Yeah. That was the reason.
“Been worse.” He raised his mug in mock salute. “About to be better.” He absently stroked the delicate skin behind her ankle with his thumb. Damn, her skin was soft. “How are you?”
She’d matched them drink for drink last night, and she was half their size. While he felt sluggish and hungover, Haven’s baby blues appeared as clear as a summer sky.
“Feelin’ that long flight, but hearty and whole otherwise.” Haven’s gaze dropped to where they were connected. “Craig wants me to marry him.”
Her words had the visceral effect of a sucker punch. She could’ve at least given him time to drink half a pot of coffee before she sprang that little nugget on him.
“Is that right?” He eased his hand from her foot and back onto his lap.
Haven getting married had been an inevitability. Liam knew that. Hell, hadn’t he just decided to stop fucking around and find the woman he could build a life with?
He wanted to be a good friend here, but Haven’s track record for choosing men left something to be desired. Liam could be supportive if the guy was worthy of her. Craig was not. Craig was a douche. Craig was the loudmouth asshole who sat on the wrong side of the bar, watching while his girl did all the work.
Haven deserved better.
Liam chugged the remaining contents of his mug, scalding his esophagus as he stood and went to the kitchen for a refill. “I didn’t realize things had gotten so serious.” In fact, he’d thought she’d dumped the guy. “Do you want to marry him?” he asked slowly, carefully, unsure how he felt about it. Liam leaned in the direction of fuck that.
“I don’t know.”
Okay. Not the answer he expected.
“Want more coffee?” he stalled, needing a minute to adjust to this new possibility. Haven and Craig. Haven with Craig. Forever.
Haven shook her head. “No, thank you.”
Liam filled his mug and placed the coffeepot back on its base. He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer, but he asked the obvious question anyway. “Do you love him?”
“What if I did?”
Liam rubbed the burn growing in the center of his chest. The acid from the coffee apparently disagreed with him this morning.
“Is that why you hopped on a plane without calling me?” As promised, they’d have the discussion about travel safety later. “To get away from everything so you can decide if he’s…” Ugh. “The One?”
Instead of rejoining her on the couch, Liam propped his hip against the end of the counter.
Haven studied him over the rim of her mug. Seeming to come to some decision, she set the mug on the coffee table and straightened her spine. “I’ve spent my whole life in and around Killarney. Most days, I rarely see outside the pub. I want more than that.” She waved a hand toward him. “You’ve been all over the world. You’ve seen and done things. I—”
Liam stopped her right there. “War, Haven. I’ve seen and done things while battling whatever war my bosses sent me to fight. You can’t compare the places I’ve been, because I promise you, those are not the places you’d want to go, or the things you’d want to see.”
“And when you’re not fightin’? What then?” Haven cocked her head to the side. If Liam didn’t know better, he’d swear they weren’t talking about travel anymore.
Haven unknowingly provided another perfect opening for him to confess that he was leaving the Navy. But they weren’t talking about him right now. There’d be plenty of time to disappoint her later.
“I’m not sure what you mean.” Liam raised the mug and swallowed a healthy dose of guilt with the bitter brew.
Haven’s lips thinned as though she saw right through him, but if she sensed he was keeping something from her, she didn’t let on. “You’ve been all over your own country, Liam. Literally from one coast to the other. Ireland would fit inside California several times over, and I haven’t seen ninety percent of it.”
“So instead of doing the logical thing and exploring Ireland, you came all the way here? Not that I’m complaining, mind you.” But he wasn’t buying it. She wasn’t telling him everything, and no, the hypocrisy was not lost on him. “Talk to me, pix. What is it you’re searching for here?”
“Adventure, I guess?” Her self-deprecating expression twisted his gut. “Sounds dumb when I say it out loud. I just want to feel as though I’ve experienced what life has to offer before…” she trailed off.
“Before what?” Before she gets married? Before she has kids? Before she…? Oh God. Adrenaline flooded Liam’s system so fast he got light-headed. He grabbed onto the edge of the counter for support. “Haven. Are you ill?”
