by Christa Wick
This time Hawk McKinley sat across from daddy's recliner with a cold glass of sweet tea in his hand. Keeping my gaze off Hawk, I looked at daddy. He seemed relaxed, too relaxed for a man who had heard all the rumors about me and the man sitting next to him.
"Hey, baby girl. Me and Hawk were just talking about things."
I nodded, still refusing to look at my former lover. Daddy is very particular about using a person's first name. Doesn't matter how low or high up in the world the person is, daddy won't use a first name unless he has been invited to do so and, more importantly, he respects the person.
Clearly, daddy didn't know Hawk McKinley like I did.
"I'm going to get the stew ready," I mumbled and fled into the kitchen.
Gathering and rinsing vegetables and potatoes, I kept my back to the doorway. I didn't want to see when Hawk left and, if he was stupid enough to think he could come in here and try to charm me the way he'd obviously charmed daddy, all he would get from me was the back of my head. If there was anything left to save and he wanted to, he'd had weeks to try.
I grabbed a chopping knife from the block and started attacking the celery. The chops came faster, my vision blurring but my brain refusing to communicate with my hands. My breathing sped up, my heart rate running ahead of it as the blade moved closer to my fingers.
A hand curled around my wrist, another around my shoulder.
"I get you don't want to talk to me but you don't need to lose a finger to prove it, sweet tea."
I tried to shake him off but he held fast. "I don't care what you're doing here, Hawk McKinley--"
"Sure you do, Ginny." He took the knife away and placed it in the kitchen sink before recapturing my wrist. "Otherwise you would have given me a cold smile or two, told me I had no business here--"
"You don't!" I tried to sidle away from him. He wrapped both arms around me in an awkward hug, one I didn't want.
"Of course I do, love." He pressed his lips to my ear, the gesture forcing my eyes shut.
"Not that word…never." I sucked a huge breath in, instinct fighting instinct within me. I would not turn into his embrace. I would not cry. I would not let him see how much he had hurt me. I would not listen to his lies or excuses. I would not do any of those things even if I wanted to do all of them.
"I have another word, baby. Forgive."
Opening my eyes, I glared at him from the side. "Forgive?"
The word tasted as ridiculous as it sounded but the damn fool holding me nodded. His hands gently rubbed at the muscles knotting under my skin. He brushed his cheek against my hair, everything so familiar and unwelcomed and wonderful at the same time. I felt a thousand-thousand needles piercing my heart.
"I want you to know that I forgive you, sweet tea."
"You-you forgive me!" I couldn't help it -- I shouted.
"That's right, sweet tea." Hawk forced me to turn and look at him, his hands cupping my face so the only way to avoid meeting his gaze was to shut my eyes. I stared back at him, my anger making it easier but no less painful.
"I forgive you for believing the terrible things Harrison said." He kissed my forehead. "About me."
He kissed my cheek. "And about you."
He kissed my other cheek. "I forgive you for not trusting me."
He kissed my lips. "For not believing in yourself or me and for walking out."
I pushed at his chest before I could surrender to his mouth. "Weeks!"
It was all I could get out and I was pretty damned surprised I had managed that much. My body had started to react with a need that didn't include punching him. He drew me close again, his lower stomach and something long, thick and hard nestling against the swell of my stomach.
"Yes, love." He went back to kissing me, starting at my neck and jawline to quickly close perimeter on my mouth. "Weeks of us both being hurt and obstinate, and I forgive you because I love you."
Tears started to flow freely from me and I squirmed to get away from Hawk. He took a step back, his face turning down. "Ginny--"
"What the fuck, McKinley!"
I froze, panic settling inside me like quick drying cement. I knew the voice and tone, only I hadn't heard Beau use it since -- well, since he'd taught Bobby Jackson a lesson in manners. Hawk took another step back from me, turning so that I was out of harm's way.
He almost avoided Beau's swinging fist.
Almost.
"Beau Kelly!" My tongue unstuck but the rest of me was useless. Was this paralysis what Hawk had felt seeing his dad in the office and me wearing heartache all over my face?
