Hunter

Chapter Thirty Nine

Hunter ~

Hunter spent the last two hours trying to figure out why Kenzie was being so defiant. She was in danger and didn't seem to understand or respect the situation she was in.

Why didn't she trust me? This is what I do. I assess threats and make decisions that keep everyone safe. It's my job.

Kenzie was furious and thrashing against Hunter's hold as they argued at the cabin, but he couldn't let her run out of the house again. Not out in the open screaming and drawing attention to them. So he did the only thing he could think of. He restrained her and weathered the storm, studying and analyzing her anger toward him, trying desperately to understand it.

Most of Kenzie's emotional reactions were trauma centered, so Hunter replayed her words in his mind, trying to find the pieces that would help him understand her in this moment. He finally grabbed hold of a phrase she had used that seemed to explain her current behavior perfectly. His thoughts drifted to the intimate night they'd spent together and the conversation that had followed.

Kenzie's words flashed hot in his mind - "I always want to understand why someone wants me to do something before I do it so I can analyze their intentions."

I'm expecting trust, and she's expecting proof of intent. We're not on the same page and our expectations aren't aligned. I need to fix this.

With Kenzie's anger and frustration growing by the second, Hunter made a decision - one that he had been fighting against, but knew that it was the solution to their miscommunication. She yelled at him with steel in her spine and fire in her soul demanding that he explain why she should trust him so blindly.

"Because I love you." Hunter responded immediately without hesitation.

Kenzie's eyes went wide and her anger seemed to dissolve in that moment as she slowly accepted his words.

Knowing and verbalizing his intense feelings for her was the final piece of the trust he was so desperately trying to build. If she knew he loved her, his intentions wouldn't be difficult to figure out.

She needs to know that the foundation of every decision I make is my love for her.

He affirmed his feelings for her again, watching her take in his words and internalize them as she melted in his arms, until she finally responded with the only words he wanted to hear in return.

"I trust you...and I love you too." She said softly.

Those words flipped a switch inside of Hunter, one that put a flame in his heart and flooded him with a sudden surge of energy and passion. Before he could stop himself he wrapped his entire body around Kenzie, lifting her off of the ground as he kissed her more deeply than he'd ever kissed her before. He drank in her kisses as if he'd been starved for them his entire life - desperate and hungry for her in a way he'd never felt before.

The iron clad control he prided himself on was slipping and he felt his grip become tighter and his movements become more animalistic and wild as he manipulated Kenzie's petite frame in his arms.

Calm the hell down Hunter. Don't forget She's pissed at you.

Pulling away slowly as the two of them caught their breath Hunter looked down at Kenzie as if it was the first time he'd truly seen her.

"I'm sorry. Maybe that wasn't the right time to say that. Hell, I don't know a whole lot about feelings and how to talk about them, but I meant every damn word. I want you to trust me because I love you and I've always got your best interest in mind."