“Not exactly, but…” Hawk shrugged. “Something along those lines. Something with Frankie, at least. Maybe next time he’s in town we can all do something together.”
“I hope that means you’re gonna be thinking long-term with this guy,” Olivia said. “Juan is right. You do look pretty happy. And you do deserve it.”
“Thanks,” Hawk said, feeling a pang of regret for his less-than-charitable thoughts about Olivia earlier. She really did seem to mean well. “And yeah, I am thinking about something, uh… long-term.”
Hawk snapped his mouth shut, as surprised as anyone else at the table that he’d actually said it out loud. He was ready for something serious, something more than just sex—something real.
It just hadn’t seemed like an option before, so it hadn’t really been on Hawk’s radar. But now?
Maybe it was an option, after all.
The only question he had left was whether or not Frankie was ready for something real, too.
And if he was… could they actually make it work?
Chapter 20
Frankie
Frankie looked up when he heard the light knock on the office door, smiling when he saw Maya’s face peek inside.
“I’m all done for the day, Frankie,” she said. “I’m gonna go ahead and take off—unless you need anything else?”
“Not at all,” Frankie shook his head as he waved her off. “I’ll be finished here in just a few minutes, and then I can lock up. Go get a head-start on that evening traffic.”
It was the second week of Ethan and Jack’s honeymoon, and while Frankie was tired—really tired—he knew that Maya had to be exhausted. Not only was she putting in just as many hours as he was—more, some days—but unlike Frankie, she was also learning it as she went. Sure, she’d helped out in the shop a few times in the past, but nothing like this. And given that?
She had done an amazing job of jumping in with both feet and learning the ropes, freeing up Frankie’s time to handle all of the tedious day-to-day stuff that Ethan and Jack normally took care of.
Even though Frankie was really happy that his friends had been able to get away for a nice, long honeymoon—especially after the hardships they’d gone through over the past year, with losing Jack’s dad to a heart attack and then figuring out a way to make things work in the aftermath—he was going to be really glad when they were back and things returned to normal.
Just a few more days.
“Thanks, Frankie.” Maya smiled and blew him a little kiss. “You’re the best. I’ll be in to open in the morning, so… see you around two?”
“I’ll be here,” he said, waving her off again and thankful—again—that, unlike him, she was a morning person. “Now get out before we get the inevitable last-minute call and you get stuck here for another half-hour.”
“Done,” she said, nodding quickly and then disappearing back around the corner of the door frame. He listened to her footsteps walk away, and then the bell above the front door jingled as she called back to him. “Thanks again! See you tomorrow.”
Frankie heard the door close again as he turned back to the paperwork scattered across the desk in front of him. He sighed, reminding himself that he liked his job when all the tiredness rushed back in on him again. Just a few more minutes and he should be done, though. Then he could finally go home and relax.
Frankie’s lips tipped up as he reached for another vendor invoice that needed to be filed. Maybe, while he was relaxing at home, he should call Hawk and see how his day had gone, too. It had been a couple of days since Frankie had left Atlanta, and with as swamped as he’d been at Chance to Bloom, he and Hawk hadn’t been able to talk nearly as much as he would’ve liked.
It was sort of silly after just a couple of days apart—and maybe even more silly after only a few weeks together in the first place—but he was already starting to miss Hawk’s voice when he didn’t get to hear it every day.
And Hawk’s smile.
And his hands… his body…
Frankie shook his head to clear it, silently laughing at himself. At least he was waiting until after hours to get lost in his tendency to daydream. But still—
Focus. Finish this stupid paperwork so you can get out of here and call him.
The bell above the front door jingled again and Frankie’s Hawk-induced-smile flipped into a frown. Maya should’ve already been on her way out of town by then. Had she forgotten something? He hoped that was the case, and that they didn’t have a customer so close to closing time. Not that he didn’t adore ninety-nine percent of the people who came through that door, but… not now.
Not today.
Please, baby Jesus, not today.
