HAWK: The Caged Kings MC

by Kathryn Thomas

  “So, Hawk, tell me about yourself. My daughter has been pretty tight-lipped about you. I was almost starting to wonder if you really existed.” Melissa’s mother leans forward eagerly, settling in for Hawk’s life story.

  “Violet, at least give the guy a drink before you start grilling him!” Patrick laughs good-naturedly. “What can we get you, Hawk? Wine?”

  “A beer would be great, actually.” Hawk smiles his thanks at Patrick and, as if by magic a frosty glass appears at Hawk’s elbow. “And, I don’t mind the grilling, Mrs. Potter. Ask me whatever you like.” Hawk holds open his arms as if to show that he has nothing to hide.

  “Please, call me Violet. Mrs Potter makes me feel like an old woman.” Her mother smiles easily, taking another sip of her wine and openly admiring the man that Melissa has brought home.

  “Great, Violet.” Hawk nods, smiling easily at the older woman.

  Melissa still hasn’t said anything, and it’s only at this moment that her mother seems to have noticed her silence. “Mel, are you alright? I don’t think I’ve ever known you to be so quiet.”

  Melissa shakes herself slightly, as she realizes that everyone is staring at her. “Yes, I’m fine. Sorry, I guess I was just…surprised to see you here.” She looks at Hawk with her eyebrow lifted, her question implied.

  “Good surprised or bad surprised?” Hawk’s voice is low, his tone playful. However, his eyes are serious, and Melissa knows that this is more than just a flirtatious question.

  Melissa doesn’t even have to think about her response; she’d known the minute her brain had processed the fact that he was here, meeting her mother because he knew how important it was for her. “Good surprised.” She reaches out and wraps her hand around his on top of the table, and she watches as his shoulders relax a touch.

  “Well, that’s a relief.” Hawk jokes, but Violet’s mother with her maternal radar seems to see that something had just gone on that she didn’t quite understand.

  “So how did the two of you meet?” Violet looks between them expectantly.

  Melissa weighs up whether to lie about Hawk’s involvement in a biker gang with the knowledge that it’s too important for him to keep quiet about, but her mother will no doubt worry. But Hawk steps in before she has time to reach a decision.

  “Well, I guess it’s not the best story.” Hawk looks a little sheepish. “But we met in a bar. Melissa walked in, and it was pretty hard to look anywhere else.”

  Violet lets out a contented sigh, as if she’d just heard the most romantic thing ever.

  Patrick leans over towards Hawk, conspiratorially. “Hey, tone it down. You’re making me look bad.”

  It lightens the mood and gives Melissa time to get her brain jumpstarted again. She feels like her heart had all but stopped at Hawk’s words. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe him; it was more that she wasn’t used to seeing this romantic side of him, the side that actually talks about how he feels.

  “And then what happened?” Violet looks at Melissa this time for an answer, probing her with her all-knowing motherly eyes.

  “Mom, tonight was supposed to be about me getting to know Patrick better, not you giving us the third degree.” She smiles at her mother, trying to communicate with her eyes for her to back off a touch.

  “There’s time for both.” Violet doesn’t even pause, her gaze shifting between Melissa and Hawk, like she’s trying to figure out what it is that she’s missing.

  “How about we order, and then we get to interrogate each other?” Melissa keeps her tone light, slipping her hand out of Hawk’s and concentrating on the menu.

  “Sounds like a plan to me; I’m starved.” Patrick seems to sense the tension between the two women and dives straight into his menu despite the fact that he probably already has it memorized.

  “Me too. It’s been a long day at work.” Hawk takes his cue from Patrick and looks at the menu, not even wincing once at the eye-watering prices.

  “What sort of work are you in, Hawk?” Violet jumps on the opening, and Melissa rolls her eyes at her mother’s inability to let anything go.

  “I work in a body shop.” He doesn’t elaborate, and Melissa feels compelled to.

  “Actually he works in the body shop. The place is known worldwide. If you’re into cars or bikes, then you’ve heard of it.” Melissa doesn’t try to hide the pride in her voice, and she sees Hawk’s surprise out of the corner of her eye. What, he didn’t think that she was impressed by what he did?

  “We do alright.” Hawk shrugs, coming across as endearing and modest at the same time.

  “He’s fixing up Dolly. She’ll be good as new in a couple of weeks.” Melissa frowns at Hawk, wondering why he’s holding back so much. She knows how proud he is of The Shop.

  “Dolly?” Patrick looks blankly at them.

  “It’s the name the guys have christened the car that Mrs. P…I mean, Violet, gave to Melissa…because she needs a little dolling up.” Melissa’s mother smiles at the explanation. “A ’75 Mustang…she really is a thing of beauty.”

  “I loved that car.” Violet’s voice gets a faraway quality. “It was the one good thing that came from my ex-husband, apart from my beautiful daughter.” Violet squeezes Melissa’s hand to signal that she hadn’t forgotten about her. Her eyes get all misty, but she recovers well. “Now, let’s eat before I start embarrassing Melissa more than I already have.”

