by Amber Malloy
Then why the hell did she hit and quit the other night? It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her.
“The doctor thinks someone drugged you. He took a sample of your blood for testing,” Lexi told him.
Hawk nodded. He wasn’t that close to his teammates, but he hated to think someone on his team was capable of drugging him. “In the meantime, how did you get roped into babysitting duties?”
“We drew straws, and I came up short.” Lexi batted her lush lashes, throwing him a hundred-watt smile.
“Thanks for sitting with me. If you need to get back to the bar, I completely understand.”
Knox had been his emergency contact since college. Anytime he had an episode, it was either his best friend or Knox’s family waiting for him when he came out the other side of it.
“And give up this chilled-out awesomeness?”
They stared at one another. Even though his dick was up for the exercise, he felt it would be pathetic on his part to make a move. She’d nursed his weak ass through the night and there was nothing sexy about boinking the diabetic dude. Of course, he wanted to yank her body to his chest and kiss those pretty lips, but he couldn’t imagine first base with a sickie was at all sexy.
“In that case…” Hawk reached for the remote that was Velcroed to the side of his nightstand and pressed a button. The TV slowly descended from the ceiling at the foot of the bed. “Pick your poison.”
“Oh, I was wondering where you were hiding that.” To his delight, she snuggled in next to him, plucking the remote from his hand. “We’re going to watch something mind numbing, then we’ll take a break to grab food that a Michelin-star chef left for us.”
“Dahl cooked!” Happier than a kid on Christmas, he wanted to run into the kitchen and check out what she’d made. However, Lexi felt entirely too good cozied up to his side for him to chance moving away from her.
He had never whined about his disease. It was one more challenge he’d overcome. Whether he felt like shit or not, he always made it to game day. Oh well, there was a first time for everything.
Taking full advantage of his sick day, Hawk leaned his head against her peach-sized breasts and settled back.
Chapter Fourteen
California’s weather went from hot to less hot in four short seasons. Winters consisted of drizzle or mudslides with absolutely no in between. Often Lexi had felt the amount of sun-to-cloud ratio threw off everyone’s natural serotonin levels.
The second her plane touched down at LAX’s tarmac, she was on edge.
SugarTech’s board had filed for an emergency deposition.
Due to bumper-to-bumper traffic, her attorney had the opportunity to brief her on the hearing. She planned on visiting the West Coast for less than twenty-four hours, and even that seemed too long. The only bright light in this whole mess was Hawk. They were in the same city, and he wanted to take her out. It was the one thing that made her visit the least bit tolerable.
“Why?” Lexi stood in the hotel check-in line. Cradling the phone, she dug into her purse for her wallet.
“Excuse me?” Maureen said.
“We have gone over where to meet, what to say and not to say, but you haven’t told me why I’m back in Sunnydale.”
“Sunny what?” Maureen repeated.
“It’s the hellmouth, or fu-u—” Lexi caught herself before she lost her shit. “Why am I here?” The boutique hotel did nothing to suppress her mounting nerves. Trendy spiked chandeliers hung above her head. White fluffy fur was placed on every available chair. She would have found the place cute if she didn’t have to waste the little bit of money she had made at Moe’s to book a room.
“They’re claiming you’re in violation of the morality agreement.”
Images of the sex video immediately flashed in her mind before her she found her wallet. “For example?”
“The incident happened on November fifth. That’s all the information I have.”
As she stepped up to the front desk, she sighed in relief. Josh had sent that video over the summer, which means it probably wasn’t the problem. She gave her name to the front desk agent. “Hi, Lexington Waters.”
“Does that ring a bell?” Maureen pushed.
Lexi slid her credit card across the counter and tried to remember what, if any significance that date held.
“Not really.” Lexi accepted her credit card and key from front desk before she made her way to the elevators. Nabbing an empty cab, she stepped in.
“We’re nearing the quarterly meeting for the board, and we don’t need one of your transgressions used against us.”
