Chapter 37
Annie turned around the corner. Her hands gripped the steering wheel in worry. Her pulse raced, making her lightheaded. The Royalla Motorcycle Club was in her sight. With every mile she traveled, the air thickened, charged with emotions she feared facing.
She hadn't seen Hunter in a week and a half. A week and a half of waiting and wondering if she'd lost him forever. And now, here she was, pulling closer to a place that had become more than just a clubhouse but her refuge in a world that was determined to hurt her.
The solid fence blocked her view of the inside. A Royalla sign painted on the gate moved as she came to a stop.
Cruz pushed the gate open and nodded at her to enter. She bit her bottom lip, wanting to cry at the welcome.
The sun reflected off the chrome on the bikes lining the building. Men stood outside with sharp eyes. Annie felt their gaze as she parked, but she understood their need for safety inside the fence.
She wasn't there for them.
She was here for Hunter.
The gearshift slid into park. She stepped out and hurried to the clubhouse.
The door creaked as she pushed it open, the scent of smoke, leather, and whiskey wrapping around her like a warm blanket.
The room buzzed with laughter, talking, curses, and the scrape of chairs.
Her vision narrowed until it felt as if she was moving through a tunnel, searching for him. Every sound faded. Every face blurred.
Then, she saw him.
He was at the bar. His head was slightly bowed, and his hands were wrapped around a glass. The sight of him broke her. In a crowded room, he was alone in the chaos with only his silence for company.
He looked up, and her world stopped.
She wanted to run to him, to throw herself into his arms, to tell him she was sorry for leaving, sorry for doubting, sorry for all the trouble she caused, sorry for everything. But her feet stayed rooted to the concrete floor while her heart threatened to bust out of her chest.
Hunter rose slowly. His eyes never left hers. The intensity in his gaze was enough to make her knees weak.
She forgot about the men in the room. She stopped worrying about Leigh back in the hotel room. It was just the two of them.
Annie's lips trembled as she mouthed, "I'm here."
Hunter's shoulders broadened with a deep breath. He didn't need to tell her how he felt. His eyes spoke everything she needed to hear.
This was where she belonged.
Not in Seattle. Not in the hotel.
Here. With him.
Her feet finally moved, carrying her across the room toward him.
Hunter's hands cradled her face, his rough palms warm against her skin. His eyes searched hers for a heartbeat, and then his mouth pressed to hers.
The kiss wasn't gentle at first. It was fierce, almost bruising, like he was afraid she might vanish if he didn't hold her close enough.
His lips pressed hard, his breath ragged, his body taut.
Annie felt the desperation in the way he pulled her against him, the tremor in his grip, the ache in his chest pouring into her.
But then, the kiss slowly shifted. His lips softened, lingering, tasting, memorizing. The urgency gave way to tenderness, to careful reverence that made her knees weak. His thumb brushed her cheek, his touch gentler now, as if he was reminding her that she was cherished.
Annie's tears slipped free, caught between their mouths.
She clung to him, her fingers curling into his shirt, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath the fabric.
She didn't need words. She didn't need sound.
She could feel everything he was trying to say in the way his lips moved against hers.
It was a vow.
Not spoken, but pressed into her mouth with every breath, every touch. A vow that he wouldn't let her go. A vow that she was his, and he was hers.
When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against hers, his breath hot against her skin. His eyes burned, fierce and vulnerable all at once. Annie's chest ached with the weight of it, her heart pounding so hard she thought he might feel it through her lips.
She whispered, barely audible, "I'm here."
And in his silence, she felt the answer.
She was home.
She clung to him, letting the silence between them speak louder than any words.
Hunter pulled back only long enough to take her hand. Without hesitation, he led her down the hallway, past the noise of the clubhouse, into the quiet of his room.
The door shut behind them, the air thick with an overload of emotions. Hunter stood before her, his chest rising and falling.
He said, "I need to tell you something."
Annie's breath caught. She looked into his eyes and nodded.
Hunter held both of her hands against his chest. "I don't know how to be with a woman and make a relationship work.
Not beyond sex. Not beyond the club. I don't know how to listen.
" He paused. "I don't know how to listen in the way you deserve.
I can't hear you when you speak. I miss things.
A lot of things. I get conversations fucked up, and I hate that I can't be better for you. "
Her chest ached as tears stung her eyes.
He squeezed her hands. "But I love you. I love you in a way that's stronger than anything I've ever felt.
You are the only thing in my silent world that makes me feel like I'm not alone.
The only thing that makes me want to fight harder, live louder, and love more.
I don't want to live without you. Even if I'm not enough, even if I fuck up, I will never stop trying to be the man you need. "
Annie's tears spilled, her heart breaking and mending all at once.
Hunter's jaw tightened, his eyes fierce. "Belonging to me isn't easy. Belonging to a deaf man means there will be a lot of silence and frustration. But it also means loyalty. It means I will fight for you until my last breath. It means you will never be alone."
He bowed his head. His heart thundered beneath her palm.
"I don't want to ever lose you."
Annie's sob escaped, but she smiled through it, her fingers curling against him. She felt every ounce of his love, every promise, every truth.
And she always knew that Hunter was enough. More than enough.
He was hers.