Page 27 of Waiting For A Girl Like You (Haven House #4)

T he stillness in the swamp reminded her too much of the dread often felt on the forest trails back at Haven House.

She could run them fine, even enjoy a stroll if Liam was with her.

But walk them alone? Never. Not since Toby.

Not with that heaviness lingering in the air that made her feel like she was being watched.

It had always been around, but since Toby, the sensation had felt more palpable and alive .

Like if she stared too long into the darkness beyond the path, she would find someone—or something—staring back.

The kayak floated slowly past the cypress, Liam guiding them deeper into the trees until they were swallowed by the marsh. Too close to the shore now, he didn’t speak, and she didn’t either.

Emmett still lingered outside, standing in the yard like he was waiting.

The rusted old truck remained out front, but its cab was empty.

Liam watched it all through the binoculars while Jamison kept her perch at the bow.

When he tucked them away to reposition, he whispered that they would pull out soon if the mystery guests didn’t show.

To her left, a group of white cranes tiptoed through the water, soundless in their hunt. One by one, they slipped from view into the shadows, leaving them behind.

With afternoon giving way to dusk, the swamp had cooled thanks to an autumn bite creeping into the air.

Liam wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her back to rest against his chest. “Grab your phone,” he whispered.

“If anyone steps out, snap a shot. Don’t zoom in too much. Rowan will handle all that. ”

She did as he asked, waiting patiently for something to happen. Once or twice, she had to swat at a lost mosquito buzzing around them, not wanting them to take a bite out of Liam when they had no Benadryl. He was impervious to most things, but mosquito bites always did him in.

“I can see someone in the doorway.” Liam leaned forward, pushing her slightly with him. “These guys are starting to piss me off.”

Jamison smacked another unnaturally big mosquito and nearly dropped her phone into the water. “Let’s give it five more minutes.”

“Agreed,” he replied, lowering the binoculars. “I said we’d be back before sunset, and I still need time with you.”

“Exactly.” She shifted just enough to catch his eye. “I’m not done modeling this bathing suit.”

A low groan rumbled against her skin as he dipped his head to kiss her neck. “Oh, the things I’m going to do to you while you’re wearing it.”

The shiver she felt had nothing to do with the cold. Sighing, she tilted her head back, letting him trail kisses toward her ear. “What if we run away? Just disappear into a hotel room for the weekend before anyone tells us no.”

His teeth scraped her skin, deliberate and slow. “You know we can’t.”

She pouted, only half joking. “But think about how refreshed you’ll be after a naked, sweaty, orgasmically good weekend, where neither of us are walking straight afterward.”

“I don’t think orgasmically is a real word.”

“It is,” she insisted. “And you know damn well you’d come back with a clearer head if you just sat still long enough for me to have my way with you.” She wiggled back until she was snug between his thighs. “Hell, we could be extra adventurous and try something in this kayak.”

He fought not to grin and lost. “Jamison, you’re a strong, capable woman who eats weak men for breakfast.”

“Only after I’ve had my coffee.”

“And you can do anything you set your mind to.”

“Such compliments, Mr. Cohen.” She batted her lashes like she had done back at the dock with Emmett. “You’re definitely trying to get lucky.”

Liam’s lips twitched. “But, babe, you’re loud. All. The. Time. When you talk, when you sleep, and definitely during sex. ”

“I am not!” she whisper-shouted, knowing it was a lie, especially about the sex part. Her motto was the louder, the better. “I’m the epitome of a lady.”

“Yeah. A lady who screams for hours. Surveillance sex is out, I’m afraid.”

She tried to hold in the giggle, but it cracked out of her in wheezing bursts. He clamped his hand over her mouth, covering half her face in the process. “See?” he whispered, shaking with silent laughter. “Freaking loud.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t scream so much if you weren’t so handsome and annoyingly good in bed.” She squirmed free to kiss him. “And while you’re at it, stop being so charming, and maybe I won’t laugh as loud as I do.”

“Not gonna happen. You’re stuck with my handsome, great-in-bed, charmingly hilarious self.” He kissed her again, nipping at her bottom lip. “And don’t worry, I won’t let your compliments go to my head. I know none of them are true because if they were, you wouldn’t have left me.”

The smile on her face vanished.

“Liam…”

He was making a joke, but the residual pain hung on, chipping away at this happy little moment.

“Forget what I said,” Liam rushed out, digging his fingers in the hair on the back of her head as they held each other nose to nose. “I’m sorry. It’s done and over with, and I shouldn’t have said that.”

