O Christmas Knight, page 9
part #6 of Knight Ops Series
Lexi was far from stupid and knew her brothers and sister better than anybody else on Earth. “Did you end up in bed with him?”
Oh God. The last thing she wanted to do was admit to the indiscretion. She shook her head. “I can’t see him. You didn’t tell him on the phone that I’m here, did you?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t know who the maniac was out here ringing the bell.”
“Good!” Relief trickled into her veins.
When she’d scooted out from under Hawk’s heavy, muscled arm—okay, and threw one long, last look at his beautiful body—and then grabbed her stuff and hit the waterway, paddling her arms off, she had only thought to escape him at that moment. As soon as she’d gotten into her car, she realized she would never escape him. He was too close to her loved ones.
Lexi crossed the room and began filling a metal pail with water from a sink. While it filled, she went to a nearby display and began to pluck blooms into a bouquet.
“What are you doing? This isn’t a time for work.” Tyler strode up to her sister.
“I’m at work, sis. Didn’t you realize? I’m pulling together a bouquet for a wedding shower. Oh that reminds me, Dahlia’s preggers again.”
She reeled at the change of topic. “Dahlia? Ben’s wife?”
“Do you know any other Dahlia? Jeesh, this is the South, Tyler, and people are fond of naming their kids old-fashioned family names, but—” She skidded to a halt at the expression on Tyler’s face.
“Lexi, what are you rambling about?”
“I need you to help me plan Dahlia’s baby shower. Elise and the others asked me to rope you into it.”
“But didn’t we already throw her a baby shower with their daughter?”
“Yes, but this one’s going to be a boy.”
Her eyes goggled, and she blinked several times. “Is she far enough along to know this information?”
“No, I just have a feeling. Since you’re here, you can help me choose some florals for the shower. There are soooo many beautiful blue flowers in season right now, and we’re going to make this the best— Oh crap.”
Tyler stared at her sister. “Oh crap? What’s wrong now?”
“Bo’s outside.”
“Fuck!” She ducked around the counter and hunkered down. It was the most imbecilic move she’d ever made, but she was stressed and all she could think about was avoiding him at all costs.
The bell on the shop door rang and Lexi sang out, “Hi, Bo.”
“Hey, Lexi. You said Tyler was here?”
That little shit. I’m going to break her arms for lying and saying she didn’t tell Bo I was here.
Hidden by the big wooden counter, she crept toward the opening that led to the back room. With luck, her sister would occupy Bo enough to allow her time to escape.
Moving slowly, she threw a look toward the counter and thankfully did not find the man staring down at her. She beelined it for the darkness of the back room and straightened to her full height, searching for an exit. If she was cornered back here, she was going to be pissed.
But fate came to her rescue, and she grabbed a door handle. When she pushed it open, a fire alarm sounded.
Of course, what else could happen? She hurried up and slammed the door shut, but the bell continued to blare. Let Lexi deal with the authorities who would show up to see who was robbing the flower shop. Tyler took off running, zipping around the block to her car. Damn if Bo wasn’t parked behind her, his black jeep nearly booted up against her own little car like a dog ready to mate.
Visions of urging him to take her from behind so he could be ohhh, so deep spread like honey over her senses. No time to think on the things she should be regretting. She hopped behind the wheel and gunned it out of the parking spot.
The city was decked for Christmas with greenery and white twinkle lights, but she didn’t have time to appreciate the season change she loved in her hometown. She was too busy making a getaway and wondering how she could possibly keep this up. Sooner or later she and Hawk would be in the same room at a family event. Then what?
She imagined the man flower-shopping with Lexi for the baby shower while spilling the beans about what had taken place in the cabin. She shook her head. Lexi would go into romance mode and play matchmaker and that was the last thing Tyler needed.
She glanced in the rearview mirror and nearly choked on her own tongue. Coughing, she looked twice.
The black jeep. No way was this coincidence.
