Page 59 of Feels Like the First Time
“We were finishing our walk when we saw the show, so we grabbed coffee and came back to make sure we got good seats,” Fi said, taking a bite out of a muffin that was bigger than her fist.
Setting her coffee down, Ms. Collins held up her camera and snapped a picture of Hawk’s chest. She put on her reading glasses to look at her work, and frowned. “Where’s your stick?”
“Inside,” he said.
Her eagle eyes narrowed in on him. “But my followers want to see your stick.”
“Sorry, stick’s off limits.” He reached for her phone to delete the picture before she uploaded it to Instagram for man-candy Monday. But even his honed reflexes weren’t a match for the woman’s paparazzi-like skills. She shoved her phone between her cleavage and then gave him a challenging look.
Not goingthere, Hawk asked, “What show?”
Six bony fingers pointed toward the back of the alley. Where Ali, dressed in a pair of ass-hugging jeans, a tank top, and those silver heels, was dragging a keg half her size across the parking lot.
“Bitsy here put a cool twenty on her being mad,” Fiona said, jabbing a thumb at the pastor’s wife. “I say the girl’s finally lost it.”
“My guess was pure revenge,” Ms. Collins said, giving him a pointed look. “So what did you do?”
Hawk turned back to the ladies, all of who were giving him a stern look. “What makes you think this has anything to do with me?”
Concern filled Bitsy’s gaze. “The only reason a woman would be doing heavy lifting in shoes like that was if she’d been wronged.”
Hawk turned back to watch Ali disappear back into her shop, only to return dragging another keg. “And you assume I’m the problem?”
The women shared a secret look, followed by a giggle that made Hawk’s jaw clench. It was Fi who spoke. “Honey, you’re a man, you’re always the problem. Now make us proud, and go down there and apologize.”
Completely confused, Hawk looked back toward the alley. Ali was halfway between their properties, her breathing labored, those little legs of hers really working as she tugged one keg after another across the asphalt. She looked a little ragged, a little sweaty, and completely sexy.
Hawk rested a hip against a tree and took a moment to enjoy the view. Every time she went to give the keg a pull, that heart-shaped ass of hers leaned way back, pressing so hard against her pants, he could make out every curve. It wasn’t as inspiring as his dream had been, but it was a close second. Plus, it was proof that she was back in town and they could get on with that talk they had coming.
All that huffing and puffing had him wondering, though. Maybe the ladies were right, and he’d somehow messed this up. A thought that had his smile fading, until Ali looked his way and stopped short at the sight of him standing there in jeans and bedhead.
But instead of laughing at waking him up, she gave a shy littleoopsfollowed by a wave.
Hawk threw his head back and laughed.
“You ladies go on with your theories, but I wouldn’t put any money on them,” Hawk said, strolling toward his keg thief. “She’s isn’t mad.”
“Then what’s she doing?” Fi called out.
“I think she’s flirting,” Hawk chuckled to himself as he walked down the alley.
He reached the stack of kegs and kept going until he was in her direct path. She was back to business and didn’t notice him until he was right behind her, lifting the keg out of her hands.
“Hey, I was moving that,” she said, looking up at him and—damn—the woman was adorable.
Her hair was in one of those cute ponytails she favored, her face was morning fresh and makeup free, and her expression was indignant.
“I can see,” he said, lifting it up with one arm. “But I can get the job done faster.”
“Oh,” she said, seeing reason. And when those big mossy eyes met his from beneath her lashes, he felt everything inside him man up and take notice. “Carry on then.”
Hawk moved the keg to the docking bay and stacked it next to the others. “Is that all?”
“Yup. Sorry if I woke you,” Ali said. Only she didn’t sound sorry at all. She sounded guilty.
“You didn’t wake me, the alarm I set on my docking bay did,” he said, reaching up to dismantle the blinking red light. “What are you doing?”
Ali’s gaze, which was on his bare chest as he stretched to reach the alarm, jerked up to his face. And she sputtered.
