“Has she told you that?” Hawk glanced over his shoulder at Tigger. Heather winked at him and he turned away.
“She doesn’t have to say a damn word. She’s always wearing sunglasses and long sleeves. Whenever he says something to her, it’s like she shrivels up.”
“Until she files something, we can’t butt into another brother’s personal life. You know that.” Hawk brought the beer bottle to his lips.
“And you better focus your attention on another woman. You’re asking for a whole lot of trouble sniffing around Sofia.” Throttle’s fingers wrapped around the beer bottle, but before he could bring it to his lips, Wheelie’s fist landed on his jaw. “What the fuck?” Throttle spun around and threw a punch at Wheelie.
“I’m not sniffing around her.” Another jab at Throttle, then one back at Wheelie.
Hawk stood watching as he finished his beer. Glancing at the clock, he grabbed Wheelie by the neck and pulled him away, then stepped in front of him.
“Let me at him,” Throttled huffed.
“Enough of this shit,” Hawk said. Wheelie jerked out of Hawk’s grasp. “I’d say you overreacted to what Throttle said to you. Watch yourself. You know messin’ with a brother’s old lady will get your ass thrown out of the club.”
“I’m not messin’ with anyone’s woman.” Glaring at Throttle, his chest heaved in and out. “And don’t ever suggest that I’m making moves on her again. Have some goddamned respect for her.” He spun around and stormed out of the clubhouse.
Bringing the beer bottle to his reddened jaw, he shook his head. “He so fuckin’ wants to get into Sofia’s pants.” He laughed.
A tight feeling seized Hawk in the chest. “You’re right, but I’m hoping he doesn’t act on it. We have enough shit going on with the Deadly Demons. Wheelie’s a good guy.” He looked at the clock once more. “Fuck! I’ve got to pick Braxton up at school. I’m outta here.”
As he drove to the preschool, he thought about Wheelie, and heaviness filled him. The way his brother looked at Sofia didn’t escape him, Banger, or several of the other members. He wasn’t sure if Tigger had noticed it, but the brother had seemed so preoccupied with banging anyone with tits that Hawk doubted if Tigger had picked up the attraction Wheelie had for his wife.
Hawk couldn’t deny that Tigger treated Sofia badly. He was always at the clubhouse, leaving her alone most of the time. The few times she came looking for him, he’d been so rude and condescending to her that it took all of Hawk’s strength to keep his mouth shut and his fists inside the pockets of his leather jacket. But as long as Sofia didn’t complain about Tigger, there was nothing the club could do. Her loyalty to her husband was solid, and she never said a bad word about him.
Hawk turned into the parking lot and jumped out of the SUV. Each time he entered the quiet hallways, he’d smile to himself over the looks he got from some of the teachers and parents at the expensive and prestigious school. He let Cara handle which schools their kids would go to. Braxton had been on the waiting list since he was a little over a year old, and Cara had just placed their eighteen-month-old daughter, Isabella, on the list. The whole thing seemed ridiculous to him, but Cara had insisted St. Rosa’s Academy was one of the best elementary schools in Pinewood Springs.
The ringing bells echoed down the long hallways and several doors opened at once as children spilled out of classrooms. Leaning against the wall, Hawk smiled when he spotted his dark-haired son. When Braxton’s blue eyes locked on to his, the boy grinned widely and ran over to him. Hawk picked his son up and looked at the blue construction paper he shoved in his face.
“Look, Daddy. I made a picture of my hands.”
Hawk took the paper from him and saw the small handprints painted in red, purple, and yellow. “Totally awesome,” he said against Braxton’s cheek.
After securing Braxton in the car seat, he slipped into the driver seat and switched on the ignition. “Did you have fun at school?” he asked as he drove toward their house. The four-year-old chattered on about everything he’d done that morning, and Hawk kept glancing in the rearview mirror at him the whole drive home. He still couldn’t believe he had a son and a daughter. He never thought he’d have a family, especially since his childhood had been wrecked with so much violence and betrayal, but there he was, with an adorable son, a precious daughter, and a wife who still made him hard just by looking at her.
“When are we going to see Santa Claus, Daddy?”
Focusing back on what Braxton was saying, he laughed. “I think we’re planning to do that next week, little buddy.”
“Everyone in class has gone already.”
“You sure about that? I mean, everyone is a lot of people.” When Braxton’s brow creased in concentration, he chuckled to himself. “We’ll get there. I promise. It’s just that Mommy’s been real busy.”
“Isa wants to go too, but she might cry.”
“Why’s that?”
“’Cause that’s what babies do when they see Santa. Mommy said I did it when I was a baby.”
“Yeah, you did, but you’ll be there with Isa, so she’ll probably be good. You’re her big brother and you have to always watch out for her.”
“I know.” Braxton fell silent and stared out the window as Hawk turned into their neighborhood.
“Some of the neighbors really went all out,” he said as he passed a few homes with a ton of inflatables covering their front lawns. “Would you like to ride around at night and see all the lights?”
“Yep. Mommy said you were gonna take us to do that.”
“She did? Good to know.”
Twenty minutes later, Braxton was sitting on the couch watching cartoons while Hawk warmed up some leftover spaghetti and meatballs for lunch. Outside, snowflakes had begun to twirl down from the gray sky. He placed two plates on the table and called Braxton to come eat. The boy dashed into the kitchen and climbed up on the chair.
When they were almost finished with their food, he heard the garage door open, and anticipation of seeing Cara squeezed his insides. After all the years they’d been together, he still couldn’t get enough of her. It was true when they said love was a drug, and he was addicted to the max.
Braxton’s eyes lit up when Cara came into the kitchen with Isa in her arms. “Mommy!” He tried to push back his chair, but Cara went over to him instead and he wrapped his small arms around her neck, giving her a kiss on the cheek. He laughed. “I put spaghetti sauce on your face.”
“That’s okay, sweetie.” She turned to Hawk and smiled at him. A rush of desire bolted through him and, for a split second, he wished the kids were at their grandparents’.
“Come over here, babe, and I’ll clean you up,” he said as he rose to his feet.
Putting Isa down, Cara headed to Hawk and he leaned in close. “You smell awesome,” he whispered in her ear before he licked her cheek and then her lips. Heat stirred within him as she pressed close to him, and the warm and sensual mix of vanilla and apricot and Cara consumed him.