Page 123 of Duty

And hurting.

“Why?” she managed to ask.

Although, really, she was sure she knew the answer.

“I told you—it might have caused a problem. Right now, I need to focus on handling one problem at a time before I go adding more onto my list.”

“That’s what I am, then. A problem.”

“Haven, that’s not what—”

“No, it’s fine,” she said, lifting a hand as if to wave him off. “You made your point—and place—clear, thanks.”

She turned to leave the office, but barely even made it a step outside the doorway and into the kitchen before Andino was right behind her. His arm snagged her around the waist, and despite her spinning around to try and push him away, he held firm. He kicked the goddamn door closed behind them, too.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” she asked.

Andino didn’t speak—no, he just crowded her against the fucking door, put both his hands flat against the wood on either side of her head as if to keep her barricaded in, and forced her to look at him. Haven knew damn well he could see how pissed she was in that moment. How could he not?

“If you didn’t get the hint, that was me wanting to leave, Andino.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I got it. We’re not done talking, though.”

“You don’t have to be. I was done.”

“No, you don’t get to run every time something upsets you, Haven,” he countered, inching closer with every word. So close, in fact, that his firm body molded entirely against hers. Every single breath she took had her chest pressing hard against his. His mouth was just a whisper away—enough that his lips ghosted over hers when he spoke. “You’re here, aren’t you? That’s what I wanted. To have lunch with you today, and see you. My mother showed up, and in an effort to be able to have a decent lunch with you that wouldn’t be interrupted by my family who can’t mind their own goddamn business, I made sure you two didn’t run into one another.”

Haven pushed against him, but Andino stayed firm in his spot. “Because you don’t want them to know about me.”

“More like, I have other things to handle first.”

“And so, it goes back to what I said—you don’t want them to know about me, or us.”

Andino glanced upwards as though he were searching for the heavens. “Haven, don’t do that, baby.”

“Kind of hard not to when this is what you do.”

“And what did I do? Avoid a problem. That’s all.”

“Andino—”

“I wanted you to come here. I canceled a meeting just to get an extra few minutes with you while you would be here. Isn’t that enough to tell you that I want you with me?”

Yes, in some ways.

And not at all, in other ways.

The bad overshadowed the good.

Didn’t he realize that?

“Hey,” Andino murmured.

Haven’s gaze met his, and she wished she hadn’t done that simply because the rest of the world ceased to exist when she stared at Andino. It was just them, the universe became smaller, and nothing else mattered.

How could he do that for her, but also hurt her?

“What?” Haven asked.