Breaking Free (21 page)

“Did you know in some African cultures they mark their bodies with scars because they believe it shows courage?”

“No, I didn’t know that.”

“They also believe it adds to their beauty, and in certain areas of the body, it enhances sexual pleasure.”

His fingertip continued to caress the ridge sending prickles of awareness down over the curve of her bottom right to the very core of her. Her heart beat so
fast she couldn’t catch her breath. “Are you just shining me on, Lieutenant Yazzie?” she managed as she stroked his back.

“No, I’m not.” He kissed her, the pressure of his lips soft, tempting. “I’ll never lie to you, Zoe.” His erection rested against the inside of her thigh as he pushed closer. “Does it feel like I’m lying to you?”

“No,” she said in a tone strangled by renewed need. She molded the soft curve of her belly to the muscular tautness of his and drew his lips back to hers.

He turned pressing her back on the mattress and every inch of his long torso aligned with hers. She caught her breath as the course hair on his chest rubbed her breasts and the tempting length of his erection brushed against her intimately.

“I’ve been lying here every night since you moved in, wanting you and feeling guilty,” he said as his lips caressed the underside of her jaw.

“Why guilty?” She ran her fingers over the short hair at his nape.

“It’s a matter of trust, Zoe.” He drew back to look down at her.

She traced one high cheekbone with her thumb. She wanted him. Now that she had finally taken this step, she refused to allow her family to interfere with that. “I trust you to take care of me, in every way.”

He groaned and kissed her hard. “You know what I’m talking about,” he said, his breathing unsteady.

“I’m not thinking about anything but you and me right now. My family has no place in this bed between us.” She traced the curve of his ear with her tongue. He shuddered and rocked against her.

“Your mom will take one look at us and know, Zoe. Moms
have a sixth sense about these things.”

“My sex life is none of her business,” she whispered and blew in his ear.

He turned his lips to hers, the sweep of his tongue hot and torrid. “I’ll lock up the firearms, just in case.” He breathed as his body once again took possession of hers.

****

“I’m fine, Mom,” Zoe said as she cradled the phone between her shoulder and ear. She tugged at the knot in her shoestring. I made love with Hawk and it was more than I ever expected. That was probably more information than her mother would ever want to know. She dropped the shoe on the floor and sat down on the couch.

“And Brett?”

“They’re trying another medication tomorrow or actually adding another medication to the one he’s on. His heart rate is remaining steady and his blood pressure. He’s turned over on his own once, so I’m hopeful he’s close to waking up.” Please God!

“And Hawk?”

“He’s fine, Mom. He’s taking me parasailing tomorrow.”

“Don’t you have to do that on the water?”

“Yes. I’ll have to wear a bathing suit.”

Her mother’s silence stretched across the distance. “How do you feel about that, Zoe?”

She chose her words carefully. She wasn’t ashamed of having a relationship with Hawk. But she didn’t want her mother to think he had waited for her to leave to move in on her daughter either. That wasn’t the way it was at all.

“I’m a little---nervous about him seeing my leg. I don’t want him to pity me or go all super protective.”

Clara chuckled. “He’s taking his job to look out for you seriously, huh?”

She turned to look at Hawk as he entered the living room. “Yes, he is.” God, she sounded sappy.

His white t-shirt stretched across his chest, delineating the contour of the muscles there. He paused at a table just inside the front door and picked up his wallet and change. Khaki shorts hugged his taut waist and sculpted buttocks in just the right way. Looking over his shoulder at her as he stuffed his wallet in his back pocket, he caught her watching him. His pale gray eyes focused on her with a look that left her tingling and breathless.

“He’s been staying at the hospital with me.” Just in case something bad or good happens. She swallowed against the sudden tightening of her throat. “And we’ve been doing some remodeling here at the house. We’ve almost finished the rec room walls. Some of the team came over and helped us hang the sheetrock.”

“Zoe---” Her mother’s tone stopped her breathless rush of words.

She placed a hand against her midriff where her heart had fallen. Her mother knew. She had never been able to hide anything from her. Something in her tone had made it all clear as glass. She swallowed. “Yes.”

“Be careful, honey.”

All the concern and unconditional love expressed in those three words had her eyes stinging. “I’m--I will, Mom.”

“I’d like to speak to Hawk.” Clara’s tone changed just as quickly to protective mom mode. Zoe had heard it before.

Tempted to tell her he wasn’t available, she stalled instead. “How are Sharon and Katie Beth? How are both of them doing with the new baby?”

“Sharon’s doing well after the surgery. She’s been a little weepy but she’s doing well and Katie Beth’s in little momma mode right now. How long that will last, none of us knows. She doesn’t like diaper time at all.”

Zoe laughed. “And Ali Marie?”

“Growing like a weed and eating well. She gets up twice a night, so right now none of us are getting much sleep, but that will change soon enough. She’s a beautiful baby. She looks a lot like you did. Now quit stalling and hand the phone to Hawk.”

Zoe bit back an oath and motioned to Hawk. Biting her lip she handed him the receiver, then watched his expression. His yes and no answers gave her no clue what her mother was saying, nor did his expression. He hung up and his lips quirked upward.

“What did she say?”

“She just wanted to be certain I was going to look out for you on the water.”

“She knows.”

“If she does, she didn’t say anything to me.” He tugged her close and brushed her lips with his own. He smelled of soap, toothpaste, and a woodsy scented cologne mixed with his own clean scent.

His hair was still damp from his shower as she smoothed the dark strands with her fingertips.

“Besides, you said last night you weren’t going to let your family interfere with our being together.”

“I’m not.”

“Then what are you all worked up about?”

