CHAPTER SIX

“The best way to get over a man is …drunk dance for him.” - Gia

 

This was getting to be a habit.

A rapid pumping of energy went through Hawk as he stepped out of the borrowed SUV outside the loud bar. He’d been a few times, couldn’t claim to like the place any better than anywhere else. It sold beer and was always fucking noisy.

For a hermit who liked his own company he was among the fucking public way too much this past week because of her. The racket hit him as he entered what was Austin’s equivalent to Hooters. TEASERS claimed to have the best wings in Texas. He could give a fuck about their poultry, making his way inside.

All the servers wore skin tight clothing and tried to earn tips by overtly flirting. The Austin boys liked the bar, for obvious reasons. Nodding to Eric the barman who’d called the club as he caught Hawk’s eye, the dark-haired man nodded in the direction, he saw her at the other end of the bar, balancing on her stool, skirt up to there, tits pouring over her teeny, tiny sleeveless shirt and heels so tall they accentuated her tanned legs.

Hawk’s gut tightened to vicious rocks.

She was asking to fall and break her stupid neck, was his first thought. Quickly followed by how amazing she looked and wondered what the patch of inner thigh she was flashing would taste like.

His body jolted.

Roused.

Hardened.

Hard as a bat.

But if he was thinking perverted thoughts, then so was every other man who circled around her.

God fucking dammit. He couldn’t even claim to be there because of Rider and some sense of brotherhood looking out for his sister. It was simple really, he was where Gia was. Beginning and end. Pushing one fool out of the way after another. No fucker messed with him when he turned a dark snarl.

She was swaying to the music, really letting her hips go from side to side, arms in the air, a smile a mile wide on her face she was so into the music and the adoration of the three dickheads surrounded her cheering her on that she didn't see Hawk until he'd shoved one more punk out of the way.

She looked incredible.

So good it stopped his heart. He had visions of her doing her little dirty hip dancing just for him. Naked. And sweating after he’d turned her out.

Fuck. He ached. And he was mad. And, Jesus. She looked incredible. It just made his teeth snarl more to think every man in there was seeing what he was seeing.

And that was too. Fucking. Much. Of. Gia.

Even when she saw him she didn’t halt.

If anything, there was a little more oomph and sass to her rhythmic hips and a lot of cold coming from her gaze. Goddamn, the shimmering silver skirt/belt she was wearing looked painted on to her upper thighs. The expression in her heavily made-up eyes was frosty.

He missed her smile.

He’d done that. He’d stolen her fucking smile.

His wallet chain and heavy boots seemed extra loud up against the roaring blood through his skull. He pushed behind one of the cocksuckers eyeballing Gia and yanked him back by the scruff of the neck, putting himself directly in front of her.

The guy protested. “Hey, asshole!” Hawk ignored the hell out of him or he’d murder right here in public.

“Get down from there before you break your damn neck,” his command was a thunderclap boil of pissed off and horny. Desire squeezed his voice box just as it did the same to his balls. “You’re giving every fucking pervert in here free rights to peek up that little skirt. I’m not having it.” He hissed.

Gia glanced only once, a look cold as snow and went right back to dancing to whatever tween-song was playing.

The stool tipping as she did.

He caught her fast, grasping her around the waist, getting his hands full of warm, lush woman, she was over his shoulder in a second.

“Heyyyyyyyyyyy! Put me down, Hawk! I was having fun! You can’t do this, we’re not friends.” She garbled her words crossly, her hands going to his ass to steady herself before she began waving to her audience like she was Cher on her goodbye tour.

The crowd cheered.

One punk tried to reach for her outstretched hands.

Hawk snarled and landed her on her feet, glaring at the three men who had advanced forward with each a death wish.

He was just dying to bury some stupid moron, especially the short little dipshit who eyed her tits like they were mashed potatoes and gravy. Hawk towered over the man, rumbled a warning in his throat. “Fuck off while you can still walk.”

“Hey now, man, we don't want no trouble today, okay? Just take your girl on home.” Instructed Eric standing on his side of the bar, a worry etched on his face that his place was about to become kindling.

Understandable, Hawk did tend to cause riots from time to time. Not his fault, but he never backed down from a fight. Usually because he was itching to fight.

The shorter man took his cue and scurried off, so did another, but one dumb-fuck didn't back down. “We were having fun, weren't we honey?”

“Yesssss.” Gia giggled half hidden by Hawk's size, he had his hand pinned to her waist. “You're being a buzzkill, Hawk! Me and my friend—whatsyournameagain?”

