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, just enough to look down at me, brushing sweat-dampened hair from my forehead with unexpected tenderness.
“You okay?”he asks, searching my face in a way that makes my chest tight.
I smile, feeling boneless and sated in a way I’ve never experienced before.“More than okay.”
Something vulnerable flashes in his eyes, uncertainty, perhaps, or a fear I can’t quite identify.“What I said downstairs about you being mine, my partner, I meant it.All of it.”
The confession, offered in this quiet, private moment, carries more weight than his public declaration.This isn’t for show, not for the benefit of the club or to stake a claim against others.This is just for us.
“I know,” I tell him, tracing the line of his jaw with my fingertips, feeling the slight stubble against my skin.“I meant what I said too.About being yours.”
He captures my hand, pressing a kiss to my palm that’s somehow more intimate than what we just shared.His lips linger there, warm against my skin, his eyes never leaving mine.“This isn’t just about sex for me, X.Never has been.”
The simple honesty in his voice, the raw vulnerability in his expression, makes something shift inside me, a final piece clicking into place that I hadn’t realized was missing.
“I know that too,” I assure him, understanding the unspoken question beneath his words.“This is real for me, Zach.You’re real.”
The tension leaves his body at my words, relief evident in the way his shoulders relax, in the soft exhale against my palm.A smile spreads across his face, not the dangerous half smirk I’ve grown accustomed to, but something genuine and unguarded that transforms him completely.
He kisses me again, soft and lingering, before settling beside me, pulling me against his chest with an arm draped possessively across my waist.The steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my ear is soothing, grounding me in this moment of perfect connection.
“Grey’s called a lockdown for tonight,” he says against my hair, his breath warm against my scalp.“Everyone stays put until we have a better handle on the Reapers’ movements.”
I nod against his chest, understanding the implications without needing them spelled out.“You’ll need to be out there, won’t you?With the others.”
His arm tightens around me, as if the mere mention of separation is physically painful.“Later,” he agrees, his voice dropping to that low rumble that vibrates through his chest and into mine.“But not yet.Right now, I’m exactly where I need to be.”
The simple statement warms me from the inside out, a spreading glow that has nothing to do with physical pleasure and everything to do with the certainty I hear in his voice.Despite the danger lurking beyond these walls, despite the uncertainty of what tomorrow might bring, I feel safe here in Zach’s arms.Protected.Claimed.
His fingers trace idle patterns on my back, the touch soothing rather than arousing now.I feel myself beginning to drift, the events of the day catching up with me.
CHAPTERNINE
Xavier
I waketo the insistent buzz of my phone.Groaning, I fumble for it on the nightstand, squinting at the screen.It’s the hospital administrator.I consider ignoring it, letting it go to voicemail.After everything that’s happened—the shooting, the Reapers, finding safety in Zach’s arms—I really don’t want to go into work today.
“Who is it?”Zach mumbles beside me, his voice rough with sleep.
“Hospital,” I sigh, thumb hovering over the answer button.“I should take it.”
He nods, pulling me closer for a moment before releasing me.I answer the call, keeping my voice professional despite my reluctance.
“Dr.Blane speaking.”
“Xavier, it’s Patricia from administration.I need you to come in as soon as possible.”Her tone is clipped, formal in a way that immediately puts me on edge.
“Is there an emergency?”I ask, already calculating how quickly I can get dressed and to the hospital.
“Not a medical one.This is… administrative.Just come to my office when you arrive.”She hangs up before I can ask for further details.
I stare at the phone, unease settling in my stomach.“That was weird.”
Zach sits up, instantly alert.“What did they say?”
“Just that I need to come in.Something administrative.”I swing my legs over the side of the bed, already mentally cataloging where my clothes ended up last night.“Probably paperwork from the shooting incident.”
Zach’s expression darkens.“I don’t like it.Let me come with you.”
