2. Control

Hawk leaned against the brick wall outside his gym with his eyes fixed on the U-Haul down the street. 

Lilly was back. 

He and Quill had met with her weeks before, allowing her to sign a three-year lease for the unoccupied space between their businesses. They allowed her to sign it without revealing what the business would be. 

She also signed the lease for the apartment above the business. The empty one between Hawk and Quill's apartments. 

He watched as she started unloading boxes. He had no idea what she was planning for the storefront, which annoyed him more than he wanted to admit. For someone who prided himself on control, not knowing left a sour taste in his mouth. 

She intrigued him, though, and that was rare.

The heavy thud of weights inside the gym reminded him he'd left his own workout still half-finished. 

He didn't care. His fixation was on her, studying how she moved and carried herself almost effortlessly. There was a strange confidence in how she went about everything for a mere human. 

Hawk's muscles ached from his earlier set, but something had drawn him outside. He wasn't ready to call it fate, but he knew he was supposed to be here.

"Guess you're doing all this alone," he said as he kicked off the wall and started toward her.

Lilly glanced up and raised a hand to block the sun. "I was," she said with a grin. He noticed how her brown eyes danced in the bright sunlight as she giggled... and how they were almost the same color as Quills. "But since you're here, maybe you could help?"

He bent down and lifted one of the heavier boxes. His muscles strained and protested, reminding him of what he was doing before she arrived. 

He was stressed out, so he was in the process of doing what he always did... 

Pushed until he reached total muscle failure.

Maximum exertion was the only time he felt he could control the feelings and urges he fought constantly, the ones that led to being that stressed out.

 He followed her up the stairs to the apartment above the shop, aware that each step they took together built an uncertainty he couldn't shake. 

It wasn't just about what she was hiding anymore. It was about her. 

When they reached the top, Hawk placed the box down and glanced around the room. She'd already slipped past him with at least one load. That much was clear.

How was she doing that? 

He knew everything that happened around this area. He had to. His father expected him to. So how was a five-foot-tall human giving him the slip? 

"So... What's the big secret, Lilly?" 

She just smiled. "You'll find out soon enough," she said teasingly. "It's something you might like."

She was either stubborn or strong-willed. Maybe both.

Humans weren't usually this strong, and they sure didn't usually stand in a room with a pumped-up Alpha without showing any effect. 

Yet he she was, acting like it was just another day at the park. He sniffed the air again, and all his senses still screamed human. 

She was human, that much was clear. A strong-willed, alpha-level-energy projecting human. 

No damn wonder she intrigued him. It couldn't be anything else. It's not like he was attracted to her or anything.

Before he could push further, Quill's voice echoed up the stairs. "Am I late for the party, or are you two pretending to work?"

Hawk barely acknowledged him, but he knew Quill's eyes were already on him. Quill's dark hair was slicked back, tattoos on display, and Hawk felt that familiar flicker of rivalry stir between them. 

Rivalry and... 

He pushed the thought away.

"You always show up after the heavy lifting," he muttered as Quill reached the top of the stairs in a few exaggerated strides.

Quill shrugged, his usual amusement on full display as he took in the scene. "I like making an entrance." He looked between them, lingering on Lilly just long enough to make Hawk roll his eyes. 

He fucking hated when Quill looked at girls like that.  

Lilly grinned as she watched them. "Two strong men helping me move in? I must've hit the jackpot."

Quill shot Hawk a look. "You could say that."

The rest of the boxes were carried in silence. Hawk could feel Quill's eyes on him occasionally, and he resisted the urge to snap each time.

It wasn't like Quill could read his mind, but Hawk didn't trust the idea of them circling around Lilly. Both of them. She didn't seem like someone who needed protection, but Hawk felt the pull to guard her just the same.

When Lilly went back downstairs, Quill snorted as Hawk growled softly. "You're not going to figure her out," he muttered. "Not until she opens whatever she is planning."

Hawk bristled. "I don't need your input to figure her out."

Quill leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "Sure, you don't. But she's playing a game, and we're both in it now." He shifted slightly, watching Hawk for a reaction. "You don't like being left in the dark, do you?"

Hawk didn't answer. He wouldn't give Quill the satisfaction of knowing how much it bothered him. Instead, he walked back outside to grab another box. Quill followed as he chuckled quietly. He was fully aware of how much this was bothering Hawk. He knew it would bother him this much the second he agreed to allow her to sign the lease without telling them what she was planning. That it would eat at him until it manifested into something that would look almost crazy to a human. Yet he did it ever so willingly. 

This girl intrigued Hawk as much as she did him, and Quill knew it. 

Lilly smiled at the both of them. "Last one. Feel free to fight over it," she teased.

Quill didn't miss a beat. "Don't give him ideas," he muttered, taking the box before Hawk could react. Hawk said nothing. He wouldn't rise to the bait, not yet. Not when a human was watching. 

After they finished, Hawk stood in the doorway. 

"You're really not going to tell us?" Hawk finally asked after she turned Quill's offer to help her move into the space below down.

Lilly only smiled. "Not yet. It'll be worth the wait, trust me. Patience and anticipation are good. One could even say they are cornerstones of artistry."

"So it is art related," Quill asked with a smirk. Hawk rolled his eyes but was happy about that part. Now, maybe Quill would get as concerned about this as he was.

"Yes, it is. Now, if I may, gentleman, I must unpack. Plus, my pillow is calling my name. It was an eight-hour drive, you know."

Once outside, Hawk stopped, glancing at Quill. "She's hiding something."

"Obviously," Quill replied, lighting a cigarette. He inhaled deeply. "The question is, what are you going to do about it?"

Hawk didn't answer right away. His eyes were on the U-Haul, still half-full of whatever Lilly had packed her life into. "I'm not sure yet. I'll figure it out. She can't hide it forever."

Quill smirked, flicking ash onto the sidewalk. "That's the thing, Hawk. We're not in control of this one. She is."

Hawk stared at him. "We'll see about that."