Breaking Free

by Teresa J. Reasor

All the way back from the store the questions burned on the tip of Zoe’s tongue. She had to ask him. Her heart beat high in her chest and she couldn’t seem to get enough air into her lungs.

  Bowie parked the car in front of the Marks’ house and released his seat belt, but didn’t move to get out of the car. “It isn’t Derrick, is it?” He rested his hands on the steering wheel, then ran his fingers over the rubber casing that covered it.

  Zoe eyed him, confused.

  “Derrick’s not the one you’ve hooked up with, is he?”

  “No. It isn’t Derrick. He’s already got a girl friend. I just met her a few minutes ago.” Zoe gestured toward the house.

  The tension in his expression relaxed. “I didn’t have anything to do with Brett’s injury, Zoe.” He leaned back in the bucket seat and rested his hands on his thighs. “Maybe you should ask Derrick about Cutter.”

  Zoe studied Bowie’s face. Was he saying he’d witnessed something between Brett and Derrick?

  He gripped the steering wheel and turned it. “If anyone knows anything about Cutter, it will be Derrick.”

  The rumble of a powerful engine growled and Zoe glanced over her shoulder. A bright red Porsche glided into the slot behind Bowie’s Toyota.

  “Jesus! That’s Flash,” he breathed.

  Zoe swung out of the bucket seat with a practiced grip on the doorframe. Bowie, his cheeks flushed with excitement, popped out of the car and started circling the Porsche like a shark circling prey.

  “What did you do man, rob a bank?” Bowie asked as Flash unfolded his lean frame from the car.

  “Naw. I got a really sweet deal and I wiped out my savings. Hey, Zoe.”

  “Hi.”

  Flash’s blond hair reflected in the car’s bright cherry red exterior as he braced a hand on the front quarter-panel. He looked tan and fit as though he’d been spending a great deal of time out in the sun. And he aimed a sexy smile at her and said, “Want to go for a ride?”

  Zoe laughed and shook her head. “There are three hungry children and several adults waiting by the pool to eat. Maybe later.”

  Flash seemed a nice guy, they all did, but--How did Hawk stand this constant doubt? She leaned back against the rear of Bowie’s car and watched the two men as they studied the sleek lines of the vehicle and discussed every virtue of the engine.

  “You got to show the guys,” Bowie said as he slammed the hood closed.

  “Later.” Flash patted the hood. “I’ve worked up an appetite just driving around town. I’m starving.”

  “We’ve just gotten back from the store. You can help carry the groceries in,” Bowie said.

  Bowie strung the plastic bags of groceries on his arms like oversized Christmas ornaments.

  “I can carry some,” Zoe said.

  “We’ve got it covered,” Flash said as he stretched to retrieve the last bag from high up in the trunk. A light thump had Zoe leaning forward to see if something had fallen out of a bag. A small cylindrical stone lay in the trunk near one of the rear lights. A stone just like the ones Brett had brought home. Zoe reached for it, but Flash scooped it up with a speed worthy of his call sign.

  “That’s my lucky charm. I’d hate to lose it,” he said with a grin. “You can close the trunk and get the door.”

  Instead of making a comment about the stone, she slammed the trunk and went ahead of the two men.

  As they came into the kitchen, Hawk stood at the counter pouring drinks for the three children clustered around him. A pair of cut offs hugged his legs and a t-shirt hung over his shoulder.

  “Looks like you arrived just in time, guys,” he said.

  The door slammed behind the three children as they trooped back outside.

  Bowie smiled as he lowered the bags to the floor. “What can I say, my timing’s always been perfect. You know that, LT”

  Zoe started unloading the bags. Flash placed his on the bar.

  “I bought a car, Hawk. A really sweet ride. You’ll have to check it out after we eat,” Flash said.

  While the two men talked about the vehicle, Bowie came to stand next to Zoe and lifted one of the bags on the counter. He took out a basket of fresh tomatoes.

  “Thanks for making the grocery run with me, Bowie.”

  “Any time, Zo.” He rested a hand against her waist and brushed a kiss on her cheek.

  Startled by the gesture she looked up at him.

  His brown gaze looked down into hers. “Remember what I said in the car.” He ran the back of his fingers against her cheek in a brief caress. “You need any help here?”

  Struck speechless, she shook her head.

  As he and Flash sauntered out onto the deck, her numbed brain kicked into overdrive. Which bit of advice had Bowie meant? About talking to Derrick?

  Or was it that she should be straight forward with Hawk about her interest in him? Was she really ready to leave herself open to hurt again by doing so? Should she keep Bowie in mind if things didn’t work out between them as he’d suggested?