Not after the stress of holding it all together over the last couple of weeks. Not when all he wanted to do was get done and go home so he could hear Hawk’s voice again.
No one called out a greeting, though, and Frankie was up out of his chair and almost to the office door when he heard the heavy footsteps approaching—footsteps that most definitely didn’t belong to Maya.
Whoever it was was moving quickly, and Frankie had a moment of panic. What if it wasn’t one of their mostly-elderly customers, either? What if it was someone there to rob him?
Oh, God. OhGodohGod.
“Frankie?” The loud voice boomed out, scaring a little squeak out of him. He peeked around the corner just in time to hear: “Are you in here, babe?”
Frankie’s brain registered the familiar voice just a split-second before Hawk rounded the corner.
“Oh my God, Hawk?”
Frankie’s face split into a huge grin, the adrenaline pumping through his veins for an entirely different reason now. All fear of after-hours strangers and news-worthy robberies were instantly swept away, replaced by the kind of happiness that almost left him dizzy… happiness, along with at least a dozen questions.
Frankie could barely focus on asking them, though—too busy closing the distance between them as fast as humanly possible.
“What are you doing here?” he gasped, practically leaping into Hawk’s arms. “Did you leave Atlanta early? Is everything okay? I thought you wouldn’t be back until like… tomorrow, at the earliest. Are you—”
The last one was cut off by Hawk’s lips landing on his, which instantly made none of those questions matter. Hawk was here… with Frankie… kissing him.
For the moment, it was the only thing that felt important.
“I missed you,” Hawk said, pulling back just a little and smiling down at him.
The simple statement felt like it answered all of Frankie’s questions. At least… he hoped it did. Unless he was just hearing what he wanted to hear?
“But… Atlanta?” Frankie asked, so happy he felt like he was about to burst.
Hawk kept one arm tightly around Frankie’s waist, reaching up with his other hand to cup Frankie’s cheek. “I didn’t wanna wait—couldn’t wait—to see you again,” he said, shrugging. “So I just… left.”
Frankie’s eyes went wide. “Are you gonna get in trouble? Your, um, coaches? Or… your agent? They’re probably gonna be mad.”
Hawk grinned like he didn’t care one whit about that kind of trouble, pulling Frankie tighter against him and kissing the top of his head as he spoke. “They’ll be okay. They got the headlines they wanted out of the weekend.” Then, with a sheepish smile, he added, “I just… I was thinking about you, and what you said about us, and… that pretty much made my mind up. I had to get back here to see you.”
Frankie didn’t really know what all of that meant. He was almost afraid to ask, in case the truth was less romantic and less wonderful than what his brain and his heart were leading him to believe. Still, it sounded a lot like all the things he’d spent so much time trying to talk himself out of hoping for.
But just in case? He had to make sure that he’d heard Hawk right. Had to make sure that it wasn’t all just an incredibly sweet dream.
“You…” Frankie pulled back again just
enough to look up into Hawk’s eyes. “You really came all the way back here—a day early—just to see me? You… missed me?”
“I did,” Hawk confessed, smiling in that unexpectedly shy way that made Frankie’s heart do a slow roll in his chest. Then, looking past Frankie toward the office, Hawk quickly added, “I’m sorry. I probably should’ve called first. I know you’re busy here and—”
“Oh my God,” Frankie cut him off, laughing. “Are you kidding? This is the best surprise I’ve had since… ever. I’m glad you didn’t call. I mean… that would’ve been sweet, too. But… whatever, you know what I mean.” Frankie brought a hand up and put it against Hawk’s chest, going up on his toes to bring his face just a couple of inches from Hawk’s. “But now, could you, um… stop apologizing and just… kiss me again?”
“Yes.” Hawk leaned in and kissed him, backing off quickly with a teasing glint in his eyes. “Like that?”
“No.” Frankie reached up and put his hands around the back of Hawk’s neck, bringing him in closer as he whispered, “Like this.”
And as their lips met again, as Hawk’s tongue found Frankie’s and Hawk’s hands roamed down Frankie’s back, Frankie knew that it wasn’t just a dream.
