Wednesday (Timeless Series #3) (3 page)

Hawke knew me well enough to see through my mask. He could tell I was trying to hide something, and within a few seconds, he figured out what it was. “It happened a few times but it never meant anything—to either one of us.”

I looked away in embarrassment. He could read the pain on my face so easily despite how hard I tried to hide it.

“She wanted to have another fling on this trip, but I told her I was off the market. She didn’t like that answer so I asked you to come along. Now she knows I’m being serious.”

I looked out into the water, watching it grow darker with every passing second. “I’m bug repellent?”

He chuckled under his breath. “I guess, if you want to put it that way.”

Actually, I was pretty concerned that he had to bring me along anyway. Did that mean she wouldn’t give up until she got what she wanted?

His hand moved to mine. “You’re the one who told me I have nothing to worry about. The same thing applies to you.”

“I never said I was worried.”

“Muffin, I can see it in your eyes.”

The women in his life before I came along didn’t matter. But the ones that came after did. They never should have been with him in the first place. He should have been mine for the past two years. They took something that didn’t belong to him. Together or apart, he was always mine. “It just bothers me sometimes. I’m not worried you’re going to run off with someone else, and I honestly don’t blame women for wanting you. I just regret that time we lost. She got to have you when you should have been mine.” The last thing I wanted was to hurt him, but I had to speak the truth.

He kept his eyes glued to me, never blinking. “I understand.”

I finally looked him straight on, seeing the remorse on his face.

“I feel the same way about Kyle. Except, that was entirely my fault.”

It was but I didn’t gloat.

His thumb moved across my knuckles. “We’re together now and that’s all that matters. Nothing will keep us apart—ever again.”

When he said beautiful things like that, it was impossible for me to be upset. I got lost in those dark eyes and drifted away in the form of a dream. Whenever we were together, it seemed like we were in an entirely different place, living in an alternate world where no one else could follow.

I removed my dress then slid into the water in my bikini. The water was a little cold but it felt good against my skin. Slowly, I untied the top of my bikini and let it float in the water.

Hawke’s eyes were trained on me. He watched every movement, seeing my top drift across the surface.

I untied my bottoms then gathered them with the bikini top and placed them on the deck. My hair was still in a bun so I pulled it loose and let it fall around my shoulders. The ends fell into the water and immediately became soaked.

Hawke stared at me for minutes, appraising my body through the water. He watched my nipples harden from the cold. Then he slowly undressed himself, tossing aside his shirt and pants. When he pulled down his boxers, his hard cock fell out, proving he was pleased by what he saw.

He slid into the water then walked through it until he was right in front of me. The water level only reached the bottom of his chest, but for me it was almost to my chin.

He dug his wet hands into my hair before he gave me a slow kiss, the kind that wasn’t meant to be lustful. It was slow and careful, treasuring my lips like it might be the last time he ever felt them. He didn’t use his tongue at first. By the time he gave it to me, I was already writhing in the water. No matter how many times he made love to me, I was always desperate for more.

He gripped my ass then lifted me until my legs were around his waist. Without breaking the moment, he continued to kiss me until my back was pressed against the glass of the plunge pool.

His lips left mine and he looked me in the eye, the desire and endless love burning like a candle. “We need to be quiet.”

“Okay.” I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and tightened my knees around his hips, wanting him inside me.

His mouth was on mine again as he tilted my hips and inserted his cock into me. It made a slow entrance, stretching me in the best way possible. He moved until he was completely inside me. Then he remained still, my back pressed to the glass. “Sometimes, I want to stay like this forever.” He sucked my bottom lip while he remained idle.

Anytime he was inside me, I was a different person. I was impatient, passionate, and aggressive. When I had him, I always wanted more. There were no words to express how I felt about this man. I told him I loved him before, but those words weren’t enough to show my meaning. Nothing in the English dictionary would suffice. I’d never been with a man and felt this way, like my heart might give out because I’d given him everything. He didn’t just have my heart, but my entire soul.

My hand scratched down his back, feeling the prominent muscles underneath the skin. My fingers traveled down his spine until I felt the hard curve of his ass. He had such a nice behind. I loved gripping it when we made love. “Come with me.”

