Page 42 of Hawk

“Oh yeah, I burned so many calories last night. I’m getting waffles!” Her excitement was so contagious that even the waitress couldn’t stop smiling. “A big stack of waffles, extra syrup, and hold the whipped cream.”

“What? You can’t be serious. Whipped cream is a must.” I loved teasing her because she got so riled up.

“Fine,” she huffed, and turned back to the waitress. “I’ll have the whipped cream on the side. For him.”

“I don’t want it,” I insisted.

“You just made a whole big stink about it, so I figured you wanted it. Now you’ll have it. You’re welcome.” She flashed a wide, playful grin. “And an extra serving of bacon, please.”

I placed my order, an omelet with cheesy potatoes, and then I was alone again with Laura. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I think maybe I was also burnt out before all the strange shit started happening so this just kind of piled on top of it.”

“Are you a workaholic?” My tone was teasing but it was a genuine question.

“No,” she answered automatically. “Okay, maybe yes. But only a little, and it’s not like I’m actually a workaholic, but my job does require me to work long hours. I might feel a little bad about taking time off, so I rarely do it because the hospital is always understaffed.”

I sat and watched her rambling with a goofy fucking grin on my face and I knew I was in more trouble than I realized with this woman. “Definitely a problem.”

She flashed an affectionate grin as she rolled her eyes. “So, what are we going to do today after we’re properly fed?”

“Something we’ve both been too busy to take care of lately. The community center.”

Her eyes lit with excitement. “That’s just what I need, actually. I can help out there and feel useful without putting anyone in danger.” Her smile turned a little dreamy. “You’re pretty perceptive, aren’t you, Hawk?”

I shrugged off her unintended compliment. “What can I say? I am more than a pretty face.”

“You are.” Her compliment made me feel something it shouldn’t have, but dammit, having a woman like her see something good in me? That shit made a man feel like a god.

Thankfully, the food arrived before I did something stupid like ask her to be my old lady for real. But as I dug into my omelet, I couldn’t help but wonder what she would say if I asked her. It was stupid because I wasn’t a man who did relationships. Women were fun, a hobby for me, not a full-time job. That shit was for Diesel and Rocky and Maverick, and whoever the fuck else wanted that kind of life. But not for me.

“Oh. My. God. You have to taste these waffles, Hawk. You are going to flip your shit.” Her eyes were so wide, so happy that I did what any sane man in my position would do.

I leaned forward and let her feed me some of her waffles. “Damn, those are incredible.” I opened my mouth, a silent request for another bite.

She giggled like a schoolgirl and happily cut more waffles, carefully dipping them in the side of whipped cream before she fed me. “Right?”

The sugary goodness on my tongue was fantastic and I nodded, feeling as excited as my breakfast companion. “Think we can get a big bowl of this to go?”

Her cheeks flushed beautifully. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“Never. Now eat up, you’ll need your energy, and I don’t mean for anything fun this time. Well, not that kind of fun, anyway.” It was fun verbally sparring with Laura, which was unexpected.

“I’m so full,” she said fifteen minutes later as only one slice of the waffle stack remained. “I can’t eat another bite,” she moaned even as she stabbed the waffles and ran it around the leftover syrup on the plate.

“You don’t have to eat it, Laura.”

“I know,” she said as she glared at me. “But it’s so good and I never eat like this.”

“Okay.” I leaned forward and snatched the fork from her hand before shoveling the last bite between my lips. “Now it’s done. Ready?”

She stared at me in shock, her mouth opened and then closed as she made a gasping sound. “Fine, but I’m paying.”

“I don’t think so, sweetness.”

“Yeah? Well, I don’t care what you think. I’m paying for breakfast and that’s that.” She flagged down our waitress with such determination I couldn’t help but smile. When was the last time a woman fought me to pay a bill?

The waitress smiled as her gaze bounced between us. “Anything else for you folks?”

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