Hunter (The Bang Shift Book 2)

by Mandy Harbin

  “He’s normally not like that,” Hunter muttered. “Like ever.”

  Maya swallowed the questions. She didn’t know that man, so she couldn’t say either way if he was or not. Regardless, she had no right to be noisy.

  “I’ll watch her closely,” Brody said, and gave a nod in Maya’s direction, leaving no question who he was talking about.

  Hunter’s gaze shot to him. “She stays here. With me.”

  Well, now…for a man who didn’t want his co-workers knowing how he felt about her, he was sure acting like he gave a care. What happened to him being quick to tell her to keep quiet about their relationship? And that was after screwing my brains out. Maya stepped back and glared at him.

  “Last time I checked, you weren’t my dad. Or my boyfriend,” she said just low enough for him to hear. She looked at Xan. “I’d love to go.”

  The other woman smiled.

  “Maya,” Hunter said, a warning in his tone. She didn’t care. It wasn’t as if she was running away with the girls without protection. Brody said he’d watch her, and the dude was huge. What did it matter who did the babysitting as long as there was some big ogre within arm’s reach?

  “Hunter,” she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. She figured that Roxie chick had left some badass estrogen in the air and Maya all too eagerly sucked it all up. Without another word, she quickly made her way to the door.

  “I got it,” Brody said, but she didn’t catch anything else because the door had shut between them.

  She walked to the car with a new sense of freedom. The trees and such were nice earlier, but now she was going to get out for real.

  As she reached the late-model Honda, she saw Roxie sitting in the back, looking out with glazed eyes.

  Maya approached the car slowly so she didn’t freak the other woman out. When she opened the door and eased in beside her, Roxie blinked a few times, but didn’t look at her.

  Jeez, Xan must like vanilla. The car reeked of it.

  Finally, Roxie said, “Don’t ever fall in love.”

  Maya looked at her, wondering if she should ask her to explain. That one sentence could mean so much. Instead, she said the only thing she honestly could. “I wish it was that simple.”

  “It never is,” Roxie said. “Never.”

  And to that, Maya had nothing else to add.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Bear’s knee was bouncing when Hunter walked in with Roc in tow.

  “Flint Willis,” Bear growled, shaking his head as the guys took a seat. Hunter knew Flint and Bear had long been friends before something massive happened between the two of them.

  “Flint doesn’t matter right now,” Hunter said, trying to diffuse whatever was going on in Bear’s head. He knew since his boss had never talked about it before, he wasn’t going to now. That wasn’t to say he’d never open up about whatever went down, but Bear was too much of a stickler for rules to do it on company time. Besides, Hunter needed the guy to focus on their current predicament, not dwell on whatever went sour with his former friend.

  His boss shut his eyes and took a deep breath. Then another. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  After he got that out, he looked up, and Hunter could almost see the guy pushing his issues away. The leg under the table quit bouncing. Bear’s jaw relaxed.

  “We don’t have anything really new. The feds have picked apart Oberman. They can’t find anything else other than he’s one of Rudolph’s soldiers. He’s a nobody in that organization. Hell, other than knowing Oberman works for him, there’s no other record of the two even knowing each other.”

  “Happens,” Roc said, shrugging. “One of his lieutenants could’ve hired him. Rudolph might not even recognize Oberman if he saw the kid on the street.”

  Hunter shook his head. “No way. I don’t buy it. Oberman weaseled his way into my sister’s life for a reason. Rudolph is a smart man. He’d have covered his tracks.”

  “And we know that, too,” Bear said, cutting his gaze back to Hunter. “That’s why we and the feds have looked at this from every angle. Oberman has never been photographed at any meetings with Rudolph. And the last time Rudolph was in Texas, Oberman was in New Mexico on summer break, so we can’t even put them in the same state at the same time.”

  “That’s what phones, e-mail, the Internet, all that is for. A webcam and a connection is all you need to see people nowadays.”

