Hawk's Promise

by Nola Cross

  A thumbs-up? What the heck was that about?

  In a moment they were outside, and the afternoon sunshine and fresh air helped cool her cheeks and clear her thoughts. For a brief moment she considered ditching the reception and just disappearing for the rest of the day. But one look at her father’s face and she knew she couldn’t walk out on her responsibilities. Somehow she would have to face Hawk at the reception.

  But there was no reason she had to confront him, right? No reason things had to become unpleasant. She could ask about his burns, and how things were going with the remodeling plans for the garage. She was certain he’d be civil back to her.

  He wouldn’t dare mention their last time together, would he?

  Her heart banged against her breastbone. Why was he there? Why?

  Just then the photographer descended upon the wedding party, and she and the others were swept into pose after pose on the wide steps of the church. Then all but the bride and groom were permitted to leave, and she, the groomsmen, and Seville’s nieces headed back inside to follow the long hallway to the reception room.

  As she neared the doorway, Desi hung back for a moment. Inside, the place was teeming with wedding guests drinking punch and munching hors d’oeuvres. Some had taken seats at the three banquet tables that ran the length of the room, and others were milling about as everyone waited for the arrival of the bridal couple. A pair of rambunctious toddlers did somersaults in one corner, unsupervised as far as she could tell.

  As soon as Seville and her dad got there, everyone would be seated for the traditional toasts, followed by the buffet supper. For now, a quick survey of the crowd revealed Hawk was not in the room. Had he stepped outside? Was he in the restroom? Or had he felt the same urge to flee that she had...and acted upon it?

  Feeling a measure of relief, Desi threaded her way through the crowd, stopping here and there to greet friends and relatives, always keeping one eye out for a dark-haired hunk in a blue suit. When a man in similar attire passed next to her, her pulse took off like a rocket, and it was several minutes before it settled back into its usual steady pace. Taking a deep breath, she worked her way to the hors d’oeuvres table. She’d promised Seville she’d ride herd on the catering company, and sure enough the iced tray of shrimp cocktail was almost empty.

  “These shrimp are so delicious!”

  Desi turned to find Tracy standing next to her, her small plate piled high with the pink crustaceans. “Trace! You’re supposed to leave some for the real guests.”

  Her friend pouted. “I thought I was a real guest. Besides, the chicken wings are too spicy and the veggies are kinda flabby.”

  Desi pulled Tracy close and lowered her voice. “Have you seen Hawk?”

  The blonde girl drew back and fixed her with an icy stare. “Oh, fine. First you’re all like ‘he’s just a figment of your imagination’, and now you want me to say I’ve seen him again. Oh no. No way are you going to keep giving me a hard time about that. He was really here that night, I swear.”

  “Okay, I believe you.”

  “You do?” Tracy popped a shrimp into her mouth and gave Desi a big grin. “Thanks, friend!”

  “But have you seen him here tonight?”

  “Hawk’s here?”

  “Yes. Maybe. I’m not sure. Keep an eye out for him and let me know if he shows up, okay?”

  “You got it.” Another curl of shrimp meat disappeared into Tracy’s mouth as Desi went in search of the caterer.

  An hour later, after all the toasts had been offered and every guest had filled their plate from the lavish spread of roast beef, salmon, and various side dishes, Hawk had still not reappeared. By now Desi’s belly was tied in a knot that would have made a sailor proud. She’d only nibbled at her supper, but her champagne glass had just been refilled for the third time, thanks to the waiters who moved among the tables. It was probably not a coincidence that she was a wee bit woozy.

  She placed her napkin next to her plate and leaned toward Tracy. “Going to the restroom. Be right back.”

  Tracy nodded. “Don’t take too long. It looks like they’re about to cut the cake.”

  * * * *

  Hawk opened one eye and checked his watch for the twentieth time. Dusk had fallen as he sat in his car and waited for the wedding meal to be over. He hadn’t planned things very well.

