Chapter Twenty-Three
Cara
“I can’t believe someone would set fire to Brighter Lives. What’s wrong with people?” Lindi asked.
“The good thing is it was after hours and no one got hurt,” Joseph said.
Cara went around her dining room table pouring coffee in the board’s mugs. Joseph had called an emergency meeting, and Cara offered to host it at her house since the building had been closed down by the fire department.
“It looked like whoever did it was targeting the toys. The fire chief said that’s where it started. It’s appalling.” Torey stirred sugar into her mug.
Evan shook his head. “With the benefit only a day away, it’s going to be a sad affair for the children we invited to come. We don’t have any toys to give out, and we don’t have the budget to replace them. It took us weeks to get what we had.”
“No worries. I spoke to Banger and he and the other guys are madder than hornets. He said that they’re going to take care of it,” Belle said.
“What does that mean?” Joseph asked.
“It means there will be toys for all the kids we invited to the event and plenty more for the others next week,” Addie replied.
“How is that possible?” Lindi asked.
Cara laughed. “Don’t ask how. Just know that if the Insurgents say it’ll happen, it will.”
“What a relief,” Torey said. “Since we have that solved, I’ll grab myself a sweet roll. When I came over, my stomach was in knots. Knowing that the kids will have their toys makes me very happy. Tell the men thank you so very much.”
“Yes, tell them we are very grateful and appreciative,” Joseph added.
“We’ll let them know. They’ve been doing this for many years, and there was no way in hell they were going to let someone ruin it for the kids,” Belle said.
“I hope they catch whoever did this. It’s despicable,” Addie replied. The others nodded in agreement.
“Since we have that settled, let’s just go over the mechanics of Saturday night, and then we’ll let you ladies get on with your day,” Evan said, pulling out a folder from his briefcase.
The next hour they reviewed everything connected to the event. Cara’s mind kept wandering back to the arson. In her gut, she knew it was the crazy person who was destroying Christmas decorations in people’s houses. What better way to ruin the holiday than to destroy the toys for the children. It has to be Garret. I saw him at Brighter Lives the week before.
“Are you zoning out on us, Cara?” Joseph asked. A smile tugged at his lips.
“I was. Sorry. I was just thinking about the fire. I can’t help but think that guy, Garret, is involved in it. I know you told me he doesn’t work for Brighter Lives, Lindi, but what was he doing in the building when I saw him?”
“Maybe he’s after you. Have you seen him since?” Evan asked.
Cara shook her head. “No.”
“Or he could’ve been there applying for a job.” Joseph turned to Lindi. “Did you check out the applications?”
“No. I just checked out our employee roster. I can go through the applications if you want me to.”
“It wouldn’t hurt,” Torey added.
Joseph stood up. “I have to meet with the board of directors about what happened last night. I’ll see you all on Saturday.” The other employees of Brighter Lives rose to their feet and said their goodbyes as they followed Joseph out of the house.
Belle and Addie helped Cara clean up before they left, and after they’d gone, Cara went to the computer and plugged in everything she knew about Garret. Nothing came up. Frustrated, she rubbed the back of her neck and picked up a file she’d been working on for a preliminary hearing the following week.
When she heard the patter of running footfalls, she smiled right when Braxton ran into the study. “Mommy!” He rushed up to her and she settled him on her lap.
“Did you have a good day at school?” she asked.
“Ya. We made Christmas stuff. I made something for you and Daddy but you can’t see it until Christmas.”
“How sweet you are.” She kissed his cold cheek. “You’re frozen. Let’s go in the kitchen. I’ll make you some cocoa. Where’s Nana?”
“She’s still taking Isa out of her car seat. I’m big so I’m faster.”
She went into the kitchen and saw her mother and Isa coming in from the mudroom. “Mommy!” Isa toddled over to her and she picked her up, kissing her soft cheeks.
“Hi, Mom. Thanks for picking up the kids. I’m making hot chocolate. Do you want some?”
“I’ll have a cup. It’s so cold outside. Do you have anything sweet?”
“Do I. There’s a ton of sweet rolls and cookies that the ladies brought for the meeting. Help yourself. They’re in the cupboard next to the stove.”
“That’s awful about the toys being burned. What’re you going to do for Saturday?” Her mother took out a tin of Christmas cookies and placed one on a plate and handed it to Braxton.
