Hidden Agenda: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Code Book 2)

by Bethany Jadin

  “Took no time at all,” he says, standing and stretching his back. “You never even unpacked some of these from the first move, did you?”

  I shrug as casually as I can. As much as I agreed with their offer to let me pick a different place, I already miss being in the same building as the guys. But now’s not the time for remorse, not after Gunner helped me lug dozens of boxes up the stairs. “I knew I wouldn’t be staying.”

  An indecipherable shadow passes over his features. It takes me a moment, but I think it might be what Gunner looks like when he’s not happy. It’s gone in an instant, though, and he’s back to his cheery self.

  “I know how it is,” he says. “Sometimes, I treat myself to a couple nights in a hotel. No gym equipment begging for attention. No work. Just me and a good book.”

  “Really?” He doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy to curl up with a novel. I give myself a mental kick in the ass. Here I am, trying not to stereotype the guys, and I’m still falling into it left and right. “What do you read?”

  “Oh, I don’t have time to do it much. Between Pentabyte and trying to fit in all the crazy shit I wanna do while I’m still young, it doesn’t leave me many quiet nights. I figure I’ll have plenty of time when I’m forty.”

  “You think forty’s old?”

  “No. Hell, Jude and Jax are just a few years off, and both of them could kick my ass.”

  My eyebrows go up as I admire Gunner’s form. “I doubt that.”

  He gives me a look and shakes his head. “You haven’t seen either of them in a fight, have you?”

  “You have?”

  It’s his turn to raise his eyebrows, and I can tell from the look in his eyes that he’s seen more than he bargained for. Words form on his lips, but in a rare move, he swallows them back. “Let’s just say they don’t fuck around.”

  My curiosity surges, and I bite at my bottom lip, trying to think of how to get the story out of him. There’s still so much I don’t know about the twins.

  But Gunner’s ready to change subjects. “Anyway, I figure I’ll slow down eventually. I’ll have time to go through my library then.”

  “Your library? Please tell me you have an actual library, and that’s not just what you call an app on your phone.”

  Gunner moves to the fridge, where he’d stashed a six pack earlier in the day, looking shyer than I have ever seen him. “I do,” he confesses. “Trigg has his Zen Den and I have my Book Nook. It’s more of a large walk-in closet, actually, but one day I’ll have a big old-school library, complete with one of those rolling ladders.”

  “The Book Nook. Gunner, you are a constant surprise.” I smile in amazement. “So, what type of books are you going to fill this library with?”

  “I collect first edition hardcovers, especially the limited-runs with artwork.” He cracks open a chocolate stout. “I may already have enough to last me until I’m two hundred and two, but I can’t help myself.”

  That gets a laugh from me. “You don’t exactly come across as high on the self-restraint scale.”

  He smiles at that, taking a leisurely stroll around my new apartment. Unlike the last one, it doesn’t take him long to make the rounds. “I like this place. Reminds me of the first apartment I had with Trigg. I know you’ll make it better than anything we did with the place. You have a good touch with that sorta thing, Emma.”

  It’s perhaps the least sexual compliment Gunner has given me, but it still makes me blush. “How long have you and Trigg lived together?”

  He reels back on his heels, his gaze becoming distant. “Coming up on ten years now. Oh, shit. What anniversary is that?”

  I pull my phone out and start a search. “Good question. Maybe wood?”

  Gunner snickers. “Awesome.”

  “Nope. Tin or aluminum.”

  He furls his eyebrows, disappointed. “That sounds too cheap. Ohhh.” He snaps his fingers in the air. “There’s this sweet as shit aluminum chassis roadster he likes.”

  I stare at him. “You’re going to buy your roommate a car for your anniversary?”

  He pauses in the middle of a swig of the stout and stares back. “Not a car,” he says, lowering the bottle. “A roadster. Totally different. I should take you out in one. But most of them are mono-cock.”

  “Mono what?”

  “Mono— Hey—” He shakes a finger at me with a devilish grin. “You have a one-track mind. Mono. Cock. One cockpit. One seat. Like a jet.”

