Page 50 of Burn for the Dragon
A little while later, he came back to find Everly coming out of the bathroom, fully dressed in khaki pants and a white T-shirt with a shiny gold elephant on the front. Her hair, as usual, was down to cover her ears. She smiled wide when she saw him. “Hi.”
“Hey.” Hawke set down the paper bag he carried on the dresser and started taking out container after container of barbeque he’d picked up from the restaurant she’d taken him to.
“Oh my God, that smells wonderful. Thank you! I’m starving.” Grabbing as much as she could carry, she settled cross-legged on the bed and dug in.
Hawke watched her with amusement, wondering where she put it all. After a few minutes, he went over to the chair and sat down. Touching her knee to drag her attention away from the food, he said, “We need to talk, Ev.”
She studied him as she chewed, probably noticing a lot more about him than others who could hear normally did. Her eyes flicked down his body and back to his face. Picking up a napkin, she wiped her mouth as she swallowed. “I think this is the first time I’ve seen you in jeans and a T-shirt.”
Hawke frowned, looking down at his borrowed clothes. “They’re Kohl’s.”
“Ah.” Another forkful of coleslaw went in her mouth, but little worry lines creased her brow. “Is this it?”
Confused, Hawke looked at the boxes of food. “Would you like more? I can run back to the restaurant.”
She shook her head, her hair a riot of red curls around her face. “No, this is plenty. Thank you,” she said again. Then she set her food on the nightstand. “I meant, is it time? Have you guys decided what you’re going to do to me?”
He didn’t miss the sarcastic tone. And he deserved it. She wasn’t a problem to be handled. She was a smart, funny, courageous—and, at times, dangerous—female who deserved more respect than what she’d been shown. “We need to go talk to Kohl.”
“And what are we going to say to him?”
Hawke took a curl between his thumb and forefinger and rubbed the soft strands between his fingers before pulling it straight and watching it bounce back again. He was nervous, more nervous than he’d been in…well, a very long time. “I was thinking that you and I need more time.” He smiled. “To get to know each other.”
“I thought vampires and dragons weren’t allowed to mix and mingle?” Despite the teasing tone of her voice, her entire body was fraught with tension as she waited for his answer.
“I’m thinking, perhaps, that you were right. That rule is one that needs to be bent, or broken in two and thrown into the fire to burn.”
He waited for her reaction, any reaction, but she just sat there, still as before. “Why?” she finally asked.
“Why?”
“Yeah. What changed your mind?”
Hawke scratched at his beard. It was a fair question. “Well, I find the thought of you walking out of here…” He searched for the words, something eloquent, and finally he just shrugged. Terrified she would leave, and terrified she wouldn’t, he said, “I don’t want you to go, Ev. I want you to stay here. With me. I can’t guarantee it will work out, or that it will be easy. All I know is the thought of not hearing you laugh or kissing your lips or seeing what kind of crazy outfit you’re going to wear next makes me fucking miserable. I crave you, Everly. All of you. Even when I’m sitting right in front of you.”
“You’re one to talk about the crazy outfits,” she told him. Then she smiled. “I’m very happy that you finally pulled your head out of your ass.”
Hawke laughed, taking both her hands in his. “I need to talk to Kohl.”
“What are you going to say to him?”
“I’m going to tell him the truth.”
“And what if he doesn’t want to listen?”
Kissing her knuckles, he thought about that. “I don’t know. I’ll change his mind. Or, we’ll both leave.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew they were right. Everly belonged with him, and if his friend couldn’t see that, Hawke was prepared to go with her. They could protect each other.
“Really?”
“Really.”
She jumped from the bed with a little squeal and landed in his lap. Wrapping her arms around him, she hugged him tight.
Hawke hugged her back and breathed her in. He’d never felt anything so good as this female wrapped around him.
Chapter 25
Everly was nervous as she and Hawke went above ground to go meet Kohl at his lakefront property.
