Chapter Nine

Hawk

I took the stairs up to Laura's apartment two at a time, in a goddamn rush to get to her. She sounded so shaky and vulnerable on the phone. So small. "Laura, it's me. Open up." I knocked with enough force to be heard without scaring her. "Laura," I said again in a softer, gentler tone.

The first lock sounded and then the second before the door opened and there she was, a messy bun on top of her head with a few golden tendrils that framed her face. Red cheeks and watery eyes. "Hawk," she sighed. "You're here."

"Of course. You called." I stepped inside and gave her apartment a cursory glance before I turned my full attention to her. "What's going on?" I rested my hands on her shoulders in a gesture meant to comfort her.

"I'm sure I'm being silly," she began. "It's probably nothing." She shook her head, a sad smile on her face as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink.

"Maybe it is and maybe it isn't. Tell me and I'll let you know." I flashed a smile, hoping it would relax her.

Her shoulders fell forward first and then she rested her forehead on my chest. A huge sigh escaped and then she launched into the tale of the blue car that circled the block at least three times. "It just seemed a little too coincidental that it happened right after the police left. Then again, there's no way they could know that it was my unit the police were visiting, but it all happened at once. Or at least it seemed like it did."

"What did the cops want?" I asked.

"It was about the report I made on Mark's murder. I didn't say anything about the kidnapping attempt, should I have?" her gray eyes were filled with concern.

It seemed like it was all related because it definitely was, but the way she looked at me told me she didn't want to hear that.

"You're not saying anything, Hawk." She poked my chest with her index finger. "Why?"

"I'm just thinking."

She studied me carefully and I wondered what she saw beyond a tough biker, but I didn't dare ask. "Thinking about sugarcoating the truth?"

"No," I answered automatically.

"Good, because I don't need you to lie to me. I need the truth. Always."

The truth. Women and the truth didn't usually go together. But Laura had already proven she wasn't like most women, so I took her at her word. "Okay."

"Okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, okay."

"Then tell me what you were thinking just now."

"You're bossy." I smiled. "I kind of like it." I wiggled my brows. "A lot."

Her head titled backwards, and a throaty laugh escaped, the sound lyrical and sexy as it hit me in all the right spots. "You're a bit twisted, aren't you?"

"Me?" I fixed an innocent look on my face and shook my head. "Not even a little bit."

"Agree to disagree. Now quit stalling and tell me what you were thinking."

I stared at her for a long minute, wondering if she was as strong as she seemed. I sure as shit hoped so. "I was thinking how odd it was that they magically showed up right after the cops left your place. Maybe they've been watching you." All color drained from her face and immediately I felt like shit. "Ah, fuck. Sorry."

"No," she held up a hand and shook her head, "don't be sorry. I asked."

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close, hugging her tight because she needed the comfort. And yeah, she felt good as fuck, all soft curves and floral scent invading my nostrils, but that's not why I did it.

I swear.

Mostly.

Eventually, Laura pulled back. "You really think they've been watching me?"

"Don't know. But I know it's possible, maybe it's what I would do, if I were them."

She blinked rapidly. "Have you done that before?"

"Keeping an eye on an enemy? Hell yeah. But more, they're trying to weigh the risk of not taking you out while also not starting shit with the MC."

Her full lips tugged into a lopsided grin. "So you guys are kind of a big deal, huh?"

I shrugged. "To me, fuck yeah, we are. But they're small time and they don't have the means to go up against us, which is doing a lot of the heavy lifting right now."

She swallowed hard. "I hear you. Loud and clear."

"Good. Are you busy right now?"

"At this moment? No. Why?"

"You wanna make out? Or go out?"

She smacked my chest as she laughed. "Do I need to change?"

"You look great," I assured her easily. "But maybe put on some shoes."

We both looked down and she wiggled her toes with a laugh. "Yeah okay. Five minutes," she replied, and disappeared into her bedroom.

I looked around her place, not at all surprised to find it cozy and colorful, tidy and warm. There were quite a few photos of her and the other nurse, Kristy, but there was just one of her with two older people who had to be her parents. There were candles and knickknacks on shelves, abstract and watercolor art on the walls, a half-finished puzzle on a worktable near the small window that faced the building next door.

"Okay, I'm ready. Did you have enough time to snoop?"

I turned to find her smile bright, her sloppy bun re-done but still with that sexy tussled look. Her face was no longer red, and her lips were shiny. She wore cut-off denim that showed off miles of long legs and a pale purple flowing top that was so fucking feminine I fisted my hands to resist reaching out to touch her. I closed my eyes to stop that train of thought and flashed a flirtatious grin. "Is there ever enough time to snoop?"

