Chapter Twelve
A week later, Hawke made her breakfast while she showered. He’d never been one for routines, but he had to admit he liked waking up every morning next to her and fixing her some protein before she headed out for her classes or appointments with the physical therapist.
“Hey, handsome, what’s for breakfast,” she said as she took out the orange juice and poured them both a glass. She fit here and in his life so easily that he sometimes forgot this was a temporary thing. Actually, it was impossible to remember. Every time she walked into a room, his mind was a lost cause. Never in his life had he been so messed up over a woman.
She stared at him expectantly. “Egg white and spinach omelets, and I’ve got some tomatoes topped with buffalo mozzarella and parm in the oven.”
“Everything okay.” She cocked her head and frowned.
“Yep. You’re so pretty I forgot you’d asked a question.” It was close to the truth.
Her cheeks turned pink. The woman couldn’t take a compliment. One of the many things that made her unforgettable was that she didn’t have a clue how beautiful she was.
“So who taught you to cook?”
He shrugged and focused on the eggs, sliding the pan to the side so he could fold the omelet. “I think stepmom number three was a chef. She was too tired when she got off her shift at the restaurant, but she’d supervise me through meals for the siblings. After a year of that, I got pretty good. And then when she left my dad, I started watching videos and episodes of cooking shows on the Food Network so we wouldn’t starve. I like cooking. It’s relaxing.”
“You’re just full of surprises. I wish I could cook. I can boil eggs and make a heck of a salad, but that’s about it,” she said as she sat on one of the barstools.
“Actually, boiling an egg the right way isn’t that easy. You want the yoke to be yellow, and if you over cook it, it gets green and the taste isn’t the same.”
“Exactly. See, you know so much. Very impressive. I haven’t found much you don’t do well. You can fix things. You’re an artist, and you can cook, all while walking around in that hot bod of yours. Such a renaissance man.”
He chuckled. “Don’t tell my friends. They think Renaissance stuff is like those fairs with the turkey legs and the men running around in tights.” He held up the spatula. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I just find the tights a bit binding.” He winked at her.
When did I start winking?
This time, she laughed. “If we could get you in some tights, you could help me practice my pas de deux.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s when a male and female dancer work together on steps and lifts. Well, sometimes it can be male and male, or two females. Just depends on the piece.”
“I don’t know about the steps, but I could help you with the lifts after breakfast or tonight when I get off work.”
She smiled. He’d do just about anything to see that on her face. “Really?”
“Sure.”
“Cool. There’s something I’ve been wanting to work on, but I had trouble with the angle before my accident. I get frustrated when I can’t get something right. You just have to hold me in the air a bit, and I can do the rest.”
She weighed about as much as a bottle of water, so that wouldn’t be that hard.
They sat down to eat their omelets and tomatoes. “What time do you have to be at work today?” she asked.
“Not until noon. I was just going to do paperwork.”
“My stuff with Gelsey isn’t until later today. I was thinking maybe we could work in the pool for a bit. If that’s okay with you? That way, if I do something wrong, I’ll hit the water rather than the floor. Do you mind getting a little wet?”
It was a perfectly innocent question, but his mind went elsewhere, as it usually did around her. “Not at all.”
About thirty minutes later, he was in the pool, standing face-to-face with her in the shallow end, his hands around her tiny waist. He was glad the water covered him so she couldn’t see the tent pole in his board shorts. She needed his help, and all he could think about was getting inside of her. She was moving her hands in a fluid motion, and one of her legs shot behind her out of the water. How she was able to throw her leg up that high amazed him.
“When I kick out with my right leg, throw me up as high as you can and let me twist, and then catch me again. I’ll use the momentum of my body to do the move. I just need you to catch me so I don’t hit the water.”
He frowned. “Are you sure this is safe with your ankle?”
Her brow furrowed. “Yep. That’s why we’re trying this in the water. You’re taller than most of our male dancers and maybe a bit stronger. But this is harder than they make it look. If you miss me coming back down, I’ll just tuck, so don’t worry. The last thing I want to do is hurt myself. You ready?”
No. “Sure.” He’d never done anything like this in his life, and he sure as hell didn’t want to risk hurting her.
