She was totally smelling me, and I don’t hate that. I probably shouldn’t have called her out though. It was a jerk move, but the way she felt cuddled against my chest caught me off guard.
It felt good. Right.
And that’s messed up for so many reasons.
One of which being that she’s Locklyn’s twin, and another that I’m trying to protect her from a demon, not seduce her.
I try to wipe the smile off my face as I grab our stuff from the back of the Bronco, but I can’t seem to do it. The look on her face when she pulled away from me will be seared into my mind forever. Part horror, part interest, one hundred percent humiliation.
I could spend a lifetime making her blush that pretty rosy hue.
Whoa, where did that come from?
The smile slips from my face.
What am I thinking? This is Locklyn’s sister. Locklyn’s twin sister.
The only girl more off-limits than Haven is Locklyn herself.
It must be exhaustion, or the repeated adrenaline surges making me think this way. Whatever the reason, I need to cut it out and concentrate on my mission: keeping her alive, not getting close to her.
I busy myself hauling the groceries in and setting them on the kitchen counter. Hearing Haven come down the steps, I leave them there and go back outside to collect some wood for the fire.
By the time I get back, Haven’s putting away the last of the food. She doesn’t make eye contact when I enter with an armful of wood. That’s probably for the best, because I’m starting to realize how drawn to her I am, and that’s dangerous for so many reasons.
My hands move through the motions of deftly arranging the wood in the hearth before I send a stream of my fire magic at the logs. When the task is done, I stand, wiping my hands off on my jeans. Haven has finished in the kitchen and is kneeling on the ground, looking through a cabinet that’s pushed up against one wall.
“Did you find a room?” I ask.
She worries her bottom lip between her teeth, her cheeks still pink—whether from the chill or something else entirely, I can’t be sure. When her gaze lifts to mine, it’s almost a touch, a coaxing awake of things I’ve worked hard to keep buried.
It hits me then how alone we are. Just the two of us in this space for who knows how long. Thank the Creator there are multiple bedrooms here, because at least I’ll be able to get some space at night.
She releases her lip and it draws my gaze. As I’m staring, she runs her tongue over it and my throat goes dry.
She’s going to be the death of me.
“I picked the room at the end of the hall. I hope that’s okay. The two others are nice too.”
It takes a second for me to remember what she’s even talking about, and when I do, I nod. “I’m sure it’s fine. As long as I have a bed, I’m good.”
“I picked the room with the smaller bed, actually. You’re bigger than me, so I figured you needed the space more than I do.”
“That was thoughtful.”
She smiles at my mild praise and we lock gazes. The air suddenly feels too warm, and her eyes start to take on a hazy and unfocused shine, like her thoughts have drifted elsewhere. It makes me wonder if they’re wandering in the same direction mine have been lately.
That would be bad. Very bad.
Clearing my throat, I grasp for something, anything, to break the moment, and catch a glimpse of what’s in the cabinet she’s looking through.
“Are those board games?” I ask, changing the subject.
Haven blinks, her gaze clearing as she nods. “There are a whole bunch of them here. Good thing too, because there are no TVs.” She ducks her head, scanning over the boxes. “Mostly strategy games.”
I snort. “That sounds like Talon.”
Joining her in front of the cabinet, I lean down and reach around her, careful not to make any physical contact.
