“Do we need to bring a gift?” she asked after she’d showered and found Trevor waiting for her downstairs in the living area. She’d decided on a dress, something casual, along with heels, since it was going to be an evening event.

He didn’t answer right away, and she took a moment to admire him. So far he’d dressed pretty casually at the house, wearing either workout pants or shorts, depending on the weather. Tonight he had on dark jeans and a Henley. His dark hair was getting a little long, and the ends brushed the collar. Her fingers itched to wind their way into the thickness of his hair, to brush his hair back from his forehead.

She intensely avoided that urge and brought her focus back to his face, noticing he was staring at her.

“What? Is there something wrong with what I’m wearing? Too casual?”

“Uh, no. That dress is perfect. And, damn, Haven, you have spectacular legs.”

She smiled at the compliment. It wasn’t like she’d never heard that before. She’d dated—casually—since college. Had a few boyfriends, one serious relationship that she and the guy had ended mutually when he’d gone off in one direction and she in another, and she hadn’t been broken up about it.

That had been a while ago—before things with her dad had gotten bad and she’d put all her energy and time into seeing to his welfare. She hadn’t thought about men a lot in the past year and a half.

Now?

Well, now there was Trevor, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to have a relationship with him, but she definitely enjoyed the way he looked at her. Probably because he’d never even noticed her in college.

He was noticing her now, and she liked it. There was nothing wrong with that, right?

“Thank you.”

“And, no. Alicia said no gifts. It’s just a party, a little get-together for each of them and their friends. They have a new house that they bought and they want to show it off, just relax a little before the big day. At least that’s the way Alicia described it.”

Haven nodded. “Sounds fun.”

“Great. Let’s go.”

They got in the car and Trevor drove to another beautiful neighborhood, located only about twenty minutes from his place. Alicia and Garrett’s house was a gorgeous brown-and-white two-story in a new subdivision, with a large front yard containing incredible landscaping. They stepped up onto the wide, welcoming front porch and rang the bell.

Alicia was right there to open the door. She looked so pretty wearing a sleeveless white dress that clung to her curves. She smiled when she saw them.

“I’m so glad you’re here. Come on in and make yourselves at home.”

They stepped in, and Haven marveled at the expansive foyer, the high ceilings, and the amazing décor. It had a modern, contemporary feel to it, yet very warm and comfortable.

“Your house is beautiful.”

Alicia grinned as she walked them through. “Thank you. We spent some time building the place. I have to admit, I had a lot of fun choosing everything. It’s like every woman’s dream come true to pick out flooring and wall colors and furnishings.”

“I can imagine what fun that was,” Haven said.

She led them into the living area. “Drinks are in the kitchen. Help yourself. There’s also plenty of food in there as well as in the dining room. Feel free to wander and check out the house. Garrett’s . . . somewhere around here. I have no idea where.”

“We’ll find him,” Trevor said. “Don’t worry about us. And thanks for the invite.”

“You’re welcome. And if you need anything at all, come find me.”

“We will,” Haven said.

After Alicia wandered away to see to her other guests—and there were a lot of them—Haven turned to Trevor. “Beautiful house.”

“Yeah. The Rileys always have to have a big place.”

“Really. Why’s that?”

“Big family. There’s Alicia and her brother Cole, and then the cousins—Gavin, his brother Mick, and his sister Jenna—and all their spouses and the parents and the kids.”

“Really. That does sound like a big family.”

“All the guys play sports, too,” he said as he led her into the kitchen. Someone was bartending, so Trevor turned to Haven. “What would you like?”

“I’ll just have a club soda with lime.”

“Beer for me,” Trevor said to the guy at the bar, who fixed their drinks and handed them over.

“All the guys in the Riley family play sports?”