  “What was that all about?” Hawk moved to stand next to her.

  Surprised he had noticed the exchange, she glanced up at him. “Nothing. Did you really warn all of the men to stay away from me?”

  His expression grew guarded. “Not exactly.”

  She folded her arms and leaned back against the counter. “Then why don’t you explain to me exactly what you did say.”

  His features tightened. “I told them I didn’t think Cutter would appreciate one of his fellow teammates trying to nail his sister. And I told them to keep in mind, if they were thinking about asking you out, that you weren’t the type for a one night stand.”

  She shook her head, unable to decide whether to be angry at his interference or touched by his protectiveness. Was he keeping his distance for the same reason, or because he just wasn’t interested?

  “My brother doesn’t live my life for me, Hawk. I’ll sleep with whomever I want, when I want.” She pointed a finger at him. “And Brett’s approval or disapproval won’t have a damn thing to do with it when it happens.”

  He caught the waving finger, and his lips quirked with amusement. “Understood.” His gray eyes focused on her face and his smile died.

  Zoe’s stomach quivered at the sudden intensity of his expression. “I’m not looking for your approval either,” she said. Her voice sounded weak and breathless.

  “All right.”

  His acquiescence fired her temper and hurt her feelings. She tugged at her finger, breaking his grip. He stepped close and surprised, she tilted her head back to look up at him.

  Placing an arm on either side, he hemmed her in against the counter, his body a breath away from hers. Her pulse leaped and she pressed a hand against his chest. The heat of his skin seeped into her palm like liquid fire.

  Hawk’s gray eyes narrowed. “I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place here. I promised your mom I’d look out for you.” His throat worked as he swallowed and his voice grew husky. “I don’t think fantasizing about taking her daughter to bed was exactly what she had in mind.”

  The knot of tension in the pit of her stomach dissolved as excitement raced through her to settle, tingling and hot, between her legs. Was it possible to have an orgasm just thinking about making love? If he plastered that long, lean, masculine body up against hers, she might just achieve her very first one without his ever having to touch her.

  “I’m trying to take things slow here, Zoe.”

  She bit back a groan. If he went any slower, she might just dwell on all the reasons she shouldn’t get involved with him, and chicken out all together. Her eyes fastened on the hard, fast beating pulse just beneath the skin of his throat. She rose on tiptoe and pressed an open mouthed kiss there. His skin tasted of chlorine and heat.

  He caught his breath, and his hand splayed against the small of her back and pulled her against him. The firm ridge of his arousal pushed against her stomach. When she leaned back to look up at him, he kissed her, the hungr
y pressure of his lips hot and insistent.

  The tempting touch of his tongue against hers intensified the empty ache inside her. Zoe slid one arm around his neck and strained upward to fit herself against his tall frame more fully. She ran the other hand up his back, caressing his smooth, muscled flesh.

  He cupped her buttocks guiding her closer, urging her legs apart as he thrust one long thigh between hers. Though she ached with need, she fought the compulsion to rub against the steady pressure of his leg. Hawk had no such reservation. He rocked against her, and Zoe groaned as the movement titillated the over-sensitized area between her thighs driving her closer to the edge.

  “Daddy does that to Mommy, sometimes.” The sound of a child’s voice had them both freezing.

  Hawk broke the kiss, his breathing ragged, his cheeks flushed. He looked toward the door leading out onto the deck. “I bet.” He shifted putting some space between his lower body and hers.

  Zoe stifled a sound somewhere between a laugh and a groan. At least the counter had blocked from view what else had been going on. She turned to look over her shoulder at seven-year-old Tad, the oldest of the Marks children. His red-blond hair, still wet from the pool, stood on end, but there was nothing in his expression that warranted concern.

  “Mommy said the burgers were ready when you were.”

  Ready? Her face and ears burned with embarrassment.

  Hawk’s gaze dropped to hers, amusement in his expression. “Tell your mom, we’ll be right there, Tad.”

  The door shut behind the boy.

  Feeling exposed and vulnerable, Zoe turned her back to Hawk. “I was supposed to be slicing tomatoes and onions for the burgers.” He pressed against her from behind, and her legs went rubbery. The soft warmth of his lips against the back of her neck sent delightful shivers down her spine

  “I’ll slice the tomatoes, while you do the onions.” He gathered three tomatoes in one hand and moved to the sink.

  His touch lingered on her skin and she had to concentrate on slowing her breathing. She wrinkled her nose at him. “Let me guess, aside from the smell, you just don’t want me to see you cry.”

  “Sweetheart, I almost did when Tad opened that door.”