Page 22 of Semi-Reckless

“He insists on making everything in my life more difficult,” she grumbled.

“Judging by the look on his face right now, he’s getting ready to clear things up for you...or fuck ‘em up way worse. It’s hard to tell.”

She pulled back and frowned at him. Hard. “That’s not encouraging, Levi.”

His grin was 100% unrepentant. “Aw, don’t worry, little red. Something tells me you’re gonna be just fine.”

“Go away.”

Haven shivered as Roan’s rough voice skated over her skin. The fucker always did have an amazing voice.

Levi shifted his gaze up to Roan’s. “I think the phrase you’re groping for there, bud, is, ‘can I cut in.’”

She didn’t look back at Roan, but she’d heard that tone before, and Haven had to give Levi credit for not wilting beneath it. Lesser men had pissed their pants when that tone was directed at them. She’d seen it happen. Levi barely reacted at all. He was either really dumb, or really brave. Probably a smooth, creamy blend of both if she hadn’t missed her guess.

“Cutting in,” Roan said through obviously clenched teeth.

Levi sucked in air through his teeth. “So close. But I get it. Words are hard.” He glanced down at Haven. “What do you say, babe? You good with him cutting in?”

Haven let out a deep breath. “It’s OK. Thank you, Levi.”

With that, Levi gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head, earning a growl from the annoying demon at her back. Levi chuckled and raised his hands in surrender. “Good luck, man.”

Not on her watch. No luck would be had. None whatsoever. Haven crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to face her new dance partner. Because fuck him.

She couldn’t hold back a yelp as Roan spun her around and yanked her up against him. She slapped her hands on his chest to keep from face-planting into his pecs. He took advantage of her shock by lifting her arms so that she had no choice but to put them around his neck.

“We need to talk,” he said.

Oh, that was fucking rich. “Dude, we’ve needed to talk for two years.”

He leaned in so close his mouth brushed her ear. A hot shiver ran down her spine. “I’m here now.”

Yeah, she noticed. “So, let me see if I’ve got this straight, Roan. You don’t contact me outside of stalking me and ruining my career for the past two years. I had to track you down like a lost dog. You proceeded to tell me you plan to never see me again once my case is closed. And now you’re here, wrecking the only date I’ve had in…I can’t even remember how long. So, is this an I-don’t-want-you-but-I-don’t-want-anyone-else-to-have-you-either thing, or do you have alternate personalities that I’m not aware of?”

He frowned down at her as they began moving in time with the music. “I never said I don’t want you.”

She frowned right back. “You never said you did, either.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Since I came to this dimension, you were the most important person in my life, even more important than my own brother. You were my best friend, and you’re the most beautiful woman on this godforsaken planet. I can’t breathe when you’re not around. Of course I want you, Haven.”

Her breath stalled somewhere between her nose and lungs. Did he just admit… “How am I supposed to believe you when all you’ve done for the past two years is push me away?”

Faster than she could process, he grabbed her hips and yanked her closer. “Feel that? Is that proof enough for you?”

Sweet. Merciful. Fuck.

Either he had a giant summer sausage in his pants, or he was very happy to see her. Her throat went dry. Other parts of her?

Not so much.

“Then why?” she asked, ashamed of the way her voice shook on the question.

“Because I’m not an idiot. I know you deserve better than me. Better than someone who got you killed.”

She wanted to scream, but after what happened in that cave, she was half afraid she’d accidentally level the bar if she did. “I’m going to need you to get over the whole ‘got me killed’ thing. It was no more your fault than it was my parents’ fault for assigning me to that case, or the rest of the team’s fault for not completely clearing the area, or my fault for stepping in front of that demon. It was an accident. Accidents aren’t anyone’s fault. That’s why they’re called accidents.”

“You don’t know the whole story,” he said quietly. “You don’t know what I did.”

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