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“So everything you said…” she gasped as his thumbs expertly parted her sex, “was just to get me in bed?”

A lopsided grin covered his face. “Not everything.” Then his expression turned serious. “I think you and I could have something more.”

Like love?
“What kind of more?”

“I’m still working on that part.” He dipped his head and his tongue slid over her clit. She bucked against his mouth and he smiled.

“Don’t you dare laugh,” she panted.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He lowered his mouth once more, and she couldn’t concentrate or think of anything but what he was doing to her.

Chapter Thirteen

‡

O
ver the next few weeks, Heath did everything in his power to pursue Haven like she deserved.

He took her dancing, flew her out to Comic Con so she could meet the new cast of the
Runaways
comic books that were being brought to the big screen, and made love to her every chance he got.

“What did you think of the girl who’s playing Karolina?” he asked over dessert at some fancy restaurant that was known for celebrity watching.

Haven shrugged. “Fine, I guess. I won’t know until the movie comes out.”

“I could get us tickets to a private showing,” he offered.

Excitement flared in her eyes, but just as quickly, it was snuffed out. “That’s really thoughtful of you, but I can’t commit to something like that. I have a business to run.”

It was all he could to do not to point out that she owned the damned business and could rearrange her schedule however she wanted, just like she had done to fly out to California. “If you change your mind, let me know.”

She stirred the melted caramel in the bowl. “You’re going to a lot of trouble for nothing. Chesson House is in my name now. You don’t have to do any of this for me.”

“I know.”

With a sigh, she set her spoon down. “Then why?”

“Like I said, I think this could be more.”

“More isn’t a description that I can count on.” She stood, tossing her napkin into her chair. “I need some air.”

He watched her go outside and pull her phone out of her purse. She began texting in earnest, her thumbs flying. He wanted to join her, but he knew his presence wouldn’t be welcomed. Besides, what could he say to her?

What kind of answer did she want from him? She wasn’t exactly an open book herself. Then again, neither was he.

Since the beginning, he’d relied on their past to get them through the present, only she hadn’t thought very much of him then.

Maybe that was the problem.

Haven walked back inside, eyes bright with unshed tears.

Anger clawed at him, not at her, but at himself. He had no clue what to do. “Ready to go?”

She nodded, her lips smashed tightly together, as if she spoke, she’d probably something she would regret.

At that point, he was ready for her to say anything, but he knew she wouldn’t. She would continue to build her walls to keep him out.

Unless he did something different.

*

Nothing was working with Haven, not even when he changed plans and started finding excuses for them to hang out with his family instead of spending money.

She refused to have family dinners at his parents’ house, always claiming that she was too busy getting ready for next weekend’s event. While Heath knew and had witnessed firsthand how hard she worked, he thought it was bullshit.

Which was why he was here, at the batting cages, instead of broaching the subject of Thanksgiving with her.

The bat connected with the ball with a satisfying crack. Over and over, he hit ball after ball until his arms were shaking and sweat poured down his back.

Taking a break, he sat down and chugged some water while he debated going home to Haven or saying
fuck it
and heading to Greenville to his own damn house where he could do whatever the hell he wanted.

“Up for another round?” his brother, Luke, asked as he walked in the cage.

“Not really. I’ll watch you.”

“That’s right. Learn from the master.” The thing was, his brother was a master. He’d been the one to get Heath into playing ball. Their dad, a farmer his entire life, had never been into sports participation, only watching from the sidelines or his recliner every Sunday evening.

It was with Luke’s encouragement that he attempted to get a scholarship to go to college. Heath honestly felt like he owed his entire career to his brother.

“Does the master have advice when it comes to wives?”

“Don’t have more than one at a time.”

“Funny.” Heath took another long pull of water. “How about just one wife?”

Luke paused the ball machine. “Don’t fuck up with yours like I did mine.”

“Could you be more specific?”

“Soon as you are.”