She laughed again. “I promise, there’s nothing you can do that would hurt me. I’ve fallen on hard dance floors all my life. And except for this last time, I’ve survived. That’s why I’ve been working out a lot in the pool. It’s easier, and the resistance of the water helps my muscles from atrophying.”
He took a deep breath and nodded. “Let’s do this.”
“Okay, hold on. Follow me.” She moved to the steps where she’d left her towel to dry off her hips and then his hands. “So if you can, pick me up here and then move out a bit deeper.”
After picking her up, he backed out to the center of the shallow end of the pool. She shook her head.
“What’s wrong?”
“You can loosen your grip just a bit so I can breathe, and then slide the palms of your hands down to my pelvis bone as you lift me up. Watch for the leg shooting out and then toss me as high as you can.”
Her leg went out, and he did as she asked. She twisted as she kicked her legs out and landed back in his hands before he realized what was happening. It was by the grace God he’d caught her, he’d been so mesmerized by her movements. “For a second, it looked like you were flying.”
“I was. Don’t get me wrong, male dancers are stupid strong, but they’ve got nothing on you. I don’t think I’ve ever gone that high before. It was perfect.”
“Scared the hell out of me,” he said honestly.
She kissed his cheek. “You were perfect. Let’s do it again. I have another idea.” They practiced the same move several times. Even though she was light, his muscles were starting to feel it.
Still, he was fascinated by the way she moved so gracefully through the air. Even better was the joy on her face as she did it. While she’d shared plenty of smiles with him, he’d never seen her like that.
“Whew,” she said, “I guess we better call it a day for now. I need to get ready for class, and you don’t want to be too late for work.”
“I’d like to watch you dance,” he said. Where the hell had that come from?
“Really?”
He nodded. She seemed happy about the idea, and he wouldn’t take that away from her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body into his. “Just how soon do you need to go to work?”
Now it was his turn to grin. He pulled his shorts off and tossed them on the side of the pool. Then he made her bikini disappear just as quickly.
“We’re naked,” she said as a tremor shook her body.
“You cold?” he asked.
“No. That’s anticipation.” She took his cock in her hand and pumped him a couple of times. He nearly shot his load when she touched him. “You want to ride me, ballerina?”
“More than anything.” She kicked her feet up around his waist, and he leaned back against the side of the pool so he could support them both. He was about to reach down to finger the hell out of her sweet pussy when she shoved herself down on him and nipped his ear. “Need you. Now,” she growled.
He stood there only needing to flex his hips a bit as she bobbed up and down on his length. She leaned back as she rode him, so hot and wet against his cock. Best feeling in the world. Then she thrust her tits in his face, and he had to taste her.
Sucking one of her nipples into his mouth, he teased her with his tongue and teeth until she gasped. He gave the other one the same attention, and she moaned, “Hawke.” Then her heat clenched around his cock and she milked him, those muscles of hers working him hard. He pumped a few more times and then lost his load deep inside her.
They stayed twined together for several minutes. “You’re making it hard,” she said finally.
“What do you mean?” he said, nuzzling her chin and then kissing her ear.
“To think about what happens next month. This is good. So very good.” She sighed as she slid off him.
Yes, it is.
…
Hawke was thinking about how hot Amy looked on her Hog as she rode off to her appointment. The woman had turned his world upside down.
It was temporary. He kept having to remind himself of that.
But damn, they were having a good time. He wasn’t sure when he’d had this much fun with a woman. Maybe never.
His office phone buzzed. “Gray’s on line two,” Belinda said.
“What’s up?” he asked his friend.
“She moved the money.”
He’d had Gray put a tracer on the account he’d given her. It wasn’t terribly legal, but he wasn’t super trusting. He had to make sure she wasn’t using the funds for anything illegal. Well, he knew she wasn’t, but he was a nosy son of a bitch, and he cared about her. He had to make sure she was okay.
She wasn’t the type to go to a loan shark, but it bugged him that she wouldn’t tell him who the money was for. He hated that he was curious about who she’d been talking to that day. He’d never brought it up again, and she’d never offered an explanation, which really did bug the hell out of him.
“All of it?”
“Yep.”
