Monday (Timeless #1)

by E. L. Todd

  “Hawke, leave.”

  Instead of arguing with me or slamming his fist down on the counter, he stepped away. “I think that’s a good idea. I’ll see you around, Frankie.” He stormed out without looking back. He didn’t insult me directly, but he never called me Frankie.

  He only called me Muffin.

  ***

  I knocked on his door. “Hawke?”

  No answer.

  I banged my fist harder. “Open up.”

  Silence.

  “Open the damn door or I’m going to kick it down.”

  The door suddenly flew open. “You’ll just break your foot and leave my door unscathed.” He walked inside and left the door cracked. “Now what do you want? I’m busy.”

  I shut the door behind me. “Busy doing what?”

  “Jessica is coming over.” He held my gaze as he said it. “We’re going to hang out. You know, because we’re friends.”

  He was acting like a child. “You need to calm down.”

  “Calm down?” He released a sarcastic laugh then slammed a lamp onto the ground where it shattered. “I am calm.”

  “You’re going to be broke if you keep replacing all your stuff.”

  He grabbed another lamp and smashed it to the ground.

  I couldn’t talk to him when he was like this. “You have no reason to feel threatened.”

  “So, it’s okay for an ex to come flirt with you at work? If that’s the case, there’re a ton of chicks at work that haven’t experienced my charm.”

  “He’s not my ex!”

  “You went out with him. You kissed him.”

  “And I never went out with him again. Remember?”

  His eyes were about to pop because they were so big. “He still touched you—and I don’t like that.”

  “You’re overreacting.”

  He charged me quicker than the speed of light and got in my face. He pinned me to the door then gripped my wrists. “I. Don’t. Share.” He breathed hard into my face and squeezed my wrists.

  “Your exes have called you, girls you actually slept with, and I don’t act like this.”

  “Because you didn’t see them in person. If you did, we both know you would have thrown a hissy fit.”

  “Not like this.”

  He squeezed me harder. “I don’t want you to see him again. I forbid it.”

  “You forbid it?” I tilted my head in a sarcastic way. “You don’t tell me what to do.”

  “Interesting.” He pushed his body into me. “Because I just did.”

  I tried to push him off but he was too heavy. “I don’t let anyone boss me around—especially you. You should trust me, not control me. If that’s how this is going to work, then I’m walking away.”

  “I’d like to see you try.”

  I tried to knee him but he blocked it.

  “I don’t want to see that fucker near you again.”

  “I told you, we have mutual friends.”

  “Does it look like I give a shit?”

  I squirmed under his grasp. “He knows about you. You think I didn’t tell him?”

  “And he obviously doesn’t give a damn.”

  “Hawke, you’re being an asshole right now.”

  “You haven’t seen nothing yet, sweetheart.” He pressed his face to mine and practically bared his teeth.

  I used all my strength to push him off but he wouldn’t move an inch. “If you don’t trust me, then we’re over.”

  “You aren’t the one I don’t trust.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “Like how you changed your own tire?” he snapped. “Yeah, that went over well.”

  I kneed him again.

  He blocked it. “You aren’t allowed to see him again. That’s final.”

  “Then we’re done. End of story.”

  “Why are you fighting for him so hard?”

  “I’m not.” I tried to get my arm free. “I’m fighting for my freedom. I want a partner, not a dictator. There’s absolutely no reason to be jealous. You know what we have is rare. No one else has what we have. How could you possibly be threatened by a guy I went out with once? The entire time I was with him, all I could think about was you. I kept comparing him to the man I really wanted, and when he didn’t compare, I dumped him. You’re really going to keep acting like a dickhead knowing all of that?”

  His hold on me loosened slightly.

  “You think it doesn’t drive me insane every time your phone beeps with a text message? You don’t think it makes me crazy knowing you’re hit on left and right everywhere you go? But I don’t let that jealousy interfere with what we have. At the end of the day, I trust you. Your actions are the only ones that matter. And if you want this relationship to stay the same, you need to give me that same respect. It doesn’t matter how much he wants me. As soon as my day ends, I come home to you—and only you.”

  The fire in his eyes started to fade away. His grip on my wrists loosened. The red tint of his face lightened until his former complexion returned. Slowly, Hawke came back to me.

  “You owe me an apology.”

  His mouth was still pressed tightly together.

  “I’m not leaving here until I get it.”

  He released my wrists altogether but kept me pinned to the door. “Then you should move in.”

  “You’re more stubborn than I am, you know that?”

  He quickly grabbed a handful of hair and jerked my head back, forcing me to look at him. “Listen to me.” His other hand gripped my hip so I couldn’t escape. “I’m new to this. I’m new to these feelings and I don’t know how to handle them. All I know is you’re mine and I don’t share.” He pressed his face close to mine and stared at my lips. “Do you understand me?”

  I remained quiet in defiance.

  “I asked you a question.”

  “I don’t let anyone boss me around. Do you—”

  His lips crushed against mine and he gripped my jeans and savagely pulled them off. “Shut up. I hate listening to you sometimes.”

  “And I hate listening to you all the time.”

