Mystery Man (The Dream Man Series Book 1)

I woke up and I knew I was in Hawk’s bed.

I stretched out an arm and found the bed empty so I opened my eyes and listened. I could hear nothing.

I rolled and looked across the wide expanse of his warehouse to see the sun shining in everywhere. I tucked my hands under my cheek and as I let sleep drift from me, I let thoughts drift in about the night before.

Dad was freaked and Meredith more so. Firebombs were bad enough, automatic weapons ratcheted it up to a new level of bad. Especially when reports came in that my car was at the front of the house and my purse and bag were on the couch “at the scene”. My disappearance wasn’t handled very well and though it wasn’t my fault, I felt badly about it.

What was more than a little frightening about this was that when Cam got the call at dispatch and when she couldn’t contact me, she contacted Dad and Dad immediately got hold of Hawk. Somewhere along the line they’d shared phone numbers and Dad had become “Bax” to Hawk and Hawk had become Protector and Knower of or Go-to-Guy to Find out All Things Gwen to Dad.

I wasn’t sure this was good.

I handed over Hawk’s phone after I spoke with Dad and Meredith and he made a call and gave his orders. These were carried out to the letter and they included more than an order for Chinese. I knew this when commandos arrived and there were three of them. They brought Imperial but they also brought King Soopers bags that when I unpacked them I found had diet cola, diet grape, two percent milk (Hawk only had skim and, seriously, what was the point of skim? – this a thought I relayed to him prior to his call to the commandos), eggs, bacon, lunchmeat, bread, a variety of chips, two rolls of chocolate chip cookie dough, two of sugar cookie dough and a plethora of condiments.

Hmm.

They also brought my desk and when I say that I mean they brought my desk – my chair, my desk, everything on it and in it, my computer all the way down to my box of Kleenex. They boxed it all up and delivered it, putting the desk in the opposite corner to Hawk’s, setting the boxes around it but hooking up the computer.

They also brought my purse and, scarily, my two big suitcases. Yes, two of them. Upon inspection I found the suitcases packed carefully and full. Clothes, underwear, nightgowns, shoes, face products, my sweet pea lotion and bath gel and a good selection of makeup. This would have stunned me, the ability of commandos to pack, but I was told by Hawk that Elvira had been activated to do my packing. I wasn’t certain how I felt about an unknown woman going through my stuff but it couldn’t be denied the results were excellent.

Lawson showed and I ate my food while I gave my statement. Lawson didn’t look happy and this had to do with the fact that I’d endured a drive-by, the fact that Tack essentially abducted and detained me afterwards and the fact that he was taking my statement while I was sitting cross-legged in one of Hawk’s recliners in his seating area while spooning up hot and sour soup. How I knew this, I didn’t know, I just knew it.

When Lawson was done, he came to me and bent over me, getting close right in front of a stony faced Hawk.

“Head up, sweetheart, eyes open, stay safe,” he whispered.

“Okay,” I whispered back because I figured that was good advice and because he called me “sweetheart”.

He tucked my hair behind my ear and gave me a smile then he straightened and gave Hawk an unhappy look. Then he left.

I spent the rest of the night sorting out my cell and suitcases while Hawk talked on his phone. I didn’t unpack clothes but I did unpack toiletries and I populated Hawk’s shower, shelves and medicine cabinet with girlie shit.

I didn’t ask if I could do this. He wanted me there, I was going to be there.

Though he also didn’t complain, comment or even give me a look and he knew I’d done it because I had a lot of girlie shit, it was everywhere, and he’d visited the bathroom.

I didn’t know what to make of that so I decided to ignore it and then let it freak me out at random which was when stuff I buried that I should deal with usually freaked me out.

I had twenty-seven missed calls and fourteen texts, all from a freaked out Dad, Meredith, Cam, Tracy, Leo and even Troy. Word had got round about the drive-by. I returned Cam and Tracy’s calls but I shied away from Troy. I hadn’t had any cookie dough and Imperial was good but it didn’t set me up to deal with Troy.

I crashed while Hawk was still on the phone. He was either busy or giving me space and since he had so much of it, that was easy to do.

I woke momentarily when he joined me in bed and curled into me. The instant his arm went tight around my belly and he settled, I fell back to sleep.

Now was now and I didn’t know what to do now. There were too many things to contemplate and just the thought of them exhausted me and I’d just woken up.

I sighed and as I did, my cell rang.

Saved by the cell.

