Tuesday (Timeless Series #2) (19 page)

Janice held up her phone.

I don’t think so. I snatched it away and shoved it in my pocket. “Friends don’t tape each other and put it on Facebook.”

Veronica stuck her tongue out at me.

Marie kept dancing with the stripper, and I had a feeling the stripper genuinely liked her. He kept smiling at her and putting his hands on her waist. “So, can I see your package?”

“Sure.”  He smiled then pulled his G-string out slightly.

“Oh my.” Marie gasped and turned beet red. “You don’t stuff.”

I took another drink because I couldn’t handle this sober.

***

We rode the party bus around town and bar hopped. Marie was wasted, beyond wasted, but she wanted to keep going. When I handed her water, she took a drink then spit it out. “This is the worst vodka I’ve ever had.”

“Because it’s water, idiot.”

She pushed the drink at me. “Well, I don’t want this water vodka.”

“It’s just water.” I set it on the counter.

“Let’s get this party started.” Marie clapped her hands and moved to the center of the room and started dancing. There was music on, but no dance floor. “I’m getting married!”

The other girls joined in, holding their glasses up while they shook their hips.

I ordered a drink and enjoyed it while I watched them stumble in their heels. At least Marie was having fun, and that’s all that mattered. I suddenly felt a piercing gaze penetrate my skin. It was simmering with heat, and without looking, I knew exactly who it was.

Hawke.

I turned to the source of the stare and saw him sitting at a table with three guys. They all wore jeans and t-shirts, but they had an aristocratic air to them, like they wore suits on a daily basis.

Hawke took a long drink of his scotch as he held my gaze. There was no surprise in his eyes, like he’d been staring at me for the past thirty minutes. Instead of being surrounded by pretty girls, he was alone.

The guys were having a conversation, laughing together. Hawke didn’t participate because all he was focusing on was me. When he set his glass down, he kept his fingers tightly around it. One ankle rested on the opposite knee.

I finally broke the trance and forced my gaze on Marie. I suddenly felt self-conscious in the tight cocktail dress I wore. It was black and backless. The heels were killing my feet, but Marie insisted I wear them. I wasn’t against dresses, but I had intended to wear skinny jeans and a t-shirt.

If Hawke were going to speak to me, he probably would have done it when he first spotted me. But I quickly realized I was wrong when the scent of his cologne entered my nose. He stood beside me at the bar, his glass of scotch still in his hand.

I finally turned to him, hating the way my body hummed for him. The inexplicable needed to wrap my body around his overtook me. Like magnet and steel, we were constantly being tugged together. Some would call it physical attraction or even lust, but it was something else entirely.

“You look…stunning.” He set his glass on the bar and stood close to me. He leaned his face close to mine, and the scruff on his cheeks made him even sexier. I liked it when he didn’t shave for a few days.

“Thanks.”

“I really like this.” His eyes took in my bare back, practically devouring it with just the look.

“I like that I got it on clearance.”

“Worth every penny.”

I focused on Marie in the middle of the floor. She was still dancing around, shaking her ass like Shakira.

“Why aren’t you out there?”

“I’m being the responsible one so they don’t have to be.”

“Sounds boring.”

“A little,” I said. “But I have to make sure everyone gets home okay.”

“I’m assuming this is the bachelorette party.”

“Yeah.”

“How about I keep an eye on all of you, so you can go out there and let loose?”

It was a tempting offer. “So you can take advantage of me later?” It was a flirtatious joke but judging the pissed expression on Hawke’s face, he didn’t take it that way.

“I’m not even going to respond to that.” He downed the rest of his scotch.

“It was a joke.”

“A terrible one.” He turned his eyes to Marie. “Go out there, and I’ll make sure you guys make it back.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “I told Marie I would do this. Also, I promised Axel.”

“You should be out there shaking your ass too.” He gave me a smolder along with a smirk. “I’d love to watch that.”

“This dress is already too short. Something might pop out.”

“Ooh…even better.”

My breathing had changed since he came near, and my chest was tighter than usual. Adrenaline coursed through me in powerful waves. As much as I’d like to say I didn’t want him anymore, it was impossible to deny. My heart would always beat for his. My soul would always sing when his was near.

“Can I buy you a drink?”

“I’m okay. I’m still a little buzzed from the strip joint.”

“Strip joint?” he asked.

I realized I spilled Marie’s secret. “I didn’t tell you that.”

He chuckled. “Whatever happens tonight stays between us. I wouldn’t rat out Marie.”

Marie pulled a random guy onto the floor and started dancing with him. The other girls joined in. The guy looked like he was having the time of his life, surrounded by beautiful women.

“I didn’t know Marie was so much fun.” He rapped his knuckle on the bar and ordered another scotch.

“She’s a hoot.”

“So, see anything you like at Chippendales?”

“Not really.”

“I could put that place out of business if I wanted to.”

I rolled my eyes. “So full of yourself…like always.”

He held my gaze and leaned closer to me, almost like he might kiss me.

If he did, I would kiss him back. I wish that weren’t the case but it was. If he made the move, I would be powerless to stop it. He knew I was defenseless against him, so hopefully he would be a gentleman and not make the move at all.

He didn’t. He just leaned close to me, his breath falling on my cheek.

I needed to break the tension. It was making my thighs ache. “Are those your boys?”

Hawke moved away slightly. “I work with them.”

“At your company?”

“Yeah, they’re employees.”

“They actually like their boss?”