  “His calls are monitored,” Roc said.

  Hunter’s head whipped around. “Don’t give me that shit. We both know there are ways around that.”

  “Obviously, which is why our guys with the Bureau have been working around the clock to find the link. As of right now, there is none.”

  “So what happens now?” Hunter asked with eyes narrowed. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like the answer.

  Bear sighed. “She can’t go anywhere until we get her car fixed; with the exception of Parsons, our contacts within the FBI are ready to back down. Without their support, her parents would easily find out she’s not at school or away on a project. And that would be a game changer. I say we keep digging until her car’s fixed.”

  “And then?” Hunter knew, but he wanted Bear to say the words.

  “She goes back to school, man. And Blade comes home. We move on.”

  Leave his sister alone to fend for herself? No fucking way. “I’m not leaving Heather unprotected.”

  “You can’t stick her in your pocket and keep her there.” Bear threw up his hands. “What if this is just a case of some little shit getting pissed off for being dumped? How much time and resources have to be spent before it’s enough for you?”

  “When that prick gets thrown in jail.”

  “No.” Bear’s fist dropped to the table, slamming it. “That could take years. You know that. I need you to get your head outta your ass and think. Step away from it emotionally and look at this case like you would normally—objectively.”

  Hunter groaned and rubbed his face. He knew his boss was right, but he didn’t want to admit that. Not yet. Instead of facing those facts, he asked, “How much longer do we have?”

  “Roc?” Bear asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Fender came in yesterday, front bumper today. Other dents were able to be knocked out. All the glass has been replaced. Even put new tires on it since the tread was low. Should be ready in a few days, I think.”

  “So by the weekend. She could be back in classes by Monday. You’ll have to let go then,” he added softly.

  Monday. He wanted to argue, but knew it wouldn’t work. He was going to have to let her go, and he didn’t know the first thing about how to go about doing that. He glanced at Bear to see if his boss was waiting for a response, but the man wasn’t looking at him. He stared across the room, and Hunter caught something moving under the table. Bear’s knee. What was his boss thinking about now? He had a feeling it didn’t have anything to do with the case.

  And everything to do with letting someone go.

  Hunter would be willing to bet his house that Bear was thinking about Roxie. It was obvious something had happened between the two of them, and whatever it was left unresolved feelings.

  Was that what Hunter had to look forward to? Letting go of a woman for reasons that might seem right only to live life in regret? In pain?

  He didn’t want that. But what could he do? Fuck, he didn’t know. But the more he thought about Maya, one thing was becoming painfully clear.

  He cared for her more than he ever wanted to. More than he ever wanted to care for any woman. What was he supposed to do with that? Let go of the woman he loved?

  Whoa. Love? He pushed the chair back and got up from the table without looking at the other two men. He couldn’t. He knew the emotional questions would be reflected in his eyes. Did he love her? Could he?

  Those questions were burning in him, but another one demanded his attention. One he was ashamed to admit.

  Did it even matter?

  Yes, that made
him a bastard, but the question was there anyway, taunting him, searing him deep in his chest. Did it matter if he loved her?

  When he’d just let her go anyway.

  Maya carried the bags up the porch to Hunter’s house. She shouldn’t have bought the new clothes, but once she’d gotten to the mall with the girls, her natural female instincts had kicked in. Retail therapy had been exactly what she needed. She immersed herself in jeans and shoes and didn’t think about much else. Xan and Roxie had been a lot of fun, too, hamming it up with her. The three also got a kick out of Brody’s discomfort when it came to the wedding registry. Maya had never had that much fun shopping before.

  Of course, when she’d pulled her wallet out to pay for the first pair of shoes she’d snagged, Brody had insisted on taking care of the bill. At first, she hadn’t understood, but then Xan had whispered something about not needing to leave a paper trail. The fact the woman knew so quickly must’ve been a sign of how in tune she was with her fiancé. That, or Xan knew more about the worries of leaving behind evidence than she should. Maya didn’t know which, but she hoped it was the first reason.

