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  She blinked and brushed dark hair off his forehead, suddenly consumed with more than lust. More than need. “Hawk.”

  Tenderness mixed with the desire glittering in his eyes, and he brushed his thumb across her lower lip. “I know.”

  Yeah.

  They were joined. Completely, absolutely, male to female, and it was better than she’d ever hoped it would be.

  She smiled and ran a hand down his back to his smooth butt. “I’ve always admired your ass, you know. It’s phenomenal.”

  He grinned. “Right back at you.” Then he pulled out and thrust back in. A muscle ticked in his jaw, showing the corded strength down his neck. “You’re tight, sweetheart.”

  She wrapped her legs around his hips and her arms around his shoulders. “Slow later. Fast now.”

  He shook loose of her arms until she dropped back onto the pillow. “Fine. Slow later. But you give me your eyes.”

  Now, that was intimate, and she wasn’t quite sure she could handle it. But he’d used that voice…the one that meant he’d issued an order and would wait until she gave in. So she stared directly into his eyes. “Fine. Let’s see what you’ve got, soldier.”

  His grin held so much promise, a tremble vibrated through her. His grin widened.

  Securing her hip and lifting her partially from the bed, he started to thrust, hard, strong, and so deep she had no clue where he ended and she began. He took all of her, and he did it fast, furious, and with finality.

  She’d worry about that later.

  For now, she could only feel. Every nerve in her body flared and hungered. The harder he thrust, the tighter he held her, the freer she felt. Wildness lived in her and always had. For once, Hawk was there with her—far more wild than she’d ever be.

  He reached down and encircled her clit with two fingers.

  She gasped, her body stilling, her breath catching.

  Then he pinched.

  Her entire being climaxed. No slow uncoil, no slow burn, she just exploded into flames. Her eyes rolled back, she dug her fingers into his ass, and she let oblivion take her away. He’d keep her safe.

  Waves, somehow sharp and pummeling, rippled through her, tightening every muscle into absolute bliss. She rode it out, holding him, coming down with a whimper. The orgasm finally waned, and he thrust harder, lifting her higher. The spiral snapped closed again, and her mouth opened in a silent scream. The next orgasm shook her to her core, taking everything. She held on tighter, holding firm, her body shaking head to toe.

  Finally, she came down.

  “Eyes,” he growled.

  She swallowed, her eyes drifting open to see determination and promise in his. His hold somehow tightened, and he pistoned hard, his gaze keeping hers. The second he went over, her heart seized.

  She exhaled slowly as he ground against her and came.

  Finally, he kissed her with so much tenderness, tears sprang to her eyes.

  Hawk Rain. Finally.

  He rolled off her and turned her to face him before sliding her hair out of her eyes “You okay?” he asked.

  “Great.” She played with his chest, her gaze dropping, shyness suddenly swamping her.

  “Eyes, baby.”

  She glanced up.

  “No hiding. Period.”

  Fine. He wanted to talk? Well, she could chat with the best of them, and she had questions. “You were angry, and I’ve seen you do some things in temper, but this was a change of heart. A big one. What’s going on?”

  He leaned into her touch. “I’m tired of fighting, Dawnie.” He turned and brushed her fingers with a soft kiss. “Honestly? Seeing you leave with Adam turned me around. I didn’t like it.”

  “Adam and I are just friends.”

  “I know.” Hawk angled toward her, his hand wrapping around her hip. “Someday you’ll be more than that with somebody. Maybe Adam, maybe not. The idea makes something hurt deep inside me.”

  For Hawk Rain, that was about as close to a declaration of love as Dawn had ever heard. The guy had been head over heels for a track star in high school, and even then he hadn’t professed much emotion.

  Dawn flattened her hand against his chest. “So you’re saying there’s a chance.”

  He grinned at the Dumb and Dumber reference. “I’m only here a week. If I get the job done next time, then we’ll talk when I get back.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t sound like you’re going to make it back.”

  He sighed. “Can’t talk about it, but it’s dangerous, and I signed on.”

  A chill ticked through her. “You don’t have to do everything alone.”

  “This, I do. We have a week, Dawn. Take it or don’t.” His voice remained level, but fire, pure and green, lit his odd eyes. Even so, his caress down her arm was gentle and held a sweet promise.

