Page 20 of Gunner

Chapter 10

Nate had droppedLacey off at her home leaving her with Liam and Reid, two of the Eidolon guys. Skye had held her while she cried and forced her to talk through her fears about Carmine, reassuring her at each turn that he wouldn’t get near her.

Lacey loved Skye. She was her oldest friend, and there was nobody she’d trusted more until Gunner. He’d barrelled into her life like a bulldozer, turning it upside down in the best way. Now the only time she felt safe was when he was around. Of course, she’d never tell him that, she wouldn’t want to put any more on him than she already had.

As she’d lain in his arms last night, she’d come to the conclusion he could be hanging around just to see if she was pregnant. When it turned out that she more than likely wasn’t, he’d politely back away. It hurt her heart to think it, but why else would he stay? As Carmine had taken great pains to remind her, she was boring and cold in bed.

Although it had felt far from cold being with Gunner, the boring part was probably right. She’d done parties and premiers, and she had no desire to go out and get drunk every night. Staying home and reading a book or working on a design was how she liked to spend her time.

Poking her head in the fridge, she pondered what to make for dinner. Gunner was staying with her for now, and she wanted to embrace it and cherish every second while she had him. She was pulling peppers and a package of chicken breasts from the fridge when she heard the front door open.

Lacey knew it was him without hearing a single word, just the feeling and energy he brought into the room was enough, and she closed her eyes and sighed. Everything suddenly felt right with her world again. She hadn’t realised the tension she was carrying until he was in her space and she felt it ebb away.

Gunner rounded the corner to the kitchen and Lacey dropped the ingredients onto the counter and hurried to him.

“Your face. What the hell happened?”

He was sporting a black eye, and a bruise was forming on his cheek, but perversely he was grinning like a kid at Christmas. Her fingers gently probed the abused skin, and he captured her wrist in his hand and pulled her close as he plastered her body to his own.

He kissed her fingertips, and she cocked her head to look at him, wondering how she was meant to stop herself falling in love with a man such as him.

He smiled. “Jack and I were sparring.”

Lacey wasn’t sure how to respond, but from the look on his face, she guessed this was a good thing. “This is good?”

Gunner lifted her up and twirled her around, making her throw her head back and laugh before he settled her on the counter and stepped between her legs. She was wearing a short green floaty skirt and a white vest top with flip flops which now hung from her feet.

“This is great. We sparred, and then the guys kicked my ass, and I kicked theirs a little bit, and it was like being home again. Do you know what I mean?”

Lacey felt her body soften as she leaned toward him so happy to see a genuine smile on his face and the weight of guilt lifting a little. “Yeah, Gunner, I understand.”

She did, hadn’t she been thinking the exact same thing earlier when he’d walked in?

“Do you know the crazy part?”

Lacey ran her hand over his cheek as he turned to kiss her palm. “No, I don’t read minds.”

“All I kept thinking about when I was there, and this weight was lifting, was that I couldn’t wait to get back here and tell you about it.”

“Gunner.”

This man could break her so easily and not have a clue he’d done it. She had no doubt he would never knowingly harm a hair on her head, but it would be so easy to fall in love with him and then end up a shell when he walked away needing more fun in his life.

Gunner buried his head in her neck, his lips skimming the pulse in her neck.

“I mean it. As good as it feels to know I can maybe one day find my way back to them respecting me, the best feeling was coming home and seeing you.”

Gunner was devastatingly handsome all the time, his ice-blue eyes, the blond hair and scruff and the wide shoulders but when he smiled like he was now, she had no defence against it.

“I’m so happy you had a good day, sweetheart.”

“What about you? How was your day?”

His hands were on her waist his thumbs caressing the soft skin of her bare belly as he spoke, making it difficult to concentrate.

“Good.”

“Just good?”