“Why?” He rolled onto his side, propping up his head with one hand, the other resting on her stomach. Claire blinked. He looked curious, not angry or even disappointed.
“I...just can’t. It’s not you...”
“It sure as hell isn’t me.” An outrageous statement, but it was softened by his gentle laugh. He made a slow circle across her stomach with his fingers.
“If it’s not me, then what is it?” His voice still held a tinge of laughter, but he’d grown serious.
“It’s too soon...too much...everything...” Claire shook her head. She’d never cried over Adrian, over any of this, but tears threatened to fall now. That scared her more than Adrian, being tracked and chased, all of it. And now there was Gunner, opening up a whole new can of emotions.
“I don’t know you well enough...yet...for this.” She waved her hand over the bed. “I led you on. I’m sorry.”
He reached up, caught her hand with his, and squeezed hard. “I’m not Adrian, Claire.” Still holding her hand, he went on. “It’s a trust issue. I’m a stranger, you don’t even know my middle name. You don’t want to get hurt. It makes perfect sense.” Still holding her hand, he rested both back on her stomach.
“You’re scared. Adrian’s an ass, a mean ass. And I understand why you’re scared.” He raised himself up and leaned over her.
“You didn’t lead me on. Or, you did, sort of...” He grinned. “It’s not important.” The smile deepened.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed, because...well...” His eyes did a slow tour over her body, and everything he wanted—and he clearly wanted her—was there in his eyes. Her breath drew up short as he brought his gaze back to her face. The smile that played over his lips was all kinds of charming and disarming.
“I understand.”
His lips on hers were soft and gentle and took her completely off guard. That was enough to start the tears. They slid down from the corners of her eyes, and she silently cursed between sniffles.
“Hey.” Gunner pulled back, looking down at her, confusion and concern flashing in his eyes. “Hey, it’s okay.”
Gathering her in his arms, he held her against his chest, rocking her slowly. Claire finally gave in, letting them fall, letting Gunner’s body absorb her fear and her pain. Finally she pushed him away, sniffling her way through the last of her tears, wiping her face.
“I’m okay. Thanks.”
“My pleasure. So, how about we get some sleep then?”
Claire struggled to sit up. “Sure. I’ll just...” She swung her legs over the edge of the mattress, thinking she’d head somewhere other than the bed she was sharing with Gunner. But Gunner’s arm went around her waist, holding her on the edge of the bed.
“There’s only one bed. We sleep here.”
“But you’re...um...isn’t that going to be hard for you?”
Gunner coughed, unsuccessfully trying to cover a laugh. “Pun intended? Yeah, it’ll probably be hard for me. But there’s no other place to sleep except for the floor. I’m too much of a gentleman to make you sleep there. And...”
He pulled her back onto the bed. “I’m not sleeping on the floor either.”
Claire struggled briefly, but only half-heartedly. “You’re really okay with this?”
She lay back on the bed and Gunner turned away, flicked off the light, then rolled back, pulling her against his chest. He was warm, solid, and still obviously aroused. Claire gingerly tried to pull away and put a little space between the two of them, giving him—and her—a little breathing room. A chance to cool off.
“Where are you going?” His voice was a low growl, and both arms tightened around her.
“Isn’t this uncomfortable for you?”
“I’d rather spend an uncomfortable night and let you learn to trust me than give up the chance to spend the night with you.”
“Oh...” There was a beat of silence.
“You know, sex isn’t everything.”
Claire burst into laughter. “That’s not something I’d expect to hear from a guy...but I’m glad you said it.”
He rubbed her arm, the gesture at first comforting, but as his movements slowed, the touching turned to a caress. Claire felt the underlying sexual tension between them rising up again on both sides of the bed.
“Gunner...”
The hand stopped. “Yeah, I know. Sorry for pushing the envelope. I’ll behave now. You can relax.”
