Page 94 of Rook
Grim leaned against the pool table, a beer in one hand, a fresh bruise blooming across his cheekbone. Fish sat on the edge of a chair, silent as always, nursing a beer. Havoc was reenacting a fight move with such dramatic flair that two prospects nearly fell over laughing.
Ledger sat at a table with his laptop open, pretending he wasn’t proud of himself even though everyone kept thanking him.
Stone stood near the center of the room, arms crossed, a rare smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
But Avery’s gaze kept drifting to Rook.
He stood with a group of patched members, his cut hanging open, his hair mussed from the helmet, a smear of dirt across his jaw. He looked dangerous and exhausted and impossibly beautiful.
And he kept looking at her.
Every few seconds, his eyes flicked to where she stood, checking, grounding, claiming. Her heart squeezed every time.
Lacey nudged her gently. “He’s been staring at you since he walked in.”
Avery flushed. “I’m just glad he’s okay.”
Lacey smiled knowingly. “He’s more than okay. He’s yours.”
Avery swallowed. “Is that… allowed?”
Lacey laughed softly. “Sugar, you’re not a sweetbutt. You’re something else entirely.”
Before Avery could ask what that meant, Stone’s voice cut through the room.
“Rook.”
The noise quieted instantly.
Rook stepped forward, shoulders squared, eyes flicking to Avery once before he faced the club.
Stone nodded toward him. “You got something to say?”
Rook’s jaw flexed. He turned, not to the club, but to Avery. He walked toward her slowly, the roomparting around him like the sea, every Saint watching with quiet anticipation.
When he reached her, he didn’t touch her at first. He just looked at her. Like she was the only thing in the room. Like she was the only thing that mattered. Like he’d been waiting seven years to stand in front of her like this.
Then he took her hand. “Avery,” he said, voice low but steady, “you left once.”
Her chest tightened. He stepped closer, his forehead nearly touching hers. “You’re not leaving again.”
Her breath trembled. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Something in him broke, or healed, she couldn’t tell which.
He turned back to the club, pulling her gently to his side.
“This is Avery,” he said, voice carrying through the room. “She’s my old lady.”
Silence.
Then—
Grim nodded once. Havoc whooped loud enough to shake the walls. Ledger smiled behind his laptop. Lacey squeezed Avery’s hand. Stone gave a single approving nod, the kind that meant everything.
And just like that, Avery was accepted.
Claimed. Protected. Family.
