Her gaze went shuttered. ‘You don’t even want to try, do you?’
Try? He was standing here in a freaking monkey suit, wasn’t he?
‘I’m the one who asked you out,’ he reminded her. ‘You said yes.’
She looked into his eyes for a long time. What she was looking for, he didn’t know. Hell, if he knew, he’d have given it to her a long time ago.
‘Fine,’ she said tiredly. ‘Let’s get there before they give our table away.’
The way she said it made him want to put his fist through the wall. It was almost as if she was giving up hope. On them. His stubbornness reared its ugly head.
She could give up all she wanted.
He wasn’t going to lose her.
She picked up her wrap from the back of the couch, and he moved to help her put it on. When she felt his touch at her shoulders, though, she looked at him strangely – almost as if she’d never expected graciousness out of him. It irked him even more. He wasn’t the senseless clout she seemed to think he was. Was there ever a time he hadn’t opened a door for her?
His gaze slid over her body. Had there ever been a time when he hadn’t let her come first?
Her hand brushed across her dress nervously. ‘Stop looking at me like that.’
‘Sorry, little miss,’ he said gruffly. ‘That ain’t gonna happen.’
He put his hand at the small of her back and started leading her to his truck. She might want ‘more’, but sex was an integral part of their relationship. Integral and goddamned necessary if you asked him. She might not want to admit that, but he wasn’t going to let her forget it. They could add ‘more’, but they weren’t going to leave the sex behind.
Not if he had anything to say about it.
Dinner was tense.
Missy could tell that Hawk hated the restaurant on sight. The lighting was too dim, the writing on the menu was too fancy and they were seated at a table out in the middle of the room. So much for being able to relax. Her nerve endings were snapping.
She watched as he shifted uncomfortably. The chair looked to be too small for him. She was having a hard time sitting still, too. The atmosphere was one that begged for romance. Intimacy. It was impossible to achieve. She felt like everyone in the room was staring at them.
She was certainly staring at him.
God, she’d missed him – and he looked so good. She would never have put him in a suit, but it worked. The dark-blue colour gave him a conservative look. Crisp white shirt, muted red tie…The fancy trappings couldn’t hide the raw strength underneath. She wanted to crawl right across the tiny table and strip him bare.
She gripped the cloth napkin in her lap tightly. She was the one who’d made the no-touching rule; she had to keep it.
He blew out a breath. ‘How did your day go?’ he asked.
The simple question tongue-tied her. It was the first time he’d ever asked her anything like that. Her heart rate increased, and the napkin crumbled into a little ball. ‘Fine,’ she said quickly.
He stared at her, waiting.
She licked her dry lips and shivered when his observant gaze followed the motion. She could practically feel his tongue sliding across hers. ‘And yours?’
‘Fine.’ He toyed with one of the forks in front of him. She could see him looking at the array in confusion. There were four of them. ‘Classes going OK?’
She crossed her legs. ‘Fine.’
He waited.
‘It’s been a tough semester,’ she added when the silence got to be too much. ‘I’m glad it’s going to be over soon.’
‘When is that?’ he asked, hopping on the subject.
‘Three weeks.’
He nodded, and the table went silent again.
The silence screamed at her. She’d had so many things she wanted to ask him. So many things she wanted to know. Looking at him across the table, she couldn’t think of a one.
He didn’t look happy to be here. They should have gone someplace with smoke in the air and peanut shells on the floor. Maybe if he was comfortable…
Then again, maybe not.
With Hawk as grumpy as he was, she got the distinct feeling he was just biding his time until he could get her back into the sack. The thought made her shoulders slump. She wanted like anything to be there, but she was just coming out of a dead-end relationship. She knew how unfulfilling they could be.
He leant back in his chair. With the way he’d spread his legs, it wasn’t the most cultured pose. It was, however, masculine as hell. She saw more than a few female gazes dart in his direction, and her jealousy flared.