  He kissed me again, hungrily devouring me, and he got his jeans down and his cock out. After he moved my underwear over, he lifted me against the wall and thrust himself inside me.

  Anytime we were connected like this, I couldn’t remember why I was mad. All I knew was I wanted as much of him as I could get. I dug my nails into his back as he stretched me to my limit. It was slightly painful, but in such a good way.

  Hawke carried me down the hallway, still kissing me and lifting me onto his length repeatedly. He got to the bed then threw me down as he fell with me, still buried deep inside me. He gripped the back of my neck as he thrust deeper.

  I gripped his shoulders and rocked with him, needing him out of desperation. If I didn’t get enough, I would fall apart. Our lips danced together, and when we needed to catch our breath, our faces were close in proximity.

  Sweat formed on his forehead and his body was scorching hot. He was red in the face as he took me as hard as he could. “I’m sorry.” He sucked my bottom lip then gave me his tongue.

  Instead of gloating at the fact I cracked him, I gripped him tighter. “I’m sorry too.” I didn’t know what I was apologizing for. I just wanted our reunion. My heart ached for him because it needed more than he could ever give. My chest heaved because I loved him so much it hurt.

  Hawke slowed down then pulled his shirt off and kicked his jeans away. Then he undressed me, taking away my top and bra. My underwear was still on, but it was pulled to the side. The violent side of him had burned out, and now he made love to me slowly like he did every other night. He kissed me softly, feeling my lips rather than crushing them. Every time he moved inside me, he felt every inch of me and savored it. “I know I’m difficult to love…but you love me anyway.”

  “I’m difficult too.” I gripped his hip and pulled him further into me.

  “You’re a pain in the ass, actually.” He
pressed his lips to the skin over my heart. “But I’ll always love you.”

  ***

  “What happened with Hawke?” Marie checked her make up in the bathroom mirror then fluffed her hair.

  “He was pissed.”

  “Shocking…”

  “I told him to get over himself and he finally did.”

  “He doesn’t strike me as that kind of guy.” She applied more lipstick then pressed her lips tightly together.

  “Well, it took an hour of fighting and fucking…but it finally happened.”

  She closed her eyes and groaned. “I’m so jealous.”

  “Why?”

  “Why?” She turned around and glared at me. “You have good sex on a daily basis. I only get it once in a blue moon…when I’m with a guy who actually knows what he’s doing.” A guilty look came across her face and she turned away.

  I had a feeling she was referring to my brother. I kept the vomit back and carried on. “He’s just…very passionate sometimes. Our relationship is perfect until we hit some potholes in the road. It gets bumpy and a little crazy, but we always make it through.”

  “And have lots of orgasms on the way.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

  Hawke was good at delivering those.

  “In his defense, I don’t blame him. Jason eye fucks the shit out of you every time he sees you. I’m sure Hawke noticed. How would you feel if some girl flirted with him and basically bent over just so he could see what she had to offer?”

  “I wouldn’t like it at all.”

  “See!”

  “But I would be mad at her, not him. He didn’t do anything wrong.”

  She sighed and turned back to the mirror. “A little jealousy is good in a relationship, but a lot is too much.”

  “He’s not jealous all the time…just in that instance.”

  “Then that’s perfect,” she said. “Instead of being irritated with him, you should be happy. I’m jealous of you every day.”

  I’d never been happier in my life until Hawke walked into that coffee shop. What we had was real and rare. I never feared losing him because I knew he couldn’t handle losing me. I was young to find my other half, but that didn’t make it untrue. “You’ll find the right guy eventually.”

  “Well, I’m probably not going to find him tonight. But I’m going to look anyway.”

  ***

  Marie and I went to a loud bar and stood at a table in the center of the room. Marie wore a tight black dress, and her curves looked awesome from every angle. I wore skinny jeans and a racy top. I wasn’t a fan of my legs so I didn’t expose them very often.

  “A lot of cute guys out tonight.” Marie scoped out the talent.

  I wasn’t looking. “I’m here for backup if you need it.” If there was a guy one of us thought was cute, we usually distracted the girl he was talking to so the other one could get a phone number. It worked out pretty well.

  “Hawke doesn’t care you’re here?”

  “No. And I wouldn’t care if he did care.”

  “Then he does trust you.”

  I knew he did. Why would I go out looking for something else when I already had the perfect man? He went out with Axel all the time, and I never blinked an eye over it. Girls slipped him their number and asked to hook up in the bathroom, but that didn’t matter to me. Hawke wouldn’t even look. “So…I know I’m going to regret asking this but…what happened with Axel?”

  She grinned. “I’ll leave out all the details.”

  “Make it as vague as possible.”

  “Basically, we hooked up and it was amazing.” She shrugged. “But it was just a meaningless fling, and I haven’t heard from him since.”

  “I told you that’s how he was.”

  “Oh, I knew. He made it very clear.” She sipped her drink. “But I didn’t mind. I wasn’t looking for anything serious. With guys like that, you can never expect to be the one who changes them. You got lucky with Hawke.”

  It was more than luck. It was love. “So, that’s it then?” I hoped it was.

  “Probably. But if he called, I wouldn’t say no.”

  “Gross…”

  “I know he’s your brother and everything, but he’s a serious catch.”

