Hawk's Haven (14 page)

"I guess you'd like to stay here?” Hawk asked.

"Oh, yes," she barely whispered, mesmerized by the calm.

She kicked off her sneakers and sat on a large rock at the edge of the pond to dangle her toes on the icy water. Hawk sat behind her, fitting her between his legs and easing her back to rest against his chest. At last, she felt a sense of peace. She could stay like this for hours, safe and cradled in his arms.

He placed his hands on her stomach, drumming lightly with his fingers. Apparently, he couldn't sit silently and enjoy the quiet. He was restless.

"What's on your mind, Chief?" she asked.

"Have you decided what you're going to do when you finish your work here?"

"I know what I have to do. Get a job
and
find a place to live."

"I wondered...” He shifted nervously and turned her so her back rested against his leg. His smile reflected a trace of boyish insecurity. "You know, you're welcome to stay with me."

She patted his knee. "Is that what you think I want or is that what you're afraid I might want?"

His grin faded and his dark eyes glared defensively. "Look, I know it wouldn't be the life you're used to."

"Oh, of course," she shot back, adopting the same lofty attitude he’d cloaked himself in. "It would be a financial strain on you to supply me with those hot dogs and beans I've become accustomed to."

"I'm talking about before you came here."

"Ah, yes, before. You're right. My lifestyle in college was considerably more affluent. Macaroni and cheese and hamburger are a step up from franks and beans."

He groaned at her flippant answers. "Do you think you could be serious for a moment?"

"Not on this subject. You talk as if I'm looking for someone to take care of me. If that's what I wanted, I'd go home."

That wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. He’d pictured this moment countless times, and the fantasy always ended with her falling gratefully into his arms. Although she was in his arms, she didn’t want him to sweep her off her feet and spare her the drudgery of the everyday work life.  "Well, what do you want?"

"I want to know I can take care of myself."

"So, what you're saying is that you don't want to live with me."

"No. I said I didn't want you to take care of me.” She smiled, but like so often in the past few weeks, her thoughts seemed to be haunted. "Besides, you have no idea what kind of trouble you'd make for yourself. That's a big risk to take for someone you don't even have a relationship with."

"We may not have slept together yet, but we have a relationship.” He rested his hand along the side of her face. "And I'm not afraid of your father."

"Maybe you should be."

"Why?”  If the tribe decided to go ahead with the casino it would help to have the governor's support, but it wasn't necessary. They could negotiate directly with the federal government.

"How much do you know about my family?" she asked.

"I had thought you didn’t have any family besides Aaron. I believe your mother died when you were a child."

"I lost my mother as a child, but she didn't die until six months ago.” Her eyes glistened with moisture.  She groaned as she brushed a silvery tear from her cheek.

"How did you find out?"

Tension seemed to fill every muscle in her body. She
had
that faraway look as if she wanted to distance herself from the painful memories.  "The Las Vegas police notified me as her next of kin."

Hawk stroked his hand through her hair. "Well, it's not surprising that your father never told you your mother had abandoned you. He probably wanted to shelter you from the truth about her."

"I thought so too until they gave me her personal effects. I found copies of the arrangement between her and Aaron as well the cancelled checks he’d paid to my mother through the years to stay away.”  Her voice cracked with raw emotion.

Hearing the pain echoed in her words, he put a finger to her lips. "You don't have to continue."

"I want to," she whispered. "Maybe my mother wasn't a saint, but she did have second thoughts. Every Christmas, every birthday she sent me a card but they had all been returned to sender. Even letters she’d written to him, begging him to let her visit me came back unopened."

"Well, what did your father say when you asked him about it?"

"I never did. I didn't want to hear any more lies.” Gillian rested her head on her knees. Again, he saw the conflicting emotions playing out in her shimmering eyes and knew nothing would be served by expressing his own opinions of her manipulative father.

"Whether it was right or wrong, your father probably believed he was doing what was best for you."

"Don't attribute Aaron with noble qualities he doesn't possess. My welfare never entered into their arrangement. He disowned his own sister because she married a migrant worker. I might never have known about my cousin and aunt if not for my mother’s papers. My father never told me.” She gazed up at him and brushed her fingers over the contours of his face. "You’d be wise not to get involved with me or you’ll be next on his hit list."

He knew the wrath he would incur from the judge. And right then, he didn't give a damn. He fit his hand over the curve of her waist and pulled her closer.
“
Do you really want me to stay away from you, Gillian?”

She nodded once then shook her head. “No.”

He lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers. He meant the kiss to be chaste and comforting but her response was electric. Like a bolt of lightning, she jolted him. Aware of the distant voices, he broke away.

She heaved a sigh of protest. "Second thoughts, Hawk?"

“No.” His breathing came out ragged. "I just figured we should move this some place more private."

Chapter
Twelve

Gillian pulled the towel from her head and blotted the dampness from her hair. The white shirt she’d borrowed from Hawk's closet clung to her damp legs as she padded across the bedroom floor into the hall. The shower was still running. Grinning like a Cheshire cat, she reached for the handle. The door was locked.

She pounded her fist on the wall. "You coward."

He let out a loud laugh. "Patience, Gillian."

When they returned to the house, she tried to join Hawk in the shower but he said no. He’d muttered something about anticipation being half the fun and left her at the bathroom door.

Anticipation was just another word for sexual frustration she discovered so she decided to turn the tables on Hawk. She went to the kitchen and opened the hot water faucet. His painful groan sent her into a fit of the giggles.

