Claimed by the Marine by Dez Burke Page A

And Hawk was very convincing; he played the part of smitten admirer quite well.”
    “Too well, I’d say,” Rebecca said. “I actually thought Ashanti was going to faint! Damn, I could barely remember to breathe and he wasn’t even looking at me!”
    Bertha was smirking. “Well, you do know my cousin Marcus has a whole platoon of fellow Marine pals for us to choose from. They’ll be deployed to the Middle East sometime soon but I know one or two others apart from Hawk who’re around, single and looking to mingle.”
    “If they look anything like this Hawk fella, girl then you better hook me up!” Rebecca said jokingly. Bertha and of course Janice knew she had a boyfriend she totally adored. In fact, they all did. Except for Ashanti.
    “Here’s to making our girlfriend smile and feel attractive again,” Bertha said, holding up her glass. The other two ladies shared the toast with murmurs of assent, before taking sips from their drinks.
    “So…,” Janice began hesitantly as she placed her glass back on the table, “They dance, he flirts outrageously with her and hopefully raises her seriously bashed self-esteem, then what?”
    Bertha shrugged. “I didn’t really plan that far ahead. We all know Ashanti is hardly ready for another relationship right now. I was shocked that she even agreed to dance with him.”
    Rebecca was chuckling, swishing her dark brown hair over one shoulder. “Trust me, Hawk didn’t give her the chance to refuse. Knowing her, she’d make her excuses after a dance or two and scuttle right back here to safety.” She shook her head regretfully.
    “Let’s not be so sure about that,” Janice was saying slowly as all three turned their eyes to the couple in question.  They seemed shocked to observe Ashanti now dancing so uninhibitedly with her handsome partner. They’d never seen her act with so little restraint especially not with a strange guy. As the three women turned back to each other it was clear from their expressions that they were wondering in what other ways their normally shy friend would let go before the night was through…
     
    Chapter Two
    Ashanti was so lost in the moment she couldn’t seem to stop giggling. She wondered if it was all those shots of tequila or if it was just Hawk.
    Damn, the man could move. He wasn’t a flashy dancer but he knew just how to work his lithe, manly body to meet her own steps which were getting more sensual by the minute. She couldn’t seem to help it. Around Hawk, she just felt like a different person.
    As song rolled into song she twisted her torso and rolled her hips in ways she’d never dreamed she could move. She raised her hands high and swayed fluidly to the beat, feeling Hawk’s hands fall on her slender waist.
    He was looking at her with heat in his eyes and she found herself giggling once again. For goodness sake! She couldn’t stand girls who giggled and she definitely was too old to be doing so but well try telling that to her silly little heart.
    She’d forgotten how good it felt to dance with a handsome, virile-looking guy who couldn’t seem to tear his gaze from her body. She was glad now that she’d let Bertha convince her into wearing her slinkiest black dress tonight.
    Normally conservative, Ashanti wasn’t much for wearing the sexy look. But for their night out, she’d felt confident around her girls to put on that daring number every girl’s closet usually had. The one left at the back of the rack because you were sure you’d never have the nerve to wear it out. But tonight, she had. And she’d never felt sexier, especially with the way Hawk’s eyes were pinned to her…like all he wanted to do was peel the dress off.
    Even in the high, equally daring black heels she wore, he still towered over her with his six foot plus frame. And he seemed happy to put his hands on her every time the chance presented itself. Her hands, her shoulders, her hips. Ashanti couldn’t deny being guilty of the same