As Luck Would Have It Read online

  As Luck Would Have It

  Sam Crescent

  Jenika Snow

  Contents

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  About the Authors

  When Felicity was nearly run over, it’s Hawk that’s there to catch her before she falls...literally.

  He’s strong, handsome, and smart, and gave back to the community. Hawk’s everything a woman would want, but he’s also her competition.

  They come from two rivaling bakeries, so that should mean there’s no way they can be together. But it seemed fate had other plans.

  Because as luck would have it, once Hawk had her, he’s not letting her go.

  1

  “I’m not sure it’s looking like how it’s supposed to,” Felicity Roberts said.

  She stood off to the side in the warehouse, watching her best friend work on the float for the St. Patrick’s Day parade, which was happening in a couple of weeks.

  “Seriously?” Rebecca sounded aghast.

  They owned a bakery together, so it should have been obvious what they were trying to make. Most of the cupcakes they created were bestsellers, even award-winning. So when they’d entered the competition, it wasn’t to make Rebecca’s Place known, but to help with charity. Rebecca was like a sister to Felicity, so she hadn’t hesitated when Rebecca asked for help.

  When they opened the bakery, Felicity only wanted to bake. She wasn’t into the whole business side of things. Her true passion was in the kitchen and she loved bringing about brand-new cupcakes, cookies, or bars for the shop. That’s why she insisted the bakery be named after Rebecca. It had been her idea, after all.

  “I think it looks like a giant cupcake. Come on, this is awesome.” Rebecca jumped off the float and nudged her around to the side, where there was a picture of the two of them together, their shop details, and some serious promotion. “Do you have any idea how this will not only help the business, but also raise money for the children’s hospital?”

  Felicity nodded.

  “I’ve always wanted to be in a parade.”

  “This is certainly an all-out float, for sure,” Felicity said.

  “Absolutely. Now, go and get us some coffees so I can finish this off. Your overall downer is affecting my mojo.”

  “Seriously? You’re pushing me away right now?”

  “You’re not into this anyway. I can tell. Besides, coffee will give us both a kick start to finish this.” Rebecca smiled. “This is going to be awesome. You’re too much of a pessimist. Go. Go.”

  Felicity grabbed her bag and left her friend to finish off the parade float. She never celebrated St. Patrick’s Day, and she never would. Only, she knew Rebecca had made her an actual costume so they could stand together on the float. Her best friend would look like the sexy businesswoman, and she was the dirty baker, covered in flour.

  Shaking her head, she left the warehouse where they housed the float and headed away from all the parade activity. Most of the shops and businesses along the stretch of road were working on floats. It was a huge deal but not for her. Once Rebecca got something in her head, there was no stopping her, and with business booming, they wanted to keep up the interest and support. When they first started up, they’d nearly had to close because of their lack of customer base.

  One big event for a friend, and they found their flow, and hadn’t been out of business since.

  Tucking some hair behind her ear, she started to cross the street, toward the food truck that served really good coffee.

  In the distance, she heard a car horn blare out.

  “Stop! Hey, get out of the road.”

  Before Felicity knew what was happening, she was being thrown just as a car rushed past. Although she should have crashed into the sidewalk, she felt someone holding her tightly, cushioning the blow.

  “Are you insane?”

  She opened her eyes, which she must have closed when she was shoved, to see none other than Hawk Black staring down at her. She couldn’t help but glare at him.

  Hawk Black.

  Their sexy as hell business rival.

  He owned the café across the street, something that did have them fighting over customers. But his arrogant attitude, and the fact his business was flourishing where theirs seemed to stay at the same level, annoyed her.

  “Get off me.” She pushed on him and paused as she noticed people were watching them. Rebecca’s annoying advice entered her thoughts. “Think about our reputation. Do not let your mouth ruin our image.”

  Hawk smirked. “It looks like you’ve got to be nice to me or all these nice people will see what a bitch you’re being.”

  Damn, had she said that out loud?

  She glared at him. It was all she could do as he got to his feet and helped her up.

  He held her hand, not letting her go. “I’m going to make sure our damsel is okay. Thank you all for your concern.” He addressed the crowd that was gathering.

  Hawk led her away and she couldn’t help but follow, stunned how all of this was transpiring. But she couldn’t help how she felt with him holding her hand, or how big and strong he was. He was a man in all the right places, with muscles that couldn’t be hidden behind his clothes. Even though it was cold out, he wore a formfitting shirt, which only served to enhance his hard, muscular form.

  He certainly didn’t look like a chef or a baker, and yet she’d been informed he was both. The café he part owned was with his dad. He was even likable to a lot of people. Hawk had come out of the military to help his family with their struggling business. Who could hate someone like that?

