited to get to work. I was practically skipping along the path on my way, wondering what the hell it would be like to be in a building with him as Mr Lindon again, and how I’d ever manage it in a million years without peeing myself with excitement.
I was all grins and bounding steps as I made my way to my usual seat in the finance office, waving to everyone and replying to all the questions about whether I’d had an amazing birthday weekend.
I’m sure my blush must have been ruby red as I told them it was the greatest weekend of all time.
Rachel was over at my desk quizzing me harder about after party events when Mr Lindon – Miles – stepped on through, and I stopped in a beat, my breaths catching hard, every single part of me sizzling like crazy as I tried to stay even slightly convincingly calm with him so close.
And he was sizzling too. Just like I was.
I could feel it. The tension. The tightness. The strain.
Both of us so aware of the heat pulsing hard in the air. My eyes trying to stay fixed on Rachel like this was just a normal Monday morning, when all I wanted to do was grab him tight and beg him to take me all over again.
“Good morning, ladies,” he said, and I adored the usual satin deepness in his voice.
“Morning, Mr Lindon,” Rachel replied, and I found myself clearing my throat before I answered.
“Good morning, Mr Lindon,” I said, and forced my eyes up to his.
His were absolutely brimming with so much.
Too much.
Too much to truly fathom.
It punched me hard down deep, a flash of insecurity giving me a good boot to follow. Because he was confused. There was definitely confusion there.
“Can you believe the birthday girl is eighteen now?” Rachel asked him, and I cringed at her choice of question. “She’ll always be our little cutie, won’t she?”