Page 78 of Hawk's Sapphire

I didn’t want to love him.I didn’t want to believe his declarations.I didn’t want to leave him either.But now, standing here watching him gently towel off my body after ravishing me so thoroughly, I know this is inevitable.

“I love you,” I blurt out, spilling my thoughts out into the air.My heart sputters when his hands stop moving and his eyes lock on mine.His hand comes up to cup my cheek, his forehead pressed to mine.

“I love you too, Sapphire.I think I always have.Just didn’t think I was worthy of someone like you.But now that I know you feel the same way, you need to understand something.I’m keeping you.”His lips meet mine, and this time he takes his time, tasting, teasing, loving me, and for the first time in my life,I believe him.

32

HAWK

After a long night of fucking and finally feeling like me and Sadie are on the same page, we came down to breakfast this morning and found Vincenzo, Matteo, and Emelia seated at the dining room table.In the middle of the table is a large white box with a red bow and a manilla envelope addressed to Sadie personally.

The two of us have finally come to the agreement that I’m hers and she’s mine.We’ll figure out what that looks like when we get our asses back home to Oakridge and I can put my patch on her back, but for now, we still have work to do here.

The four of us sat and watched as Sadie opened the gift after Vincenzo’s men made sure it was safe to do so.Inside, she found a short, black sequined dress.This shit is so short and low cut in the front and back, it leavesnothingto the imagination.It looks like something the girls working at Glitz ′n Tass would wear to serve cocktails while soliciting lap dances.There is absolutely no way in hell I’d ever let Sadie wear that scrap of material, let alone to meet fucking Cusenza at one of his restaurants for dinner and a meeting.

This twisted motherfucker also requested Matteo accompany her to the dinner.He wants to discuss the inconvenience Matteo’s woman caused Cusenza the other night.He also wants to pay Matteo for Sadie and then give her to aclientwho has paid a great deal of money in order to serve her punishment for said inconvenience.

The fucked-up part about all of this is they’re all in agreement that Sadie should do it.She took the dress to her room with Emelia to try the damn thing on.

“You can’t be serious.We've both seen the same files.You’re not clueless to what the Feds have on this sick son of a bitch.You can’t honestly think I would let my woman offer herself up on a silver fucking platter to him.”I point a finger at Vincenzo.“Would you?”I ask, even though we both know the answer.“Would you send your woman to her death like this?To be raped, beaten, and mutilated!You know what they do to these women.Tell me you’d let Emelia go as bait,” I taunt, fury thrumming through me at the audacity of the man to think I would be okay with this.

“My woman didn’taskto be bait.Nor did she offer a plan to shut down Cusenza’s operation from the inside.Emelia didn’t ask me to fund her rescue mission or teach her how to not be broken in the hands of an enemy.Sadie, however,did,” he says with a short, humorless laugh.

“I don’t care whose idea it was or how well you think you’ve trained her.Sadie is not doing it.Find someone else.Someone who looks like her.I don’t fucking care.But Sadie is not going anywhere near that twisted fucker.”I put my foot down on the subject.“I’m not fucking kidding, Vincenzo.You’re not sending my woman into the lion’s den unprotected to bepunished.You and I both know exactly what he means by that, and she’s not doing it.Period.”

Vincenzo smiles.Then Matteo clears his throat and the air in the room grows thick.I know Sadie’s behind me.I can feel her eyes burning into the back of my head and these two fuckwits are enjoying it.

Sadie approaches me wearing the tiny scrap of shiny material that should be classified as a rubber band, more so than a dress.I want to cover her up to keep these assholes from seeing what’s mine.To drag her ass out of the room and then turn it red with my hand for her audacity to even wear the damn thing at all.

“Why are you wearing that … that scrap of a dress out here?Go change into something else.Anything else.So long as it covers your tits and ass.”It comes out harsh, but I’m still not seeing clearly.Not the best time to lose my shit while standing in the dining room with two made men and a house full of soldiers, who can not only kill me, butwantto.But I have zero fucks to give about any of that at the moment.

“Club girls wear less and you’ve never complained,” Sadie points out smugly, crossing her arms over her chest, which pushes her tits up more.If she pushes any harder, the damn things are going to topple out and then Iamgoing to lose my shit, and this argument won’t matter because Vincenzowillfucking kill me.

“They’re whores.Notmywoman.There’s a difference.”Am I a hypocrite?Yes.Do I care?Not one fucking ounce.“You aren’t leaving this house wearing that.It’s out of the question, babe.”

Her eyes narrow and something flickers in them I can’t quite decipher, but it’s her indifference that worries me.

There’s a soft chuckle, and a mumbled, “Dumbass” comes from beside me, but I ignore it.

I expect a fiery response.For her to tell me to fuck off and throw a tantrum like Sadie usually does, but it doesn’t come.I study her face and what I find in her eyes has me heavily concerned.She’s not scared.She’s not upset.No, she’s something much worse.

She’s fucking determined.

“Hawk,” she starts, but I’m already shaking my head, not about to listen to her bullshit.“This isn’t up to you.”

The fuck did she say?

Leaning in close to her face, through gritted teeth, I remind her and everyone else in the room, “You.Are.Mine.”I grip the back of her neck, my forehead resting on hers.“That means itisup to me.It’s my job to protect you.No arguments.They can find some other way to settle this shit with Cusenza.Youare not on the menu for atonements.”

“And what about Shea?”she asks.“Who’s going to save your sister, Hawk?Who’s going to help Shea?You can’t do it.They think you’re dead.And the club can’t do it.They don’t have the clout to get in with Cusenza.He knows Gabe isn’t okay with the skin trade, so there’s no way he would get a meeting, let alone get on the island.It has to be Matteo and me.We’ve been invited and we’ve already set our plan in motion.”

I’m struggling with everything she’s saying, even though I know it’s all true.I don’t know Shea personally, and I can’t say I feel close to someone just because they share my father’s DNA.I also can’t in good conscience let a woman knowingly suffer in a situation like this.But Ireallycan’t allow Sadie, my Sapphire, to put herself in this kind of danger, knowing there’s a high probability she won’t come out of this unscathed.

“I can’t lose you,” I whisper where only she can hear.It’s raw.It’s vulnerable, but it’s also the fucking truth.

“Baby,” Sadie whispers.It’s the first time I’ve heard her use the endearment.Usually, when she’s emotional or wants me to know she’s serious, Sadie will use my given name.Something only my mother and she get away with.

“I have to do it,” she says adamantly.“This was always the plan.”

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