  After several hours of mental acrobatics trying to wipe Jordan’s phone call from his mind, he’d finally given up and showered, thrown on his suit, jumped into his SUV and headed south before his courage deserted him. But upon arrival it became apparent there was far more to the wedding than the church ceremony itself. And since he hadn’t RSVP’d, he didn’t feel right about attending the dinner portion. Besides, the reception hall had become jammed with people, most of whom were strangers. It wasn’t the ideal setting for a meaningful conversation with Dez.

  Not that there was an ideal time and place for saying what he needed to say…or hearing whatever Dez had to say back.

  His guts roiled and he straightened in his seat. Maybe he should go find a burger joint and put something in his stomach.

  Yeah, like it’s lack of food making you feel like shit right now. He just needed to get this over with. To know where he stood with the woman he loved.

  He loved Desiree.

  Funny how easy it was for him to admit that to himself now. After weeks of trying to keep his emotions at bay, it was such a relief to just give in to them, to allow the rightness of it all to begin to edge out the doubt. If he’d had any reservations remaining, they were shot to hell the moment he’d stepped into the church and seen her standing there in her dove-gray dress, her hands full of pale pink flowers, her beautiful face alight.

  Now all he had to do was deal with the fear that he was too late.

  Giving the steering wheel a sharp punch with the heel of his hand, he threw the door open and climbed out. A quick sprint across the lawn put him at the door to the hall, which had been propped open to the evening breeze. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the festive chaos.

  At the front of the room the bride and groom stood behind a small, draped table that displayed a three-tiered white cake, while a photographer snapped pictures of them from different angles. Now they posed with a cake knife, Jordan’s hand covering Seville’s on the pearl handle. Next the cake was sliced into and the happy couple was photographed feeding each other large, messy pieces of it while everyone laughed and cheered. Even Hawk found himself chuckling as Jordan hammed it up for the camera, licking a big blob of frosting from his upper lip.

  Then someone touched his arm.

  “Hello, Hawk.”

  * * * *

  He started and turned to her as she let her hand drop away.

  “Desi!”

  It had taken every last bit of her courage to approach him. When she’d come out of the restroom she’d spotted him right away. The proud bearing of his wide shoulders and the dark sheen of his ponytail were unmistakable, even in the crowded room. The impulse to run away was still there, fluttering in her chest like a captive bird, but she marshaled her forces and made herself walk forward. This was her chance to learn why he’d cut himself off from her—even if knowing the truth was painful.

  With all the noise in the room he hadn’t heard her come close, and she’d stood there for a good half minute, taking in the clean, familiar smell of him and trying not to pass out before she mustered the will to reach out and touch him.

  “You came.” The words left her mouth in a papery whisper.

  “Yes.” He nodded, his dark eyes boring into hers. Then a half-smile tipped up one side of his mouth. “Your dad made me.”

  “What?” What had her father done now? She was starting to think she didn’t know the guy at all.

  Hawk bent and spoke close to her ear. “Can we step outside? It’s like a freaking circus in here.”

  She drew back, catching her bottom lip behind her teeth. The warmth of his breath on her cheek just now had set he
r heart to hammering even harder. Combined with the champagne she’d had, she was suddenly less than steady on her feet.

  “Okay. Let me get my wrap.”

  She made her way to where she’d been sitting next to Tracy. Like the rest of the partygoers her friend’s attention was focused on the shenanigans going on around the cake table, and Desi had to shake her shoulder to make her turn.

  “Hawk and I are going to take off for a while,” Desi said.

  Tracy’s blue eyes bugged out. “He’s really here?” She craned her neck until she spotted him across the room. “See? I told you he was super hot in that suit.” She gave Hawk a huge grin and a flirty little finger wave.

  Rolling her eyes, Desi rescued her filmy silver wrap from the back of her chair and draped it around her neck. As she walked back toward him, she felt the warm appraisal of his gaze. His intense expression reminded her of that day in the kitchen when he’d overheard her conversation with Tracy. When he’d first learned that she had less-than-sisterly feelings for him. Remembering the torrid kiss that had followed, her cheeks soaked with heat.