Heath exhaled. “I can’t get close to Haven. No matter what I do, no matter how much time I spend with her—or attempt to spend with her—she wants no part of me. She won’t even come to Mom and Dad’s for Sunday dinner.”

“We are loud, so I really can’t blame her there.” Luke propped his foot up on the bench beside Heath’s chair. “As for the other, have you tried just talking to her?”

“Hard to talk to a woman who won’t respond.”

“Have you tried sharing things with her, besides the obvious?”

Heath shook his head, spinning the bat. “No.”

“It couldn’t hurt to try. Women like it when men are vulnerable.”

“So they can make us feel better?” Heath asked, ending with a grunt.

Luke laughed. “You have it so bad, little brother.”

He jerked his head up. “Have what so bad?”

“Are you really that—never mind.” Luke sat down beside him. “Go home to your wife, apologize for whatever you’ve done to hurt her, and then keep on apologizing until she either yells at you, or kisses you.”

Why not?
Heath thought. Carter’s advice wasn’t working. His own change in plans wasn’t working. Luke’s words of wisdom couldn’t make anything worse.

*

Haven dropped her pen on the floor. It rolled under her desk and Gotham started searching for it, resting on her belly and using a paw to bat at everything that could possibly be living with the dust bunnies.

The front door opened and shut, and she braced herself for yet another invitation to a family dinner that she would have to turn down. Each time was getting harder and harder. She
wanted
to give in to him.

“Hey you,” he said and she slowly turned around.

Heath stepped inside her office, looking like a
Men’s Health Magazine
cover in his dark jeans and black, long-sleeved, formfitting Henley t-shirt. His light brown hair was carelessly arranged, as if the wind had gotten to it, while his cheeks were slightly reddened from the cold air.

“Hi.”

He glanced around the room and then returned his gaze to her. “I’m sorry.”

She blinked. “You’re what?”

“I’m sorry for hurting you. For being inconsiderate of your feelings, and not taking them into consideration. That was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

She burst out laughing, but the sound was shallow, even to her ears. But it was a million times better than allowing him to see her cry again.

He made a face. “That’s not what I expected to happen.”

“That’s the strangest apology I’ve ever been given in my life. Do you even know what you’re apologizing for?”

“Hurting you,” he said firmly, then he shook his head. “No. I don’t know how I hurt you, but it’s the only fucking reason that makes sense.”

“Reason for what?” she asked, half afraid of his answer.

He took a step forward. “That you’re bound and determined to not give us a chance.”

For some reason, his admission softened her a little. Okay, so it softened her a lot. “It’s not easy for me, okay?”

Taking her in his arms, he led her to an overstuffed chair and sat down, pulling her into his lap. “It’s not easy for me either. I’ve never been married before.”

“But you wouldn’t have married me unless I asked you,” she said in a small voice.

“Is that what’s bothering you?”

It was and it wasn’t. It was part of the reason behind why they would have never married without this kind of unexpected circumstances pushing them together. And he was her best friend’s ex-boyfriend.

She
knew
he still loved with Bella, and if the opportunity arose again, he would attempt to reconcile their relationship, which would leave Haven in the cold with nothing but her years of unrequited love and memories of their time together.

But to reveal all that… to admit that her feelings for him in high school still affected her today? She would look foolish. Worse, she would
be
foolish because she hadn’t moved on.

“Haven, remember my promise… I would never betray you. Trust me to listen and understand,” he said.

She searched his face, trying to reconcile the boy she knew in high school with the man he had become. The two weren’t that different, but the man he’d become was someone she felt like she could be honest with. Or, at least partially honest.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “We really wouldn’t be together if I hadn’t asked you to marry me, and you know it.”

“Ah, sweetness.” He kissed her, his hand sliding up the inside of her shirt to rest just under her left breast. “That’s all you had to say.”

“You don’t think that’s silly?”

He shook his head, his fingers caressing her skin and making zings of desire race through her. “Not at all. That’s so reasonable, it’s embarrassing that I didn’t pick up on that.”

