Page 73 of Pretty Spiteful

“What do you want, Hawk?”

He slides to the edge of the bed, the movement effectively placing him opposite me. My room isn’t large, and if I wanted, all I’d have to do is take two steps forward and my dress would brush against his knees. “To know how your date went.”

“Why? Why do you care?”

He gives a casual shrug of his shoulder that only aggravates me further. “Call me curious.”

Frowning at him, I push off the door and move around the bed to the dresser, barely sparing him a glance in the mirror before I begin removing my earrings and necklace. “I’m not discussing that with you.”

“Why not?” A creak of the bed frame has me flicking my eyes up to the mirror, finding him prowling toward me. “Did he get you off?” he purrs in my ear, making heat rise in my cheeks as I refuse to meet his eyes, knowing he’ll read the answers in them.

A surprised laugh escapes him. “He did, didn’t he? Damn, I’ve never known Kai to cross professional lines like that.” He mutters the last part to himself, though I hear him anyway, his condescending tone pissing me off as I whirl to face him.

“Don’t cheapen it,” I snap, spitting fire at him with my eyes.

He takes a step back at my hostile defense, seeming surprised at my outburst. “I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant. I’m just surprised, that’s all.” He hesitates, seeming to deliberate over something before his gaze drops to take in my dress, and he tacks on, “And a little jealous.”

“Jealous?” I question, confused. What the hell does Hawk Davenport have to be jealous over? He’s got a body made for sinning, he’s richer than God,andhe can do or have anything and anyone he desires. There is absolutely nothing Hawk could want that he can’t get with a simple click of his fingers.

He gives another infuriating shrug of his shoulder as he closes the distance between us. “I was hoping to be the one tearing that dress off of you tonight.”

My mouth opens and closes several times before I find any words, and even when I do, only one manages to make it into the atmosphere. “Oh.”

“Is that so surprising?” Another step forward has his fingers sliding through the fabric of my dress. “You’re beautiful, Emilia. Even when your hair is pulled back, and you’re wearing ridiculous guinea pig pajamas, there’s still something captivating about you.”

“Bunny rabbit,” I correct, remembering the pajamas I wore in our senior year of high school.

Hawk doesn’t appear to be listening, though, as he takes another step forward, eliminating the sliver of space between us until his thighs press against mine, his hand landing firmly on my hip and rubbing circles through the fabric of my dress. His gaze rakes over my outfit, heating with each passing second. “But like this, all dressed up for some lucky man to show off and call you his, you’re completely breathtaking.”

“Is that what you want?” I question, unsure whether he’s just after sex or something more. “To call me yours?”

With one hand still on my waist, holding me against the dresser, he lifts his other to my face, brushing his thumb along my lower lip. “That’s something I’ve been struggling with recently. Trying to figure out what this is between us. The sex was great, and we had fun in high school…” He drifts off, losing himself to a memory while I wait with bated breath, wondering if there’s more to come or if that’s it.

“I missed you when you left.” Recollections of him saying something similar the night I got drunk and we played a truth for a truth bubble to the forefront of my mind. Even though he’s told me this before, the genuineness in his voice takes me by surprise, nearly knocking me off my feet. We both knew the deal back in high school, but I was surprised to find myself missing him too. I just never expected him to have felt the same way. Isn’t it usually girls who get emotionally attached, and the men move forward with their lives like you meant absolutely nothing? And yet, although brief, my tryst—for lack of a better word—with both Hawk and Wilder left a permanent mark on all of us.

“Having you back here has opened old wounds and gotten me thinking shit I never thought before.” He frowns as though thinking through something. “I thought I was happy. Hadley would nag me to go on dates, and occasionally I would to keep her happy, but I told myself I was never truly interested because I didn’t want to settle down with anyone. That a relationship just wasn’t for me.”

He seems to get lost in his thoughts, and when he doesn’t continue after a moment, I hedge, “And now?”

At my question, he lifts his head, his eyes staring into mine, and I can see the turmoil within them. “That’s the fucking thing, isn’t it? I don’t want to go out on dates or be in a relationship or do any of that shit.” My heart sinks, and I have to work to keep the disappointment off my face. “Unless it’s with you. I don’t know what the hell it is about you, but I can’t stay away. I’ve been trying—God,have I been trying, but I’m fucking done.” My eyes bounce back and forth between his, not truly understanding.

“I don’t… What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, yes, I want you to bemine. Mine to date. Mine to fuck. Mine to protect and hold and comfort. I’m saying I’m done holding back and pushing you away. I want to be able to wrap my arms around you when you’re upset. I want to drink wine and talk shit with you until you pass out.” He tugs at the skirt of my dress. “I want to see you get dressed up for me, all so I can throw the outfit on the bedroom floor before I eat you out and make you scream my name to the heavens.”

I hesitate with one foot over the ledge, ready to plummet headfirst into the unknown but absolutely freaking terrified of doing so. “Are you sure about this?” I chew on my bottom lip, trying not to let excitement consume me. “This wouldn’t be like before. We won’t easily come back from this.”

“I don’t want it to be like before. It isn’t just sex this time around, Emilia, but you’re right. There won’t be any coming back from this for us. We either jump off that ledge together, or we walk away and never take that leap. It’s up to you.”

It doesn’t take me long to think through the decision. It’s not really a decision at all. I think my subconscious already knew before I did, and my body has been sending me signals since the moment I first saw him again. I pounce, wrapping my arms and legs around him and knowing he’ll catch me before I fall as I slam my lips down on his. “I’m in. I’m all the way in when it comes to you, Hawk Davenport.”

One arm bands around my waist, the other sliding up my spine until he cups the back of my neck, using his weight to push me against the dresser as he devours my mouth.

We kiss until we are both starved of oxygen, our chests heaving and our eyes glassy, before he spins us and sets me down on the bed. He hovers over me, leaning in for another breathtaking kiss as his fingers slide beneath the fabric of my dress, slowly pushing it higher up my thighs.

Pushing my legs further apart, he gets to his knees in front of me. With my dress bunched around my waist, his hands holding it out of the way, he has a perfect view of my core. Desire flashes across his eyes when he sees the damp spot on my panties, and he groans as his fingers stroke back and forth along my skin.

“Some days I wake up, and I swear I can still taste you on my tongue.” He runs his nose along my inner thigh until he reaches the lining of my panties, where he licks along the wet patch before groaning. “I’m a starving man, Emilia, and all I want to eat is you.”

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