He pressed his face to mine and slowly thrust inside me, making the water rock against the glass in the form of waves. We normally kissed during sex but now we just stared at each other, looking into each other’s eyes. He always made me crumble within minutes, and not just because he was good in bed. When he opened his heart to me like this, when I could see through his eyes and into his soul, that’s when I tightened around him and felt myself explode. “Hawke…”

He watched my face light up in ecstasy while he struggled to hold on. He was purposely holding himself back, not wanting to end this too soon.

“Come on.” I gripped his ass and pulled him farther into me, wanting to feel the weight of his release. He was the only man I allowed to come inside me, because he was the only one who deserved the honor.

His body tensed under my grasp and he dug his fingers into my ass as he released. His eyes held mine the entire time, and for a moment, his look glazed over, like he traveled to the same place I’d been just a moment before.

He winded down and kept himself buried inside me, my back still pressed to the glass.

I wanted to stay this way all night until the sun rose the next morning. My arms returned around his neck, and I kissed him slowly, wanting to feel our bodies rub together under the light of the moon and the stars. I wanted to do this forever, until the end of time.

Sunny Day

Hawke

Leaving paradise and returning home wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. But I knew that was because Francesca was with me. It didn’t matter where we were or what we were doing. As long as we were together, I was happy.

The leaves started to turn red and gold, and Central Park’s typical green landscape had faded away. Before the winter months even arrived, it was clear it was going to be one hell of a winter.

“I miss the Bahamas.” Francesca pouted her lips as she picked at a muffin.

“We’ll go again some other time.” I sat beside her at the table in the break room next to her office. On days when neither one of us had much time for lunch, we had something small from her bakery.

“I just can’t believe such beautiful places exist. I know you see them in magazines and everything, but I just assumed they were photoshopped and everything.”

I’d been there before and thought the same thing. But when she accompanied me on the trip, it had a magical feel to it. When we go on our honeymoon, I’ll make sure we go somewhere really nice—not that we’ll be leaving the bedroom much. “I’m glad you liked it.”

“Maybe I should quit and become an investor. That way I can travel the world.”

“Or you can tag along with me everywhere I go.” I’d prefer that. I used to be a lone wolf, preferring solitude instead of company. But when I found Francesca, all of that changed. She was the only person I wanted to spend time with, to live my life with.

“I don’t want to cramp your style.”

I rolled my eyes. “I want you to cramp my style.” I broke off a piece of the muffin and ate it. My will power diminished, and I had to take a bite.

She ate the last piece and sighed like she regretted it. “Do you have plans for Thanksgiving?”

I always spent the holidays alone. Sometimes, one of my regulars would be in town for business so we drank and screwed all day, both trying to fight off the loneliness and forget about the people we truly missed. “No.” I was surprised Francesca asked me that. She should have figured that out on her own.

“Want to spend it with us?”

The holidays were the most difficult time of the year for me. It reminded me how alone I was. While everyone was having their perfect day with their perfect family, I was drowning myself in the biggest bottle of scotch I could find. As a child, the holidays were the worst. Dad seemed to drink more often because of the pressure, and he took it out on Mom and I. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

“Great. It’ll be a nice Thanksgiving.”

“Where will we be having it?”

“Yaya’s place.”

The last time I saw Yaya was at the wedding. She smiled at me from across the room, clearly happy that Francesca and I were back together. She was such a sweet lady and had always been so good to me. I felt guilty for hurting her granddaughter. “Where does she live now?”

“In a townhouse a few blocks away.”

“I didn’t know that.” Francesca and I hadn’t talked about it. We were too invested in each other to think about anyone else.

“Yeah, she really likes it. There’s a small backyard so she can have a garden. I know coming to the city was a big change for her, but that was the best Axel and I could do.”

“You picked it out for her?”

“Yeah. Axel and I decided to split her rent down the middle so it doesn’t burden either one of us too greatly.”

I never knew that either. “You and Axel pay her rent?”

“Of course,” she said. “Yaya isn’t going to work.”