One of? Ye of little faith. She pouted at her lawyer and hit the button for the upper level.
Barely listening to the woman after that insult, Lexi waited for the elevator to take her to the fifth floor. “If you can think of anything, let me know. I don’t like surprises.”
The doors opened and she stepped out.
As Lexi headed down the hall, she ran through anything that could have possibly forced her back to the West Coast. Josh wanted to financially bleed her dry, but his ultimate goal was majority ownership of the company. In other words, he needed to break her.
Lexi arrived at her hotel room and slid her key card into the slot. “Trust me. You’ll be the first to know.” She ended the call without another word and opened her door to white fufu décor.
It wasn’t exactly the Beverly Wilshire, where Josh had thrown their last Christmas party. Of course, Lexi wouldn’t know anything about that since she’d been banned at least one hundred feet from the company. A few of SugarTech’s associates had posted the gathering on social media. Judging from the photos, the employees had had one hell of a night.
Nevertheless, her hotel room was contemporary, bright and for lack of a better term, nice. Drawn to the big box that sat on top of the queen-sized bed, she picked up the card placed under the red bow.
Trust us. He’ll love it.
The Wives
She explained her visit to the West Coast as work stuff… Hopefully they had believed her.
Lexi tossed the card and yanked the top off. Removing the tissue paper, she uncovered a sexy ensemble that she would have never worn in a million years.
Running late for her date, Lexi hurried into the elevator cab and pressed the big L button. She switched her phone to her other hand and flipped her cape over her shoulder.
“Wait! Let me see it again?” Dahl said.
Once she’d finished getting dressed, Lexi had called the wives for their stamp of approval. Lashonda had included instructions on how to style her hair. Holding the phone above her head, she checked her makeup.
“Those little curls are perfect with that outfit,” Dahl cooed.
“Puhleese! I’m a freakin’ professional,” Lashonda yelled somewhere behind her. Every month the wives got together for a girls’ night. Lexi hadn’t had the chance to attend, but she promised them once her schedule opened up, she’d be there with bells on. “Hawk’s going to love it—”
“Wait a minute. What does this outfit have to do with—”
Dahl handed the phone off before Lexi could finish her question.
Remy’s smiling face came into focus as she bounced her baby on her hip. “Wow, you look great.”
“Thanks. Uh…” She switched gears, not knowing how to approach the next topic without giving too much about the mess that was her life away. “That night with Hawk at that party, do you remember anything that might be incriminating?”
“Hmm-m.” While Remy glanced over her shoulder, the baby tried to reach for the screen. She moved away from the room the wives were in. “Does this have anything to do with SugarTech?” Not totally surprised the award-winning journalist knew about her legal drama, she nodded her head. “Who’s your attorney?”
“Maureen Wendt.”
“And your—”
“Depo is tomorrow,” Lexi told her. The lights on top of the elevator flashed quickly to each floor.
“Okay, got it. Don’t worry about this stuff. Go out and have fun.”
“But—”
“And Shonda’s right… Hawk’s going to go crazy when he sees you. Leave the cape on until you get to the restaurant, okay?”
“Seriously, what is the deal with this outfit?”
The elevator doors slid open. Lexi stepped into the bustling lobby. Apparently, her hotel turned into a major pick-up spot during the evening hours.
“Tell Ms. Lexi bye, sweetie.”
The baby, who was busy eating her mom’s hair, used her free hand to enthusiastically wave at the screen.
“Bye, cutie.” She blew her a kiss before hanging up.
“It’s good to see you’re not holding a grudge.” Lexi jerked away from the sound of his slight New England accent. “You look good, M&M.”
Josh’s use of her old college nickname ignited a flame of hate in the pit of her stomach. “What do you want?”
