Erasing Faith(43)

“I can’t,” I whispered.

Wes pulled me close, so he could stare into my eyes. His hands came up to cradle my face, and my heart began to have palpitations.

“You can,” he whispered. “Faith Morrissey, you can do anything. Anything. Don’t let the world convince you otherwise.” He leaned down so his forehead was resting directly against mine and I felt my windpipe convulse spastically. “Five seconds of fear, or a lifetime of regret that you missed out on something amazing. Your choice, Red.”

Well, when he put it that way…

“I really, really don’t like you,” I grumbled, clearing my throat.

Wes laughed again and bumped his nose against mine. I thought I might faint when our mouths almost brushed, but managed to pass off my near-swoon as latent fear rather than sheer lust.

As he led me to the boarding station, his hand laced warmly in mine, I wondered if he’d ever stop pushing my buttons or testing my boundaries.

Almost instantly, I realized I didn’t want him to stop.

Wes challenged me in the best way possible. He made me press my own limits, forced me to try things I hadn’t had the courage to do in the past. He never questioned my abilities. He stared at me without a flicker of doubt in that steady brown gaze… looked at me like I could do anything, be anyone.

He believed in me.

With him, for the first time ever, I felt like I was starting to figure out who I was — and who I wanted to be.

More than any star I’d ever wished on or any blown-out birthday candle plea I’d ever dreamed might come true, I hoped that one day, I’d live up to the version of Faith that he saw when he looked at me like that. More than anything…

I wanted to be the woman Wes Adams thought I was.





Chapter Twenty-Two: WESTON


I’M WITH YOU



“Oh, wow. Wow, wow, wow,” Faith breathed, her eyes wider than I’d ever seen them.

We were about halfway up the embankment, slowly ascending toward the castle with all of Budapest laid out before us like a rug. The Chain Bridge and river promenade, now far below, were children’s toys left lying on the vast carpet, growing ever smaller as we rose up the hill. The setting sun painted all the world gold, like a sepia camera lens had been slipped over my eyes.

“This is amazing.” Her tone was hushed, full of wonderment as she took in the view. I’m sure it was spectacular, but I didn’t see any of it. I was distracted by a far more beautiful sight.

My eyes were locked on her face.

Tracing the curve of her lips. Memorizing their supple softness. Imagining how they’d feel against my own.

As I watched her, I felt it rise within me like a tidal wave — unfamiliar, irrepressible, undeniable.

Fear.

I hadn’t been frightened when I was bleeding out in a med-evac helicopter in a Bosnian war zone. I hadn’t felt fear coursing through my veins when I’d been stranded in the deserts of Afghanistan without a satellite phone or water source for miles. I hadn’t experienced terror when I’d been captured by enemy insurgents during an entirely off-the-books surveillance mission.

But I was scared as hell at just the thought of kissing Faith Morrissey.

“Look, Wes! You can see the steeples of St. Stephen’s Basilica from here!” She let out an appreciative sigh. “God, isn’t it beautiful? Have you ever seen anything so gorgeous in your entire life?”

My eyes moved over her face as hers swept the city. “No.” I cleared my throat roughly. “I haven’t.”

She was totally enthralled by the panorama of old-world elegance that seemed to stretch on for miles in every direction — my detachment didn’t even register on her radar. My knee bounced up and down, keyed-up with adrenaline. She was supposed to be the one reeling out of control. And yet, somehow, the world had been flipped on its head because I was the only mess of nerves inside this goddamned floating glass box.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and pressed my eyes closed. For the first time in more than a decade, I found myself falling back on old habits. I started to count.

One.

She leaned slightly forward in her seat to stare through the glass, her fear of heights completely forgotten. “This is amazing. You can see all the way to City Park from here!”

Two.

Her hand tightened on mine, squeezing in excitement and anticipation. We were almost to the top. “Seriously, Wes. I’m sorry I gave you a hard time. I love this.”

Three.

I opened my eyes when I heard her gasp. The setting sun had just peeked out from behind a cloud, illuminating the river’s surface with shafts of buttery light. It gleamed like a gold-plated mirror.

Faith’s voice was awed. “Thank you for sharing this with me.”

Four.

She glanced in my direction. “Wes?” she asked, staring into my eyes with a question swimming in her own. “You still with me?”

Five.

I took a deep breath, leaned into her space, and lifted one hand to lace through the hair at her temple. She stilled, her eyes melted like superheated caramel, and her jaw quivered slightly as realization crept into her gaze. She was a little bit terrified of us, of this, too.

Somehow, that made it easier to banish my own indecision.

“I’m with you, Red,” I muttered, an instant before I brought my lips down on hers in a crushing kiss that made my mind empty of everything except the way her mouth felt as it moved slowly beneath mine.