“Thanks, Nana.” His eyes sparkled and Cara and her mother laughed.
“Hawk and his brothers are taking care of it. They’ll buy all the toys. I’m sure there are several Insurgents and a few old ladies buying out some of the stores in Denver.”
“How can you stand being called an ‘old lady’? I’d die if your father said that to me.” Cathy shook her head and placed another cookie on Braxton’s plate.
Ignoring her mother’s comment, Cara mashed a banana in a bowl and placed Isa on her lap. “Can you watch the cocoa on the stove, Mom? Anyway, I think it’s great that the Insurgents are making sure the needy kids have a great time on Saturday.”
Before her mother could answer, the back door slammed shut and the thud of heavy steps had Braxton sliding out of his chair and rushing toward the mudroom.
Hawk walked in with Braxton in one arm. Cara looked at him and desire curled inside her, making her tingle. Wearing tight blue jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt pulled tight across a thickly muscled chest, he held her gaze, a smile twitching on his full lips. She ran her eyes over his big mound and licked her lips before returning her gaze to his. The recessed lights made his ebony hair shine, and the dangling sword earring he wore gleamed under the lights. He’s so gorgeous. I’ll never tire of looking at him.
“Hey, babe,” he said in a gravelly voice; his eyes smoldering with intensity.
“Hey,” she said softly as Isa grabbed her hand for more fruit.
Her mother standing up broke the lusty haze between them. “I better get going,” she said.
“Hiya, Cathy. Don’t leave on my account.” He went over and kissed Isa then Cara. “I missed you, babe,” he whispered, his hot breath fanning over her face. Setting Braxton down, he walked out of the kitchen.
“Where’re you going, Daddy?” Braxton asked. “We’re having cocoa.”
“I got some work to do, little buddy. Save me some.”
Cathy sat back down. “I guess I can stay for one cup.”
“I wish you’d be nicer to Hawk, Mom. He’s a great father and guy. It isn’t fair that you always act like he has the plague when you see him,” Cara said under her breath, not wanting Braxton to hear.
“He just makes me nervous. I don’t know why, but he does. Anyway, we have absolutely nothing in common.” Cathy came over and poured the hot chocolate in two mugs and Braxton’s plastic cup.
“You have me, Braxton, and Isa in common,” she replied as she reached for Braxton’s cup. “Grab me an ice cube from the small ice tray. It’s too hot for him.”
Her mother placed a small cube inside the mug and sat down. Changing the subject, she talked about her upcoming trip to Europe with two of her friends. They talked until raspberry red and blackberry violet embraced the edge of the clouds as a brilliant white patch slipped behind the mountain peaks. Cathy glanced out the window then at the clock. “It’s later than I thought. I better get home and start dinner.” She stood up.
“Dad’s easy. He’s good with a sandwich and soup. Take some cookies for him. I’ll pack up the sweet rolls. I’m the only one who eats them in the house, and I don’t want to be tempted.” She rose to her feet and Isa smacked her lips, her eyes fluttering open.
“Your father doesn’t need them either.”
“He can bring them to the office tomorrow.” She pulled out the box from the cupboard and handed it to her mom.
She walked her mother into the garage. “Drive safely.” She kissed her on the cheek.
“I will.” Cathy ran her finger over Isa’s cheek. “Tell Braxton bye for me. I’ll see you and the children on Saturday.” She went into the garage, and Cara waited until she’d backed out and headed down the road before she closed the door.
“Brrr… it’s cold, sweetie,” she said to Isa as she closed the door and went back into the kitchen. Hawk stood in front of the open fridge. She came behind him and patted his firm butt. “Looking for something?”
He turned around and pulled her into his arms, Isa chortling. “I just found it.” He squeezed her ass cheeks.
Isa squirmed and held out her arms. “Daddy.” Cara handed her over to Hawk.
“Hey, princess.” He rubbed his face against her and she giggled.
“Leftover lasagna sound good? I’ll make salad and garlic bread.”
“Sounds great, babe.”
“The people from Brighter Lives were blown away today when Belle told them the Insurgents were replacing all the toys. They were very happy and grateful.”
“Of course. We’re not gonna let a pussy-ass fuck with the toy drive.”
Cara sighed. “Honey, please watch your language around Isa. Okay?”
