‘Easy. Don’t panic,’ Missy said. She laid her hand on top of hers and they both breathed deeply. ‘I’ll help. We’ll go shopping together. We’ll start this weekend.’
‘What if we don’t find anything? Worse yet, what if I pick something and it doesn’t fit once reunion day rolls around?’ Roma looked at her hot chocolate and shrieked. She pushed it away as if it were poison. ‘What if I fall off the wagon and get fat?’
Missy caught her by both shoulders and shook her. ‘You won’t get fat. Jake and I won’t let you. Now pull yourself together, woman. I need your help, too.’
‘You do?’
Missy looked around carefully. That waiter tended to appear at the most embarrassing times. ‘I need you to help me pick out lingerie,’ she whispered.
‘Excuse me?’ Roma squeaked.
‘I’m tired of Hawk wrestling with my sports bras. I want to surprise him and look sexy for once.’
Roma couldn’t help it – she started to laugh. ‘Honey, have you looked in the mirror lately?’
At the mention of a mirror, Missy flushed to the colour of fuchsia.
Roma knew that look.
‘OK, OK. Hold back that info – whatever it is.’ She rubbed her brow. Her head was beginning to hurt all over again. Whether it was all this talk about Liz or the schnapps she’d drunk, she couldn’t tell. ‘Fine. We’ll go on the hunt for a dress for me and naughty underwear for you.’
‘Aren’t you going to need some naughty underwear, too?’
This time, it was Roma’s turn to flush. ‘Jake does have a thing for my coloured panties.’
Missy playfully clapped a hand over both ears. ‘Information. Too much information.’
‘Right.’ The more Roma thought about it, though, the more she liked it. She did need help picking out a dress, but fancy lingerie could come in handy for more than just the reunion. She’d put her panties up against Liz’s bikinis any day. ‘You’re on. Saturday, we hit the stores. They won’t know what hit ’em.’
Missy grinned. ‘Neither will Hawk nor Jake.’
Missy parked her trusty Honda in her assigned spot in front of her apartment building. She turned off the engine and affectionately tapped the steering wheel. The thing hadn’t given her a bit of trouble since Hawk had replaced the battery. She had a feeling he’d worked on some other problems, too, but she hadn’t asked and he hadn’t fessed up to anything.
She wished he would.
She got out of the car and slammed the door behind her. Her talk with Roma tonight had been fun, but it had also unsettled her. Her friend had raised a lot of questions she’d been trying to avoid. What was really happening between her and Hawk? It had been going on too long for it to be a fling. Were they in a relationship? Was it an affair?
It was hard to tell, because they didn’t talk – not like lovers should. When it came to the physical, they communicated perfectly without words. Anything else and they were like two awkward seventh graders at their first school dance.
What did she really know about the guy? Was he worth the risks she was taking?
She inhaled deeply and felt the bite in the spring night air. For all the questions Roma had raised, she was glad she’d confided in her. When it came to Hawk, sometimes she felt like she could just burst. Keeping it a secret much longer would have killed her.
‘Missy.’
Her footsteps stopped mid-stride, and her gaze flew to the visitors’ parking area. A black truck took up nearly two spots. Almost as if she’d conjured him, a big man stepped out of the shadows. ‘Hawk!’
A sizzle went down her spine, charged by both excitement and alarm. She glanced quickly to her apartment. The blinds were closed, but the lights were on.
Danny was home.
Oh, God.
She hurried over to see what Hawk wanted. As always, they couldn’t get within three feet of each other without touching. She reached out to lay her hand at his waist, and he brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek. The gentle caress made her air puff out in a cloud. How could he do so much to her with such a simple touch?
‘You shouldn’t be here,’ she whispered. She threw a worried look at the apartment, but didn’t step away.
‘Neither should you.’
She looked at him sharply, but found that he was looking at her apartment, too. Her heart gave a stutter-step. It was the first time he’d acknowledged Danny’s existence since he’d given her that infamous ride home. It made her uneasy.
‘Why did you come here?’ she asked. ‘I just saw you at the gym.’
