Just Chance Page 8

  Still, it felt good to think that he had this shared… thing, this inside joke with Hawk that nobody else knew about.

  It was nice.

  “Well,” she said, finally returning their dual smiles as she focused her attention back on Hawk again. “I hope this new relationship will at least mean that you come back here to visit more often once the football season starts. Unless Frankie plans on moving to Atlanta…”

  “Mom—” Hawk’s voice was tight for the first time since… well, ever—or at least for the first time since Frankie had known him. “Come on, that’s—”

  “It’s a little too early to be making those kinds of plans, don’t you think?” Jim cut in, saving his son and Frankie the ordeal of navigating that minefield. But hey, at least Hawk’s parents were taking turns answering their own questions.

  Stella and Jim started bickering for a moment about how good it would be for Hawk to settle down and whether or not Atlanta was really a safe city for him to live in and other parental things, and Frankie felt a bit like he was at a tennis match as he lifted the wine glass to his lips again. He was going to be tipsy way before they were ready for dessert at this rate… but maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. At least he didn’t feel like he was on the witness stand anymore, so that was… something.

  “And anyway,” Jim said after a minute, pinning his wife with a look as he shifted the conversation back to Hawk and Frankie’s faux-relationshiop, “we haven’t seen Sean this happy in a long time, honey. We have to step back and let these boys find their own way.”

  Frankie and Hawk’s heads turned to Stella at the same time, and she pulled herself up in her chair in a way that made Frankie wonder if she was going to contradict her husband and keep pressing for details about their plans. But—thankyouJesus—she didn’t.

  What she did do warmed Frankie’s heart more than the nearly-empty glass of wine in front of him ever could.

  “You’re right, Jim. Our Sean is just… radiant, isn’t he?” she said, her own face sort of glowing as she smiled fondly at Hawk. “And to think it’s because of our darling little Frankie from the flower shop, well—”

  Everyone at the table turned to face Frankie, and he could feel his cheeks start to heat up from all of the attention.

  Or maybe from all of the wine.

  Or both.

  Definitely both.

  “It is,” Hawk said, taking Frankie’s hand again and bringing it to his lips for a quick peck. “He is the reason I’m so happy. Just look at him. He’s perfect.”

  Frankie had to swallow hard to keep from shivering with delight as Hawk’s surprisingly soft lips brushed against his skin. Although the shiver might also have had something to do with the way Hawk had actually sounded like he meant it. The combination of the two was definitely… having an effect on him.

  Frankie shifted in his seat, a little too aware of the “effect.” But luckily, the way everyone at the table was looking at him so adoringly put a damper on any potential arousal.

  And seriously, no matter how well things might be going, it would not be a good idea to get turned on in front of his fake boyfriend’s parents.

  Not without a lot more wine, anyway.

  “We’re happy for you, son,” Jim said to Hawk, with Stella nodding her approval and looking as though she just might cry some very real, happy tears. “We’re happy for both of you. And I do agree that we hope to see a lot more of both of you in the future.”

  Hawk grinned and gave Frankie’s hand a squeeze. We’re making it. This is really working. Between Hawk’s confidence and the wine, Frankie was finally starting to feel like the rest of the night just might be smooth sailing. Twenty-questions seemed to have been diverted, so surely they’d made it through the roughest part… right?

  “Just look at that cute face,” Stella said, beaming as she waved her hand in Frankie’s direction. “Sean, I’m sure you can tell us something about him—something that made you want to get to know Frankie a little better…”

  “There’s a lot of things about him I like,” Hawk said. “And every time I learn something about him, it just makes me want to know more. Like… why lasagna is his favorite food, or why Spring is his favorite time of year.”

  Frankie felt himself blushing, but at the same time was grateful for their little relationship primer on the car ride over. Getting to know a few basic facts about each other had been a good idea.

