Page 84 of Cutter's Hope

I did know. His brother had been on the shit of his own volition, Faith wasn’t a willing addict, this had been done to her…

“Yeah, man. I know.”

“Thanks,” Marlin nodded and sighed going back for the door.

“You need to talk, you can reach out.” I called after him. He nodded, a haunted look in his eyes and I knew that look, it was bad in there, whatever was going down and I had mad respect for my VP handling it like he was. If it had been Hope, I could do it. I would do it… but it wasn’t and I didn’t know the first thing about getting a junkie off of that shit. Probably wouldn’t have the patience for the whining and tantrums he was about to endure, but Marlin was good at that… enduring. His brother had been a cross of his to bear for a long while. Damn fuckin’ shame that had turned out to be.

I slung the mesh dive bag with my pile of sealed essentials in it over my chest and made the long walk to the water’s edge. I could see two heads bobbing in the water alongside the Mysteria Avenge and smiled faintly to myself when I caught sight of Hope on the hammock, she’d raised her arm to shade her eyes and the motion caught my attention.

I trudged into the surf and made the swim back out easily. Reaver and Hayden waved, masks and snorkels in place and I waved back. I wanted a minute with Hope alone. I climbed up the ladder off the side and hauled myself onto the deck, dripping. Hope lazed in the sun, her bronzed skin gleaming with oil, the smell of coconut and lime perfuming the air.

“Hey,” I said.

“Fire out?” she asked.

“No fire,” I unslung the bag and let it drop.

“What was the big damn emergency then?” she seemed like she was back together and I smiled.

“Tell you about it later,” I said and she glanced out at the water and nodded and that right there must have been what my boys saw in her, or part of it.

“I ain’t letting you go. Call me creepy, or a fucking stalker status asshole all you want, but you don’t find this but once in a lifetime, Babe.” I dropped to the deck, sitting beside the hammock and crossed my ankles, propping my forearms on my knees. I looked at Hope who looked at me plaintively through her big bug eyed sunglasses.

“Good to know we’re on the same page,” she said quietly and evenly but her voice was almost too steady, too careful.

“I’m in it to win it here, Sweetheart. You and me and living this life of mine. You make my world complete. You make it perfect and I want that, I want you so hard…” I shut my mouth and shook my head.

“I’m a mess,” she said softly and I shook my head.

“No, you’remymess,” I said and she nodded carefully.

“My sisters…”

“Will sort themselves out with our help. I get it, you’re a package deal and I really am okay with that; I mean, haven’t I proven that by now?”

“Yes,”

“So stay with me. Move in with me, say you’ll be mine.”

“Only if you say you’ll be mine too…”

“Two way street, Sweetheart, I’m down with that. I really am. I want you, and to be clear, that means only you. I don’t want anybody else, I – “ Didn’t get to finish what I was saying because she rolled off the hammock lightning quick and flattened me to the deck. I put my hands on her hips where she straddled my waist and she pulled off her sunglasses, searching my face for any bullshit. There was none, and finally satisfied that I meant every word I was saying she kissed me.

I held my woman in my arms under the warm sunlight and felt a burden on my soul lift. I had a partner, I had a Queen for my little seaside kingdom, finally and whatever lay on the road ahead I knew we could handle it, just like we’d handled everything to this point.

“I love you,” she said against my mouth.

“I love you too, Sweetheart. No insecurities, no worrying nothing to be afraid of. We got this,” I promised her and she laughed, and it was one of the freest sexiest sounds I had ever heard come out of her. Her arms went around my shoulders and mine went for my fly. I couldn’t get enough of her, I would never get enough of her; I loved her just so damn much. Everything else was just a fucking formality in the face of that and not me, not her, and none of mine stood much on formality.

“Oh God,” she gasped as I moved her bikini bottom aside and sank into her. I smiled up at her.

“I like the sound of that, you can call me that any time you like, Sweetheart.”

Hope threw back her head and laughed and I swear on everything, it was the sweetest and sexiest sound I’d ever heard, and I wanted to hear more of it. A lot. Until the day I died.

Amen.

Epilogue

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