“I know, but—”

“No. Just no. Let’s make that time apart one of those stories we don’t tell.

Not until we’re ready.” The kayak teetered as he pulled her as close as possible.

“You know the ones I mean, right? Like the time you thought you could build that IKEA bookshelf by yourself, but ended up having a breakdown because the instructions sucked.”

“Thank you for setting those instructions on fire. It made me feel better to watch them burn.”

“Jamison, I would set the whole fucking world on fire for you.”

He always knew the right thing to say, and her smile wobbled back into place. “You really were reading romance novels while we were separated. ”

“Several,” he confessed with zero shame. “But I was depressed, and reading them made me feel close to you.”

“Do you remember Aruba?” she asked softly. “We didn’t do anything but read romance books together on the beach.”

“We also had mind-blowing sex all week, but that’s beside the point.”

“Amazing sex should never be beside the point, but I get what you’re saying. A story for later. Something we can talk about once the sting’s gone. Like when you got us epically lost going to that Fairweather Christmas party, and we had that awful fight.”

“Or the time at that other Fairweather party when you farted and blamed it on poor Cathy from advertising?”

Her mouth dropped open. “You swore, William. Asparagus doesn’t agree with me, and you swore you would never bring up that fart again.”

Placing a hand over his heart, he turned solemn. “And I never have. Until now. In this kayak. In the presence of God and all the swamp things listening.”

Silence settled between them again, but it was a comfortable silence as they both watched Emmett continue to shuffle around his yard by himself.

“These people are robbing us of premium sexy time,” she complained. “And this thong? Not exactly comfortable. I can’t wait for you to rip it off.”

Not taking his eyes off Emmett, he brushed a kiss on the top of her head while slipping one hand beneath her shirt to palm a breast. “I’ve already said I’m fucking you in that thing again. So, you’re going to have to get over it.”

“We could do it now.” Half turning, she braced her hands on the kayak's sides. “I’ll be quiet.”

“We’d flip the kayak.”

“We’ll go slow.”

“No, Jamison.”

“Yes, Liam.” Shifting her position before he could stop her, she tried to straddle him. “Just hold still. I’ll do all the work.”

The kayak immediately pitched hard to the side.

Slamming a hand against a tree trunk, he righted them before they were tossed into the water. “Baby, I know you want to rock my world, but maybe don’t do it literally . ”

She snorted. “Incredibly hot men aren’t supposed to be this goofy.”

“Says who?” He turned her back around, adjusting their balance. “One day, I won’t be hot anymore. One day, I’m going to look like my dad. Then my goofiness will be all that’s left, and you’ll be grateful.”

“Don’t sell your dad short. He’s still attract—”

Movement caught her eye, and she fell silent, already knowing Liam had raised the binoculars. Someone was emerging from the back of the shack.

Scrambling for her phone, which had fallen to the bottom of the kayak, Jamison quickly lifted it and started snapping photos in rapid succession. Too worried about getting the shot, it took her a moment to focus on the man chatting casually with Emmett.

“Bruce.”

She nearly dropped the phone when she recognized Bruce. Much taller than Emmett, with a bulky frame and buzzed hair, the man had haunted her nightmares.

“That’s him,” she hissed, the need to flee hitting so insanely fast that she almost tipped the kayak again. “That’s the man who tried to take me. The one who was with Sinclair.”

Liam didn’t lower the binoculars. He just wrapped his arm tight around her, anchoring her trembling body back against his chest. “I’m here. Nothing is going to happen to you, okay? I’m right here. But I need you to breathe. Quietly. Breathe through it.”

“Breathe through it,” she echoed as she continued to take pictures. “Breathe.”

She focused on the screen, watching Emmett and Bruce while they talked before turning to face east. Bruce moved his hand about, pointing at the channel leading directly to Haven House.

“I’m going over there.” Liam dropped the binoculars into her lap. “Call Rowan and tell him to get people here.”

Phone and binoculars forgotten, she flung herself on top of him. “You are absolutely not going.”

“I’m armed.”

“That doesn’t mean anything!” she spat out, close to becoming hysterical. “Not a damn thing!”

Extracting himself from her death hold, the kayak sloshed about under them. “It means I can arrest him. ”

“How? You’re not a fucking agent anymore,” she snapped. “And how are you going to get over there? Swim? If your gun gets wet, it won’t work.”