"I don't know, I'm not much of a snooper."

"We'll see about that soon enough," I told her, and gave her another long, slow perusal. "Ready?"

"Yep. Where are we going?"

"That is a surprise." I was about to do something I'd never done before, not in all the years I'd been a member of the Steel Demons MC. I was taking a woman to the clubhouse to meet my brothers. "Come on." I stayed close to Laura when she locked the door and took her hand as we descended the steps and exited her building.

If anyone was watching, they would see a couple heading out to spend some time together.

She came to an abrupt stop on the sidewalk and looked left and then right. "You think they're watching me right now?"

I shrugged. "It's possible." I didn't see anyone, but I wanted to ease her worries, so I turned to face her and cupped one side of her face. "Let's give ‘em something to see." Before I thought better about it, I leaned forward and tipped her chin up a moment before my lips were on hers. It was supposed to be a quick kiss, a little peck of affection between a loving couple, but one taste of her soft, full lips wasn't enough.

She tasted like strawberries and peaches, soft and sweet. My fingers slid through her hair, and I tugged her back to give me better access to her mouth. I took advantage of her surprise and slipped my tongue between her lips, teasing her until a low moan escaped.

I smiled against her lips and deepened the kiss, sweeping inside and devouring every inch of her hot, wet mouth. I expected her to pull back, to accuse me of taking liberties, when her hands went to my chest. But Laura didn't push me away, she fisted her hands in the fabric of my shirt and then pulled me closer.

Our bodies were fused together, her plump tits and firm thighs pushed up against mine, and instantly I was hard and thinking about how she'd feel pressed up against me naked. And those thoughts spiraled to thinking about what shade of pink her nipples were. Was her pussy as sweet as her mouth? Sweeter? What sounds would she make when my lips danced over her skin?

With a low growl I was the one who broke the kiss first. "Laura," I panted.

"Wow," she whispered, and put her hands to her lips. "That was some kiss." She looked around the street. "You think they saw that?"

"I don't give a fuck." I took a step closer and smiled. "But we can do it again if you're worried they didn't believe it."

Her lips, wet and swollen, pulled into a wide grin that spilled into a sexy burst of laughter. "You don't miss a beat, do you?"

"Rarely. Come on before I take you upstairs and kiss you like that everywhere."

"Shit," she whispered to herself in a tone that sounded a hell of a lot like yes, please .

***

The ride to the clubhouse was painful. With Laura's arms wrapped around my waist, her tits pressed against my back, and her hot thighs pressed against mine, I could hardly focus on the road. By the time I pulled into the parking lot, I was hard as a goddamn rock and ready to do something about it.

But Rebel showed up before I could even propose the new idea to Laura, ruining my plans. The bastard. "Hey, Hawk. Hawk's friend."

Laura smiled when she took off her helmet and extended a hand. "Hey, Hawk's biker friend. I'm Laura."

His eyes sparkled with mischief. "Ah, the lovely Laura. Now I see it." His gaze shot to mine, his knowing expression annoying as fuck.

Laura looked from Rebel to me and back again. "See what?"

"Why he was so eager to help you."

"Because I'm a nice fucking guy," I said to my so-called friend.

He laughed. "You are nice, but nicer when it comes to a fox, like Laura."

I rolled my eyes.

Laura laughed. "Hello, I'm standing right here."

I took the helmet from her and sat it on the seat before draping an arm around her. "I see you. Let's go inside."

"Yes, lets," Rebel said as he pushed off the wall and opened the door with an exaggerated flourish. "Hawk is here," he shouted. "And he brought a friend." The amusement in his voice was impossible to miss.

Suddenly, there were about ten sets of eyeballs on Laura and me, and she leaned in closer. "Hey, everybody, this is Laura. Laura, this is everyone."

She held up one hand and smiled. "Hello, everybody."

That was all it took before the women swarmed. Ellie was first, which was no surprise since she'd been with the club the longest and she was the prez's old lady. Peyton and Grace weren't too far behind, smiling and shaking hands. "Nice to meet you, Laura. How'd you and Hawk meet?"

She smiled at me over her shoulder and turned back to the girls. "He came into my ER and pretended he wasn't in pain while I stitched him up."

They all laughed the way women did when they were together and slowly, I relaxed, grateful Ellie had taken the reins to introduce Laura to the guys.

"She's cute," Rebel whispered. "I can see why you're eager to help her."

I frowned again, not liking how his words made me sound like a selfish prick. "Should I have let Los Ochos just take her and kill her?"

"I'm not saying that, just that you could've found another way if she wasn't such a looker," Rebel said defensively.

