I felt my body melt under his and my hand slid back across his hair.
“I remember what I wanted to say,” I told him softly.
“So say it, Sweet Pea,” he said softly back.
“Thank you for telling me about Ginger and Tack and being so nice about Mom.”
His hand came up and his fingers trailed my hairline before he whispered, “You’re welcome, baby.”
“And thank you for making me safe,” I went on.
“Gwen,” he whispered.
“And for trying to find Ginger.”
“You can stop now.”
I ignored him. “And for saving me from biker prison.”
“You already thanked me for that, even though you did it during a rant.”
“Well, thank you again because it was kind of filthy in there and I wasn’t a big fan of touching anything or, um… sitting on anything so that made it more uncomfortable than just being locked in a room for your own protection but against your will.”
“I’ll make sure Janine doesn’t fall down on the job,” he remarked.
“I’m being serious,” I said quietly.
His hand cupped the side of my head and his thumb circled at my temple.
“I know you are,” he quietly replied.
“My life is a mess,” I shared something he already knew.
“This will pass, Gwen.”
I pulled breath in through my nose and then said on the exhale, “I hope so.”
His hand slid down and his thumb glided across my lips. “One positive thing you learned today. It’s lookin’ good for you. Your Mom’s a mess, babe, but she’s still a babe.”
I felt my brows draw together. “Did you just call my Mom a babe?”
“You look like her,” he replied.
Well, that wasn’t so bad. My Mom was a mess, Hawk was right, but she had pretty kickass style.
“You act like Meredith,” Hawk cut into my thoughts.
I focused on him. “I do?”
“When you’re bein’ sweet and not ranting or hacking at cookie dough with cleavers.”
I smiled. “I didn’t hack at cookie dough with a cleaver.”
He grinned down at me. “It was close.”
He was right and I felt my body start to shake with laughter.
He watched me laugh until I was just smiling at him then he dipped his head and kissed the base of my throat. Then he rolled off me, pulled the covers over us, reached out to turn off the light on his nightstand and turned me so my back was tucked into his front. Then he pressed into me and reached across me to turn off the light on my nightstand. Then he pulled the hair off my neck and kissed the skin at the back of my ear. He wrapped his arm around me, pulled me deep, hitched my leg with his and settled into the pillows.