Hal straightened abruptly, his eyes narrowing warningly. 'What do you want?' he demanded aggressively.
'Have you spoken to Laura yet?' Hawk prompted softly.
His son shook his head. 'She's still busy with— Holly,' he ground out tightly.
'None of this is the baby's fault,' Hawk reminded him gently. 'She's very beautiful. I hope you'll come to love her as much as I do.'
'Why, you—'
'I do love her, Hal,' his father continued firmly. 'Not as much as I love her mother, but Holly is very special to me.'
Hal looked thunderstruck. 'You—love—'
'Leonie,' Hawk finished softly.
And he did. He had told himself he wanted her, that he wanted to look after her and Holly, but it was so much more than that.
He loved everything about her, and it was a love so unlike the undemanding love he had felt for Amy that at first he had just thought it was a need to possess. Outside in the garden with her just now he had known it was love, a wild, stormy love that completely controlled him.
'Would you like to talk about it?' he compelled Hal.
CHAPTER SIX
Holly was again engrossed in her bottle.
Again it was a time for thinking. Why did the mind suddenly decide that three o'clock in the morning was the perfect time to start functioning?
Ever since Leonie had awakened to Holly's impatient cry, quickly changing the baby while waiting for her bottle to warm through, she had listened out for Hawk, but so far he hadn't put in an appearance. She hoped he wouldn't do so, but that didn't stop the warm ache of her body as she remembered what had happened last night at this time.
She had no idea what Hawk had said to Hal, but whatever it was Hal's attitude had undergone a drastic change and he was very supportive when they had all told Laura the truth about Holly's father. Poor Laura had been so stunned, but Hal had smoothed things over with his admiration for his baby sister. Both men looked as if they had been through a battle—and lost—so there had been no delaying revealing the truth to Laura.
'Your poor daddy,' she murmured softly to Holly. 'He almost lost your brother's love today.'
Holly didn't even falter in her gulping down of the milk, and Leonie gave a rueful smile at her daughter's complete lack of interest in anything but her food.
'It's all just nonsense to you, isn't it?' she said softly, gently smoothing the golden hair on Holly's forehead. 'You're going to love Hal when you're older,' she smiled. 'He's already talking to Laura about having a daughter just like you.' She felt strangely proud that her daughter was so beautiful everyone seemed to fall in love with her. 'But you mustn't get conceited,' she reproved softly. 'You may be a Sinclair, but—'
'Is she?'
She gave a start of surprise; once again Hawk had entered the room without her being aware of it. 'I wish you wouldn't do that,' she whispered waspishly.
He wore a black silk robe that fitted him much better than the one he had worn the previous night, and which was obviously his own. But again he seemed to wear nothing beneath the robe. Did he always sleep naked? He had that night he had stayed with her, but she had thought that was just because he was with a woman. It made her nervous to know that silk material was all that covered the bronze strength of his body.
'Is Holly a Sinclair?' he frowned, moving stealthily across the room.
'You know she's your daughter—'
'But is her name Sinclair or Spencer?'
Leonie had thought long and hard about the naming of her baby, and had given her the name Holly because it was pretty and because it followed the tradition the Sinclairs had of giving their children names with the initial H. The surname had been a little more difficult to decide upon, but as she had known Holly would ultimately go to her father…
'Her name is Holly Laura Sinclair,' she told him with slow precision.
The tension slowly left him, making her aware of just how taut he had been as he waited for her answer.
'Thank you.'
She felt the warm colour in her cheeks, irritated with herself for caring that the name had pleased him. 'I had to think of the fact that you might not have wanted to acknowledge her as your daughter,' she bit out.
His mouth twisted. 'You knew that I would.'
'I made sure of it,' she snapped.
Hawk smiled. 'I also want to acknowledge you.'
'As what?' she derided.
A strange emotion flickered in his eyes before it was quickly masked. 'I've asked you to marry me,' he reminded her gruffly.
'Let's not go through that again—'
'Why not!' He came down on his haunches beside her chair. 'I'm going to keep on asking—'
'And I'm going to keep saying no!' Leonie cut in vehemently.
