So why couldn’t I stop thinking of sex?
I closed my eyes, shifting a bit, trying to get comfortable, moving my leg slightly over in my quest to sleep comfortably. I’d never noticed men’s legs before, but he had the kind of thick, muscled thighs that were hard not to notice, especially when you were right up against them.
Hate him or not, he was a good-looking man. It would be hard to deny that. I was a hot-blooded woman who hadn’t had sex in a long time. Of course I’d be attracted to him.
I needed to think of something else so my heart slowed and my breathing normalized before he noticed. Although he was probably asleep already, he was so still.
“Tippi…” His voice was guttural, drowning me in testosterone.
I tilted my head back so I could see his face. His jaw was tense and his eyes were blazing as they looked at me.
“Did I wake you? I was just trying to get comfortable.” My voice didn’t sound right. Probably because my heart still hadn’t stopped racing.
His chest nearly rumbled before he rolled over, taking me with him. He molded himself to my body from his lips, to his chest, to his hips, where his leg found purchase in between mine. For all my big talk, all I could do was arch and moan as his tongue delved into my mouth. Logic was gone, replaced only with need. I gripped his hair, keeping his head close, wrapping my free leg around his.
He reached down, dipping into the waistline of my pants, skimming over my wetness. He froze, and I arched into his hand. Instead of starting back up, he pulled back his hand.
“What are you doing?” I sounded flustered by any measure.
“Sorry to interrupt. Heard about your visit to the hill,” an older female said.
Hawk tugged down my shirt and then rolled off me.
The older female, Bautere’s leader, was standing there.
“You shouldn’t be out in this weather,” Bautere said, walking in from the other room.
“I’m not out anymore. I’m here, and I had to come.” She waved a paw at him and then turned to us. “I need to know what’s going on. I need to know what is being done. You’ve got some bad sorts around and still no answers?”
“We’re trying,” Hawk said.
I was glad he took the lead, as I was still trying to gather myself.
She stamped her cane. “It’s not enough. You need to get this handled, or all of our existences are at stake.”
“We’re aware of that,” Hawk said, keeping his calm.
She turned to Bautere. “I need some of that hot bark brew you make. That’ll warm my old bones as I get all of the details.” She waved him back with an imperial flick of her hand.
She settled in and didn’t look like she’d be leaving anytime soon.
27
Hawk and I walked back into the office the next morning. Musso, Zab, and Bibbi all looked up, scanned us, and nodded.
“Glad you’re not dead,” Bibbi said.
“You were with Hawk. I told her you were fine,” Zab said.
Gillian ran out of the back room, past me and right to Hawk. “Where have you been? When you didn’t come get me at the shop last night, I was worried sick that something happened.” Her hands fluttered to her chest.
I drifted away from the little scene, not that Gillian noticed. After all, it wasn’t me that had made her run across the room. Hawk walked into the back room with her nipping at his heels.
“What happened to you guys?” Bibbi asked.
“We got stuck in the storm. Had to stay at Bautere’s place.” I kept it short and simple, but my cheeks still burned, as if somehow they’d know something.
“Oh, well, that’s interesting.” She was getting a sly look about her.
“It really wasn’t.” It might’ve been, but that had crashed and burned, and I was glad for it.
I didn’t look toward the back room. I didn’t want to know what was happening there. I’d gotten very close to opening up, giving everything to a man who’d tossed me aside more than once. And why? Because it would’ve felt nice? Maybe better than nice. Maybe amazing.
But that didn’t matter. Right now, he was talking to Gillian in the other room, calming her worries. Any amazing feelings from last night would’ve been washed away with acid and a steel brush. Instead, my head was on straight as I made my way to my desk, checking over anything pressing. Nope, nothing painful about this.
The cocoa wasn’t tempting me as I made tea.
Hawk walked in the back room. He’d been in the office more often than normal today, which made it a little harder to act like nothing had happened between us, but damned if I wouldn’t.
He walked over and reached for a cup and then the kettle, saying nothing. No one would know, as I stood inches from him, that we’d had our bodies plastered together less than a day ago.
I stood silently, refusing to give up ground, even if that ground was in the back room. I wasn’t talking, either. I wasn’t sure whose choice that was, his or mine, but I’d taken part ownership at this point.
He stood beside me, drinking his tea instead of leaving, both of us silent. If someone walked in and looked at us, we would’ve screamed “awkward moment.” Luckily, no one did. Or maybe not so lucky. It seemed people were beginning to give us a wide berth when we were together, except for Gillian. She homed in like a heat-seeking missile when Hawk and I neared each other.
I took another sip of my tea.
He drank some of his.
“I’m going to go talk to Marvin this afternoon. I want to question him about the hill,” he said. “Do you want to come, or would you like to sit this one out?”
I pulled my gaze away from his lips, as it took me a few moments to respond.
“Tippi?”
Marvin would be at the factory. A month ago there wouldn’t have been a hesitation. That was before I’d been overtaken by a horde of people kicking and punching me, trying to stomp my brains out. But there was no way I was sitting this one out.
“Of course I’m coming. Why would I want to sit that out?” I took another sip of tea, reminding myself that I could handle anything.
“Be ready in an hour.”
I glanced out the window at the darkening sky. “You sure you want to leave that late? You might not be back in time to walk your girlfriend home.”
Well? Would he confirm it or not? Was she his girlfriend, or did she only act like she was? Or did he run around and kiss all the girls, as I was starting to fear?
His eyes narrowed and then he let out a deep laugh. “See you in an hour.”
Glad he found the situation so amusing. That did nothing to answer the question, though.
When Hawk walked into the office a little while later, I was seated at my desk with my best ass-kicking outfit and a warrior braid. Technically it was a French braid, but it made it a lot harder to grab my hair if I had to throw down with someone.
Hawk paused in front of Zab’s desk. “I need you to walk Gillian after work tonight.”
Bibbi might not have looked up from her work, but the corners of her mouth definitely went up.
“Oh, uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Zab immediately leaned back in his chair, shaking his head and putting up his hands, as if begging for mercy.