When it pulled up beside her in the left turn lane, she pivoted her head away. A horn blasted. The light turned green and she shot ahead, leaving Hawk behind, unable to get out of his lane to follow.
A small victory that she didn’t feel. This was childish, and Tyler was a level-headed woman. She needed to face this thing head-on and eye to eye.
Ahead, she spotted a place to pull off. She did so and waited, counting forty seconds before the black jeep drove in behind her. Bo got out, dressed in all black and looking ready to kill.
She shuddered but not with fear—with longing to feel that big, hard body against hers again.
Nope. She was finished with this momentary insanity that had taken over her brain and libido ever since Kandahar. She had to get a grip—now.
She got out and faced him.
His dark eyes drilled into her. “You left.”
“It was for the best.”
“Without saying goodbye.”
“I didn’t want to wake you.”
His eyes bulged and a muscle fluttered in the crease of his jaw, showing he was obviously grinding his teeth. “Woman.” His tone held a warning that instantly aroused her anger.
Folding her arms, she bit off, “Don’t speak to me like I belong to you.”
“I’d never say any woman belongs to me.” He grabbed her by the arm and steered her to the door of a pub. New Orleans was overflowing with small joints like this and it was unlikely any of her brothers would be in here, but the moment her feet crossed the threshold, she cast a look around the room for them.
There was no Ben sipping away at a beer. No Chaz hanging with a buddy between Knight Ops missions.
She dragged in a deep breath but squeaked with surprise as Bo hauled her to a booth and crowded in next to her so she couldn’t escape. Being barricaded by his warm body made her slump down in the booth.
She wanted him.
She didn’t suppose he’d accept her dragging him into the ladies’ room to have sex in a stall would do for an apology. It definitely wouldn’t work in her favor when she tried to convince them what they’d done was a mistake either.
Besides, the bathroom had to be disgusting.
She chewed her lip as he glared at her, body angled toward her.
“Wait a minute. Don’t move.” He got up and stomped to the bar. When he came back with two shots of amber liquid and slammed them down in front of her, she eyeballed him.
She picked up a shot in each hand and hammered them back, one after another, before he could think to gape at her.
“What did you just do?”
“Thanks for the shots.”
“You’re crazier than I expected, and damn if I’m not a little turned on right now knowing you can put away that much alcohol without flinching. But I’m not against throwing you over my shoulder and carrying you out of here either if you pass out.”
She wouldn’t pass out. “What do you want, Hawk?”
He shifted his jaw so it bulged, looking more square and manly too, dammit. “I like a strong woman, Tyler.”
“You can just forget about—” She clamped off the thought, realizing what he’d said. Was he telling her that he liked and appreciated how she was, exactly as she was?
“But not a stubborn one,” he concluded.
There it was—the other boot dropped.
They stared at each other.
“I’m not stubborn.” Now she sounded like it and hated herself.
He arched a dark brow. “That’s why you won’t admit that something happened back in that cabin.”
“It was just sex,” she said a bit too loudly. Two guys at the bar looked at them.
“That was not just sex,” Hawk said evenly. His words directed her attention to his mouth, which she remembered far too well—between her thighs in the middle of the night.
She reinforced her determination. “We can’t discuss this anymore. It was a bad idea to sleep together. It complicates everything, and you can’t deny that.”
“No, I can’t. I don’t relish the idea of telling your brothers, but I’m prepared for punches if it comes to that.”
“You can’t tell my brothers! God, what are you thinking?” she practically yelled.
The men pinning down the barstools eyed her again.
She lowered her voice. “Look, I have to get home and apparently there’s some baby shower Lexi needs me to help plan. Plus it’s the holidays. I’d like to spend some time with my family before I have to return to my duties. Can we just forget about this?”
“No. We can’t, Tyler.”
