Page 15 of Gunnar

“Honey, I’m not going to lie and say that, no, he wouldn’t kill you if he thought he had to. But I can’t say he would kill you either. I’ve known him for fifteen years. The only time I ever seen the man show fear was right after he came back to his cell the afternoon he met you. He said the whole prison knew he now had a weakness.”

Pippa gave me a strange look. “I don’t like being a weakness. To anyone.”

“You’re only his weakness because he can’t have anything happen to you. Especially not because of him. Your dad has a lot of enemies, but he’s still as solid as they come. Ain’t gonna say he’s a good man, but he has a strict code he lives by.”

“You trust him?”

That startled me. I hadn’t expected the question. “Yes. Like I said. He’s solid. He might not do something for the reasons you think and he will always find a way to use any situation to his advantage, but he would never intentionally hurt an innocent.”

“Then I’m going to choose to believe Knuckles is better than my mom. Do you know if anyone has been looking for me? Did Mom file a police report or anything?”

Yeah. This girl was smart. And it was going to get her hurt. “You’re so tired your words are slurring, Pippa. We can talk about all this later. I’ll give you as many answers as I have once you’ve had a chance to rest. Get dressed and I’ll see if I can work through your hair while you eat something.”

“There’s no way I can eat while you attempt to detangle this rat’s nest. Notice I used the word ‘attempt.’”

As I’d hoped, I distracted her from the line of questioning she’d opened. Because the answer to her question was a resoundingno. Her mother hadn’t fileda police report. She also knew full well her daughter was missing because I’d spoken with the woman three weeks before I finally found Pippa, then again just before we executed the rescue. Both times, the woman claimed to have seen her daughter just the day before.

“We makin’ bets?”

“I don’t have any money. Since I’ve been gone a month, I’m sure my bank account is overdrawn.” She tried to sound flippant, but I could tell she was doing her best to keep reality at bay. She needed to break down and have a good cry or primal scream or something. Instead, I watched as she bottled up all the pent-up fear, anger, and grief inside her and tried to bury it in dark humor. But this woman was hurting.

“How about, if you manage to accomplish anything on my hair without me calling you a son of a bitch while I’m eating, I’ll talk Knuckles into getting you out of babysitting duty.”

“You’re not getting out of this as easy as that, Pippa. I promised Knuckles and, now that I’ve met you and spent some time in your company, I’m not sure I’m ready to quit this job.”

She stared up at me and, in her eyes, I saw the same longing I felt. Then she closed her eyes tightly. When she opened them, her face was blank.

“Donotshut me out, Pippa.” I didn’t mean to snarl at her, but I did. She didn’t recoil, but her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath. “You tell me what you’re thinking, and I tell you what I’m thinking. If we do that, we can get to know each other faster. Now, what are you trying to keep from me?”

“Nothing. Just…” She took a deep breath. “Gunnar, will you kiss me?”

Chapter Six

Gunnar

I’m not really sure what happened. One second I was looking down at Pippa in shock, the next I was kissing her. Just like she’d asked. Once her tongue brushed against mine tentatively, I groaned and did something I never thought I’d do. I surrendered. Not in a submissive sense, but to the woman I’d claimed as mine. To Pippa. She needed something to fill her mind with besides fear and terror. If she wanted a little pleasure with someone to make her feel safe, who was I to deny her? Which brought up a new subset of problems, but I’d figure it the fuck out.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but the silky feel of Pippa’s lips, soft and warm against mine, surpassed anything my mind could have dreamed up. The feel of her lips and tongue sliding over mine was the most exquisite, beautiful sensation ever. Nothing in my wildest imaginings could have prepared me for this kiss.Nothing. I cupped her face gently in my hands, deepening the kiss as she melted against me. Her fingers curled into the fabric of my shirt, pulling me closer.

I poured everything I was feeling into that kiss -- my desire to protect her, my growing feelings for her, my need to chase away her pain and fear. Pippa responded with equal intensity, her body pressing flush against mine.

Christ! I wanted to snatch the towel away from her and look my fill at her beautiful body. I also needed, with everything inside me, to look over every single inch of her. Not for admiration. OK, so, not only for admiration. More than anything, I needed to see any visible signs of what those bastards did to her.

Everyone in the clubhouse where she’d been held was dead, but there were more people responsible. I had the feeling once I got Knuckles’ request for a complete list of every injury she had, I’d be required for another task. It was the thought of still having that report to make to Knuckles that helped me get myself back under control.

When I finally ended the kiss and we broke apart, both of us were breathing heavily. Pippa’s cheeks were flushed. “Wow.” Her hoarse whisper was full of awe, and I wouldn’t try to pretend I didn’t puff out my chest a little.

I rested my forehead against hers. “Yeah. Wow.”

“I’ve only kissed a couple guys before, Gunnar. That wasn’t… I didn’t expect…” Pippa trailed off, looking as dazed as I felt.

“Then you’re a couple up on me. I went to prison when I was sixteen.” The second I spoke, I realized what I’d said. Heat rose to my cheeks and my gaze snapped to hers. My chin rose defiantly as I waited for her derision. She’d either scoff and call me a liar or, worse, laugh at me for being a fucking virgin in my thirties. Instead, her eyes widened and she stared into mine, searching for the truth of my statement.

Then she shook her head, a smile giving her lips a delicate curve. “If that was your first kiss, you’re a natural.” She wasn’t ridiculing me or even amused. Instead, she looked just as shell-shocked as I felt.

I brushed my fingers over her lips, then her jaw. “Ain’t had time to find a woman since I got out, so yeah.” I spoke like I was in a trance. It was quite possible I was.

“Why?” Her innocent question caught me off guard. Why? Because I’d been too focused on finding her than looking for a woman to get laid. But was that really the reason? Or was it because I’d claimed her the second I’d seen her picture? And that had been long before Knuckles had asked me to make her my old lady. That was when I realized I’d committed my life to this woman before I even met her.

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