Page 59 of Duty

Too good looking.

A little too arrogant.

Every woman’s wet dream when he tossed on a suit, that smirk, and very little effort elsewhere.

Mix all of that together, and it made for one hell of a dangerous combination in a man. And that was before Haven even got in to his tall, dark, and mysterious appeal. That was a whole different monster when it came to Andino Marcello.

He knew it, too.

Probably.

“Something on your mind?” Andino asked.

Haven’s gaze darted up from where she’d been staring at his arms to find Andino was smirking at her. Asshole. Except … she kind of liked it. Maybe something was wrong with her. Because what kind of normal woman lusted after a man she didn’t know, but who still managed to show time and time again that he was probably bad news, and a bit of a fucking flight risk considering how often he took off?

It had to be her—she was the broken one.

Yeah, that sounded right.

Maybe.

“Well?” he asked.

Haven reached for the bottle of cotton candy flavored liquor behind Andino to make the sweet drink that would have someone’s teeth aching, and asked, “Do you do this often to other women you’re fucking?”

He missed his pour into the shaker of whatever drink he was mixing, but recovered quickly enough. Not that she missed the look he shot her—she didn’t. He didn’t even offer an apology to the man waiting for his drink, but at that point, Haven didn’t care.

She just wanted an answer to her question.

Not a rebuttal.

Not a denial.

Not a deflection.

No, a real and honest answer.

Was she asking for too much?

“I beg your pardon?”

Haven went back to her spot, but talked all the while. “You know, this, Andino. Drop of the radar for two weeks, and come back into their life like you weren’t gone at all. Barely give them any information about you or your life, but make yourself right at home in their business and life. Do you do that with whoever else you’re dating? Besides me, I mean. Or am I just a special case?”

“The truck is in!”

Jackson’s shout from the back hallway reached Haven’s spot at the bar. She found her floor manager waving to her above the heads of the moving people, and raised her own as a signal that she had heard him.

With that, the conversation with Andino was finished. At least, for now. She had other things to do—other business to handle. Andino would have to wait. It wasn’t like she was purposely trying to get out of having this conversation with him. It was quite the opposite, actually. She felt like this conversation between the two of them was a long goddamn time coming, all things considered.

Shooting Andino an apologetic look over her shoulder, Haven said, “Guess that conversation will have to wait, huh?”

Andino’s cocky smirk was gone. “Haven, wait—”

“Have to go help Jackson unload a truck. Thanks for helping with the bar, though. I appreciate it, Andino. And if you do want to finish this conversation I started, then you should stay until I close up.”

There.

She gave him a chance.