‘That was over two hours ago.’
Heat unfurled in her belly when he caught the hand at his waist and put it over the crotch of his jeans. He stiffened underneath her hand. ‘You’re insatiable,’ she hissed.
‘And you love it.’
‘Hawk,’ she said, feeling herself already starting to weaken. ‘Please tell me you’re not here to cause trouble.’
‘I’m not.’ He shifted, though, as if he’d given it some thought. ‘I saw you head out with Roma. Does she know about us?’
‘Yes.’
‘Does that bother you?’
‘No.’
‘Good.’
She looked up at him, somewhat surprised. ‘I thought that you didn’t want anyone to know.’
‘I didn’t – not while you’re still with the slug.’ He jerked his head towards the apartment.
‘Oh,’ she said softly. He’d been trying to protect her reputation? The idea was strangely touching, although perplexing at the same time. He hadn’t hesitated one second about putting her in this position. Boyfriend or not, he’d come on like gangbusters.
Now he was concerned about what people thought of her?
‘You need to leave him,’ he said firmly. ‘Soon.’
‘Leave Danny?’ Her mouth dropped open. ‘I can’t do that.’
‘Yes, you can.’ He leaned down and kissed her hard. ‘Come home with me. Spend the night.’
Leave Danny? Spend the night? He had her head spinning – and she had a feeling he was doing it on purpose. For a guy who didn’t use many words, he sure knew how to choose them.
‘You don’t have class until tomorrow afternoon,’ he said. His fingers tangled in her hair as he ran his tongue down the side of her neck. ‘Think about it, little miss. You. Me. A bed.’
A bed. Her knees wobbled. They’d done it against the wall, in the cab of his truck, in her aerobics room on a stack of padded mats. They’d even done it after hours on a weight bench, but a bed?
She looked guiltily towards the apartment. Danny would be sitting on the couch watching a basketball game. A can of beer would be at his side, along with a jar of peanuts. She knew, because she knew him as well as she knew herself.
Danny was safe. Danny was home.
Hawk was a fleeting adventure.
If she needed to dump anyone, it was him.
He turned suddenly and backed her up against the pickup. Her arousal flared when he thrust his growing erection into her hand. ‘Give me one night,’ he said in a low voice. ‘No more of these hit and runs. I want to take my time. It’s time you let me.’
A shiver ran through her. What they’d been doing hadn’t been enough for him? What did he want out of her?
And what was she willing to give?
‘Missy,’ he whispered. ‘Please.’
With one little word, he got her right where it counted. He looked so rough and tough, yet he sounded vulnerable. It was a chink in his armour she hadn’t expected.
Still, she wasn’t a bad girl by nature. She knew what her answer should be. Home called. Home was comfortable.
But the sofa wasn’t.
She hadn’t let Danny touch her. There had to be a reason why.
She looked Hawk in the eye. His stare was so intense; it nearly burnt her. ‘OK,’ she whispered.
He didn’t smile. If anything, his look became even fiercer. In no time, he bundled her up into the truck and passed he
r his cell phone. ‘Call him.’
Her stomach dropped. ‘What do I say?’
‘That you’re with me.’
‘Hawk,’ she said softly. ‘I can’t.’
His hand fisted on top of the steering wheel. ‘Do you have caller ID?’
‘We can’t afford it.’
‘Then it doesn’t matter what you tell him, does it?’
The cab of the pickup got very quiet. Missy wished she could do this in private, but Hawk sat there, intent on listening to every word. She dialled and felt sick when Danny answered. Her palms got slick and, for a split second, she thought about telling him the truth. When she opened her mouth, though, she lied.
‘Danny? Don’t wait up for me tonight. I’m going to stay over at my friend Roma’s.’
‘Who?’
Her boyfriend sounded distracted. She heard the TV and knew she was interrupting the game. It made her feel even worse. ‘Roma from the gym.’
‘Yeah. OK.’
‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’ She fiddled with the zipper of her backpack. Tomorrow – after she’d spent the night in another man’s bed.