Just like his had when the waiter had put the napkin in her lap. She’d thought he was going to deck the guy.
‘How’s your car running?’ he asked.
Her car. Of all the things he could ask her, he wanted to know about her car. ‘Fine,’ she said with a sigh. ‘The battery hasn’t failed me once since you changed it.’
‘Good,’ he said. ‘That’s good.’
Fine. Good. If everything was so fine and good, why were they both sitting here miserable?
The conversation went downhill from there. With each question, Missy tightened up even more. It was as if he was checking off a list or something – and he avoided anything personal like the plague. It gave her no encouragement to ask what she wanted to know of him. Why should she? He wasn’t going to answer.
He picked up his wine glass and drained it. She followed suit.
Their meal showed up, and he looked even more disgruntled. ‘A bird could eat more than this,’ he grumbled.
The bird could gladly have hers. She’d lost her appetite completely. For the last few days, she hadn’t been able to eat. She hadn’t been able to sleep. Without his warm body at her side, she couldn’t relax. This wasn’t any better. His plate was clean within minutes, but she poked at her food listlessly.
The tension at the table pressed heavily on both of them.
‘Not hungry?’ he asked.
She finally looked up at him. ‘What are we doing here, Hawk? Really?’
He looked at her face with that piercing gaze that had first caught her attention at the gym.
‘Good question,’ he said. He threw his napkin onto the table. ‘Let’s get the hell out of here.’
She went still.
‘We’ll go to my place.’ He reached for her hand. ‘For dessert.’
Her heart fell – and splattered. The sex. It was the only thing they had in common. He didn’t want to know her. He’d tried to act the part for her sake, and she did appreciate that. He wasn’t a heartless man. In his own way, he cared about her.
But he didn’t love her like she loved him.
Her napkin dropped onto the floor. ‘OK,’ she whispered.
One more night. She’d spend one more night in his arms, but then it was through. She wasn’t a woman who accepted less than she deserved.
Not any more.
Hawk reached down to help Missy out of her chair. Finally. If he got her home, they would both be more comfortable. She’d always liked it there, and if he got this tie off from around his neck and oxygen to his brain, he might be able to think.
He wrapped his arm about her waist and led her to the door. He felt her leaning towards him, almost as if she couldn’t help herself. He pulled her closer. With the added height of those sexy shoes, she could rest her head right on his shoulder.
He couldn’t get his wallet out of his pants fast enough.
They got as far as the parking lot before he pulled her into his arms. ‘God, I’ve missed you,’ he murmured as his head dropped.
When their mouths met, the kiss was nearly combustible. He let one hand slide down to cup her bottom as the other dived into her hair. He’d never felt it so soft. She cupped her hand around the back of his neck and ran her thumb across a bump at the base of his skull. He shivered. He’d never known how sexy that could feel, but she’d found that spot early on.
During their first fuck
in the closet if he remembered rightly.
Slowly, he pulled back from her. ‘Let’s go home,’ he said, sucking in air.
At the words, though, she looked sadder than ever. The look cut right through him. She didn’t appear upset as if she were going to cry. It went deeper, as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. It nearly sent him into a panic.
Before he could figure out what to say, though, she turned to his truck. She got there before he could open the door for her, but he helped her up inside.
Yeah. Going home was the best idea for both of them. He wanted his girl on his turf. He could put things right there. He knew he could.
He had to.
By the time he got her to his house, Missy wasn’t saying anything. He pulled into the garage and hit the automatic control to close the door. They were both quiet as they stepped into the kitchen.
‘I’ll meet you out on the deck,’ he said as he whipped off his jacket and tie.
She was as quiet as a mouse as she walked over to the sliding glass doors. She turned on the outside light and let herself out. He watched through the window as she dropped her purse onto the deck table. She seemed to sink into the cushions of one of the outdoor chairs as if her legs wouldn’t hold her any more.
Things still weren’t right.