She didn’t like how controlled he was, not one bit. She opened her mouth to say so, but Hawk scooted from the booth and stood staring at her. “It wasn’t just sex. It wasn’t just a one-time thing and you know it. If we were alone, you’d be in my arms and I’d have you locked to that wall over there fucking you. But since you’re far too stubborn to admit it, I’ll just go and you can think on it for a while.”
The vision of him pinning her to a wall and fucking her took over her brain, and by the time she emerged from the fantasy, Hawk had walked away. She scrambled from the booth as the door closed behind him.
She shook herself. What a damn mess she’d gotten herself into, and now to top it off, the double shots were hitting her system and she was too woozy to call herself anything but a lightweight drunk.
She settled in the booth again and dropped her head into her hands.
* * * * *
“Heyyyy,” Ben drawled as he entered the club. Hawk stood to greet him. Team Rou was already here, but Ben was the first of Knight Ops to show up for Hawk’s offer to get together for a round of holiday cheer.
The big table had been set up to accommodate the whole crew, and Hawk expected a rowdy night ahead. He hoped it took his mind off one little saucy, stubborn woman, but he doubted it. He hadn’t seen or heard from Tyler in a week, and he’d gone from wanting to storm into her house and demand more from her and dropping all hope of more than her stubborn sass.
He wanted a relationship, goddammit. That was pissing him off more than anything. He finally, after all this time, had found a woman worthy of pursuing and she was refusing him at every turn.
Except in bed. She couldn’t deny him then. Hmm… Maybe—
Ben clapped him on the shoulder and then noticed the blue half-moons that hadn’t even begun to fade on his biceps, left there by Ben’s own little hellcat sister.
“Whoa, dude, I see you’ve been getting some action. Who was she?” Ben chuckled and took a seat. Luckily the chairs here were heavy enough to hold the men, who were far from average-sized.
Hawk rubbed a finger along his nose, wondering how to respond to Ben. He was more than willing to take the punches Ben was sure to dole out—if Tyler gave him something to fight for. But at this moment, Hawk wasn’t so damn sure.
“Someone worth it, I hope,” Ben said.
He nodded and waved for the waitress. She came bearing pitchers of beer and some appetizers, spreading them along the table. At that moment, Tyler’s brothers Sean and Chaz entered with Roades, Dylan and Rocko behind. Team Rou all rose to their feet and there was a lot of clapping on backs and fist bumping.
“This is a good idea, Hawk. Thanks for the invite. We never get together like this,” Dylan said.
“Because we’re always tied up in—” Hawk was cut off by a chorus of, “Fuckin’ Mississippi.”
“Hey, what do you got against the whole state? Just because you had a few bad encounters there,” Hawk started.
“Not a few. Dozens,” Sean said.
“To be fair, it’s just that one county,” Ben added.
Laughter sounded down the table and then they dug into their snacks and beer. When the pizza arrived in steaming pies piled high with meat, Hawk sat back and observed Tyler’s family members.
He’d spent years working alongside them or in some way connected through the agency they worked for. But now he was truly looking at them and wondering how they would act as brothers-in-law.
The camaraderie within a team always brought on merciless ribbing and name-calling. They were also fiercely protective of their sisters. Usually Lexi was the focus of their big brother bodyguard, and they didn’t say much about her throwing herself at their fellow teammate Rocko.
So far Tyler had flown under the radar. What if he suddenly announced they were sleeping together? Things could swing either way.
If only the woman would give him some indication she wanted more. But her silence was deafening.
He pushed out a heavy sigh.
“Man, looks like you were with a hellion.” Sean pointed to his arm and the bruises Tyler had left there.
He smiled. “Yeah.”
“I’m surprised you would pull yourself away long enough to buy us pizza and beer.”
“Yeah, well, she hasn’t wanted to see me in a few days.”
Several conversations paused and the men looked at him. “Maybe you couldn’t keep up with her,” Rocko quipped from farther down the table.
“I don’t think that’s the case. You guys ever run across a woman who runs scared?”
All five of the Knight brothers nodded.
Hawk laughed. “What is this? A type you all have?”
