24. Chapter 24
Chapter 24
I awoke Sunday morning with a feeling of unease in my belly. Hawk had been quiet—silent, actually—on the drive home last night, going straight to bed as soon as we’d arrived.
Something was bugging him, but I didn’t want to be one of those annoying women who asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you so quiet?” every five seconds. Even though I desperately wanted to know. I sensed it had to do with me.
Oh, let’s see, Mallori. The man was squirted in the damn face with pepper spray while he was getting a blow job. In his own home. That couldn’t possibly be the reason, could it?
The sarcastic voice in my head told me that was exactly what was wrong, though the incident was two nights ago. Maybe he was one of those people who stewed for a while and got madder the more he thought about it.
Deciding to do something nice for him, I pushed out of bed and went to the bathroom, brushing my teeth and hair before donning my silky aqua robe to cover my tiny sleep tank and shorts. In the kitchen, I found a boxed mix of blueberry muffins and decided to cook those .
Because nothing said I’m sorry I interrupted your sexy times with a face full of toxin like muffins. I mixed them up and put them in the oven, noticing the house had that empty feeling that told me Hawk was probably out running like he did most mornings.
I’d been waiting on a letter from an organization that provided grants to doctorate-level students, so I opened the front door to check the mail since I didn’t think we’d checked it yesterday. With my hand on the black lid of the mailbox, I froze, realizing the door had been unlocked. Hawk never left me here without locking it.
A frisson of unease snaked from my nape to the base of my spine before I heard a grunt from around the side of the house, and I sighed in relief. He was outside, probably working in the flower beds like he did most weekend mornings.
It had surprised me that a man as masculine as Tate “Hawk” Gentry enjoyed puttering around with flowers and plants, but he said it relaxed him.
Walking barefoot across the grass, which was cool from the morning dew, I stalled when I got to the edge of the house. Hawk was on his knees with his back to me, shirtless, a triangle of sweat soaking the waistband of his shorts and arrowing down to that muscular ass of his.
A couple women walked by on the sidewalk in workout clothes and with full faces of makeup. They didn’t seem to notice the woman in the bathrobe lurking near the house, too fixated on the man beyond me. They slowed, the one in the turquoise crop top biting her bottom lip while the one who looked completely nude in a beige sports bra and skin-tight shorts dragged her made-up eyes up and down Hawk’s manly form .
Seriously, who does smokey-eye and glitter lip gloss to take a walk around the neighborhood?
He didn’t seem to notice them and continued working, so they resumed their pace, heads leaning together as they giggled. I returned to my regularly scheduled ogling, watching as the large hawk tattoo on his back came to life with every bunch and flex of his muscles.
“You just gonna stand there looking at my ass like those two who just walked by?” he asked, not even turning around.
Cocky bastard.
Though my cheeks warmed in embarrassment, I lifted my chin and strolled across the side yard. “For your information, I was looking at your back.”
Hawk cricked his neck around, eyes sparkling like obsidian glass when he looked me up and down. A scowl formed on his face. “What are you wearing?”
“My bathrobe,” I said, though I was pretty sure the question was rhetorical. “Don’t give me that look while you’re out here half naked, giving the ladies of the neighborhood a show.”
He merely grunted and then angled his head down, wiping the sweat from his face with one broad shoulder while I inspected what he was doing. Square paving stones led from where he was kneeling to a door on the side of the house. A stack of about ten more lay nearby.
Seeing where my attention was directed, he pointed. “That’s the door to the workout room. Thought I’d lay a path so your dance students can go directly back there from the sidewalk.”
I was stunned and more than a little touched. “Hawk, that’s really thoughtful. You didn’t have to do that. ”
He shrugged. “No biggie. Gives me something to do, and I thought it would look more professional.”
“Well, I appreciate it. Can I help?” He looked at my bare legs beneath my short robe, and I added, “I’ll go put on some work clothes.”
“If you want.”
As soon as I stepped back inside the house, my nose was deliciously assaulted by the scent of sweet blueberries. Hell, I’d been so busy checking out my roomie, I almost forgot about the muffins. Jogging to the kitchen, I pulled the pan out of the oven, glad to see they hadn’t burned.
