Page 62 of Hawk
I force a smile. “Enjoying the view.”
She grins faintly. “You always were a terrible liar, Christopher.”
I breathe out a laugh, rubbing sweaty palms against my thighs. God, I’ve stared down the barrels of loaded guns with less nerves than this.
“You know,” I stammer, trying to find my words, “I’ve thought about this night for a long time.”
Her brows lift. “This night?” Something flickers inher expression, something tender and knowing. “Chris, what’s going on?”
I inhale deeply, reach into my pocket, and pull the small velvet box from it. Her breath catches instantly. I roll the box between my fingers. “I bought this ten years ago,” I inform her quietly. “During my last deployment.”
Her lips part, but no words come.
“I was gonna give it to you when I got home,” I continue. “Before I ruined everything. I don’t even know why I kept it after everything with us went to hell.”
Fuck… Words, Christopher.
“That’s not what I meant.” My throat tightens. “Fate is funny. It doesn’t ask permission. It doesn’t care how far you run, or how many walls you build to keep things—or people—out. It finds you anyway. It foundusagain. After all the years, it still pulled you back to me.”
I take a breath, my eyes locked on hers, because looking away feels impossible. “Maybe it was always supposed to end this way. Maybe back then… That wasn’t our time. But I can’t help but believe there’s a reason I kept this all these years. Why I couldn’t bring myself to let it go.” I open the box, and the emerald glimmers under the soft glow of the candlelight. “Because, deep down, I never let you go. I don’t believe in forever. Not after what I’ve seen, what I’ve lost.” The words come rough, unsteady, but true. “But I believe inyou.I believe in what we are when everything else falls apart. And if there’s even the smallest chance that forever exists… I want it, with you.”
Her hand flies to her mouth. Her eyes fill with tears. I slide from my chair and drop to one knee beside her. The room falls away, and all I see is her. My nerves dissolve in an instant, every part of me knowing this is where we are supposed to be.
“Reese Thompson,” I whisper, my voice cracking on her name. I lift the ring from the box, “Will you marry me, baby?”
For a heartbeat, she just stares at me with wide eyes, tears trembling at the edge of her lashes. Then she nods, breathless and smiling through it. “Yes,” she exclaims, her voice trembling. “Yes, Christopher. God, yes.”
The relief that floods me nearly knocks me over. I’m on my feet in a heartbeat, cupping her face and kissing her like it’s the first time all over again.
The kiss is wild, desperate, soaked in everything we’ve survived. Ten years of loss and longing, of near misses and second chances, crash together in that single breathless moment.
She tastes like wine and tears.And forever.
When we finally break apart, I smile at her through the pools in my eyes. I slide the ring onto her finger, where it has always belonged, and it fits perfectly. She looks down at it, turning her hand in the candlelight. “It’s beautiful,” she says softly.
“It’s you.”
Her smile trembles. “I love you,” she whispers.
I pull her in again, kissing her like she is the only thing anchoring me to the world. She melts against me, fingers threading through my hair, drawing me closer until there’s no space left between us. Every stolen breath and heartbeat syncs until I can no longer tell where I end and she begins.
“Come with me,” I breathlessly exhale against her lips, breaking our kiss. I take her hand, the ring glinting in the light as I lead her toward the stairs. Each step feels like a new beginning, the past falling away, and the weight of everything we’ve endured replaced by the hope of the future.
Our future.
Standing at the top of the stairs, my heart pounds in my chest as Chris’s fingers trace the line of my jaw. His touch is electric, sending shivers down my spine and igniting a fire within me. “I love you, baby,” he whispers, his voice a low rumble that vibrates through my entire being. “Remember that in case I don’t fuck you like I do.”
Before I can respond, his lips crash against mine in a passionate, all-consuming kiss. His tongue sweeps into my mouth, dancing with mine and claiming in a way that leaves me breathless. I gasp, and he takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss, his hands tangling in my hair as he pulls me even closer.
With his lips never leaving mine and his hands roaming roughly over my body, Chris leads me backward into the bedroom. He breaks our embrace as I struggle to catch my breath, as he hastily gathers the long fabric of my dress into his fists. After quickly pulling it over my head, his eyes rake hungrily down my body as the fabric pools into a pile beside my feet.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” he gravelly whispers, and he undoes the top few buttons of his dress shirt. His movements are hurried and desperate as he struggles to remove his clothes. My breath hitches when he grips the collar at the nape of his neck and pulls the shirt over his head.
Chris’s lips are soft and warm as they wrap around my nipple, his tongue flicking out to tease the sensitive peak. He sucks gently at first, his mouth creating a gentle pull that sends electric shocks of pleasure straight to my core. I gasp, arching toward him and pressing myself into his mouth.
He nibbles gently, his teeth grazing my flesh just enough to send a shiver of anticipation down my spine. Wetness pools between my thighs, my body aching with need as he lavishes attention on my breasts. His thumb and forefinger roll and pinch my nipple in perfect sync with the movements of his mouth.
He teasingly kisses up my chest to my neck, his stubble rough against my sensitive skin. The contrast of his soft lips and rough beard sets a fire beneath my skin. “Take my cock out, baby,” he growls the command against my throat.