by Ember Leigh
He wasn’t gonna drop it. And there was no way I could lie to him. “Yes.”
His jaw flexed but he didn’t say anything.
“I don’t know where it’s going,” I went on. “But it’s nice, and it’s something. That’s all I know for now.”
Brute cursed under his breath and left the kitchen. My thoughts roared to a boil, and I scrubbed those dishes harder than ever. I knew exactly the questions I’d ask Hawk later, but a more pressing matter begged for attention: convincing Brute that Hawk wasn’t a threat.
I needed more details, but still—something just didn’t make sense. Brute was soft underneath that hard exterior. Always had been. And I never thought that Hawk and I might trigger that big brother protectiveness, that fear that he’d lose a best friend and sister in the mix.
Certainly never imagined he had an arsenal of rationalization mixed into the tale of Hawk vs. Brute.
I slipped away from the kitchen, heading to the quiet spare room upstairs to talk to Hawk. He answered on the second ring.
“Hey, beautiful.” His smooth tenor made the tension from my conversation with Brute dissolve on the spot. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Hawk.” I sighed, sitting on the bed. Everything in this room was a complementary shade of blue. I swiped my fingers over the sky blue comforter as we chit-chatted for a few moments about our family traditions, how the day had gone, and then I got down to business.
“Hawk, did you know who I was when you ran into me at the bar?”
He paused. I could almost imagine the look of confusion on his face. Or maybe I just wanted it to be that way. Truth was, we’d only been able to video chat and send pictures since I came back to NYC. We’d only known each other for four weeks. Maybe I didn’t know him at all.
“Of course not,” he said. “Why do you ask?”
“Why did you pause?”
“I was seriously not expecting a question like that,” he said with a small laugh. “Why do you ask?”
I nibbled on my bottom lip, considering how much I should reveal. It felt like a big deal. But also, maybe this was going to fizzle out soon. He lived in LA—how could it even work? Doubt slithered through me, making me woozy.
“I told Brute that we’ve been talking.” I poked at the navy blue throw pillow at the head of the bed. “He thinks you sought me out intentionally as an attack against him.”
Hawk’s throaty noise was so incredulous it could have echoed around the world twice. “What? Are you kidding me?”
“No.”
“Sadie, I can’t reiterate this enough: fighting your brother is work for me, but for him it seems way more personal. I can’t explain it. Ever since our first fight he’s had something against me. I always thought it was because I beat him. But I did not know who you were when I saw you at the bar.”
My doubts disintegrated under Hawk’s firm voice. “He thinks you’re the reason his ex-girlfriend left him.”
There was a heavy pause. “What? Who the fuck is his ex-girlfriend?”
“Mandy Leffler.”
Another pause. And then, “Shit.”
“What?”
He heaved a sigh. “Yeah, I remember her. I didn’t know she was Brute’s ex, though.”
“Well, he’s not over it. And because of it, he’s got a Grade A grudge against you.” I plopped back onto the bed.
“Mandy came onto me,” Hawk said. “I found out later she was dating someone, but never knew who. We messed around a few times. She fell hard, though.”
I smirked. “Easy to do with you, I guess.”
Hawk laughed low and throaty. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
He sighed. “Sadie, I miss you.”
Hearing those words from him never got old. It was so early, but so true. I missed him, down to my core. “I miss you too, Hawk. When can we see each other?”
“Soon. What are you doing for New Year’s?”
My heart pounded as I thought about my calendar. Some girlfriends and I were going to a private party. “Just a little bash with friends. What about you?”
“You got any time for visitors?”
The grin nearly split my face in two. “Shut up. Are you serious?”
“I’m not telling you the day or time. But there’s a very good chance I will be seeing you this week—”
The excitement burbled over, and I squealed into the phone.
Chapter 13
HAWK
The holidays made me nostalgic—I couldn’t deny it. I’d grown up on the east coast, so I knew about actual snow and sub-zero winter, unlike most of my LA friends. And every Christmas I sorta wished for the cold, wanted it in a way that snaked down into my heart.