  Hawk kept going, though. “And he’s thoughtful. He likes peonies. He has two freckles on his wrist that sort of form a heart, and a dimple on his left cheek that only comes out when he smiles—but I’m sure you’ve already seen that since he’s almost always smiling.” Hawk took Frankie’s hand and turned it over, lightly rubbing his thumb over those two little freckles he’d mentioned. Frankie’s heart caught in his throat and he suddenly felt like he, too, was in danger of crying those happy tears he’d seen in Stella’s eyes. “And that smile? It’s like sunshine. He spreads it everywhere. It’s why I’m looking forward to being in Bridgewater for the next few weeks.”

  The way Hawk was looking at him—the way they were all looking at him—completely bowled Frankie over, and made him think that yeah, the awkward part was over. Everything else would be easy-breezy.

  Stella let out a contented sigh, and Jim looked over at her before addressing his son. “Sean, I know exactly how you feel. It sounds like the kind of happiness your mother and I found thirty years ago—the way I still feel when I look at her today.”

  “I think we can all drink to that,” Frankie said, feeling bold and wanted and light as a feather as he lifted his almost-empty glass while everyone else around the table did the same. “To happiness and… taking chances.”

  Because wasn’t that what it was all about?

  Frankie had never in a million years dreamed that something like this would happen to him, but he couldn’t deny that he was actually enjoying it so far, and that it was the most excitement he’d had in his entire life.

  And it was only just beginning.

  “To taking chances,” Hawk said, giving him a little wink as he lifted his own glass to his lips.

  It really was the chance of a lifetime. And Frankie was ready to sit back and enjoy the ride.

  Chapter 7

  Hawk

  Hawk stood just outside his parents’ front door and waited as they said their goodbyes to Frankie. Hawk’s cheeks had started to hurt from smiling about thirty minutes into the evening, but he didn’t care.

  Watching the way his parents had taken to Frankie—and how adorably flustered Frankie had been with all the attention—had made Hawk’s heart do that fluttering thing that he was slowly becoming accustomed to whenever Frankie was around.

  “Do try to come back and see us again soon, Frankie,” Stella said, giving her son a pointed look as Frankie nodded dutifully. “Sean can be a little shy bringing people around, but now that we’ve had a chance to get to know you a little better, we hope you know that our door is always open for you.”

  “Thank you so much,” Frankie said, his cheeks going that delicious shade of pink that Hawk could already tell he might never get enough of. “You and Jim have been so nice, and thank you again for dinner. It was really great.”

  “You’re welcome to come back anytime, Frankie,” Jim said, echoing his wife’s sentiments. “It’s been really nice having you over tonight.”

  Before yet another round of thank-you-and-please-come-back-soon could start, Hawk moved in, wrapping his arm around Frankie’s shoulders and ushering him away from his overeager parents to keep them from putting his fake boyfriend on the spot any further. Hawk knew they meant well, but he also knew first-hand that they could be a little much… especially after some good food and a couple glasses of wine.

  “Thanks,” Hawk said, turning back to give them a little wave as he walked Frankie back down the driveway toward the car. “I’ll be back later, after I drop Frankie off at his apartment.”

  “Bring Frankie back any
time,” Stella said. “And you know Frankie has to be at work early tomorrow, so don’t keep him out too late, Sean.”

  “Got it, Mom,” Hawk’s grin turned into an eye-roll as soon as he turned back to face Frankie. “Stay strong, or she’ll take it as a green light to mother-hen you, too.”

  “I don’t mind it, honestly,” Frankie said, looking up at him with that smile that was like a ray of sunshine. “It’s actually kind of… nice. Really nice, I mean.”

  “Oh God, don’t let them hear you say that,” Hawk said with a wink before throwing another look over his shoulder. “They’re still watching, probably trying to read our lips.”

  Hawk was mostly joking, but his parents really were still watching, no doubt trying to determine if Frankie was the elusive One True Love they’d always wanted him to have.

  And even he didn’t want to disappoint them—about Frankie or anything else in his life—he knew that they’d probably take his inevitable staged “breakup” with Frankie harder than they had with his handful of previous relationships.

