Page 47

FORTY-FIVE

ARDEN

“Baby, I’m fine,” Hawk says, leaning against the counter in his en suite bathroom as I press a cool washcloth to his cheek. There’s a small spot where the skin is broken, and shades of red and purple are beginning to bloom to life as it continues to swell. Just looking at it has me fuming with rage.

“I can’t believe he hit you,” I say, ignoring his attempt to placate me. “What the fuck was he thinking?” Picking up the bottle of peroxide that sits next to the sink, I pour some onto the terrycloth before pressing it to the wound. He flinches at the contact, and I soften my touch, looking at him with sympathetic eyes. “I’m sorry about all of this.”

He reaches out, taking my chin between his thumb and forefinger before tilting my head to meet his gaze. “What do you have to be sorry about? None of this is your fault.” His expression is full of sincerity, and I honestly can’t believe this is the same emotionally distant man I desperately wanted to know when I moved here. His walls were so high, I never thought he’d let me in, but here we are, holding one another up through one of the most emotional experiences I’ve ever endured.

I sigh, my chin quivering as my shoulders curl inward. I’m so full of shame over this entire situation, and the fight at Riggs and Monroe’s really put things into perspective for me. “You can say it’s not, but we both know you and Jacks wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me coming in and fucking things up. You had the most genuine, beautiful friendship, and now you’re beating the shit out of each other because I came between you. You should be mad at me right now, not him.” Tears fill my eyes, and I fidget with the cloth in my lap. But he keeps his hold firm, refusing to let me look away.

“Arden, listen to me,” he demands. “You did nothing wrong. He was in love with you long before I ever met him. I knew that, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop myself from falling for you too. The only reason I’m pissed at him is because he made a decision that affected all of us without actually listening. I know his heart is in the right place, but watching him dismiss you over and over the way he did because he felt like it was his job to fall on the sword—I just couldn’t continue letting him do it.”

A single tear escapes, sliding down my cheek, but he wipes it away with the pad of his thumb before leaning in for a soft kiss. It’s like a balm to my broken heart, which is still somehow so full of love that it feels like it could burst as his full lips slide along mine. I whimper quietly into his mouth, and he holds me close, enveloping me with the warmth that’s become my home over the last two weeks.

“Let’s go to bed,” he whispers. “I need you naked and pressed against me.” I fist the fabric of his t-shirt as heat gathers between my legs for the first time in forever. Even though it’s been an emotional evening, I want this connection with him more than anything.

“Okay,” I reply, pulling my dress over my head so I’m only covered by my red lace bra and panties. Mischief falls over his expression as he attempts to reach for me again, but I back away abruptly. “Hold that thought. I need a drink, first. I’ll be quick.” Pushing up to my toes, I steal one last peck before heading out of the room and down the stairs. Just as I turn toward the kitchen, the door flies open so quickly that it bounces off the wall behind it, and Jackson steps through, looking utterly panicked until his gaze lands on me. I stop in my tracks, watching as his expression softens, showing me a part of himself I haven’t seen in what feels like a lifetime, even though it hasn’t been.

“Princess,” he chokes out, and my breath hitches as he drops to his knees, looking at me with tear-filled eyes for a moment before falling onto his hands and crawling toward me. My heart pounds behind my ribcage as he slowly eats up the space between us, stopping when he’s right in front of me and sitting back on his heels. All the air is sucked from the room, making me go dizzy as I look down at him.

“There’s no excuse for the way I treated you, so I won’t give you one,” he begins. “I was stupid and selfish, and I couldn’t see past my own fears about what kind of future you’d be faced with if we were together. You were trying to tell me what you wanted, and I fucked up by refusing to hear it. You deserve better than that, and if you let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you how fucking sorry I am. Whatever comes our way, I want to face it together—you, me, and Hawk. Please forgive me, Arden. Let me fix us.” He places his hands gently on the outsides of my thighs before dropping his forehead to my stomach. His shoulders shake as small sobs rack his body, and I reach out, sinking my fingers into his hair while tears of relief begin to fall from my eyes. We stay there, crying together for several minutes before he raises his head, his red-rimmed eyes locking onto mine. “Please, baby,” he begs. “I need to fix us.”

Maybe I’m dumb for being so open to forgiveness when he made the last two weeks a living hell for all of us, but truth be told, I don’t care. The empty space in my heart that’s only ever belonged to him is aching to be full again. He may not have gone about any of this the right way, but sometimes you have to go through a hard loss to see the error of your own mistakes—and judging by the fact that he’s here right now, in such a vulnerable position, he has.