What
was
she worked up about? Was she worried her mother would be disappointed in her for sleeping with Hawk? Or was she more worried about her saying something to him about it? The latter, definitely.

“My family is way too protective of me. I don’t want them giving you a hard time if or when they find out we’re sleeping together. I’m not really worried about anything they might say to me.”

“I’m a big boy, Zoe. You don’t have to run interference for me.” His hand caressed the rounded curve of her buttocks.

She tiptoed to better mold her small frame against him.

“But it sure feels good when you’re covering me,” He murmured against her ear, his warm breath making her shiver. He dipped his head to kiss her again and for a moment she forgot everything but the pleasure he gave her each time he kissed her.

“I have to meet Derrick in fifteen minutes. When’s your doctor’s appointment?” he asked, his tone husky, his gray eyes alight with feelings.

“Noon.”

“I’ll be back at eleven to pick you up.”

She nodded and released him.

She studied the door as it closed behind him. With his kiss still burning on her lips and her heart still beating in her ears, she hadn’t had time to think about Derrick Armstrong. If Hawk questioned Strong Man too directly would he blow up and try and hurt Hawk? Zoe rushed to the door and pulled it open.

CHAPTER 15

“What’s going on, Strong Man?” Hawk said as he ducked beneath the hood of the bright Canary yellow Jeep to stand next to Derrick.

“Ah--Marjorie didn’t start my car while I was gone and the battery’s dead.” The man sounded out of sorts. “I have to have a jump to start it.”

“No problem, I have cables and I can pull my car around.”

“Thanks, LT. I appreciate it.”

Hawk got back in his Saturn Vue and did a U-turn in the apartment complex’s parking lot to arrange the cars nose to nose. Pulling the lever inside his car to open the hood, he paused to turn off the ringer on his cell phone, and tossed it onto the passenger seat. If he and Derrick were going to have a heart to heart, he didn’t want any interruptions.

Getting out of the vehicle, he retrieved the jumper cables from his trunk and linked the two batteries. At his signal, Derrick started his Jeep. The vehicle emitted a high-pitched squeal like a prolonged scream.

“Sounds like you might need to spray that belt with some lubricant,” Hawk yelled above the noise as he approached the man’s window.

“Will do, as soon as I’m sure this sucker will hold a charge.”

The sound died down to a persistent squeak as Hawk unhooked the cables and rolled them up. He tossed them into the trunk and turned off the Saturn.

Leaving his vehicle running, Derrick exited the car and joined him. “What’s up, LT?”

“I thought I’d just touch base. You’ve been out of town with your sister, and this is the first time I’ve been able to drive the car since straining my knee.”

“Sometimes you just have to get out of the house away from them, don’t you?”

Them? That one word didn’t sound good. There was aggression and impatience crammed in there, as well as a touch of condescension. He struggled to keep his expression neutral. “Well, Zoe’s pretty easy to get along with. She likes her own space sometimes, too.”

“What does she do? Go shopping?”

“No. She reads a lot. And she spends a lot of time at the hospital.”

Derrick frowned. “That’s tough duty.”

“Yeah, it is.”

Derrick leaned back against the car beside him, his expression subdued. “Cutter isn’t going to wake up, is he?”

Hawk shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“He looks dead,” Derrick said, an empty note in his tone.

Hawk glanced at him and found him studying his shoes.

“He’s breathing on his own, and all his vitals are normal. He’s going to come out of this.”

Derrick looked up. “It freaks me out to see him like--he is.”

“I know. It did me too at first. But we have to stay hopeful for his sake, and for Zoe’s. And if you say anything negative about his prognosis, don’t say it in front of her. She insists he’s going to wake up.”

“She’s got her head buried in the sand. He looks bad.”

“He’s losing weight, Derrick. But we can’t lose faith. He’s tough.”

Derrick nodded. “Yeah, he is.”

“During the mission, did you hear anything unusual inside the building?” Hawk asked

“No. The tangos upstairs walking back and forth. I was focused on getting my package delivered and getting out of there. Cutter was down the hall doing the same. Or so I thought.”

“His charges had been set, but he was down when I reached him.”

Derrick shook his head and rubbed a hand over his brow. “It just doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Did Cutter know about the assault charges you’ve had leveled against you?”

Derrick’s features blanked with shock. It took a moment before he recovered. “Who told you?” His voice sounded hoarse.

“Who, isn’t important. It’s that there were charges brought to begin with. You’ve dodged a bullet, Derrick. And if it’s established that Cutter knew about them, you could be in real trouble.”

Derrick clenched his fists “I didn’t touch him. He’s my best buddy. We’re tight. We might do the bonding thing and punch each other but we cover each other’s back. He’d never rat me out.” His eyes narrowed. “Who did?”

His patience splintered and Hawk thrust his face close to his. “Who the fuck cares? The problem is that if I found out about it, the brass will too, and then you’ll be knee deep in shit. Use your head, Strong Man. You know what I’m saying.”

Derrick’s features looked wooden. “I didn’t hurt, Cutter. I’ll take a lie detector test to that.”

“I don’t think the Navy’s real impressed with those since they train us to lie so well.” Hawk said, drilling his point home. “How’s Marjorie?”

“She’s all right. Why do you ask?”

“I noticed she had a bruise on her arm.”

Derrick looked away. “She hit her arm on something. She’s all right.”

Hawk fell silent waiting for Derrick to look at him. “We’ve all been under the gun. Our last tour was tough. And with Cutter being hurt during the last mission--sometimes emotional stressors trigger problems. If you’re having a problem with anger management---“

Derrick’s cheeks grew flushed and his eyes narrowed. “Was this your idea or your girlfriend’s?”