Page 126 of Filthy Love

“What’s brought on the theatrics, Z-girl?” Asked Snake stepping out from the back rooms in an easy swaying gait. The tall, tattooed man wearing a pair of black specs and carrying a newspaper under his arm was wearing the usual biker garb of jeans, long shirt and the leather cut with the grim reaper on the back.

Both woman shut up instantly. “Never you mind.” Zara informed him, winking at Gia.

Subtle much. She grinned at him. “Move along, nothing to see here.”

“Chicks, all of ‘em crazy.” Snake shook his head and went about his business.

“You and Hawk? I can’t believe it. I mean I guessed he was into you.”

“You did?”

“Gia! Yeah. It was obvious. His eyes stalk you like you’re cake and he’s damn hungry. I’m just surprised Rider hasn’t noticed either, but he’s not looking at his best buddy and his sister like I have. Eek, this is so exciting, we can double date!”

“Whoa there,” Gia warned cuddling her niece to her chest. “I would totally love that, but technically I don’t even know what we are yet. I can lead a horse to water …”

“But you can’t drown him in it, right?”

Both women cracked up laughing.

“Seriously, I’m happy for you. I mean, he’s all growlyscary on the outside, and he doesn’t really say much, least, not when I’m near, but Rider missed having him around this past year.”

“Why was he even away from the MC that long?” Gia questioned. She’d asked Hawk several times and each time he put her off with it being MC stuff or something to the like.

Zara sobered taking Harper back when she began to fuss. When she buried her face in her baby’s neck and rocked her gently Gia felt like she’d stepped on an unknown minefield. “That’s for Hawk to tell you, Gia. But you should know he’s a good man. No matter what he tells you. Some bad things happened to me,” Gia had known that, not the details, but Rider made her aware Zara was going through things and not to put pressure on her to talk if she didn’t want to. Instead Gia had forged a friendship with Zara of the things they did have in common and knew if Zara ever wanted to talk she’d be there for her.

It involved Hawk somehow? Her belly began to tighten. “And Hawk was there to help me. He’s a good man, Gia.”

She felt tears prick the back of her eyes. She sent a glance over to him, his gaze still on her, and she watched his eyes narrow and he took a step down off the stool as if to saywhat the fuck is wrong with you and who do I have to kill for making you cry?She smiled and shook her head at him.I’m fine, she mouthed.

Everything about Hawk screamedleave me alone. From his walk, demeanor and overall prick attitude. Even now, more than an hour later while she sneaked glances at him in among his boys, he sent out hisstay backaura to everyone who would dare approach his invisible fortress.

But here's the thing: She'd never been able to do that. All the times he'd actively dismissed her existence from sight and still she went back for more.

People would question her sanity. And many times, she'd asked herself why? It wasn't only attraction that kept her vigilant to break down his walls. She saw a loneliness in Hawk she suspected no one else did and it just tore her up. She had to force herself to stay in her chair and not go and wrap her arms around him. They hadn’t discussed telling her brother they were together yet and flinging herself at Hawk in a room full of bikers, her brother being the head boss biker wasn’t her best move to ease him into knowing his sister was in love with his best friend.

So, she sat, and she watched. And when Capone ambled over to her she rose to give the big man a tight hug and a smile.

No one knew Capone called her sometimes. Oh, nothing weird, he wasn’t into her. But he’d known her career choice and one day while she’d been visiting they’d gotten into deep conversation about how he’d lost his family suddenly and from then on, they spoke at least once a month. He said it helped him deal with his grief and lingering anger and if that were the case she would always answer his calls.

Besides which she liked Capone. He was a good man, a good biker. She’d gleaned a lot of details in their chats over the last two years. He loved kids but said he’d never have any of his own. He listened to Spanish music exclusively and even taught her how to swear in his native tongue. He enjoyed watching basketball and cheered for the Knicks and he loved being a biker. Loved the camaraderie it brought, he said. She suspected he liked the family life of it, but he wouldn’t admit it, when she’d pressed him he’d gone silent and told her he’d had a family once and wouldn’t put himself through that again. That, though he cared for his boys, they weren’t his family and never would be. There was also an unobtainable woman in his past. But that topic was always off limits.

“You are a sight for these sore eyes,bomboncita.” He laughed setting her back on her feet. His dark chocolate stained eyes twinkled. He’d called her little candy for years and one time she asked him why, he said it was because she was stuffing her face with hard candy when they first met. Go figure.

Maybe it was just she was so hyper aware of being near Hawk made her gaze slip over to the right to find his dark and stormy, not on her, but on Capone sitting at her side. Even from her vantage point she saw how tight Hawk’s jaw was ticking. What on earth? Why was he looking like he was chewing rocks?

She raised her brow in silent question.

Capone’s hand jostled her arm gently. “You okay, Gia? You spaced out.”

Hawk popped up from his stool so fast her she felt the surprise of the action stir her belly. Not uncomfortably, more like a twisty kind of expectant heat because he was showing signs of jealousy again. When it appeared as if he was about to take a step in her direction, his massive chest inflated, and he stormed outside with fire in his eyes.

“Oh, yeah,” she smiled finally. “Yeah, I was just thinking of something. What was it you were saying?”

Ten long minutes she caught up with Hawk outside working on a bike. He rose, wiping his hands on a rag when he saw her like he’d been watching the door this whole time.

“Hey. You looked mad. Is everything okay?” It felt as though nervous tension bubbled between them when they’d been perfect for days.

“Do you want to know what I think when I look at you? Besides the obvious of you being the most beautiful fucking thing I ever saw before.” Gia wanted to swoon off her feet, to dive at his face and lick his full lower lip while simultaneously dry humping his upper thigh. Instead she managed a jerky nod. She really wanted any part of what was inside Hawk’s mind. “I’m reminded that I can actually feel things.” That was a good thing, she thought. Especially for someone so closed off like he was. Until he added with an animal rumble gurgling inside his throat. “I wanted to kill Capone for touching you.”

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