Leather, Lace and Rock-n-Roll (27 page)

“I just wanted to make sure the banister
arrived,” she said, clasping her hands to keep from reaching for
him.

His eyes sparkled. “So, what do you
think?”

She stood silently, summoning courage to
continue.

“I love this house,” she admitted faintly,
drawing a step nearer to him.

He nodded.

“Everything about this house screams Jaydon
Hawke,” she continued, “but I can’t help but feel a little
attached.”

“I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“There are other architects in Diablo,
Hawke.”

“True,” he agreed, “but they don’t know me
like you.”

“They could.”

“I don’t sleep with anonymous architects,
Rachel,” he teased, inching toward her.

She smiled warmly, closed the space between
them, and draped her arms around his neck.

“Good thing,” she said, “because you’re
sleeping with this architect.”

His lips touched hers like a whisper, sending
currents of desire racing through her. She returned his kiss
hungrily, desperate to imprint the feel of his love on her soul.
Smothering a groan, she ended the gentle caress and rested her head
on his chest.

“I love you, Hawke. I should have never
doubted you,” she whispered breathlessly.

“Doesn’t matter, Baby.” His lips tickled the
top of her head. “You’re totally worth convincing.”

“Your life might get quite a bit more
exciting with me in it.”

“Think so? I’ll have to admit, this is the
first time I’ve been shot.”

She lifted her head. “I’m so sorry about
that.”

“Don’t be. I’m willing to take the
chance.”

“Do you know anything about this?” She
stepped out of his embrace, reached into her pocket, and handed him
a bright blue piece of paper. “Apparently, someone organized an
all-star concert to benefit the Build a Block project.”

“Really?”

“Really. But that’s not all.” She ran her
finger down the length of the buttons on his shirt. “I’ve been
told,” she continued, “that the male participants have also agreed
to help on the construction site. All those hard, glistening bodies
in should raise a hefty amount of money.”

Hawke chuckled under his breath and pulled
her back against him.

“Why?” she whispered against his neck.

“The same reason you designed this house,” he
responded softly. “I knew it was important to you.”

She tilted her head and gazed deeply into the
depths of his eyes. “You always get what you want, don’t you?” she
teased.

“There’s nothing else I want.”

Hawke placed his lips to hers and squeezed
her, relishing the sense of happiness he felt. He’d finally come
full circle in the journey of life with love and security embracing
him and making him whole. After twenty years of fame and fortune,
he’d learned he hadn’t really achieved true success. Rachel was
responsible for his reincarnation, leading him down another path,
making his life complete.

Leather, lace and rock-n-roll. What a
combination.

Rachel suppressed a giggle as she stuck her
head out from behind the heavy stage curtain and heard the familiar
chaos of screaming women echo off the auditorium walls. A sense of
bottomless peace and satisfaction embraced her as she tucked the
curtain back into place and headed for Hawke’s dressing room.

“The natives are restless,” she said as she
squeezed past Max into the small room.

“They can wait a few more minutes.” Hawke
swung her into the circle of his arms.

Her body burned as he crushed her to him and
covered her mouth with his. She moaned when his tongue traced a
path around her lips and back again before he leaned back to look
at her.

“Hawke,” she whispered, “the girls are
waiting.”

“And I shouldn’t keep the ladies in
suspense,” he agreed, amusement in his voice.

“Go,” she persisted. “I’ll be in my usual
spot.”

“I have a feeling I may not be so popular
after tonight,” he mumbled under his breath as he unwrapped himself
from her embrace and shuffled her to the door.

Rachel turned to look at him over her
shoulder. “What?”

“Nothing.” He planted a kiss on her forehead.
“See you from the catwalk.”

She giggled as he opened the door and
delivered her to Max.

“Where’s Cameron, Max?” she asked as Max
escorted her down the hall and out into the auditorium.

Max grimaced and parked her at the end of the
middle runway attached to the stage. “I didn’t draw the short straw
tonight.”

She squinted. “This isn’t my normal
hangout.”

“Change of plans.”

She shrugged. She’d learned things were so
fast-paced in Hawke’s business that sometimes last-minute changes
were inevitable.