“Robert, but you can call me baby, sweetheart.”

“How about I call the undertaker for you.” Hawk broadcast in the quietest voice as the guy smiled at Gia in that lustful way any man would recognize.

Maybe his head snapped.

Maybe his logic took a fucking trip because the next second Hawk had the royal prick pinned against the bar and the man was screaming for no good reason at all.

Oh, and Hawk's pocket knife was embedded in the man's hand, harpooning him to the wood countertop.

Maybe that explained all the caterwauling.

After much howling and uproar from the crowd and servers, Hawk pulled back his knife, he pinned the guy with a stare and pointed the end of the knife dripping blood at his face. “Leave by the door you came in or next time you’ll be in a pine box.”

Who cared where the guy went. Maybe he died on the floor. Hawk had already turned back around to face the drunken brat.

She was propping the bar up with an elbow. Booty poking out.  Not fazed at all. If anything, she was flapping her painted lashes at him.

She was the good doctor and he was the head case. How then in this fucking equation was he the rational one?

Behind him Eric buzzed for Hawk to leave. Hawk waved the fucker off. Striding forward he slid an arm around Gia’s waist. “Grab your purse, little bit. Your drunk ass is going home.”

“Not your lil bit. Did—” hic. “Did you just stab my bestest friend?”

Hawk grumbled. “He was no friend to you.”

“You—you don’t know, mister. He could—could have been my bestest best friend in the world and you stabbed him. You don’t wanna be my friend. Had to find new ones.”

“He’s lucky he’s still walking. Don’t push me.” All his heat and temper miraculously dissipated the moment her two hands came to his chest, sliding under the unzipped jacket and up to his neck, she tangled fingers in his beard and tugged.

Hawk grunted.

He liked it.

His dick loved it.

“You need a haircut.” She teetered, walking her fingers over his lower face.

The girl who was always ahead of her peers in school, not just in years but in academic achievements, was drunk off her ass in the tightest mini skirt and her tits out to there. Of all the years he’d creeped around the fringes he’d never witnessed her wild and free like this.

He liked her tits pressing into his chest and the way her fragrance seduced.

And that was his fucking cue to get her out of there, not just because some asshole might have called the law, but his dick was aching something fierce and if she continued to purr and rub all over his front, this crowd were gonna get another kind of show when he lifted her onto the bar, split her legs and buried his head underneath silver.

“You ruined my night!” She hiccupped once he managed to get her outside. Which wasn't as easy as he’d first thought it would be moving a small woman. She was all arms and legs and giggle-fits, and she really was a weak drunk, he thought, keeping his arm tight around her. “You ruined my whole fucking day, Colton. My entire life!”

“I know. Come on, little bit, keep walking, that’s it.”

Before she could lean up against someone’s Buick parked out front he pulled her against his chest.

His heart went nuts knocking up against his ribs.

For someone who thought he didn’t have one, there it was, thumping out of control.

Gia curled into him and further killed Hawk. His two hands had fucking ideas of their own, sweeping gently up and down her back.

Just a minute. Just a fucking minute. Let me soothe her.

“Hawk?” Glassy eyes looked up at him. She was so damn beautiful, and she didn’t even know it. Guys like the ones inside knew it, and that punk who carried a briefcase he knew it. “Kiss me,” she said making him recoil. “Please? Please kiss me, Hawk. you can pretend it didn’t happen tomorrow. I won’t—I won’t mention it. Please. Kiss me here.”

Silence filled his head and longing, sweet, fucking longing pooled into his gut. A furnace full of need came at him fifty strong, there was no way he could ignore her, pretend he didn’t hear. Just get her into the truck, get her home and forget this night ever happened.

Forget she was plastered to his front, hip to hip, tits pressing his chest, hands sliding into his belt loops. “I shouldn’t have to beg—dammit, Hawk, if you—”

He’d heard enough.

Taking her under the chin, his palm cupped kinder than he’d ever held anyone by the throat and directed her head back, his growl was a needy sound.

“No talking.”

Drunk and smiling, she was already clutching his shirt. Already on her toes.

He met her half way and when Hawk kissed Gia for only the third time the back of his brain was about to detonate.

Perfect.

She’s perfect.

She tasted perfect. Sweet, liquor perfection.

Oh, shit. He was sunk.

He was about to become her—whatever she needed.

Lips moved this way and that way, his tongue touching hers, he swallowed her moan. Moved his hand into the back of her hair, his lips a little more savage, more desperate.

