Page 115 of Every Bit As Perfect
Hawk held out his hands.“I went about this the wrong way, but maybe you should cool down before—”
Leaning forward, Daire pointed at Hawk and enunciated each word.“I’m warning you now, don’t ever come between me and her again.I will plough through you and any-fucking-body else who tries.”
Stalking away from them, Daire stopped in front of me, put his hands on his hips and heaved in a deep breath.Then, gently lifting my hand to his mouth, he turned it over and kissed my palm reverently.
A tear slid down his cheek.Without meeting my eyes, he pressed my palm to his face and whispered, “Please don’t ever cry like that again.My heart can’t take it.”
I stroked my thumb across his cheekbone and watched as his chest heaved.
Heard the harsh rasp of his breath.
I pitched forward to rest my forehead against his chest.
Dipping his knees, he pulled me close and picked me up.
I wrapped my legs around his waist and hid my face in his neck.
He turned back to Hawk, Max, and Noelle, his tone even and tempered.“I apologize for yelling and losing control of my temper.It won’t happen again.”
He splayed his hand across my back, pressed me closer, then continued.His deep voice rumbled through his chest, hard and unforgiving.“But the warning stands.”
34
Balancing the Scales
Wedrovehomeinsilence, Daire’s anxiety hanging palpably between us.Holding my hand tightly, his thumb stroked along my wrist every so often as if to remind us we were both still here.
Still us.
It wasn’t until we were inside that I broke the silence.
“That’s why Hawkley is weird with you.”
He nodded.“That’s why Hawkley is weird with me.”
I swallowed.How much did I want to know.“What—” I cleared my throat.“Did you sleep with her?”
His mouth fell open.“What?No!”He took a deep breath.“I’m going to tell you everything.I want this thing to be fully transparent between us.I took her out for coffee after the Christmas party.I told her she deserved better than to be treated like a secret.”He swallowed hard, his eyes trained on mine.“I told her I’d never treat her like that if she was mine.That’s all.”
If she was mine.
I shuddered at his words.“So, you wanted her to be yours.”
“At the time, yes.”
I spun away.
But his voice, steady and strong, continued.
“And when she said she was Hawk’s, I backed off.Happy to be friends.Do you think that would ever happen with you?Do you think I could walk away from you and be friends?Harley, if we fell apart, which I’m telling you right now is not a fucking option, I could never be your friend.The only thing you’d see is a puff of smoke as I left town.I couldn’t bear to see you with someone else.”
I wanted to run away from the shame and hide my face.
But I was frozen in place.I crossed my arms around my waist and dipped my chin to my chest.
The logical part of my brain argued this was not a big deal.
So why did itfeellike such a fucking tragedy?