  Her stomach quivered. “I’ll take the week. Just between us, though. We keep all of this between us.”

  He stilled. “I’m not lying to Colton.”

  “Not lying, just not sharing.” She shook her head. “This is just between us this week. If you come back, if I wait for you, which I’m not saying I will, and we decide to start up again? Then we’ll talk about going public. For now, I want something just for us.” He had to understand that after growing up in Mineral Lake.

  His gaze dropped to her lips. “All right. We’ll explore this a little bit, and see where we are. But I don’t like lying to my best friend.”

  At his acquiescence, something eased in Dawn. “Works for me.” Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against his. “Now, I think I owe you an orgasm.”

  “Not keeping score here…but if I were, you’d owe me two.” He grinned.

  Fair enough. Nobody ever said Dawn Freeze didn’t pay her debts.

  Chapter Six

  Men and bulls, the two toughest and most stubborn creatures on earth, can’t resist a challenge.

  ~ The Lady Elks Secret Archives

  Hawk drew on his jeans as the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen slept quietly behind him. He should be pissed at himself, but he couldn’t find the energy to draw up anger. He’d awoken Dawn a few times during the night, just to check for a concussion. Man, it had been fun waking her up.

  And her head was just fine…as was the rest of her.

  Dawn Freeze, the girl he’d wanted for a decade, had just taken his heart and made it hers. Turning, he spent a moment enjoying the sight of her. She lay on her stomach, dark hair splayed down her smooth back. The sheet covered her enough that only the tops of the perfect twin globes of her butt were visible.

  Yeah. The woman’s ass was better than he had imagined, and he had a hell of an imagination.

  He glanced around Dawn Freeze’s bedroom. It was all feminine, with mint greens and whites, and the antique furniture looked familiar. It had probably been in Loni’s house at some point. Wind buffeted against the closed windows, and he made a mental note to stoke the fire in the main room before he left.

  Dawn’s face was turned to the side and half visible. Angled features, definitely Freeze features, but delicate to the point of being fragile. Sweetness surrounded her in her abandonment to sleep.

  What now?

  After the previous night, he sure as hell would never get her out of his system. Taking the week with her was a colossal mistake, for both of them, but he couldn’t turn back now. He wouldn’t. So the only practical move was to finish the job and get his shit together to be good enough, strong enough, to take care of her.

  Padding barefoot out of the bedroom, he shut the door and crossed the cozy living room with the pretty Christmas tree, making for the wide open kitchen. Dawn had painted the walls a cheery yellow that brought out sparkles in the dark green granite countertops. A plate of homemade cookies sat on the counter. He ate three before he found the ground coffee in the right cupboard. His phone buzzed, and he yanked it from his pocket to answer. “Yeah?”

  “Hawk? It’s Reese.”

  Hawk stilled. “I’m takin
g a fuckin’ week off, Reese. I caught Meyer and will take down the rest of the organization after one week off.” While he liked the ex-DEA guy, Hawk was only temporarily going back to hunting people. If he survived, he owned a demanding ranch and a couple of martial arts gyms, and that was going to be a good life. “Unless you’re calling because you wanna visit Mineral Lake, I’m hanging up.”

  “Meyer escaped our transport to the federal authorities this morning,” Reese returned evenly.

  Hawk sagged against the counter, and lava lashed through his head, burning the back of his eyeballs. “Say that again.” His voice rolled from a lazy rumble to primal hardness as he let go of the peaceful morning.

  “Apparently Meyer had more friends on the outside than we knew. They used road bombs and blew the van wide open before knocking out three of my men. We’ve tracked him as far as Mexico.”

  Forget Mexico. Meyer was smart enough to run for a country that would refuse to hand him over. “Are your men all right?”

  “They were just fine until I got a hold of them.” Reese’s voice hardened.

  “Damn it, Reese. I kept my promise to Chancy when I put Meyer away, and now I have to do it again?” If the escape had happened once Meyer had been in federal custody, it wouldn’t be his problem.

  One week. One week of trying to live normal before he finished the job of dismantling Meyer’s little drug cartel. Normal with the girl who’d had his heart for so long.

