“Hey, baby?”
He turned his head and lifted a brow, question all over his expression. Fuck, but he was hot. No, I needed to focus.
“There’s something that’s been on my mind for a little bit,” I began, trying to ease into it.
Hawk hummed. “I was wondering when you were gonna bring that up.”
So he had noticed. Of course he had. I should never have doubted it. I shot him a look and he slowed Humphrey down for a few steps so we could ride next to each other. He leaned sideways to bump his shoulder into mine before righting his seat.
“Tell me what’s going on in your head,” he requested softly.
I took a second to try to figure out how to frame it but then decided just to lay it all out.
“I’ve loved this adventure. It was exactly what I needed. And I don’t want that to change. But I have to figure out the next step in my professional journey.” I scratched my cheek, trying to putmy feelings into words. “I can’t just do nothing but I also don’t want to go back to the corporate world.”
Hawk’s eyes went soft and the corners of his lips tilted up. He opened his mouth to speak, but then seemed to think better of it and shut it. This happened twice more before he blew out a breath.
“I get that. So what would your ideal job look like?”
I didn’t even have to think about it. “Something that would put my years of knowledge to good use while I still got to spend time here. I don’t want a long commute. I’d never get to see you. And baby, you’re the biggest draw here. I want to spend as much time with you as I can.”
Hawk tugged Humphrey’s reins gently and the gelding immediately stopped. I had to murmur whoa and do the same to get Ramona to stop. I looked at him quizzically but Hawk wasn’t looking at me. He hopped down and motioned for me to do the same.
When I had both feet on the ground, Ramona’s reins in one hand, Hawk practically launched himself at me. He held me so tightly he nearly popped a rib, and I was reminded yet again that just because I had inches and a good fifty pounds on him, he was stronger.
“I love you,” he whispered, his words muffled by my shirt. Then he froze, his entire body stilling as he seemed to realize what he said. Admittedly, I was in the same state, disbelief coursing through me. I’d hoped to hear those words. I wanted to say them back. But I was shocked in that moment.
Hawk took a deep breath, nuzzled his nose against my shoulder, then lifted his head. The affection and love shining there made my knees weak.
“I love you,” he said again, this time a bit stronger. “That you came to me with this…the things you said…you see me as a partner.”
I couldn’t help the frown. “Of course I do. I mean, I would still protect you at all costs but…You’re mine, Hawk. And I’m yours. Equally.”
He nodded but something flashed across his features. “It’s okay if you’re not ready to—”
“I love you,” I blurted, realizing I hadn’t said it back. I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up, and Hawk’s worry eased that fast. “Oh, damn, but I love you. I have for a while, even if I wouldn’t let myself really even think it until just now. It took so long for us to get on the same page, and I was all up in my head about the career thing that I—mfph.”
His mouth cut off my words, kissing me for all he was worth. Fortunately for me, he was worth a lot, and I did my best to give back just as much. If we weren’t in the middle of a field, with horses standing right next to us, I would have thrown him on the ground and shown just how much I loved him. But we were, so that would have to wait until later.
Eventually, we had to breathe, and Ramona was getting antsy, given how she kept side stepping into us. We broke apart, panting and smiling.
“I’m still not officially moving in yet,” he warned, but the love and affection in his gaze softened the words.
“Whenever you’re ready, baby,” I said, meaning it.
That earned me another hard and fast kiss. Then he stepped back to put a little distance between us.
“But back to the matter at hand,” he said, making a show of adjusting his jeans. I was in the same state and watching him didn’t help. “It seems to me the answer is pretty dang obvious.”
That got my brain in gear and I stopped focusing on his dick. “What now?”
He gave me a patronizing look. Two months ago, that look would have set me off. Now I understood what it was about. I rolled my eyes and laughed at him instead of getting riled up.
“You liked helping Bodhi figure out his business plan, right?”
My brow crinkled. “Yeah. But what does that have to do with—”
“You’re a numbers guy, right? You have good instincts about what type of business in what market would do well, right?” He was emphasizing that word, willing me to see something. But I didn’t. When I kept staring, he continued. “That’s why you took a chance on Omicron, right? You saw the need in the market and you used your brain to make it happen. Bodhi told me what you said about Yellow Ribbon. You knew the market could sustain that type of business,right?”
