Page 18 of Unmasking Mayhem (Behind the Mask Duet #2)

He pauses, eyes blazing with a mixture of desire and conflict.

“You think the truth is easy to face? It’s not just about us.

There’s a lot hanging in the balance, Whitney, and I promise I’m going to tell you everything.

Just... just let me fucking feel you first,” he breathes, and I see a flicker of vulnerability that pierces through the chaos.

Desperate, I nod, surrendering just enough to let the pleasure swell, drowning out the worries gnawing at me.

I wrap my legs tighter around his waist, urging him on, an intoxicating whirl rising within me, eclipsing the painful memories of nights spent bruised and broken.

I close my eyes and let the darkness of uncertainty wash away as each powerful thrust plunges me deeper into this forgotten oasis between us.

Hawk holds me together through the storm, his fingers threading through my hair, shaping the passion into an almost reverent communion.

My breath quickens, urgency consuming me, pulsing in time with his rhythm.

The metal of the knife feels foreign in my mind, as though that part of me—the one filled with anger and vengeance—dissolves into the heat mingling between us.

“Fuck, I missed you,” he gasps, pulling back just long enough to lock eyes with me.

The intensity in his gaze ignites something feral within me, coaxing a moan from my chest as his thrusts gain momentum, and his cock slams into my pussy so deep that I yelp into his mouth from the sudden sharp pain.

Then the world crashes back down—Dustin’s smirk flashes in my mind, the way he toyed with me, as if I were a mere game to him.

The bitter taste of betrayal clings to the edges of my mouth, weaving back into my veins as I feel Hawk buried deep within me.

Can I trust him?

I grasp for stability, but all I can feel is the raw erotic energy flowing through us, blurring the lines of right and wrong, hope and despair.

“Tell me… tell me the truth,” I plead, half-dragging him back into reality. I need to know if this moment can be real, if it can last beyond the confines of twisted threats.

“The truth is…” He breathes heavily, pausing his thrusts just enough to lean down and brush his nose against mine.

“The truth is that I’m falling for you all over again.

None of this has changed that. I... I’m trying to protect you, Whit.

” He starts fucking me again, breathing heavily into my ear.

"I," thrust. "Fucking," thrust. "Love," thrust. "You. "

“Protect me? Love me?” The words taste bitter on my tongue, and a laugh escapes my lips—startled yet filled with the remnants of hope. “By lying to me?”

“It’s not lying; it’s complicated,” he insists again, but there’s a tension in his voice.

“Complications are all I fucking know!” I fight back, desperation spilling into every syllable.

My nails dig into his skin, but not out of anger; it’s the frustration of wanting to believe him while knowing I’m right to question everything.

He seems to sense the shift in tone; a flicker of pain crosses his face again, and I can tell it hits harder than any punch. “I promise, Whitney. I won’t let him hurt you again. Not now. Not ever.”

“Then prove it!” I cry out, the sudden surge of emotion bursting from within. “Don’t let me be another victim of your secrets! If we’re going to survive this, I need to know everything—and I need you to believe it’s possible to find our way back to each other.”

He falters for just a second, inhaling sharply, and the warmth between us crackles, almost electric. “All right, but first… we finish what we started.”

And just like that, he thrusts harder, pressing me into the counter, squeezing every last drop of feigned strength from my body.

He suddenly pulls out of my pussy and drops me to my feet, spinning me around and bending me over the sink filled with water, slamming back into my pussy with a brutal thrust that has me white-knuckle gripping the edge of the counter while he shoves my head in the water, fucking me maniacally.

I tremble beneath the force of his need, permitting myself to surrender to the feelings I’ve buried for too long. Every thrust drives out the anger, replacing it with something I thought I was never going to feel again—something fierce and unyielding.

“God, Whitney, you’re so beautiful,” he breathes, his forehead resting against my back, both of us swirling in a world that defies everything we’ve fought against. “Just hold on a little longer.”

I writhe against him and the counter, desperate for a breath as he continues to hold my head under the water, fucking me like he's missed me.

As we collide again, the softness of his confession mixes with the cold bitterness outside the door.

I can't fully push away the shadows left by Dustin—but in this moment, I can hold Hawk close, letting him obliterate the chaos I've endured.