“Christ, your face.” Giggles exploded from her throat. “Relax, Liam. I’m not dyin’. Nothin’ as dire as all that. I just want to, I dunno, spread my wings a wee bit.”
“Fuck. Don’t scare me like that.” Liam emptied his lungs, slow and steady. He’d been right the first time. She wanted to sow some oats before she settled down. With douchebag Craig.
Unless he could convince her otherwise.
Suddenly, Liam knew what he had to do. How he could help her. “All right. Spreading your wings … I’d say an impromptu trip to the US was a good place to start.”
Haven said she wanted to experience life, but Liam suspected she just needed to have a little unrestrained fun. He could give her that. And in the process of spending time with him, maybe Haven would learn a little something about how a man is supposed to treat the woman he cares about, even if that man is just a friend.
“How about we keep the momentum going, and you come out with me tonight?” he asked.
“What do you have in mind?”
Her skepticism made him grin. Haven would love this. “A formal charity silent auction. The proceeds benefit a local animal rescue program. A few of the guys from the team will be there, several you haven’t met yet.” She didn’t look convinced, so he added, “There’ll be puppies…” He dragged the words out, knowing the fluffy, wet-nosed keys to enticing her to say yes.
Those gorgeous blue eyes lit up, and Liam knew he had her. “Puppies?”
He nodded. “And some grown dogs, too. If memory serves, you’ve never been to a formal event. Am I right? You’ve never gotten all dressed up, hair and makeup done, and whatever it is you women do.”
Haven rolled her eyes. “I’ve worked in a pub my whole life. You think I know what women do? Now, ask me about men, and I’ll tell you some stories.”
“I’d rather not,” he said drily. “How about it, Haven? Will you let me take you to your first formal event?”
“I didn’t pack a dress.” She glanced down at herself. He did, too, and immediately regretted the action. The blanket had slipped to pool in her lap. Friends didn’t gawk at their friend’s braless tits, even when said tits were mouthwateringly pert and perfect. “Liam, I don’t own a dress.”
The coffee kicked in, because Liam’s mind spun into a whirlwind of activity, working out all the details to make the night happen.
“Come on, pix. I can’t back out, and I don’t want to leave you behind. In fact, let’s make a weekend of it.” Liam had no idea where that had come from, but he rolled with it. For her. “We could take a drive up Pacific Coast Highway for a few hours and see where we end up…?”
“I don’t know what the Pacific Coast Highway is, but how are we going to drive anywhere? You rang for a car to bring us home last night.”
He laughed. “Brian should be here any minute to pick me up. He’ll take me to my truck once we finish up on base. We’ll be tight on time tonight. Brian mentioned Alicia had plans to head to the hotel early to get ready. If you’re willing, I’m sure she’d be happy to take you shopping. Then, the two of you can head over to the hotel together, and Brian and I can meet you there.”
The next part was trickier to navigate.
“I have a room reserved,” he said. “Chances are, the hotel is already booked due to the fundraiser, so we’ll have to
share. The room should have a king-sized bed, but if you’re not comfortable with sharing the bed, the hotel might give us a—”
“It’s fine, Liam.” Haven let him off the hook. Thank God, because sleeping on a rollaway bed wasn’t his idea of a good time. “But, if you snore, I’ll have to kill you.”
This woman. “Is that a yes?”
“If Alicia doesn’t mind me taggin’ along since I have no idea what I’m supposed to do, then yes. I’ll go with you.”
“And the weekend?”
“Sounds fun.”
Hot damn. Liam clapped his hands together, excited for the days ahead. “I’ll call and give the hotel your name, so you’ll be able to check us in and get a key.”
An obnoxious pounding sounded on the door.
“That’ll be Brian.” Liam abandoned his coffee and went to Haven. He kneeled down next to her. “You look tired.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “You should try to sleep.”
“Hey!” More pounding on the door. “Burning daylight, fucker. Let’s go!”
“I’ll text you as soon as I know what time Alicia can pick you up.” Liam dropped a quick kiss against Haven’s forehead. “See you tonight.”