After changing into a melon-colored tank top, denim shorts with a frayed hem, and beat up white sneakers, I placed a few muffins on a paper plate, poured two glasses of cold milk, and carried it all outside.
“I brought breakfast,” I chirped, sitting cross-legged on the grass and placing the food and drinks between us.
While I nibbled and sipped, Hawk devoured three muffins like he hadn’t eaten in a week and drained his glass in one gulp. “Thanks, Bee. I needed that.”
For the next hour, we worked together, Hawk shoveling while I placed the stones where he directed. The smell of male sweat and hard work was hotter than I could have ever imagined.
Lord, I need help. Now I’m getting turned on by sweat.
“You’re very meticulous,” I informed him as he placed the measuring tape he’d been using back in the old red tool box beside me. “You measured everything like there would be a trophy awarded for most precise placement.”
That made him laugh, and I was happy he seemed back to his normal self today. “Looks good though, right? ”
“It looks great,” I told him, placing my hand on his sweaty arm. “Thank you.”
“It’s fine,” he said shortly, seeming a little embarrassed by my appreciation. After pulling a tight, royal-blue T-shirt over his head, he wiped his hands on his shorts. “I think we need a pop of color on each side of the door. Let’s go pick out some flowers.”
“Now? But we’re all dirty.”
“We’re just going to the plant nursery. Trust me, there will be lots of folks there who’ve just come from working in their yards.”
He wasn’t wrong. Most of the people milling around the greenhouses had dirt or stains on at least one article of clothing, and everyone’s shoes seemed as ratty as mine.
“What do you think? Azaleas?” he asked me, crossing one arm over his waist and tapping his lips with an index finger as he took in the flowering plants and bushes.
“Hey, it’s your house. I’m just along for the ride.”
We wandered for an hour, weaving in and out of greenhouses that were arranged end-to-end in long rows. The place was massive. I found it difficult to avoid staring at Hawk. His dark beauty contrasted with the bright pops of color that were scattered on rustic wooden tables and shelves.
My movement stalled as we passed a display of large pots with flowers in a multitude of colors, a fond smile curving my lips. Hawk, realizing I was no longer following him, stopped and backtracked .
“You like dahlias?” he asked, impressing me with his instant recognition of the blooms.
“My dad used to get them for me. I told him once that I liked all the rows of petals, so he always bought them for me for birthdays or recitals.”
Hawk nodded and surveyed the selection in silence for a long moment, seemingly lost in thought. “They’re perennials, so they’ll come back next year. Which colors do you like?”
“No!” I protested. “We don’t have to get these. I just…”
“Which colors?”
“I thought you wanted a flowering bush kind of thing.” Hawk crossed his arms over his chest and lifted an eyebrow at me in impatience. Resigned, I turned back to the flowers, instantly drawn to some buttery yellow ones with red tips. They were so vibrant. “What about those?”
He turned over the attached card and read the color. “Flame. I like it,” he intoned before flagging down a woman in a dark-green T-shirt with the name of the nursery imprinted on the front. “You have any of these in larger pots?”
She shook her head. “No, sorry. Just these, but you could replant them if you want. We have plenty of pots inside.”
“Sounds good.” When she walked away, he pointed out four of the flame-hued plants. “What about these? They’re all about the same size. We could put two in each.”
“That really sounds like a lot of work, Hawk. We could just get some azaleas or something. I don’t want to be any trouble. ”
He pushed out a long-suffering sigh. “Would you stop yammering, Bee? And you’ve been trouble since the second I met you.” His half-smile told me he was kidding. Well, mostly.
I tilted my head and studied the plants. “I think those look good.”
He gathered them in his big arms. “Great. Let’s go pick out pots.”
Two hours later, we stepped back and checked out our work. We’d chosen two huge pots in a deep-purple color, which really made the gorgeous dahlias pop.
Hawk unwound the water hose from its reel and turned on the spigot attached to the house. “I’ll just give them a drink and then go for my run.”
Taking the sprayer from him, I said, “I’ll do this. You go ahead.”
“You sure?”
I depressed the handle and gave him a light spritz of water. “Go.”