All I can do is lose myself to this intoxicating blend of pain and healing, and I can feel the fluidity of trust begin to anchor me, thickening the air around us.

As I begin to lose consciousness, and the water grows dark, the edges of reality blur, and my heart races, finally trusting that in a world full of shadows, ours will shine like the wildest flame.

Suddenly, I gasp for air, my lungs burning as I break through the surface, instinctively clawing at the edge of the sink to steady myself.

The world rushes back in, rain pounding against the window, the humid air clinging to my skin, and Hawk’s breath-whispered words haunting the space between us.

He releases me just enough for my heart to remember its sacred rhythm while drawing in the intoxicating warmth that pooled between us.

With every pulse of the storm outside, an electric tension erupts between us, mounting higher with each beat of my heart. My thoughts spiral, grappling with the gravity of everything left unsaid, the chaotic intertwining of desire and betrayal.

“Hawk… I—” I start, catching my breath, a mix of fear and yearning grappling for control of my words.

But before I can finish, he grips my waist, spinning me around to face him.

The force pulls me off balance, but instead of falling into uncertainty, I smack against his chest. His touch is grounding; it anchors me against the whirlwind of confusion.

Then he lifts me again and eases slowly inside me, fucking me with slow, deep thrusts that set my nerves on fire, my climax so close to barreling through the surface.

“Whitney,” he mutters, searching my eyes with a storm of his own, fiery determination mingling with vulnerability. “I won’t let you drown in his shadows. I can't lose you again—not after everything.”

There’s a raw intensity to his gaze, and all my ambivalence wavers under the weight of his plea, his thrusts becoming more desperate, deep, and dominating as he empties himself inside me, his cum dripping down the inside of my thighs.

“If you’re serious about protecting me,” I moan between thrusts, voice catching as it tumbles out of my mouth, “then tell me everything. About you… About Raze… About why I never saw you at the very beginning. I can’t be in the dark anymore.”

His brow furrows, and instead of the anger or defense I expected, I see a flicker of understanding pass through his expression.

“I want to,” he breathes, biting his lip, “but it’s not easy. The world we’re in? It’s messy and dangerous. And sometimes the way to protect you is to shield you from the truth.”

“Or is it just a way to protect yourself?” I challenge, pushing against him, even though it feels great to feel him so close. “I’m tired of being a pawn in everyone else’s game. If I’m going to trust you, you need to let me in—past the walls you’ve built.”

He exhales deeply, tension tightening across his shoulders, and for a moment, I see the myriad of choices reflected in his eyes.

“You’re right. I’m scared… For you, for us, for everything we could lose if I tell you. But I’ll try.”

“Trying is all I ask,” I reply softly, my heart swelling with something hopeful for the first time amidst the chaos—an ember of resolve. “I just want to know where you stand.”

My pussy clenches around him, and in just seconds I soak his cock, having one of the most intense orgasms I've ever had. He takes a step back and slides out of me, our bodies trembling, hands slipping away from my waist as a measured distance forms between us—one filled with anticipation.

“You know how our lives are intertwined. Raze and I have always had each other’s backs—everything we’ve done has been to create a bond, a family… a place where we belong. But the darker truths run deep. Trust me, this is not the life I wanted for either of us.”

My heart twinges as I listen to his words. I feel the sincerity in his confession, but worry gnaws at me. “But what do you mean by that? What part have you two played that I don’t know?”

He hesitates, running a hand through his hair, like he’s trying to gather his thoughts amid the storm of uncertainty that surrounds us.

“It was never just about the physical fights or the bonds in our gang,” he reveals, voice barely louder than a whisper. “It’s about the choices we made along the way—compromises and alliances that came at a cost.”

“Who did you have to compromise with?” I ask, curiosity urging me forward, even when the gut-wrenching fear barely seems to recede in the wake of such weighty revelations.

He bows his head, guilt flickering across his features, but he seems willing to share, at least for now.

“We were always on the outskirts of danger, and when Dustin entered our lives… it shifted the dynamics. We became entwined in a world of secrets that surrounded our family—the things we did to survive, the laws we broke. It wasn’t meant to hurt you…

but it did. And I hate myself for that.”