Chapter 34
The hotel room was quiet. Leigh had finally drifted off, her body curled on the bed, her face streaked with tears. Annie lay awake, staring at the ceiling, her heart heavy.
She thought about Hunter.
Leaving him behind so that she could help Leigh wasn't in her plans. She'd made a decision based on the circumstances. Her sister had no support, except for Annie. There wasn't time to explain. Since Hunter was deaf, it was unfair to him that she'd gone to help Leigh.
She felt awful. He deserved an explanation.
He never made her feel empty. Whenever he was around, he was giving, attentive, and loving.
The way he looked at her, steady and unflinching, as if she were the only thing he wanted in this world.
She thought about the way his hand had pulled her back from the fire, even when she wanted to run headfirst into danger.
And she'd left him standing in the street, his eyes locked on hers as the cruiser carried her away. She didn't want to bring any attention to him because the police would've brought him in for questioning. Jason had already set it up to make it look as if Hunter were the criminal, not the victim.
Her chest ached.
She wanted him. Not just the protection of his arms, not just the comfort of his presence. She wanted him. The man. The man who lived in silence but spoke louder to her heart than anyone else ever had. Hunter carried scars but still fought for her, for Leigh, for his club.
He was the most unselfish person she knew.
She turned on her side, tears slipping down her cheeks.
She remembered the first time she'd seen him.
He'd scared her to death. Running at full speed, she was sure Jason was going to mow her down with his car when Hunter rode in like a knight in shining armor on a motorcycle, scooping her out of the middle of the street, and tossing her on the back of his bike without slowing down.
He was decked out in black with a biker vest. Yet, beneath the hard lines and the leather, there was something different about him. Something tragically broken that made him special. She wanted to show him how special he was to her.
She thought about her mother. As her caregiver, she'd done the best she could do, and even then, her mother had passed away.
She ran off to rescue Leigh, and look where it got them?
They were living in a hotel, scared to death and unable to voice what they really feared—that the police would knock on the door and arrest Leigh for killing her abusive husband.
She wanted to go back to Hunter. To the clubhouse. To the place where she'd felt, for the first time in years, like she belonged.
But she couldn't. Not now. Not with the police watching. Not with Leigh's story hanging in the balance.
So, she lay there, trapped between loyalty to her sister and desire for Hunter. Her heart was torn in two.
Annie closed her eyes and pretended she was in his bed, waiting for him to finish working in the garage.
Whatever happened, she knew, no matter how far apart they were, she would fight her way back to him.
Because he was worth it.
Because they both deserved love.