  Melissa looks at her mother gratefully, and they all set about choosing appetizers and entrees. Melissa looks around the table and feels a sensation that she has never experienced before. There’s something special about having two of the people that she cares most about together, in the same room. But it’s not just that, they’re getting along like a house on fire. Violet seems charmed by Hawk, and Hawk and Patrick have no problem finding common areas of interest. All in all, the night couldn’t be called anything but a great success. Melissa is almost disappointed when the check is called, and it’s time to leave.

  “So, you ride?” Patrick and Hawk lead the way towards the parking lot.

  Melissa stifles a laugh. She’s probably had a little too much to drink, but she’d worry about that in the morning. “Hawk learned to ride a bike before he could walk.”

  “You’re into bikes?” Hawk gives Patrick a surprised look, ignoring Melissa’s interruption.

  “I love them, but I don’t get a chance to get out as much as I’d like.” Patrick shrugs as if to say ‘But that’s life’ and the two men lapse into talk about motorcycle makes and limited editions that just sounds like Greek to Melissa.

  “So what’s going on?” Violet hooks her arm through Melissa’s, forcing her to hang back from the men a touch so that they can have some privacy.

  “With what?” Melissa frowns at her mother, her alcohol fuzzed brain taking her a few extra moments to catch up.

  “With you two. I may be your mother, but I’m not stupid.” Violet takes hold of Melissa’s shoulders, making her focus. “He seems like a great guy, and he clearly cares about you. So, what’s got you all bent out of shape?”

  “It’s…it’s complicated, Mom.” Melissa shakes off her mother’s concern.

  “It’s a relationship, of course it’s complicated, Melissa!” Violet looks up at the sky for strength. “Nothing about being with another person is simple. That’s just how this works. But if you care about him as much as he clearly cares about you, then it doesn’t matter how complicated it is. You decide that you’re going to be with each other in spite of all the reasons your little brain is telling you not to.”

  “How do you know what my brain is telling me?” Melissa gives her mother a sarcastic look.

  “Because I too was twenty-two once.” Violet gives her daughter a withering look. “So, how serious are you two?”

  Melissa rolls her eyes at her mother. “Well, I think we’re a little way off from picking out china—if that’s what you mean. What about you and Patrick?”

  “I really like him!” Violet gi
ves off the megawatt smile that’s been a permanent fixture on her face since the start of dinner.

  Melissa laughs at how much like a teenager her mother sounds. “He seems really nice.”

  “So, does that mean that you approve?” Violet bites her lip in an expression that Melissa recognizes as something she must have inherited.

  Melissa blinks at her mother. “Are you asking me what I think you’re asking me?”

  It’s Violet’s turn to roll her eyes this time. “Well, we haven’t been seeing each other for very long, so I don’t want to jump the gun, but…he’s dropped a few hints.”

  Melissa opens her mouth in shock, not for the first time that night. “Mom, it’s only been a couple of months, isn’t it a little, I don’t know, soon to be talking about churches and white dresses?”

  Violet gives her daughter an indulgent look, one that Melissa would probably have found frustrating under other circumstances. “It could be a couple of years, a couple of months, or a couple of hours. It doesn’t matter, Mel. When you know that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you just know.” Her mother gives her a wink, and Melissa can’t help but laugh. They embrace warmly as they hit the cold air outside. “Ah, boys with their toys.” Violet looks over Melissa’s shoulder, as her daughter twists around to see what she’s talking about.

  Patrick is crouched next to Hawk’s motorbike, making appreciative noises. Melissa overhears something about ‘horsepower’ and ‘polished chrome’ before she fades out of the conversation.

  “I think it’s time we left these two bright young things to the rest of their evening, don’t you?” Violet places her hand on Patrick’s shoulder, and he looks up at her with so much love in his eyes that you’d have to be blind not to see it.

  “I guess so.” He takes her hand and reaches the other out towards Hawk to shake. “Pleasure to meet you, Hawk.”

  Hawk smiles back, returning the shake. “Same to you, Patrick. And if you want some company on a ride one of these days, let me know.” Patrick nods in agreement.

  Hawk reaches his hand out to shake Violet’s hand, but she looks down at it, frowning. Melissa watches as Hawk’s shoulders tense up, as if he’s expecting her to embarrass him. Always expecting the worst, Melissa thinks. It’s probably a pretty tough habit to break. But instead of taking his hand, Violet reaches up to plant her hands on his shoulders and gives him a kiss on each cheek. Hawk stands stock still, as if he weren’t at all expecting what had just happened. Violet leans in and says something quietly in his ear, and Hawk looks at her seriously and nods once, emphatically.

  “We hope to see much of you, Hawk.” Violet gives Hawk a serious look and then does the same to Melissa.

  Before she moves off with Patrick towards the car, Violet turns around and looks at Melissa, smiling cheekily. “So…do you know, Mel?” She doesn’t wait for a reply before she gets into Patrick’s car. Melissa watches them as they buckle up and drive off. Then, it’s just her and Hawk left alone in the lot.

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

  “Do you know what?” Hawk’s voice breaks Melissa’s reverie.

