Page 38 of Heat Force
Lexi blinked, caught off guard by the shift in the conversation. What on earth made him think of her ex? She looked down, brushing her fingers along the wooden railing. “No,” she said softly. “Not for a second. I regret how I did it, sure. But not leaving him.”
He nodded thoughtfully, then said, “I get that. Sometimes you just know it’s not right.”
“Have you ever been in that position?” she asked, turning the question back on him.
“Yeah,” Hawk admitted after a beat. “I was married once.”
Her head snapped up in surprise. “You were married?”
“For a couple of years, yeah.” He gave a wry smile. “It didn’t work out. I was still building my company back then, putting in crazy hours, flying all over the place. She wanted stability, and I couldn’t give it to her.”
“I’m sorry.” She hesitated, then added, “That must have been hard.”
“It was,” he said simply. “I thought I could make it work, but the truth is, we wanted different things. She wanted a partner who was home for dinner every night. I wanted to build something bigger than myself. In the end, I guess neither of us was willing to compromise.”
Lexi studied him, seeing a flicker of vulnerability beneath his confident exterior. It made her heart ache a little. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out. But it sounds like you learned from it.”
He nodded, his gaze steady on hers. “I did. And it taught me that being with the wrong person—no matter how much you want it to work—is worse than being alone.”
His words hit home, resonating with her own experience. She reached out without thinking, her fingers brushing his. “I think you’re right.”
The touch lingered, and something shifted in the air between them. Hawk’s gaze dropped to her lips, and her breath caught.
“You know …” he said, his voice rougher now, “I’m glad you didn’t marry him.”
“Me too,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
Something broke then, the tension that had been simmering for weeks finally boiling over. Hawk stepped closer, his hand sliding around her waist, pulling her against him. Her heart pounded as his other hand came up to cup her face, his thumb brushing lightly over her cheek.
“Tell me to stop,” he murmured, his voice thick with restraint. “If this isn’t what you want, tell me now.”
But she didn’t want him to stop. She couldn’t. Instead, she tilted her head, her lips parting slightly in silent invitation.
With a low groan, Hawk’s mouth crushed against hers. It wasn’t a gentle exploration, nor a hesitant beginning. No, this was raw, possessive, and laced with all the pent-up desire that had been simmering between them for weeks. He kissed her as if he were claiming her, as if he’d been holding himself back for far too long and couldn’t stand the restraint for another second.
Lexi gasped softly against his mouth, the sound swallowed by the sheer intensity of his lips moving against hers. Every rational thought flew from her head as she gripped his shoulders, feeling the strength of the muscle beneath his shirt, and then her hands moved higher, threading into the thick waves of his hair. He was warm and solid, and she wanted it to last forever.
Hawk tilted his head, deepening the kiss, and she felt a yearning so fierce it made her knees tremble. His other arm circled her waist, pulling her flush against him, her soft curves molding to the hard planes of his body. The heat of him seepedinto her skin, leaving her dizzy and breathless. His tongue slid against hers in a slow, sensual dance that sent molten heat pooling low in her belly.
She couldn’t hold back the soft moan that escaped her, and it seemed to spur him on. His hand moved down her back, sliding to her hip, his fingers pressing firmly as if anchoring her to him. The world around them dissolved, the symphony of jungle sounds fading into a distant hum. All she could hear was the erratic thundering of her heart and the ragged pull of their breaths as they kissed with reckless abandon.
He tasted like coffee and something darkly addictive, and she couldn’t get enough. Her tongue moved against his with the same urgency, matching his fervor as if she, too, had been holding back for too long. Her body responded to his touch, arching toward him, craving more of the heat, the contact, the sheer electricity that sparked between them.
Hawk groaned low in his throat, the sound vibrating against her lips and sending shivers skittering down her spine. The primal edge in his voice only stoked the fire raging between them. His hand slid up from her hip, fingers splaying wide across her lower back as he pressed her even closer. She felt utterly surrounded by him, intoxicated by the strength of his arms and the heady, manly scent clinging to his skin.
His lips left hers, and she almost whimpered at the loss, but then his mouth was trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses along her jawline and down the column of her neck. The scrape of his stubble against her skin was deliciously rough, sending goosebumps racing over her arms. Her breath hitched as he lingered at the sensitive spot just beneath her ear, his teeth grazing lightly before he soothed the spot with his tongue.
“Lexi,” he murmured against her skin, her name a reverent whisper that sent a rush of heat straight through her. His voicewas husky, filled with raw need, and it only made her want him more.
“Yes,” she whispered, tilting her head back to give him better access, her fingers tightening in his hair. His lips returned to hers with renewed intensity, the kiss growing hotter, deeper, more desperate. Time seemed to stand still as they gave in to the storm of emotions and desire that had been building for so long. The kiss wasn’t just a release—it was an explosion, a culmination of everything unsaid, every heated glance, every near-touch that had gone unresolved between them.
Hawk’s hands slid down to her hips, gripping them firmly as he turned her around until the solid wood of the railing pressed against her spine. He caged her in, his body braced against hers, the heat of him wrapping around her like a cocoon. She clutched at his shirt, bunching the fabric in her fists in an attempt to pull him even closer.
Her heart pounded erratically, her blood roaring in her ears. She was drowning in him, in the taste of his lips, the feel of his hands, the roughness of his stubble, the sheer intensity of his presence. It was overwhelming, intoxicating, and she never wanted it to end.
But then, just as she was about to lose herself entirely, the lodge door creaked open behind them.
“Hawk? Lexi? Coffee’s ready!” Estelle’s voice rang out, cheerful and oblivious.