'You wanted me, Leonie,' he reminded her huskily.
She drew in a harsh breath. 'I told Hal that—'
'Because it was the truth,' he finished softly.
She shrugged. 'Perhaps.'
'It was,' he insisted.
'What difference does it make?' Leonie dismissed, her face devoid of expression. 'It's now that matters.'
All the challenge seemed to go out of him, the gleam in his eyes dulling, making the bruising about the side of his mouth more noticeable.
'Does that still hurt?' She frowned at him.
He pressed his fingertips gingerly against the swelling. 'Like hell,' he acknowledged. 'That's why I didn't come in earlier.' He nodded in the direction of the baby. Holly was fast asleep again, her mouth lax where she had finished feeding. 'Put Holly back to bed, Leonie,' he said gruffly.
And then what? She didn't even want to think about it.
'Have you held her today?' she prompted distantly.
'With so many people in the house all eager to be near her I haven't had the chance,' he admitted ruefully.
'Take her now.' Leonie didn't give him the chance to agree or disagree, thrusting the baby into his arms. 'You may as well get used to each other if you're going to be together all the time.' She busied herself clearing away the debris from Holly's meal.
'Do you think she'll have freckles like you?'
She straightened sharply. 'What?' she frowned.
'We're going to have our hands full fighting off the boys if Holly gets even one freckle on this adorable nose,' he teased indulgently. 'Once I've kissed one of her mother's freckles I just have to kiss all of them.'
'Holly has fair skin like Laura and me, so I would say it's quite probable she will have freckles later on,' Leonie answered him dismissively, refusing to be drawn by his verbal seduction.
'How can you even think of giving her up, Leonie?' He gazed down at his daughter with proud eyes.
She remained distant. 'How do you think other women give up their children for adoption?'
'Usually by breaking their hearts,' he said challengingly. 'Will your heart break when you hand Holly over to me for the last time?'
Tears flooded her eyes. She couldn't stop them. She had tried not to love Holly in a way that would ultimately leave her devastated, but she was very much afraid she was failing as each night like this Holly wound herself closer and closer about her heart.
And then she remembered Daniel, the last in a long line of people she had loved who she had also lost. Holly would be better off with Hawk.
'Hearts don't break, Hawk,' she bit out. 'They're much more resilient than you give them credit for.'
He drew in a ragged breath. 'You worry me—'
'Leonie, are you all righ—Oh!' A surprised-looking Laura came to an abrupt halt in the nursery doorway, taking in Hawk's presence there with Leonie with wide eyes.
'We were just feeding the baby,' Hawk drawled in the awkward silence.
Leonie shot him a censorious glance before turning to her sister. 'We were—well, we were—'
'Just feeding the baby,' Laura finished uncertainly.
She gave a pained frown. 'Yes.'
'I heard noises and I thought something was wrong,' Lau
ra explained uncomfortably. 'I had no idea the two of you were—together.'
'We weren't,' Leonie snapped. 'At least, only because of Holly,' she amended awkwardly.
Hawk chuckled softly. 'I'm sure Laura understands how much I enjoy these moments alone with you and Holly now that we don't have to pretend I feel nothing more than a cursory interest in the baby.'
Leonie was sure her sister didn't understand anything of the kind. Poor Laura still looked dazed that she could have gone to bed with Hawk in the first place! So was she. But she would never admit to Hawk that, although she had worried about his reaction to Laura and Hal that night if she had refused him, she had forgotten all about them when he began to make love to her! He would take that as too much of a victory.
'Don't look so worried, Leonie,' he drawled. 'Laura will have to get used to seeing the two of us together once we're married.'
'Married?' Laura echoed dazedly. 'You didn't say anything earlier about getting married.'
'That's because I've turned down Hawk's proposal,' Leonie told her abruptly. 'Several times,' she added hardly.
'I believe I once told you I never take no for an answer,' Hawk reminded her softly.
