Page 12 of Filthy Love

Life changing, possibly.

It could be the start of something amazing, she thought. A story to tell the kids.

Whoa, don’t get ahead of yourself, dummy, the man doesn’t even look happy to see you.

He watched her walk over and for the first time in her life Gia was conscious of her stride. Was it too long? Too lumpy? Not enough sway. She was no runway model and didn’t think she had much hips to be enticing, but she’d taken a big effort this morning to look as good as she felt and to feel confident in that vanity, so she lifted her chin and smiled the closer she approached.

Nothing altered on his face. Not a flicker of emotion she could guess at.

“Hi, Hawk. How are you?”

His chin tipped. “Gia.”

One word.

That was it. And she was dying inside to jump into his arms.

Every organ swelled.

To look at Hawk, you wouldn’t ordinarily think he was a handsome man at first, he had too much hair for one, it hung in straight blond sheets on either side of his face and met up with the long, messy equally straw colored beard that framed his lips. The black t-shirt hugged his thickly defined biceps. Tucked into his washed-out jeans her eyes went down and found his clunky biker boots to be surprisingly attractive on his long legs.

She got close enough to be struck with that stare.

The one that could turn her inside out.

The unblinking, shrewd stare that went from her face down to her chest, down and back up again making her feel touched over ever inch.

She had to remind herself this was what she’d planned and to please remember to breathe!

His eyes were the clearest blue, almost white in some lights with a pinprick of black for his pupil.

When she inched close enough she picked up his smell. Clean and masculine. Nothing fancy or expensive she guessed.

It was just Hawk.

Just perfectly him.

“At least you’re not racing off this time.” She chuckled nervously referring to when she walked intoGem’s Eateryand there he was. He’d grabbed his wallet and left with barely a chin lift.

Nerves dogging her voice box, she cleared her throat and brushed wisps of hair from her face, he followed her hand but came right back to her eyes.

The look was unnerving.

And hot.

So incrediblyhot.

Like he already guessed why she was in front of him.

“Are you here for long?”

“Not long, no.” His voice raspy and sexy and oh, god, she was so hot when he streaked his gaze over her face in that slow unhurried way she wished she’d gone for shorts instead.

Since he wasn’t trying to lead the conversation, and cognizant of her father waiting for her outside she tried to spit out the words she’d come to say and ended up by rambling.

Gia was not a rambler for goodness sake.

“I was just talking to dad,” okay, that was weird, Hawk’s eyes darkened, and a scowl tightened his mouth. “About Harper. Have you seen her?”