They exchanged looks. “Seems to be the case. Every one of us had to convince our ladies at some point that we could make things work,” Ben said.
Hawk’s mind flipped over that tidbit. Actually, it was a delicious morsel of information. If they liked the chase and capture with their wives, maybe Tyler was the same?
Chaz elbowed him and poured him another glass of beer. “Have a drink, bro. Don’t overthink things. If she’s meant to be yours, she will be.”
That was his problem—he knew women well, very well, and did tend to dwell on their mindsets. Hell, he’d done it with his ex-wife Elise for months before finally deciding things weren’t working out between them, that the relationship lacked the passion despite them being best friends.
Luckily, she’d agreed and brought up the subject first. Thing was, he’d spent more time thinking about Tyler and trying to figure her out than Elise and any of his past lovers put together.
That had to say something.
He lifted his beer glass. “To women and the crazy bastards who love them.”
They all clinked glasses and chorused his sentiment.
After taking a big gulp, Ben gave him a nod and got up to leave. “Speaking of the woman… I’ve gotta hit the road. Something with Dahlia’s father.”
“Oooh. Say hello to Colonel Jackson for us,” Sean quipped.
“He’s not Colonel Jackson when he sees his granddaughter. One look at her big brown eyes and he’s Grandpa.” Ben grinned and threw a last wave. “See ya tomorrow, Hawk?”
He straightened in his chair. “What?”
“Family dinner, something our mother’s roped us into. She’s trying to squeeze in as much as possible while Tyler’s home, I think.”
His heart gave a hard thud at her name—and the thought that she wouldn’t be in Louisiana for long. He nodded. “I’ll be there.”
Chapter Eight
Tyler pulled out the shopping list Lexi had thrust into her hand, telling her to pick up a few things for this party.
“But why are we having another family party?” Tyler usually didn’t mind shopping, but she’d gone so long without it that she couldn’t imagine owning a new skirt would improve her life. Yet there it was right there on the list, written in Lexi’s flowing hand.
New skirt. Make it sequins. And short. Your legs are great, sis.
She sighed and stuffed the list back into her pocket. Besides a skirt, she was meant to pick up some more white cloth napkins and gold charger plates. Since the family had grown since the previous year, Maman needed more for her matching table-scape.
“Ugh. Table-scapes and sequin skirts. What has my life come to?” she muttered as she crossed the parking lot of the shopping center, angled for the party store.
When she walked inside, “Jingle Bell Rock” filled her ears and the smell of Christmas surrounded her. Cinnamon pinecones in glass bowls and net bags, ready for somebody to carry home for their own table-scape. Whatever the hell that was anyway. Give her an automatic weapon and she could handle it, but the party store was freaking her out already.
She grabbed a shopping basket and started searching aisles. After battling to get past an angry mother with a screaming toddler in the shopping cart, Tyler made it to the front counter and asked for the things she needed. Five minutes later, she had napkins and extra gold chargers—she picked up a dozen in the event all five of her sisters-in-law were expecting. This way they’d have them for next year.
With a big bag with rope handles clutched in her hand, she made her way down the sidewalk toward the next shop, a gadget and tech store. Here she bought all her brothers the junk people put in stockings, but this year she wasn’t going all out with gifts and wrapping. She had other things occupying her mind.
Like Hawk.
Why the hell had she given in to him a second time? She hadn’t been distraught like the first time, wanting human comfort from somebody familiar to her. No, she’d slept with the man because she’d wanted to.
If she was honest, she wanted to again.
Luckily, he hadn’t come around the house. She’d been living in fear of that for days. Her interfering sister and her maman would know exactly what was going on after one look at Tyler’s face. She couldn’t have that.
Burdened with two heavy bags, she hit the body care store and grabbed gift sets for all the ladies in her family. Plus some baby-friendly crap for the niece and nephew. She walked all the way back to her car to unload the bags in the trunk before heading on with her errands.
