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

not so sure he would have held back if I’d gone straight to him.”
    Nate smiled, but he looked a million miles away. “It’s fine. We both knew he was going to be pissed; I just didn’t expect him to turn up here so fast.”
    She stared into his eyes, wished she wasn’t so conflicted over how she felt. Cooper hitting her had done more than dent her confidence. She backed down a step, needing to put some distance between her and Nate. She’d wanted him close, but the thought of him actually closing the distance between them … Her palms were sweating and her heart was beating overtime.
    “You two aren’t the only ones with daddy issues, Faith. For what it’s worth, I get it.”
    She’d never heard a lot about Nate’s dad, except that he’d been out of their lives for a long time. “Well, I just wanted to say that I really appreciate you letting me stay, and for sticking up for me. It means a lot.”
    He nodded and looked away.
    “It’s no problem.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “Look, I have a meeting at ten so I have to go, but keep tomorrow night free.”
    “Tomorrow?” What’s happening tomorrow night?
    “I thought a night out would do us all good. Sam’s game, so we’re heading to The Den at eight.”
    Nate moved to turn and Faith almost ran to him, wanted to touch him, to press a kiss to his freshly shaven cheek. But she didn’t.
    “Thank you,” she whispered.
    Nate stared at her, long and hard, their eyes locked.
    “You’re welcome.”
    He was everything she liked in a man—strong, sexy, capable of protecting her—but she wasn’t ready to even think about being intimate again. Cooper’s fist slamming into her replayed through her mind when she least expected it. The way he’d thought he could lay his hands on her made her stomach turn. She was stronger than he’d thought, though, and there was no way she was going to let what he’d done to her hold her back.
    Faith smiled thinking about Nate. He was trying so hard to be the perfect gentleman, and she doubted that came easy to him. As much as she’d always liked him, she knew what happened when a girl like her became involved with a rich and powerful man like Nate. Which was why he’d only ever been her fantasy date, the guy she’d want in bed but not have any other expectations for.
    Her own mom had spent her entire life mourning for the man she’d loved, a man who’d ended up marrying a woman his family had deemed more appropriate for him, and besides, Faith wasn’t looking for anything more than a fresh start and a fun time.
    Which meant she had to forget all about how good Nate looked half-naked. Or what it would be like in his bed.

 
    Chapter 4
    NATE sucked in a deep breath and gripped both hands tight on the steering wheel, waiting for Ryder to pick up the phone. He’d been happy and relaxed surveying the parcel of land he’d earmarked for oil drilling, but that mood had quickly disappeared the moment he’d gotten back in the car. He’d had an irate message from his younger brother and a call from work, and Nate could already feel his blood pressure rising for the day.
    “Hey.”
    “Hey,” Nate replied, easing off on the accelerator a little.
    “Whatever the hell you’ve done to piss Sam off, I need you to deal with it.”
    Nate groaned. He guessed his brother needed Sam to work a problem horse, which was why Nate was getting the blame for his mood. “What did he say?”
    “Nothing. Except to mutter that you were a fucking asshole and he wanted to smack his fist into your face about now.”
    “You do know I’ve done nothing wrong, right? His sister turned up on my doorstep needing a place to stay and—”
    “Whoa, she what?” Ryder roared with laughter. “You have Faith staying in your house?”
    “Yup.” His brothers had always loved giving him shit about her. He hadn’t exactly done a good job of pretending not to be attracted to her, because she’d always managed to rile him up the wrong way. Or