It was on the nightstand, I reached out, grabbed it and I turned the display to see I had a call from Tracy.

I flipped it open and put it to my ear. “Hey babe.”

“Hi, how are you doing, honey?”

She was tweaked and my conversation with her last night didn’t assuage her tweakedness. Then again, most people lived their whole lives not having a friend who got caught in a drive-by then disappeared for hours because she was imprisoned in a motorcycle club’s compound.

“I’m okay, I just woke up,” I told her, shifted and lifted, leaning against the headboard and I saw movement so I looked down the bed to see Hawk at the top of the stairs. Bare chest again. Bare feet again. Track pants again. Eyes on me.

Mm.

“Are you sleeping all right?” she asked.

“Yes,” I answered as Hawk approached the bed.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yeah, honey, I’m sure. Really, like I said last night, I’m okay,” I replied as Hawk made it to the bed then, whoosh, the bedclothes were pulled down.

My body locked in surprise.

Oh boy.

“Are things okay with Hawk?” she asked.

“Um…” I answered as I watched Hawk bend then his fingers curled around my ankles, he yanked me down the bed until my back was to it again then he spread my legs.

Oh boy!

“Gwennie?” Tracy called.

Before I could move a muscle, Hawk put a knee to the bed then he shifted his big frame between my legs.

Oh boy!

“Trace, I think…” I trailed off when Hawk’s hands went to my hips, pushing up my nightshirt and then his head bent and he kissed the skin just above my panties.

My belly lurched in a good way.

“You think what?” Tracy asked then went on quickly without waiting for me to answer. “Okay, I’m going to say it and I know you don’t want to hear it but I’m glad you’re there. I know you’re confused about things but I think this speaks volumes that he…”

She kept speaking but I wasn’t listening because Hawk’s hands kept pushing up my nightshirt and his body was going with it, raining kisses on the skin of my belly and midriff as he went.

“You know?” Tracy asked.

“Um… Trace, I gotta go.” And I did because my nightshirt was under my breasts, Hawk’s hands had spanned the undersides and my nipples had gone hard and tingly.

“Is everything all right?”

Oh yeah, everything was all right. Everything was just fine.

“I’ll call you later,” I told her but it was breathy because Hawk was now kissing me between my breasts.

“You sound funny,” Tracy noted.

“I’m fine, babe, I’ll call you later.”

“Okay, I’ll let you go. Bye, babe.”

“Bye,” I gasped because both Hawk’s hands slid up and both Hawk’s thumbs did a pass over my hard, tingly nipples.

I flipped the phone shut. “Hawk,” I breathed and then he moved fast.

The nightshirt went all the way up, forcing my arms with it then I was free of it. He tossed it aside, his hand slid up my arm, grabbed my phone, tossed it to the nightstand then it came to my face, his fingers at my cheek, his thumb curving around my jaw, he positioned me and kissed me.

Oh… boy.

I was primed for the kiss, way primed, so I allowed it and kissed him back. It sucked he was such a great kisser, which meant I had zero control, but at that point I was not complaining. Not at all.

His hands went down to my hips, over my bottom, down the backs of my thighs pulling and sliding up at the same time until they were behind my knees and then he yanked them high.

I held on, one arm around his back, one hand cupped on his head.

His mouth broke from mine and his lips slid to my ear as I lifted my head and kissed the sleek skin of his shoulder.

“Bet, just with that, you’re ready for me,” he muttered in my ear.

It was an unbelievably arrogant thing to say but he would win that bet.

“Let’s see how fast I can get you to come for me,” he suggested, my body twitched because it was intrigued by this suggestion then his hand slid down my belly and right in.

Oh yeah.

My back arched and a whimper slid out of my throat on the word, “Baby.”

His fingers slid through the wetness between my legs. “Ready for me,” he growled.

Then his fingers moved; they did this in demanding, delicious ways and Hawk proved he could get me to come for him really fast and also really, really hard.

I was in the middle of a very sweet orgasm when his hand disappeared, his body disappeared, my panties were hauled down my legs and they disappeared then his mouth was there.

Oh yeah.

“Baby,” I gasped, my fingers gliding over his cropped hair.

He was good at this because he liked doing it. This was not a chore for Hawk. This was not something to get out of the way or done to gain brownie points. This was something he got something out of, nearly as much as me.

Then he added fingers to the workings of his mouth and tongue.

Yes!

My hips surged up. “Hawk,” I moaned.

