Page 5 of Pretty Lethal
High fives are shared across the table as we all laugh and soak up our celebration while the quizmaster attempts to regain everyone’s attention.
“Everyone give a round of applause for tonight’s winners—The Smarty Pints!”
Grinning like idiots, we clink glasses as the other tables clap half-heartedly. Not that we care, too buzzed about our win—and outwardly throwing it inThe Brainiacs’faces based on Alice’s middle finger directed at their table and Daniel’s smug smirk.
We order another round of drinks as the trivia host hands us our winnings and hang out at the bar for another hour before we call it a night.
“Carrie?” I ask hesitantly as everyone shrugs into their coats at the end of the evening. I wait until she stops and looks at me. “If you have any spare time this week, I was wondering if I could get some advice for grading finals and maybe run some of my lesson plans past you?”
“Of course,” Carrie easily agrees. “Pop by my office on Monday morning and we can talk.”
Some of the tension seeps out of me. “Thank you,” I tell her earnestly before we follow the others out of the bar. Alice had offered previously, and I’ve chatted with her a couple of times over coffee, mostly complaining about that one jerk in every class or her assuring me that it gets easier with time and practice. However, with Carrie being the head of the English department, and having the most experience out of any of us, I figure it would be good to sit down and talk to her. See what pearls of wisdom she can impart.
Kai is waiting for me in the parking lot when we spill out of the bar. I spot him almost immediately, his legs crossed at the ankle as he leans against the side of his car with his hands pushed into the pockets of his dark denim jeans. His eyes bore into mine with an intensity that has the whole world around us fading away, and I wave a hasty goodbye to my colleagues without breaking eye contact with Kai before practically skipping toward him.
He pushes off the car as I approach, his hands immediately circling my waist whenever we’re within touching distance. “Have a fun night, Blackbird?”
“The best.” I’m grinning like a lunatic as I press up on my toes and wrap my arms around his neck. I love the casual way he returns my embrace, lowering his head until our lips collide, like two magnets that can no longer ignore their attraction to one another. I’ll never get enough of seeing this side of my ex-marine. He’s usually so stiff and straight-laced, and he held his emotions back from me for so long that it makes watching him give his love so easily even more special.
“Mmm,” he hums against my lips when we break apart. “I’ll have to be your chauffeur more often if this is the thanks I get.”
My breath fans over his lips as I laugh. “You don’t have to pick me up to get a kiss.”
“Hmm, and what if I want more than a kiss?”
I tilt my head to one side as his lips trail a scorching path along my throat. “Depends on what you want to do to me,” I say breathlessly.
“This.” He bites at my flesh before soothing the sting with a sweep of his tongue. His hands slide lower over my hips until he squeezes my ass and grinds the long length of his erection against my core. “And this.”
Popping one of the buttons on my coat, he slides his arm inside and snakes his hand under my top, gliding over my stomach until he cups my breast. “A little bit of this.” His other hand pushes beneath the waistband of my jeans until his fingers stroke along the wet patch on my panties. “A lot of this.”
My body goes up in flames, the digging of my fingernails into his biceps the only thing grounding me to reality.
“Stay with me tonight,” he whispers in my ear, and I’m only capable of forming one response.
“Yes.”
* * *
Kai followsme up the stairs as soon as we get home, so close that I can feel his warmth at my back, his hand never leaving my hip. My pace slows when Hawk steps out of his room, pausing when he sees us.
“Everything okay?” I ask, feeling Kai’s chest press against my back when I stop.
Hawk’s eyes flick over my shoulder to him before returning to me and he gives me a tight smile. “Everything’s fine. You staying with Kai tonight?”
“Ehh, yeah.” I almost ask if that’s okay, but I manage to swallow back the words in time.Ugh, navigating this whole juggling-three-guys thing is hard. I surely need to ask Hadley how she handles it.
Instead, I move closer to Hawk until I can press a kiss to his cheek. “But tomorrow, I’m all yours,” I murmur, hoping to ease whatever he’s feeling.
He strokes a hand through my hair, his gorgeous gray eyes locked on mine, and I can tell he’s trying to do the same. “Looking forward to it, Little Sparrow.” His voice is gruff, strained, and I can tell he’s holding back all the emotions he doesn’t want me to see. My hand tightens around the front of his top, unwilling to let him go as my gaze searches his. Forcing a smile and attempting to distract me with another quick kiss, he gives me a gentle push toward Kai. “Go have fun with Kai. I’ll see you in the morning.”
I give him a final lingering look, wishing I could help ease whatever he’s going through, before wishing him goodnight. Kai takes my hand, giving Hawk a nod before we head up the stairs to his bedroom.
“Do you think he’s okay?” I ask, chewing on my lower lip and turning to face Kai as he closes his bedroom door.
“He’s working through some things, but he’ll be alright,” Kai reassures, moving toward me.
“He’s been off since Wilder told him what he did.”
