Page 25 of What We Keep
I didn’t want him to put me down. I liked being this close to Haven. A lot.
I took another shaky breath. “I kind of flung myself at you.”
His lips curled at the corners, and my belly did a little shimmy, tingles radiating throughout my body.
“I guess I can catch.” He slowly lowered me to the floor before stepping back.
I ignored the sharp pang of disappointment and forced myself to take another step away.
“We should celebrate. Tell me what kind of food you want, and we’ll have it for dinner.”
“Huh?”
“You know, celebrate that you got a job?” Haven eyed me curiously.
Maybe it wasn’t obvious to him that celebrating little events like this wasn’t something I was used to. “Oh, um, we should celebrate?”
“Absolutely,” he said firmly. “What’s your favorite food?”
I blinked, biting my lip. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“I love cheese. Like, when your mom made that charcuterie board? That was amazing. And... I’ve never had homemade mac and cheese, but I’ve heard it’s really good.”
“Okay. We’re definitely having mac and cheese, and my mom will probably make a lot more.”
“I don’t want your mom to put herself out.”
Haven rolled his eyes and took a step back in my direction, placing his big hands on my shoulders. I thrilled at the feel of his touch, heat flaring in my cheeks again.
“You’re not putting her out. Or anyone. That’s what we do here. We celebrate small wins, and this is bigger than small. It’s your dream job, and you freaking got it.”
A giggle slipped out. “I know. I kind of can’t believe it.”
He startled me by dipping his head and giving me a quick kiss. “Fucking believe it.”
We stared at each other. Once again, it seemed as if we both realized what had just happened. It wasn’t like that was a sexy kiss or anything, but it was still a kiss, and my lips burned from it.
“I’ll see you at dinner tonight.” He lifted his hand for a high five, and I slapped my palm to his, the heat of his touch flashing up my arm.
He hurried past me, closing the door behind him and leaving me upstairs by myself. I pressed two fingers to my lips, almost as if I could catch his kiss and hold it there. I was hot all over, ablaze with awareness and sensation.
I didn’t know how long I stood there until my phone chirped in my pocket, and I nearly jumped at the sound.
Chapter Thirteen
Haven
Thank fuck, I was busy. That hug, followed by that kiss—which I hadn’t intended to be sexual—was burned on my lips. The second my mouth met the soft give of Elsa’s plump lips, it had been like a bolt of lightning sizzling through my body, the hot shock of it still burning hours later.
But we had a crazy day, like every day, and its relentless pace kept me distracted. We were in a hustle to finish the work at the main resort. I threw myself into one task after another, blowing through work with such focus that when Cole stopped by, he let out a low whistle. “Damn, bro. You’re kicking some ass on the work today.”
I tossed my tool bag on the ground, dragging my sleeve across my forehead. “A few finishing touches out here, that’s it.” Part of the renovations meant sprucing up the downstairs area of the old barn to store gear for the various trips we guided. I’d spent a few hours finishing up the shelving out here.
“We should have Elsa do some painting on the outside of this barn. Make it look good,” Cole said as he leaned his shoulder on the inside of the doorway.
“You think?” I prompted.