God, this was good. It was so good orgasm two shifted in but he didn’t stop, his mouth, tongue and fingers kept right on going so that meant right on the heels of orgasm two, I experienced orgasm three. It wasn’t one long one, no way, it was one long, brilliant, awe-inspiring one followed by another long, brilliant awe-inspiring one.

Totally a superhero.

In the middle of it, Hawk’s fingers and mouth vanished, his body vanished then he was back, my knees were again hauled up and he was inside me.

Oh yeah!

God I loved this. He was strong and that meant he could drive deep, he could go fast and he could do it hard, all of which I liked a whole lot.

His face was in my neck and I wrapped him tight in my limbs.

“Honey,” I breathed.

His hand went between us, finger back to my golden spot and my body jolted.

“Hawk, baby,” I moaned when what his finger and cock were doing to my body rocked straight through that body.

“You gonna dodge me again?” he asked in my ear, driving in with his cock and pressing and rolling with his finger.

“No,” I gasped.

“Promise, Gwen,” he demanded.

“I promise,” I gasped.

His head came up and he looked down at me and when he did, I stared. I’d never seen his face like that in the light. I’d never seen it like that ever.

God… God, but he was beautiful, always but more so with him filling me, pounding into me, touching me, his heavy weight bearing me down, his face dark with hunger, his eyes heated and intense.

God.

It was building again, just looking at him (not to mention all the other stuff).

“You gonna ride this out with me?” he growled.

Oh yeah. Yeah, I was definitely going to ride this out with him.

“Yes,” I whispered.

“You gonna give me sweet?” he went on growling and pounding and pressing and rolling, relentless, amazing.

“Yes,” I whimpered because I could feel it, he was about to give me sweet. Again.

His mouth touched mine. “I feel that,” he whispered. “Fuck, Gwen, beautiful. Always so fuckin’ beautiful. You’re there, Sweet Pea.”

“Yeah baby,” I breathed against his lips, my hips surged up, my limbs got tight, my back arched, I came yet again, it was brilliant and awe-inspiring yet again and he kissed me so my moans slid into his mouth

I held on as I came then I came down then he kept surging into me, his lips slid down to my ear where I listened to him grunt as he went faster, harder and I fucking loved holding all that was Hawk, the immense power of him wrapped in my limbs.

His hands spanned my hips and he pulled up and thrust deep as his grunts turned to groans then finally he planted himself inside me and stopped.

Unbelievably magnificent.

I held on like I always held on because before, I didn’t want him to go. But before, I eventually loosened my hold because I knew he’d eventually go.

Now it wasn’t the middle of the night. Now he wasn’t a shadowy lover whose name I did not know. Now neither of us had anywhere to go.

So now what did I do?

My limbs loosened and he pulled out. I closed my eyes as he slid off to my side.

This was familiar. Get off then retreat. Pull out and pull away. Close off.

Then I opened my eyes as the heat of him stayed glued to my side.

His torso was partially lifted, his head was bent, his eyes were watching his hand glide from my hip to my waist, in over my belly between my breasts and then up my neck where it moved away. Then I felt his finger slide down my hairline, pushing my hair off my neck, his hand moved to my jaw, he gently twisted my neck then his hand went away but he bent in and I felt his tongue touch the skin behind my ear as his hand slid back down my body. Finally, his arm came to rest low on my belly and curved around my hip.

He’d never done this before. This was different. This was better. Seriously better.

Oh boy.

“Just two this time,” he murmured into my ear. “Losin’ my touch.”

“What?” I whispered and his head came up but he stayed close, pressed in, his face near mine.

“My mouth and fingers, babe, you only came twice.”

“Um… well, I came once before and once after so I’m pretty sure I’m covered.”

He grinned then he bent and touched his mouth to the base of my throat. His head moved away but he locked his eyes to mine.

They were heated and intense.

Shit.

“How do you heat this place?” I asked, directing post-coital pillow talk to the mundane for sanity’s sake. I didn’t want a play-by-play. My head was messed up enough, I didn’t know where this was going, I didn’t know what I was thinking and I was scared as hell of what I was feeling. Talking about how great sex was with Hawk only intensified all of that.

“What?” he asked back.

“You live in a warehouse with cement floors, Hawk, it’s a minor miracle you can heat this place.”

His response was to shift, bending over my body, he grabbed the covers and pulled them up over us.

He thought I was saying I was cold. Then he instantly did something about it.

