He finished bandaging her palm, then leaned back. They stared at each other for a second and she felt something shift in her. It was deep and moving, and something she didn’t want to think too deeply about because it was very … real.
“I should go.” She stood before she could stop herself, before she could feel herself falling further into the rabbit hole where Hawk was concerned.
As it was, her emotions were right at the top, refusing to lessen. And being this close to him, smelling the woodsy, masculine cologne he wore, made her feel drunk, aroused.
It was a dangerous feeling.
“Thank you,” she murmured and grabbed her bag, which was sitting on the coffee table. She hauled ass to the door, feeling nervous and anxious, feeling his gaze on her.
She opened the door and looked back at him. He stood there staring at her, his hands shoved in his jeans pockets, this strange expression on his face. She didn’t know what was going on, but the way he looked at her, how he made her feel bared and exposed, was not something she wanted to explore.
It made her feel like he knew exactly how she felt for him.
Hawk had been watching Felicity for a long time, desired her since the first moment he’d laid eyes on her. But he knew she saw him as competition, knew that her keeping him at an arm’s length distance, maybe even hating him, was a defense mechanism.
But what Felicity didn’t know was that Hawk wasn’t going to stop wanting her. He wasn’t going to walk away from her. They’d been thrust into each other’s lives, fate literally having her fall into his arms.
He’d tended to her wounds, protected her, and all he wanted to do was keep her safe. He now knew what she felt like pressed against him, her body resting against his, the scent of lemon and her hair having every possessive instinct in his body coming to attention.
She could run, but what she didn’t know was that he would chase her. There was no place on this planet she could hide, because Hawk was hungry for her.
In fact, he was starved for Felicity.
3
“You’ve been quiet this morning,” Rebecca said.
Felicity replaced the tray of oatmeal raisin cookies before turning toward her friend. They were open from six in the morning until five in the afternoon, then they had to finish up their float in the evenings.
“I’m tired.”
She was used to long days. Since high school, they’d always been up at the crack of dawn, and stayed up late.
“Really?” Rebecca finished serving an older lady, giving the boy with her a smile and a cookie. “I heard you nearly got run over the other day.”
Felicity grabbed the cookie tray, offering Rebecca a glare.
“Why are you looking at me like that? It’s not like I said it was the truth. It was the truth, wasn’t it? I also heard Hawk was there to save you.” Rebecca said.
“Could we not do the dramatics?” Felicity said, leaving her friend at the front of the counter and heading toward the kitchen.
“Come on, you know I’ve told you for years he’s got fuck-me eyes and they’re always directed at you. You just don’t see it.”
“And you try to see way too much,” Felicity said. “You’ve got to keep an eye on the shop.”
“I can. I can see it right here. Come on, tell me more.”
“I was distracted. I nearly got hit, and Hawk was there to pull me out of the way.”
“It sounds so romantic.”
“Please, you don’t believe in romance, nor do you like it. Why do you have to bug me about it today?” Felicity moved to the oven, and saw her brownies were perfect.
“I think you should take him over a warm brownie or a small gift box, thank him, and bring me back some of his delicious coffee.” Rebecca grinned. “Don’t ever admit I prefer his coffee to ours.” She laughed. “And tell him it’s for Rebecca.” She winked at Felicity.
“You’re serious right now?” she asked, staring at her best friend.
“Totally serious.” Rebecca grabbed one of their gift boxes. “I’ll start packing it up for you.”
“He’s across the street. If he wanted a thank you, he’d come right here.”
“And maybe all he needs is a nudge from the right person.” Rebecca winked at her.
They had argued this point so much, Felicity had hoped her friend had gotten over it. It seemed Rebecca still liked to believe Hawk wanted her, in the sexual sense.
She’d never seen it, not once.
He always held that smirk on his lips. The one that made her want to hit him because doing something else to those lips was unthinkable.
Would it be so hard to go over and say thank you?
It wasn’t like she was offering up her soul for the pleasure.