“If you’ll remember correctly, I said you could keep yourthingsin the guest room.” He kissed the top of her head and ran his finger up and down her arm. “I never said anything about you staying in there.”
“Hawk … I want to tell you something.” She twisted toward him and rested her bent arm on his chest. It was important for her to be looking at him for the rest of this. “I … I care about you, so much. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”
Her feelings ran much deeper, but she chose not to say more, for fear of scaring him off.
“I care about you, too, Charlotte.” He stroked his hand over her head and caressed his thumb across her cheek.
“You have a way of making me feel so special.” She trailed a fingertip over his chest.
“Because you are special and so damn sexy.” He moved over her, lowered his head and nibbled at her lips, down her throat, and up to lick the rim of her ear.
“Hearing you say it makes it easier to believe.” Charlotte had never thought of herself as sexy, nor had anyone said that about her before.
“Are you ready for me again, Sweets?” His warm breath stirred her inside, then he shifted his hips and pressed his hard penis against the magical nub of nerves between her legs.
Charlotte spread her legs wider, and again, her hips rose of their own accord, reaching for satisfaction.
“Always,” she whispered.
He reached between them, set the tip of his dick against her opening, and entered her.
Charlotte gave Hawk everything—her trust, her body, and her heart.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Leonardpracticallyworeapath in the carpet of his home office pacing back and forth. He stopped and turned toward the sound of the garage door going up.
Melissa was home from her girls’ night thing.
“Just great.” He tossed back the last of the whiskey in his glass.
The last thing he needed right now was to have to deal with his drunk wife.
The garage door went down. The door into the house opened and closed. He listened carefully and heard theclick-click-clickfrom the heels of her expensive designer shoes on the tile floor.
He hurried over and shut his office door, his signal to her and everyone else that he didn’t want to be bothered. Just to be on the safe side, he flipped the lock.
Leonard was in no mood to listen to her blather on and on about her evening or to bitch at him about one thing or another.
He leaned his ear to the door and followed the sound of her footsteps as she moved across the great room, then she slowed long enough to turn on the hall light before she started walking again. She stopped at his office door, her feet blocking the light spilling beneath it.
“Don’t worry, Lenny, I have no interest in being around you tonight.” She walked away, and a few seconds later, the hall light flicked off and their bedroom door closed.
Melissa knew how much Leonard hated that nickname, which was exactly why she used it.
He should be relieved not to be dealing with her right now, but it pissed him off that she acted like she was the one calling the shots.
His phone vibrated across his desk. He rushed over, snatched it up, and saw Vincent’s number.
“What the hell is going on, Vin?” Leonard hated feeling like he was out of the loop. “It’s been almost an hour since we talked, and I expected some kind of update.”
“I’ve been a little busy, ya know, pulling the guys together and shit.” Vinny sounded annoyed by his call. “We’re tracking her and are on our way to where she is. It’s way out in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere, but we should be there in about thirty-five, forty minutes.”
“How many men do you have with you?” He’d promised Leonard he had some guys whose loyalty—and silence—could be bought.
“It’s me and three others.” Vinny let out a string of harsh, phlegmy-sounding coughs. Leonard had warned his friend that his two-pack-a-day habit would catch up to him. At the rate he was hammering through cartons of cigarettes, that day might be sooner than expected.
“You sure that’s going to be enough manpower?” Leonard didn’t like the idea of them failing and then having this whole thing blow back on him.