  What am I getting myself into?

  “Tracy will let my dad know where I’ve gone,” she said as she rejoined him, amazed that her voice didn’t quiver the way her insides were doing.

  “You think he’ll even notice?”

  She smiled. “You’re right. He’s having the time of his life.”

  They walked out into the quiet evening air. A row of old-fashioned streetlamps bathed the sidewalk and part of the church grounds in pale yellow light. Beneath a nearby maple tree a wrought iron bench squatted among a riot of pansies. Without words they both headed in that direction and sat down, leaving a foot or so between them.

  Wondering where to begin, Desi cleared her throat.

  “So…”

  “You look beautiful, Dez.” His voice was as soft as the night air.

  Ripples of pleasure washed over her. She dared to turn toward him. His big body seemed to crowd his half of the dainty bench, and his face was shadowed so she couldn’t make out his expression.

  “You look good too,” she ventured shyly. Then she remembered. “Your hands! How are they?”

  He held them out toward her, palms up, and she took one without thinking and turned it so the burn scars shimmered in the light. She ran her fingers over the patches of uneven, silvery skin.

  “Does that hurt?”

  “No.” She sensed rather than saw his smile.

  “This is amazing. You’ve healed better than I could ever have imagined in such a short time.”

  “I had an excellent nurse,” he murmured.

  “Yeah. Sarah was great, wasn’t she?”

  “Not Sarah. I meant you, Desiree.”

  “Oh.” Her lashes swept low as she looked down and realized with a start that she still held his hand. His fingers flexed with intention and then he laced them between hers, the possessive warmth and power of his hand sending delicious frissons up her arm and down her spine.

  She heard him take a deep breath. “The truth is I’m grateful for everything you did for me. That note I sent with the flowers couldn’t begin to express my thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. I loved those roses.”

  “Did Tracy tell you I came to the party?”

  She gave a soft laugh. “She tried to. I didn’t believe her.”

  “Yeah, I was here. I decided that note I sent was pretty lame. I needed to tell you in person how much I appreciated all your help.”

  He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss there, unleashing a dizzying whir of pinwheels inside her. She dared to raise her eyes to meet his, but his shadowed face revealed nothing. Yet he seemed to be giving her the perfect opening: now was her chance to ask what she longed to know.

  “Why did you leave that night without talking to me?”

  He let a moment go by before he shifted on the bench, crossing his ankle over his knee. He tightened his hold on her hand and turned his head away, as if looking for the answer somewhere in the distant night.

  “I wasn’t sure you wanted me here,” he said at last.

  What could have made him think that?

  “I heard you and that guy—that is, I saw you with him. And it seemed like you were starting something together.” His voice had a flat quality to it now. “Tracy told me he had moved in.”

  “What?” She blinked, trying to process what he was saying. So far he wasn’t making much sense. “Who are you talking about?”

  “That Paul guy. Your new roommate.”

  “Ohhh. Paul.” Now she was beginning to understand. “Yes, he lives at the house now. So does Tracy. They’re my new housemates since Dad moved out. I told you that in my email, remember?”

  He was silent, his face still turned away.

  “Does that bother you?” she asked.

  “And he’s studying to be some kind of doctor, right?”

  “He’s a medical student, yes.”

  “So you must have a lot in common.”

  She did her best to bite back the smile that wanted to spread on her face. “I guess so.”

  He whipped his head around, clearly exasperated. “So are you together or what, Dez? I overheard you—”

  “He’s gay.” She put her free hand on his arm, hoping he’d be calm enough to hear her.

  “What?”

  “Paul. He’s gay. In case that’s what you were…you know…wondering about.”

  Damn the darkness. She couldn’t see his reaction to her words. Meanwhile, her heart began doing its version of an all-out happy dance. He had come to the engagement party, looking for her, just like Tracy had said. He did care about her.

