Page 66 of Rayne

My eyes snap up to meet his. "What happened?"

There's no judgment in my tone, just concern and curiosity. If anything, I'm relieved that he's here with me safely. Hawk scans my expression, slowly softening as his barrier comes back down.

He reaches up, fingers tracing a spot on my neck. "You're bruising," he murmurs, anger flashing in his eyes.

I clasp my hand over my neck, feeling the tender skin. "It's okay," I tell him.

"It's not fucking okay," he answers angrily. "I can see his finger marks on your skin. I can see his hand on your face. Your lips are swollen and red from his disgusting mouth. Nothing about this is okay."

I nod, cupping his cheek. "I know," I say gently. "I know. But I'm here now. I'm safe."

Hawk covers my hand with his. "I removed every single finger that dared to leave a mark on you," he murmurs darkly.

"What?" I gasp.

His lips tug into a smirk. "He'll never do it again. He's lucky I left him alive."

"Hawk," I sputter. "You're going to get in so much trouble. We need to call Dad."

"He won't speak," Hawk replies, referring to Elijah. "I've made sure of it. I don't think you'll be seeing him again."

My eyes look over his, in disbelief. "Hawk…"

"Don't give me a lecture, Tempest," he shoots back. "I'm not a good person, remember?"

I feel a ping of hurt at his words, my own thoughts coming back to haunt me. I briskly grab his face in my hands. "That's bullshit," I whisper.

Hawk stares back at me. "I hurt people. I'm dangerous."

"You won't hurt me," I tell him confidently. "I'm not in danger."

He pushes me gently against the hallway wall, resting his forehead against mine. "You're making stupid decisions again."

I frown in confusion. "How so?"

"You're trusting me."

"I am," I murmur. "Because I know you'll always save me when I need it."

Hawk leans down, brushing his lips against mine. "Why is that?"

I kiss him back breathlessly. "I think it's because you love me."

He pulls back, face void of emotion. "You're only just figuring that out now?"

"You haven't made it easy," I taunt playfully. "But I also think you love to hate me too."

A smile breaks across his face, a small laugh getting caught in his throat. "Come on," he says, pushing back. "Let's get you cleaned up while Jett cooks dinner."

I glance around the hallway, realizing that we're alone. Jett must have slipped past us at some point. When I listen closely, I can hear movement in the kitchen, but it fades away when we climb the stairs.

Hawk's bedroom is exactly like it was this morning when I said goodbye to him. It doesn't slip past me that after I left with Jett, he followed us, standing outside my building.

How long was he waiting there?

We head into his bathroom and Hawk turns on the shower faucet before standing in front of me. He starts unbuttoning the shirt, chucking it and my bra into the corner of the room. I lean back against the wash basin as he drops to his knees, hands pulling down my torn skirt. When I'm naked in front of him, I'm surprised that he doesn't touch me.

My confusion must register because he looks up, a serious expression on his face. "I'm not going to touch you until you're ready," he tells me. "You've been through a lot today."

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