  Melissa shrugs. “I guess, Mom got a little carried away with the wine.” Melissa knows exactly what her mother was talking about, but she doesn’t feel like it’s something she can share with Hawk without him thinking that she’s some kind of crazy woman.

  “I like her. You’re a lot like her, you know?” Hawk keeps looking towards where the car had left the parking lot.

  “Apart from the red hair, most people don’t really think we look alike. Apparently, I take after my father. Lucky me.” Melissa rolls her eyes.

  “Maybe you do, physically at least. But your mom’s a good person. She has the same kind of light that you do, the same way of looking at the world and making it seem better.” Hawk sighs deeply, as if it were something that he could never have imagined existed.

  “She’s the best.” Melissa smiles without the slightest hint of irony; she really did believe it. She turns to Hawk, prepared with the questions she needs to ask. They can’t just continue with the evening as if nothing of any note had happened. “How did you know I was here?”

  She folds her arms, staying just out of reach of him. So far, Hawk had made good on his promise; he hadn’t touched her. She’d held his hand at the dinner table, and when she’d released it, he’d made no move to take it back. But the intensity that draws her to him is like a moth to a flame, and it just keeps getting harder and harder to ignore.

  “Felicia told me you were meeting your mom’s new boyfriend. Ali told me where.” He shrugs, looking not at all embarrassed at having tracked her down.

  “Ali told you? I thought after last night you’d be on her ‘persona non grata’ list for a little while. You must’ve done some serious sweet talking.” Melissa raises an eyebrow at him, watching as he smiles at her in a way that makes her stomach do somersaults.

  “She took a little convincing; that’s why I was late.” He gives her an apologetic look. “But eventually she believed what I was trying to tell her.”

  Melissa narrows her eyes at him. “And what was that?”

  Hawk rocks up and down on his heels, a gesture that she’s only seen him use when he’s nervous. “You know, ‘Mel, you look amazing.” He looks at her appreciatively—in a way that makes her cheeks heat.

  In her high heels, she hardly has to look up at him at all, but with the energy that he radiates off, she still feels as if he towers above her. “You don’t clean up so bad yourself, Mr. Ownes.” She smiles wryly at him. “Nice misdirection, too. So what did you say to Ali that made her give me up?”

  Hawk rakes his fingers through his hair, mussing it. “How did you think tonight went?”

  Melissa stifles a sigh, knowing that she can’t force him to say something that he doesn’t want to. But oh how she wants him to say it. “I think my mom loves you, but I think you already knew that.” She gives him a pointed look, and he responds with a rueful grin. “So, how’d you get to be so good at the whole ‘meet the parents’ thing?”

  Hawk looks thoughtful for a moment until his standard half-smile is safely back in place. “I don’t know. It was kind of my first time.”

  Melissa looks at him in shock. “What about high school girlfriends? You never had the big, ‘Make sure she’s home by ten o’clock’ talk?” Melissa points her finger at him, mimicking an angry father, or what she imagined that would have looked like.

  Hawk laughs. “No, but if they looked as cute as you did just then, I wouldn’t have minded.” He smiles at her, and Melissa sways a little feeling herself get lost in his eyes.

  “So, why did you decide to this time? What changed?” She shivers in the cold wind.

  “You did.” Hawk gives her a serious look that makes her insides warm despite the cold outside. “Let’s get you home.” He hands her the spare helmet that she’d come to think of as her own and motions her towards the bike.

  As she wraps her arms around Hawk’s waist and they zip through the streets, Melissa is reminded of her first time on the back of his bike. It doesn’t seem like it was only a few days ago. She clutches onto him, breathing in the smell of his leather jacket and holding onto him, feeling his muscles tense against her hands. When they pull up outside her house, Melissa finds herself wishing that the ride would never end. All she wants is to hold Hawk and to be held by him.

  Melissa pulls her dress down as she jumps off the bike. “I guess this dress isn’t really made for a motorbike. I probably gave half of Portland a view.”

  Hawk looks at her—from the tips of her stiletto shoes, up her long legs, over her dress, and up to her gently tousled hair. “You look beautiful.” He tilts his head, as if he’s considering something. “But if you’re going to be riding on the bike, we should probably get you some leathers.”

  Melissa feels a little tingle starting in her toes. “Does that mean you want me to ride on your bike?”

  Hawk takes a deep breath, like he’s
calling on his stores of patience. “It means that you’re the only one I want to ride on my bike.” Hawk closes the distance between them, stopping just short of her.

  “What did you say to Ali?” Melissa looks up at him, biting her bottom lip, suddenly nervous.

  “I told her how special you are to me, and that I wanted to be there for you tonight. I knew it was important for you.” Hawk’s hands clench and unclench by his side, and Melissa wonders if he’s finding it as hard not to touch her as she’s finding it to be without his touch. He takes another step towards her, so his head is only inches away from hers. “I told her that I’m in love with you.”

  Melissa’s eyes widen in shock.

  “Now it’s your turn, Melissa.” Hawk takes a deep breath, his voice low. “What did your mom ask if you knew?”