But this year, the nostalgia was worse. Because of Sadie. Because I knew she was an entire country away from me. And I wanted her so bad I couldn’t think straight some days. Talking to her each night was a salve, but it didn’t last long. I needed frequent reapplications. Sometimes we talked hourly.
The trip idea started brewing the second I knew she’d left Denver. I worried her family might cause a stink about the visit, but then again, I wasn’t visiting them. The whole way to the airport, I tried to play it cool on the phone with her, hanging up just before I got to the airport and she overheard the plane announcements or something. The plan was to stay a full week with her, until the very last day before training started. Ring in the New Year with her and get this shit on lockdown.
Because the past five weeks had only solidified that sneaky thought I’d had on day one: this woman was mine.
I whistled as I wheeled my bag to the check-in counter. I’d told Sadie I was going to a film festival so I’d be out of touch for several hours. Just enough time to make it to JFK non-stop. Once my bag was checked, I breezed through security, making it to my gate with plenty of time.
I couldn’t stop imagining how the visit might go. How the sex would be. I even got myself hard thinking about it, imagining the curves of her body, way she’d gasped as I’d eased into her the first—and only—time. We had a week to ourselves—I’d make her body sing. We’d fuck until sunrise. Until she couldn’t walk. Until exhaustion claimed both of us.
My leg bounced the entire flight to New York. When the plane landed, I felt like I took my first real breath in hours. I was there—finally. Which meant Sadie was less than an hour away.
As soon as I turned my phone on, I texted Sadie to let her know the movie was over. She wrote quickly. “How was it?”
“So-so.” I told her I’d seen a couple action movies. “Typical typecast characters doing gutsy, unbelievable things.”
The plane dinged and everyone started rustling around, getting their bags out of the overhead bins. I stood, gnawing on my lip as I typed out another text. “What are you up to?”
“Alone at home. Fantasizing about you.”
My heart skipped a beat. Too good to be true. “Don’t get off yet. I want to make you come when I call later.”
“I can wait. Only for you.”
I looked at the line of people in front of me, wilting with desperation to get off the plane. They couldn’t move fast enough. Even if I teleported, it wouldn’t be quick enough.
The intolerable shuffle toward the jetway seemed to last an hour. When I finally made it through the terminal I breezed through baggage claim. I’d planned ahead—no need to waste time on waiting for luggage when I packed only a carry-on. Besides, I didn’t bring much. We’d be naked half the visit anyway.
I bolted to the taxi line, checking my phone. The whole process had taken just over a half hour. Not bad by JFK standards. But still too long for me. I gave the driver Sadie’s address and leaned against the seat, trying to calm my breathing.
My stomach was in knots when we pulled up to her apartment building in Brooklyn. I knew the address because I’d asked for it weeks ago to send her a card. She lived on the third floor. I peered up at the building, looking at the windows there, try
ing to tell which one was hers. Maybe she’d look out the window at just that moment and see me there, blowing my cover. I paid the driver and hurried up to the building, stepping carefully around patches of packed snow.
I took the elevator up to the third floor, my pulse streaking. I approached her door on wobbly legs. Took a deep breath. And then I knocked.
I heard some rustling behind the door. A pause. And then a gasp.
The door yanked open. Sadie gaped me at me, her strawberry blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun. She wore a form-fitting tank top and Christmas pants. Giraffe slippers completed the look. She covered her mouth with a hand and took a few steps back, screaming into her palm.
I laughed, grabbing her at the waist. “Come here, you.”
She melted into my embrace. Her scent washed over me, making my vision go blurry at the edges. Fuck, I’d missed her more than I realized. We stayed like that for a long while, her arms around my neck, laughter blending into sweet murmurs in my ear.
And then the kissing began. Our lips connected over and over again—desperate, juicy, sloppy kisses that made my cock stiffen immediately. I hadn’t even made it inside the door, and Sadie was tugging at my coat, trying to get it off of me.
