Chapter 11 #2
I open eyes I hadn’t realized I’d closed, finding his gaze locked on mine with an intensity that steals my breath. The connection between us in this moment feels almost spiritual. A joining of bodies, yes, but something deeper too. Something that transcends physical pleasure.
“Zach,” I gasp, feeling myself teetering on the edge. “I’m close.”
“I know.” His rhythm falters slightly as his own control frays. “Me too. Together, X. Always together.”
His words push me over the edge, release crashing through me in waves that leave me trembling beneath him. He follows moments later, his body tensing above mine as he finds his own completion with a groan that sounds like surrender.
We lie tangled together afterward, his weight a comforting pressure that I’m reluctant to lose.
Our breathing gradually slows, heartbeats synchronizing in the quiet aftermath.
He shifts eventually, disposing of the condom and settling back beside me, his arm sliding around my shoulders to pull me against his chest.
“Welcome home.” His lips brush my temple.
I nestle against him, reveling in the solid warmth of his body. “Best housewarming ever.”
He chuckles, the sound vibrating through his chest against my ear. “Just wait until we’ve unpacked. We’ll christen every room.”
“Is that a promise?” I ask, tilting my head to meet his eyes.
“Bet your ass it is.” He kisses me, slow and deep, before pulling back with a sigh. “But first, I’ve got a surprise for you.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Another one? Moving in wasn’t surprise enough?”
“Nope.” He sits up, wincing only slightly at the movement. “Get dressed. We need to go somewhere.”
“Zach, we just finished unpacking. Can’t it wait?”
His expression turns serious, that intense focus I’ve come to recognize when something matters to him. “No. It can’t. Trust me on this?”
How can I refuse when he looks at me like that? “Fine. Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” He’s already pulling on his jeans, moving with growing confidence as his body continues to heal.
I dress quickly, curiosity mounting as Zach checks his phone, typing out a rapid text before slipping the device into his pocket. He looks almost… nervous? It’s an expression I rarely see on his face, and it sends a flutter of anticipation through my stomach.
“Ready?” he asks, holding out his hand.
I take it, allowing him to lead me downstairs and out to where his bike waits in the driveway. He hands me a helmet, the one he bought specifically for me after I started riding with him regularly.
“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?” I ask, medical concern surfacing despite myself.
He answers by swinging his leg over the bike with fluid grace, starting the engine. “Get on, X. I’m fine.”
I climb on behind him, arms wrapping around his waist with the careful awareness of his healing wound. As we pull out of the driveway, I notice several other bikes following at a distance. Grey, Butcher, and a few others. A convoy?
We ride through town, the wind whipping around us as the late afternoon sun casts everything in golden light.
I recognize the route we’re heading. Downtown, toward the medical district.
Confusion replaces curiosity as Zach pulls up in front of a building I don’t recognize, a modern, two-story structure with large windows and a small, tasteful sign above the entrance.
I blink, certain I’m seeing things. The sign reads, Dr. Xavier Blane, Trauma Care & Community Medicine.
“Zach?” I whisper, my voice barely audible over the rumble of engines as the others pull up behind us.
He turns off the bike, removing his helmet and turning to face me with an expression that’s equal parts pride and uncertainty. “Surprise?”
I climb off the bike on shaky legs, staring at the building, at my name displayed prominently for all to see. “I don’t understand.”
“After what the hospital did to you,” he explains, standing beside me, “Grey and I got talking. Community needs a good doctor. One who won’t turn people away because they’re wearing leather or have tattoos.
” He gestures toward the building. “The club had this property. Wasn’t doing much with it. Figured it could do some good.”
I’m speechless, overwhelmed by the magnitude of this gesture. “You… bought me a clinic?”
“The club did,” he corrects, though his expression tells me this was primarily his doing. “Figured you’re family now, and family takes care of each other. Besides,” he adds with a small smile, “I’m being selfish. This way I know you’ll always be around to patch me up.”
Before I can respond, the door opens, and people begin streaming out, not just club members, but Shaylin, Tiana, Livie, and others I’ve come to consider friends over these past weeks. Grey steps forward, holding out a set of keys.
Lastly my parents walk out behind everyone, my mom’s eyes shining with happiness, and my sister is grinning from ear to ear.
“Welcome to your new practice, Doc,” Grey says, his usually stern expression softened with genuine warmth. “If you want it.”
Tears prick at my eyes as I take the keys, their weight solid and real in my palm. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes.” Zach’s hand finds the small of my back. “Say you’ll stay and be our doctor. Our family’s doctor.”
I look around at these people, this unlikely collection of outlaws and their loved ones who have somehow become my family. At Zach, whose eyes hold a vulnerability he shows to no one else.
“Yes,” I whisper, then louder, “yes. Of course, yes.”
A cheer goes up from the assembled crowd. Shaylin rushes forward to embrace me, followed by Tiana and others, all offering congratulations. Through it all, Zach stands slightly apart, watching with that half smile that first captured my heart.
When I finally break free from the well-wishers, I find him waiting patiently, pride evident in every line of his body. I move to him, drawn as always to his orbit.
“Thank you,” I say, knowing the words are inadequate for what he’s given me. Not just a clinic, but purpose, belonging, family.
He shakes his head, pulling me close. “No need to thank me. This is what we do. Take care of our own.”
“I love you,” I tell him, the words sending a thrill through me.
His answer is a kiss, fierce and claiming and full of promises right there in front of everyone. When he pulls back, his eyes hold that intensity that still makes my heart race.
“Come on,” he says, taking my hand. “Grey’s arranged a little party inside. Time to see your new kingdom, Dr. Blane.”
Zach leads me toward the door, surrounded by our family. The journey hasn’t been easy, it has been downright dangerous at times, but as I look up at the building that bears my name, at the future it represents, I know with absolute certainty.
This is exactly where I’m meant to be.