Page 42 of Freeing Hawk
“Saw any special forces action you can tell me about?”
“Some.” Hawk nodded. “Hence the nickname.”
“That’s my girl.”
“You really don’t mind that I’m not as feminine as other girls?”
For a moment, I was confused. I wasn’t sure how much morefeminineshe wanted to be. Or how much more feminine her exes wanted her to be. I set my food aside and rolled my chair closer to her. “Look at me.” I waited until she did as I asked. “You’re all woman to me. The fact that you can kick my ass is actually a turn on.”
“Angel.” She blushed.
“I’m not going to lie to you.” I smiled. “Don’t worry about being feminine, whatever the hell that means. Who even put that thought in your head?”
“The SEALs would borrow me to go on some missions with them.” Hawk confided. “Sometimes with Eris, other times I was alone with these dudes. The men said I had brass balls and that men didn’t find that sexy.”
“Ah yes, little boys. Look, Hawk, you don’t have to be sexy to all men. You just have to be sexy for the one man you chose. Got me?”
She smiled brightly. “Thank you for saying that.”
“I mean it.” Lifting the back of her hand to my lips, I pressed a few kisses there. “Now, you eat. I’ll call the others and have them meet us here first thing in the morning.”
“Who are we bringing for backup?” She asked.
“Well, Tex is on his way down.” I reminded her. “So, he and Eris will stay at home base with Nik. Ghoul, Romeo, you, Dude, myself and Cadmus—that should be all we need, right?”
She thought about it. “We’ll go in quiet?”
I nodded.
“Then cool. I really don’t want Eris in the field as pregnant as she is.” Hawk told me. “She’s almost nine months, you know?”
I nodded.
We spoke to Tex and the others about the plan. Cheyenne—Dude’s wife—agreed to keep Cam until the dust settled while Wolf agreed to have Cheyenne’s back. We agreed they’d all meet us at the airport at four in the morning. Our meeting should take about forty-five minutes then we can get on our way. Ghoul had a friend with a private jet he would contact to get us into Ciudad Juárez.
With the plan set, I showered while Hawk had a talk with Eris. I took a little longer than usual, giving them time. Hawk and Eris were close and if she was going to talk to anyone about what we’d discussed in the bathroom earlier, it was Eris.
I smiled, remembering her asking me to be hers.
I supposed were going steady.
God, I’m old.
The thought made my heart race and soft laughter rippled from me. I never imagined a woman who ask me out.
I stared at myself in the mirror. “Listen, Angel.” I pointed to myself in the mirror. “When this is over, you’re taking this woman on a date. You’re going to make her feel special—you’re going to do this right.”
I shook my head, brushed my teeth and walked from the bathroom with a towel around my hips.
“I have a headache.” She told me.
I kissed her head. “Let me get dressed then I’m going to try getting you some acetaminophen.”
“You’re leaving?”
“We passed a pharmacy on our way in.” I told her as I hauled on my clothes. “I won’t be long.”
Hawk nodded and closed her eyes. “Can you turn off the lights?”
