Page 164 of Damaged Protector

A small smile tipped the corners of his lips up, and he nodded. “I understand, Bee. Whatever you need.”

“If that means you don’t want me to stay, I can talk to Cam.”

When my chin dipped, Hawk jerked it back up, his eyes fiercely dark. “I don’t just want you for sex, Mallori. I want you to be safe and happy, so don’t ever say anything like that again. It pisses me off.”

“Well, I certainly don’t want to piss you off. You might grab me by the neck and throw me around.”

His smirk was pure wickedness, and I realized how that sounded. Before I could think of anything normal to say, he leaned forward like he was going to kiss my lips and then paused before pressing his lips to my forehead instead.

“Go to class, Little Bee. Have a great day, and when you get home, I’ll have all your stuff in your room for you.”

Home. That sounded really fucking good.

“You don’t have to pack my stuff for me,” I protested, taking a much-needed step back. “I can do it after class. Oh, and I need to stop by the housing office and request a refund check since I’m moving out.”

“I’ll handle it,” he said, reaching for a sticky note from the bookshelf. “Write your social security number and student ID on here, and I’ll take care of everything.”

Including me, I thought. He never fails to take care of me.

“Besides,” he went on, “I need to implement Phase Three.” He pulled a flat disc about the size of a quarter from his pocket and showed it to me. It had a small hole in the center.

“What is that?”

His evil grin was back as he dug in his backpack and took out a screw and screwdriver. “I’m going to attach this to the underside of the bitch’s bed. It randomly emits a high-pitched squeal for a few seconds at a time. It will drive her fucking insane trying to find it.”

“For how long?”

“The battery lasts six to eight months.”

He chuckled to himself and laid on the floor, sliding his head underneath Starla’s bed like he was a mechanic. “Go to class, Bee.”

With one last look, I hooked my backpack over my shoulder and vowed to never piss off Hawk Gentry.

“Hawk, I’m home!” I called as I walked in the front door that evening.

“In the kitchen,” he called back, and I headed that way until I was intercepted by Coconut. I picked her up. She was still a kitten, but she’d definitely grown in the past month. Her head no longer looked too big for her body.

Cradling her against my chest, I walked into the kitchen and my nose was delighted by the delicious scent of Italian food. “You cooked?”

“Yeah, spaghetti and meatballs. Oh, and garlic bread.”

Hawk was shirtless but was wearing an apron with a cartoon hand on it. The index finger was pointing down, and the text read, May I Suggest the Sausage?

“Nice apron,” I said dryly, and he laughed.

“Thanks. Landree and Bode bought it for me.” He stirred a red sauce on the stove and nodded toward an envelope on the countertop. “There’s your refund check.”

I opened it and gasped. “This is for the full amount. I thought they would at least prorate it for the time I did live there.”

“Told you I’d handle it. I politely told them that one of their students had been through hell and they hadn’t done jack shit about it. I may have also mentioned something about a sexual harassment case being brought against the university since you were subjected to unwanted sexual activity and a strange man had touched your underthings. And again, they did nothing. After all that, they cut a check pretty damn fast.”

Lifting an eyebrow, I asked, “Did you, perchance, choke anyone during these discussions?”

A sly grin played across his perfect lips. “No, I was a good boy, but I kinda have the urge to wrap my hand around someone’s throat. You offering?”

“Hawk!” I said with a giggle, pretending to be scandalized, though my panties were suddenly very damp in the crotch region. “Good boy, my ass.”

He stirred the pasta. “I’m sensing some sarcasm.”

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