Page 6 of Lucky Haven

And then he looks across the road to the library.

It’s one thing for me to indulge in a weekly visit for breast-related reasons. I will always keep my hands to my-fucking-self. It’s another for Jeb Fucking Martin to go sniffing around Haven again.

I haven’t forgotten how uncomfortable he made her in high school. There was a part of me that held my breath, worried that the day after her eighteenth birthday, he’d announce their engagement or some shit like that.

Both of us want her. Neither of us will ever have her. But only one of us is smart enough to know that.

“Don’t have time to do it today,” I lie. “But I can order the part in and fit you in…” I pretend to look at the calendar on my computer. I’m really thinking about what days Haven doesn’t work at the library. “Monday is pretty open, if that works for you.”

He jerks his shoulders up. “Might get another opinion.”

“Good idea. Wouldn’t want you to get ripped off.” I gesture to the garage bay. “No charge for just looking at it. I’ll roll that out and you can be on your way.”

He shifts again, looking uncomfortable with my kindness. He should be. It’s not fucking authentic. But I’m a businessman now. A real upstanding sort, whether his part of town likes it or not.

When he doesn’t respond, I just head back to his truck. Lower it to the ground, back it out⁠—

And then quickly put it in park and jump down, because Haven is crossing the street.

There’s a hitch in her step when she sees Jeb standing out front, but she lifts her chin and keeps coming. Fuck, that takes balls.

“Here you go.” I shove the keys at him.

He takes them, but he doesn’t get in the truck. His gaze locks on Haven.

She has a book in her hand, that fucking thriller I asked about, and my stomach turns over at the position I’ve just put her in. Fucking selfish, Cash.

I step forward, putting my big body between them. “Hey,” I say, reaching for the book. “You didn’t need to⁠—”

She presses it into my hands, but instead of stopping and turning around, she keeps coming, until the book is trapped between us, and her soft arms are curving up and around my neck. “Can you just⁠—?”

And then she pulls my head down and kisses me.

Chapter Two

Haven

His mouth is so, so soft.

I wasn’t expecting that, not from the bad boy who flirts like he’s waging war against the world and his charm is his greatest weapon.

His skin is taut under my fingers, his body as big and hard as I expected. Like slamming into a frightening mountain.

But his mouth...

Cash Kincaid, who is all rough edges and violent presence, who I kissed because he’s dangerous, moves his lips against mine with a slow, searing tenderness, like he can feel my panic through my lips and he’s telling me to cool it.

Whoa.

I don’t need to explain to him what we’re doing here. He knows. He’s smart, and we’ve been friends, of a sort, for a very long time. He knows what Jeb is to me, and he’s not scared of anything.

So even though I didn’t consult him, didn’t ask him if he’d kiss me to make it clear once and for all that I’m not available, will never be interested in the youth pastor...Cash picks up the plan and sees it through.

Oh. My. Goodness.

His hands come up to my face, and I feel the roughness of his palms and the impossible care in his fingertips at the same time. Warmth slides into me from every point where his skin meets mine, and I have a distant thought that we shouldn’t kiss for too long if we want this to be believable, and it has to be believable—but then my brain goes off-line.

Because Cash tilts my face up just slightly and slides his tongue between my lips.