“Hi,” I whispered, moving my hand until it was atop his.
He leaned up on his forearm, his crystal eyes popping from the redness that surrounded them. “You scared me.”
Grinning but annoyed at how dry my mouth was, I said, “I was scared, too.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” Mama Hen said as she stepped closer to the bed. She grabbed my other hand. “You saved me.”
Squeezing her hand, I said, “I wasn’t ready to lose another mother.”
Mama Hen’s grip firmed, and she sucked in a deep breath as her lips thinned. Her light eyes glistened and she coughed before looking away. “Well,” she said finally before looking back at me. “I’m not ready to lose you. You better be glad it caught your shoulder or I’d have Raven torment you ‘til I got there.”
It hurt to laugh so I winced as I tried to stop.
Hawk moved his hand to my cheek. “Ma, will you give us a minute?”
“I’ll go get her some ice and let the nurse know she’s up on the way back,” Mama Hen answered.
“Is Niko here?” I asked, my voice scratchy.
Mama Hen turned at the door, “He’s around. He was handling some things. I’ll see if I can track him down.”
Smiling, I let out a heavy sigh as she closed the door gently behind her.
Hawk sat up, still next to me on the bed. His shirt was splattered with blood and it had dried on his leather. “I’m not sure how to clean that.”
He looked down. “I got it. Plus, I’m pretty sure Ma ain’t gonna let you do shit for a long time.”
“I’m okay. Just stings a bit.”
Hawk pulled my gown down to expose the bandage on my shoulder. “It may do more than sting once all the drugs wear off. But it went straight through so they said it was easy to clean and close.” He stopped talking, and his jaw ticked.
My hand went to his again. “Hey. I’m fine.”
“I’m sorry, Kat.”
“You? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snuck away. I was just so angry.”
“It’s my fault,” he said. “I let you doubt your place; what you mean to me.”
“I know how you feel about me, Hawk. I let my anger at her cloud my judgment.”
“Because I didn’t do what I should have from the beginning. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy that the two of you tried to go under my nose, but I understand why you did.”
“Don’t be angry with your mother. She only took me because I was going anyway.”
He brushed my cheek. “I know. I’m glad you had her. But I am doubly screwed. You two are so alike.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I teased.
He grinned. “As you should.” He leaned down, pressing his warm lips to mine for a chaste kiss. He pressed his forehead to mine, his eyes still closed. His hand lightly trembled against my cheek. “I love you, Kat.”
Gripping his face, I pulled him back to my mouth foranother lingering kiss before I pulled back just enough to say, “I love you and your rugged heart, Hawk. I’m sorry.”
“I’d wrap you up, but I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, kissing my cheek.
“We have plenty of time for that,” I told him, gazing at his handsome face.
“We will.” He sat back up. “First, we gotta get this shit behind us. And a few people are gonna ask you some questions.”