‘All right. Later.’
She opened her mouth to say more, but he hung up. One moment he was there, and the next the phone was dead. Shocked, she pulled back and stared at the display screen. That was it? That was all he had to say to her? She was cheating on him. Didn’t he care enough to notice? Silently, she passed the phone back to Hawk. His hand brushed against hers. She looked up to find him watching her closely.
He was waiting for her to back out.
All she had to do was say something.
And she might have if she hadn’t seen the tension in his body. His hand gripped the steering wheel as if it were a weighted barbell. His jaw was set, and the tendons in his throat were tight. It was the glimmer of hope in his eye, though, that made her heart start to pound.
He wanted her to pick him.
‘One night,’ she said softly. ‘That’s all I can give you.’
His fingers tightened around the steering wheel. ‘That’s all I need.’
Missy could have sworn he added ‘for now’ as he turned the key in the ignition.
He pulled out of the parking lot and drove to the outskirts of town. With every mile they went, the butterflies in her stomach increased. He was taking her to his home. She was finally going to see a personal side of him and, for the first time, it would truly be just the two of them. They wouldn’t have to worry about any boyfriends coming home, any exercisers stumbling into a dark aerobics room, or any accountants deciding to take on janitorial duties.
Missy felt herself becoming more nervous than the first time he’d taken her home.
He didn’t make matters any better. He didn’t say anything during the drive. Not one word. With the tension level as high as it was, it was almost as if he was nervous, too.
Finally, he turned down a dark road. No city lights ventured out this far, and the homes were spread far and wide. By the time he pulled into a long driveway, Missy’s palms were wet. The house came into view, and her nervousness momentarily gave way to surprise.
‘Oh, my God. Hawk, is that yours?’
He pulled at his seatbelt uncomfortably. ‘Yeah.’
‘It’s gorgeous!’
The ranch-styled house was modern but sturdy, with a beautiful stone facing lining the bottom half. Whoever had designed the place had taken nature into consideration. The home sat at the edge of a tree-lined creek and bent to follow its path. The asymmetrical shape gave the house character.
‘Are you going to just sit there staring, or do you want to come inside?’
Missy was surprised to find him standing at her door side. She could have sworn she saw a smile on his face. She scrambled to undo her seatbelt, and he opened her door. He hadn’t bothered to park inside the three-car garage. Instead, he let her walk up the front steps.
Once inside the entryway, Missy couldn’t move. The place was masculine, with heavy wooden tables and supple leather furniture. It was also spotless. That told her something about him – something she wouldn’t have expected from someone she’d originally thought of as a biker-bar rebel. ‘I love it,’ she whispered.
This time, he did smile. It changed his face entirely. With a playful growl, he swept her up into his arms. ‘Wait till you see the bedroom.’
She let out a laugh and held onto his wide shoulders as he took a direct path through the house. He didn’t even bother turning on the light as he entered the master bedroom. Moonlight streaming through the windows showed it off better than any man-made light ever could.
Carefully, he set her on her feet. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back tight against his body. ‘What do you think?’ he asked.
The bedroom was just as masculine, and it made her feel feminine and sexy. Turning in his arms, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. ‘I think I might not make it to class tomorrow at all.’
His eyebrows rose, but then she was tugging him down for a kiss. As always, it burnt out of control. Hands started groping and clothes started flying. Soon, they were both stripped and ready. Hawk started to back her towards the bed, but Missy stopped him by pressing both hands against his chest.
‘Wait,’ she said softly.
They always went so fast, and he was so dominant. Not that she was complaining. He’d never left her wanting. This time, though, she wanted to touch him.
It was her turn to drive him crazy.
Leaning forwards, she kissed the spot over his heart. She could feel it pounding against her lips. ‘Just let me do this.’
He flinched when her hands began exploring. ‘Do anything you want, baby. I’m not going to stop you.’
And he didn’t. He stood as still as he could under her attentions. She kissed and stroked, taking real pleasure in the beauty of his male body. His muscles were so hard and so well developed. He was like a Roman sculpture – only he wasn’t made of cold marble. He was hot, and his skin was smooth.
