Page 73 of Sweet Temptation (Men of Honor 2)
I drop my head back into his chest; shocked to think he only kept it because of me. “I love you, Mac. I don’t know what I would ever do without ya.”
“I love you too, kid,” he replies gruffly. “You’re the best damn thing that ever walked into my pathetic life. So you need to hear me, Grace, when I tell you that bastard would have never beaten a damn thing out of me. The only thing I regret was not realizin’ he was there. Then I could have fried the fucker’s ass on my grill like I told you I was going to do.”
I chuckle quietly then lift my head again to look at him. “I’m so darn sorry you got hurt,” I say, wiping my tears away with the back of my hand.
“Don’t worry about me, I’m going to be fine thanks to the sheriff. You just worry about yourself. Stay safe and don’t leave Sawyer’s side. I like that cocky son of a bitch, Grace, he’s good for you and I know he will protect you.”
“I like him too,” I reply honestly.
He grunts, “I think you more than like him…”
I smile, “You’re right I do.”
The nurse walks in now. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but it’s time for some more pain medicine for our big tough guy here, then he needs to rest.”
“Just give us one more minute, sweetness, all right?” Mac says, winkin’ his swollen eye at the nurse.
She blushes, clearly flustered. “All right, I’ll be back in one minute.”
I look back at Mac, questioningly, when she closes the door. His puffy face givin’ me a sly smile, “She’s a looker, ain’t she?”
“Yes, she is. I think she’s got a crush on you.”
“You can’t blame her for that, I’m one good lookin’ son of a bitch… even messed up like this.”
My expression turns somber once again at hearing the pain in his voice. “Yes, you are…” I whisper sadly.
“I expect you to come back every day with some pie and grace me with your sweet face, all right?”
My throat becomes so tight again I can barely talk. “I will. I love you, Mac.” Taking my two fingers I kiss them and lay them gently across his battered cheek.
“I love you too, darlin’. Remember what I said… don’t leave Sawyer’s side.”
Nodding, I get up and walk to the door. With my hand on the knob, I turn back to Mac one last time and blow him a kiss before reluctantly walking out.
Sawyer is right there, waiting for me like he said he would be. He pulls me close, “You okay, Cupcake?” he whispers in my ear.
I wrap my arms around his neck and shake my head no. I wasn’t going to lie and pretend I was okay, because I’m not.
He reaches down and lifts me; my legs automatically go around his waist. I bury my tear-streaked face into his neck.
“I’m taking her home now, call me with any news,” he says to Cooper.
I don’t care how it looks, to have him carrying me like this through the hospital. All I can do is cling to the warmth and safety of his strong body, and hope it will help ease the sadness and guilt that’s squeezing my heart so painfully.
“Don’t worry, baby, he’s going to fucking pay. I promise,” he whispers in my ear as he walks us out into the parking lot.
I pray he’s right, I pray Miguel pays in the worst way.
I don’t know what brought it on, whether it was from the last few days of seeing Mac in the hospital, or if it was from him talking about me walking in to the diner almost 2 years ago, sad and broken. But a few nights later a nightmare plagues me, one I haven’t had for a long time. It was of the night I finally escaped hell.
Things had been getting worse, but that night I hadn’t feared because Candy, his girlfriend, was there spending the night. And even though she was also a drunk like him, she wasn’t twisted and cruel. I knew he wouldn’t try anything awful with her there, or so I thought…
The slight click of my bedroom door opening has me waking up with alarm screaming inside of me. Before I can fully wake, his heavy weight settles over top of me and his hand covers my mouth. “Don’t you make a fucking sound.”
A stark, blinding fear washes over me from his beer-stench breath in my ear. I don’t obey his demand: I fight and scream hoping to get away from him, but instead it ends with me getting a blow to my face from the back of his hand. The crack is so loud the sound of it rings in my ears seconds later.
My vision blurs from pain and my lungs scream for air due to the pressure of his hand, that’s effectively quieting my sobs. “You have been a bad girl, Grace. I know you fucked him. I could smell it on you when you got back.”
Knowing he’s talking about Adam and not wanting to make him madder, I lie and shake my head no. He reaches up and grips my hair painfully so I’m looking into his malicious blood-shot eyes. “Don’t fucking lie to me. You’re a whore just like your mother was.”
Bringing himself fully over top of me, he settles his disgusting erection between my legs. So much bile rises in my throat that I start to choke on it. I kick and fight with everything I have, which only has him exerting more force. “Consider this payment for everything I have fucking done for you, you ungrateful little bitch.”
He rises up, with all of his weight on the hand covering my mouth. It was so painful I thought my jaw was going to break from the force of it. Reaching between us, he starts to undo his pants.
I scream behind his hand and fight harder. No! No! No! No… “Grace, baby! Grace, wake the fuck up!”
I come crashing out of my nightmare back into the present. Shooting up, I come face to face with Sawyer. Both of his hands hold my face as he stares at me worriedly.
