Page 5 of Hawk's Sapphire

I bring my beer to my lips, take a long, and shake my thoughts.While taking a long, slow pull from my beer, I settle next to Avery keeping her from toppling off the stool.I wipe the corners of my mouth with my fingers.Not that I let anything drip, but I like the way Hawk’s eyes follow the movement.

Okay, so maybe I like teasing him a little too.

“Nah.If I need to scratch an itch, I’m sure I could find someone else to take care of it for me.”I nod toward Matteo at the end of the bar getting his boss a drink.Hawk follows my line of sight, and growls.I shouldn’t poke the bear, but I can’t find it in myself to care if he gets pissed off or thinks the wrong thing about me and Matteo.I realized a while ago Matteo and my friendship irritated Hawk, and every once in a while, to spite the hypocritical bastard, I let him believe his own assumptions that we’re fucking.Until he asks me directly, I have no reason to correct him.I might not even if he did ask.

“Hmmph.”Hawk grumbles.The corners of my lips tip up at his obvious jealousy.

He deserves it after flaunting all his sexcapades in front me all these years.His most recent mistake being Candi.

He doesn’t usually make a spectacle of himself with the club girls, and I know he’s hurting because of Nate, but what he did the other night in front of me was bullshit.He wanted me to see them leaving to his room.He did it to make a point.I’m not his type.Well, fuck him.

You want to.

No.Damn it!

Hawk scrutinizes my face for a minute.Not letting on what he sees there, only grunts, “I see,” before walking away to join Gabe and the others as they greet Vincenzo.Although, seeing how stiff they all are, I’m not sure they’re welcoming him so much as waiting to find out what the hell he’s really doing here.It’s true what Blake said.Visits from Vincenzo typically end with Gabe being furious and everyone else cleaning up the aftermath.Though, things have been a little better lately with him handing over Nate as a show of good faith.The problem now, is going to be when they find out Vincenzo was the one who had Nate killed.He stole their opportunity to serve their own brand of justice for Nate’s crimes against this family.

But in the long run, Vincenzo saved Hawk the pain and torment of killing his own father.

Hawk may not see it that way, but I agreed with Vincenzo on this.Hawk may hate his father, and rightly so, but having to face his mother every day with the blood of his father on his hands would be too much to bear.She never wanted Nate to die.In fact, she pleaded with Gabe and the club not to kill him if they found him, but to let him serve out his sentence in jail.Hawk believes she still loves her husband even after all he did to them.I’m certain it was more about the love she has for her son and the guilt she knew he already bore.

Hawk has always carried the guilt of a ten-year-old boy who couldn’t save his mother from his father’s hand or his infidelities.He wanted nothing more than to be his mother’s hero, but what can a young boy do to a grown man strung out on drugs and alcohol?The one time he tried to fight back, Hawk ended up with a broken arm and a bruised face.That was the last time any of us saw Nate.His mother wasn’t going to allow her son to take responsibility for his father’s wrongdoings or harbor any more shame on his behalf.

It’s one of the reasons I love his mother.She’s a fierce protector.Its a quality I admire.

Matteo hands Vincenzo his drink, then heads straight for me.I watch, smirking as Hawk’s glare follows Matteo to me.

When he reaches me, Matteo leans down and kisses my forehead in greeting.“Dolcezza.”I smile.I know he says it to all the girls.It the equivalent of the brothers calling all women ‘babe’, but it still makes me feel special when Matteo says it to me.We’ve become good friends over the last few months, working on the business and other things.He understands me and doesn’t try to change me or make me feel like I’m less than because I’m not abrotheror a soldier.He respects me and the work I do.

“I see you’ve started early this afternoon.”He points to my beer, but we both know that’s not what he’s talking about.Matteo thinks this thing between me and Hawk, this battle of wills is nothing more than foreplay.

I can only wish.

No.No more wishing.No more pining.When he finds out what I’ve done, he’ll never want to see me again anyway.

Tonight is meant to be a celebration for Skyler and Ethan, their new beginning and a second chance.This baby boy will never replace the one they lost, but it will help heal a hole in their hearts.

There’s nothing that can heal the whole in mine.

“Avery!”Jake shouts across the room with Blake standing beside him pointing at Avery.Snitch.

I almost forgot she was standing here, and now I know why.She’s half-asleep leaning against the bar beside me.Matteo grips her elbow, startling her awake.Jake storms over, grabs her half empty water bottle form her hand and sets it on the bar, giving Matteo a shitty look.He’s such a prick.He knows Matteo would never poach his fiancé, but the guys are still not sure if they can trust Parisi or his men.Given all the shit they’ve been through in the last year, I can’t blame them.But they don’t know the truth behind it all like I do, and I don’t know if they’ll care when they do.

Jake takes a minute to assess Avery.She smiles, her eyes dropping.

“Fuck.Prospect!”He shouts at Trevor who rushes over.“I need coffee, and a sandwich for her, now.”

“On it, Jake.”Trevor disappears into the kitchen.

Jake lifts Avery into his arms and walks her over to the couch where he sits with her seated firmly on his lap, whispering in her ear.Knowing him, he’s threatening to spank her ass for getting drunk.It’s not a good deterrent if he is.When Gabe approaches them, Jake looks up, shaking his head at whatever Gabe has said.

Vincenzo stalks to me with Santiago close at his side and sits on the newly vacated stool beside me.I hold back my laughter and how strange it is to see the suit wearing Italian Boss sitting on a bar stool in a biker clubhouse.

“Miss Jenkins.How are you this evening?”He swirls his whiskey before taking a sip, his ever-watchful eyes glaring at me over the rim of the glass.

“I’m as good as can be expected I suppose.”

“Not one for baby showers?”He asks, smiling.“Do you not want children Miss Jenkins?”

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