He didn’t even know if he was kissing her the way she liked until she started clawing at his cut and shirt, trying to climb his leg, her lips pressing deeper.

Jealousy messed with his wiring, watching those men mentally undress a dancing Gia had him wanting to be aggressive with her, rougher than he’d been, it fired through his bloodstream until that’s all he tasted, the overpowering need to claim her in rough ways until the little bit of a thing learned her damn lesson not to flaunt her gorgeous self in front of him.

Stopping it before he railed her on the ground, and then he’d really have to kill every living soul in the area for seeing Gia that way, he tossed her into the front seat of the SUV and climbed in on a sigh.

Keeping his eyes averted, he drove in silence and listened to her none-stop rambling.

He might have smiled once or twice.

Or maybe it was a stroke.

Either way all the tightness in his chest lessened.

 

 

******

 

Being half sozzled with the room spinning meant Gia didn’t really feel the graze on her knee even as blood trickled down her leg drying in long lines, she sat on the edge of the bed, swaying a little.

God, she felt fuzzy and why the hell was her leg bleeding?

She figured the big, glowering man in jeans and a black T-shirt had the answers.

“I’m sitting in my panties with Hawk in my house.” She narrated around a vodka-fueled hiccup as though he wasn’t standing right there glaring at her.

Handsome. Handsome. He made her belly ache.

She chuckled at his scowl. She loved his scowl, it made him twice as beautiful, and his pastel blue eyes sharper. She gulped him in and watched him stalk out of her bedroom. With a pout she yelled. “That was rude, mister! At least say goodbye when you stalk off. Leaving me here in my panties, my good panties with the lace by the way, you didn’t even look at them! I didn’t pay twelve bucks for you not to look at them, jeez, no manners these bikers.”

Gia was giggling to herself, leaning back on her hands deciding if she was going to sleep right there or attempt the mega climb into the bed when he strode back in carrying a white basin she kept by the sink. She reared up, gaping.

“You came back!”.

How was he so rugged and big and handsome and so fucking handsome?

She wanted to rub all over him.

She wondered if he’d lie on the ground while she rubbed all over him?

He was like a giant mountain bear, she decided.

A bear with big teeth and snarling jaw.

God, she loved him so much, so hard, her boobs ached.

“How did I cut my leg?” Her brow furrowed trying to remember, lifting it out in front of her to gaze at the trickle of blood. “Where are my clothes?”

“You fell out of my truck before I could lift you out. And you stripped when I got you inside.” His tone tight.

He was always so angry.

So sexy and angry, she thought.

He crouched down by her feet and her heart swelled to see him down there, almost bowing to her. Almost like he loved her.

As if.

“You need a haircut.” She mused with a sloppy smile, her hand reached out to touch his messy mop, but he caught it and pressed it back to the bed. Wasn't that always the way, she never got to touch him. Rejection hurt more than ever.

The bowl was full of water, he wrung out a soaked cloth and began dabbing at her knee more tender than expected him to be.

“Ow. Fuck, fuck, fuck, ow! That hurts!”

“Keep still, little bit, I gotta get the gravel out of the wound.”

“Just…please be careful, I don’t want my knee to fall off.”

Something like a smile flitted across his face. Was she that drunk she was hallucinating him smiling? Maybe because it was gone in the next blink.

“I’ll try not to let your knee fall off.” Another gentle swipe then he rubbed antiseptic cream on her knee, she nibbled her lip watching him.

“I fell over.”

“I know I was there.”

“I fell over in front of Hawk! He probably thinks I’m a klutz as well as a sex-pest now. Maybe my knee should fall off, so I can die and be free of mortifi-mortific-whatever that word is.”

The room spun a little. Those drinks really had been nice.

She really wanted to touch his hair, despite the mess of it, it looked so soft.

“There, all clean.” He gruffed with a voice that always did warm syrupy things to her between her legs. She could only ever imagine what he’d sound like whispering gruff, dirty words in bed.

Did he know he made her heart sing?

Did he care?

Gia’s temperature spiked and it had nothing to do with the amount of liquor she’d inhaled.

“Aren’t you going to kiss it better?” Her bottom lip jutted out as she leaned over to look at her knee. Still there, thank god!