What would she need fifty thousand for? He’d checked into the cost of the trainer, and it was expensive. He’d thought maybe that’s what she was using the money for, but then he’d remembered Bo or whoever she’d been talking to on the phone that day. Was it some guy? An old boyfriend? Or a loan shark? A few times she’d said things like his bathroom was bigger than her apartment she shared with three or four other dancers. Maybe she’d had to borrow money. Dancers probably didn’t make much.
“You said you wanted to know. So what are you going to do?”
It was her money and a part of their deal. What could he do? But he’d feel bad if she was using it for her medical stuff. He could help her with that. Even though their relationship wasn’t real, he did care about her. And he wanted to help her make her dreams come true. He’d done the same for the rest of his family; why wouldn’t he do it for her?
“Nothing. Thanks for letting me know.”
He hung up. He’d ask her. Tonight. Find out what the money was for, and then he’d help her out. She’d give him a tough time, but she would tell him the truth.
…
Later that night, when he pulled into the garage, he was surprised to find her bike wasn’t there. Then she pulled up behind him.
She had a shopping bag tucked into the back of her bike.
“Hey,” she said as she took off her helmet and kissed him. “I was hoping I’d beat you home. I have dinner ready, but you didn’t have any vases.”
“What?”
“You know, for flowers.” She grabbed the bag and motioned him to follow her.
The table had been set for two. There were flowers on the breakfast bar. “I went to find a vase, but you didn’t have one. So I got you this.”
She pulled a silver vase out of the bag. “I know it’s not super fancy, but it’ll do, right? I thought it would go with the rest of your decor.”
“It’s nice.” She’d bought something for his house. Had she used the money? Now he really felt bad. He didn’t want her spending that on him. “Wait? You cooked?” There were no burning smells, which there usually were if she tried anything more than eggs or a salad.
“I’ll put the flowers in. Can you grab a couple of beers? I’ve got Mario’s lasagna warming in the oven. It’s pretty much my last day for carbs. I’ve got to get back to treating my body like a temple, but tonight, it’s all about the carbs.”
“Did you use your own money to buy the vase?”
She stopped.
“That didn’t come out right. I meant to say I don’t want you to use your money for stuff around the house.” He took his black card out of his wallet. “If you need anything, groceries or whatever, use this. Okay?”
He held up the card, but she didn’t reach for it.
“That’s okay. I’ve got my own money. And I’m living here, too. It’s no big deal.”
“I don’t want you using that fifty K I gave you. Save that for yourself.”
She turned away from him. “I don’t want your money. I didn’t want to take that. I needed it.”
“For what.”
She turned back and her eyes were teary.
Fuck.
“Forget I asked. Really. Whatever it is, it was important. I don’t need to know.”
But he really fucking did.
“It will make me feel better if you use this card.” He shoved it toward her. “It’s how I keep track of the household expenses. And maybe you could help me decorate. The place could use a little something. I pretty much moved in and made sure we had couches and beds, and televisions. Oh, and game consoles. The designer added stuff that makes it look more like a hotel. Maybe you could help make it a home.”
She laughed. “Yeah. I might pick up some more towels tomorrow. One set for each bathroom really isn’t enough.”
“Right, shit like that. I don’t think about stuff like that. You’d be helping me out.”
“Okay. Just stick it in my purse. I need to get the lasagna out of the oven.”
He did what she asked. He didn’t want to look, but he did. There was a cashier’s check for $50,000, made out to cash. It was dangerous for her to carry around that much money made to cash. Anyone could take it, and then where would she be?
Maybe she was just moving it to another account for safekeeping. Or maybe she had to give it to some asshole who was charging her a shitload of interest. He had to find out who this Bo guy was.
If she was putting it into a different account, why not transfer it? It would be a lot safer than carrying such a big check. None of this made sense. He didn’t want to think she was playing him in some way. They were having fun, and the last couple of weeks had felt real. He’d always had trouble trusting people, especially women, but he didn’t want to be that way with Amy.
Give her the benefit of the doubt. It was tough, but he hoped she’d tell him the truth soon.
“Hey, did you get the beer?” she asked.
He’d talk to her about it later. No use ruining a great meal. She’d wanted to do something special for him.
Besides, after the pool earlier, he’d been thinking all day about fucking her in the hot tub.
…
A few hours later, they’d showered after the hot tub and were in bed. She was curled against him.