He felt his nerves tightening. Damn it, what was wrong? Why wasn’t this working? Roma had promised.
He swore under his breath as he began opening cupboards. He wanted this woman badly. Just sitting across the table looking at her had made the palms of his hands ache. That dress had teased him with glimpses of her breasts and thighs. He wanted her in his bed and in his life.
What the hell did he have to do to make that happen?
He stomped out onto the deck. He put the supplies down on the table and turned to the gas grill. He opened the lid, turned the knob and hit the ignite switch. When he turned back to the table with the long-handled grilling fork in his hand, he found Missy looking at him like he’d just hopped off a little green spaceship from Mars.
‘What?’ he asked, stopping.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked.
‘Making you dessert.’
He reached down and grabbed a marshmallow from the bag. ‘You like s’mores, don’t you? Chocolate and marshmallows…’
She looked astonished – and uncommonly pleased. ‘You actually meant dessert.’
‘Of course I did,’ he said, pausing as he stuck the marshmallow onto the fork. ‘What did you think?’
She glanced shyly towards his bedroom.
He felt his cock jerk. ‘We could do that instead,’ he said, quickly stepping towards the table.
Her smile faltered.
But he got it. He finally got it.
She’d come here thinking he was going to drag her off to bed – like he always did. She still came, though. She’d come because she wanted him. He could see it in her eyes. He’d felt it in her kiss.
More, though. She wanted ‘more’. It suddenly occurred to him that she wasn’t asking for rocket science. ‘More’ was simple things like making her graham cracker sandwiches with sweet filling. It was simple things like talking to her, laughing with her, enjoying her.
His head was pretty damn thick, but when something got through, it stuck.
‘My name is Oscar.’
Her gaze flashed up, and she froze.
‘You asked me once what my name was.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s Oscar.’
Missy swallowed hard, not trusting her ears.
Hawk twirled the fork restlessly. ‘I was quiet as a kid, but I got teased a lot. I started working out to get tougher.’
He glanced at her with half a smile on his lips. ‘I got the tattoo at seventeen. Nobody’s called me Oscar since.’
Missy’s heart began pounding so hard, she could barely hear him. He was actually confiding in her, trusting her with something he hadn’t told anyone for over a decade. She’d been waiting for this – something that would tell her she was more to him than a hot body and a pretty face.
He’d just given it to her. In spades.
Unable to sit still any longer, she burst out of her chair. She hurried around the table. He stepped back in surprise and quickly held the fork away when she jumped into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his brawny neck and hugged him tight.
‘Oscar is a very sexy name,’ she said. She tucked her face into the crook of his neck. ‘I wish you’d told me sooner.’
His arms came around her, pulling her closer. ‘If I’d known you’d react this way, I would have.’
She lifted her head to whisper in his ear. ‘Want to know a secret? My name isn’t Missy.’
He pulled back so sharply, they bumped into the chair behind him. ‘What did you just say?’
She put her finger across his lips. ‘Melissa is actually my middle name. I was named Esther after my grandmother. Don’t tell anyone.’
He laughed. He looked at her and belly laughed. His eyes crinkled at the corners and a dimple dented his left cheek. He looked so handsome, she could hardly stand it.
‘Oscar and Esther,’ he said, threading his fingers into her hair. He leant down and planted a kiss on her smiling lips. ‘Aren’t we the pair?’
They were. Others might not see it, but they were a perfect match.
‘Still want that dessert?’ he asked, his lips moving against hers.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘And yes!’
He held the marshmallow out for her, and she took a nip. ‘Mmm.’
‘This isn’t half bad,’ he said as he took a bite, too.
‘No, it’s not,’ she said. ‘And I’m starving.’
She wriggled out of his arms and hopped up onto the table. ‘Tell me more, Oscar.’
‘What do you want to know, Esther?’
‘Everything.’
He smiled and turned back to the grill. He began melting marshmallows as she opened the box of graham crackers and tore the wrappers off the Hershey bars.
