Page 5 of Hawk (Road Rebels MC 1)
“The tickle monster!” he exclaimed.
“Noooooo!” Emery said, giggling.
“The tickle monster’s gonna get you!”
“That tickles! Noooooo!”
His hands flew along her sides before his lips dipped down to her stomach. He blew raspberries into her skin while she squealed and yelped for joy. Her legs kicked and her arms flailed, and I could see the pure essence of delight dripping from her features.
And Hawk. Holy hell, I’d never seen him smile like that in my life.
Tears rose in my eyes while I watched them bond. I leaned up against the hallway wall and crossed my legs, simply taking in the sight before me. They rolled along the floor, smiling and laughing, then Hawk finally had mercy and laid down beside her. The two of them were trying to catch their breath, and the movement that happened next caused a tear to ricochet down my cheek.
I saw Emery reach over and take Hawk’s hand.
“Will Mommy be up soon?” she asked.
“I’m sure she will. I just wanted to let her sleep. You guys have been through a lot lately, and she needs her rest, too,” Hawk said.
“Should we make her breakfast?” she asked.
“Are you getting hungry?” he asked.
“Yeah. Maybe Mommy’s hungry, and that’s why she’s not getting up.”
“Trust me, if your mother were hungry, she would get up quick.”
“I resent that notion,” I said.
Hawk and Emery rolled over to take in my grinning form. Emery scrambling to her feet and came running to me, but Hawk was focused on my neck. There was a wonderfully mischievous grin on his face as he pulled himself up from the carpet, and I figured he was simply grinning at me being in his shirt.
Until Emery’s hand flew to my neck.
“Mommy, are you okay?” she asked. “You have an owie.”
My eyes slowly trailed to Hawk’s as he tried to stifle a laugh. He shook his head and went into the kitchen, and that’s when the rest of the prior day hit me. Hawk pinning me to the wall. Driving his hips deep into mine. The way he made my body shake.
The way his teeth sunk into my neck…
“Mommy’s just fine. I slept on something in bed, and it’s left a mark. Is it bad?” I asked.
“Uh huh,” she said.
“Well, trust me. I’m just fine. How are you? I am so sorry I slept so long yesterday, sweetheart.”
“Don’t be. Mr. Hawk and I watched movies,” she said.
“You did, did you?”
“Yep. And he cooked dinner. Tacos. He cooks really good tacos.”
“I bet he does,” I said, smiling.
“I wanted to wake you up to watch the movie, but Mr. Hawk said you needed rest because you were tired. He said you were taking a nap and that I was safe with him.”
“Yes. You are very safe with Mr. Hawk,” I said.
I brushed Emery’s hair out of her face as something appeared in front of my face. An apple was sitting there, clutched in the palm of the hands that had brought me so much pleasure the day before. I rose to my feet and took it, taking a big bite as my stomach growled out with hunger.
“I don’t have much in the way of breakfast right now, I’ll have to go grocery shopping after church,” Hawk said.
“Church with the club?” I asked.
“Can I go?” Emery asked.
“You need to get some breakfast,” Hawk said, grinning. “I’ll be back later with some groceries. Any special requests?”
“Froot Loops,” Emery said.
“Froot Loops, what?” I asked.
“Froot Loops, please. Oh! And goldfish. Please.”
Hawk chuckled down at her while I simply shook my head. I took one more massive bite of the apple before I handed it to her. She took it within both of her hands and chomped down, juice dribbling down her chin. Before I could react, I watched Hawk dip his finger down and wipe it up from her chin. I watched his gesture linger on a cheek a bit longer than usual, and I looked over at him as his eyes stayed connected to her.
“Can I have the rest of this, Mommy?” she asked with a full mouth.
“Of course. Why don’t you go get settled on the couch, and we’ll find something to enjoy on television?” I asked.
“Mommy, why aren’t you wearing pants?”
I sputtered as I buried my face in my hand. It was a logical question, especially for a six-year-old girl, but Hawk took the reigns with that one before I could find an answer to dole out.
“Because grown-ups can do that sometimes. But, I’m sure she’ll put some on soon, all right?”
“Okay. I thought maybe Mommy’s legs hurt.”
“I’m not sure. Do Mommy’s legs hurt?”
I panned my gaze slowly over to Hawk as his eyes connected with him. His stark green eyes pie
rced my soul, fluttering something within my gut I hadn’t felt in years. I stood there studying him while Emery continued to eat her apple, and I decided to play his little game as I drew a breath in through my nose.
“They do. A bit less than I would’ve expected with how long the ride was, but then again the body can surprise you.”
I saw a spark ricochet behind his eyes before I panned my gaze back down to Emery.
“Adults are weird,” she said, sighing.
“Don’t worry. You’re weird, too”
“In all the best ways,” she said, grinning.
“I like the confidence,” Hawk said.
“Wonder who she gets that from,” I murmured.
The smile that beamed across his face told me everything I needed to know. With them bonding the way they were and how proud he already was to have a daughter, I knew I had to tell Emery at some point in time. I watched her hunker down onto the couch while she finished her apple, and my mind began to reel with all the ways I could tell her just as Hawk planted his hand into the small of my back.
And then, I felt him press a light kiss on my cheek.
“We’ll figure all this out, all right?” he asked.
“Thank you,” I said as I turned towards him. “For everything.”
“Anytime,” he said, winking. “Anytime.”
I shook my head and pushed him as the two of us giggled alongside one another. He walked over to Emery and bent down, pressing a kiss to her head as laughter peeled from between her lips again. He walked over and grabbed his leather coat as he slung it over his shoulders, and I grabbed my pants from the pile in the corner and quickly hopped my ass into them.
“Such a beautiful sight,” Hawk said.
“Can it, bud. You’re headed to church. Such unclean thoughts aren’t welcome in those areas,” I said.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Any requests for the store?” he asked.
“Beer,” I said.
“Besides the obvious?”
“Chips and salsa?” I asked.
“Always been a tried and true with you,” he said as he opened the door. “I’ll make sure to double up.”