  “Oh, okay, I gotcha.”

  His grin widens as he starts walking to the other side of the room. He pauses when he gets close to me. “But maybe you wouldn’t like it,” he says, leaning close to my ear. “I know you enjoy more than one cock.”

  The heated flush on my skin is instant, but before I have a chance to reply, Gunner slaps me on the ass, and I jump with a shriek of laughter.

  “Hey, I could say the same thing about you,” I retort, rubbing my tingling ass cheek as he takes another swig of his beer and strides over to the stack of boxes at the front door.

  He gives me a wink and downs the rest of his beer before setting the bottle aside. I watch as he grabs a heavy box off the top of the stack and carries it effortlessly down the hallway to the bedrooms. He’s just so out there with all of it, he makes me feel like I can say things I wouldn’t normally dare tell anyone, except maybe Zoey.

  I call out to him, somehow finding it easier to start the conversation now that I’m not face to face with him. “I already miss seeing you guys every day,” I confess. “But I think... I think this was the right move. Some space might be good. I feel like my… attractions… are clouding my judgement when it comes to separating how I feel about you guys and how I feel about Pentabyte as a potential buyer.”

  Gunner emerges from the hallway, a hint of that lost look in his eyes before he replaces it with a cocky grin. “I get it. I’d be distracted by me, too.” He plasters himself against the wall and tosses his head like he has a mane of hair being blown by a giant fan, trailing a finger down his chest, an exaggerated look of seduction on his face.

  I groan and roll my eyes, but I’m shaking with laughter, too. He never fails to bring a smile to my face just as I’m thinking things are about to get awkward.

  “Really, though,” he says, straightening up. “I do get it. I sure do get clouded judgement whenever you’re around.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He walks over to my couch and pokes at the cushion with his beer. I watch him, trying to study what is going on in there. There’s that look again. I’m not used to seriousness on Gunner. But I won’t lie, it’s attractive on the big man, and it’s pulling at my heartstrings. Those glimpses I’m catching mirror the well of emotions inside me that I’ve been trying to keep at bay, the things I’m trying not to think about.

  “When you’re around, I can’t focus on anything else. Fuck, I wiped out more times when you came to the motocross track with me than I have since I was twelve. I’m always thinking about what I can be doing for you. You know, I just…” He rubs at the back of his neck then moves a box from the couch and taps the cushion. “Wanna sit?”

  I try my hardest to restrain my smile. “I’m okay. I’m a little too worked up to sit right now.”

  Gunner nods, his eyes still on the box he just moved. “I’ve been working on the classics.”

  “Come again?”

  “You asked me what I read. I’m about halfway through The Count of Monte Cristo. I’m not sure I like him.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “He’s obsessed with revenge. He just needs to chill the fuck out, you know? I had a lot of bad shit happen to me when I was younger. And more shit when I was in the Marines. You can’t let it consume you.”

  I stand and watch him for a moment, catching depths I hadn’t fathomed before. “Gunner, tell me something. Why aren’t you married with seven kids?”

  He gives me a crooked, half grin. “Sounds nice, but I guess I’ve never slowed down for anythi
ng that serious.” He stands up and heads toward the kitchen. “Sure you don’t want a beer?”

  “No, I’m okay.”

  Gunner stops in his tracks suddenly. “Huh. That was fast.”

  I follow his line of sight and turn to look through the living room, which faces out over the world’s most narrow alleyway, the brick building next door dominating every inch of the view. He walks closer to the window, a look of concern on his face.

  “What is it?” I move beside him, looking back and forth from the window to his face.

  His jaw tightens as he stares across the little alley to the other building, not even eight feet away.

  “I need some curtains. I can’t believe they made all the windows look right into the next apartment like this.”

  “Who reads newspapers anymore?” Gunner asks, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. He points to an apartment window directly across from us, where a man sitting at a kitchen table is reading the paper.

  “Hey. I think I’ve seen him before.” I try to wrap my head around why he looks so familiar. The newspaper folds down a bit as my neighbor takes a sip of coffee, and I see more of his face. “Wait. I really have seen him.”