  The chemistry with Frankie had just been too real… and there was no doubt that his parents had recognized it, too. The way their eyes lit up at everything Frankie had said, and the meaningful glances he’d watched them exchange over dinner had told Hawk everything he’d needed to know.

  They were utterly, hopelessly, totally sprung on Frankie.

  And Hawk really couldn’t blame them.

  “Are they really still watching us?” Frankie asked, his voice just above a whisper, even though they were well out of earshot of the porch. “Should we… wave? Or… something?”

  Frankie nibbled at his lip, and Hawk could see that he was still concerned about the impression he’d made on Hawk’s parents… as if that had ever been in doubt. Still, watching Frankie worry his bottom lip between his teeth made Hawk want to reach out and touch it, just to calm Frankie’s nerves.

  Well… that was the reason Hawk was telling himself, anyway.

  “I already waved,” Hawk said. “But… I’ve got another idea, if you’re up to it. Just to, you know, sell the whole boyfriend thing a little more—and with any luck, they’ll wanna go back inside to give us a little privacy, so… two birds with one stone. Just, you know, if you want to…”

  Hawk knew he was starting to ramble, and he could tell by the confused look on Frankie’s face that he hadn’t done a good job of spelling out what his bold plan was, exactly.

  He couldn’t help but smile, though, when Frankie agreed without even hesitating.

  “Sure,” Frankie nodded, his eyes full of eager anticipation. “Whatever it is, I’m up to it.”

  Hawk almost asked again—there was something about being with Frankie that made Hawk want to do everything just right—but when he brought his hand up to Frankie’s cheek and traced his thumb along the petal-soft skin of Frankie’s jawline, all he could think about was getting closer.

  Touching him.

  Kissing him.

  Now.

  Hawk leaned in and Frankie’s lips parted, letting a little contented sigh escape. The way his eyes lit up—even more than usual—told Hawk that Frankie wanted this, too.

  And when their lips finally met?

  Yeah, those butterflies came back… except this time they were doing cartwheels and backflips and shooting off fireworks.

  Hawk could feel Frankie smile against his lips, and for a moment, he forgot he’s used “selling it” as an excuse to kiss him. Because that’s all it had been: an excuse. He gently sucked at that cute bottom lip that he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off all night, and Frankie melted right into him.

  He felt… perfect.

  Hawk pulled Frankie closer, and damn, it was as if Frankie’s body had been made to fit against his. He certainly hoped his parents weren’t still watching, because there was no denying the fact that having Frankie in his arms and feeling the waves of heat roll off his tight, sexy body was having an effect on Hawk.

  Gently, tentatively at first, Hawk explored Frankie’s mouth with his tongue, loving the startled but hungry—deliciously needy— sound that Frankie whimpered straight into Hawk’s mouth. And just when he was at the brink of giving in to the desire that was coursing through him—so hot and fast that it was making him dizzy—the sharp pain in his ribs reminded him to back off.

  Because as good and right as it felt to have Frankie in his arms—as much as it felt like Frankie was into it, too—it wasn’t supposed to be real. He backed away slightly, still cradling Frankie’s face in his hand as he tried to catch his breath and center his thoughts. Tried to remember that he’d already decided going for a real relationship right now wouldn’t work.

  Because… why, again?

  Frankie blinked rapidly, as if he was waking up from a dream, then grinned up at Hawk with the same adoring, happy-to-please smile as before. A smile that looked even better, in Hawk’s opinion, on kiss-swollen lips.

  “That was…” Frankie paused, then blinked again and swallowed hard, turning Hawk's favorite shade of pink as he asked, “Do you think we sold it?”

  “Yeah,” Hawk said, meaning it. “I think we definitely did.”

  They both turned to look back at the front porch, where his parents had been standing just a few moments before. Or maybe it had been minutes… or maybe hours. Hawk couldn’t tell and didn’t care. Being that close to Frankie—kissing him—had made time stand still and somehow speed up, too—both at the same time.

