Free I Knew You Were Trouble: A Texas Kings Novel by Soraya Lane Page A

flicked through a few pages. The artwork was interesting, but it wasn’t his area of expertise. “You’ve been studying?” he asked.
    “No. It’s a new book on contemporary artists. I was just doing some reading for pleasure.”
    He watched as Faith tipped spaghetti into an oversize white serving bowl as he undid the top button of his shirt and then the one below. He wore a shirt every day and a suit sometimes, relentless about his appearance given the types of clients he was dealing with and wanting to make sure they realized how seriously he took his role. But even the fact that his closet was full of Dolce & Gabbana and HUGO BOSS didn’t mean he liked wearing fancy clothes when he could be in jeans and a tee at home.
    “You do realize the whole brainy-student thing is kind of sexy, right?” Nate laughed as he said it, wishing he’d just kept it to himself.
    Faith glanced at him and raised an eyebrow before spooning the meatballs and sauce on top of the spaghetti. “I’m not that brainy, but thanks.” She smiled and shook her head, like he’d embarrassed her. “I met your sister-in-law,” she said, changing the subject on him.
    He leaned back, beer in hand. “Yeah? Which one?”
    “Ryder’s wife.”
    Nate grinned. “Ah, so you met the lovely Chloe.”
    “Yes,” Faith said as she lifted the big bowl and walked toward him. Nate went to jump up, but she just smiled and shook her head, carrying the bowl and placing it down in the center of the table. She’d already set their place mats, and when she sat across from him he leaned forward and poured her wine, doing the same for himself now that he’d finished his beer.
    “And what did Chloe want?” he asked, smiling as Faith served up one plate and then passed it to him. “Bet she was all twenty questions trying to figure out what you were doing here.”
    “She was just coming by to see you,” Faith told him.
    “During the day? I don’t think so.” He chuckled and waited for her to finish serving herself so he could start. Now that the food was in front of him he was starving. “She knew damn well there was a woman here and she wanted to come be all nosey. I’d put money on it, and that’s saying a lot where Chloe’s concerned.”
    Come to think of it, Chloe had given him some serious shit about Faith when they’d been drinking at Joe’s one night. Heaven help him if she figured it out; she’d give him hell. If she hadn’t already.
    “Well, she seemed lovely, anyway. Once I realized she wasn’t your girlfriend, that is.”
    Nate paused with his fork midair, about to twirl his first mouthful of spaghetti. “I don’t have a girlfriend. You think I’d have you here if I did?”
    Faith frowned. “What difference would it make?”
    Nate fought the urge to laugh at the innocent expression on her face, but he couldn’t help his mouth kicking up into a grin. “If I had a girlfriend, hypothetical of course, there’s no way she’d let me have a woman like you working for me in my home, let alone staying.” He reached over to touch her hand, meaning to pat her but instead ending up tracing his fingers over the back of her hand, wishing to hell he hadn’t touched her soft skin again. “Sweetheart, you’re way too beautiful for another woman to ever trust you with her man. Believe me.”
    Faith stared at his hand for a moment before retracting hers, twirling spaghetti covered with sauce around her fork, and taking a bite. Nate watched her, transfixed by the way she ate, the tiny bit of sauce on her lower lip. He cleared his throat and looked at his own dinner, suddenly more hungry for a certain woman than food.
    “Sam came by.”
    “Again?” Nate had his mouth full now, the tomato sauce like an explosion on his taste buds. “Damn, this is seriously good.” When she said she’d learned how to cook he hadn’t exactly been imagining something this incredible.
    “He wanted to warn me off you one last time.” Now it was Faith with her