“Hey, I come in peace.” With a good-humored smile, he held up his hands with his fingers split in the Doctor Spock’s Trekkie salute. Even though he was well out of his twenties, he still held onto his tech bro arrogance like a badge of honor. “Let’s go to the bar.” He placed his hand on her shoulder to guide her across the room. “We need to catch up.”
It was a lighthearted request that in no way came off in a menacing manner, but Lexi knew better. As rage created an acidic coat in her throat, mimicking a bout of bad indigestion, she slipped away from his touch.
“According to the restraining order I have to stay at least one hundred feet away from you. Catching up over drinks doesn’t seem like a viable reason to visit county lockup…again.”
Josh’s smile broadened, stretching the skin on his angular face tighter. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be, Lex.”
“Sorry… I no longer have time for this special edition of Josh Stewart throws a rock and hides his hand.”
Wary of his presence in general, Lexi stepped around him and caught a glimpse of hope. Hawk stood outside the hotel’s huge front window, signing autographs. A large crowd had formed around the professional hockey player. The sight of him loosened the strong grip of hate that burned in her chest.
“Quit dragging this shit out,” Josh said in her ear. “This will be much easier on the both of us if you give me majority share.”
“Fuck off,” she tossed over her shoulder. No longer interested in anything he had to say, Lexi walked away from her miserable ex.
“Don’t you dare ignore me.” Josh grabbed her by the arm, jerking her around to face him. “It will be in your best interest to hand over those shares.”
That creepy smile hadn’t slipped an inch. What the hell did I ever see in him? “Let me go or I will embarrass the shit out of you,” she said, snatching her arm away. Everything in Lexi told her to run from the narcissistic freak, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Instead, she slowly strolled through the busy lobby, cheekily showing off Lashonda’s lovely outfit.
Without glancing back, she maneuvered her way between the lobby full of guests. Since the crowd around Hawk had thinned, she didn’t feel as if she were intruding upon the hockey player’s moments with his fans. The bellhop opened the door, allowing the toasty California air to blanket her.
Chapter Fifteen
Attraction was one thing, but a deep-down like for someone was the good stuff. It warmed the blood not only by touch but sight. Hawk hadn’t been this much in like with someone since high school.
In ninth grade, he’d pretended he needed tutoring in college prep calculus. Amy Brookes had seemed reluctant to help, but he’d managed to crack the nerdy cute girl code. They got along great and even managed to make out a few times before she’d totally decimated his heart. Sweet, dear Amy had wanted an introduction to their football team’s infamous quarterback, Gavin Knox. It wasn’t the first time that had happened, but it had definitely been the most impressionable.
Scanning the trendy, American-Korean-fusion restaurant, Hawk waited for his date at their VIP table. He hadn’t thought about that in years, but when he’d picked Lexi up from the hotel, he had caught sight of her with some guy. From the outside looking in, the pair’s conversation seemed intense. Since Hawk had gotten well acquainted with that manicured, douchey type of jerk growing up, watching Lexi’s body language had told him something was off.
As he waited for her to return from the restroom by skimming the menu, Hawk twisted his silver wolf ring around his thumb. More nervous than he’d ever been on a date, he wondered what the hell was wrong with him.
“There’s never a line to the men’s room—or is that inconvenience reserved just for women?”
Hawk slid his gaze from her sexy heels up her sleek legs. A narrow black skirt covered her knees. Hawk wanted to push the tight fabric up her thighs to see the color of her panties.
“Uh…who? Uh…” Losing his train of thought, he reached for the glass of unsweetened tea. At one point in time, the top she wore may have been a man’s white tuxedo vest, but she had it fashioned into a form-fitting halter.
Thankfully, Lexi took her seat before he decided to act on an animal instinct to whisk her out of the restaurant and fuck her in the alley. Since that one indecent night in the bar, they had exhibited the model employer-employee relationship. No blurred lines or touchy-feely stuff in the slightest, but the sight of her brought that ravenous feeling back.
