Chapter 16
After the Faire
A crisp, professional knock fell against her thin door not long after she got home. Lilian fought the urge to sprint to it.
She wasn’t successful. By the time she made it to the door, her breath was trying to outpace the erratic drumming of her heart. Trembling fingers yanked the door open a little too hard and nearly put a hole in the wall.
And there he was.
Hawk.
He’d changed into a soft-looking T-shirt and sports shorts. His hair was still wet from the constant rain, falling into his eyes in the same wavy mess she remembered from her shop. A flash of that memory sent her cheeks ablaze. Reigniting those same feelings of need.
“I—” Hawk started, but she didn’t give him a chance to finish.
She grabbed his arm and pulled him close. Their lips came together in a desperate kiss, picking up exactly where they had left off. Except this time, there was nothing stopping them.
Hawk was here. Which meant he wanted this just as much as she did.
Right?
She got her answer as he leaned into the kiss. His tongue making its presence known as it dominated her mouth.
Yes! her body sang. This was right. This was happening.
Her knees wobbled at the response. But Hawk’s arm snaked around her waist. It was a firm presence keeping her upright, and she couldn’t help but lean into it, enjoying the solid presence of his muscles bracing her back.
Together they moved through her house. As they moved, she didn’t let an inch of space come between them.
Some part of her wondered if this was really Hawk Carlisle kissing her. Maybe he had lost a bet. Or maybe he’d had too much to drink. Though she didn’t taste any alcohol on his tongue.
Maybe it was a fae spell?
Either way, if they broke apart, would he still want to kiss her? Or would he realize this was all a horrible mistake?
She twined her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. The woody scent of his shampoo filled her nostrils. He kissed her deeply, passionately. Like the heroes in her books.
This wasn’t a drunken mistake. It wasn’t a dream.
He wanted her.
And she wanted him as well.
Feeling braver, she pulled away. Her chest was heaving, but so was his. “What do you want?” she asked him.
“Everything.” His breath was hot against her neck as he buried his face against it. “I want to do everything to you I couldn’t do before.”
Before.
He meant back in the shop? Or did he mean another time? At his apartment?
More importantly, what was it he wanted to do to her?
A fluttery sensation danced from her belly to her toes as she realized whatever it was, she would have let him.
“Then let’s get comfortable,” she suggested, pulling him deeper into her small home.
She curled their fingers together and led him to the couch.
She urged him to sit first and watched as his body sank into the old cushions. Hawk never stopped looking at her.
It wasn’t like she was dressed in anything overtly sexy.
A pair of old running shorts and an oversized T-shirt from the Manhattan Farmers Market.
It was nothing compared to the bodice that perked up her cleavage at the faire and cinched her waist. But one wouldn’t know that from the way Hawk was looking at her.
He stared at her like a mere mortal in the presence of a goddess.
“How is this real?” she whispered.
Hawk took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Why do you think it isn’t?”
“Because you hate me—hated me,” she corrected.
“I never hated you.” His dark brows arched in outrage.
Lilian huffed and threw herself onto the couch beside him, eager to chase the expression away. “I know that now,” she said, “but—”
You don’t find me attractive. I acted like a fool in front of you. The list went on and on.
A man like Hawk, who was all about sports and business, and who was practical, smart, and ambitious, couldn’t possibly like a girl like her. She lived on her parents’ farm. In a barndominium. In the middle of nowhere. She was tied to a dying business. And a mother who was—
“Hey.”
The brush of Hawk’s fingers against her cheek snapped the spiraling thoughts off. He leaned in and kissed her again, slow but intent, as if trying to prove those unspoken words wrong.
“No buts,” he said when they pulled apart. His nose brushed against her own and lingered there. Their swollen lips still only inches apart. “I like you, Lilian Brody. Is that so hard to believe?”
Yes. The single word, even unspoken, was a hard cut against her heart.
Even though she understood Hawk’s reasoning for keeping things hidden at the faire, it still hurt.
The first guy to show her interest in years, and she couldn’t tell people about it.
Couldn’t hold his hand or kiss him in public. Not yet.
But you can drink his coffee. You can laugh. You can be together, a quiet voice reminded her. They’d been flirting at the faire for weeks now, and no one had said anything. Hawk seemed all right with that.
There is something here. She knew that and was terrified she was going to fuck it up by wanting too much too fast.
Looking into Hawk’s eyes, she could see the desire there. But more than that, there was longing. He saw something in her.
“Can you… tell me another reason why you’re helping me?” she asked.
Amusement tilted his lips. “You mean with your business or here?”
“Both?”
His hand still held hers. A steady presence that kept her grounded.
It gave a reassuring squeeze, as if he knew exactly why she was asking this question.
“You want another one of my reasons? All right.” He pulled back and pretended to take her in and think about it.
Silence stretched as he hummed, his eyes roaming up and down her body.
Finally, he met her eyes and said, “You are one of the most creative people I’ve ever met. ”
Lilian tilted her head at that. “Me? You’ve met Margo, right? She’s the creative genius behind everything.”
Hawk frowned before she could even finish. “She’s an artist, but you’re a business owner. Those are two different approaches to creativity. Look at what you did on Saturday with the flowers. That was… well, it was genius. And you saw how much interest it generated.”
“Yeah.” Hearing him refer to her idea as genius knocked the air from her lungs. Over the last couple of weeks, hell, the last couple of years, of knowing Hawk Carlisle, she knew he didn’t hand out compliments lightly. Even to people he liked.
Hawk didn’t stop there. “And your idea for the bookshop at the faire—no one has ever thought of that before.”
“There’s probably a reason for that,” Lilian admitted, grimacing.
“Stop doing that,” Hawk said firmly. “I already told you, if I didn’t think it was a good idea, I wouldn’t be helping you, right? Creativity is what drives change. And change is good. Everyone and everything needs it to get better, to improve. Even me.”
She frowned at that. “Even you?”
“Come on, don’t make me say it.” He gave a self-deprecating smile.
But Lilian just stared at him, unmoving.
The silence stretched. Finally, Hawk rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. “Fine. You might’ve had a point the other night at the party. I’ve thought about it. And I could be… a little more approachable when I talk to the other vendors.”
“Oh.” She beamed, feeling somehow lighter. “You are a softie.”
“No,” Hawk growled. “No, I’m not. I don’t like making mistakes that cost money. If our vendors do good business, then so does the faire.”
“That’s very practical of you,” she teased, unable to stop smiling.
“Practical?” he drawled, pulling her closer. “Practical is reminding you that I didn’t come over here to admit that you were right. I came here to kiss you.”
Her stomach flipped at the low cadence of his voice. “You already kissed me today. You mentioned wanting to do more earlier today. Why don’t you show me?”
Those dark eyes gleamed at the suggestion.