Page 68 of Gunner

“Don’t they? He’d have been floating in the Scioto River, then. How’s that?”

Not what a cop should hear, that was for sure, but his words gave me the worst case of the butterflies.

Gunner bowed his head, and I used the last bit of my energy to push against his chest to stop him. My gut twisted in indecisiveness as want warred with common sense. Gunner was wrong for me. He could never be the one. Why delude myself by fooling around with him any more than I already had? Innocent people like Asher might get hurt, and I couldn’t live with that.

“What are you doing?” I asked. Maybe he had an idea, because I was fresh out of them.

“Fuck if I know, but one thing is clear. Thinking about being inside you again is driving me crazy, so I’m going to fuck you for as long as it takes to get you out of my system.”

I caught the moan before it slipped out. “And if I say no?”

Gunner smiled. “You won’t because you may dislike me, but I’m the best you’ve ever had.”

“That’s not…” But it was true. A sick feeling grew in my stomach. How could I be so disrespectful to Mason’s memory? I’d loved him. Sex between us had been great.

But with Gunner, it’s explosive.

“Let’s face it, Chief. We have insane chemistry. Neither of us likes it, but it’s there, so why not get some good orgasms out of it?”

He was right, but I could slap that smug smile from his face. It taunted me to try to deny it, which was useless, given my actions in Riverton.

“Can you at least stop being an absolute shit about it?” My heart pounded in a disturbed rhythm. People had sex all the time. This didn’t have to mean anything at all.

“I can’t make any promises, but how about in bed, I make up for being an absolute shit? One will cancel out the other, I’m sure.”

He leaned in again, but I moved my head.

“This is temporary. Just two men exploring something here.”

“For fuck’s sake, Witter, shut up already and stop analyzing this thing to death. Just stand still so I can kiss you.”

“Uh, about that, maybe we shouldn’t ki—”

Gunner tightened his hold on my neck and covered my lips with his, thrusting his tongue into my mouth like he’d been dying for another taste of me.

There goes my plan to suggest we shouldn’t kiss.

Kissing was intimate and personal. And he did it so fucking well.

19

GUNNER

Sometimes I imagine getting caught, just so this torment would end.

Once I kissed him, Witter was mine to do with as I pleased. I’d never seen a man so openly needy for sex, even if he would never admit it. Fine, I didn’t care if he said it anyway. Just as long as he kept his legs open, he could tell both of us all the lies necessary to make himself comfortable sleeping with enemy number one.

I told myself similar lies.

I’m only doing this because of Mason.

When Witter found out we’d both been fucking Mason at the same time, he would be devastated to know I’d tricked him into bed to make a fool out of him. Except I wasn’t sure which of us was the greater fool. My reasoning didn’t even seem sound to me. I’d already fucked him, so I didn’t need to put up the charade any longer. I could blow my cover right now and watch the horror set on his face.

Witter moaned and shoved his hands beneath my shirt. His tongue stroked mine boldly, and I nipped it with my teeth. He raked his blunt nails over my stomach.

Or I could forget what happened with Mason and see how long this thing with Witter lasts.

After all, he had no idea Mason had been sleeping with me. Mason had used him just as much as he had me. All that anger toward him was misplaced.

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