The very first time they had met when she hadn't realised exactly what a dangerous adversary he could be. How could she forget anything about that day? Or night.
'This time you'll have to,' she stated dismissively.
'Leonie, surely marriage would be the best thing—'
'Best for whom?' she challenged her sister.
'Holly,' Laura said flatly.
She drew in a ragged breath. Holly's future was something else she hadn't got around to telling her sister. 'Hawk is quite capable of taking care of Holly,' she said softly.
Laura gasped. 'You can't mean to—'
'No, she doesn't,' Hawk cut in harshly. 'Don't worry, Laura, Leonie will marry me.'
'I'd feel much more comfortable about travelling with Hal once we're married if she did,' Laura nodded. 'But of course, it's your decision,' she added hastily as Leonie's mouth set mutinously. 'It would keep Michael away from here once and for all,' she persisted firmly.
Michael. Michael of the charm, the humour, until things didn't go the way he wanted them to. Then he became violent, a man to be feared. And she had seen none of that until they were married and it was too late. Another of her dreams shattered. Until she was afraid to dream.
She could see Hawk was none too thrilled at the mention of the man who had been her husband either!
'Just what—What the hell—?' Hawk frowned as a loud crash could be heard down the stairs, and he handed the baby to Leonie before moving to the stairs to investigate.
Leonie looked worriedly at her sister. Surely Michael hadn't… Even he wouldn't… He would.
The noise seemed to be coming from the lounge, and Hawk moved stealthily to gently push the door open. A loud curse filled the air as another loud crash resounded around the room.
'If you're a burglar you're a damned inept one,' Hawk drawled dryly, flicking the switch by the door at the same time.
A heavy frown settled over his brow as he saw it was Stephen weaving about the room trying to keep his balance. The reason he couldn't was obvious, he was too drunk to stand up straight!
'Stephen, what the hell…!' Hawk moved forward quickly as the young man looked ready to fall flat on his face. 'Steady,' he soothed quietly, bracing Stephen's weight against him.
Stephen looked up at him with dazed eyes. 'I's all right,' he slurred. 'I wash jusht goin'—goin' to bed,' and with the last he keeled over completely.
Trying to support a drunk was never easy, especially when the man was almost as big as you were and his legs had suddenly turned to jelly!
Hawk placed him in a chair, straightening to look down at the unconscious man. What on earth had happened tonight to make him get into this state? Jake had been in a strange mood lately, but surely he hadn't driven his son to this?
'What happened?' Leonie hurried into the room, quickly followed by Laura.
Hawk's mouth twisted. 'I didn't knock him out, he passed out!'
Leonie shot him a reproving glare as she went down on her knees beside Stephen. Hawk instantly remembered another time when she had got down on her knees beside him in that way. Thank God Stephen was in no condition to be affected by her the way he had been; the younger man had already shown a decided preference for her company, he thought grimly.
'He's drunk,' he bit out harshly, instantly ashamed of his jealousy concerning Leonie and her worry over Stephen. But damn it all, she hadn't been this worried over him earlier when Hal had tried his best to beat his brains in!
She gave him a scathing glance. 'I can see—and smell—that,' she wrinkled her freckle-covered nose with distaste. 'I think we should get him upstairs so that he can sleep it off.'
Hawk's thoughts were better kept to himself. But he found it difficult, increasingly so, to share any of Leonie's time with anyone else. His mouth still hurt, damn it, why didn't she show some concern for that!
On one plane he recognised that her concern for Stephen was of a polite level for a guest staying in her house, that she was able to show this interest only because Stephen was a stranger to her. But on another level he would have welcomed having her soothe his aching mouth earlier instead of calmly recommending an ice-pack!
He nodded abruptly. 'I'll carry him up,' he grated impatiently.
Laura watched frowningly as he slung Stephen over his shoulders and strode out of the room with him. 'Does he do this sort of thing often?' she asked uncertainly.
Hawk gave a grim smile. 'Only when he's had an argument with his father. I would say he and Jake had a full-scale battle, judging by his condition tonight!'
'Parents certainly seem to put their children through it,' Leonie put in censoriously.