“See you,” Haven said as he jogged for the front door.
Liam jerked the front door open. “Jesus, dude! I have neighbors.” Liam shoved Brian back and stepped outside. As he pulled the door closed behind him, his gaze sought Haven. She’d returned to watching the sunrise, her cheeks flushed and a gentle smile on her lips.
And he knew. Liam fucking knew he would do anything to keep that look on her face.
5
His gaze locked onto Haven the moment she breezed into the room, and Liam damn near swallowed his tongue. Angela continued to ramble excitedly beside him, but her words faded into the background as if Liam’s sight needed his hearing to play wingman.
Haven’s icy blue, off the shoulder dress had been worth every fucking penny. The shimmering fabric molded and caressed her curves as she and Alicia made their way over to the group of SEALs on the other side of the room.
Liam took advantage of the fact that Haven hadn’t spotted him yet, and just drank her in, committing this moment to memory. The way her hair shone in loose waves around her shoulders. The high flush in her cheeks. The delighted smile on her face when she noticed the large playpens around the room that corralled the adoptable animals.
“Liam. Did you hear what I said?” Angela, the director of Best Buddy Sanctuary—the canine rescue they were there to support—squeezed his arm. “That’s at least twenty dogs we’ll be able to save from the ticket sales alone. After the silent auction, we might be able to add another twenty! Can you believe it?”
“That’s great.” Liam saw Angela coming out of the corner of his eye and bent to accept the hug she offered. The woman had a kind heart and a spine made of steel. Liam admired Angela’s dedication and her take-no-prisoners attitude when it came to rescuing dogs. They’d even gone out a few times. Liam enjoyed Angela’s company, but there was no spark to compel either one of them to take it any further than a casual friendship.
“We wouldn’t have been able to do this without you. Thank you.” She practically choked him. “Thank you so much.”
“I should be thanking you.” Liam loved dogs, but his schedule meant he couldn’t have one of his own. Time spent at the rescue, whether shoveling poop or playing catch, grounded him. Helped him acclimate and process after being away. “You do all the work. I just show up. I’d say that I definitely have the better end of this deal.”
Haven turned and caught his gaze.
Christ, she’s beautiful.
Not exactly a news flash, since he’d known her for most of his life. The revelation came from how her personal appearance had gone from being a simple fact on a screen to something he felt deep, deep in his chest.
“Would you excuse me, Ange?” Haven’s mouth turned down the slightest bit as he extracted himself from Angela’s grip. “There’s someone I need to...”
“Of course. Go.” Angela waved him away, but Liam was already in motion, his long strides making short work of the distance separating him from his group.
“There he is,” Eli “Wolf” Miller said as Liam approached.
Liam clapped Wolf’s shoulder on the way past. “Hey, man, thanks for coming.”
“Wait. We had a choice?” Joker asked.
Zig punched Joker in the arm. “Don’t be a dick. It’s for a good cause.”
“Absolutely,” Liam tossed absently over his shoulder as he came to a halt in front of Haven. From this vantage point, he could see the creamy inner curve of her breasts behind the neckline of her dress. God help him, he tried not to stare.
“Wow,” he breathed, the awe in his tone too genuine to hide. He should turn it down a notch, or she’d think he’d lost his mind. “You clean up nice.”
“As do you.” She pressed a hand against the lapel on his suit. He covered it with his, holding her against his chest. “I like the suit. Very James Bond.”
“What? This old thing?” He winked. “Just something I found in the back of the closet.”
“Dude. Seriously?” Brian choked a laugh from beside Haven. Lame, he mouthed.
Alicia popped Brian’s stomach with the back of her hand. “Leave him alone. He’s cute.”
Brian groaned. “God. Don’t encourage him.”
Liam rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the ladies. “Did you girls have fun today?”
“Surprisingly, yes,” Alicia said, trading a glance with Haven. “Haven is now well-versed in my dislike of social gatherings, but spending time with her today made all the fluffing and buffing tolerable.”
“A memorable first day in America.” Haven stared at him, her eyes shining. “I don’t know how you managed to arrange and pay for everythin’, but thank you.”