  “Let’s get you home,” Hawk said, opening the car door for Frankie and wondering if he’d have had the fortitude to make that suggestion if he hadn't been staying under his parents’ roof.

  If he’d had a place of his own to take Frankie back to instead.

  “Okay,” Frankie said, looking just disappointed enough to make Hawk want to pull him right back into his arms.

  Instead, he shoved his hands into his pockets where they wouldn’t get him in trouble, and grinned down at his new favorite thing about Bridgewater.

  “I think we’ve done enough selling for one night,” he said, winking—and loving how the wink instantly ratcheted up the intensity of Frankie’s blush. “And you were amazing, by the way.”

  “You really think so?” Frankie asked.

  The question sounded so innocent and sincere, as if he actually might still have doubts, even after that electric kiss.

  Seriously, could the guy be more adorable?

  “Absolutely,” Hawk said, still managing not to kiss him again. He grinned even wider as Frankie slipped into the passenger seat, then closed Frankie’s door and walked around to the driver’s side.

  It had been a good night. A successful night. There was no question that he and Frankie had sold the fake boyfriend thing, and then some.

  They’d maybe even done it a little too well.

  His parents had had no problem believing the two men were made for each other… and if Hawk wasn’t careful, he was going to start believing it, too.

  After such a great night, Hawk hadn’t wanted to say goodbye to Frankie. They’d sat and talked in Hawk’s car for a few minutes once they’d arrived at Frankie’s apartment, and Hawk had sort of been hoping that Frankie might invite him up to talk some more, or for a drink, or for… something.

  But the invitation hadn’t come, and Hawk hadn’t wanted to push. Just because he’d had a little trouble remembering they were pretending, didn’t mean he could assume Frankie felt the same.

  Although at least the smile on Frankie’s face as he’d gotten out of the car and waved goodbye had been enough to let Hawk know that—real or not—Frankie had had a good night, too.

  When he'd gotten back to the ranch, his parents had seemed ready for a new round of Frankie-trivia, but they had mercifully given in and let him go to bed when he’d said that his ribs were starting to hurt a little.

  And they were starting to hurt, so it wasn’t completely an excuse… it just happened to be convenient timing.

  Now he was finally
alone in his old room—thankfully, at the other end of the house from his parents—and even though he legitimately was in pain, and was tired from a long day and the adrenaline high he’d had during every minute of the evening he’d spent with Frankie, sleep was the last thing on his mind.

  In fact, the only thing that had been on his mind was the same thing he’d been thinking about all week, ever since that day in the hospital.

  Frankie.

  Hawk gingerly shrugged out of his shirt, wincing a little from the pain as he raised his arms. Yeah, that was probably karma for trying to dodge his parents earlier. A few more moments and he was in his boxers, sliding into bed under the crisp, cool sheets that felt so good against his warm skin. There, on his back and with his eyes closed, he was finally ready to let his mind wander until he drifted off to sleep.

  Except his wandering mind kept coming back to Frankie’s eyes… his smile… the way his lips felt when they’d kissed.

  Hawk groaned as his hardening cock twitched under the sheets. It had been a few weeks since he’d gotten laid, and the fact that he was getting hard just from thinking about a mostly-innocent kiss was testament to that fact.

  But it was more than that, too.

  Just being around Frankie had felt a little bit intoxicating, from the very first moment they’d met. If he was honest, as important as the contract negotiations were, his reaction to Frankie had been the main reason he’d so readily accepted Corbin’s crazy proposal to play fake boyfriends in the first place.

  Hawk’s hand idly played across his chest, grazing his sensitive nipple as he thought back to the way Frankie had looked up at him after that kiss.

  Back to that look in Frankie’s eyes that had seemed eager and excited and hungry.

  Back to that little needy whimper that had come from Frankie’s throat.

  Fuck. Hawk groaned. His cock was rock-hard and now his nipple was, too. Their relationship might be fake, but the heat that had been coming off Frankie’s body—and the heat in his eyes—that had to have been real. Very real.