This was real.
Hawk had missed him—had flown all the way back to Bridgewater a day early just to see him, then said a million and one sweet things that made Frankie feel…
Special.
Like he mattered to Hawk.
Like he was Hawk’s maybe-not-so-pretend boyfriend. Or at least, like maybe he could be.
It boggled Frankie’s mind, but here they were.
Together.
And Frankie was way over-thinking it when he should be enjoying it. He grinned against Hawk’s lips, his insides feeling like they were full of champagne bubbles. Happy. Giddy.
Well, and horny, too.
“Do you need to finish anything here?” Hawk asked, leaning back a little with eyes full of heat. His voice was low and thick with desire, and it made Frankie want to crawl up his big, hard body and do all sorts of things that weren’t appropriate for the flower shop.
Instead, he bit his lip, making himself be good.
What had Hawk just asked him? Oh, right…
“No,” Frankie lied, not giving one single thought to the paperwork that was still waiting for him in the office. Especially not when Hawk’s eyes went from hot to really, really hot.
Except… he couldn’t really leave it all for Maya to do in the morning, could he? Even if she would’ve probably been sympathetic to Frankie’s current predicament, it wasn’t a very nice thing to do.
“Well, um, maybe yes, actually?” Frankie amended, frowning at the delay. “Give me five minutes? Please?”
“Anything,” Hawk said, smiling as he planted a kiss on Frankie’s forehead. “Take as long as you need. You’re worth the wait.”
He was?
Well, of course he was. But… Hawk thought he was?
“Okay,” Frankie said, feeling something warm and sweet start to spread through his heart. “Um, I won’t be long? It’s just some paperwork and stuff…”
Hawk nodded as Frankie moved toward the office, then said something that stopped him in his tracks again.
“Just know,” Hawk said, slowly licking his lips as he looked Frankie up and down, “that when we leave here, I’m not gonna be able to keep my hands off you.”
Oh my God.
Frankie’s knees nearly gave out as he swayed in place for a moment, “warm and sweet” completely eclipsed by the hot wave of desire that rushed over him. It made it so tempting to just leave the paperwork for Maya and lock the doors…
But no.
He could do this. He could ignore how turned on he was and be responsible for five minutes—just long enough to finish his work.
But then?
Yeah, he wasn’t gonna be able to keep his hands off Hawk, either. At all.
Frankie actually had managed to get everything done in five minutes, but it had been the longest five minutes of his life… followed by an excruciatingly slow drive over to his apartment.
Hawk had followed him in his rental car, so Frankie hadn’t even been able to hold his hand, let alone anything else. And after how worked up he’d gotten from that hot kiss back in the office and all those sweet words Hawk had sprung on him? Being separated for the barely ten-minute drive had felt like a whole new level of cruel and unusual punishment.
But now they were finally inside Frankie’s apartment with the door closed behind them. It was just the two of them, with as much privacy as they wanted—a feeling Frankie had learned to cherish after weeks of being confronted with paparazzi at every turn.
“That was the longest car ride ever, babe,” Hawk said, grinning as he opened his arms to Frankie. “I thought I was going to have to signal for you to pull over and, uh… help me out on the way.”
Frankie laughed as he nuzzled up against Hawk’s neck, loving the way Hawk’s arms felt as they squeezed tightly around him. Also loving the idea that Hawk had been… impatient.
“You know I would’ve done it—just to be helpful, of course.”
“Of course,” Hawk’s chest rumbled as he spoke, the sound and feel of it making Frankie want to climb up him. “This is…” He paused to kiss Frankie again, then continued, “definitely helping, though.”
Hawk shifted his hips, grinding his already hard cock against Frankie as they kissed. After the way he’d been thinking about Hawk ever since leaving Atlanta, it was almost enough to get him off right then and there. Something Frankie didn’t want to wait—couldn’t wait—any longer to do. Not now that he’d had a taste of how good it was between them.
