Haven was exactly Remy’s type. Blonde. Gorgeous. Slender with generous curves. He’d twist himself into knots trying to build a chasm between them.
And he’d fail.
I’d known her for less than an hour, and I could already see the future unfurling before us.
But Remy had the self-awareness of a gnat. It made him blind. And it would make him push away the perfect woman because she was perfect.
“You’re the one we’ve been waiting for?” He just couldn’t keep the sneer out of his voice. It was classic Remy—strike first, ask questions later.
Twenty seconds, and he’d already established that he was an asshole. It was a new record. Even for him.
Haven’s lovely, expressive face smoothed at his undeserved derision. She donned an indifferent mask. “I didn’t ask you to wait.”
He shot me a scathing glance. Women wanted him for his face or his title. Sometimes both. They fawned. They fell over themselves to win his favor. They offered themselves freely. When he deigned to speak to them, they did not reply nonchalantly. So, naturally, when faced with someone we’d been waiting for—someone important—his first instinct was to test her. Even push her away before she could disappoint him.
“Haven’s here now.” My tone said more than my words. Remy needed to ease off the aggression.
“Haven?” He stared at me for long seconds, then dropped the rabbits and strode toward her.
I could see the war playing out behind his eyes. Part of him wanted to believe she might be different—that was why he’d dropped everything and approached her. But his defenses were already rising.
She lifted her chin, refusing to be cowed. “Haven Ford.”
His steps faltered.
“Is my name an issue?” Haven turned away from him, holding her hands out to the flames.
“Be careful,” Remy snapped. “You’re too close.”
The way her gaze narrowed spoke volumes. He might be pretty to look at, but she didn’t appreciate his tone or his domineering attitude. “You know my name. What’s yours?”
I stepped in before Remy could answer with more hostility. “This is Remy. He’s not so bad once you get to know him.”
Her pursed lips said she wasn’t convinced.
“Is Ford a common name in Legacia?” There, I’d shown one of us could be civil.
“It’s not uncommon.”
“Who are your parents?” Remy barked at her like a man who was used to having his questions answered immediately.
Haven gazed at him in silence.
For a few insane seconds, jealousy incinerated my veins. I wanted her attention—all of it. I drew a ragged breath and released the air slowly. I had no reason to be jealous. Not now. Not ever.
This was insane. I’d known her for less than an hour, and already I was acting like a territorial bastard. The visions had shown me possibilities, but they hadn’t prepared me for the reality of her. I was irresistibly drawn to her—a woman I barely knew. I had no right to feel possessive. But logic did nothing to ease the tight knot in my chest.
I’d warned him that one day he’d meet a woman who’d refuse to put up with his bad attitude. It looked as if that day had arrived.
I focused on Remy’s frustration instead of my own response to Haven. Watching him fail to intimidate her was preferable to dwelling on my unexpected possessiveness.
I quietly enjoyed the way his jaw ticked with impatience at her refusal to answer him.
She looked at me with her brows lifted, as if she questioned my assertion that he would grow on her over time.
I offered her an encouraging smile.
The deepening pink on her cheeks was so bewitching I nearly missed her response. “My mother is dead. I never knew my father.”