I don't think Beau could hear me with all the blood pounding through his head. He was as worked up as I've ever seen him and preparing to take another punch. Hawk moved more swiftly, catching Beau's arm and spinning him. In less than sixty seconds he had my brother's chest planted against the kitchen table with Beau's wrist bent at a controlling angle that I knew had to hurt like the hell.
"Beau, calm down." I stepped to the table and placed my trembling palm against his cheek. "I can handle Hawk McKinley myself."
"You were crying." A deep scowl lined his face but he stopped trying to break free from Hawk's expert hold.
"Yes," I agreed. "And I'm probably not done crying, but I will handle this."
"Fine." Beau closed his eyes, his body relaxing. Hawk released him and he straightened slowly then turned and glared at Hawk. "I'm only through with you until she says otherwise."
Hawk gave a slow nod, his body remaining tense and alert. Beau left the room and I headed for the freezer to grab a bag of corn for Hawk's cheek. He let me approach, but wouldn't take the cold pack. Instead he turned me and planted my butt in a kitchen chair.
He stared down at me, not saying a single word. I started to squirm, feeling guilty because Beau hit him and because he was right about some of the things he'd said. Hell, he was right about all the things he'd said. I hadn't believed in either one of us. I'd been afraid to tell my parents -- my wonderful, understanding, loving parents -- that I was seeing him. I'd made him hide and then, when he wanted to explain, both times, I'd run away.
I knew I should acknowledge the truth. More than that, I should tell him I love him. All those weeks of seeing one another, I hadn't. I wouldn't even call him love like he called me. It was time to put my big, fat, stubborn mouth to good use for once…
"How'd you learn to fight like that?"
Oh, absolute genius, Kelly!
His face narrowed in on itself. I looked down at my lap where my hands twisted around one another. He cupped my chin and forced my gaze up.
"I only ever pursued you because I wanted you, Virginia Kelly."
I nodded. "I know that."
"I think you're beautiful." His grip tightened when I closed my eyes, so I looked back up. "And admitting you are nothing like the women I had relationships with in the past was one of the greatest compliments I could have given you. It means you give, you care, you listen. Your heart is out, open and exposed. I know I reacted poorly, baby, but it was the first time in my life I can ever remember being afraid. I didn't want to lose you."
He released his hold on my face and dropped to his knees. His hands smoothed up and down my legs as he rocked absently. I could see he was fighting to find the right words when a soft throat clearing behind me redirected our attention.
Daddy stood at the kitchen's threshold, his cane in hand. His face was solemn, serious. He nodded at Hawk, gave a little jerk of his head then walked away. Hawk stood, his face knotted with an emotion I couldn't read, and followed after daddy.
I waited, every muscle in my body tense as my ears strained for the sound of another scuffle. By the time Hawk returned just a few minutes later, I felt ready to faint before he had a chance to say anything.
He got down in front of me again, this time on one knee. His left hand closed in a fist, he reached in and pulled something from it.
"That's daddy's wedding band." I looked from the ring to Hawk's face. Damn, he was beautif
ul. I reached forward. My fingers lightly brushed his cheek to find that he'd shed a tear or two. "I'm sorry, Hawk."
He shook his head then captured my hand. "Your daddy wanted me to do this right."
I looked down, all the emotions running through me making me too dense to comprehend his words or actions. "Do what, Hawk?"
He chuckled and slid the ring on my finger. "I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
He stopped to kiss the hand he'd just put the ring on. "I want you to have my babies." He flipped my hand so that it was palm up and planted another kiss. "Darn my socks--"
"Oh, Hawk McKinley!" I pushed at his chest, my laugh delighted and tearful. Bending forward, I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him.
He hugged me back, standing up and pulling me with him so that the length of my body was pressed against his. "Is that a yes, sweet tea?"
"Yes!" I kissed him, repeating the word and the kisses over and over, each one more enthusiastic than the last.
**********************
Virginia McKinley. Virginia Kelly-McKinley.
Staring down at the platinum and diamond wedding set on my finger, I shook my head.