From that point on, no subject was off limits. Missy couldn’t have been happier. If she asked, he answered. He told her about himself, but he was just as curious about her. He asked her about her schoolwork. When she’d told him she wanted to work with cardiac rehab patients, he couldn’t have been more supportive. Her love for pop music distressed him a bit, but he’d finally decided he could live with it.
Through it all, he fed her. She watched him hungrily, getting more and more turned on as they talked and nibbled on the unhealthy, but delicious dessert.
God, he looked good. He’d gotten rid of the jacket and red tie. His crisp white shirt was open at the neck and the sleeves were rolled up. The casual way he wore the dress clothes showed off his thick chest and muscular arms. His dress pants fitted even better. They showed off his rock-hard bottom so well, her fingers itched.
‘Last one,’ he said as he tucked the marshmallow inside a graham cracker sandwich. ‘I’m out of marshmallows.’
He turned off the grill. Picking up the sweet, he walked right towards her. He stepped close, standing between her legs as she sat at the edge of the table. Watching her closely, he held the s’more to her lips.
Feeling sexy, Missy took a bite. She licked her lips seductively, and his pupils narrowed. Bold as he was, he took a bite of his own, treating her to the same show. When he finally leant down to kiss her, she had some ideas of her own.
She slipped off the table as their mouths ate at one another’s. Planting her hands on his chest, she encouraged him to walk backwards. He took a glance over his shoulder. ‘The swing?’
He had a wooden two-seater. She’d been enchanted with it since the first day he’d brought her here. She liked to sit on it in the early mornings, tucked in a woollen blanket as she drank her coffee.
She’d never sat on it with him.
‘Did you make that, too?’ she asked.
He murmured something that sounded like ‘Mm hm’ as he nuzzled the side of her neck.
&nbs
p; Something inside Missy flared. ‘Let’s christen it,’ she whispered.
She gave him a solid push to the chest, and he went down like a big old tree. The swing swung backwards under his weight, but he planted his feet on the deck before it swung back into her. ‘God, you’re sexy,’ he said hoarsely.
‘You make me that way,’ she whispered. Grabbing the swing on both sides of his shoulders, she climbed on with him. The skirt of her dress was too tight. She tugged up the material until it was at her waist and then straddled him.
He made a choking sound. Looking at him quickly, she saw he was staring at the tiny slip of red between her legs. She shivered.
A look. It still took just a look from him to get her wet.
‘Is that what I think it is?’ he asked in a low voice.
Her hips swung towards him. ‘Find out for yourself,’ she whispered.
She took his free hand and guided it between her legs. When he cupped her, his hand tightened possessively. She shuddered and looked into his eyes. The heat there was so strong, it nearly burnt.
His fingers began exploring the open slit in the teddy, and she moaned. ‘Like it?’
His fingers plunged deep. ‘Get over here,’ he growled.
Her hands went to his zipper as he pulled her higher on his lap. When his erection sprang out of his pants, it was thick and hearty. She licked her lips, tasting chocolate. She hadn’t wanted to base their relationship on this, but oh how she’d missed touching him. At nights, her body had ached for his. She’d wanted him inside her so badly, she’d nearly given up fighting him. If he’d just wanted sex, she would have given it to him.
Now, she knew she could have more than just his huge cock.
She could have him.
Spreading her legs wide, she climbed on board. She felt his broad tip find the notch in her lacy red teddy. Then he found her notch.
Her head fell back as he determinedly ploughed into her. ‘Ohhhh,’ she groaned.
A muscle ticked at his temple. ‘You feel tighter,’ he grunted.
And he felt bigger. She squirmed on his lap as his hips twitched. Together, they swivelled and ground until he was seated inside her as far as he could go. Missy leant her forehead against his as he palmed her breast. He plucked at her nipple until it showed through the two layers of clothes she was wearing.
High School Reunion Page 20
