Page 36 of Gunner

That was all a biker offered.

Then again, Blade was completely devoted to Beck. But they grew up together; they were connected long before he joined the club.

Jack was head over heels for Sam. But they had a child together. They would forever be tied together, so why not make the best of it?

It was obvious Ryder thought Ellie was his everything. But he just joined the club. He hadn’t had time to fall into the trap of being a Neanderthal.

Then there was Cash. Rachel’s death had devastated him. Yet, if the rumors were true, he was now off sleeping with anyone with a hoo-hah. And although I knew it was a coping mechanism, it certainly didn’t help the biker stereotype.

But Gunner wasn’t like them.

He wasn’t looking for a partner or a spouse.

And to be honest, neither was I.

I was content in my life the way it was.

Are you sure?

With a heavy sigh, I pulled into The Diner. I hadn’t realized I’d subconsciously chosen a destination while I ranted inside my head. But the food was good, and it gave me an opportunity to see and be seen so people didn’t forget I was in town.

Not that they ever did. I frequently had people ask me for advice, but the moment I mentioned making an appointment, it was always met with the same response.

I don’t need a shrink.

We all needed to have our heads shrunk at times. Everyone had empty space that was filled with doubts and worries. We needed help shrinking that empty space, preventing those damaging thoughts and feelings from filling it up.

Like me right now.

That empty space in my head was quickly filling up with all the reasons Gunner was an asshole. After telling Brian I was his woman, knowing it would spread through town like wildfire, he had the audacity to sit in The Diner, where everyone could see him, with Penelope Ridgefield.

Chapter Ten

Gunner

I knew the moment I heard the bell over the door that it was her who had entered. The air in the room thickened, heated to a choking, sweltering temperature.

Any time I was near her, I felt it. I didn’t recognize it for what it was at first. I assumed it was lust. My body wanted her. Now I knew the truth. My soul wanted her.

She was mine.

Mine to love.

Mine to protect.

Mine to consume and control.

An involuntary smile spread across my face. I couldn’t stop it. Unfortunately, the bitch sitting in the booth across from me thought it was for her.

Penelope Ridgefield had been after me for years. I’d discovered she had gone to school with Haizley. Penelope was pretty in an obvious way. She could have been a supermodel with her long blonde hair and long shapely legs. That was if she had been born somewhere other than the Midwest to someone other than a couple that was poor as dirt.

A few years ago, when she started her campaign to be my old lady, I had Nav look into her. There was something that didn’t sit right. Something about her that had the hair on the back of my neck standing on end.

Nav never found anything.

I wasn’t convinced, though.

The absence of proof didn’t mean she wasn’t a fucking bitch.

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