Mrs. Hawk McKinley.
Perfect. Warmth bubbled through me and I turned in the backseat of the limo to snuggle closer to Hawk. Behind us, the short skyline of Tupperville faded to dust on the horizon. We were on our way to the airport in Midland and the private jet that would fly us to New York to refuel before carrying us the rest of the way to Dublin for our honeymoon. My parents, Beau and Shelly would be joining us in a week, all of us housed in a castle my new husband had rented for the occasion.
I stayed snuggled against Hawk until it was time to leave the limo and get on the plane. Entering the aircraft a few steps ahead of him, I stopped and stared. "It's like a flying double wide, only fancier!"
Hearing a giggle from one of the flight crew, I snapped my mouth shut and tried not to blush. I needed to learn not to say stuff like that anymore. Things were only going to get fancier as I moved deeper into Hawk's world. I only hoped I could adjust with half the grace he had shown in entering mine.
"You are exactly right, sweet tea." Taking my hand, he led me to a white leather couch and sat me down. He nodded at the crew. "If there are any emergencies, please advise us over the intercom. Otherwise, we are to be left alone."
They nodded, smiling and discreetly backing away from the forward area of the cabin to disappear behind a solid panel of polished wood.
"Emergencies?" It was my first time flying -- ever -- and I didn't like the sound of that word.
Hawk laughed, his hands curling around my elbows and drawing me up. "There won't be any, baby. It's just my way of letting them know I'll have their heads if they interrupt me taking my bride."
"Oh…" Blushing, I looked around the cabin. It was furnished like a fancy, but functional, living room. Except for the plush carpet, the white couch he'd just lifted me from provided the only suitable place for the taking of a bride.
I looked at the panel the crew had disappeared behind. I could hear the low hum of sounds through the wood and my cheeks got hotter. "Aren't they all just on the other side?"
"That's why I'm taking you behind door number two." Hawk coaxed me toward the far end of the section we were in. He slid another panel open, revealing a king-sized bed and, beyond that, another open panel showing a large bathroom complete with a garden tub.
"Hawk, there's a bed in this plane!"
He responded with another soft, sweet laugh that I could feel against my bare shoulder. "That's our bed, baby. And you're going to spend about eighty percent of your flight in it -- both flights."
His fingers moved along the back of the dress I'd changed into for the flight. It was almost as fancy as the wedding dress, its back a maze of ties that Shelly and momma had helped me fasten. He undid them one by one, planting a kiss for each knot conquered, his mouth trailing from my shoulder, up my neck, to my ear.
The outer shell of the dress fell to the ground, leaving me standing in high heels, white stockings and a matching corset with the thinnest swatch of white satin masquerading as panties. Hawk turned me to face him and groaned, his eyes soaking in the way the corset molded my pale flesh.
His hands trailed from my shoulders, down my sides, to my hips.
"Mmm, more ties." Finding the ribbons that held my panties together and on me, he smiled. A naughty light glittered in his gaze as he slowly untied them. Freeing me, his eyes fluttered shut as his fingers stroked the silky red triangle of hair where my thighs met. "Ninety, sweet tea."
"Ninety?"
"Yeah, ninety percent." His eyes opened to reveal a smoldering, sensual blue fire. "In that bed, my mouth on you, my cock in you."
He pressed on the top of my shoulders, pushing until I sat on the edge of the bed. He wanted me center of the mattress, but I wasn't ready to start the obeying part of the vows I'd taken. I unthreaded his belt and slowly worked the button and zipper open as I kissed a line down from his navel.
"Willful little brat," he teased, his fingers knotting in the thick, red curls I'd dressed my hair in that morning.
My lips closed around the head of his cock, earning me an approving murmur. His grip tightened and he rose up on his toes as I took in more of his length. Too big for me to suck all the way in, I wrapped my palms around the base and stroked. I could taste the bead of pre-cum pearling against the flat of my tongue. I pulled back, teasing the slit as I stroked harder.