She settled her head on his shoulder. She had to admit, he was a comforting presence, even if he was a pain in the ass. And he was incredibly sexy. His promise to let her take her time with him, with whatever this was between them, did far more to set her at ease than the head butt he had given Adrian or the mad dash on the motorcycle.
Gunner’s breathing eventually slowed and deepened. Claire listened to the sounds of the man falling asleep. After a long time, she finally let her body relax and drifted off herself.
Chapter Three
Gunner came awake to the chirp of his cell phone. He should answer it. Reece was probably wondering where the hell he was since he was supposed to be at work. The ringing stopped and he rolled onto his side.
He was in North Carolina, at the cabin, with Claire. Stretching, eyes still closed, he reached across the bed, encountering soft, warm flesh. Her hip. Now, a choice: slide his hand down that long, lovely thigh, or move upward, dip into the hollow of her waist, brushing against the heavy weight of her breast...
Or...neither. He sighed. He’d made a promise to her, and come hell or high water, he’d keep it. But he kept his hand where it was.
Given the unusual circumstances of the night before, he’d fallen asleep almost instantly, waking only half a dozen times or so. Claire had been there each time, some part of her anatomy, warm and soft, pressed against a very sensitive part of his. Gritting his teeth in a few instances, he’d managed to fall back asleep. Toughing it out now until she grew to trust him was the only thing he could do.
The phone started up again, and Claire stirred beneath his hand.
“Yours or mine?” Her voice was sharp, with no sign of morning grogginess.
“Mine. Probably my boss.”
Gunner leaned over the edge of the bed, fishing the phone out of the pocket of his jeans.
“Yeah.”
“Gunner? Where the hell are you? And what the hell have you done now?”
“I’m...out of town. Vacation day.”
Claire was sitting up beside him now, knees pulled up to her chest, sheet wrapped tightly around her body.
“What the hell have you done?”
“I’m not sure what you mean, dude. I haven’t done anything.”
“Some guy with a broken nose was here looking for you. Said you took something that belongs to him.”
Gunner frowned and beside him, Claire tensed. He glanced at her, frown deepening. She’d either picked up on his body language or she could hear Reece’s side of the conversation. Being a shifter, he bet it was both.
“Took what?”
“Damn it, Gunner, stop playing games!” Reece’s voice dropped. “The guy’s like us, a shifter. You know what the hell I’m talking about.”
“Yeah. Well, it’s complicated, okay? How did he find you?”
“Said someone at the diner recognized you, remembered the bike, then he tracked you back here.”
“Great. What else did he say?”
Gunner held the phone away from his ear in response to Reece’s sharp laugh. Claire’s eyes widened in surprise.
“He said you were a dead man.”
“And that’s funny?”
“Nah...it’s just that he was such a cocky little bastard, covered in blood, wearing some kind of sissy suit. Couldn’t really take him seriously right then. I kicked his ass out of the shop.” The laughter trailed off.
“But that’s not the worst.”
“It gets worse?” Gunner rubbed his forehead with his free hand.
“Malone knows.�
� Reece’s voice was cold.
“Oh. Yeah, that’s worse.”
“When your Alpha finds out you’ve pissed off another pack’s Alpha, or at least that Alpha’s son, it’s bad. I’m gonna ask you again, Gunner, what did you do?”
Gunner turned to Claire. Her eyes were full of questions, but he had the answer to one of them.
“I saved someone’s life, Reece. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
He flipped the phone shut, looking down at it, rubbing his thumb across the case.
“He found you...that means he’ll find me.” Fear coated Claire’s voice.
He tossed the phone to the floor and turned back to her.
“No. That’s not what any of that means. Reece doesn’t know where I am. He doesn’t know about the cabin.”
“He’s not just your boss though, right? He’s part of your pack.”
“Yeah. He’s family. But not part of this family.” Gunner shrugged. “You’re not the only one with a complicated life. Most of my pack’s dead. Reece took me in when I was a teenager. I’m not family in the technical sense, but he’s like a dad to me.”
