I Knew You Were Trouble: A Texas Kings Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

housekeeper, or do I still need to keep running that ad? Because this place is going to go to complete shit if I don’t find a replacement for Mrs. T soon.”
    Faith put her hand over her mouth, in danger of laughing out her mouthful. This was what she wanted from Nate, just plain old fun and friendship. “I can’t believe you had that lovely old lady working here for so long. She must have been like eighty when she retired.”
    Nate winked and Faith tried to relax. Nate wasn’t the one who’d hurt her; he wouldn’t lay a hand on her without her okaying it. There was nothing wrong with having fun with him, chatting and laughing.
    “I think keeping this house added at least twenty years to the poor old girl. The three of us were kind of a handful.”
    Faith finished chewing and made herself look back up at Nate, not sure why things suddenly felt so different between them. Or maybe she was just being more sensitive given what had happened. He’d never shown her any interest, but now that she was in his kitchen she was certain he was coming on to her, and … he seemed a whole lot more dangerous than before. Those dark eyes, his full lips, the confidence that as good as dripped from him. She’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit to wanting to know what it would be like to let those experienced hands of his pleasure her. And he was huge, his shoulders as wide and big as a quarterback’s.
    Faith cleared her throat. “I’m deadly serious about working for you, Nate. I’ll keep this place tidy, handle the groceries, and take care of the meals. You just ask and I’ll do it.”
    They stared at each other for a minute, the silence deafening. Faith was the first to look away, trying to stop her hand from shaking as she reached for her glass. All those thoughts she’d once had about her brother’s best friend were back tenfold, no matter how hard she tried to fight them.
    “Well, okay then,” he agreed. “But it’s only short-term, until you find your feet.”
    She wasn’t ready to be close to a man, wouldn’t be for … she didn’t know how long. Right now her hands were shaking just at the thought of Nate touching her skin.
    *   *   *
    Nate shut the door behind him and walked in the dark toward the closest field. Faith was inside busying herself in the kitchen, and he’d made up an excuse about needing to check on a pregnant mare. It was a lie, his brothers dealt with all the livestock on the property, but he’d needed some space. Staying in the house a second longer would have been a mistake, because he was dangerously close to losing control.
    When he’d told Faith that Sam had always warned him off her, he hadn’t been lying . But just because he wanted to protect her didn’t mean he hadn’t noticed how goddamn beautiful she was, and the trouble was, her brother knew it. Christ, Nate was hard just thinking about her now, let alone when he was looking into her warm brown eyes and seeing her body up close and personal. And having her in his kitchen, drinking in the low-cut T-shirt and skintight jeans … it had been almost too much for him to resist. Almost. Right now he was barely in control.
    Nate leaned on the fence and let his eyes adjust to the fading light, watching the horses graze. He hardly ever thought about the day that Sam had thrown a punch at him and shoved him to the ground, but seeing Faith today had brought it all back
    He wanted her. He wanted her so damn bad. No matter how much he tried to tell himself that he should be acting like her brother, it wasn’t even close to working.
    He’d promised Sam he wouldn’t touch her. He’d sworn he’d never go there. And yet now …
    Even if he screwed everyone in his little black book, he doubted he’d get Faith out of his head. Because it was her he wanted in his bed, her body he wanted naked and glinting with sweat beneath him, and he wanted her right fucking now.
    His phone rang, breaking the dead silence on the ranch and