Chapter Seventeen
The tension in herbody told Hawkeye something was wrong.She had been fine while telling Raven and him about growing up and her time in school, then she’d gone stiff, as if waiting for something.What, though, he had no idea.
Since he didn’t know what triggered the tension, he didn’t know how to calm her, so he continued what he was already doing.One hand rubbed slowly up and down her back, the other holding her hand in her lap.He wanted to spin her on his lap, so she leaned back against his chest.He wanted to be able to hold her against him.To feel her so close.But he held back.Delilah wasn’t a club mama, not that he wanted to do any of those things with a mama, and she wasn’t ready for anything currently running through his head, thoughts of what he wanted to do with her.
Considering the way she was raised, some of those things would likely shock her with the knowledge people did them.More when she found that he wanted to do them to her.He forced himself to be content with right now—Delilah sitting sideways on his lap while he rubbed her back.
He didn’t know how, but a woman he’d known less than four hours had more pull on him than people he’d known for years.There was something about her that screamed at his instincts.She was meant for him.He had his work cut out for him getting her to agree.
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When she’d finishedeating and started to settle against him again, he spoke up.
“We’ve still got a while here.You should rest.Get as much sleep as you can before we get back on the road.You’re welcome to the bed.You’ll be more comfortable.”He kept his voice soft, so Raven could probably hear him but none of the others would.
She looked up at him, then glanced around the room, her gaze lingering on the cluster of his brothers laughing and talking in the next room.She watched them with what he could only call trepidation.
“No one here will hurt you.If they do, they’ll have to face me, and few want that.We don’t hurt women.All you have to say is no.”Hawkeye waited for her gaze to return to him.“If you’re more comfortable here, you’re welcome to stay.I’d like you to rest, so the rest of our trip will be easier, but you don’t have to.”
She held herself stiff in his lap, her gaze somewhere on his chest or maybe his chin.He fell silent for a moment, waiting.When she finally lifted her gaze to meet his, he held it.
“If you want to lean over here and rest, I’ll keep you safe.”He tapped his chest with the hand he’d been using to rub her back.“It’s hard to trust with everything you’ve been through, but I would like you to trust me.The only time I’ll force you to do anything is for your own safety.I’m not into controlling people, at least not in that way.”
They sat watching each other for several seconds.After a bit, she lowered her gaze, nodded, then leaned closer until her shoulder met his chest.She tilted her head a little more until it rested against him, too.He continued to rub up and down her back.
Looking down at her, he wished he could go back in time and save her.To rescue her before her son of a bitch father gave her to a pedophile while she was far too young for what the fuckwad wanted.He wished he could have prevented it, and put an end to the whole practice, before it had happened to her.He couldn’t.He knew that.But he and his brothers could do something about them now.
Once Delilah relaxed against him and her breathing evened out, he looked up at Raven, who had been silent for the last twenty minutes.He met his president’s gaze and didn’t bother to hide his rage at what she’d been through, at the unknown number of women and children still suffering in Jericho right now.
“I’m taking them down,” Hawkeye kept his voice soft enough he wouldn’t disturb Delilah, even with his tone hard as stone.
“I’m with you, but we’ll have to do it carefully.Not sure how much we can do from Craven’s Creek.Might have to get our hands dirty.I’m okay with that.Once they know what’s going on there, I’m sure most of our brothers will want in on it.When we get back to the clubhouse, you can look into them.I have no doubt you and Pike can find out what we need to know and get us started on putting an end to the shitheads.”
“We will.”Hawkeye wrapped his arms around Delilah and held her.She rubbed her face back and forth against his shirt, muttered something he couldn’t make out, then sighed and went back to sleeping.He wondered what she was thinking.Was she dreaming?Was she dreaming of him?He wished he knew, unless it was someone else in her dreams.Then he didn’t want to know.
“You planning to keep her?”Raven asked, one brow lifted.
Hawkeye glanced down at where Delilah had one hand curled in her lap while the other was tucked into her armpit.Her dark eyelashes made a dusky lace against her pale cheek.He fought back the urge to tighten his arms around her, to snarl at anyone who came close, at anyone who might stop him from keeping her.
“I want to,” he said.“I won’t force her.It has to be up to her or I’m no better than that fuckwad her father gave her to.”He shook his head as he imagined what he wanted to do to both men.
“Then you’ll have to convince her to stay.Find a way to make her want to stay.How that goes will depend on too many things for me to even guess what it will take.”He fell silent and watched them for several seconds.“You’ve got a good start though.She trusts you.”
“I hope so.I hope it’s not just that I’m who pulled her out of that hellhole, so she’s sticking close, but once she becomes more comfortable, she’ll find someone else.”He glanced down at her and couldn’t help the small smile at how sweet and innocent she looked curled against him.
“What if she did?What would you do?”
Hawkeye watched her, letting the ache that the idea brought begin to fade as he reminded himself she wasn’t leaving.She wasn’t walking away, not now.It was just a what if.He looked up and met his president’s gaze.
