Relief washed over his face.It was so strange seeing Hawk’s confidence waver that Lilian couldn’t help but reach out and touch the handsome features.Doing her part to physically smooth the vulnerability away.“Ignore it,” she said.“It was probably one of the dogs scratching at the door.”
Another hard knock, followed by the sound of the door opening.Lilian’s heart stopped.Dogs couldn’t open the door.Only two people would feel comfortable enough to enter her house like that.
“Shit!”she cursed, rolling off Hawk and searching for her clothes.“Get dressed.”
“What?”he asked, meeting her urgency and getting up.
“It’s my dad.Or my mom,” Lilian hissed.“I forgot it's Sunday, which means family dinner.”She’d been so caught up in the excitement of having Hawk in her space that she’d overlooked the major flaw of inviting him over.
The nosy neighbor parents.
No doubt they’d instantly noticed Hawk’s pristine truck once again in the front yard.She’d hoped this day wouldn’t come.But she’d never dreamed it would come now, after a bout of heavy petting.
She really needed to talk to her parents about personal space!
She could hear her father’s boots against the floorboards, his voice calling out to her.But still she leaned into the warmth of Hawk.
“I’ll go distract him while you get clothes on,” Lilian said, already dressed.She was about to step out the door when a hand gripped her wrist and pulled her back to Hawk’s lips.
“Sorry,” Hawk whispered when they finally broke apart, “I wanted one last kiss.”
“I don’t mind.”She swallowed hard, painfully extracting herself from his embrace.“But I need to go before my dad storms in here.”
He nodded, pulling himself upright and searching the floor for his clothes.
Her entire body was still too hot as she closed the door behind her.She patted her face and smoothed her hair, trying to hide any evidence of her debauching.
“Lilian?”her father’s voice called again.
Shit.Shit.Shit.She needed to get it together.
Taking a deep breath, she called out, “I’m here.Give me a second, I was in the shower.”
“I’m just checking in,” her father rumbled back.“Dinner is on the table.We wanted to see if you would like any.”
“Oh, uh…” Her traitorous stomach rumbled in agreement.She was hungry.Usually, she ate with them when she got back from the faire, but today… other matters had taken priority.
But she couldn’tleaveHawk.
“Uh?”her father repeated.He wasn’t going to accept an excuse, not unless she walked out there and put all those acting skills Alex had taught her to the test.Taking a deep breath, she stepped out into the main foyer.
Her father stood there, arms crossed and expression curious.Garrett Brody knew something was up, and he was going to use the age-old tactic of staring her down until she talked.She needed a good excuse, something that he couldn’t argue against.
“I’m not hungry.”
Nice.
Her father’s expression didn’t change.“Lilian, I’m not a dummy.We can see the truck from the front door.If you have a guest, they’re invited as well.Come have dinner with us.”
There it was.Garrett’s direct and straight no-nonsense attitude.The thing was bulletproof when the man wanted answers.But he had no idea what he was getting them into.If she and Hawk had gotten off on the wrong foot when they’d first met, he and her father would be an atomic bomb going off.
She scrambled for another excuse.“Um…”
“I’d love to join you for dinner.”Hawk’s voice appeared beside her.
She whirled, expecting him to still be half naked, but somehow, he’d pulled himself together well in a few short minutes.As always, he looked self-assured.Nothing about his posture said that he had been making Lilian scream minutes ago.
But that didn’t mean he could just accept her father’s invitation.She nudged Hawk’s shoulder, silently urging him to let her handle this.Thiswas uncharted territory.Never, in the last couple years of living on her parents' property, had she brought a guy home.Which meant there had been no meeting her family, no dinners.Nothing.