I laughed through a kiss. “Damn, girl.”
“Get your ass in here.” She pulled me inside, kicking the door shut behind me. “And don’t you tell me you’re celibate again. In fact, I don’t care if you are or not. I’m just going to have my way with you.”
She pushed at my shoulders, sending me back onto her couch. I bounced gently on the cushion, smiling up at her. Gray daylight filled the studio, highlighting everything with that garish winter midday hue. Her place was simple and neat and smelled like her. She clambered on top of me, kisses finding my neck.
“I thought you’d call me from the airport,” she murmured, slipping her hands under my shirt. “Or, like, before you left LA.”
“Nope.” I watched as her hands wandered over my exposed chest, then dropped down to my belt buckle. “I’m here, babe. And all yours.”
She moaned as she kissed me, grabbing the sides of my head. “How long are you staying?”
“As long as you want.”
Her eyes lit up.
“I mean, my flight leaves in a week. But if you can’t have me that long, I can change it. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise by asking how long you’d take me in.”
She dove in for more kisses, my cock pressing for relief against the fly of my jeans. I shifted beneath her and she straddled me, nestling right on top of my dick.
“Mmmm.” I grabbed her by the hips, rocking beneath her. “I like you here.”
She inhaled sharply. “Fuck. I forgot how good this was gonna be.” She gave me another sloppy kiss and then popped off of me, tearing off all her clothes. She stood naked in front of me a moment later, and all I could do was gape in amazement. Even my heart seemed to slow in reverence. My gaze skipped all over—I couldn’t decide which part to focus on. Which part I liked most.
“That was so fast,” I said, the tight points of her nipples snagging my attention. I swallowed hard, eyes dipping to the swell of her belly, the trimmed patch of hair at the V of her legs. I wanted to memorize it all. Make a map that only I could read.
“We don’t have time to waste.” She undid my belt and tugged my jeans down. My head was spinning. Damn, I loved this girl. The word knocked through my head. Was that even possible?
Thoughts dissolved into a pleasant hum in the background as she tore my jeans off me. I tugged my shirt over my head, leaving me clad in only my boxers. She pulled those off too, and my cock sprang fat and heavy into the air.
“Mmm. God, I’ve been waiting for this.” She nibbled at the head of my cock, and I jolted beneath her. It had been so long since I’d gotten off with her…and I’d never waited for the feel of anyone’s lips like I waited for Sadie’s.
“Go easy on me,” I warned her. She flicked her tongue over the bulging head of my dick, eyes locked on me. “It’s been a while.”
“Mmmmmm.” She took the length of me into her mouth, and heat shot through me. Damn, that felt amazing. My head lolled back on the couch, and she took long, purposeful draws, taking almost my entire length in her slippery mouth. I tensed beneath her, aching for the release. I’d lasted a fraction of what I’d thought was possible. It was equal parts embarrassing and amazing.
“Sadie,” I grunted, knotting my fingers in her hair. “I’m gonna come.”
She gurgled something unintelligible, her tongue swarming my pulsing cockhead, and a moment later I was firing off shots into her mouth. Round after round, she took it all, looking up at me as if this was the most joyful thing in the world.
Once I was emptied, she leaned back, wiping at the corners of her mouth. She gave an appreciative moan. “That was delicious.”
I could barely talk with the wheezing. “You’re amazing.”
She grinned like the Cheshire cat. “I know. But that was only chapter one.”
She was right. My cock was already twitching with interest again. “You got that right. And this is a pretty long book, too.”
“An epic fantasy,” she added. “There’s, like, a hundred chapters.”
She lounged between my legs, dragging her fingertips up and down the inside of my thigh. I stroked the top of her head, feeling both sated and restless. There was so much left to do…and already so little time.
“You didn’t even give me a tour before you attacked me with your mouth,” I said.
“Well, this is it. My glorious studio.” She gestured around her. “You’ve seen it all.”