  There’s caution in Gunner’s tone now, another thing I’m not used to. “From where?”

  “One of my meetings with BHC. He caught my attention the next table over, because he was trying too hard not to look our way. I figured he was with Marcus Davidson, maybe his backup in case I needed more wooing, or his security guy.”

  Gunner lets out a hard breath through his nose as his jaw clenches. “Looks like you have a tail already.”

  “Seriously?” Anger wells up inside me. “What the fuck?” I turn away from the window, ready to march over there and tell the guy off.

  “I’m sure he’s harmless,” Gunner says quickly, his hand grasping my arm, pulling me back. “They’re probably jealous of how much time the foxy lady has been spending with us, and they want to make sure you aren’t… collaborating with the enemy.”

  Gunner’s hand runs down my arm as he moves closer behind me, his touch light for such a big guy. I wish my body didn’t react to him so readily, but warmth suffuses my chest as he pulls me against him, wrapping his arms around me. My ass rubs across his groin, and I lean my head back against his chest.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” It’s meant to be a reprove, but it sure doesn’t come out sounding like it.

  He leans his lips close to my ear, my body tingling now. “Let’s give him a show if he wants to be a peeping tom.”

  God, why does that make a thrill shoot up my spine? “No. No way.”

  His hands move to my waist, and he hooks his fingers through the belt loops of my jeans. He pulls me back further into him, and I can feel his cock pressing between my ass cheeks. “Yes way.” He kisses the sensitive skin beneath my ear. “I told you all I can think of when you’re around is what I can do for you.”

  My hands move down to cover his as my breath catches in my chest. “Oh really? And what is it you think I need?”

  One of those big hands of his leaves my jeans and smooths up my stomach, taking my shirt with it. “You’re all wound up. Right now, you need an outlet for all that nervous energy, don’t you?”

  I grab onto his hand, which is headed for my breasts, and spin around. I intend to protest, but then I come face to face with him. What I expected to see was the Gunner I know. Mischievous. Naughty, even. What I see is a plea in his eyes. It’s there for just a moment before that sexy twinkle of his returns.

  I glance out the window and catch a glimpse of the man in the apartment across the alley, who looks away just as my gaze lands on him. “I’m not exactly the exhibitionist type.”

  “But I am.”

  There’s the Gunner I know. His smile is devilish as he dips his lips to mine. He breathes in as he kisses me, and I can’t help but wrap my arms around his neck. He picks me up by my waist and effortlessly lifts me to the table. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed his kiss. His lips — so strong and soft — press into mine as he pulls my legs around his thighs.

  The sensual touch has me on edge, and a hunger inside me flares up. These men are making me insatiable. I can’t get enough of them.

  Gunner feels too good. His big, muscular body pressed against me and engulfing me. I lift my knees and lock my heels into the back of his legs, pulling him until I can feel his growing hardness between my legs. I feel so small against him, but he yields to my every touch. I place my hands on his chest and apply pressure, and Gunner gives me room to lift his shirt. He helps me strip it off, then I run my fingers over his rigid muscles. His lips linger at my temple as I touch him, feathering kisses across my forehead.

  “I can’t resist you,” he tells me. “I know I should. But I can’t do it.”

  I run my fingers down to his belt and tug. Gunner gives a low groan, licking his lips before baring his teeth at me in a snarl that dares me to keep going. I undo the clasp and the button to his jeans beneath.

  He steps back and flicks his finger at me. “Let’s get these clothes off. I want to see every inch of you.”

  I bite at my lip and glance at the man in the opposing apartment. “I really need some curtains.”

  “Fuck that guy. I wanna see you naked.”

  “I’d rather fuck you.”

  The snarl is back, and this time Gunner looks like an absolute animal as he reaches for me.

  That bared desire in his eye fuels me with courage, and I push him away. “Not yet.”

