Page 86 of Hawke

Hawke or his wolf, whoever I was talking to, reluctantly agreed, and I was grateful to be given this much privacy. But knowing Hawke, he would have never left the bathroom, so giving him a bit of what he wanted was the best choice.

“I will explain everything,” Hawke spoke while I grabbed my underwear and my joggers. “I’ll tell you everything I’ve wanted to say ever since I first met you.”

“Oh, my god!” I squealed, then slapped my hand over my face.

Hawke had already turned around, snarling and grabbing me as if someone was coming through the window. He huffed in my ear, his heated breath racing down my bare back, and sighed when he realized I wasn’t in danger.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” He put both hands on my shoulders, scanning me over until he reached my breasts. I didn’t miss the heated look, but concern swept right back over his face.

“I just remembered. Did Bram kill that guy who really owns this place?”

Hawke’s shoulders slumped, letting out a held breath. “No, he’s just in a deep sleep. He’s in the storage room. I checked on him.”

I slumped in his arms as he scratched my back with his claws.

Oh yes, this was nice.

“Let me help you get dressed and feed you. I will explain everything about me and the club. Then maybe you’ll be a little more willing to let me help you in all ways.”

“Hmm, don’t know about that.”

Hawke didn’t respond. He picked me up and set me on the counter like I was a doll. I wasn’t that short of a woman, but he still towered over me as he brought out the hairbrush and gently brushed my hair like I was a child. Luckily, he let me brush my teeth while he brought in one of his t-shirts. I didn’t mind it because it smelled better than a cologne coated sweatshirt, and I put it on eagerly.

He also took the lotion from the nearby corner and coated his hands. He rubbed my arms up and down and gave me a hand massage that made me melt like butter.

When we used to watch movies in my apartment, he would massage my hand. Squeezing, stretching, pulling every finger. I made overly dramatic moans just to egg him on, and it worked every time. He always went home with a raging boner, and I felt so evil for it, too.

It had never worked to get him to kiss me or to advance our physical relationship. His will was strong. But now I realized it was because he was trying to protect me, not to make me feel more worthless than I already did when he kissed me. Once the movie was over, he acted like he was going home, but in the middle of the night I would see him sitting out on the fire escape. Dirty, dirty thoughts entered my head.

Did he do the nasty while he watched me sleep?

But now he didn’t have to do that anymore. He was standing in front of me, taking care of me, like he had been doing it all along. And now that we were taking a step forward, I was excited for new beginnings.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Delilah

Thenextsixdaysblended together as one. There were times we were silent, times where we talked and laughed for hours and times we argued about what could have been and why he was such a stubborn butt.

But a lot of the time was spent touching each other and holding one another—almost mourning what could have been. But after hearing the sorrow of his past, I couldn’t help but feel understanding for the way he thought.

My favorite times were the ones where we watched the city be decorated with Christmas lights. We people watched—how they went about their day, buying presents, or hauling trees. We even made up stories about what and who they were shopping for, and I don’t think I’d laughed so much in a really long while. Who knew Hawke could have such a great sense of humor?

I had already received the greatest gift for Christmas, and he had held me all week, explaining who he was.

Hawke told me of his father and who his father wanted him to be. All the hard work Hawke had done, but his father couldn’t see it since he was killed in a pack war over territory in the realm of Elysian.

Yes, another realm.

The voice inside me continued to be the gentle support I needed. She seemed to know how Hawke was feeling more than I did and with that, I better understood why Hawke treated me with such distance.

But Hawke was mated to a princess before me. She treated this man like trash. He was such a hard worker in just the time I knew him. He was constantly watching over all the humans, his brothers, as well as the territory that the Iron Fang claimed as their own.

He was loyal to a fault, and he trusted deeply in the precious gift a goddess was supposed to give him.

For a time, when he explained the bonding, I grew angry with her. I listened to the heartbreak of how supernaturals were raised to complete a bond, yet some decided to destroy their mates and choose another.

And Hawke had to walk in on his supposed mate having sex with some guy. It ended up breaking Hawke’s heart and dissolved whatever bond he was supposed to have with the princess.

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