Page 62 of Sniper

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It took another two hours before we had dealt with the bodies and made our way back to the clubhouse. The ride home was suspiciously relaxing and as I walked inside, I felt calm on the inside while my skin hummed with awareness. My brothers were all greeted by their women in the form of hugs and embraces, thanking deities that their special someone had come back to them.

But Katey wasn’t among them.

I kept moving until I spotted her blonde head tilted back while she stared up at the starry night sky. “Hey.”

She gasped and turned with wide blue eyes, that sparkled the instant they landed on me. “Sniper!” She jumped up and rushed to me the same as the other women had. “You’re back. Are you okay?” Instead of a kiss or a hug she did a visual and then hands-on check of my body to make sure I was actually okay.

“I’m good. I promise.”

Her cool hands roamed all over my skin until she was satisfied that I was in one piece. The stress left her body, and she smiled on a heavy exhale. “Hey,” she whispered and then pressed her lips to mine. The kiss was hot, but it was too damn short.

“Hey.” My gaze searched hers for any sign that the kiss was the start of something more and not a goodbye.

“Tamara’s in our room. She overheard some of the girls talking, got spooked so I put her there.”

“I saw her.” She was nervous, I realized, but I couldn’t figure out why. “What’s up Katey?”

She smiled. “That obvious, huh?”

I nodded. “Just say what you have to say. I’m a big boy.”

Katey wrapped one of my hands in her smaller hands and brought them to her chest with another sigh. “When I got here, I was determined to not give one fucking inch, and I didn’t. Each time you did something nice or considerate, I reminded myself that you were a biker just like Ethan. Even when you started to dig under and scale the barriers I’d erected around my heart, Ireminded myself that this was temporary. But with every kind word and sweet gesture, you decimated those barriers.” One of her hands fell away and she raised it to gently cup the side of my face, a soft smile on her face. “During those vulnerable, post-orgasmic moments where you allowed me to see your softer side as you kissed down my spine and whispered the things you loved about me, those exact things I hated about myself, I started to fall.”

“Started,” I asked breathlessly.

She nodded. “When you gave me the gun. When you told me you knew I could take care of myself, that’s when I knew that I loved you. That’s when I started to see your protection as the gift that it was, instead of a stifling prison.”

Holy. Shit.

She let out a shaky laugh. “So that’s my super long-winded way of telling you that I love you too, Sniper. I love you and even though I’m still scared to love again, I want to stay here and push through those fears with you.”

I love you too.

I hadn’t expected her to say the words even though I suspected she felt the same. She was too scarred, I told myself even as I hoped. But now that she put voice to my deepest desires, I felt something I’d never experienced before.

“If that’s still what you want?” Her voice was tentative.

My lips parted into what I hoped was a smile. “Sorry you just kinda caught me off guard.” I shook my head. “There’s this feeling in my chest making me feel full and euphoric and terrified at the same time. I’m not sure what the fuck to do with it.”

She laughed. “I feel it too. Excited and happy to feel this way about someone I can trust not to hurt me. Like I love you so much I’m going to explode with it but also terrified that I might lose you.”

“I ain’t goin’ nowhere, sweetheart.”

“Me neither. Because I love you.” I hooked my arms around her waist and pulled her close.

“Good because I love you and I think I’m going to for a really long time.”

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks and lust invaded every inch of my body. “I need to fuck you. Now.”

“All the rooms are full,” she announced with a laugh. “The good news is we have all the time in the world to celebrate this. Us.”

With a disgruntled growl, I kissed her again. “Clear the next week because I plan on keeping you naked and satisfied.” And then every week after that for the rest of our lives.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Katey

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