Chapter 15
Amber”s consciousness stirred as the pale light of dawn crept through the sheer curtains of her grandparent”s guest bedroom. The room was silent save for the soft, rhythmic breathing of the man beside her. Hunter”s arms were a fortress around her, his warmth seeping through their clothes and into her body. She ached with the memory of the previous day”s adrenaline-fueled battle, but his embrace soothed her like a salve on a burn.
With painstaking care, she turned her head to avoid waking him, her gaze lingering on his profile. In sleep, Hunter”s features were softened, the lines of stress and command that usually etched his face now relaxed. Amber remembered how, just hours before, his hands had been tender as he bathed away the grime and blood from her violent confrontation with the cartel. Those same hands had carried her to bed, a gentle contrast to the force they wielded in combat.
A sense of safety enveloped her, albeit momentarily. As the morning silence held them in its embrace, she found herself caught in the stillness, contemplating their future. His chest rose and fell in deep sleep, undisturbed by the turmoil churning within her.
Could they work? How? Was it possible?
Her mind raced faster than her heart. She thought about the countless days spent traversing the globe, her show taking her to the darkest corners of the world. And then there was Hunter, tethered to Spartan Elite, commanding a team that dealt with threats most people couldn”t fathom. Could their worlds—so different in scope yet alike in danger—ever truly align? She had a small studio apartment in New York City. It was more of a place to lay her head than a home. Spartan Elite’s headquarters were in Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlotte and New York City, although not the furthest cities apart in America, were a world apart in culture.
The muscles in her abdomen tensed as scenarios played out in her mind, each more complex than the last. Her life was a mosaic of languages and cultures, a testament to her unyielding quest for truth and justice. Yet here, in the quiet mountain town, wrapped in the arms of a man whose very existence was an antithesis to the word “safe,” she dared to dream of a shared life.
She watched Hunter”s chest rise and fall, the steady rhythm a counterpoint to the cacophony of her thoughts. Conflict warred within her as she weighed their love against the harsh demands of reality. They were survivors, fighters; it was in their blood. But surviving a firefight was one thing; nurturing a love in the crossfire of their chaotic lives was something else entirely.
In the clarity of the Colorado morning, with the scent of pine and the distant promise of snow whispering through the air, Amber”s heart battled her mind. Love was the rogue element, the wildcard that made the improbable seem possible. But as the first rays of sunlight began to paint the room in hues of gold and amber, she knew that the coming day would demand answers they might not be ready to give. Why couldn’t she simply lay here and enjoy the moment they had? Why did she have to overthink everything? She spent her life living in the moment and this is when she decides to allow anxiety to rule?
Hunter”s eyelids fluttered open. “What are you thinking about with that deep scowl on your beautiful face?” His voice was soft, raspy from sleep, yet edged with the keen alertness that never quite left him.
Amber hesitated, her thoughts a tangled web she had been navigating in silence. “I”m scared,” she admitted, the weight of her confession anchoring the space between them. “Scared that what we have...it can”t survive in our worlds.”
Hunter reached out, tracing the line of her jaw with a gentleness that belied the strength in his calloused fingers. “Talk to me, Amber. I’m listening.”
Her breath hitched as she gave voice to the fears that had haunted her since dawn. “My life is a constant journey, Hunter. Different countries, different dangers. And you...you”re tied to Spartan Elite. You leave for weeks and months at a time on missions. How do we build something lasting on such shaky ground?”
Hunter propped himself up on one elbow, his gaze not leaving hers. “I”ve lived my life believing soulmates were just a myth—a fairy tale.” He paused, the muscles in his jaw tightening. “But then there”s you, and everything I thought I knew just...falls away. You make me believe.”
Amber”s heart skipped at his words, love and uncertainty waging a silent battle within her. “But is belief enough? Can we really find happiness when everything else is trying to pull us apart?”
“Listen to me,” Hunter said, his voice firm, commanding even in its tenderness. “Before you, my world was tactics and threats. But you”ve shown me there”s more to fight for than just survival. You”re my more, Amber. My reason.”
She saw the conviction in his eyes, felt it in the steady pulse of his heart against her own. Despite the chaos that loomed outside their cocoon, in that moment, the only truth that mattered was the one reflected back in each other”s gaze. “I never believed I needed a man. I still don’t. I was able to escape on my own, but…” She looked at him and swallowed hard. “I realized something. I don’t need a man. I want a man. I want you. I want you to want me back just as much.”
Hunter traced the outline of Amber”s jaw with his thumb, his touch feather-light yet charged with an intensity that spoke of something far deeper than the physical. The early morning light filtering through the curtains cast a warm glow on her face, accentuating the worry lines that had taken temporary residence on her brow.
“Amber,” he began, “we”ve been through hell and back in the short time we’ve known each other. We”re laying here, together, because we”re stronger than anything that tried to break us. Love at first sight, soul mates and the likes, that is stuff from chic flicks. Turns out, it’s not make believe after all. When you meet the person that completes you, you know. You know in your bones. You know in your soul. You are in my blood, coursing through it like a river and removing you from me now, it would kill me. Finding you, knowing this is possible, just to have you walk away? I wouldn’t survive it.”
She searched his face, he was being a bit overdramatic, but she loved it. Getting to know Hunter, she’d not seen this side of him.