  “I see,” he said after a moment. He stood, shoving one hand into his hair. He paced a few feet away, turned, and paced back

  “So all this time, when you weren’t answering my emails and texts, you thought Paul and I were a thing?”

  “That’s the way it looked to me.”

  “But—”

  “How could I compete with a good looking guy living under the same roof as you, and a medical student to boot?” There was still a good amount of angst in his voice.

  “I guess I can get that,” she said, inordinately happy. “But now you know the truth.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Now I know.”

  Several seconds ticked past while she once again cursed the darkness that hid his face. What was he thinking? Feeling courageous, she rose and walked the three steps toward him. “Hawk?”

  And then he was pulling her into his arms. His lips crashed down on hers, his tongue pushing into her mouth. Her traitorous knees gave way and she clung to him as he claimed her, her whole body heating, her pulse pounding like a stampede of wild horses. She kissed him back with every ounce of strength and conviction she had in her. She felt his hands on her back, gathering her closer, heard his ragged gasp as he broke the kiss.

  “I need you, Desiree.”

  “Yes.” Her heart wanted to explode with joy. Yes, yes!

  He hadn’t said the ‘L’ word, but it didn’t matter. He’d come back for her, and her heart could wait for his emotions to deepen. Tonight all she could think about was being with him again and showing him how much that meant to her.

  His breath warmed her skin as he pressed a score of kisses to her cheek, her earlobe, and down her neck.

  “I need you now. Tonight,” he whispered.

  She trembled as he nipped at her collarbone and then moved lower. He pushed aside the gauzy wrap and kissed the exposed upper swells of her breasts, his lips lingering on her skin. Thrills of arousal sparked and danced over her body like St. Elmo’s fire, even as she realized they still stood right outside the church reception hall.

  “We should go somewhere else,” she managed to say.

  “Good idea.”

  Again the darkness masked his expression. Her heart stuttered in her chest as he took her by the hand and led her down the sidewalk toward his white SUV. He h
eld her door open and she got in, wondering what would happen next. She had a brief thought that she might throw up, and not because she’d had those three glasses of champagne.

  He went around and got in beside her, the dome light illuminating his features. He threw her a tight smile as he buckled his seatbelt. She did the same. Then he turned back to her.

  “I have a room at the airport Hyatt. I hope that’s okay.”

  “Sure,” she said.

  His gaze slid away from hers as he put the key in the ignition. They began driving north toward the airport.

  Her belly squeezed into a tight knot as her insecurities once again reared their ugly heads. Her forever-fantasy of making love with Hawk was about to come true. Would she be any good at it? Would he be happy with her? Would they have toothbrushes for sale in the hotel gift shop?

  Of course they will.

  “The Hyatt sounds perfect,” she said out loud, attempting to buoy her confidence.

  After a few minutes of silence, he reached over and found her hand in her lap and wove his fingers through hers. She began to feel a little better. She stroked the back of his hand.

  “So how did those glove-style bandages work out?”

  He shrugged. “They took a little getting used to, but they pretty much gave me my life back.”

  “It must have been amazing to be able to pick things up again.”

  “Yeah. I don’t think I’ll ever take that for granted.”

  “Did you keep on doing your physical therapy exercises every four hours?”

  “Yes, Nurse.” He chuckled.

  “What did Sarah have to say about your burns on your last visit?”

  “These hands are lookin’ just fine, sugah,” he mimicked, doing a perfect imitation of the beloved nurse.

  Desi giggled. “You totally nailed that. I never knew you were such a talented impersonator.”

  He grinned at her then, waggling his brows. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, Miss Desiree.”

  The dome light flicked off just then, darkening the interior of the car so she couldn’t see his face, but the velvet promise in his voice seeped into her like hot fudge sauce over Dovie’s chocolate cake. The knot in her belly relaxed into an oozy warmth. Shocked, she felt unmistakable dampness in her panties.