When I really thought about it, the knowledge didn’t surprise me. Francesca and Axel were generous people, and they always looked after their own. After losing people they cared about, their bond only became stronger. “That’s sweet of you.”

“Well, she’s Yaya. She raised us and took care of us. We’ll always do the same for her.”

It reminded me of myself. I kept depositing money into Mom’s account even though she refused to use it. If she just took off, she’d have enough to live for the rest of her life.

Francesca caught the sadness in my eyes. “Have you talked to your mom lately?”

“Not since Axel’s wedding.” I remembered the phone call and how strange it was. She said she dropped her phone in the sink but how certain could I be?

“Is she doing well?” Francesca always tiptoed around this subject, knowing how much it pained me just to talk about it.

“I’m not sure. If she weren’t doing well, she wouldn’t tell me. But we had a strange conversation.”

“What did she say?” Her full focus was on me.

“She called and sounded panicked, like something was wrong. I tried talking to her but the line went dead. I assumed the worst, that she was being beaten with an iron, so I was just about to call the police. But she called back and said everything was fine, that she dropped her phone in the sink.”

Francesca felt a strand of hair near her ear, something she did when she was nervous.

“To this day, I still don’t know if she was telling the truth. And I have a feeling I never will.”

Her hand moved to mine on the surface of the table. “I’m sorry.” The sincerity in her voice pained my heart. She felt exactly what I felt at any given time. She shared the load with me, making sure I was never alone in my shadow.

“I know.”

She brushed her thumb across my knuckles. Her hands were petite in comparison to mine, probably half their size. “One day, we’ll have our own family. We’ll be the parents we never had, and our lives will be full of laughter and love. It’ll heal the scars we both carry and give us something to live for besides each other.”

My fingers interlocked with hers. I wasn’t ready for kids at the moment, but the idea of Francesca being pregnant and swollen with my child gave me a strong sense of joy. “You’re right.”

***

“How was the honeymoon?”

Axel sat across from me wearing his suit and tie. We were having lunch together at our favorite Chinese place. “Dude, I already told you when you picked me up from the airport.”

“Well, Marie and Francesca were there.” And he wouldn’t be totally truthful if it were anyone besides just him and me.

“It was amazing. I can’t describe it better than that.”

“Your little confession didn’t mess anything up?” Axel refused to marry Marie until he told her what he did two years prior. I didn’t think it was necessary but he was adamant about it.

“No. We haven’t talked about it. I really don’t think Marie cares.”

I knew she wouldn’t.

“I was super nervous on the wedding night though.” He wiped away the invisible sweat on his forehead. “So much goddamn pressure. I thought I was going to explode from the stress.”

“Why? It wasn’t your first time.”

“I know. But I wanted it to be perfect for her.” He held his chopsticks and picked at his white rice. “How much would it suck if we made love and I was a two-pump chump? Or I didn’t make her come? Or it wasn’t romantic enough? All the pressure is on the guy and not the girl.”

“How’d it go?”

“It went well—I think.”

I didn’t make a joke because I knew Axel was sensitive about this.

“I lasted long enough and then we cuddled together for the rest of the night. So, I don’t think I disappointed her. But sex on the honeymoon was much better. I could actually chill out.”

“Did she bring any lingerie?”

“Tons.” He grinned from ear to ear. “And she looked damn hot. But then again, that woman looks hot in anything.”

I ate my stir-fry then checked the time. “Francesca invited me to spend Thanksgiving with you guys.”

“Cool. Marie is coming too. It’ll be our first year as husband and wife. Pretty cool, huh?” He wiggled his eyebrows.

I used to be jealous of what Axel had with Marie but now it didn’t matter at all. What I had with Francesca was out of this world. It was something no one else could understand but us. I finally felt complete, like I knew where I belonged. “Very.”

“Yaya makes the best—” He stopped then pointed his chopstick at me. “Wait, you already know. You’ve eaten her cooking before.”

“Yeah. And I miss it.”

“It won’t be the same as it was in the cabin but it’s still pretty nice.”