  As if on cue, she slipped into the room, her hair mussed, her cheeks rosy, looking like a woman who’d been well loved the night before. Several times.

  Hawk froze, and an iron fist gripped his heart.

  What had he done, sleeping with her before he’d been free of his promises?

  Papers shuffled over the line. “I have a series of videos and some intel I want to run by you, and I’d prefer to do it in person. Give me a short time to get ready, and I’ll head your way,” Reese muttered.

  Damn it. “I want a detailed update in thirty minutes,” Hawk growled into the phone before disconnecting the call. Nausea spiraled in his belly.

  “Morning,” Dawn whispered, her gaze roving to the too quiet coffeemaker. She’d pulled on a girly, flowered robe and belted it tight, showcasing her phenomenal body.

  Hawk exhaled slowly. “Morning.”

  His tone must’ve alerted her, because her blue gaze slashed back to him. “Hawk?”

  First things first. “How’s your wrist?”

  She extended her arm and twisted back and forth. “A little sore, but not too bad.”

  Good. “Your head?”

  “Perfectly fine.” She tilted her head in clear question.

  His mind spun with possible scenarios. They couldn’t be together for a week. They’d never be able to keep it a secret—not in Mineral Lake or even in Maverick County. If anybody found out, they’d know he loved her and left her, and she’d be left behind to face the gossip. There was no way to know when he’d be back, and he didn’t want to subject Dawn to that. Damn it.

  “This was a mistake,” Hawk said, trying for honesty.

  One of her dark eyebrows arched, and her small hands went to her hips. “You have got to be fucking kidding me.”

  “I’m not,” he whispered. “Last night meant the world to me, Dawnie, but it can’t happen again.” Not until he caught Chuck Meyer—again—and made sure he stood trial for running drugs while he’d been a soldier in the military. Hawk had trusted the justice system once, and it had fucked him. Time for him to do what he did best—track, hunt, and drop the bastard in a cell himself.

  She rolled her eyes and exhaled heavily. “Why can’t last night happen again?”

  Now that was the question, wasn’t it? “I can’t tell you.” Steeling his back, leaning back against the granite counter, he prepared for an explosive display of temper.

  Slowly, deliberately, Dawn lifted one toned shoulder. “Okay.”

  He blinked and half shook his head. “Okay? Really?”

  “Yep.” She pushed unruly hair out of her eyes. “I stopped chasing you a long time ago, Hawk. You want to be here? Then be here. You want to run away, feel free to get those legs pumping. But know this—I’m not waiting for you to figure out what you want.”

  His temper stirred, because what he wanted stood in front of him, full of defiance, irritation, and a hurt she was trying to mask. “You don’t understand,” he murmured.

  “Don’t care to.” She turned to leave the room. “See you later.”

  Two strides across the kitchen had him grabbing her arm and twirling her around. “See you later? That’s it? Last night didn’t do a thing for you?”

  The smile lifting her lips held enough mockery to boil his blood. “Sure. I’ve been curious for years, and you’re a great fuck. I figured you would be. If that’s all you wanted, then congrats…you got it. But hey, I did enjoy myself.” Eyes sparking, she stood on her tiptoes to get closer to his face. “Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out. Especially since I believe my bite marks are still there.”

  A great fuck? He reacted without an ounce of thought, pushing her up against the kitchen wall. Going on total instinct, he crushed his mouth against hers, trying to drive those words back down her throat.

  The night before, he’d taken her with more gentleness than he’d thought he had inside him, but in that moment, he forgot kindness.

  Now, pissed off beyond belief, he kissed her so hard she’d taste him for a week—branding her, claiming her, showing her that one little shoulder shrug and dismissal wouldn’t work. She tasted like huckleberries and woman, and in two seconds, he was lost.

  She kissed him back, her body pressed against his, a low murmur of need whispering up from her throat and into his mouth.

  His mind fuzzed, and his body blazed with more than mere lust. More than desire or need…with a sense so primal he could almost hear the battle cries of his ancestors. That bellow echoed within his very cells.

  Tangling his fingers in her thick hair, he tightened his hold and angled her face so he could go deeper. Pulling her tighter into him, he held her easily up and off the floor. He felt more powerful than gravity.

