Temptation Trails (The Haven Brothers #3)

But I also wanted to fuck her brains out.

That wasn’t like me. I was the responsible one. The guy who did things by the book. Zachary made fun of me for it, but it wasn’t a bad thing. It made me a good father, especially under less than ideal circumstances. It made me good at my job.

I couldn’t just show up at her house.

Could I?

No.

I was standing on a residential street corner, sweating all over my T-shirt and shorts, not moving. Someone was probably going to report me for suspicious behavior.

That got me walking again. But instead of turning back the way I came, I was heading toward her house, as if an invisible line had hooked me right in the chest and kept pulling me closer.

I was not normally a spontaneous guy, but she was right there.

And she was irresistible.

I jogged up to her door and knocked. That was when I realized I might not smell the best, considering I’d just run several miles.

Too late. She opened the door, greeting me in a black tank top and knee-length skirt, her hair loose around her shoulders. The smile that lit up her face just about knocked me on my ass.

“Hi there. This is a nice surprise.” Her green eyes sparkled without a hint of suspicion. She looked genuinely excited.

By me.

“Sorry to just show up. I was out for a run and wound up on your street. Thought I’d stop by.”

“I can see that.” She gestured to my workout clothes. “Day off?”

“Yeah. You?”

She nodded. “We’re closed one day a week so I can pretend I’m a normal human.”

“Feeling like a normal human once in a while is good.”

“It really is.”

My eyes drifted to her mouth. I wanted to taste those soft, pink lips. I’d missed my chance the other night. I wasn’t making that mistake again. “I know I already said I had a good time the other night. But I’m not exactly happy with how it ended.”

“No?”

Shifting closer, I reached out to slip a hand around her waist. “No.”

She didn’t resist as I drew her near. There was a gap between her tank top and skirt, right in the middle of her back, and my heart sped up as I felt the heat of skin against my fingertips.

Her lips parted and she drew in a quick breath.

I pulled her tight against me and inhaled her vanilla scent. With one hand splayed across her back, I tilted her chin up with the other.

“I wanted to do this.”

Dipping my mouth to hers, I took her lips in a kiss.

I’d meant for it to be a do-over goodnight kiss. Just a taste.

I didn’t stop at a taste.

Parting her lips with my tongue, I delved into her mouth, suddenly ravenous for more. She threw her arms around my neck and pressed herself against me while my hands slid down to cup her ass.