“I’m embarrassed,” she admitted, her face flushing.

“Don’t be. Maybe we would have never acted on any kind of… attraction we had for one another, then again, maybe we would have. Only we can’t dwell on that.” Finally, he cupped her breast, massaging her. With a tiny moan, she arched her back. “We can only focus on the here and now.”

“Hard to focus on anything when you touch me.”

He smiled, wicked and full of promise. “Guess I’ll have to use that to our advantage.”

“
Our
advantage?”

“Let me show you.”

*

Water ran over her body, while steam rose to the ceiling of the bathroom.

“Now, do you understand what I meant by our advantage?” he asked, licking the tops of her breasts.

She moaned at the overwhelming sensations that spread out from her center. Heath was firmly inside of her, rocking his hips so slowly that she was mindless.

“Do you?” he asked again.

“Yes, damn you.
Yes
.”

He laughed low in his throat.

She clawed at his back, but that just encouraged him to go slower. His big hands palmed her bottom, keeping her firmly in place.

Every thrust was measured, a firm but gentle glide that made her gasp in pleasure. The tiled wall was cool against her back, a contrast that made her even more aware of the hot friction between them.

“This is a repeat of our honeymoon,” she said as he kissed the side of her neck.

“Our honeymoon never stopped.” He lifted his head, his blue eyes bright with desire. “Admit you like this.”

“I told you I like orgasms.”

He gave her a look, his hips still moving, his erection still hard and deep inside of her. “You
love
the ones I give you, and you love the lead up to them.”

“Physical pleasure can be—” His twisted his hips, somehow going deeper and making her eyes almost cross. “A distraction for… stuff you need to do stuff with.” She wasn’t making any sense.

“Am I distracting you, baby?” He gently kissed her lips and began to pull out of her. “I’ll let you get back to—”

“No.” She wrapped her arms and legs more tightly around him, forcing him back into place and undulating her hips.

He muttered a curse, and this time, she was the one to smile. “Am I distracting
you,
baby?”

“Hell, yes you are.” He ground against her, his thrusts coming faster and harder. “You can distract me any fucking time you want.”

Her climax hit her moments later, hard and overwhelming. She couldn’t contain the cries of his name, or stop clinging to him like she never wanted him to leave.

Shuddering, he joined her, groaning her name. “Son of a bitch.” He pulled out suddenly and punched the wall behind her.

Bewildered, she asked, “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” Dumb to ask maybe, but strange things had happened. “Did you fracture your penis?”
Oh God.
Now she sounded certifiably dumb. She placed her hands on his chest, running them up and down, like she was checking for cracks.

But she knew the truth. If anyone or anything had cracked, it was her defenses.

He laughed, but there was no humor behind it. “We forgot again,” he bit out, his forehead coming to rest on hers as his orgasm continued to roll over him. His body shook, his heart beating so hard and fast under her palm that she could feel it. “Shit.”

They’d been careless a lot in the past few weeks, at least three times, and that was three too many. “Are you—do you usually—? Because you’re the only one I’ve ever had unprotected sex with.”

“Just once, but it was ten years ago. I was young and stupid.”

“With Bella?” She winced. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that.” Why did she have to open her big mouth?

He physically pulled away from her and began to rinse off. “We have two choices—condoms or you can get on the pill.”

A coolness invaded the space between them, displacing all the warmth that had not only built up in the room, but inside of her soul as well.

“Or we could forego sex altogether.”

His hard gaze pinned her to the wall. “If that’s what you want.”

It wasn’t what she wanted. “I want you to get out.”

“Not leaving you.”

Tears pricked hard at the backs of her eyes. “I meant the shower.”

He scrubbed a hand across his face. “I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you. I’m bad at this, all right. I’ve never been with someone like you before.”

“Someone with a brain?” she snapped, but her heart wasn’t in it, mostly because it was breaking.