“Heather? Who the fuck are you?” He swayed on his feet.
“I’m just here to help you make it to your room safely. That’s all.”
“I don’t want you. Get Cara. Tell her to get her ass to my room. I need my woman.” He pushed Heather away and staggered, his hands gripping anything he could to steady himself. Officers maintained rooms even if they didn’t live at the clubhouse, and he slowly clumped up the stairs to his on the third floor.
It took several minutes for him to put the key in the lock, but finally the door opened. Pushing it closed, he leaned back against it, waiting for the room to stop swirling. With much effort, he made it to the bed, pulled off his boots, and flopped on his back. Closing his eyes, darkness came.
*
Hawk raised his heavy eyelids, quickly closing them halfway when shards of sunlight pierced them. Draping his arm over his eyes, he groaned. His head felt like an axe was planted in it, and his throat was like sandpaper. Fuck. Taking his arm away from his pounding head, he forced his eyes open again and cursed the brightness of the morning as he struggled to cope with it. On the nightstand, he saw his phone and fumbled for it. When he saw a ton of texts and several missed calls from Cara, his stomach turned sour. I really fucked up. Deciding he better get his ass home and smooth things over, he tried to move but it felt like he was in quicksand.
Then he heard a soft sigh and something bump against his left leg. Glancing over, he saw a woman sleeping next to him. He bolted up. “Fuck!” he yelled, then held his head. Nausea grabbed him as realization hit him: a woman other than Cara was in his bed. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to remember what the hell had happened the night before. Did I fuck her? I couldn’t have. I never would’ve done that to Cara. He was pissed at her, but he’d never take another woman in his bed. But there was another woman lying next to him.
What the hell did I do?
Nudging her with his leg, Heather turned around, smiling. She stretched like a cat, then wrapped her arm around his waist. He moved it away.
“Why the hell are you in my bed?”
“I was so tired, I fell asleep after you did.” Smiling shyly, she ran her finger up his arm. “You’re way better than your reputation, and that’s pretty awesome.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Her gaze widened. “I’ve never been fucked like that before. It was pretty incredible.”
Forcing himself up, he grabbed his T-shirt on the floor. “You’re bullshitting.”
Jutting out her lower lip, she pushed herself up and leaned against the headboard, the falling sheet revealing her naked breasts. “I’m insulted you don’t remember our night of passion.”
“Cover your damn tits.” He went over to the window and looked at the mountains, squinting. Did I really fuck her? How could I do that? Yeah, I was drunk as shit, but there’s no way I’d betray Cara. Since he’d first seen her, she was the only woman he’d ever wanted. Women came on to him all the time, but he never considered going behind Cara’s back. He didn’t want to; she was the love of his life and was enough for him for a zillion lifetimes. He glanced down. I still have my jeans on. Something’s not right.
“Do you wanna take a shower together? I can rub you down real good.”
He looked over his shoulder. “I want you to get the fuck outta my room. You shouldn’t have been here in the first place. Club whores aren’t allowed in an officer’s room.”
“Unless he invites her, and that’s what you did.” Naked, she bent over and scooped up her clothes. She blew a kiss at him, winked, and closed the door behind her.
Staring at the closed door, he rubbed his temples, trying to remember if he did something so despicable and disloyal to the only woman he’d ever loved. In his past, he’d been wasted to where he blacked out, but he’d never fucked a woman and didn’t remember it. This is bullshit. There’s no way I would’ve touched another woman, drunk or not.
He trudged to the bathroom and stepped into the shower. The cool water calmed his aching head and gave him renewed vitality. After drying and dressing, he gulped down three aspirins and headed downstairs.
The great room looked like a tornado had hit it: bottles strewn everywhere, furniture topsy-turvy, blinds torn from the windows. When he went into the kitchen, Kristy hovered over the counter, pouring orange juice into a glass.
“You don’t look so good. Want some?” She lifted the carton and reached for a glass when he nodded. “You tied on a good one last night.” She smiled as she handed him the glass.
In one long gulp, he drank the juice. “What the fuck happened last night?”
“You were in a real sour mood and you got real drunk. I haven’t seen you that drunk in a really long time. Remember how we used to party?”
He slowly nodded. “When we did, I always remembered it the next morning.”
“Of course you did. I was unforgettable.” She laughed.
“Yeah, but I always remembered when I fucked a chick. Something’s not gelling here.”
Kristy pressed her lips together and turned away.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, shrugging.
“Don’t bullshit me. We go back a long time. I know when you’re hiding something.”
She walked over to the kitchen door, looked out, and then closed it. Taking the seat next to his at the breakfast counter, she placed her hand on his forearm. “That shit last night was staged.”
“What do you mean?”
“Heather concocted it. She’s pissed as hell that you’re ignoring her, and she hates Cara. Lola egged her on, but it was all Heather’s doing. I told her not to do it, and Brandi and Wendy said she was fuckin’ nuts. We thought she was all talk until Lola came to our rooms telling us Heather snuck into yours.”
His temples pounded. “So I didn’t fuck Heather?”
“No way. Do you think I would’ve let that happen?” She laughed dryly. “If you’re gonna stray for one night, it’s gonna be with me. I was your go-to girl back before Cara came into the picture.”
“That fuckin’ bitch.” Muscles strained against his skin.
“You were so wasted you forgot to lock your door. The slut snuck in there early this morning.”
“She’s fuckin’ history.”
Kristy stretched her arms over her head. “I never liked her. She doesn’t know her place. I’m the head club girl, but she acts like she’s all that just ’cause she’s twenty-two and all the brothers are into her ’cause she’s new meat. She’s nothing but a skank.”
Hawk put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. “Thanks for telling me.” He stood up. “I gotta take care of something before I go.” He walked to the door and stopped when Kristy called his name. He turned around and looked at her.