"So good, little girl." He let me suck and lick as he rocked back and forth on his heels. When he started to swell bigger and his balls pulled tight, he pushed me away. He drew a shuddering breath in but denied his release.
He spun, landed on the bed next to me and pulled me across his lap before I realized what was happening. He had my belly across his thighs, my bare ass up in the air. Realizing what he was about to do, what he'd threatened any number of times, I gasped.
Hawk chuckled as his hand started to lovingly caress my butt cheeks. He ran his fingers between my folds, finding me dripping with arousal. "This pretty little ass needs spanked, love."
I bit my lip, thighs and ass flexing in anticipation, but he continued to rub and stroke at my flesh. "Or maybe this lovely wet cunt."
I started to shake at the threat, need churning inside me. He rubbed my slit, spreading my juices and making me squirm. He stroked and teased until I was moaning and relaxed.
Swat!
"Hawk McKinley!"
Another chuckle, the sound a sweet hymn to my ears. He returned to stroking me, his fingers detouring time and again to leisurely fuck in and out of my pussy. He drove me right to the edge, my legs splayed, my pussy exposed and vulnerable.
He tapped fast and light against my perineum, reeling my climax in before letting it unspool back to the brink of satisfaction.
"Hawk, love." I squirmed, needy, aching. "Can I, please? Can I?"
"Baby needs to come?" He tapped harder, faster.
"Yes, oh, please." I was about to, with or without his permission. I sucked two deep breaths in…ready…rolling…contracting…
Swat!
Fingers deep, hard, twisting, his thumb pressing against the pucker of my ass, the flesh slick from the juices he had pulled from me.
"Come, sweet Ginny." The thumb threatened, enticed, penetrated. "Come so I can fuck this pretty little pussy."
I jerked, my release freeing the scream stuck in my throat. My hips crested high, held, crested higher. Hawk rolled, flipping me on my back and pushing me up the mattress. He took my hand and kissed it before placing it against my pussy.
"Stroke yourself, love."
He watched me as he stripped his clothes off then he dove onto the bed, his chin pushing my hand away. Slurpy, sucking kisses were followed by his fingers as he moved up my body. Then his cock, bare and throbbing, slid in to the spot his hand had just vacated.
He planted more kisses on my neck, bruising the pale skin
beneath. His fingers made quick work of the corset, and then it was my breasts between his lips, his hands molding and squeezing as he sucked the hard tips.
Something pulled at me and I clutched his shoulders. "What was that?"
Hawk lifted his head, grinning. "Love, we've been taxiing for almost ten minutes. That pressure you just felt is lift off and it's only going to intensify for the next few minutes."
He licked my nipple, kissed it. "Should we stop?"
"Heavens, no," I moaned. He was in me, so thick and hard, the roof of my pussy already pushing down with need against his length. The gravity pull magnified the sensation.
Groaning, Hawk buried his face against my throat. His cock dragged in and out of me, the shaft and head fat and throbbing. I contracted around him, my muscles wringing and tugging his cock. He lifted his head, his hands framing my face. His thumbs hooked the sides of my mouth and then he kissed me, his strokes longer and more urgent as the pressure of lift-off climbed ruthlessly toward its apex.
Pleasure yanked my hips up, my mound rubbing and banging against his tight, muscled lower abdominals.
"So good, baby." He bit at my lower lip, his thumbs still acting as bits. "Come with me. Don't hold back."
My eyes rolled up. I exhaled, the first quiver of release vibrating through me. My cunt tightened around him, tugging sharply to pull him deeper as my cervix descended. He came then, strong jets shooting inside me three times, four, filling me now that there were no barriers between us.
Panting, I collapsed onto the mattress, all the pressure leaving our bodies once the plane reached its altitude. Hawk relaxed against me, his weight supported by his arms as his breath fell hot and fast against my ear. He kissed my cheek, my mouth, his hands soothing my jumpy flesh.
When I had calmed, he settled the bedspread around us. Cradled within his arms, I burrowed to my favorite spot, my cheek and one palm pressing lightly against his chest as his hand stroked my hair. His lips pressed against the top of my head, muffling his sleepy murmur.