“You awake?” he asked.
“Mmmmm,” she said.
“You know you can tell me anything, right? I won’t judge, Amy. I promise.”
She turned to face him, her hand tracing his jawline. “What do you mean?”
He didn’t want to bring up the money again. “Like, about your past or whatever,” he said quickly to cover the fact he was probably about to piss her off again.
“Like old boyfriends? I told you I didn’t have a lot of time to date.” She ran her fingers over his lips. “I thought we could just leave the past in the past, because I promise you the idea of you sleeping with all those bimbos just pisses me off.” Her eyebrow shot up.
He leaned down and kissed it. “Nope. You’re the first as far as I’m concerned. First dancer. First woman to really give me hell. First woman to tie me up in knots. First woman to make it tough for me to think about anything but her.” That was the truth.
The eyebrow lowered, and she grinned. “Do you want a blow job? Or do you really mean those things?”
“I really mean it, but I’m not going to fucking turn down a blow job ever. Just so you know, though, when you’re done with me, I’m going to taste every inch of you and fuck the hell out of you. So don’t start something you can’t finish.”
She slid down his body and licked his cock, which was hard as hell. “Oh, I’m all about finishing, baby. All about it.”
The woman was good to her word.
…
The next day, Amy parked in front of the Home Goods store. Hawke had been so pleased with the vase, and she wanted to pick up a few more things. The decorator had done a great job with his house, but it very much felt like a model home. She hoped he wouldn’t mind a few more personal touches.
She’d turned around to make sure her bike was parked straight, when her backpack was jostled and the contents spilled out onto the ground.
“Oh, sorry about that. Let me help you.” A guy picked up her lipstick and some of the other things that had fallen on the ground.
“It’s okay. I’ve got it,” she said without even looking up. She took the stuff he handed her. “But thank you.” When she did glance up, he was gone.
An hour later, she was dragging two carts around.
How would she get all this home?
“Hey, if I pay for all of this now, could you guys hold it for me until I can get my husband to come by and pick it up?” she asked the cashier.
God, it was weird to say husband. But it was easier than explaining what she and Hawke had. Though she wasn’t sure, at this point, if she could even explain it to herself. She didn’t know what was going on, but he was a part of her now. And as a parting gift to him, she wanted to make his house a home. It was important to her that he feel comfortable. And maybe he’d remember her fondly when he saw a lamp or a sofa pillow.
Stupid. But there it was.
“Yes, ma’am. We can hold it in the store for up to forty-eight hours.”
Yay.
“That will be six hundred and thirty-two dollars.” She bit her lip. That was a lot, but he needed this stuff. She opened her wallet to pull out his card, but it wasn’t there.
Crap. Hadn’t she seen it in there yesterday? Maybe he’d never put it in. It was probably on the breakfast bar somewhere.
She was an idiot.
After doing some quick calculations in her head, she gave the clerk her card. That would leave her about three hundred. She already had her plane tickets for next week. She’d be okay.
As long as you don’t eat when you get back to Paris.
Her phone rang.
“Amy?”
“Bo? Hey. Where are you?”
“I’ll be in Austin day after tomorrow. Can we meet? I’m sorry about that last phone call.”
“It’s okay. I know you were just scared. I got what you needed.”
He sighed loudly. “God, you really are the best. How about Chaos at six?”
“Sounds good.”
Finally, she could get rid of the stupid check she’d been carrying around. She had a few seconds of panic and double-checked to make sure it was in the bottom of her backpack. It was.
Whew.
After she’d hung up, she called Hawke.
“Hey, beautiful.” God, she loved when he called her that.
“Biker dude, I have a problem.”
He chuckled. “You been riding the bike again, and you need some of what I got?”
She laughed. “Not that kind of problem. I bought a bunch of crap for your house. And I just discovered it’s really hard to carry lamps and rugs on a motorcycle.”
“That it is. Where are you?”
She gave him the address.
“I’ll be there in about ten.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh, I’m thinking of all kinds of ways you can thank me.”
Her core heated to a dangerous temperature. “Hurry,” she whispered. “I might be having that other problem after all.”
“I’ll be there in five.” His voice was low and husky.
She hugged herself.
Yep. Life was good.