  His other hand moved down her back and flanks to encircle her waist. She wrapped her legs around his hips.

  Heat surrounded him, and he pushed his groin hard against hers. His cock pulsed in perfect agreement—get in and now.

  “Yoo-hoo,” a cheery voice chirped as the kitchen door opened.

  Hawk dropped Dawn to her feet and whirled around, reaching for the knife he’d forgotten to place at his hip. His gun was on the nightstand, damn it. His heart thundered, and the room narrowed into sharp focus as he moved to defend.

  “Hawk,” Dawn hissed, shoving at his back. “Relax.” Her voice was low and throaty, and so sexy a shiver dashed down his torso. “It’s Mrs. Hudson.”

  Ah, shit. Hawk blinked and took in the scene, forcing his body to relax. “Hi, Mrs. H.”

  Mrs. Hudson, wearing a bright purple down jacket with “Hot Mama” bedazzled across the front, led Mrs. Poppins into the room.

  Mrs. Poppins sighed. “Oh my.”

  Mrs. Hudson whacked Mrs. P. with a humongous purse. “Look what you did, Bernie. Just look what you did.”

  Hawk cleared his throat and fought the urge to shuffle his feet. Dawn stepped up next to him, her face a blazing scarlet.

  Mrs. Hudson, oddly enough, looked more regretful than righteous or judgmental. “The cow, Dawnie. Come on. Surely you understood about the cow, sweetie.”

  Dawn swallowed audibly. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Hawk frowned, turning from Mrs. Hudson to Dawn to Mrs. Poppins. “Is there a problem with the herd, ladies?”

  Mrs. Poppins coughed. “No, young man. It’s more of a milk issue and making it too readily available.”

  Mrs. Hudson sighed. “Well, that’s two down. There are still three rules we could employ. I mean, he didn’t really rescue her last night, you know? You should’ve called hi
m before she changed the tire.” Then, catching herself up short, she peered through bright red glasses at Hawk. “Don’t you have somewhere to be today, Hawk Rain?”

  When she used that voice and gave him that look, he felt eight years old again. “Actually, I do.” He had to get back to work, which meant he had to stop thinking about sweet Dawn Freeze and concentrate.

  Dawn gave him a pleading “don’t leave me” look, and he couldn’t help a quick grin. Yeah. The darlin’ was on her own. He turned to head back to her bedroom and fetch his clothing. “Dawn? I’d like to speak to you for a moment.” He didn’t wait to make sure she followed, knowing full well she’d want to escape the two biddies.

  “We’ll make you some coffee, dear,” Mrs. Hudson piped up.

  “Thanks,” Dawn said weakly from behind him.

  Seconds later, she swished into the bedroom and shut the door quietly. “Oh my God. Seriously. Oh my God.”

  Hawk chuckled and yanked on his shirt. “What’s going on with the Poppins’ cows? I thought the dairy was doing well.”

  Dawn made a sound like a cross between a garbled drunk and a wet cat. “I’m not sure, but don’t worry about it. I’m sure the ladies are way off base and just looking for some company.”

  Lie. Total, evasive lie. Interesting. Hawk narrowed his focus on her stoic face and cocked his head. He could push for an answer, but when it came to cows, he really didn’t care. “If you need my help, you’ll let me know, right?”

  She coughed. “Ah, yeah. You’ve done enough already, believe me.”

  As much as he’d love to stick around to figure out the subtext of that statement, he now had a job to do. “When I said it was a mistake, I meant more in a timing aspect than anything else.”

  Her eyebrow rose. Totally Lodge-Freeze move. “What the hell does that mean?”

  How much should he tell her? “We just need to pick this up in a month or so and not now.”

  “Why?”

  “I can’t tell you.” The less she knew about Meyer, the better. She’d let her family know, and then he’d have his best friends in danger. Or worse, she’d try to help him, and then he’d have to worry about her. She shouldn’t be anywhere near a drug cartel. Plus, though he’d go to the grave before admitting it, he felt guilty Meyer was on the loose, as if he’d failed. He didn’t want Dawn to know about that, even if she was supportive. “I’m sorry. You can’t know.”