Page 131 of Gunner

He growled again, only this one was more feral, more sexual. “Eyes on me, baby.”

I wanted to point out that my eyes were on him, but when our gazes connected, I was struck dumb by the heat in his eyes. His darkened pupils looked like moss, and I knew he was struggling with this forced celibacy as much as I was.

Maybe more.

I took a step forward, and he stepped back. “Not the time, Haizley.” I heard the roar of a bike outside and remembered Amber. When she knocked, I moved to open the door, but Gunner stopped me.

“Where’s your phone?”

Um, that was a good question. I looked around the room and when I couldn’t locate it, I gave Gunner a sheepish look.

“I think it’s upstairs.”

Shaking his head, he yanked open the front door without looking. Amber stood on the porch looking startled.

“Oh, hey, Gunner.”

“Come in, Amber.” His voice was raspy, and I think even Amber could see he was angry.

“Everything ok?” she asked, looking between Gunner and me.

He looked at Amber and then at me. Mumbling something about later and the word spanking, he stepped through the door, pulling it closed behind him.

“Girl, you are in trouble.”

My face flushed, though I wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment, anxiousness, or arousal.

“I am.” The small smile that spread across my face made Amber laugh, and I knew anxious wasn’t what I was feeling. I was aroused by the idea of Gunner punishing me. And also embarrassed that Amber had witnessed it.

At the sound of yelling outside, I looked through the window. Gunner was laying into the poor prospect in the driveway. Now I felt bad, and my shoulders sagged.

“Don’t feel bad for him. This is how they learn. He shouldn’t have left you here alone.”

“But I asked him to.”

“That’s why he should have said no. He takes orders from the men, never the women.”

“Well, that’s not right.” I looked back through the curtain and saw the prospect standing there, stoic. Whatever Gunner was saying, the prospect accepted it.

“That is the way in an MC,” Amber assured me. “Come on, I’ve already made you late.”

“You’re my last appointment today, so we’re good. What would you like to talk about?”

With a heavy breath, Amber announced, “I’d like to talk about my father.”

“Ok.” Until now, Amber had avoided the topic of her father, other than glazing over it when I saw her the first day.

“Well, I told you what he had done to me. It started when I was twelve. Once I started getting my period. He made a comment ‘old enough to bleed—’”

“Amber, you don’t have to say it. I am familiar with the abhorrent saying.”

“Well, he didn’t really believe it because he had me put on birth control to make sure I wouldn’t get pregnant. I was sixteen when I got away. After I killed him.”

She said it so calmly that I wasn’t sure I heard correctly at first.

“You killed your father?”

She nodded but wouldn’t look at me. Patients often avoided eye contact to avoid feeling judged. Despite our training and our best efforts, it was human nature to judge.

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