Chapter 24

TWENTY-FOUR

W arm lips trail along my neck, pulling me from the depths of sleep. I groan, burying my face deeper into the pillow. "Hawk, let me sleep," I mumble, my voice thick with exhaustion.

His chuckle reverberates against my skin, dark and possessive. "Time to wake up, love. You need to eat to feed our baby."

I crack one eye open, meeting his intense gaze. "You're a dictator, you know that?" I grumble, but there's no real heat in my words.

His smile is predatory, yet tinged with genuine affection. "Perhaps. But I'm your dictator." His hand slides possessively over my still-flat stomach. "And our child's."

I can't help but lean into his touch, even as I roll my eyes. "Fine, fine. What's for breakfast, then?"

Instead of answering, Hawk scoops me up in his arms, cradling me against his chest. I yelp in surprise, my arms automatically winding around his neck.

"Hawk! I can walk, you know. I've been home from the hospital for over a week now. I feel fine."

He tightens his grip, his eyes darkening dangerously. "I'm not taking any chances. You need to rest."

I want to argue, but the memory of the terror in his eyes when I was shot silences me. This is the man who waited six years for me, who gave his blood to save my life. If carrying me to breakfast makes him feel in control, I can indulge him. For now.

He sets me in a chair at the dining table, his hands lingering possessively on my shoulders. The spread before us is impressive – all my favorites, I notice. Hawk has clearly gone out of his way to ensure I have everything I might want or need.

I finally ask what I've been wanting to for a while. "Why did you get the same tattoo I have?"

He cups my cheek and grins. "Because we're the same. Two halves of a whole."

That we are.

As we eat, Hawk fills me in on the latest family news. "My father's finally agreed to get help," he says, a hint of vulnerability breaking through his usual mask of control. "Real help this time, not just a quick rehab stint."

I reach out, squeezing his hand. "That's wonderful, Hawk. I hope it sticks this time."

He nods, his thumb tracing circles on my palm. "Me too. It's been... a long road." The pain in his voice is palpable, and I'm struck by how much he's allowing me to see.

I lean into him, offering silent support. His free hand comes to rest on my stomach again, a gesture that's become almost instinctive since we learned about the baby.

"I've been thinking," I say softly, watching his face. "Maybe it's time we tell people. About us being married, I mean."

Hawk's eyes flash with triumphant possession. "I've been ready to tell the world for six years," he growls, pulling me closer. "To let everyone know you're mine."

I laugh softly as a thrill runs through me at his intensity. "I know, I know. I just... I wanted to make my own name first. To prove I could stand beside you as an equal."

His grip on me tightens almost painfully. "You've always been my equal, Devin. My perfect match in every way. Even when you were that brilliant, infuriating eighteen-year-old who demanded I let her go."

I smile at the memory, tracing the line of his jaw. "You didn't make it easy."

"I told you I wouldn't wait idly," he reminds me, his voice low and dangerous. "You're mine, Devin. You always have been."

The possessiveness in his tone sends a pulse of heat through my body. "And you're mine," I whisper back, my nails digging into his skin slightly. "Don't forget that."

Hawk's eyes darken with desire and something deeper – a vulnerability he shows only to me. In one swift motion, he pulls me onto his lap, his mouth claiming mine in a bruising kiss that's equal parts possession and devotion.

When we finally break apart, both breathing heavily, I see the barely restrained hunger in his gaze. "Careful, Mrs. Rivers," he murmurs, his voice husky. "Or we might not make it out of this room for a while."

I laugh, the sound tinged with desire and genuine affection. "Is that a threat or a promise?"

"It's always a promise."

His answer is to stand, lifting me with him. As he carries me back to our bedroom, I can't help but marvel at the journey that brought us here. Our love may be intense, possessive, even toxic by some standards. But it's also deep, genuine, and unbreakable.

With Hawk's arms around me and our child growing inside me, I feel both owned and cherished, trapped and free. It's a paradox that defines us – two pieces forming a whole, bound by a love that defies all expectations.

The world isn't ready for what Hawk and I can do together.

The End