Free The Strong Silent Type by Marie Ferrarella Page A

lessons?”
    “Nope, that is one thing you don’t need, Hawkins. Lessons.” Even as she spoke, a glimmer of the feeling she’d experienced yesterday came back to her. She knew enough to be able to separate it from the half-drowsy state created by the painkillers she’d taken. His kiss had curled her toes. “I’d even go so far as to say that you were a natural.”
    He tugged on the folder that was now partially planted beneath her butt. “Then I don’t need to get out more, do I?”
    He’d trapped her with her own words, but she wasn’t one to accept defeat easily. Rather than move as he tugged, she took hold of his sleeve and tugged herself.
    “Come with me to the Shannon or I’ll come into the squad room tomorrow morning and tell everyone that you carried me down five flights of stairs and held my hand while the surgeon stitched me up.”
    Obviously her perspective had gotten confused. “I didn’t hold your hand—you held on to mine. I just didn’t relish the idea of having it ripped out of the socket, remember?”
    After twenty-four hours, you’d think he would have come up with a better excuse than that, she thought. He’d stayed because he’d wanted to stay, pure and simple. If he hadn’t, no power on earth would have made him.
    Just like now. Teri scooted off the desk and crossed to the door. “Your whole reputation as a tough guy is on the line here,” she warned, her hand on the doorknob.
    “No one would believe you.” He was already going back to his work.
    Teri cocked her head, looking at him. Waiting. “You want to take that chance?”
    He wasn’t going to get anywhere further tonight. His brain felt tired and he needed a respite. Looking up, he saw her still standing there. Hawk frowned. “Just one drink?”
    She raised her right hand as if she was about totake a solemn oath. “Just one drink. Unless, of course, you want more.”
    Maybe, a small voice whispered within him. Annoyed, he blocked it out. “I want less,” he informed her.
    “Then one it is.” The bar, run by two brothers who were both former policemen, was located several blocks away from the police precinct. “C’mon, we’ll take my car. I’ll drive.”
    Hawk rose to his feet. “We’ll take both cars and we’ll both drive.”
    He didn’t trust her further than he could throw her. Less, he amended. If he gave her an inch, she’d take a mile. And he might just let her. That would lead to places neither one of them could afford to go.
    It didn’t take a clairvoyant to know what he was thinking. She smiled at him. “Looking to make a quick getaway?”
    Slipping on his jacket, he gave her a dark look. “I don’t appreciate you constantly second-guessing what’s on my mind. Stop it.”
    “Yes, sir.” She’d won the round, she could afford to be generous. And then she added with a grin, “You never know when that might come in handy someday.”
    He didn’t see how that was possible.
     
    The wall of noise within the Shannon died down several decibels the moment he walked in behind Teri. His first inclination was just to back out, getback into his car and go to Joe’s. He hadn’t wanted to come anyway. It wasn’t as if he didn’t see enough of the others, especially Cavanaugh, during regular hours.
    But he’d never backed away from anything and this little venture fell under the heading of a challenge, no matter how small.
    So he kept on walking, his eyes fixed on the long, sleek bar that ran the length of the rear wall. How long could it take to drink one beer?

Chapter Six
    H awk frowned. It was taking far too long to down this one beer. Every time he bent his elbow, about to drink some more of the deep amber liquid, someone else would come up to bend his ear instead.
    If he didn’t know any better, he would have said that the whole establishment had been packed with people who belonged to T.A.—Teris Anonymous, there to try to purge as many words out of their system as was humanly possible without