“Every mission I”ve ever taken was clear-cut—identify the threat, neutralize it, move on.” He cupped her face, his calloused fingers a stark contrast to her smooth skin. “But this, with you, it”s different. It”s not about survival anymore. It”s about living, truly living. And I want that life with you, Amber.”
His words, spoken in the tongue of sincerity, wrapped around her like a protective shroud. She allowed herself a moment to just breathe, to let his unwavering commitment sink in. “But our worlds are so...chaotic,” she whispered.
“Chaos is just a background noise,” Hunter said firmly. “We”ll write our own story amidst it. If your filming takes you to the ends of the earth, I”ll be there, waiting, or right beside you when I can. Spartan Elite is my duty, but you...” His voice trailed off as his gaze captured hers. “You”re my choice. I choose you, every damn time.”
The tension between them shifted, morphing into something almost palpable—a fusion of fear and longing intermingled with the steadfast love. Amber leaned into his embrace, her body instinctively seeking the solace of his presence. Their connection transcended the physical as they held each other, hearts beating in tandem.
In Hunter”s arms, Amber found a haven from the relentless pace of her reality.
“Whatever comes our way,” Hunter murmured against her hair, “Distance. Physical absence. I”m here. We”re a team. You”re the strategy to my tactics, the clarity to my chaos. Together, we”re unstoppable. Maybe, we could find a way to work together down the road. Combine your desire to shed the light on evil with my need to eradicate it.”
Amber”s fingers traced the line of Hunter”s jaw, a silent promise etched in her touch. The air in the room was heavy with decision, each breath they took laced with the weight of the future they were about to forge together.
“Let”s do this,” she whispered, her voice steady despite the rapid drumming of her heart against her ribcage.
“Don’t ever doubt that you are mine, Amber. My woman. My love. And I will always do whatever it takes to protect you, to honor you, to give you everything you need and most things you want.” Hunter leaned in, capturing Amber”s lips with an urgency that spoke volumes.
Wordlessly, they discarded their clothes, desperate to be skin to skin once more. Their mouths met in a frenzy of passion, hands roaming over every curve and plane of each other”s bodies as if they were starving for oxygen itself. His cock throbbed against her stomach, his arousal evident to her. Hunter broke the kiss and left a trail of hot kisses down her neck and across her collarbone. His tongue flicked over her nipple, causing her to gasp, arching her back in pleasure as he continued to tease and suckle at the sensitive bud. The contrast of his warm breath and the hardness of his teeth sent shivers down Amber”s spine. His fingers delved into her slick folds, and she moaned, bucking her hips against him.
“You’re so wet for me, love. So fucking wet.” Hunter growled.
“Oh, Hunter...yes...please...” She whimpered as he traced her wetness over her swollen clit. Without further ado, he lowered his head to her core, parting her folds with his skilled tongue. He lapped at her dampness, sending waves of pleasure coursing through her body. His tongue explored every inch of her aching pussy, paying special attention to the swollen bud between her legs which had begun to throb with need the moment his tongue touched her entrance. Amber’s legs trembled and quaked as the pleasure built inside of her unlike anything she had ever felt before.
“Oh God, Hunter! Yes...right there,” Amber moaned as he sucked on that sensitive nub, teasing it mercilessly. Her hips bucked against his face as she cried out in ecstasy. Pleasure radiated throughout her entire body like a raging fire, consuming every inch of her being. His tongue flicked over the throbbing bundle of nerves with practiced finesse, sending Amber hurtling toward release. “I’m going to… I’m…” Amber”s hips bucked upward, attempting to get more of him inside of her. Hunter growled in approval and obligingly thrust two fingers inside her tight warmth, curling them upwards and hitting that sweet spot deep within while his tongue continued its relentless assault on her swollen nub. With each passing second, Amber lost herself further and further into the abyss of pleasure; she was falling fast and hard into the sensations he was creating in her body. The room spun as the orgasm built inside her core—ready to explode at any moment. She keened his name desperately into the air.
He growled low in response, his arousal evident in his voice as he lifted her legs over his shoulder. He circled her entrance with the tip of his tongue, teasing her before diving back inside. Amber moaned loudly as he lapped at her core and moved his fingers in and out of her body. As his tongue danced deftly, swirling and flicking, she bucked against him, the pleasure building in her core as he brought her to the edge of orgasm.
“Hunter... I”m... Oh god... I”m...” She panted, clutching at the sheets above her head as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her, but he didn”t stop. He continued to worship her with abandon until she was reduced to a quivering mass of ecstasy, screaming his name hoarsely.
Without missing a beat, Hunter pulled away from between her legs and positioned himself at her entrance. “I need you, baby,” he grunted as he slowly entered her wet channel, millimeter by delicious millimeter. Their gazes locked as their bodies fit together like puzzle pieces, as if they were made for this exact moment in time—created to be joined as one entity in this physical manifestation of their love for each other. Hunter”s breathing grew ragged beside her ear, her nails digging into his back as he thrust into her harder and faster, driving them both closer to the edge.
All too soon, Amber felt the familiar pulse of release coursing through her veins once more as she screamed out his name in a second orgasm.
“I...love...you,” he panted out before throwing his head back and roaring her name as he found his release inside her.