  “More like a serious pain in the ass.”

  She shook her head and took another drink. “Help me pick one out.”

  “What happened to waiting for them to come to you?”

  “You didn’t wait for Hawke to come to you and look what happened.” She gave me a meaningful look. “Maybe the same thing will happen to me.”

  Last Night

  Hawke

  “I got beer. You want one?” I opened the fridge then pulled out a Blue Moon.

  “Do you not know me?” Axel asked incredulously. “You may as well get me two while you’re up.”

  I removed the caps then handed him the bottle. “The game started five minutes ago but I doubt we missed anything.” We headed into the living room then turned on the TV.

  “Where’s the annoying brat?” Axel asked before he took a drink.

  “Why?” I asked. “You want me to invite her over?”

  He cringed. “Hell no. She never shuts up.”

  I know how to shut her up.

  “I’m surprised she’s not here. You’re always together.”

  “She and Marie went out tonight.”

  That caught his attention. “Marie?”

  “Yes…” Why was that so interesting?

  “Hmm…” He nodded his head slowly. “Out where?”

  I shrugged. “That new bar Blackout.”

  He took another drink and didn’t watch the TV. “Maybe we should go check on them.”

  “Why?”

  “Maybe they need us to buy them drinks or something.”

  I was growing more suspicious by the second. “Are you trying to fuck Marie? All you’d have to do is text her and she’d be down. I can tell.”

  “Well…maybe I already fucked her.” A stupid grin was on his face.

  I rolled my eyes. “Are you being serious right now?”

  “Dude, she’s amazing in bed. I had no idea. Since she used to be hideous when we were younger, I didn’t think she had it in her.”

  “Good to know,” I said sarcastically.

  “Let’s go down and see them.”

  “You can go.” After the fight I had with Francesca, I didn’t want her to think I was going down there just to spy on her. I trusted her more than anyone else on the planet. My anger came from that piece of shit, Jason. I wasn’t stupid. He was trying to steal my girl right from underneath me.

  Good luck with that.

  “Come on.” Axel put the beer down. “Why not? Frankie will be there.”

  “Like you said, I see her all the time.”

  “Dude, you’re my wing man. Help me get laid.”

  “Just text her if you want to hook up.”

  “No,” he said quickly. “I’ve got to play it cool.”

  “I’m not going.”

  Now Axel grew suspicious of me. “Why the hell not?”

  “Frankie and I got into a fight the other day. Some guy was eye-fucking the shit out of her and it pissed me off. If I go down there, she’s going to think I don’t trust her.”

  “I’ll tell them it was all me.”

  I shook my head.

  “Dude, don’t be a pussy. Just tell Frankie the truth when you get there and she won’t care. But don’t blow my cover in front of Marie.”

  Clearly, he wasn’t going to change his mind. “Fine. You owe me.”

  “I’m letting you date my sister.” He set the beer on the table and stood up. “You still owe me.”

  Collide

  Francesca

  “You won’t believe who just walked inside.”

  I turned to the door. “Who?”

  “Jason.”

  “What?” My eyes scanned the entryway, and sure enough, there he was.

  “At least he brought M
ike.”

  “God, I hope they don’t see us.”

  “Why?” she asked as she fixed her hair.

  “Because Mike will be all over you—”

  “I hope so.”

  “And I’ll be stuck with Jason.”

  She waved it off. “Don’t be ridiculous. We would not ignore you.”

  “Are you kidding me? You guys will be in the bathroom in two minutes—five tops.”

  She smiled slightly and shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world…”

  “After the fight I had with Hawke, I can’t go through that again—even if we had amazing sex. I’m leaving if things take a turn for the worst.”

  “Don’t be a drama queen,” she said as she rolled her eyes.

  “You don’t understand. Hawke has a temper. I told him off for being jealous, but if he found out about this, his head would explode.”

  “Since when do you let a man control you?” she asked.

  “He doesn’t control me,” I said. “But this makes me look really bad.”

  “Just chill, girl,” she said. “Jason might be meeting someone here. Did you think of that?”

  Hopefully, that was the case.

  Marie glanced in their direction. “They see us. And I can tell Mike likes what I’m wearing.”

  Please don’t blow up in my face.

  “Damn, you look hot.” Mike immediately moved to Marie and put his arm around her waist. “Those legs go on for days.”

  She giggled quietly. “Why, thank you.”

  “Can I buy all your drinks for the rest of the evening?”

  “I wouldn’t say no to that…” She gave him a flirtatious look.

  Ugh…

  “She’s got nothing on you.” Jason came to my side and looked me up and down. Judging the dreamy look in his eyes, he’d already had a few drinks. “I’ve kissed you…I know.” He leaned closer to me, his breath reeking of gin. “Where’s that lame boyfriend of yours?”

  “At home.” I stepped back so we wouldn’t be so close. “And he’s not lame.”

  “Come on, I could treat you right.” He closed the gap between us. “I’d buy you flowers and chocolates, take you out to dinner, and rock your world the second we got home.” He was much more bold when he was drunk. “What do you say? Let’s give this another chance.”

  “Jason, no. I have a boyfriend.”