My lips tugged into a smile thinking about that kiss that set my body on fire. "Maybe, but the words tumbled from my lips before I gave it any thought. I knew they wouldn't have the balls to go after her if they thought she had MC protection." I stood by that even though it was true that I wanted Laura even more after that kiss.

"Good point," he conceded. "Still, you two look cozy."

I shrugged. "We've spent some time together."

"Fun." The amusement in Rebel's voice was hard to miss, but I kept my gaze on Laura, who wore a relaxed smile while Gio and Maverick regaled her with some story, probably half bullshit. "You've never brought a woman around before."

"Nope."

"You like her."

"What's not to like?" I shrugged again, my hands balled into fists before I forced them to relax. "She called because she thought someone was watching her." I told Rebel about the car she saw rolling around her block a few times. "I figured she wanted to go someplace she could relax."

"Look at you, thinking about your girlfriend first." He smacked me with the back of his hand and laughed. "Come on, let's go grab a drink. And one for the little lady."

"Asshole," I mumbled, which only made him laugh harder. And louder.

The music came on and drinks started flowing. Laura was more than a little relaxed, smiling when I brought her a shot and a beer. "Thanks." Her shoulders were no longer next to her ears and the signs of strain around her eyes had vanished. And it had only taken just over an hour.

"Having fun?"

She nodded. "I am, thanks to you." She bumped her shoulder against mine. "Thank you for bringing me here. I didn't realize how badly I needed this."

"Not a problem."

"Your friends seem nice." She smiled and held her up shot. "Cheers."

"Cheers," I replied, and knocked my beer bottle against her glass.

Laura took the shot. "So they all know?" Her gaze bounced around the room from Diesel to Rocky and then Slate.

"The brothers know, and they probably told their old ladies. You worried?"

Her shoulders lifted and then fell. "Yes. No. I don't know. I mean, are they being nice because of that or because they want to be nice?"

"Little of both, I suppose." I took a slow sip and then another. "Peyton and Rocky met because she came to him when someone murdered her roommate. He protected her and now they have a little girl."

"No!" Her eyes were wide with shock.

"Yep. Grace was on the run from an abusive husband. Ellie was being stalked by someone she thought was a friend." There was no need to tell her about our fight with the Carter family. "My point is that they're all sympathetic to what you're going through, and they are nice women. They probably would be nice either way, but maybe they're being extra nice because they know how scared you're feeling right now."

"I feel like a broken record, but thank you." She flashed a sweet smile up at me and all I wanted to do was kiss her again and again.

"You don't have to thank me, Laura. It's what a good boyfriend does. Right?"

She laughed. "Right. Are you a good boyfriend?"

"Don't know. Haven't been anybody's boyfriend in a long damn time." I didn't want to tell her that I had a reputation as a love ‘em and leave ‘em type of guy, but I refused to lie.

Blonde brows arched in curiosity. "Fear of commitment?"

"Not a fear, exactly. Just never met a woman who made me want to consider commitment. No deep dark secrets." It was best if she knew who she was dealing with right up front. I wanted her—badly—but I'd never lied to a woman to get her naked and I wouldn't start now.

"Bullshit."

It was my turn to arch a brow. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," she laughed. "I call bullshit. A man as good looking as you, as charming as you, doesn't make it to his thirties without a real relationship unless he actively avoids them."

"Or maybe I'm just an excellent judge of character." Our gazes locked for a long, intense moment. Heat flared in her eyes, matching the heat I felt burning me up from the inside out.

"Maybe you are. Or maybe you like the chase more than anything."

My lips tugged into a grin. "I don't do much chasing," I admitted honestly. "Don't have to."

She laughed again, but the sound was thick with lust. "I'd love to call you arrogant, but I believe you." Amusement sparkled in her eyes, and that made me smile.

"I don't like to waste my time, and despite my appearance, I'm not a fan of hurting people unnecessarily."

"Good to know." She licked her lips. "Is that why you backed off that kiss?"

I shook my head and took a step closer. "No, I ended it because I was hard as fuck and half a second away from hauling you inside and taking it to it's inevitable conclusion."

She gasped. "You think it's inevitable?"

"I'm hopeful, but yeah, I do think it is. You want me as much as I want you, but you don't like it."

"I don't know you, Hawk. It's not about wanting or not wanting to want you. We're strangers."

"Strangers with insane chemistry."

"Yeah," she agreed with a sigh. "But you're my pretend boyfriend, and exploring that chemistry might make things complicated."

"Or maybe we could explore it while we're together and see what happens?"

Her breath caught and I spotted the pulse that raced in her throat. "You've given this some thought."

"It's all I've thought about," I admitted. "Want to get out of here?" I already knew she did, it was just a matter of whether or not she would give in to what she wanted.