CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Payton

I squeaked and dropped my stuff, turning to find Alex sitting on my front porch. “Ohmigod, Hawk, you can’t keep doing that to me.”

He chuckled as he stood and picked up my discarded items. “You look beautiful, Payton.”

“Thank you. What are you doing here?” I demanded, ignoring the little flutter of delight that was spreading through my body. He looked delicious, his jeans painted on, a black thermal and leather jacket that made me want to peel his clothes off of him.

“Taking you to girls’ night.”

“Come again?” I shivered, having underestimated just how cold it was outside.

“Why aren’t you wearing your coat?”

“I never do when I’m driving. It’s too constricting.”

He took my coat still draped over my arm and helped me into it. “Well, now I’m driving, so you can stay warm.”

“You can’t take me to girls’ night, Hawk.”

“Yeah I can.”

“Hawk, I don’t hear from you for days and now you expect me to go with you because you show up here?” I studied him. “Who does that?”

He shook his head. “Babe, I was a dick.”

“Ya think?” I retorted.

“Let me make it up to you.”

I narrowed my eyes. “How exactly?”

“I’ll drive you wherever you want to go. Pick you up. You can drink all night and I’ll make sure you’re safe. If you’re wasted, I’ll bring you home if you want, take you back to the club or get a hotel room.”

“So you’re trying to get me drunk and into bed?”

He cocked his head. “Now you’re just being ornery.”

I bit back a snort. He was right. I was being ornery. “I’m staying at Macey’s tonight, so I have to drive or I’ll have no way to get home tomorrow.”

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow and we can spend the day together, or I can drive you home if you have other plans.”

“Alex,” I whispered.

“There she is,” he said, and slid his hand to my neck.

“What?”

“You call me Hawk when you’re irritated, handsome when you’re beyond pissed, and Alex when you’re back to liking me.”

“I do?”

He chuckled. “You do, babe.”

“I have a tell?” I let out a mock huff. “Damn it!”

Alex laughed and I couldn’t help but smile. “I’m your driver for the night, baby, yeah?”

“What about Lily?”

“She’s with Kayla.”

“She’s okay with that?”

“Baby, I’ve had a shit week, Lily’s been sick and I took some time off, which meant I’ve been behind. Kay was happy to do this for me because I needed to see you.”

“So that’s why you didn’t call?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I probably picked up my phone a hundred times, but baby girl took all my attention. Will you let me make it up to you?”

“You really don’t mind?”

He dropped his forehead to mine. “I really don’t mind.”

I smiled. “Okay. Thank you.”

This is when he kissed me and it was good. So good, I didn’t want it to end, so I wrapped my arms around his waist and up his back. Finally! God, I’d missed this. He took his time and I didn’t want it to end. However, the lights of my dad’s car pulling into the driveway had me pushing Alex away like an errant teen. “Damn it! Let’s go.”

“I take it this is your dad?”

“Yep.” I grabbed my purse from his hand and slung it over my shoulder. “I’ll meet you at your truck.”

He shook his head. “Ah, no.”

“What?” I frowned, trying to push him from the porch. “Go.”

“Baby, I’m not running from your dad like we’re kids doin’ somethin’ we’re not supposed to be doing.”

“Then what do you propose?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Alex droned. “How about I meet him like a man?”

The garage door raised and I heard my dad drive inside. Maybe he’d just go into the house… maybe he didn’t even notice us.

“No. Absolutely not. I had this all planned for Thanksgiving. You were going to meet him and everyone then.” I yanked my coat closer to my body. “You’re not meeting him on the darkened front porch just as I’m scurrying away.”

“Baby, you’re not scurrying anywhere.” He frowned. “You fuckin’ ashamed of me?”

“What? No.” I shook my head. “No. Alex, I’m sorry. This isn’t what this is about.”

“Pay?” my dad called as he locked his car. “That you?”

Or maybe not.