He pulled his soaked shirt away from him and muttered something that contained the word trouble before heading into the house to put on his running shoes.
After giving the flowers a nice dose of water, I turned the sprayer to the bushes on either side, letting off the trigger when I heard a noise. Leaning my head forward, I listened, but didn’t hear anything else.
As soon as I started spraying again, I heard the noise once more. I laid the sprayer down and dropped to my knees, searching beneath the bush on the left. A pair of blue eyes stared back at me, wide and afraid .
“Well hello, baby,” I cooed, holding out my hand until the tiny white kitten crept cautiously forward. “Where did you come from?”
“Mew.”
“Where’s your mommy?”
“Mew.”
“You’re not much help, you know that?” The little one swatted at my finger before rubbing its cheek against it. I picked the cute baby up and turned it over to find that it was a girl. She was snowy white except for one chocolate-colored paw and matching brown fur on the tip of her tail.
“I bet someone’s missing you,” I said, cradling her against my chest. Her claws extended and latched onto my shirt for dear life.
Pushing to my feet, I carried her to the sidewalk and turned left. “Let’s go see if we can find your home.”
A lady from two doors down informed me that they had found two kittens earlier that morning and supposed someone had dumped them.
“That’s so sad,” I said, fighting back tears.
“Yeah, it happens sometimes. My kids really want them, but we can only keep one. I’m taking the other to my mother later.”
I held up the kitten in my arms and smiled hopefully. “Do you think she would want two?”
The lady smiled ruefully. “Afraid not.”
For the next thirty minutes, I walked around the neighborhood, attempting to find anyone who wanted a little white furball. No one did.
“You can take it to the pound,” a middle-aged man suggested, and I recoiled .
“Certainly not. She’s just a baby.”
He smirked. “Then I guess you got yourself a kitten, lady.”
Looking down at the bundle in my hand, my heart melted when she blinked lazily, let out a plaintive mewl, and fell promptly asleep, her head curling down between her front paws.
Dammit, why did she have to be so adorable?
“Wait right here,” I instructed the kitten after our trip to the pet store. I set her on the front porch and stuck my head inside the house, hearing the water running. “Okay good. He’s in the shower. I’m going to sneak you into—Wait! Where are you going?”
The kitten had taken off inside the house and skidded to a stop beside the couch. I caught her just as she was lifting her paw to scratch at the upholstery.
“No, no! Bad kitty!” I scolded. “You can’t mess up anything in Hawk’s house. You’re just going to stay in my room for a little bit until I can find you a home.”
She let out a chastised mew and dipped her head.
“It’s okay, baby,” I told her, kissing her nose before retrieving the bags of kitten-related items I’d just purchased. Creeping to my room, I was relieved to hear the shower still running in Hawk’s bathroom.
I set up the small litter box, food and water bowls, and cat bed in my own bathroom before sitting on the floor and rolling the tiny red ball across the floor. The kitten’s ears perked up, and then she hopped across the tile and pounced on the ball. She was officially the cutest kitty ever .
“You’re a clever girl, aren’t you? I guess you need a name, huh?”
She rolled onto her back, clutching her toy between her paws as she awaited my decision.
“Ummm, Fluffy?” The cat appeared unimpressed, licking one paw and rubbing it against her ear. “How about Snowball? Gizmo? Matilda?” She rejected each suggestion, and I was pretty sure she rolled her eyes at the last one.
I stroked her white fur down to her brown paw, and it inspired me. “What about Coconut?”
She turned over and stood on short legs, her entire body wiggling with excitement. “Mew!”
Picking her up, I cuddled her against my neck. “Okay, Coconut, it is.”
I jerked upright when a knock sounded at my door. “Mallori, are you talking to someone?”
Shit, shit, shit. “Um, I’m on the phone. Be out in a bit,” I called back to Hawk before placing Coconut on the light-blue padded cat bed, scratching her soft head, and whispering, “Now, you be good and don’t make any noise. This is only temporary, but Uncle Hawk can’t find out.”
She circled three times before laying down and resting her cute little face on her paws. Within seconds she was fast asleep, and I was in love.