“What can I say?” he asked before he took a drink. “I’m a great boss.”

I could picture Hawke being the most terrifying boss on the planet.

“I’m not really their boss. They work as hard as they want and make the salary they desire. I just get a percentage of it. So, it works out for everyone involved.”

“That’s interesting.” He never told me about his job before. I wasn’t even sure how he got started. After we went our separate ways, I never asked Axel a single question about him. “Do you like your job?”

“I love it.”

“What do you do all day?”

“It’s complicated, but I basically decide how to invest people’s money. When they get a return, I get a return. It’s that simple.”

“And they trust you?”

“I’m a pretty smart guy. I’ve never lost anything.”

“Ever?” That was hard to believe.

“At least not yet,” he answered. “About a year ago, I had a really high profile client. We actually met on the town. He gave me a lot of money to invest in smaller markets. I turned it around and made him five times what he put into it. And I got an enormous payout because of it. He told his fellow billionaires and word spread. Now a lot of people turn to me.”

“That’s impressive,” I said. “I’m proud of you.”

His lids became hooded, and the emotion in his eyes gave him away. “Thank you, Muffin.”

He kept using my nickname. I wished he wouldn’t but I couldn’t tell him that. Actually, I liked hearing it, in a twisted and complicated way.

“I can give you the world—if you let me.”

“I don’t want the world, Hawke. I’ve never wanted it.” There’s only one thing I’ve ever wanted, and he was standing right beside me. Rich or poor, it had no bearing on the man Hawke was. I’d fallen in love with him because of his soul, not because of his success.

He tilted his head slightly as he regarded me, his lips looking kissable. I wanted to suck his bottom lip then give him my tongue. “What do you want, Francesca? Name it and I’ll give it to you.”

Unless he had a time machine, it was impossible. “You can’t give it to me, Hawke. No one can.” I turned away and watched Marie. She gave me comfort while I had this dark conversation with Hawke.

His hand moved to my cheek, and he forced my gaze on him. His thumb brushed across my skin then stopped at the corner of my mouth. He stared at me possessively, like I was his.

I melted at his touch, pathetically. My body and heart were his for the taking. I couldn’t protect them no matter how hard I tried. He could take anything he wanted, even if it was all of me.

“I love you.”

The words echoed in my mind, and my stomach did somersaults. I already knew he loved me even if he never said it. When we used to be together, we hardly ever said those words to each other. But we didn’t need to. It was so obvious that it was practically redundant to say.

Hawke stared into my eyes as he waited for me to say it back. The need was there, burning right on the surface. He leaned closer to me, his thighs pressing against my knees. He was pressuring me silently, commanding me without giving an order.

“I’m desperately and pathetically in love with you.”

***

When Marie had enough and could barely keep her eyes open, the night was over.

“I need to get her home.” She was slumped in a chair, practically a corpse that could still vomit.

“Are you sure you can handle it on your own?” Hawke asked. “Because I can help.”

“No, it’s okay.” I shook Marie’s arm. “Babe, wake up. It’s time to go home.”

Her face was on the table and her eyes were closed. Her mouth was gaping open.

“Marie, come on.” The rest of the girls left, so I was stuck with the big girl job.

She didn’t move.

Hawke eyed her unresponsive body. “I think you need my help.”

I hated admitting I needed help from anyone.

He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her body. She didn’t seem cold, so I wasn’t sure why he did it. When he lifted her from the chair and cradled her in his arms, I understood. He was covering the opening of her dress, where her ass would be sticking out. “Where am I taking her?”

“To her apartment.”

“You think Axel should see her like this?”

“He knows what to expect,” I said. “Besides, he can take care of her in the morning.”

“Okay.”

Together, we walked up the street and headed to her apartment. It was just a few blocks away so we walked in comfortable silence. Marie was passed out on his shoulder and oblivious to everything around her.

“Is she heavy?”

“Lighter than air.” Hawke walked in stride like he wasn’t carrying a human being at all. He was a solid slab of muscle so it shouldn’t be surprising.

We arrived at her apartment building then knocked on the door. It was three in the morning so Axel was probably asleep.

“Are her keys in her bag?” Hawke asked.

“I’m sure they are but I’d rather have Axel answer the door.”

Axel opened it a moment later, his hair messy and his sweatpants on. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and his eyes were squinted like he’d just woken up. “Is she okay?”

“Just drunk off her ass,” I explained.

Axel stepped aside. “Put her on the bed.”

Hawke carried her into the bedroom then returned. His jacket was back on.

“Wait,” Axel said. “Why were you there?”

“We ran into each other,” Hawke explained. “And Frankie needed help carrying Marie.”

“She’s gonna be a pain in the ass tomorrow,” Axel said as he ran his fingers through his hair. “But I’m glad she’s okay. Did she have a good time?”

“She had too much fun,” I said.

“I’m not gonna ask.” Axel began to close the door. “Thanks for bringing her home.”

“No problem,” I said.

Axel shut the door and left us alone on the threshold.

Hawke turned to me, and the look in his eye told me our night wasn’t over yet even though it was three in the morning. “My place is just a block over. Let’s go.”

“Whoa… Who said I was coming over?”

Hawke grabbed my hand, encompassing my small fingers in his. It was the first time he gave me this kind of affection, something innocent but intimate. “I did.”

***

A slave to my emotions, I walked into his bedroom and kicked off my heels. I knew I should leave. No good would come from staying there. My heart was still broken from the last time he shattered it, and I was making myself vulnerable all over again.