Page 10 of Lucky Haven

I lean in and ghost my mouth right over hers. Almost a kiss, but it’s not. Not like what we shared at the garage. Instead, my lips move against hers as I murmur instructions for her ears only. “Invite me inside, Haven. Like you said, we need to talk.”

She sucks in a shocked little breath.

But she doesn’t argue.

She twists away and unlocks the door.

Inside, her cozy space is colourful and a little retro, just like Haven. The front of the apartment is a small living room and kitchenette combo, and I know the little hallway toward the back of the house leads to a bedroom and bathroom.

A footstep above us immediately alerts me to the fact that we aren’t exactly alone. Not fully. And Haven flinches, even though she’s putting on a brave face about having me over. “That’s my landlady. She lives upstairs.”

“How you feel about her maybe knowing that I’m here?” Or any of her other nosy neighbours. Anyone could have seen me follow her inside.

She blows out her cheeks in a huff. “It’s fine. No, it’s good.”

All right, then. I lean over and untie my boots at the door.

And I don’t know what it is about that that pushes Haven over the edge, but when I unfold myself back to my full height, she whirls around and disappears into her bedroom, the door firmly closing between us.

The girl needs a minute to compose herself, to think through whatever it is that we’re doing here.

What are you doing?

That remains to be seen.

I prowl around her living room, looking for more clues to this private side of Haven I’m just discovering.

I’m a naturally curious man. It’s gotten me into trouble, but it’s also proven useful over the years. Now, I need to use it to get a crash course on the pretty librarian from a completely different perspective.

For years, I thought of her as the off-limits good girl I could only admire from afar. Now…

Now I know that good girl exterior hides a lot more curiosity and impulsiveness than I ever could have imagined. A wild heat, too. And a furious self-protective instinct that could get her into trouble. Get her out of it, too. But she might need guidance. And maybe it’s time I more formally apply for the role of being Haven’s bodyguard.

Not surprisingly, she has a lot of books. There are a few library books on the small couch, and she has a bookcase that is carefully curated. Not just a clearly precious book collection, but decorative elements to match, stickers and bookmarks from some series, and a few 3D printed figurines.

Haven Bingham isn’t just a bookworm, she’s a serious fangirl. She loves fantasy and paranormal series. Demons and angels abound, which is fascinating for a girl who never missed a week of teen bible study.

There’s a new hardcover on the couch with a bookmark in it. The Mist at Dawn’s Edge. I make a mental note to look it up as the bedroom door opens.

She’s changed into jeans and a sweatshirt, and I bet she means it to be no-nonsense casual armour, but she left her feet bare.

The sight of her toes, the nails painted red to match her hair, does something funny inside my chest. I don’t think I’ve seen her barefoot before, and it’s just as distracting as her delightfully wobbly cleavage was earlier.

She goes to the kitchen and starts opening and closing cupboard doors, looking at what food she has—and burning off some nervous energy.

I’ve learned there’s no point in beating around the bush. Gotta just rip the bandage off. Which means talking about what happened this afternoon.

“Hey,” I say, following her. “So Jeb isn’t going to forget that you’ve kissed me. He’s going to stew on that. Maybe make trouble for you.”

“I’m not scared of him.” She lifts her chin defiantly.

“Good. You shouldn’t be. But I remember how he was when we were in high school.”

Her natural pink blush darkens to a dull, embarrassed burn.

We’ve never talked about it. Not directly.

“Sorry for bringing that up,” I mutter. “But I’m just saying, the guy is a creep, and he’s been obsessed with you for a long time. I get why you wanted to send him a clear message. I support that fully. But now that you’ve done that, you need to be safe, you know?”