“I like it.” I craned my neck to see as many of the nooks and crannies she’d created as possible. One wall was a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. A small breakfast table sat primly set, ready for guests, yet her bed was rumpled and messy, as though she hadn’t made it in a year. “It’s so you.”
“I want to see your place,” she said, squeezing my calf.
“You can. When you come to LA to visit me.” I pulled her up so she’d join me on the couch. She climbed up to my side, curling into a ball.
“Hawk—” she began, eyes clouding over.
“What?”
“What do you think we’re doing?” She scrunched up her nose. I knew exactly what she was getting at.
I must have taken too long to respond, because she added, “I mean, I’m not trying to ruin this visit. This amazingly awesome surprise visit. I shouldn’t have said anything.” She tutted, looking away.
“Babe.” I covered her hand with mine. “I want to be with you. I don’t know if that’s obvious yet.”
She laced her fingers through mine. “Yeah. It is, actually.”
“Will you be my girlfriend?” I shot her the cheesiest grin I could muster.
She nodded emphatically. “Yeah. Fuck yeah.”
I wrapped her in my arms then, squeezing a sensual hug out of her that made my cock twitch. When she pulled away, I dragged my hand down the curve of her waist, my gaze lingering on her perky breasts. The rosy pink nipples stood at attention.
“As my new girlfriend…” I tweaked a nipple. “Don’t you think we should celebrate?”
Chapter 14
SADIE
I led Hawk over to my bed, because I knew where this was headed, and I wanted to sprawl out. I wanted him ramming me deep, fucking me so hard it left an imprint in my memory foam mattress. I crawled onto my king-sized bed, and he followed suit.
“My condoms are over there,” he whispered between kisses. “Somewhere in my luggage.”
“It’s okay.” I groped blindly for the nightstand, unwilling to break the kiss. “I went out and bought a pack as soon as you told me you might be coming.”
My fingers connected with the knob of the drawer. Hawk finished the job for me by pulling out the package, rolling the latex over his cock. I admired him even in this simple task. He was firm, masculine, completely rippling with sexiness. Even when he blinked his
abs flexed. When the condom was on, he leaned down to kiss me again, this time more tenderly.
“I might come again really fast,” he warned.
“But you just did.” I poked him in the shoulder.
“You don’t understand the kind of pussy you have, babe.” His warm breath at my ear made my thighs clench. He dipped his hand between my legs and stroked. Anticipation washed over me, sending my legs splaying open. He pinched and prodded my tight clit. And then he pressed himself into me with a gentleness that almost distracted me from his girth. He slid in, filling me slowly, inch by languid inch, his face twisting into something primal and satisfied.
“Fuuuuck,” he said as he sank deeper.
I arched myself toward him, seeking out those last invisible centimeters of space until we could confirm he was buried to the max. I drew a shaky breath. I could feel him throbbing inside me, or maybe that was my own pussy, weeping with joy.
“You feel so fucking incredible.” His voice was distant, eyes pinched shut. I melted into the position, letting him pump into me at his own pace, which picked up with each new thrust. His eyes popped open, and our gazes seared together. This was real and raw, and more tender than anything I’d ever experienced.
The sound of our sex broke through, slick and suctiony. His grunts turned guttural as he sped up. I hooked my ankles behind his back, my mind going fuzzy as the pace and pressure pushed me to the precipice.
“I’m close,” I whimpered, digging my fingernails into his shoulders. In his eyes, I could see things I’d never seen—or maybe never noticed—before. The depth of those brown eyes, betraying the depths that I was still only just beginning to learn. The sweetness in him. The absolutely fucking primal side that could drive me off a cliff as he was doing now.
The pleasure came in a sharp burst, and suddenly I was coming, wailing against the shuddering sensations wracking my body. I clutched his forearm as the orgasm assailed me, wave after sticky wave crashing through me. He stilled, buried deep, his abdominals jolting as he came to another orgasm. He let out a gravelly moan and collapsed on top of me, scooping me into his arms.