Now was not the time to remind him of the idiot he had made of himself concerning Hal's relationship with Laura! 'You should know,' he rasped, instantly regretting the taunt as her freckles were suddenly very livid against the paleness of her cheeks.
He was trying to go slow with her, and considering that he hadn't cared this much about a woman's feelings since he had been with Amy it wasn't coming easily to him. But that had been a low blow when he knew exactly why she held herself aloof from Holly.
'I'm sorry,' he said gruffly, searching the wounded expression on her face as she moved to open the door of the bedroom Stephen was sharing with Hal. She looked as if he had beaten her! He didn't want to hurt her, he just wanted to love her. He was out of practice of loving any woman. Amy would have told him exactly what an idiot he had been making of himself, he acknowledged ruefully. Poor Leonie, in contrast, had taken so many knocks from life that she didn't even realise he was reacting instinctively, jealously.
He was forty years old, he knew when he wanted a woman, and he usually took one. It wasn't easy standing back and not pressing the advantage Leonie having admitted once wanting him gave him, knowing that if she had wanted him before then he could persuade her to want him again. But he was in love with Leonie, had made love to her without realising that, and now he had to go back to the beginning and start all over again. Although he needed a little of Leonie's lovemaking to sustain him, even if he admitted it was too soon for them to make love the way he longed to do.
The first thing he intended doing was making it clear to the young pup he had thrown over his shoulder that Leonie was off limits to him. As soon as Stephen sobered up, of course!
The light from the hallway gave him enough vision to be able to see where to put Stephen down. The figure in the bed opposite slept peacefully on.
'Get used to it,' he told Laura in a hushed voice as she looked down on Hal indulgently. 'He's been this way since he was a kid,' he added ruefully. 'He even slept through an earthquake once!'
She smiled, her eyes full of love. 'I have my own way of waking him,' she admitted a little shyly.
'I'm sure you do,' he drawled ruefully; when
was he going to realise that Hal was going to marry this woman! 'Maybe you would like to use it now,' he added dryly. 'I could use a little help getting Stephen undressed.'
Laura blushed. 'I—'
'I'll help you,' Leonie cut in briskly, already unbuttoning Stephen's shirt.
'Stop that!' Hawk bit out harshly, clasping her hand tightly in his. God, seeing her touch another man like that made him feel violent! 'I can do it,' he told her gruffly, slowly releasing her hand, sorry for the livid marks he had made there. But it had driven him wild to see her touching Stephen.
'But—'
'I said I can do it,' he insisted roughly. Anyone would think she actually wanted to take Stephen's clothes off! 'Maybe I won't bother,' he added grimly. 'It isn't going to hurt him to sleep in his clothes for once. It will remind him in the morning that he has something to apologise for!' He closed the door forcefully behind them, sure that both young men slept peacefully on. How was he supposed to go back to sleep after this! He needed to be alone with Leonie. But he didn't doubt that she wouldn't come back to his room with him, or that she wouldn't welcome him in her room either! The last months of celibacy were certainly taking their toll on him.
'I think I'll go and make a cup of coffee,' Laura said wearily. 'I don't think I can go back to sleep just yet.'
Coffee sounded good to him. Perhaps the caffeine would help calm his ragged nerves. Although he wouldn't count on it! 'I think I'll join you,' he nodded. 'Leonie?' he raised his brows.
She looked undecided, probably not relishing the thought of him being alone with Laura and so able to ask as many questions as he liked about her, but also not wanting to spend any more time with him tonight. He felt irritated when the latter won. Damn it, he wasn't some sort of ogre, a selfish bastard perhaps, but not some sort of monster!
And then he noticed the way she was trying to avoid looking at him, as if something about him greatly disturbed her. It was better than nothing, he supposed, but what—He gave her a considering look as, having glanced down at himself, he realised that carrying Stephen had messed up his robe, the belt at his waist having kept him decent, but his chest was almost completely bared. And it was bothering Leonie! Maybe she wasn't so indifferent to him after all.
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