  After they finished shopping, Brody drove through a frozen custard place, and Maya wondered where the sweet goodness had been all her life. That stuff put ice cream to shame.

  Now stuffed with yummy junk food and toting a few new things for her wardrobe, she returned to Hunter’s feeling better than when she’d last seen him. Nothing was resolved between them, but she was better prepared now.

  It had to be the sugar.

  When she reached the door, Hunter opened it before she could. He waved at the car, and Brody threw up a peace sign before backing out. Maya waved quickly before the car turned and drove off.

  Hunter took the bags from her. “Looks like you had fun.”

  She followed him inside and shut the door. “I did. It was nice getting out. Amazing how someone can watch you without making you feel like a prisoner.” She smiled sweetly as she kicked off her sneakers.

  He put the bags down. “I deserved that.”

  “You deserve more than that,” she muttered, and turned away from him. He reached for her, stopping her retreat.

  “What do I deserve?” he asked, his nose grazing through her hair. He slowly trailed his hand up and down her arm.

  “You’re not being fair,” she breathed.

  “I don’t play fair. Not when it comes to you.”

  Her head fell back onto his chest, and he slowly wrapped an arm around her waist.

  “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings earlier,” he whispered into her ear. Then he sucked the lobe between his lips and nibbled it. “I’m sorry.”

  She groaned. “Why do you know what to say to make me want you?”

  “Do you want me?” he asked, and she didn’t miss his erection when he plastered himself against her back.

  “Yes,” she said, unable to keep the answer from coming out.

  He gently tilted her head and kissed her neck. She could stand here like this forever, feeling his mouth on her. She didn’t know why she loved it so much, why this man pulled this kind of response from her…

  And she had no way of stopping her reaction to him.

  She’d discovered that the first time he’d taken her. She’d been shocked to find him busting through the bathroom door, but any irritation had gone bye-bye with one look into his smoldering eyes. He’d wanted her, too, and there wasn’t anything hotter than a sexy man’s need being so clearly displayed. Did it make it right? No. In the back of her mind, she knew she’d regret this eventually, had even started to earlier.

  But being near him disintegrated all negative thoughts. It made her weak, but only for him, and right now, she was okay with that.

  More than okay.

  “I want to take all your clothes off, kiss you everywhere, and have you begging for more,” he said as he tugged her shirt off one shoulder and peppered her with his kisses.

  He might as well knock her to her ass because his words were making her weak in the knees anyway. It took more strength than she thought she had to pull away from him and turn to face him, and not because she didn’t want this.

  She almost smiled at his confused look.

  She might be totally gone for this man, but no way would she be the only one begging when it came to sex. It was time he got a taste of his own medicine. If she felt entitled to a little payback because of how he’d acted earlier, she ignored it. She didn’t want anything tainting this time but good, clean fun.

  Good, clean, torturous fun.

  She reached for his belt and slowly unbuckled it. When she glanced up at him, her serious expression almost cracked at his partial smile. She maintained eye contact with him as she unfastened his jeans and slowly pulled the zipper down.

  His smile vanished.

  He gritted his teeth to the point his jaw flexed, and he stood still, waiting.

  Good.

  As she pushed his pants and boxer-briefs down, she dropped to her knees.

  He groaned softly, probably realizing what she was about to do, and widened his stance a little bit.

  Not much for preliminaries, she licked the head of his penis. He gasped at the contact and gripped her hair, not tightly, but enough to know he held her.

  She sucked him into her mouth, and had to put her hands on his thighs for balance. They stiffened beneath her palms, and her nails dug in slightly as she took him as far in as she could.

  “Yes,” he hissed. He wadded her hair into a makeshift ponytail in one hand and caressed her cheek with the other. “So good.”

  Maya had never felt she was any good at this. Even figured it probably didn’t matter much anyway. But there was no denying the truth in Hunter’s praise.

