"Let me guess. Brooke didn't tell you that her cousin was a guy?"
"No. She was so busy she didn't even say when you were moving in."
"Surprise, I guess. That was this morning." He released my hand, picking up his mug. "Why don't we get to know each other over dinner?"
"Sure. I had some leftovers, but they're gone."
Hawk smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I was ravenous after the drive and hauling my stuff up the stairs. Then I had to go buy a bigger bed."
All three rooms had identical single beds, and yeah, there was no way Hawk could fit.
"Let me order us dinner," he said before taking another sip of coffee. Then he grinned. "This is amazing. I don't normally go for the sugary stuff, but…" He trailed off, letting his eyes run up and down my figure again. "I think I'm in the mood for something sweet tonight."
Was he hitting on me? No, he couldn't be. No man ever hit on me, for fear that my family might—
Oh. That's right. He had no idea who I was.
For the first time ever, that wasn’t an issue.
Hawk was teasing me as if I were any other normal girl. Maybe he wouldn't treat me as spoiled or precious, or someone risky to be avoided. This seemed like an incredible step forward, if I could find a way to actually speak around a man that gorgeous.
"Sounds great," I said. Two words. It was a start.
Grabbing my phone and coffee, I went into the living room. "Why don't you get dressed, and I'll make a list of places that deliver here?" We were on the edge of Kingsville, and half of the decent takeout places wouldn’t come this far.
Hawk followed me, flopping on the far end of the couch and somehow managing to take up two thirds of it by spreading his top leg toward me. It gave me a good look at a tattoo of what might be stone Viking style sculptures, but I wasn't about to ask him to nudge the towel up so I could be sure.
"Your choice," he said. "I've got cash for whatever you want."
As I scrolled through the list, it was impossible not to think about the wall of tanned skin beside me. "How about pizza?" I asked.
"Oh, I think we can do better than that, can’t we?"
Hawk slid over until his thigh was pressed against mine as he studied my phone. He must have noticed how my breath hitched, and the phone shook slightly.
His hand reached out to cover mine, steadying my grip. "How about that place?" he said. "Do you like Indian food?"
"Of course."
His warm breath skimmed along my cleavage. He glanced down, then chuckled. "I didn't know anyone liked Indian food that much," he said, raising an eyebrow and staring pointedly at my chest.
Looking down, I saw my nipples had hardened into sharp points. "Stop it," I snapped, more embarrassed than angry.
Hawk slowly backed away, nodding with a seductive smile. "Order us three butter chickens, chicken tikka masala, some samosas, a whole bunch of naan, and anything else you want. Thanks."
He stood up and walked away, the towel stretched perfectly over his sculpted ass. "I'd better put some clothes on before I distract you any more."
My shaking thumbs flew across the screen, selecting the food he wanted.
I’d moved here because it was the cheapest place I could find that still seemed relatively safe while I discovered my new solo identity. My goal was peace and quiet without my family controlling my every move.
One of the many things on my list of things to discover with my newfound freedom was what sort of man I would be interested in. I'd never been permitted to even consider dating a boy without my father's background check and my mother's seal of approval after checking his social status.
But Hawk wasn’t a boy, he was a man. Older, wild, and untamed. He was real. He was definitely the sort of man I was looking for. And geez – I'd already seen all of him.
Was he actually interested, or just the sort of cocky guy who flirted with every woman who was conveniently there?
Now that we were living together, I was going to be conveniently there at all times.