“I’m sure it will be.” I was just grateful I had somewhere to go this holiday. When I was alone, all I thought about was my broken family. It fell apart from substance abuse and a bad temper. My life had been robbed from me, and I could never get it back.

“But I guess as long as you’re with Frankie, you don’t really care.” Axel didn’t want me to be with his sister in the beginning but he quickly came back around. Seeing us together obviously changed his mind about the whole thing.

“True.” That woman was my rock.

“I heard you guys went to the Bahamas.”

“We did.”

“Sounds like you’re trying to copy us.”

I chuckled. “No. I had to travel for work, and I thought I would take her with me. She really loved it. She said she’s never seen a more beautiful place.”

“She’s easy to please,” Axel said. “She doesn’t need much.”

I raised an eyebrow at the comment. “Did you just give Frankie a compliment?”

“Uh…no. I was just saying.” He quickly shoved food into his mouth and didn’t make eye contact with me.

“I’m gonna tell her what you said.”

“Ha. Like she’d ever believe you.”

“She knows I would never lie to her.” I knew I had him there.

His face paled slightly. “Goddammit.”

***

I knocked on her door.

“Come in.”

I walked inside then set the grocery bag on the counter. “Hawke to the rescue.”

“Thank you so much.” She opened the bag and pulled out the flour and almond extract. “You’re a life saver.” She turned back to her kitchen counter where a mixing bowl sat.

“Whoa, hold on.” I grabbed her by the elbow and turned her back to me. “I think I deserve a little more than a thank you.”

She glared at me with her eyes but her smile said otherwise. “Demanding, aren’t we?”

“Hey, I never do anything for free.” I glanced at her lips.

“What do you want for your heroic act?”

“A kiss from the most beautiful woman in the world.”

Instead of softening like I expected, she put her hands on her hips. “Well, Scarlett Johansson does owe me a favor…”

I pulled her into my chest and looked down at the face I constantly saw in my dreams. “That’s not the woman I had in mind.”

“Well, I don’t know Blake Lively so you’ll have to figure that one out on your own.”

“Troll compared to you.”

“What?” she asked incredulously. “Have you seen her?”

Actually, I had no idea who she was. “It doesn’t matter. I knew you were the woman of my dreams the first time I laid eyes on you.” I leaned in and kissed her lightly on the neck and shoulder. She was melting like butter at my touch, and I loved having that effect on her. She had the same effect on me, whether she realized it or not. My lips moved to hers, and I kissed her hard on the mouth, loving the jolt in my heart every time our mouths moved together.

She pulled away first but there were stars in her eyes. “Is that a sufficient thank you?”

“For now.” I gently squeezed her ass then walked to the mixing bowl. “What creation are you making today?”

“Almond muffins.”

“Sounds good.”

“I wanted to make something new for Thanksgiving, so I thought a mix of almonds and cranberries would be the right touch.”

“Good thinking.”

She stirred everything in the bowl by hand then used her mixer to get it perfectly smooth.

I stood by and watched her the entire time, loving the way her tits shook under her shirt as she moved. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and it showed off all her perfect features.

She poured the batter into the cups then licked the bowl, like always. “Yum.”

I fingered the batter then held it up to her, wanting to watch her suck it off my skin.

She grabbed my wrist and pulled it to her mouth. With the sexiest look I’d ever seen, she wrapped her lips around my finger then sucked the batter off.

My cock stirred.

She licked it clean before she placed the pan in the oven and set the timer.

“How long until they are done?”

“Thirty minutes.”

“Perfect.”

“Perfect for what?”

I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bedroom. “You’ll see.”

***

Axel and I ended our basketball game then walked to the taco shop.

“I’m so out of shape.” Axel sat down with his tray of food. “That wedding really took it out of me.”

“You don’t look any different.”

“Of course,” he said. “But I can’t run as fast as I used to. I need to start hitting the gym again.”

I went every morning and every afternoon after work. It was time-consuming and a little obsessive, but I loved the way Francesca looked at me. She stared at me like I was the hottest guy she’d ever seen. When we made love, she dug her nails into my chest in a possessive way, like every inch of my body was hers exclusively.