I lower to my knees, tilting his head so we’re face to face. “Look at me,” I say, sniffling. He obeys, and I release a shaky exhale, smiling softly. “From now on, we’re in this together. No more taking things into your own hands because you think it’s your job to shield me from all the ugliness in the world. I know what I’m walking into with you and Hawk, and if it costs me deals, jobs, or relationships with small-minded people, so be it. As long as we have each other, I’ll have no regrets. Got it?”

He nods rapidly, all the pain in his expression melting into gratefulness at my words. “I love you so much, baby. I know I don’t deserve any of this, but I promise you won’t regret it.”

I lean forward, pressing my lips to his passionately. His fingertips burn into the skin of my waist, and I throw my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Just having him back like this sends my entire existence into orbit, until I feel like the only thing that’s stopping me from floating into outer space is the way he’s holding onto me like I’m his reason for living. I begin to go lightheaded, but fuck it —I’ll happily suffocate if it means trading oxygen for the mind-melting feeling of his mouth being sealed over mine.

“Jackson,” I breathe into the kiss as it starts to grow frantic, like we’ve spent years away from each other instead of weeks. My entire body aches with the need to be closer, though with the way we’re fused together, it’s almost impossible.

“I’m right here,” he replies, banding an arm around my midsection and yanking me so his rock-hard erection is trapped between us. The feel of it sends my hormones into overdrive, wanting him to prove just how sorry he is for leaving me hungry and desperate for the kind of touch only he can provide. “Tell me what you need.”

Entirely too turned on to form words, I grip the hem of his shirt, peeling it over his head as fast as I can. It’s barely even hit the floor before I’ve moved on to the button of his dress pants, lowering the zipper and shoving my hand inside. A rushed exhale pushes past his lips as my fingers wrap around the velvet skin of his cock, slowly jerking up and down as he involuntarily thrusts forward. The eagerness in his movements has my nipples growing painfully hard, and I can’t help the thirsty moan that tumbles out of me as they graze against the rough lace of my bra. He somehow manages to work the remaining garments off his legs until he’s completely naked, kneeling in front of me.

“Wow,” a dark voice rasps, and I break away to see Hawk watching over us from the top of the stairs. “I expected more from you, Hellcat. All the shit he put you through, and you’re letting him off the hook this easily?” He sucks his teeth, slowly shaking his head in disappointment, but I don’t miss the subtle tilt of his lips as he attempts to hold back a grin.

I shrug, sliding my eyes back to Jacks. “I mean, he did crawl. And he begged so pretty. It’s a shame you missed it.”

“Is that so?” he replies. “Well, why don’t you bring him upstairs? I’d love to see what a sweet, obedient boy he can be for you.” Jackson’s pupils blow wide as I bite my lip in faux contemplation, finally rising to my feet and towering over him. So what if he apologized and I forgave him? It’s not a crime to enjoy a little bit of groveling—and if it is, lock me up .

“You heard him.” Desire drips from my tone as I raise a daring brow. He attempts to stand, but I use two fingers to keep him on his knees, bending down to his level. I grip his chin firmly between my thumb and fingers, licking my lips as my gaze burns into his. “Bad boy,” I scold. “I didn’t tell you to get up. You can follow me, but you’ll crawl the entire way. Understood?”

“Anything you say, Princess,” he chokes out. I move toward the stairs, tossing a look over my shoulder to make sure he’s coming, and growing even wetter at the sight of him on all fours behind me. I have no aspirations to be dominant in my everyday sexual experiences with either of them because I truly enjoy submitting, but I can’t say I don’t feel powerful after everything I endured during the time he was gone. As much as he deserves every bit of this, so do I.

We climb the staircase, heading down the hall to Hawk’s room, where he awaits right inside the doorway. I pause, and he gives me a soft smile, dropping his lips to mine in a tease of a kiss. “I love you,” he whispers so quietly I can barely even hear him, and I return the sentiment, mouthing the words back just as Jackson stops behind me. Hawk winks, silently telling me that we’re all good, but I don’t miss the playful devilry in his expression. With a hand on the small of my back, he ushers me inside the dimly lit space, stepping in front of Jacks before he can fully enter. I watch as he kneels down, just now noticing the items that are hanging from his clenched fist.

“I bought these for us to use on Arden,” he says to his best friend, holding up the black leather collar and leash between them. “But I think they’d look much better on you, pup .”