Hearing the phone ring in the back office, Hawk went to answer it. Looking through the office’s window, he saw one of his regular customers, Ross, come into the shop. He heard Ross whistle as he raked his eyes over Cara’s body, lingering on her big tits. A deep heat filled Hawk’s chest, his temples pounding as he saw Ross ogling his woman. Fuck that! Seeing that Cara tugged on her red sweater, trying to make it less form-fitting, Hawk felt her discomfort. Ross flashed her a big smile.
“It’s good to see a pretty woman in here for a change,” Hawk heard him say.
“I don’t work here,” Cara said.
“Just visiting?” Ross came over to her, his eyes still fixed on her chest.
Hawk saw Cara’s chest moving in and out as a light sheen coated her forehead and upper lip. She darted her eyes from side to side, shifting her weight from one foot to another. To Hawk, she looked like a caged animal trying to get free.
“I gotta call you back, I got an emergency here,” he said to the customer on the phone. Hanging up, he rushed out of the office, saying, “Ross, I’m not quite done with your bike.”
Upon hearing his voice, Hawk saw the panicked look in Cara’s eyes disappear. She took a deep breath and her shoulders slumped. She threw him a relieved and grateful look as she wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead.
Standing there, Hawk’s blood rose as he saw how Ross stared at his woman. His fists clenched—turning his knuckles white—as slivers of anger flashed in his eyes.
“You have a pretty visitor here,” Ross said, leaning toward Cara.
Putting his arm around Cara’s shoulders, Hawk stared daggers at Ross. He leaned in and kissed Cara gently on her lips.
Ross said, “I get it. I’m supposed to back off.”
“Fuck yeah, she’s my woman.”
“I don’t want any problems, man. You’re a lucky guy. Give me a call when you’ve finished with my motorcycle.”
After Ross left, Cara put her head on Hawk’s shoulder. “I freaked out when he checked me out. All I could see was Viper’s thin lips, greasy hair, and cruel smile flashing in front of me. I was petrified. I started having a panic attack, and I couldn’t breathe. Am I ever going to get over this and be whole again?” She sniffled against his chest.
Holding her, Hawk said, “I’m so sorry, babe. I wasn’t there to protect and keep you safe. You’ll be okay, I promise. It’s just gonna take time, babe.” I should have killed the bastard when I had the chance.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Cara never grew tired of watching the deer drink from the creek which ran behind Hawk’s house. Snow frosted the evergreen and pine trees, which lined his property. It was frigid. Hawk called her from the shop and told her to get the grill fired because he bought two steaks for dinner. He was a grilling man no matter what; he’d stand outside in ten degrees below zero temperatures, grilling steaks, red peppers, and corn. Cara, amused, stayed curled up on his couch in front of a blazing fire and sipped a glass of red wine. It could be a blizzard and Hawk would be outside grilling up steaks. Cara loved him for that.
She leaned over the balcony to throw some carrots down for the rabbits. She didn’t hear Hawk come out onto the deck before feeling his arms as he hugged her waist. “You smell good.” He breathed in her powdery fresh scent. “Did you get the grill fired up?”
“Ready to go. I got us a horror movie to watch, and I’ll make popcorn later.”
He shook his head. “You’re obsessed with horror movies, but I don’t mind. I like the way you hang on to me during the movie. Babe, you do know you spend most of the movie with your face in my chest, right?”
Cara swatted his arm. “I do not.”
A big smile spread across his face. “Yeah, you do, but I’m not complaining. Fuck, that’s one of the things I love about you.”
Giving him a hug, she said, “Get grilling, I’m starving.”
After dinner and the movie, Cara poured herself another glass of wine and gave Hawk another beer. As she sat down beside him, her back into his chest, he twisted her hair around his fingers and said, “I have something for you.”
“You got me a present?”
Reaching down, he pulled a box from underneath the couch and handed it to her. “Open it.”
Cara opened the box, and folded inside was a black leather vest. The leather was butter-soft and felt good against her fingers. She turned the vest around and on the back, it read, “Property of Hawk, Insurgents MC.” She stared at it.
“Cara, I love you. I want you to be my old lady.”