Page 77 of Damaged Protector

He took the small bowl of sliced strawberries from me, and five minutes later, the fruit salad looked like a goddamn work of art.

Looking proud of his work, he elbowed me. “I made the brownies you asked for.”

“Special brownies?” his mother piped up, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

“No, Mom. Just regular ones. Hawk asked me to make some for Mallori.”

Fuck, why did he say that out loud?

When I risked a glance at India, her smile was smug and annoying. She made a heart with her hands, and I lifted my own like I was going to make the same gesture. But at the last minute, I flipped my hands over and shot her the bird with both middle fingers.

As I stalked from the room, all I could hear was her gleeful laughter following me all the way outside.

Chapter 23

“So you have an extra leg just for swimming?” I asked Tazanna Diaz as I sat beside her at the mosaic-tile-topped patio table near the pool.

“Tell her about my extra leg,” her husband said, brushing a finger along the back of her neck as he walked behind her on his way to the cooler.

I laughed, but Taz rolled her eyes. “He’s so ridiculous.” Glancing furtively to make sure Woody was out of earshot, she leaned toward me. “Though the man is hung like a donkey.”

So is Hawk. Just the thought of what I’d seen last night flooded my mind. Not to mention the fact that I had felt it between my legs. And against my stomach when I woke up this morning.

After spending the night in his bed.

Shit.

Taz interrupted my Hawk-infused thoughts. “To answer your question, yes, I have a different leg to swim in. Salt water and chlorine aren’t great for the components of the prosthetic, and it’s too expensive to ruin.” I watched in fascination as she rolled the sleeve up her thigh.

“How often do you have to get your regular one checked or get a new one?”

“Most people get theirs checked once a year, but I’m pretty active, so I go in every six months. A lot of folks think it’s just a hunk of metal and plastic, but it’s actually a very complicated device that needs regular care and adjustments.” She picked up her regular prosthetic and pointed out the different parts of it, demonstrating how the joints moved. “I have to get a new one every few years.”

“That’s fascinating,” I said when she handed it over so I could inspect it.

“You can come with me to my appointment at the V.A. next weekend, if it’s something that interests you.”

“Really?” I asked, excited. “Are you sure I wouldn’t be, you know, invading your privacy or something?”

“Not at all,” she insisted. “I’m very open about it. I don’t keep my leg in the proverbial closet or anything.”

I laughed as she rose and stood for a second to get her bearings. Woody was there in an instant. “I’ll take your fancy leg inside so it doesn’t accidentally get wet, mi amor.” He kissed her lustily before bending and kissing her bare belly beneath her yellow bikini top. “Mi pequeño amor.”

“Well, I’m just about to swoon to the ground,” I commented as Taz watched her husband jog inside with her prosthesis.

“He’s so damn excited about the baby. He keeps staring at my belly, and he tells me every day that he’s pretty sure it’s grown since the day before. Hell, there’s barely anything there, right?” She turned to the side to reveal her stomach, which had the barest hint of a bump.

“My stomach gets puffier than that after I eat burritos,” I said dryly, earning me a laugh from the raven-haired beauty.

“Go get your swimsuit on,” she said, and I pulled the strap of my sundress down to reveal the white string of my bikini.

“I put it on a few minutes ago. I’ll meet you in the pool.”

The Broxtons’ back yard was like the swimming pool version of Disney World, with slides, rock formations, and pretty fountains of water that shot up sporadically. Axel was tossing pool noodles and beach balls into the pool, and I did my best not to stare. The man was a football god and was built like it with lean, hard muscles covering every inch of his body.

Pulling my dress off over my head, I felt the heat of the June Texas sun warm my body. My skin grew even hotter when I turned around and found Hawk standing a few feet away, his eyes eating up every inch of me. I could practically feel his stare like rough fingers stroking against my flesh, and goosebumps pebbled my skin in the wake of his roving gaze.

The look was so raw and intimate I had the urge to put my dress back on. I startled when a cool hand touched my shoulder, the sensation so different from the hot caress of Hawk’s eyes.

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