Building Faith (Long Beach Series Book 2) by Dani Matthews

contain my own temper. Mine is a lot easier to rile up than Caleb's. Right now, he's pushing all my buttons.
    “You screw your friends, Ace. You've had Bev, and you’ve had Zoey,” Caleb points out tightly.
    Zoey sighs, touching Caleb’s shoulder. “Let’s not go there.”
    I glare at Caleb. Screw any sort of apology that would have eventually found its way out of my mouth. “Faith isn’t a meaningless fuck.”
    “Thanks,” Zoey says dryly as she shoots me a look. We’d hooked up once back before she’d met Caleb.
    “I didn’t mean it like that,” I say, trying to backtrack. The last thing I need is Zoey pissed off at me. Caleb is bad enough as it is. “I just meant that she’s not the type to do casual. She’s not my type. I’m not going to touch her, Caleb,” I say firmly while I feel like a fucking asshat for lying through my teeth. I had my hand on her little ass tonight, and I’d felt her pussy against my dick for one agonizingly sweet second—and all I'd wanted to do is do it again, over and over. I still don’t plan on acting on my attraction, and it’s hard as hell fighting it, but I will continue to do so even if my balls turn blue. Faith needs a friend more than she needs someone to screw.
    Caleb's eyes turn wary and unconvinced. “I’ve seen the way you look at her. You want her.”
    “And there’s a fine line between wanting and doing,” I point out.
    “Just stay away from her. You draw women to your bed like moths to a flame, and I'm telling you Faith isn't going to be oblivious to the sexual vibes you put out there.”
    “Are you telling me I can’t even be friends with her, because you think I'm going to seduce her without even meaning to?” I ask as anger begins to boil within my gut at the realization that my own friend thinks I can't control myself. Unbelievable. I control everything when it comes to sex.
    “That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Caleb says quietly as he rubs his temple. He's gazing at me with an expression that confirms he's not enjoying this conversation any more than I am.
    No fucking way.
    I’m done trying to stay away. I step forward, my expression turning dangerous as Zoey inhales sharply. I don’t plan on getting in a physical altercation with one of my best friends, but I’m also not going to back down like a little pussy. “Then you’ll be hurting her more than you’ll be hurting me,” I warn him calmly. “You treat her like she’s weak, and she hates it. She didn’t even want to be at that party tonight, but she didn’t want to hurt your feelings. You know what we did tonight? We went to the beach. That’s where she wanted to go. I asked her what she wanted. I forced her to make the decisions. You need to figure out what she wants instead of deciding for her.”
    Caleb's eyes narrow. “How are you suddenly an expert on Faith?”
    “She asked me to dinner last week, and before you get all up in my shit, I can assure you it was strictly platonic,” I tell Caleb as I see his face darken. “You know what I see in Faith?” I ask as I continue on without waiting for an answer. “I see a woman desperate to find her place in this world. She’s struggling between who she once was and who she wants to be. She’s stronger than you think. I have a feeling she’s holding back with you two, but she’s not with me. She snapped at me last week at dinner because she felt like I was being too careful around her. For some reason, she feels comfortable around me, and I’m glad. When I was with her tonight, we talked a bit about her ex, and she told me some of the things she wants to do. Has she been honest with either one of you about what she wants? Or have you pushed her in the direction that you think she should be going?”
    Caleb and Zoey are silent as they stare back at me, and I can see that I’m getting through to them.
    That means my work here is done. “Let me know when you’ve decided what’s best for Faith,” I say dryly as I