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“If it’s not good news, I don’t want to hear it.” I turn my face away, unable to look at him. I can’t gaze into his eyes as he breaks my heart.

“Julia, sweetheart, look at me.” He gently grasps my chin with his fingers and turns my face toward his. “We’ve been through a lot together. This whole situation with Max and the sheriff was fucked, and we barely got through it, but we survived.Yousurvived. But, babe, I know I fucked up. I shouldn’t have left you. I’ll never forgive myself for leaving you alone at Nina’s.”

“You didn’t leave me alone. Reaper and Talon were there. Nina, too. Wait, how’s she doing?” I ask.

“She’s fine. A few bumps and scrapes, but she almost beat me over the head with a rolling pin when I suggested she get checked by a doctor.” His lopsided grin makes my heart do a little flip. “She’s at home baking like a maniac. We’re going to have to buy another deep freeze for the garage to store all the cinnamon rolls she’s baking. I doubt we’ll run out all winter.”

He keeps saying “we,” but does that include me, or is he talking about his brothers?

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, I fucked up.” Scar drops his gaze. “Leaving you behind was the biggest mistake of my life. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in the last few weeks. I let vengeance cloud my judgment. I ran off by myself to try to stop the sheriff and didn’t bother to try to bring my brothers with me. I abandoned them, and I abandoned you.”

When he lets out a huge sigh, I squeeze his hand. “Scar, you did what you thought was right at the moment.”

“No. That’s the thing. I knew right from wrong. I should have protected what was mine instead of getting sucked into my need for revenge. I was focused on the wrong thing. But I get it now.” His gray eyes meet mine, and all the pain he’s been holding back is reflected in his gaze. He’s still haunted by his past and may never find peace. If I want to be with him, I have to accept that fact, but I don’t know if I can. “I should have put you first. My priorities weren’t right, but they are now. I know exactly what I want. You.”

“Me?” I swallow the lump in my throat as he strokes the pad of his thumb across my palm. Shivers of desire slide through my entire body, and suddenly, all I can think about is dragging him into this bed with me. It’s ridiculous because I’m in no condition to make love to him, even if that’s exactly what I want to do.

“I’ve wanted you from the moment I met you,” he continues. “When I thought I’d lost you, something inside me died. My need for vengeance above all else died. I can’t live without you. Believe me, in the beginning, I tried to keep my heart locked up. I tried not to fall in love with you, but that was impossible. You’re the sweetest, most caring, most compassionate woman I’ve ever known.”

“Don’t let Nina hear you say that,” I tease because the tension is too much to bear. I hear what he’s saying, but do I believe him?

“You were right about my obsession with revenge. It consumes me. Everything I do is about getting vengeance. It’s what kept me alive all those years, so I hung onto it like a vise. I couldn’t let go. Until now. I’m willing to sacrifice my need for vengeance because I love you.”

“You do?” My eyes go wide.

“No one has ever made me feel the way you do. No one has ever looked through the steel bars around my heart to see the love trapped inside that cage. You did. You loved me when no one else could.” My stunned silence is enough to make him hesitate. “At least I think you love me …”

“I do, Scar. I’ve loved you since that first day when you protected Max and me. You didn’t ask a bunch of questions. You just sprung into action. You took control and saved us. You’re so much stronger than you think you are—and I don’t mean all those muscles.” I reach up to squeeze his biceps. “God, you’re hot.”

His low, rumbling laugh sends heat pooling into my center. I need this man the way I need my next breath. I can’t live without him. But before I can tell him any of this, I have to be sure he won’t run away from me ever again.

“I saw the news earlier,” I whisper.

“Blackstone.” His jaw clenches. That familiar look of rage flickers in his eyes for a moment before vanishing. His face relaxes slightly. “Yeah, I saw it, too.”

“What are you going to do about it?” I ask.

“I don’t know yet.”

Disappointment courses through me. I rest my hands over my belly and will the butterflies to stop flapping so furiously.

“But whatever happens, it’s not all on me,” he says.

“What do you mean?”

“I was at the clubhouse when the news came out. At first, I thought I’d have to take care of Blackstone by myself. But my brothers, well, they got in my face and told me to stop being an idiot. We’re all in this together. We’re a brotherhood. They have just as much at stake as I do when it comes to Blackstone. They made me realize that if I went after him alone, I’d be taking something away from them. They deserve justice just as much as I do.”

“What does that mean, exactly?” I ask.

“It means we’re still going to work to take down Blackstone, but together, as a team, as brothers. It won’t just be my mission or Talon’s or Reaper’s or Matrix’s or Nitro’s—”

“Is he back?”

“Yeah. He apologized for running away.”

“And I hope you apologized for being a total dick to him.”

“I did,” he says. “We’re brothers for life. We stick together no matter what, and nothing will tear us apart.”