  Feeling more secure, she let go of one of his thighs and eased her hand between his legs. When she tugged on his balls, he gasped and thrust into her mouth.

  Groaning, he said, “Sorry,” and straightened. She didn’t want that. She wanted him weak and needy, yes, but she also wanted him to be free to react however he needed.

  She let him slip free and she stroked him as she looked up. “Don’t apologize. Do whatever you want.”

  The hand in her hair tightened as his eyes got darker. “I just want to enjoy this until you’re ready to stop.”

  “Liar.” She smiled. Fine. If he wanted to play like that, then they would. The gloves were coming off.

  She sucked him back into her mouth, keeping a hand on the root to stroke him as her head bobbed. She also kept her other hand on his balls and played with them. There was no going easy. She jacked him hard as her tongue tortured his glans. His thighs shook, and every once in a while, a curse would fall from his lips.

  Jeez, he had killer stamina, but as she worked him, she could feel his control slipping. The grip on her hair would tighten. He’d barely thrust before checking himself.

  She thought about talking dirty to him, but she wasn’t that brave.

  His flavor darkened a little, and she moaned around him at the taste.

  “Fuck,” he growled, and yanked her up. He turned her, grabbed her waist, took three steps to the couch, and bent her over the back of it. “That was goddamn torture.” He whipped her pants down.

  Unable to stop, she giggled at her victory.

  “You think that’s funny?” A condom wrapper ripped.

  “I think it’s payback.”

  “Famous last words, baby.”

  He drove into her from behind, taking her with a force that had her rising up on her toes. He thrust hard and fast, and she was so turned on from pleasing and teasing him that she was already about to come. Words fell from her mouth as she rocked back against him, meeting him each time.

  Stars exploded behind her eyelids as she screamed his name, orgasming harder than she ever had before.

  And still he didn’t stop.

  When her throat grew sore and she slumped, depleted, he wrapped his arms around her midsection and hoisted her up. She was stil
l pinned to the couch, but now his mouth was at her ear.

  “I can fuck you hard and fast or nice and slow.” He demonstrated the latter by sensually easing in and out of her. “Sometimes you need to get fucked like that. Other times, you need to be made love to…like this.” He kissed her ear as he continued the leisurely pace, his panting breath punctuated with moans.

  He was making love to her. Love. Somehow, what had been the hardest sex of her life was now the most meaningful. How could this man do that to her? Have that kind of effect on her?

  She gasped when he slipped his hand under her shirt and squeezed her breast. Her head tipped back, and he slipped his hand between her legs, trailing lazy circles around her clit.

  “I feel you everywhere,” he whispered, and she knew he didn’t mean physically.

  At least she wasn’t in this thing alone. She didn’t even want to like him, care about him, but she’d never thought about loving him.

  Heat rushed to her face. Oh god, she did love him. She gasped, and he misunderstood why because he increased his pace. But now that his thrusts and his finger were going faster, she realized she was close to coming. This man was making love to her, and she was about to have another orgasm, one completely different, but so much more. Maybe he hadn’t misunderstood anything at all.

  Maybe he’d been able to read her from the beginning.

  “Maya,” he breathed. “I–” He dug his head into her shoulder and groaned.

  What was he going to say? The thought that he might be struggling to confess his feelings had her tingling all over. He pushed into her harder, and she gasped. “Oh, god.”

  He didn’t increase his pace, just kept slamming into the same spot inside of her, bursts of electricity igniting each time.

  “What the?” She was confused and so incredibly turned on. He was still plowing into her, but now he needed the force because she was fisting him so tightly.

  “That’s it,” he crooned. “Give it to me, baby. I’m close. I want you with me. Always with me.”

  She was too far gone to read anything more into his words than how they applied to the present. Unable to stand it anymore, she pushed back, taking him as deep as she could, and rotated her hips, keeping him inside.