Page 135 of Duty

No matter what he was doing.

He wished he could tell her …

Didn’t she know?

How could she be his secret when the only thing he wanted to do was shout how much he loved her from the rooftops?

Except he couldn’t.

Not right now.

EIGHTEEN

“You waited for me?”

Andino’s head popped up at Haven’s soft question. Leaning against his Lexus, she thought she might finally understand what people meant when they said the devil you know. In his long tweed coat, opened to show off the black three-piece suit with a matching silk, blood red tie and vest underneath, the collar flipped up to shield his face from the cold, and those green eyes on her … this man was most certainly the devil she knew.

“I thought you might like to do something,” Andino replied.

Haven, despite all the messy feelings she had about this man, couldn’t help but smile like a stupid little girl who was entirely head over heels for someone she could never really have. Not entirely, anyway.

“Something like that?”

Andino shrugged his broad shoulders. “Lady’s choice, baby.”

“I actually promised to have breakfast with my roommate and her daughter in the morning. You know, because I’ve been so distracted lately, and all that. I haven’t made very much time for them. I don’t think staying out later than what I already have would be a good idea, all things considered.”

He pursed his lips together, and then gave her one of those sly, sexy grins of his. “And what if I went home with you?”

Haven laughed. “Really?”

“Why not? I can even be out before morning if you need me to.”

“Valeria wouldn’t care as long as you didn’t walk around half naked for her daughter to see. Oh, and you were quiet.”

Andino’s grin deepened into something sinful. Just the sight alone was enough to make Haven wet. She bet he probably fucking knew it, too—maybe he could hear the way her body reacted to him when he barely had to do anything at all.

He does have an ego the size of Texas.

“You’re not saying yes or no,” Andino murmured.

“I’m thinking.”

“You’re not still mad at me, are you? I didn’t mean to make it seem like I was hiding you because you’re you. I was trying to avoid—”

“I wasn’t angry … kind of,” Haven said quickly. “But if you bring it up again, then yeah, I’m going to get back in that head space again.”

And she was trying to let it go.

Sort of.

Haven peered into the Lexus. “Where’s Snaps?”

“Spending an evening with my father and mother.”

“Really, what like grandkids might?”

Because that was amusing.