“So you’re adopted?”
“Sort of. Anyway, the cabin was part of my real family. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. I’d never told Reece about it though.”
“Keeping secrets from the man who took you in? And I thought I had trust issues.” Claire shook her head.
Gunner thought about it. “No, it’s not that. I trust Reece with my life and have done so many times. Probably will again. But this...” He looked past her at the small cabin, now strewn with clothes and the remnants of last night’s dinner, taking it all in.
“You know how when you have something you love, something you shared with one other person? And then that person is gone and all you have left is that thing? This is the last thing I shared with my dad.”
“And if you shared it with Reece, then it wouldn’t belong to just you and your dad?”
“Yeah. It’s like that.”
Claire reached out and took his hand. “But now you’ve shared it with me.” Her voice was soft.
Gunner turned, catching her look. “Yeah. I did.”
“And that changes things? I mean, with the cabin?”
“It does. But in a different way.”
“Different how?”
Her eyes were different in the morning light, the black edge softer, the lashes a dark sable against her pale skin. And freckles...there was a dusting across the bridge of her nose. Something else he’d missed during his stolen glances of her at the diner. The tantalizing thought passed through his mind: how many other things were there to discover about Claire?
“Gunner...different how?”
“Huh? Oh, the cabin.” It took a considerable force of will to pull his mind back from the depths of her eyes. “I chose this. I made the decision. I wanted to share this with you.”
He saw tears well in her eyes, and for the second time in twenty-four hours, he pulled her into his arms.
“That was supposed to make you feel better, not make you cry.”
Claire gave a hiccoughing laugh. “It’s just...you’re so nice.”
“That’s probably the first time someone’s called me that. I’m not sure how to feel about being called nice.”
She struggled against him and sat up. Through her tears she smiled, then lightly punched his arm. “It was meant to be a compliment, not an insult.”
“I don’t get that many. Compliments, I mean. I guess I’m out of practice at accepting them.”
His smile was slow and lazy, then his eyes slipped slowly down from her face, lingering somewhere else. The sheet had slipped from her shoulders, one breast partly uncovered, round and full, the hard nipple poking against the sheet. His hips flexed in response.
“My turn with the compliments. Anyone ever tell you you’re beautiful in the morning?”
Gunner leaned forward, and her breath hitched in her throat as he touched her face, thumb sliding across her cheek, resting there for a moment, caressing her skin. He moved his hand behind her head, fingers twining into her hair.
His eyes dropped to her mouth, taking in the contours of full lips. Her lower lip was plump, just a bit fuller than the top, and suddenly he wanted to run his tongue across that lip. He leaned forward, hesitated, then brushed his lips slowly across hers, his tongue stroking along that luscious lower lip.
Gunner pushed her back on the bed, lying beside her, one hand resting on her breast. Her kiss was filled with fire and passion, and he lost himself completely.
After a long, long time Gunner pulled away, looking down at her. He knew what he wanted, but he wasn’t sure she was ready. “You sure you want this?”
“Yeah. I do.” More than anything, he wanted her, and hearing her words sent a torrent of emotions through him.
She smiled up at him. “You’re growing on me.”
He didn’t return the smile though. He still had questions, still wanted to make sure. “You trust me? You know I won’t do anything you don’t want...I won’t hurt you.”
Claire nodded. “I know...I know now.”
“You’ve just made me a very happy man.”
Chapter Four
The fire Gunner had lit, fed, and fanned roared up inside Claire. She reached up, thrust her fingers into his hair, and pulled him back down for a repeat of his lips on hers.
Everything felt right, his body on hers, his hands moving over her skin, his mouth working their magic as he moved lower, licking and kissing her breast. She gladly returned his attention, her hands running over his back, sliding down to his waist, then dancing over the rise of his taut ass. A sweet liquid heat filled her, hips shifting beneath him. An involuntary gasp broke from her lips and she arched against him as he pulled one hard nipple into his mouth.