Lexington Waters was not the type to bang in the street—not that there was anything wrong with that. Hockey groupies often eased the burden of the road in an awesome, therapeutic way. However, dirty dumpster sex didn’t seem appropriate for this. She had Audrey Hepburn-type beauty, but her outfit told him that maybe somewhere down the road it could be a possibility.
“Are you a fan of the movie Flashdance?” he asked.
“Never seen it.” She reached for the basket of eggroll breadsticks.
He tried not to stare at her glossy, red-painted lips. Diverting his attention back to her brown eyes, he felt suddenly antsy. He probably shouldn’t have worn designer jeans and denim shirt to such a fancy restaurant, but he refused to be anyone else but himself. Unfortunately, fidgeting wasn’t an option. This bizarre, out-of-body feeling had more to do with Lexi than his surroundings. He wanted to impress her and didn’t have the foggiest idea how to accomplish that insurmountable task.
“It’s one of my favorite movies,” he confessed. “Back at the boarding school, we only had eighties-anything to watch, and—”
“Wasn’t that considered a musical?”
“It was more one long music video that had a motion picture running time,” Hawk informed her.
“In other words, perfect ’tween porn.”
“A gateway drug, I’m afraid.” He reached across the table and used his thumb to wipe the crumbs from the corner of her mouth. Fuck, he wanted to kiss those lips.
“Thanks,” she chuckled. While Hawk caressed her slim fingers, he was reluctant to let her go, but he slowly pulled away from her touch.
“Anyway”—he leaned back in his seat, not trusting himself this close to her—“there is a pivotal scene in the movie where Alex, the iron wielder by day, dancer by night—”
“Oh, versatile.” She opened her doe eyes wide in a serious, shocked expression.
“No judging,” he scolded. Lexi held up her hands in peace before she made a grab for her glass of wine.
“At a fancy restaurant, the lead…correction, the hot lead—”
She threw him a cheeky wink before she drank her red wine.
Taking her gesture as a sign of encouragement, he continued. “Alex took off her suit jacket to reveal a cummerbund and a bow tie underneath.”
Choking back a laugh, she covered her mouth with her hand. “No shit?” Lexi muttered, once she’d swallowed.
“Apparently you have on the modern version of that outfit.” Hawk took in the whole beautiful picture Lexi presented. Her short hair had been slicked away from her face wi
th little ringlets, which accentuated her warm glow. The halter top she wore hugged her sweet breasts perfectly, not to mention the ridiculous amount of skin she displayed. The sight of Lexington Waters created an uncomfortable tightness in the crotch of his jeans.
“Well, it appears the wives are trying their hand at matchmaking,” Lexi said, dabbing a bit of wine from her lips. “Is that a good thing?”
The football wives had never bothered to pay attention to his love life before. Of course, no one had ever stuck around long enough, but an endorsement of this magnitude was huge.
“Do you have a minute after dinner?” Hawk asked. He wanted her all damn night, but he had a very short amount of time off.
“Don’t you have school tomorrow?” An angelic smile graced her face. The waiter picked that moment to block Hawk’s view of her, when he placed their food onto the table.
He waited for their food to be served. “There’s something I want to show you.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a…what do they call it a curse or a bad luck charm for the game tomorrow?” Leaning forward on the table, Lexi put her chin in her hand. This slight shift allowed a good amount of side boob to pop out of her white top.
Yes, he could have a whole dinner date without wanting to take her to bed. Yes, he’d done it before, but it had more to do with the lack of chemistry than anything else. Yes, he absolutely wanted to spend the night with Lexi. However, he had a plane to catch in a few hours for the career that he’d fought his whole life for. In other words, Lexington Waters made him nervous. Hawk took a deep breath and threw everything he knew out of the window.
“First off, that curse shit is reserved for baseball and football. Us hockey players are made of harder stock.” Satisfied at the musical, hard belly laugh he’d earned, he sat back and admired the work of art in front of him. “Second, I promise this won’t take long.”
* * * *