He went over to her and swept his lips across hers. “Okay, babe.” He swatted her ass and went into the family room.
As Cara prepared dinner, Hawk played with Isa while watching The Muppet Christmas Carol for the twentieth time with Braxton.
“I think you should look into this Garret guy who came to my office. Remember I told you I saw him when I went to a meeting last week at Brighter Lives? Lindi said that he doesn’t work there.”
Hawk looked over his shoulder: a line etched between his brows. “You didn’t tell me he was there. Have you seen him since?”
She shook her head. “I just have a gut feeling he’s the crazy guy who’s destroying Christmas things.”
“You think he started the fire last night?”
“I do. I don’t know why I do. It’s a feeling. I have a description of his van and two numbers from his license plate. Remember I told you I couldn’t read his last name on the ID he gave Asher when he came to my office.”
“Yeah. You didn’t make it sound like this fucker was dangerous.” He got up from the couch and came over to her. “Has he threatened you?”
“No. Nothing like that. I just don’t have a good feeling about him. I wish you’d check him out.”
“Give me the details and it’s done.”
Cara gave the description of the van and the two numbers and Hawk took out his phone and went to the mudroom, closing the door behind him. As she was setting the table, Hawk came into the kitchen and went over to her.
“Did you find out anything?” she asked.
“I will. Don’t worry about anything. I’ll take care of it. Dinner smells good. I love your lasagna.” He spun her into his arms and kissed her. “And I fuckin’ love you, babe.”
She kissed him back. “We have to make sure the kids are safe on Saturday. All the Insurgents will be there, right?”
He nibbled her neck. “Yeah, and the prospects too. We got this, babe.”
While they ate dinner, Braxton told them what he did at school, and Hawk kept throwing sultry glances her way. By the time the food was put away and the dishes were in the dishwasher, she was a quivering mess of lust and desire.
When the clock struck seven thirty, Cara took the children up to bed. Isa fell asleep almost immediately after rocking her in the chair, and Braxton was already in bed waiting for his bedtime story when she went into his room. She and Hawk took turns reading to him, and she cherished the nights when she held one of his favorite books in her hands and transported her son to the world of make-believe.
Switching off the lamp, she smiled as she watched Braxton sleep, his ratty teddy tucked under his chin. As she went down the stairs, electric heat moved through her as her need for him intensified. Her body had been craving his touch since he’d come home.
He was on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table, the lamps turned down low, and a fire spitting in the fireplace. A show with a lot of zombies stumbling around was on the screen, the sound turned down so low she couldn’t make out any of the dialogue.
She came up to him from behind and put her arms around the front of him. He tilted his head back and she bent down and kissed him deeply. He reached behind him and grasped her waist, lifting her off the ground and bringing her over the couch to him. They didn’t say anything, just grabbed onto each other: their lips fusing together, his hands sliding under the hem of her top, her arousal rising within her like a flaming torch. The space between them was supercharged with the electricity of lust and desire. He plunged his tongue deep inside her mouth and hers tangled around his in a tantalizing dance, stoking that fire.
The way he kissed her, touched her made it seem like the earth beneath her melted away and all time stopped. She only felt.
“Fuck, babe. You’re the spark to my flame. I can never get enough of you. Never,” he rasped against her skin as he pinched her nipples and moved his lips down her neck.
A wave of warmth filled her up, spilling out from her heart and rushing to every corner of her body: her curling toes, her aching nipples, her throbbing mound. Every inch of her was saturated with desire. “Oh, Hawk,” she moaned. Her arms reached up and tangled around his thick, strong neck. In an instant she’d pulled away and arched up into his broad chest, moaning in the contact of body heat against her own, before she drew back into his lips.
“Let’s get on the floor, babe,” he whispered, pulling her up. He moved the table out of the way, and she grabbed a blanket strewn over one of the cushy chairs, laying it out on the floor. He lifted his shirt over his head, the fire’s glow illuminating every ripple in his amazing chest and arms. His tats danced as he reached out and yanked her to him, his mouth crushing against hers.
As he eased her down on the plush blanket, desire, love, and joy spread through her. She loved and desired Hawk so completely that she knew no matter how long she lived, she’d never get her fill of him. He was her world and she was his, and no matter how tough things got, they always had each other.
She grabbed a fist of his hair and brought his face to hers.