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“Ella. A few of the other guys have broken The Pact since then, and the women they fell in love with were attacked.”
A slight chill prickled down my scalp. “Attacked? How?”
“One of them was kidnapped. The other was held at knifepoint until she fainted, and Grey was able to intervene.”
Blood pulsed at my temples. Gabby had been attacked? When? She’d never told me anything about it.
“And you think something bad might happen to me?” I said, my voice reflecting how startled I felt. “Why?”
His eyes were unflinching. That glance spoke volumes.
Slowly, like water filling a glass one drop at a time, the elements began to trickle into place. Soon, the glass had enough water to reflect an image, to give me a grasp of just what he was saying:
He’d signed a promise not to fall in love. The other men’s girlfriends were attacked because they’d broken that pledge.
Did that mean he was breaking it, too—with me?
Warmth radiated through my body, drumming in my chest. The strength left my knees.
“Hawk.”
His fingertips trailed the softest touch along my jaw line. “I’m inclined not to let you out of my sight,” he said, low and husky.
I tried speaking. Words no longer worked on my tongue. Sound didn’t connect with my voice box.
“I—” I cleared my throat. “I’ll be fine. Stina and Pris may be vindictive and nasty, but they’d never do anything to physically hurt me. Their barbs are all done with words and twisting your emotional guts until you beg for mercy.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. Nothing is going to happen to me.”
He stared me down, disbelieving, serious.
It took several moments before I registered that I was still holding the gift he’d given me in my hands; I couldn’t catalog anything aside from the fact that he’d all but admitted he was falling in love with me.
Sudden lightness tore through me with that one thought like I was the one with the gift hidden inside. It elevated my limbs, making me feel as though I could do anything.
Hawk was worried about me, that much was evident in his creased brow and the way he cleared his throat. I wanted to put him at ease.
“Now I’m going to open my present.”
He nodded, his throat working.
I tore open the festive paper. My fingers quivered from the intensity of his non-verbal admission, of his concern for my safety.
Hawk Danielson was falling in love withme.Was I really in any danger because of it?
I pulled out a lovely knitted red scarf. I hugged it to my face, feeling its thick, soft yarn against my chin.
“I love it. Thank you.”
He took the scarf and settled it onto my shoulders. His fingertips brushed the skin of my neck, sending shivers down my spine.
“Merry Christmas, Ella. Thank you for coming with me today.”
“I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else,” I said.
It was true. No matter what Stina threatened, I was glad I’d chosen this.
