“Is that right?”Raven asked, both brows lifting as he turned his attention to Hawkeye.“Are we going to have a problem?”
“No.She’s had no choice in her life for a long time.I just want her to be sure before she makes a decision.”
“So you think telling her she doesn’t know what she’s getting into is the best way to handle making sure she has the freedom to do what she wants now?”
Hawkeye clenched his teeth and forced himself to stay calm.His president was baiting him.Rising to it would only give them something else to hold over him.
Raven didn’t wait for an answer, though, just turned to Delilah.“Now I know it won’t be ready for several weeks, but how about we give the house to you?You can make all the decisions—colors, furniture, who gets to live there.You won’t have to worry about someone else telling you you’re no longer welcome in your home.How do you feel about that?”
A sharp ache shot through Hawkeye’s chest.Yes, he’d intended the house to be for Delilah, but he’d wanted to be the one to give it to her.His president thought he was in the wrong and instead of telling him to man up, he’d done an end run around him.
Delilah went still in his arms.The tension in her, combined with the way she barely breathed reminded him of a deer caught in headlights.He craned his neck so he could see her face.
“Well, what do you think of that, little dove?”he asked softly.
She blinked several times then looked up to meet his gaze, the tears pooled in her eyes told him that while he’d been screwing this thing with her up, Raven had just done him a favor, even if it didn’t feel like it to him in the moment.His president had seen past the surface and into what Delilah really needed.Not just to feel safe but to feel secure, as if she didn’t have to worry about losing her home again.
“How do you feel about it?”her voice shook slightly.
“I don’t care how he feels,” Raven put in.Hawkeye glared at him to shut him up, if only for a couple of minutes, then turned his attention back to Delilah.
“Talk to me, little dove.”
“How will you feel if I’m here and you don’t want me anymore?”
“Sweetheart, it’s not that I don’t want you here.It’s not that I don’t want you period.I do.I just want you to be sure that a grouchy, cranky biker with blood on his hands is what you want.Really want.”
Delilah turned in his arms so she faced him.She tilted her head back to look up at him and the tears that had been pooling in her eyes had fallen, leaving streaks down her pale cheeks.It took everything in him not to lower his head and kiss away the trails.Instead, he watched, waiting for whatever she was about to say to him.
“What if I know what I want?What if it never changes?”she wrapped her arms around his middle, almost mirroring how he still held her.
The look in her eyes, the pure devotion, the need, the begging look for him to accept her crumbled his resolve.He couldn’t hold her at arm’s length any longer.He’d never wanted to let her go anyway and he could only fight so much.With Raven, and likely the rest of the club, siding with Delilah, he knew he was lost.
“Then I’ll be the happiest man on earth.I can’t think of anything I want more than you, but if it takes letting you go to make you happy, I’ll do that, too.Your happiness means more to me than my own.”
She stared at him for a moment, tears running down her cheeks.This time he didn’t bother trying to stop himself.He kissed away her tears, letting his tongue erase the trails they’d already left.
“Take that somewhere else,” Raven said, reminding Hawkeye they weren’t alone.
“Sorry,” Hawkeye murmured to Delilah.“I kind of forgot myself.”
“I don’t mind.”She gave him a gentle smile, then unwrapped her arms from around his middle and turned back to face the rest of the group.“I’d like that, sir.”
“Call me Raven, Delilah, everyone does.”
“Raven then.I’d love to take the house.I don’t know anything about decorating, and I don’t know where I’ll get the money for everything, but I’d love the house.Maybe I can find a job in town?I can cook and probably wait tables with a little practice.”
“You don’t need a fucking job,” Hawkeye couldn’t help the words from coming out as a growl.“I’ll pay for anything you want or need.That’s part of my job.Taking care of you and making sure you’re happy.”
“What if I want a job?”She turned to look up at him.
Hawkeye sighed, no one was going to make this easy for him.“If you want a job, I won’t stop you.But I don’t want you feeling like you have to work, that you have to earn whatever you’re wanting, whether it’s by working or any other means.”
She frowned at him for a moment but didn’t say anything.Hawkeye wondered what she was thinking and made a mental note to ask her later.When she turned back to the group, she looked at Raven.
“How big are these houses?”
“We’ve got a couple of floor plans.Some bigger than others.Our smallest is two bed, two bath, largest is a four bed, three bath.Want to take a look and pick out what you want?”
