Page 70 of Gunner

“And a long tongue.” She winked at me.

“Fuck, I don’t need to hear that shit.”

“You’re just salty ‘cause you ain’t getting any. And you won’t if you don’t wise up. You pissed her off so much she asked to sleep in Bane’s room. No one wants to be around his cranky ass.”

She had a point. Although, it looked like he was about to let her. I looked over to where he sat eating his breakfast. He was lucky King intervened, ‘cause I didn’t care if he was a fuckingSoulless Sinner. He touched my woman, and he wouldn’t make it back to New York.

“You gonna give me some advice?”

“Fuck no. You’re on your own.”

Arching a brow at her, I asked, “Then why are you here?”

With a big grin, she declared, “To bust your balls.”

Shaking my head, I searched the room for Haizley and found her sitting with Bane. She was gorgeous. Her brown hair was twisted into a braid that hung over her shoulder. Her legs were crisscrossed on the seat, keeping her feet off the floor.

I watched as she talked to Bane. She smiled and laughed like she didn’t have a care in the world. She was good at hiding her worries. Her fears. I had been watching her for weeks. I knew the smile she showed the brothers who were sat with her wasn’t real.

She hid behind her professionalism.

I saw the crack last night when she walked back into the clubhouse, demanding to sleep somewhere other than with me. I was caught between being proud of her fight and wanting to spank her ass for walking out on me.

It took longer than it should have to realize she wasn’t eating. She sat at the table with a cup of coffee and no food.

Rising up, I went to the kitchen. Grabbing a plate, I filled it with a little of everything. Walking back into the main room, I placed the plate on the table in front of her.

I saw her stiffen. Removing the coffee cup from her hand, I set it down and handed her the fork.

“Eat.”

When she made no move to obey, I leaned down and whispered, “Eat or I will feed you myself.”

The catch of her breath told me everything I needed to know. Walking away from her table was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life. What I longed to do was pull her into my lap and feed her, just like I threatened to do.

I didn’t care who was watching. This woman was mine to care for and I would. She wasn’t ready to admit that was exactly what she wanted.

But I was a patient man.

Taking my seat across the room, I watched as she lifted the fork to her mouth. She cast a glance in my direction, and if I hadn’t been watching her so closely, I would have missed it. That was how quick it was.

Leaning back in my chair, I crossed my arms over my chest. My eyes never left her, except for the briefest moment when I caught Bane staring at me.

The barely perceptible nod was a surprise. I nodded back. Maybe he wasn’t quite the asshole we all thought he was.

Movement by the front door distracted me. Maureen walked in, followed by her dog. When she walked by Freeway, I wondered if he said something to her. She ignored him, but Tucker didn’t. The dog began to growl and snarl.

“You wanna call off your dog?” he asked, pressed up against the bar, his eyes never leaving the dog.

Maureen stopped at the end of the bar. “Tucker. Come.”

Tucker snarled again and then barked before walking off to where Maureen sat at a table with Beck. A moment later, Hash brought a plate piled high with fruit and bacon and placed it in front of her.

“Stop trying to steal my woman, Hash.”

So caught up in the dog’s reaction to Freeway, I hadn’t seen the sheriff walk in.

“Take better care of her and I won’t be able to.” Hash winked at Maureen, who laughed, and walked back to the kitchen. Maureen and Hash had bonded over her cinnamon rolls. Something Hash had never been successful at making. He’d even asked her to marry him.

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