Page 17 of Feels Like the First Time
“Building engines and fishing.” She looked at him, and the resignation there broke his heart. “We both know it’s not the same.”
“And what about you?” he asked, knowing that what Ali was suggesting would ruin any hope she had for salvaging her celebratory family dinner. “What about your night?”
She looked out at the cypress trees, bent and bare on one side from the harsh coastal winds with a look of pure resignation, as if any notions she’d had about the evening’s events had been destroyed. “I got pie, so there’s that.”
“It’s coconut cream; you don’t even like coconut.”
“Marty does.”
“Plus, it’s sugar-free,” he said, then took her hand. Because Ali needed a little sweet in her life, and Hawk needed to do something drastic to prove to Bridget—and himself—that he’d moved on. He was tired of avoiding Marty’s place when Bridget came to town, or holing up in his bar until she left town. If playing along with Ali’s plan for a night got him one step closer, then he was game.
Marty had slipped into a twenty-year holding pattern when Gail left, and he hadn’t even recognized it. Hawk would be damned if that was to be his own future.
“Where are we going?”
“To wish Bridget and Asshat the best on their upcoming nuptials, then I’m going to walk my girlfriend to the door, give her a big congratulatory kiss that has enough heat to imply the party will continue later at my place, before I head off to work and leave you to your family dinner.” He stopped. “Why do you look so horrified? This was your idea, remember?”
“Yeah, but I never thought you’d go along with it.”
He lifted a brow. “So then the kiss? That was, what? For fun?”
“The kiss was to make it look real, nothing more. You’re the one who got handsy and took it to a weird place.”
He grinned, because weird or not, it had been hot, and she knew it.
“Which makes me question your motives.” She dug her hands into her curvy hips and looked up at him. Stern and solid. “You didn’t know what was going on, so why did you kiss me back?”
Good question. One he could worry for hours over and never come up with a good answer for it.It just happened, was something he’d used back when he’d been a young gun on the ice and didn’t care. But Hawk cared now, so that didn’t apply. Neither did,You kissed me first.And since he was pretty sure the real motives would land him in the penalty box for a good, long time, he settled for, “I was just being friendly.”
She glared at him. “Liar. And no second kiss. One was enough to last a lifetime, thank you.”
’Tude dialed to “hands off,” she walked away. Not that he was complaining, he had a great view of her ’tude as it swished back and forth in those jeans she favored.
“Now who’s lying?” he laughed, racing up to catch her and throwing his arm over her shoulder. “And we could spend the rest of the thirty seconds we have arguing about who did what, or you could use it to prepare.” He leaned down to whisper, “And if I were you, I’d take the time to prepare.”
“For what?” She tried to shrug off his arm, but he let it slide obscenely low on her waist, then pulled her in to him.
“For my A-game.”
She snorted. “Your A-game? What’s that? A bottle of sparkling cider and showing me your stick?”
“You seem to be really focused on my stick, sunshine. Is there something you want to talk about?” A bony elbow shanked him in the kidney, but he didn’t let go. “Is that any way to treat your boyfriend?”
She slid him a hard look, but beneath it she was smiling. He could see it in her eyes. “Myfakeboyfriend. And as long as your A-game is comprised of a quick hug and an even quicker departure, your stick will live to charm another puck bunny.”
“You like it fast with no lip service. Not a problem,” he said as they rounded the porch to find not just the couple of the hour, but also Gail and Marty. “I’m more of a hands guy anyway.” He lowered his voice. “And sunshine, everyone knows I’m an ass man.”
She looked up right as he grabbed a solid palm-full of that heart-shaped gift she was always swishing his way, then announced to the group, “I hear congratulations are in order!”