She jumped at the beep of a cell phone, Gunner breaking away from her with a rough gasp.
“Yours or mine?” Tension flooded through her, a rush of adrenaline replacing arousal.
“Your duffel bag is ringing.”
Claire scrambled off the bed, lunging across the floor toward her duffel. Upending it on the floor, she retrieved the cell phone. She sat on the floor and held it in her hand, looking at the screen.
“It’s Adrian.” She turned to Gunner. “I recognize his number...”
Gunner sat up, the sheet pooling around his waist. “Don’t answer...Claire...”
Claire flipped open the phone. “Hello?”
“Claire. I know where you are.” Adrian’s voice was like a knife through her heart.
“How would you...you don’t know where I am. You’re bluffing.”
“Do you want to take that chance? You and that brute that helped you are holed up. It’s just a matter of time...”
“Claire, hang up.”
Claire glanced up at Gunner. “But...”
He reached out, grabbed the phone, and slammed it shut, tossing it on the bed. “We need to leave.”
“But why? He’s bluffing.”
Gunner was off the bed, pulling on his jeans. “Get dressed.”
Claire stood up, clutching her shirt. “How...”
He turned, eyes dark, brow furrowed. The look sent her heart into overdrive, and she took a step away from him. “Did he have your phone number before? No. He found it...got it from somewhere...beat it out of someone at the diner, like you said.”
“But...”
Gunner yanked a t-shirt over his head, then sat on the edge of the bed, pulling on his boots.
“You’re scaring me, Gunner.”
He glanced up, brows drawn together. “You said Adrian’s father has connections. I’m assuming even though they’ve got connections back in the Old Country, they’re a little more up-to-date with technology.” Gunner stood, hands on his hips, looking down at Claire. His face softened, and he reached out to put his hands on her shoulders.
“Look, it’s not that hard to find someone’s phone number, and then
find out where they are by calling that number and running a trace on it. That’s what Adrian, or his father, did.”
“Oh...great.”
“Get dressed. We’re going to need to leave here. Soon. We don’t know how close he is.”
She nodded, picking up her clothes. Gunner grabbed his backpack, and she watched him stuff clean clothes into it as she got dressed.
From the floor, Gunner’s phone began ringing again. Claire froze, eyes locked on Gunner. He dropped the shirt he was holding and scooped up the phone.
“Yeah?” Brows furrowed, his eyes were on Claire’s, and for a moment she read uncertainty. Then a slight bit of tension left his body and he mouthed the word Reece, even though he guessed she already knew that.
“Gunner, you’re in a world of hurt, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t hang up on me this time.”
“Reece, I really don’t have time...”
“Yeah, Gunner, you do have time to listen to me. Things have been happening here, calls back and forth, and Malone’s been by to visit.”
“And?”
“And he’s got a message for you: back off. Leave her where she is and come home.” Gunner turned to the big window, watching the pines swaying in the breeze. Something in Reece’s voice made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. The last thing Gunner needed was someone telling him what to do. Even if that someone was Reece.
“Why the hell does Malone care about what I do?”
“Has she told you who she is? Who her Alpha is?”
“Why the twenty questions? I know her name. What the hell do I care who her Alpha is?”
“Well, Malone cares. Her Alpha heads one of the oldest packs on the East Coast, someone who is still highly connected back in the Old Country. And he doesn’t take kindly to strangers interfering with family business.”
“He made it my business when he came after Claire. She may not be my family...”
“Gunner, you’re missing the point. Malone doesn’t want to go digging around where you shouldn’t, digging up stuff that should remain buried. He wants you to back off.”
“Or what?”
Reece was quiet, and the silence went on far too long for Gunner’s liking. “Or what, Reece? What are you trying to say?”
Untamed Hearts (BBW Biker Werewolf Romance) Page 4
