Page 58 of Hawk

“I’m going to go downstairs and try to get some work done while your friends are here. I’ve been shirking some of my duties this last week, so it’ll give me a chance to catch up.”

“I’m so sorry. I know I’m not paying you, and you have a job to do—”

“Stop. You have nothing to be sorry about. Wolfe will tell you I’m pretty bad at doing that stuff, no matter what’s going on. Now, let’s go back to this sweet treat business. What are you going to make?”

Something else I’d learned about Hawk was that he had a serious sweet tooth. “I was thinking turtle brownies, maybe. I’m pretty sure I have everything I need.”

He stood up and came around the island to stand in front of me. “Are you going to save me some?”

“Of course I am.”

“Good boy,” he purred before pulling me close and giving me a proper good morning kiss.

I melted against him, all my plans for the day fading away—but luckily for me, he did a better job of remembering we had things to do today. He pulled back and grinned at me.

“I’m going to hit the gym downstairs before I start working, so you can find me there if you need anything.”

“Okay, but I should be all set.”

“Thanks for breakfast, mouse. Enjoy your day with your friends.”

I was oh-so-tempted to tell him I’d call them and cancel if he wanted to spend the day here, but he was already behind on work because of me. Plus, I really did want to see Andy and Mars.

A couple hours later, I was pulling a double batch of brownies out of the oven when there was a knock on the door. I pulled it open and was immediately engulfed in a hug.

I laughed and hugged Andy back. When he let me go, I stepped back and motioned for them to come in.

“This building is fancy,” Mars said. “Hawk had to bring us up in the elevator because he said it wouldn’t go up here without his thumbprint.”

“Yeah, that’s why he thinks it’s safer for me to be here right now.”

“I would think so,” Andy said. “There was a person at the desk downstairs who took our names and checked them against a list before calling Hawk to come get us. No one’s getting in here uninvited.”

They followed me into the living room, and Mars stopped in the middle of the massive open space and looked around. “Wow. Samuel said this used to be some store’s corporate office. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t this. This is amazing.”

“It’s really nice. Apparently, Gator’s condo is a mirror image of this one, and Wolfe’s is in the middle. I haven’t been in either one, though. That’s just what Hawk told me.”

Andy walked over to the windows and looked out. “It’s impressive.”

“Do you miss it? Living in a place like this, I mean?” Andy and Jesse lived in a small house across the street from Jesse’s grandmother, but Andy had grown up with money, so a place like this was much more what he was used to.

“Not at all. I wouldn’t trade living across from Gigi for anything.”

“She’s pretty awesome,” I agreed.

“She is. Now show us around and then feed me. This place smells like a bakery.”

A few hours later, we’d blown through the lunch I’d prepared, at least half of one of the batches of brownies and two bottles of wine.

“I guess we should get going,” Mars said, pulling out his phone. “I’ll order our ride.”

While Mars was doing that, Andy looked at me. “I’m glad you’re safe, and it was good to see you.”

“It was good to see you guys, too. I hate that Caleb had to work.”

“He hated it, too,” Andy said. “Don’t be surprised if he shows up with a stack of books to keep you occupied if this goes on much longer.”

“I hope it doesn’t. I’m really tired of being cooped up here in the condo.”

---