Page 26 of A Lifetime of Afters
Laughing, I spanked his butt that flexed so enticingly in front of my face as he stalked toward his bedroom. “My pussy can’t take any more today! She’s developing a phobia… of hawks!”
His hand came down hard on my ass and ended with a squeeze. “That’s good,” he grunted. “Time to put that smart mouth to work.”
Chapter Eleven - Direct Hit
Lying warm and sated in Hawk’s bed as he puttered around in the bathroom getting ready for the day, I sought out my cell phone to check the state of the roads.
Seven missed calls. All from my dad.
I pressed call.
“You doing okay, Christmas?” His voice sounded gruff, probably half worried, half just not wanting to know.
“Hey, Dad. I’m good. Sorry I missed your calls.”
“Obviously not sitting around by your phone,” he teased, then his voice turned serious. “Roads are clear.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m thinking that’s no longer good news. No one knows you’re here. Yet. But I’m thinking finding you holed up with Hawkley may not be the best way for everyone to find out.”
The splinter of disquiet I’d managed to ignore up until then began to throb. “He wants to keep things quiet.”
“What?” My dad’s voice, low and threatening, relayed his message loud and clear.
“I don’t know, Dad. He carries a lot of guilt for some reason.” I heard the shower turn off. “Can we talk about this when I get home?”
“That we can do. I’m going to head downtown and hit Beach Buns for fresh bread and chili. Give me a heads up when you’re on your way.”
“Yay,” I cheered quietly, smiling wide as Hawk ducked out of the bathroom. Beach Buns was all about the bread, but when the cold rolled in, they rolled out their huge crock pot and put on the chili. “I’m looking forward to seeing you. Love you, Dad.”
“Love you too. Love you like Christmas.”
I ended the call and met Hawk’s wary eyes.
“You spoke to your dad?”
“Yup.”
“He knows you’re here?”
“Yup,” I popped the P.
He pressed his lips together in dismay. “The roads are open, but I’d hoped to steal another day, or two, before anyone knew you were here.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I guess that’s not going to happen.”
“It could,” I offered quietly.
His gaze swung back to mine, the uncertainty in his eyes blasting a cavernous hole through the yearning in my heart, leaving me hollow and cold.
“Noelle…”
I held up a hand. “No. It’s okay. You want to keep it quiet; we can keep it quiet.”
With his hands on his hips, he stared at the floor and murmured, “Maybe we shouldn’t do this, Noelle.”
My lungs collapsed, stealing my breath, but my trained reactions came to my defense. “Lucky for you, it’s not too late as no one knows. No one important, that is.”
“Noelle…”
