Page 99 of Hunter

Mallory looked to her cuffs then back to me. She looked like a trapped animal, unable to escape, bracing for what was to come next.

“When I found out you were gone … I flipped. I didn’t know what to do, what to think. It was like this huge chunk of me had fallen out of my chest. It hurt so much that I couldn’t move at first. I just stood there, staring at your note like an idiot who didn’t know what else to do. I realized that the life I had before wasn’t meant for me anymore. The girls, the drinking, the partying … it all seemed dull, pointless. If you aren’t by my side, Mallory, I don’t want it. I want you.

“Happiness for me now is waking up in the middle of the night and finding you wrapped up in my arms. It’s getting up in the morning to kiss you awake, and get a hug and kiss from the little boy you brought into this world. It’s thinking about how we’re going to grow old together, and how those things aren’t going to change. Fifty years from now, I’ll wake up, and you’ll be there … next to me. You’re meant to be there until the day I die. And if you’re not …” I shook my head, the thought trapped in my mind. I didn’t want to think of any alternate life, not if I could prevent losing this one. Not if I could prevent losing her.

I looked up at her, this beautiful, stunning woman. Her brown eyes were filled with unshed tears; her long, red hair and trembling full lips. I could see her waking up next to me fifty years from now. I could see her lying there, next to me, even with gray hair and wrinkled eyes. I would still think she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. So, when I looked into her eyes and went to say the words I knew she needed, I also knew they were genuine. I knew they were true.

“So, no, I don’t care for you, Mallory.I love you. I knew you were meant to be in my life, knew you were meant to become my old lady, and I know if you ever try to escape me again, there is no way in hell I would ever let you go. You’re mine, Mallory. I can’t ever let you go. Even if you never forgive me, even if you can’t bring yourself to trust me ever again, I won’t ever, ever let you go.”

Mallory’s tears rolled down her cheeks as she searched my eyes, looking deep into my soul. She could see the truth on my face, in my words. And as I reached to her handcuffs, popping them open with the key, she choked on a sob.

I turned back to her, expecting her resignation to come home, to at least believe that, if she returned with me, she could learn to trust me again, could learn to forgive me, and we could be happy. What I didn’t expect was for our mouths to meet.

She wrapped her arms around my neck as she pressed her lips against mine. She climbed onto my lap, wrapping her legs around my waist and the chair, kissing me with a force I couldn’t help responding to. I tasted the salt of her tears and the metallic taste of blood in our mouths as we connected, our tongues tangling like the world was falling apart around us.

When Mallory pulled back and pressed herself tighter into my chest, burying her face into my neck with soft sobs, I felt weak and drained as I gasped for air. I moved my hand to the back of her head, holding her close. Then I heard a mumble against my clothes.

I turned my head and pushed it against her cheek until she pulled back just enough so her forehead rested against mine and her tear-stained face and puffy eyes filled my sight.

“You stupid fucking bastard,” she sobbed out. “You should never have let me get this fucking far.”

I felt a laugh bubble up in my throat and dropped my head onto her shoulder as I fought not to let it out.

“Don’t laugh!” Mallory slapped my chest.

She began climbing off my lap, but I dragged her back down and kissed her hard. She moaned against my lips, her body curving into mine, raking her fingers through my hair.

I had known it when I first saw her, and I knew it now.

This woman would be the end of me.

I pulled back and looked at my woman, at her big, brown eyes, her panting chest, her swollen lips, and everything felt right.

“Marry me,” I demanded.

I hadn’t come here to give a proposal and was just as surprised as she was as she stiffened on my lap. Her gaze jumped to mine, and when I saw them, I didn’t regret my words. Hell, she was going to be bound to me for the rest of our lives, so why the fuck not start straight away?

She looked as if she was about to cry again. Even so, a small smirk pulled at her lips, and I knew what she was going to say.

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

So fucking ruined.

I growled and watched her eyes narrow as if she had more to say. Instead, Mallory’s sass melted into a small smile, and she softened against me. Her eyes locked on mine, and I knew what she was thinking.

Marriage meant trust. It meant forgiveness. I knew I said I wouldn’t care if she never did forgive or trust me, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want it.

It felt like a lifetime had passed before she dropped her forehead against mine and, with the softest voice, whispered, “Yes.”

I grabbed her hard and gave her a kiss that would never compare to any she’d had before. When I pulled back, she was panting, holding my shirt like she feared she might swoon straight off my lap. Her flushed cheeks and smoldering eyes told me she was looking at everything she desired. Well, almost everything.

The door burst open and Adair came flying into the door, roaring his heart out as he clambered onto our laps and squeezed himself between us without a second of hesitation. He clung to his mother’s shoulder, one hand gripping my shirt tightly. I held my arms around Mallory’s waist and willed myself not to let go.

Jax flew into the room next, skidding to a halt as he sent me an apologetic look. “Hope we didn’t interrupt.”

Anna skidded into his back, followed by Wolf peering over them both through the doorway.

“Nah,” I said. “You have perfect timing.”

---