Not wanting to spoil my culinary expertise—I was trying to impress the man after all—I only asked Hawk if there were any foods he wouldn’t or couldn’t eat. His only response was that he “wasn’t a fan” of seafood. It knocked the seared scallops and creamy risotto out of the running, but I had plenty of other dishes I could make.
I had the tablet open on the counter, the live feed from the camera facing the driveway pulled up. I would get alerts when there was motion, but I didn’t want to have to stop and check. I wanted to be able to run down and greet him as soon as he arrived, and hopefully direct him to park in the garage.
I still didn’t have an agenda for the evening, but Hawk said he was okay with one, so I had hopes he’d stay for a while, if not the night.
Hawk struck me as the type of person to be exactly on time, barring complications outside of his control, so I timed everything perfectly so it would be done at seven. My suspicions were confirmed when, at three minutes to the hour, I caught sight of his truck coming up the drive. I garnished the dishes with scallion greens, set them on the table, and ran down the stairs.
Hawk had rolled to a stop, but the opening garage door caught his attention. When I motioned him forward, he put the truck back in gear and drove into the spot next to my Jeep. I stepped out of the way, waiting, and as soon as he turned the car off, I opened his door, offering him a hand.
He quirked his brow at me but took it, letting me help him down even though we both knew it wasn’t necessary. All it took was a gentle tug, and I had him in my arms. When I squeezed tightly, he let out a breath that sounded a hell of a lot like contentment to me, so I kissed his head.
“I didn’t think we’d end up here,” he mumbled, voice somewhat muffled by my chest.
“What was that?” I asked. I had heard him just fine, but I wanted to give him the opportunity to either explain or redirect, whichever would make him more comfortable.
Hawk took a second, then lifted his head. He was just enough shorter than me that his forehead was right at my mouth level, so I kissed him there too and his eyes slid shut.
“I thought I hated you.” His voice was soft. “Part of me did. But the rest of me latched on to that so that I could ignore how fucking hot you were.”
“Good thing we got past that.” I couldn’t resist his lips any longer and lowered my head, giving him time to pull away if hewanted. Hawk instead pushed up on his toes, and met me in a kiss so hot I was ready to shove him up against his truck and take him right there. But I had plans, so I reluctantly pulled back, gentling him down with soft kisses until we both were breathing normally again. I took his hand and gestured with my head. “Come on. Let’s eat. I’m sure you’re hungry.”
Hawk squeezed my fingers and nodded. I led him up the stairs and through to the kitchen, then let go of his hand so I could grab drinks. I had an excellent Pinot Noir that would go great with our meal, but if he wanted a beer or a soft drink, I would make that happen. I turned to ask him, only to see him standing still at the edge of the kitchen, staring at the table.
“I don’t have dining room furniture,” I said by way of explanation. “At least not yet. So the table in the nook will have to do.”
His gaze remained fixed, but he shook his head. After a second or two, he said, “You really went all out huh?”
It took me a moment to understand his meaning. I’d set the table with cloth napkins and candles and that was what seemed to throw him off. I snorted a chuckle. “This? Oh, baby, this right here is the bare minimum.”
He squinted at me. “Who are you?”
That question didn’t warrant a response. I moved things along, holding up the wine bottle. “Want this? Or something else?”
“Wine’s fine,” he said, tugging on the sleeve of his button up. I’d been so thrilled to see him I hadn’t even clocked what he was wearing. He’d dressed up for me. Nice, clean jeans, boots that weren’t scuffed and work-worn, and the green button up that made his eyes pop. I let my gaze sweep down and up again, slowly and deliberately. Judging by his blush, he noticed.
“You look amazing. Love that color on you,” I made sure to tell him as I grabbed the glasses I’d set on the counter.
“Fern picked it out.” He sounded apologetic or embarrassed. I couldn’t quite figure out what was in his tone.
I gave him a wink. “She chose well. She clearly knows what makes you look good. I love that you dressed up for me.”
Hawk averted his gaze and took a step toward the table. “Smells good. You cooked this?”
“I am a man of many talents,” I said, going with the subject change. I set the glasses on the table and pulled out a chair for him. “Ginger beef in a sweet soy glaze served over a bed of jasmine rice.”
“Smells good,” he repeated softly, sitting. I kissed the top of his head because it was right there.
“Dig in,” I instructed as I poured the wine.
He waited until I was seated before taking his first bite. His caution turned into a half smile as he chewed. I smiled back, pleased that he liked it. He struck me as a “meat and potatoes” kind of guy and I didn’t know how adventurous his palate was. But he clearly liked the taste of my food.
We conversed a little as we ate, mostly enjoying the meal. I loved watching him enjoy it but tried to hide my amusement every time he realized he was eating quickly and clearly made himself slow down. I didn’t mind. I was sure he was used to eating fast, both because he always had plenty of work to do and because with a lot of people at a meal, one needed to be quick if they wanted to eat enough.
When Hawk was halfway through his plate, he set his fork down and picked up his wine. He took a tentative sip, then a bigger swallow before he put it down again.
“I talked to Wy and Crew about setting up a trail ride for you. Crew suggested Sunday morning, if that works for you, and then Mom insisted you all could stay for brunch.” Hawk made a face. “Sunday brunch is a thing in our house, and normally it’s justimmediate family. So I can totally understand if you want to pass on that.”
His tone made me think hewantedme to turn down the brunch invitation. Except I got the sense that Jenn inviting me was a big deal, and to refuse would be a slap in the face. Still, Hawk was my priority here and if he wanted me to decline, I would.