Okay, maybe I did want to talk about how great sex was with Hawk because experiencing him being sweet and thoughtful messed with my head a whole lot more than his ability to give me four really, fucking fantastic orgasms in the span of thirty minutes.

Then his arm went low on my hip again and he turned me to my side facing him, his legs tangling with mine, his arm pulling me close.

For my part, I rested my hands to his chest because I liked touching him and because I liked this. This wasn’t retreat. This wasn’t slam bam, thank you ma’am. This was nice.

“It’s not as bad as it seems,” he belatedly replied.

“Your heating bills must cost as much as my mortgage,” I remarked.

He smiled at me. “No.”

“You would know,” I muttered, looking at his throat.

“Yeah, I do, Sweet Pea, and you need to refinance. The interest you’re payin’ is ridiculous. I’ll sort a meeting with my financial advisor.”

My eyes lifted to his as I felt my belly start to get squishy.

“You’ll sort a meeting out with your financial advisor?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he answered.

Uh-oh. He was being sweet and thoughtful again.

“Is that part of your Protect Gwendolyn Kidd Duties, to make sure I don’t get gouged by mortgage lenders?” I asked.

He kept smiling and his arm got tighter. “There are many facets to my Protect Gwendolyn Kidd Duties.”

“Care to expand on that?”

“Not really.”

I held his eyes. Then I mumbled, “Unh-hunh.”

His smile got bigger and I knew this because his dimples pressed deeper.

“Unh-hunh?” he prompted.

“Man of mystery,” I replied.

His hand trailed up my back and his head dipped closer to mine. “I like surprising you, Sweet Pea. Whenever I do something you like, your face gentles.” He touched his mouth to mine and moved back a smidge. “It’s a good look,” he finished on a whisper.

Wow.

“My face does that?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Hmm,” I mumbled.

“Saw it again just now and before, twice.”

“Before? Twice?”

His lips brushed mine then slid down my cheek to my ear where he whispered, “Yeah, baby, both times my mouth wasn’t between your legs, right before you came.”

Definitely my belly was squishy.

“Hawk –”

“Lights on if it’s dark when I fuck you, missed that look for a year and a half too, not missin’ it again.”

Now my throat was tingly and I could feel my heart swelling.

I slid one of my arms around to his back, I pressed in closer as my neck twisted slightly so my lips were at the skin of his. “You didn’t let me do anything to you,” I whispered.

“You can do whatever you want to me in about two minutes,” he whispered back, his hand drifting down to my ass, then pushing in.

“Whatever I want?”

“Whatever you want, baby.”

“Oh my,” I breathed and he chuckled in my ear.

Nice.

I pressed even closer.

Then his head suddenly came up, I looked up at him and saw it was tilted. He was listening.

Then he clipped, “Fuck.”

“Fuck what?”

He didn’t answer. He knifed out of bed taking me with him.

When I was on my feet by the bed, I repeated, “Fuck what, Hawk?”

He looked down at me but grabbed my hand and started pulling me to my suitcases.

“Get dressed, babe. We have company.”

“We do?” I asked as he stopped me by my suitcases.

“Yeah,” he answered.

Oh shit.

“Good company or bad company?” I asked, his hands went to my hips and he pulled my naked body into his.

“Right now, Sweet Pea,” he growled, “any company is bad company.”

I had to admit, with his warm, solid, naked body pressed to mine, I agreed.

Then there was a banging at the door and I jumped. Then I pulled from his hands and bent to my suitcases. Hawk prowled to his wardrobe.

I grabbed items and flew to the bathroom.

I’d used the facilities, brushed and flossed, washed my face, put on my underwear and was pulling my hair up in a high ponytail when the door to the bathroom opened without even a knock.

I jumped and whirled to see Hawk standing there wearing dark brown cargo pants and tight, olive drab thermal.

A thought popped into my head and, stupidly, it popped out of my mouth.

“How many pairs of cargo pants do you own?”

His eyes went from my underwear to me.

Then he announced without preparing me in any way, shape or form, “My family’s here. Surprise visit. They’ve heard about you. Jury’s got a big mouth.”

My breath rushed out of me with an audible, “oof”.

Then I whispered, “What?”

“Ma’s makin’ breakfast.”

His Ma? His Ma was making breakfast?

I felt my eyes get huge and I repeated, “What?”

“It’ll take her awhile so whenever you’re ready to come down.”

Again I asked, “What?”

But I did this to a closed door. He was gone.

I turned to face the mirror where my eyes were just as huge as I expected and my face was pale.

Then I whispered, “Shit.”