  With his sharp blue eyes and messy blond hair that always looked like he’d run his fingers through it, she couldn’t help the heat that claimed her.

  “Where are we?” she asked as they entered an apartment.

  “My place.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah.” He chuckled. “My dad ended up moving into the apartment above the café after my mom passed away. I moved here to give him some space.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know she passed away.”

  He smiled and it changed the ruggedness of his face. It made him seem almost … softer. “It was a while ago. I’m fine, living my life and all that. So, want to tell me why you decided to try and kill yourself?” He gently set her onto a chair, crouching down to look into her eyes. She didn’t like how close he was because it affected her on a very pleasurable level.

  “I wasn’t trying to kill myself.” She rolled her eyes.

  He smirked. “Rebecca would probably have a fit knowing you were in my place … seeing as I’m the competition and all.”

  She looked away. Rebecca hadn’t hid the fact she thought Hawk was attractive. And Felicity couldn’t deny he was a fine specimen.

  She didn’t need that visual, not now.

  “Thank you,” she said. “For … saving me. I clearly wasn’t watching where I was going.”

  “You’re thanking me?”

  “Yes. Of course.”

  “Well, I like this. You saying thank you. I like it a whole lot.” His body pressed against her. “I have a feeling I’m going to need to hear this a whole lot more.” His hands touched her thighs, and s
he hated the sudden hit of arousal he’d inspired within her.

  She didn’t want to like this man. She should hate him … right?

  He was pompous.

  Egotistical.

  Mean.

  Horrible.

  And he turned her on.

  Now, he’d saved her, and she wasn’t going to be able to live this one down.

  2

  Felicity had no idea why she was still in Hawk’s house. Yet here she sat and watched as he went into his kitchen, grabbed a first aid kit, then walked back to where she sat.

  But she felt like there was no other place she wanted to be.

  His arrogance infuriated her, but his sexiness aroused her. It was a secret of hers, one she had never admitted to Rebecca, hell, one she had never even said out loud.

  A thrill of electricity moved through her as she stared at him. He was a hard worker, had this all-around masculine aura, and the fact he was rugged yet worked with his hands, baking, creating things that people enjoyed eating, had her feeling flushed in all the right ways.

  “I’m fine, really. I should get back to Rebecca. She’s going to wonder where I’m at.” He didn’t speak as he grabbed her arm and turned it slightly inward, exposing her elbow and the scrape that lined the back of her bicep.

  She’d been so stunned by how everything had transpired that she hadn’t even realized she’d gotten scraped up. But now, taking inventory of her body, she felt the sting on her elbow, the twitch of pain in her ankle, and even the burn in her palm. She looked down at her hand and saw a nasty gash lining the flesh.

  “You’re more than welcome to call her and tell her where you’re at.”

  Felicity snapped her head up and looked at Hawk, but he was busy tending to her cut. No way could she tell Rebecca where she was. That would open up a whole slew of questions, and they were ones Felicity didn’t want to answer right now. Because she knew if Rebecca started prodding on why she was here, Felicity wouldn’t be able to stop the truth from spilling.

  She wouldn’t be able to lie. Felicity would admit that she actually wanted Hawk, that she’d desired him since the moment she saw him. It was easier just to keep up the façade that she hated him.

  “No, I’ll just wait until you’re done and then go.” He glanced at her then, his blue eyes like an oven, deep and penetrating.

  “The hostility that comes from you whenever you see me is pretty damn intense.” He smirked, although he wasn’t looking at her.

  She didn’t say anything as she watched him clean her elbow with a piece of gauze that he soaked in peroxide. Then he applied some ointment to it and finally covered it with a bandage.

  Before she could say anything, he was working on her hand, holding onto her wrist, his long, masculine fingers curled gently around the bone and making her feel very small and almost fragile.

  “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you hated me.”

  She felt her cheeks heat.

  “I don’t hate you.” The words came out before she could stop them. Although Felicity liked to pretend she did loathe him, the truth of the matter was, she didn’t.

  Maybe it was just jealousy because it seemed like he ran his business so absolutely perfectly. People loved him. They fawned over him, and his café was always busy. It was like he didn’t even struggle.

  He finished bandaging her palm, then leaned back. They stared at each other for a second and she felt something shift in her. It was deep and moving, and something she didn’t want to think too deeply about because it was very ... real.

  “I should go.” She stood before she could stop herself, before she could feel herself falling further into the rabbit hole where Hawk was concerned.

  As it was, her emotions were right at the top, refusing to lessen. And being this close to him, smelling the woodsy, masculine cologne he wore, made her feel drunk, aroused.

  It was a dangerous feeling.

  “Thank you,” she murmured and grabbed her bag, which was sitting on the coffee table. She hauled ass to the door, feeling nervous and anxious, feeling his gaze on her.