  My kitchen table may be old, but it’s sturdy. I twist, pulling my legs underneath me and crawl to the center of it. Raising up on my knees, I sway my hips for him just a little, testing my balance, then I get into a bit more of what I would consider a strip tease rhythm. It probably isn’t as graceful as it should be, but Gunner groans low again as I unzip my pants and shimmy them down my thighs and off my legs. He steps closer and runs his fingers up my legs to the line of my panties.

  I slap his hands, making him jump like a nervous teenager. Dipping my thumbs into the waistband of my panties, I carefully stand up on the table, turning away from him. I bend over slowly as I shake out of my panties, my ass wiggling in his face. Gunner is absolutely mesmerized, his eyes darting over my body. He reaches for me again, but I slap him away.

  He pulls his hand back and gives me this wide, hungry smile.

  I pull my panties down my thighs while looking back at him, loving that wild look of rapt attention and the hard bulge pushing at his zipper. My panties drop to my feet, and I grasp them with my toes, kicking them backward.

  He catches them, and I bite into my lips again as he brings them to his face and inhales deeply. “Goddamn, that’s good.”

  His words and that expression on his face — it makes my pussy ache. Clasping the hem of my shirt, I turn back to him. Gunner lets out a low whine as his eyes fall to the soft patch of hair between my legs. I run the hem of my shirt between my fingers and pull it out, doing a little tease with it.

  I take another glance at my new neighbor, relieved to see he has vacated his spot at the table and is nowhere in sight. At least one of us has a little decency, because it’s certainly not me right now, not as I lift my shirt over my head. I sway my hips as I reach behind my back to unclasp my bra.

  Gunner has a hand on the front of his jeans, rubbing the thick outline of his cock as he watches. I take the straps from my shoulders, dangling the bra out in front of me then let it drop to the table. Gunner’s jaw drops with it, and he’s fixated on my body, his eyes running over me with desire.

  “You want to know what you can do for me?” I ask him, stepping to the edge of the table

  “Anything,” he says, practically salivating.

  I place a hand down low, running a finger between my pussy lips. Knowing that Gunner’s good at taking orders gives me a courage I would not otherwise possess. A courage to vocalize what I want. “Come here and lick me.”

  The big breath h
e lets out is audible. He steps to the table, running his hands up the back of my thighs before grabbing my ass and holding me firm. His moan is just as loud as mine as he presses his lips between my legs. He kisses then licks, his thick tongue running up my slit until he reaches the top. He takes my clit between his lips and sucks then dips lower, his tongue flicking inside me. I run my fingers through his hair, my other hand holding onto his shoulder as my knees weaken.

  Gunner holds me up, using all of his mouth to please me. He presses his face against my pussy, his tongue thrusting into me deeply, then he trails back up to my clit once more. It’s me who’s whining now, my hips bucking forward to meet him. Within a few minutes, his tongue is no longer enough. I need that thick cock of his inside me again.

  I pull on the hair at the back of his neck, making him look up at me. “I want you inside me.”

  His lips are parted, and his chest heaves. Gunner’s tongue pushes into me once more before he pulls away and gives me that animalistic snarl. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Gunner steps back to remove his pants, and I sit down on the table, my legs dangling off the edge. I spread my thighs wide and lean back, exposing my wet pussy to him, running my fingers down between my lips, pushing them apart, showing him exactly where I want his attention.

  He jerks his pants off in record time, and his cock comes free, hard and thick. A shiver runs through me at the sight of his naked body, his muscles rippling as he moves toward me.

  I grasp his shaft as he approaches and stroke him, his cock hot and firm. His eyes are tender as he places a palm on either side of my face, lifting my lips to his.

  As our kisses grow intense, I let go of his shaft and grab his ass, pulling him into me, his cock pushing against my slick pussy. Gunner’s kiss is interrupted by a feral growl, and I feel his lips pull back as he bares his teeth.

  He grabs onto my hips and thrusts. I cry out with the tight invasion, his girth stretching me. My heart races, and my lungs burn as all the air leaves my body.

  “Holy fuck,” he gasps then kisses me hard.

  I shift my hips, angling up and wrapping my legs around him, trying to get every inch of him inside me that can. “Gunner, more, please.”