A warm glow rose in Liam’s chest. “You’re welcome.” He liked that she’d simply accepted his gift instead of wasting time with an offer to pay him back. “I’m glad you had fun.”
He squeezed the hand he held, frowning when he noticed her colorless nails. “You didn’t get your nails done?”
After an emergency call to his sister for advice, Liam had made arrangements for Haven and Alicia to get mani-pedis. Sasha had said it was a must.
A rush of pink darkened her cheeks. “Aye, I did.” She wiggled the fingers of her other hand in front of him. “Buffed to a shine.”
“I tried to convince her to have them painted,” Alicia said. “She wouldn’t go for it.”
“I’m hard on my hands,” Haven countered, matter of fact. “I’d mess up all that work before the paint had time to dry. What’s the point?”
Liam laughed, shifting her hand to rest in the crook of his elbow. “All right, people. We have a few minutes to wander before dinner is served. Come on, pix. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“We’re going to check out some of the auction items.” Brian pointed Alicia in the opposite direction. “We’ll catch up with you at the table.”
Liam raised his chin in acknowledgement as he led Haven toward the far wall of the ballroom.
“Who was the woman you were talkin’ to before?” she asked.
“Angela Franks.” He studied Haven’s profile, wondering if he’d imagined the stiff tone. “She’s the mastermind behind Best Buddy Sanctuary, as well as everything you see here tonight.”
“How did you become involved?”
There was that tone again. She almost sounded…jealous. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part. He found he liked the idea of Haven feeling possessive about him.
“Just to be clear, we’re talking about my involvement with the sanctuary, right? Because I’m not involved with Angela outside of that perimeter.”
“All right.” A whisper of a smile teased the corner of her mouth. “The sanctuary, then.”
“I’m sure we’ve talked about this. I saw a news segment a few year
s back that highlighted Angela and her work at the sanctuary. Since I can’t have a dog with my schedule, I called her up to see if I could help. Maybe get my dog fix by—”
“Hold on,” Haven interrupted. “Angela is the woman who lets you play with the dogs?”
“She is.”
“You have told me about her.” Haven sounded relieved. Liam wasn’t sure what she’d been anxious about, but as long as she kept smiling, he figured it didn’t matter. “I didn’t realize that was the charity hostin’ tonight’s event.” She glanced around, as if seeing the room in a different light. “Is Angela who you wanted to introduce me to?”
“Nope. That honor goes to—”
“Oh my God! Liam!” Haven spied the gorgeous Irish Setter and her six pups before he could finish. “I’m sorry…I have to…” Not waiting to see if he’d follow, she rushed over to the animals.
Several of the guests oooh’ed and ahhh’ed around the open enclosure as though Molly and her pups were nothing more than a circus display. Maybe they were unsure of the protocol. Maybe they worried about dirtying up their formalwear. Whatever the reason, Liam found it fucking unnatural to be this close without at least petting the dogs.
Haven must’ve felt the same because she didn’t hesitate. She eased her hand out, palm down, for Molly to sniff. “Hello, momma,” Liam heard Haven whisper as he joined her at the enclosure.
“Haven, this is Molly, the girl I wanted you to meet.” Liam caressed a hand over Molly’s neck before retreating to give her ears a scratch. Molly’s tail swished across the mat that had been laid to protect the carpet. “She was rescued from a puppy mill not long before she had this litter of lunatics. They are the sanctuary’s newest residents.”
Several of the seven-week-old puppies bounced toward them, yipping happily, vying for attention as he bent to ruffle their fluffy little heads.
“What will happen to them? Will they stay at the sanctuary?”
Liam shook his head. “Angela has a rigorous vetting process, so she’ll find excellent homes for the pups. Molly has some medical issues from spending her entire life in a cage. She’ll need more time to recover. She’ll need time to learn how to be a dog. Angela will keep her at the sanctuary a little while longer, and then Molly will go to a foster family who will evaluate her overall needs and temperament. Once those things are fleshed out, a permanent home can be found.”
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