As the lights dimmed, three massive video
screens lowered to the stage and the volume of the crowd escalated.
When the room was enveloped in darkness, the music began to play
and Hawke appeared on the stage. Her body tingled as she took in
his appearance, the sexual magnetism that made him so
self-confident taunting her. She stared with longing at him,
secretly willing him to hurry through his performance.

Rachel watched Hawke mesmerize the crowd with
his presence. The video screens flashed in time to the music as
slinky pieces of multi-colored lingerie graced the stage. He
stepped over each piece and never missed a beat. Hypnotized by the
sway of his body, Rachel managed to catch a flash of something new
on the screen as he moved across the stage. Not sure she had seen
it correctly, she blinked twice and focused on the screen.

Marry Me Rachel.

She turned to look at Max, her eyes wide,
demanding clarification. Max nodded in silent agreement.

She looked around the auditorium, wondering
if anyone else had become curious. She noticed that several women
standing next to her pointed at the screen and shrugged, but became
easily distracted by Hawke’s continued enchantment.

Convinced the message hadn’t caused an
uproar, she began to relax and enjoy the show. When Hawke met her
at the end of the runway, her calm was shattered by the hunger of
his kiss. Fed by his fire, she returned his kiss recklessly,
exposing her overwhelming need to be close to him. She gave him a
sexy wink before Max led her backstage to tuck her safely into the
dressing room.

Assigning a guard to the door, Max
disappeared back down the hallway to prevent wayward women from
slipping backstage. Rachel arranged herself in a chair, barely able
to contain her excitement as she waited for Hawke.

He entered the dressing room not long after,
grinning smugly.

“Did you learn anything tonight?” He leaned
casually against the locked door.

She crossed her legs and swung one foot. “I
sure did.”

“What’s that?”

“I learned it’s breezy when I go to a concert
bare-bottomed with my panties in my pocket.”

His jaw fell open.

“And,” she continued, standing and
approaching him, her trembling hands smoothing the open flaps of
his shirt away from his chest, “someone asked me a very important
question.”

“How did you respond?” His voice was hoarse
as her fingers worked each remaining button of his shirt loose, one
by one.

“I didn’t. Yet.”

“Why?”

She rolled her eyes. “There’s more to a
proposal than the question, Hawke.”

He chuckled. “I know.”

She bit the side of her cheek as he struggled
to bend on one knee in front of her wearing the infamous red,
leather pants.

“Rachel, I love you. Will you marry me?”

Tears spilled from her eyes. “Yes, Hawke,
I’ll marry you.”

He stood and wiped her tears with his thumbs.
“I have a ring, but you’ll have to help me get it.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion. Capturing her
eyes with his own, he forced her to look down his sculpted chest,
past his chiseled abs, finally resting on the zipper between his
legs. Hanging from the zipper by a tiny string, a diamond solitaire
radiated brightly in the fluorescent light.

He smirked. “I figured this is how it all
began.”

Her hands shook as she knelt between his legs
and carefully untied the ring. “Do you want to put this on me now,”
she asked, licking her lips as he hardened, “or later?”

“Now,” he answered quickly. “We’re going to
be busy later.”

***

Fabulous! Cameron smacked her palm against
her forehead when she approached the backstage entrance and saw Max
standing guard.

She smiled a sexy smile. “Hey, Maxie! I
forgot my thingie.”

“Your thingie?”

She illustrated with her hands. “You know,
that contraption that hangs around my neck.”

“Your pass.”

“My pass hangs on it, yes, but you know
me.”

“I can’t let you back without a pass,” he
insisted.

“Stop playing! You know who I am.”

“Do I?”

“Then go get Sean. Or Hawke.”

“And let you sneak back while I’m gone? No
can do, Sunshine.”

“I don’t have to sneak back, they’re
expecting me.”

He pushed himself off the railing. “I’ll let
you back, Wildcat, but you know what you have to do.”

She bobbed her head and her curls slapped her
heated cheeks. “Absolutely not.”

“Then you’re not getting past me.”

“You really expect me to flash you?”

He grinned. “No, just rub my head.”

* * *

Coming soon: Outspoken Angel (Cameron's
story)

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