“Hannah,” he cried out hoarsely, falling over her, catching himself at the last moment as he continued to pulse into her.
Her nails scratched his upper back and his hard, aching muscles finally grew soft as his strength pumped out with his seed. He silently wished he was bare so it would take root. Now wasn’t the right time, of course. They still needed to get to know each other again. But he prayed that one day he would see her round with his child.
He enfolded her with his arms underneath her and held her close, craving the loose, sated way her body molded to his unyielding hold.
When they’d caught their breath, he rolled them over and laid her on his chest, still inside her. He needed to dispose of the condom, but he didn’t want to part with her, not just yet. Whether it was intentional or force of habit, her fingers found his lips and traced them. The gentle touch soothed him just like it always had.
She shifted on top of him and lifted up to kiss him once more. As with every one of their kisses, it grew more passionate, and his cock hardened right back up between her legs.
She moaned and bit his lip before making her demand, “Again. Please,mi cielo.”
He chuckled. “I can do this forever, dove.” He pulled back to meet her sweet-tea-brown gaze and felt grateful when he found hope there, mixed with a much stronger emotion that filled and matched his soul. “And I plan to.”
“I love you,mi cielo.”
His chest squeezed with emotion so tightly he nearly lost his breath, but there was enough to make his promise.
“I love you, dove. I’ll never stop.”
EPILOGUE
One year later
“Is it normal to have a barbecue after a high-profile, international human trafficking case has been solved and several world leaders and hundreds of their minions have been sentenced all over the world?” Phoenix asked.
He cracked open a beer and collapsed into his seat between Callie and Draco near the end of the row of folding chairs. As soon as he settled, he tipped it back onto two flimsy legs in a move Hawk was starting to believewasan actual talent.
Draco huffed, “I don’t think any word of what you said is—or should be—considerednormal.”
Phoenix seemed to weigh Draco’s critique, then tipped the Atlanta Braves hat Hannah had gotten for him in agreement. “Fair enough.”
“Here’s your book,” Callie offered as she handed him his latest romance novel. “I moved it so you wouldn’t sit on it.”
Phoenix landed on all fours on the chair and clutched the book to his chest. “Brown eyes, you’re my hero.”
“Hero, huh?” Jason snorted. “She doesn’t look a thing like that shirtless hero on that cover.”
“Hey.” Jules narrowed her eyes at her husband. “Let people like what they like.”
“Thankyou, Juliet,” Phoenix harrumphed. “I always knew you were my favorite FMC.”
“Hey! I thought I was your favorite!” Nora pouted.
“Everyone’s my favorite after Callie. She’s my number one.” Phoenix winked at his girlfriend. “But, see, this is why I love ‘why choose’ romances. There’s enough love for everyone.”
Hawk laughed with the rest of the team before he pointed out the obvious. “Yeah, see, the BlackStone crew has never beennormal. And after what we’ve been through, we deserve all the cookouts, barbecues, and potlucks we want.”
“Who wants normal?” Hannah asked.
Hawk looked over his shoulder to see her smirking at his teammates. That carefree cheerfulness was so fucking good to see.
She’d come a long way over the past year. After being constantly on edge and on the run, it’d taken her a while to feel at peace in her new home. Even then, she’d still had to battle the urge to flee, confiding in him that feeling safe in the past meant her father had been just around the corner. Months of therapy, continued freedom, and trusting each other had given them both the security they’d needed.
She caught his eye and leaned over to peck his cheek. Warmth radiated from her kiss and Hawk’s eyes glued to her sexy hips as she rounded his chair to sit next to him. Her messy raven braid spilled over the neckline of her sundress. The deep-blue fabric hugged her curves and her blue heels clicked softly on the rooftop’s new mural.
She’d just finished painting the forest of trees on the asphalt that month, making the top of the BlackStone facility fit with the rest of its surroundings in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains. Thea, Katie-Belle, and even Tommy had the time of their lives trying to find all the animals Hannah had hidden within the forest scenery. There were so many minute details, it’d taken all year for her to finish. Granted, if Hawk hadn’t come up there to distract her so many times, she probably could’ve finished it in half the time.
He’d actually pointed that fact out to her once, but she’d just given him a sly smile.