That great chest attached to the too handsome man she wanted desperately inflated on a big inhale, his animal shaped eyes caught hers, she was ensnared in ice wrapped in blue and found she didn’t want to look anywhere else for the rest of her life. Huge and ferocious on his angled face, she fell in love with his deep, brooding eyes. Gia swore the world tilted, nothing to do with being drunk, he made her world move. “Please it hurts a lot, Hawk. I could die any second.”

She hiccupped again. Blinked tears.

He moved towards her rapidly. His big body arching, hands braced on the bed either side of her thighs, he dipped his head and laid a kiss to her knee.

She swooned so hard her breasts swelled, the place between the thighs turned molten and she moaned reaching out this time and catching his hair briefly.

It was soft as wool.

“I think my mouth is hurt too.” She puckered. He rose to a fearsome height, her neck cranked to look up at him.

“Now you’re just pushing it.” He came back after taking out the bowl and stuck a The Good Dinosaur band aid on her boo-boo. Now she really did feel four years old in front of him. No wonder he didn’t want to fuck her. She’d practically thrown herself at him and he’d tossed her back like day old salmon.

Gia sighed and rolled over onto the bed, just hanging there half on half off, in her white sleeveless T-shirt and 12 dollar pink panties.

 

The next thing Gia knew it was the next morning.

She woke in slow increments. When she opened her eyes, the light hurt.

God. She felt ill. Worse. Close to death. Her head throbbed.

Soon as her mind realized she was awake it info-dumped all the load from last night on her. Everything she’d done, from being pissed off at Hawk, to deciding she would go out, get drunk and forget all about that man.

Only it didn’t turn out that way.

Her brain full of memories of dancing on the bar top. Being manhandled by Hawk. Falling over on her ass.

And kissing Hawk.

Everything he’d done for her last night. The way he’d taken care of her.

She danced on a bar for god's sake. She groaned mortified, burying her aching head in the sheets. If anyone in her professional field found out ... turning to alcohol because a guy upset her, wasn’t Gia. She was disappointed in herself.

And yet pleased at the same time. She never let go. She didn’t go out to have fun and deliberately dance with men and drink until the room was spinning. She’d been having fun when she’d spotted the man himself angrily making his way through the crowd. Oh, when he’d look up at her she’d swayed her hips more. Enticing him to play. She’d watched his nostrils flare and the way his fingers clenched and for a moment Gia was sure she’d influenced every jealous dragon-huff that moody man made.

After lying in her pit of shame for more than thirty minutes, she finally grabbed her cell phone, brought it under the duvet with her.
 

Gia: Thank you for taking care of me.

Hawk: Any time.

Gia:  Do you mean it? Any time?? I need taking care of now.

 

Bolder than usual. Her heart caught in her throat, she waited for his reply. A minute. Then two. Dammit, Hawk. come on. When she thought he was ignoring her, she swung out of bed, stood on her jelly legs, she went through her routine of showering and dressing in simple pink sweatpants and T-shirt, leaving her wet hair to dry naturally, she rubbed on lotion, pulled on socks and headed to the mecca of all coffees to rouse her for the day.

Thank god, she didn’t have work today.

It was always one step forward and forty million back with him, she acknowledged.

It was something she needed to get used to. Accept the way he was.

He didn’t want her in the way she wanted him.

She’d given it the old college try.

Now she was moving on with her life.

How do you quit a man like him?

 

Hawk: Then come downstairs and I’ll take care of whatever you need.

 

WHAT?

WHAT?

Gia nearly stumbled her way going down the stairs in her haste to see if he really was inside her house.

Hawk was not here. Was he? No, he couldn’t be. He would have left hours ago.

She smelled strongly brewed coffee before she tentatively pushed open the door leading to the kitchen.

And there he was.

Propped against the sink, boots crossed at the ankle. Arms crossed over his wide, strong chest. Bare arms on display in his cut-off shirt. His hair always a disheveled mess and same for his beard and to Gia he’d never looked as sexy as he did standing in her kitchen. She didn’t miss a thing. Not the veins in the back of his hands, or the way his eyes followed her all the way into her kitchen without a blink breaking the contact.

His gaze was heated. Unmasked.

“What are you still doing here?”

“Making you coffee.” He took a step towards the coffee machine and hooked up her favorite mug, the one that was pink and said, ‘Nerds do it Better’ he held it out towards her. She took it mechanically and because she wanted caffeine in her bloodstream more than she wanted anything else. “I didn’t want to leave in case you choked on your vomit in the night.” he added on.

Oh, merciful lord, if you think anything of me smite me down now. She prayed.

With her face pink and the coffee burning her tongue, she sat at the table in the middle of the room.

