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“Oh... okay.” I stare at him, like prey looking at a predator about to devour him whole.
It wasn’t like this wasn’t the plan all along. Tabitha, my best friend, is getting married. I just happened to work at the bakery she ordered the cake from, so I figure I’d be there to give a personal touch.
When we discussed it, though, I was expecting Bear, Charlene’s husband, to be the one to come and get the cake and drive me to the wedding.
The towering man looks toward me, and a slight smile forms. It isn’t much, but it’s a bit jarring, considering the stone-faced stoicism he had worn thus far.
“How are you doing there? Name’s Hawk,” he says, his voice as deep as his stature suggested.
“Hi, I’m, uh... Lav... Lavender,” I say, trying to stay cool.
I’m not usually this much of a pushover, but something about this man melts any spine I had, into his hand, making me putty to do with as he pleases.
And I really like the idea of letting him do as he pleases.
I’m too pure for this. I’m the closest thing America has to a princess, and princesses do not fall for some sexy lumberjack or construction worker or whatever the heck Hawk is.
“Lavender, huh? We’re going to have a wonderful trip up the mountain, I think.”
Hannah smirks, her arms crossed and shaking her head. “A really wonderful time, indeed. I think I’m a bit jealous, actually.”
I crawl into the passenger seat of Hawk’s truck, and he hops beside me, turning the ignition. It grumbles to life, and we roll away, heading into the forest and along the dirt roads that give Evergreen Valley its charm.
All the while, I’m struggling to keep myself together. It’s not fear. I don’t think Hawk is going to do anything untoward to me. He doesn’t seem like that kind of guy, and the little I do know has him in the friendly circle of Tabitha’s future husband and her other friends. They tend to have a pretty good habit of filtering out the worst assholes one would expect in this neck of the woods.
I can’t help but feel him looking at me. His eyes rolling up and down my body, devouring me whole. How he’s probably thinking of what I’d look like without this dress or apron on, or anything else, for that matter, imagining all the things he wants to do to me.
Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part.
The tension is incredible. Is this sexual tension? I don’t know.
All I do know is that Hawk is making me feel things that I have never felt before in my life. Things I’ve definitely never felt before about a man.
I wonder if he’s going to break the silence. Or if I have to.
Because I don’t know what to say. He seems to be a man of few words, and I’m afraid of saying something completely stupid to ruin any chances I have with him.
Why’s this have to be so complicated?
Finally, we reach the site of the wedding. A little bit of nature that Tabitha picked out herself.
I hop out of the truck, relieved but also disappointed in myself for not saying anything. I’m more sure than ever that something is there, but I have no idea how to act on it.
Tabitha is there to greet me. “Lavender, you’re a bit late, but I’m glad you made it!” she says, greeting me with a big, hearty hug. I try not to mess up her dress with my return embrace.
“I’m so glad to see you too,” I say, wondering how I express my relief to be away from Hawk while still wanting him and disappointed in myself for not making more of it.
“Hey. Let’s get the cake,” he says, nodding toward me.
“Oh, um, sure.” I rush to the side of the truck, and we hoist the cake, then we carry it over to its designated spot. Luckily nothing happened to disturb it during our trip, and I don’t need to touch anything up. “There we go. All set for serving when the time is right.”
“It looks amazing,” Tabitha says, a hand on my shoulder. “You and Hannah really outdid yourselves.”
“This is all me,” I state. “I wanted to really put my own personal touch on it.”
“Then I revise my praise to just you.”
“Hey, Hannah’s been one heck of a teacher. I’m not professionally trained, I’ll have you know.”