He reached down and palmed Hawk’s cock through the fabric of his jeans, drawing a long, low moan from deep inside Hawk’s chest. It was the hottest sound Frankie had ever heard, and even though he’d thought he’d been turned on before, something about the rumbling sound of pure need—need for him—took things to a whole knew level.
He wanted to hear Hawk make that sound over and over again.
Starting… now.
“Jesus, Frankie,” Hawk ground out, thrusting against his palm.
“Yeah,” Frankie said, not sure what that was supposed to mean but too busy feeling like he was going to explode out of his pants to care. He reached down with his free hand, fumbling with the button and zipper of Hawk’s jeans in a frantic rush to free that thick, pulsing cock that was currently consuming every one of his thoughts.
Thankfully, Hawk seemed to have the exact same idea—getting naked, and getting naked fast—and was clearly happy to help. He shrugged out of his shirt and then made quick work of his jeans and underwear, sort of taking Frankie’s breath away when he—finally—stood fully naked in front of him.
Wow. Just… wow.
When they’d been together in Atlanta, Frankie had been so tired, but still so horny, that he hadn’t taken the time to properly appreciate Hawk’s amazing body.
But now?
In the comfort and privacy of his own apartment, there was no rush at all. Well, not counting the super urgent rush that Frankie felt to touch and taste and do all sorts of things they hadn’t gotten to before. But still, he made himself slow down and take a step back, drinking in the sight in front of him.
With lots of appreciation.
Hawk was built like a Greek god, an Adonis made all the more mouthwatering because his chiseled body and hard cock were Frankie’s. Well… sort of Frankie’s.
Definitely his for the moment, at least.
All that gorgeousness, just waiting for his touch.
Frankie licked his lips, his own cock throbbing in the tight confines of his suddenly too-tight pants. He wasn’t normally the most forward of guys, but being with Hawk—knowing Hawk wanted him, too—made him feel almost greedy.
Bold.
“Babe,” Hawk whispered. “Please… the way you’re looking at me. I’m gonna go crazy if you don’t—”
<
br /> His words dissolved into a hot, sexy moan as Frankie reached out and wrapped his hand around that thick, throbbing cock. Bold. He loved how smooth and hot it felt—loved even more the way Hawk’s hips thrust forward with another of those shiver-worthy moans. The way his head tipped back in pure pleasure. The way it was Frankie’s name that fell from his lips.
“God, I love this,” Frankie whispered without thinking, unable to take his eyes off Hawk. “Love your cock, love everything about—”
Frankie snapped his mouth closed, stopping himself before he could finish that sentence. Even if it was true—and he thought it might be—Frankie didn’t need to go there. Didn’t need to complicate things.
Especially not now.
Frankie wanted to fully enjoy the moment… and oh God, the way Hawk’s thick shaft felt in his hand, the way Hawk’s amazing body shuddered as Frankie worked it over, those things were very, very enjoyable. They could wait to take things deeper until later.
Maybe.
If… but no. Frankie was going to stay in the moment. Because this moment? It was very, very good.
“So good, babe,” Hawk said, his eyes focusing again on Frankie as he thrust into his fist. “Come here.”
He reached down and grabbed Frankie’s ass without waiting, using both hands to pull him close. Closer. So close that Frankie’s hand—still wrapped around Hawk’s cock—was trapped between their bodies, and Frankie’s body was… oh God. It felt so good, pressed against the man he maybe could fall for, if he didn’t stop himself.
Or… maybe the man he already had.
Hawk thrust against Frankie’s palm, grinding his entire body against Frankie’s and whispering hot, dirty things in his ear until Frankie couldn’t take it anymore.
“Please,” he whispered, needing to be naked with Hawk. Needing to feel Hawk’s bare skin against his own. Needing it now.
Please seemed to be good enough—either that, or Hawk could read his thoughts—because he brought his hands up and slipped them under the back of Frankie’s shirt, lifting it off and tossing it on top of the growing pile of clothes next to them.
Just Chance Page 19