She loved this kitchen and would be sorry to leave it behind.

“Thank you for bringing me home. And looking after me. And patching up my knee.” She mumbled into her mug. And kissing me. Thank you for kissing me and making sure I’m ruined for all other men.

“You’re welcome, Gia. For it all.”

Was that a smirk in his deep rumbled tone?

Did he mean she was welcome for the hot kiss that was scorched on the back of her eyelids? How she’d thrown herself at him and he’d not only caught her but took over the kiss like he was starved for it? She could still feel his tongue in her mouth, stroking over her teeth, enticing hers to dance with him.

Busying her mouth, she gulped at the coffee and tried not to let her analytical brain take over as to why he was still here looking like a grumpy god in her kitchen.

He looked good. So good. She couldn’t look at him.

It was the nature of her job, and just the way Gia’s mind worked to overanalyze, to find a solution or a reason. Her clients relied on her to fix their marital problems in ten easy sessions. She liked to deliver. Helping people made her feel good. If she didn’t have love in her life, then she wanted everyone around her to be happy.

She’d miss her practice, too, and her clients, but she’d already mentioned her possible relocation to most of her rolodex and some wanted to keep her as their therapist. Thank god for Skype sessions being an actual thing in this modern era. She was happy to take them with her and build up a new practice in Colorado.

One minute.

Two minutes.

The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, but Gia was aware she was present with the man who had starred in all her adult fantasies and some before she’d reached eighteen. If she were truthful, and why wouldn’t she be? Because lying to yourself was the first step to insanity. Hawk was the first person she gave herself an orgasm over and now it came back to her in startling lucidity to put color into her cheeks as though he’d see inside her brain and knew just how dirty her thoughts could get.

Gia breathed, drained her coffee. Fingers fidgeted with her coffee mug.

“So….”

Hawk moved off by pushing his hands against the sink before she could say another word. His sleek panther-like glide had her riveted to her seat, her thighs pressed tightly together to put out the forest fire he’d caused.

“I’m gonna head off now I know you survived the night,” he said seriously making Gia grin with a touch of embarrassment. She still can’t believe he stayed all night. Probably in her bedroom in that uncomfortable chair watching her. And she, dumbass, slept through the entire thing.

“Did you watch me?” She blurted before she could get a hold of her tongue.

He cocked a brow under his hair she ached to brush out of his eyes, but his beard appeared tamer this morning. Almost as if he’d been running his hands over it repeatedly.

“How else would I know if you choked?”

 “Well. Thanks again. And sorry for—”

“No need.”

She followed his quick gait down the hallway to the door. He stopped so abruptly Gia almost ran into his solid back. And she knew it was solid because she could still feel him under her fingers from last night when she’d monkey-clung to him.

“If you’re still serious about wanting office space for your head shrink business,” he spoke. Gia frowned. “Contact Lawless. He can get you a good deal on rent.”

“I spoke to you about that?”

Hawk snorted. “Your drunk self was chatty on the drive home.”

“Oh. well. Yes. I am serious. The other partner in my building is buying me out and I’m seeing a realtor for this place in the next few days.”

Gia was excited and apprehensive at the same time.

“How long are you staying in Austin for?” Without conscious thought, she reached out and placed a hand at his wrist. An inconsequential touch to gain his attention and yet it was more than obvious both she and Hawk were affected by it when their breaths hiked in volume at the same time.

She rubbed her fingers on the fine hairs. Back and forth. Not daring to pull from his eyes.

She watched his nostrils flare and his lips thin and when she thought he was going to get mad as was his norm, he surprised the hell out of her when he didn’t.

Just stood there and allowed her to stroke him.

It was like being offered the keys to Christian Louboutin’s factory and told to go wild.

“Hawk?”

“Hm … yeah?” Oh, she loved that rust sounded tone. Like he was turned on. And the depth of his eyes almost eclipsed by the dark pupil.

“I asked how long you were going to be in Austin for? I assume it’s temporary.” God. She hoped it was or she was moving for nothing. Not nothing, but he was a big part in her decision.

“For as long as it takes.”

“As long as what takes?” Dare she hope it was something to do with her?

When his brow pinched she knew it wasn’t.

“Just business.”

“So, you will be coming back to Colorado?”

“Yeah. It’s where I live.”

Gia grinned and let him have his wrist back.

“Good. That’s good.”

He left. And Gia was smiling.

Not aware just how soon she’d see Hawk again.

She couldn’t have known.