The sounds of him grunting while he struggled into his clothes brought another round of laughter. "Getting dressed now is counterproductive."

"Maybe," he called back. "But if you want me you're gonna have to work for it, Princess."

He seemed determined to prolong her agony by making her wait while he shaved. She passed the time by putting away the food he’d made earlier. Eating was the last thing on her mind, although she was hungry for something else.

Hawk cleared his throat. Apparently the Chief had finally decided to grant her an audience. She turned slowly, feigning indifference. Her cool smile broadened to an outright grin at the sight of small bits of tissue paper stuck to his chin.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I have no idea. I would have sworn that I put a new blade in my razor just yesterday.” He stepped in closer, pinning her to the counter.

She pressed against him and removed the bits of tissue from his face. "Maybe the razor fairy came and switched blades during the night."

"I don't think so.” Slowly, he ran his hand down her thigh. "Very nice. And so smooth, too."

A bubbling laughter escaped from her throat. "Are you accusing me? You better have the evidence to back up your charge."

"Oh, I do.”  He raised her leg and rested it along his hip. "Exhibit A. A razor close shave."

"Circumstantial at best, Counselor. You can't tie me to your razor."

He lifted her up to the counter. Her shirt, fastened with one button, parted, exposing more of her skin than it covered.  Before she could adjust the garment he urged her legs apart with his hip and slipped in between. "I can make you talk."

"Never," she challenged.

His grin said otherwise. He reached behind and pulled something from his pocket. "This is an ancient Indian truth detector."

"It looks like a feather to me."

"Ah, but used properly, you'd be amazed by the effect it can have.”  His gaze rested on the swells of her breasts, exposed by the plunging V of the shirt.

The mental image of how and where he planned to use the downy soft object set her heart racing. "I get the idea."

"I can see that.” The button gave way with a slight tug from Hawk.  He slipped his hand inside the shirt and pushed it off her shoulders. Her cheeks flushed under the intensity of his stare.

He grazed the feather over the tip of her distended nipple. She wriggled, shyly at first, but as he continued to excite her with fluid strokes, the last of her shyness faded away. Loving him the way she did, she felt no embarrassment. She trusted him.

Closing her eyes, she moved against him and clutched her fingers deep in the flesh of his shoulders. The delicate fluttering across her stomach stretched lower and lower. She arched in closer, enjoying the teasing, but hungry for more. He awakened desires she never knew she could feel.

Suddenly, he stopped. She opened her eyes to see Hawk holding the feather up like a flag of victory. "Are you ready to talk yet?"

"I confess. I'll confess to every crime committed in Onondaga County, but don't stop."

If revenge was indeed sweet, Hawk looked as if he was coasting on a sugar rush.

"Let's see how you like it," she muttered breathlessly and grabbed the object of torment from his hand to use on him.

She slipped from the counter and stood in front of him. Beginning with his shoulder and covering every inch of his chest, she tickled and stroked i
n
an effort to pay him back. He indulged her, seeming amused by her attempts to get a reaction from him. Was he made of rock? He didn't twitch.

"You must have one ticklish spot.”  She lowered her head, and then gazed back up at him.  His dark eyes sparkled with challenge, as if he didn't think she would have the nerve. And until this moment, she wouldn't have thought so either.  She popped the snap on his jeans before she lost her courage.

As he tugged at the zipper to help, she caught his wrist. "I can manage on my own, thank you."

"Stubborn right to the end, huh?" he teased.

She stuck the feather down the front of his pants, and noted smugly that he was indeed sensitive in a
t
least one part of his body. With a swift yank that seemed to surprise Hawk, she pulled his jeans over his hips. As she watched him step out of the pile of blue denim, she felt a rush of emotion surge through her, burning in its intensity.  She ran her gaze over his perfect body.

"Do you approve?" he asked, apparently unsettled by her visual exploration.

"Oh, I approve."

He twisted his fingers into the hair at the back of her neck and pulled her to him. Tiny kisses, as soft as whispers, covered every inch of her face. He lowered his mouth to her ear, tracing the outline with his tongue. Her giggles from the ticklish sensation quickly changed to a sigh of pleasure.

"We're still in the kitchen," he muttered in her ear.

"So?"

He chuckled and swept her up in his arms. "In a warm shower, maybe. In front of the fireplace, or the bedroom definitely, but not in the kitchen."

She wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her to the bedroom. "Is that multiple choice or can I look forward to all three?"

"Those three and a few more if you're up for it."

"I think I might rise to the occasion. What about you?"

He laid her on the bed and towered above, trying to look indignant. "Are you questioning my manhood?"

Her glance traveled lower and then returned to his face. "Not a chance," she said and tapped the bed next to her.

Hawk stretched out beside her and met her parted lips. He slipped his tongue in her mouth. Spearmint, she thought fleetingly, and then all rational thought deserted her.

He kissed her over and over, drugging her into a state of euphoria. His hand burned a path along her stomach and finally coming to rest over her breast. She arched higher. Using his thumb and forefinger, he rolled the nipple until it was fully taut and throbbing with excitement. The sheer pleasure made her gasp.

Hawk raised his head. "You want me to stop?" he murmured, his voice husky with passion.

"No," she answered emphatically.

Pleased with her answer, he lowered his mouth to her stomach. Nothing in her experience had prepared her for the hot surges flowing through her body. The sensations defied explanation so she just let them happen. He continued higher until his mouth covered her taut nipple. The gentle sucking sent a jolt of live current through her entire being.