‘Hey!’ he protested when she circled around behind him.
He went quiet when she wrapped her arms about him.
Gently, she brushed her lips across his back. She was delighted when his strong muscles quivered. From her angle, it looked as if the hawk on his shoulder was trying to take flight. ‘What came first?’ she asked softly. ‘The tattoo or the name?’
‘The tattoo.’
‘What did they call you before then?’
‘Does it matter?’
It did. She wished he would tell her, but now was not the time. Lifting herself up on her tiptoes, she flicked her tongue over the drawing. ‘I like it,’ she whispered. ‘It turns me on.’
Everything about him turned her on.
Intently, she slid her hands down his six-pack abs. He inhaled sharply when she wrapped her hands around his cock.
‘I like that,’ he grunted.
He was about to like it even more. With a soft touch, she traced her finger across the bulbous head. She knew his thickness and his length. She’d been introduced to both up close and personal.
She wanted to get more personal. She took a shaky breath. ‘Hawk,’ she said softly. ‘I want to go down on you.’
He went still.
‘I know you like to take the lead,’ she said in a rush. ‘But you brought me here so we could take our time. I…I want to do this.’
He took a ragged breath and slid his hands down so they covered hers. ‘We can go as slow as you want, little miss.’
The butterflies fluttered up from her stomach right into her throat. The only other man she’d ever done this with was Danny. Suddenly, she felt nervous. She didn’t know how many calming breaths she had to take before she slowly circled back in front of him. Their gazes connected. Unsteadily, she dropped to her knees.
His hand caught her at the nape of her neck. ‘We’ll stop whenever you want.’
She didn’t want to stop. She wanted to taste him. Timidly, she
reached out for him. He was hard and hot. She wrapped her fingers around his thickness and felt it pulse in her hand. Slowly, she leant forwards.
A grunt left his lips as he aimed his raring tool at her mouth. ‘God, you look beautiful like that.’
The head of his cock bumped against her lips. She kissed him softly and slid her hand down to cup his balls. She opened her mouth, and he carefully pushed his hot, smooth, pulsing rod inside. It filled her mouth and rasped against her tongue. He was big, though. Really big.
‘You can take it,’ he said, pulling back slightly. ‘Open wider and loosen up. Relax.’
Fighting her reflexes, she eased the tightness in the muscles of her throat. Her mouth was filled with his hot flesh, and she realised she liked it. Curious about his taste, she let her tongue curl around him.
‘Oh, that’s good,’ he said, groaning. ‘Real good. Try sucking it.’
The request made her pussy clench. She had a mouthful of cock. It felt hot and hard, but his texture was fascinating. She suckled experimentally and was enthralled when she felt the soft pulsations running through his flesh.
He jerked. ‘Fuck!’
Unable to hold still, he thrust. ‘God. That’s right, baby. Suck it hard.’
His hands fisted in her hair, and he began pumping in and out of her mouth. His balls were drawn up tight. He was going deep down her throat. A moment of uncertainty gripped her when she realised just how much she was submitting – but then she realised something else. She loved it. Her flare of nerves quickly turned into a flare of arousal. Reaching around, she caught his buttocks and squeezed tightly. He jolted at the touch, and she gagged when he went a little too deep.
‘Sorry,’ he said harshly. ‘You just feel so fucking incredible.’
So did he.
Missy was so excited, her hips were squirming. She laved him with her tongue and went at him harder. Reaching down, she touched herself. She was wetter than she’d ever been in her life.
Hawk was close. Harsh words were coming out of his lips, and his fingers tangled in her hair. He wasn’t letting her go as he fucked her soft mouth. The motion of his hips became quick and jerky. She shuffled forwards on her knees, and he thrust harder.
He swelled and, within three more thrusts, was ejaculating. Hot come filled Missy’s mouth, and she swallowed as quickly as she could. His pleasure made her happy. It made her realise she hadn’t submitted at all. She had as much power over him as he did her.
High School Reunion Page 11