“That’s not how I remember it.” I leaned against the desk, touching her arm lightly as I relaxed now that she had laid down her laws. “I’m here because of you.”
“What?”
I laughed. “I decked the guy, protecting you.”
She wriggled back. “I didn’t tell you to get in a fight,” she whispered. “I never asked for your help.”
“You think I’m going to kiss you. Lick you. Suck you until you’re ready to come and then let some other fucker put his hands on you?” I leaned toward her, the energy growing between us. “I might not be that good with kids, but there was no way in hell I’d let him hurt you. Do you understand me?”
She nodded.
“Good. I’ll go talk to the kids now.”
I walked out of the room, leaving her speechless.
8
Julie
I had always been a firm believer in not judging a book by its cover, but in Kane Hawkins’ case the cover was great, and it was the past that worried me. Especially when a certain eight-year-old was staring up at him with nothing but complete adoration on his face. If he could pull this type of reaction from a boy who hid within himself ninety-nine percent of the time, then I’d give him a chance.
I turned my back on Hawk and waited for the click of the door before I took a deep breath and let myself relax. It was easy to not notice anything about him while my anger was running hot, but as my temper cooled, I felt myself flushing for a totally different reason.
Never in my life had I been affected by a man’s presence the way Hawk affected me. I went from wanting to murder him with my own bare hands to wanting to rip his clothes off and lick up and down each and every inch of his body.
If he had stayed in the room for ten more seconds, I felt certain that my morals and dignity would have gone out the window and I’d have ended up in a similar position to last night.
It was the eyes. I thought to myself. The darkest of browns, outlined in such a deep shade of brown they almost looked black as the light shone off them. I felt certain he could see straight to the depths of my soul.
It was the same look he gave me the other night when I looked down between my legs and saw his desire and hunger for me. Damn it.
It took almost ten minutes before I felt like myself again and even then, every time I closed my eyes I saw piercing chestnut eyes staring back at me, daring and unapologetic.
That night I had been reckless and irresponsible. I couldn’t let that side of myself emerge again. Not with Hunter involved. I loved that child as if he were my family. I wasn’t going to let the lust I had for Hawk cloud my judgement.
It didn’t matter why he was here. He had been sentenced to serve his public service here with these kids and I wasn’t going to let his flirty, cocky personality knock me off track.
9
Kane
As I walked out of the school and onto the field where the pack of boys was huddled, fighting over the ball, I paused to call Savannah. She had to get me out of this.
I pressed the phone to my ear as if that would make her answer faster. “Damn it, Savi,” I muttered. Where in the hell was she? She knew I had been sentenced to this shit. She should be here for me.
She answered before I was dumped into her voicemail.
“Aren’t you supposed to be saving the world’s children?” she mocked.
“Savi, look, you have to do something. I want out of this.”
“Not happening. You got in a bar fight. This is your only chance of redemption. So suck it up and do the time.”
I looked out on the field. How in the hell was this supposed to work?
“I’m one week away from playoffs. I don’t have time for this shit. You know it. I know it. What’s more important?” I asked, appealing to the sports side of her. If there was anything I knew about that woman it was that she loved to represent a champion.
I heard her groan. “Hawk, you either get your ass at that center every day and work with those kids or you heard the judge—he’s going to release the court statements and make your case public.”