  She opened the door and looked back at him. He stood there staring at her, his hands shoved in his jeans pockets, this strange expression on his face. She didn’t know what was going on, but the way he looked at her, how he made her feel bared and exposed, was not something she wanted to explore.

  It made her feel like he knew exactly how she felt for him.

  Hawk had been watching Felicity for a long time, desired her since the first moment he’d laid eyes on her. But he knew she saw him as competition, knew that her keeping him at an arm’s length distance, maybe even hating him, was a defense mechanism.

  But what Felicity didn’t know was that Hawk wasn’t going to stop wanting her. He wasn’t going to walk away from her. They’d been thrust into each other’s lives, fate literally having her fall into his arms.

  He’d tended to her wounds, protected her, and all he wanted to do was keep her safe. He now knew what she felt like pressed against him, her body resting against his, the scent of lemon and her hair having every possessive instinct in his body coming to attention.

  She could run, but what she didn’t know was that he would chase her. There was no place on this planet she could hide, because Hawk was hungry for her.

  In fact, he was starved for Felicity.

  3

  “You’ve been quiet this morning,” Rebecca said.

  Felicity replaced the tray of oatmeal raisin cookies before turning toward her friend. They were open from six in the morning until five in the afternoon, then they had to finish up their float in the evenings.

  “I’m tired.”

  She was used to long days. Since high school, they’d always been up at the crack of dawn, and stayed up late.

  “Really?” Rebecca finished serving an older lady, giving the boy with her a smile and a cookie. “I heard you nearly got run over the other day.”

  Felicity grabbed the cookie tray, offering Rebecca a glare.

  “Why are you looking at me like that? It’s not like I said it was the truth. It was the truth, wasn’t it? I also heard Hawk was there to save you.” Rebecca said.

  “Could we not do the dramatics?” Felicity said, leaving her friend at the front of the counter and heading toward the kitchen.

  “Come on, you know I’ve told you for years he’s got fuck-me eyes and they’re always directed at you. You just don’t see it.”

  “And you try to see way too much,” Felicity said. “You’ve got to keep an eye on the shop.”

  “I can. I can see it right here. Come on, tell me more.”

  “I was distracted. I nearly got hit, and Hawk was there to pull me out of the way.”

  “It sounds so romantic.”

  “Please, you don’t believe in romance, nor do you like it. Why do you have to bug me about it today?” Felicity moved to the oven, and saw her brownies were perfect.

  “I think you should take him over a warm brownie or a small gift box, thank him, and bring me back some of his delicious coffee.” Rebecca grinned. “Don’t ever admit I prefer his coffee to ours.” She laughed. “And tell him it’s for Rebecca.” She winked at Felicity.

  “You’re serious right now?” she asked, staring at her best friend.

  “Totally serious.” Rebecca grabbed one of their gift boxes. “I’ll start packing it up for you.”

  “He’s across the street. If he wanted a thank you, he’d come right here.”

  “And maybe all he needs is a nudge from the right person.” Rebecca winked at her.

  They had argued this point so much, Felicity had hoped her friend had gotten over it. It seemed Rebecca still liked to believe Hawk wanted her, in the sexual sense.

  She’d never seen it, not once.

  He always held that smirk on his lips. The one that made her want to hit him because doing something else to those lips was unthinkable.

  Would it be so hard to go over and say thank you?


  It wasn’t like she was offering up her soul for the pleasure.

  Removing her apron, she rushed toward the bathroom, washing her hands and wiping off any specks of flour or other baking ingredients she found.

  She could do this. Just go over and talk to him.

  It would be completely natural, and seeing as it was just after the lunch hour, he shouldn’t be overly busy.

  There was nothing she could do about her mess of hair bound up on her head. Rebecca was waiting, complete with filled box of goodies.

  “Have fun.” Rebecca slapped her ass, and she offered up a glare. The last thing she wanted to do right now was go and see her … problem.

  Taking a deep breath, she didn’t even think as she crossed the street. Now with her only a few feet away, there was no way of her pretending to go elsewhere. Determined to see this through, she opened the door to the café, and sure enough, only a couple of customers were there.

  Hawk’s father smiled at her as she entered.

  She stood beside the door, wanting the floor to open and swallow her up.

  “I wanted to see Hawk,” she said.

  “He’s in the office, just out in the back. He’ll love to see you.”

  She doubted it but offered him a smile anyway. With her bounty, she made her way in the direction he’d pointed. Her nerves were nearly getting the better of her, when she caught sight of Hawk in his office. He was on the phone but as she was about to give up and turn away, he looked up, catching sight of her.

  You can do this.

  She stepped up to his office door, opened it a little more, and went inside just as he put the phone down.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “I was done talking. What brings you here?” he asked.