Gunner (Ride Series Second Generation Book 4)

by Megan O'Brien

  “Oh?” She quirked a brow.

  I managed to pull myself away from her soft skin and incredible scent. “Get dressed,” I ordered, knowing if I spent another second in bed with her, I’d lose all willpower.

  “Fine,” she pouted. “Are you gonna at least feed me first?”

  “Baby.” I chuckled. “You’re not a morning person, this I know. Do you think I’d have any plan that didn’t involve at least two cups of coffee and something sugary to get you going?”

  “A simple yes would work,” she groused.

  I leaned in to kiss her once more before smacking her ass lightly. “Up.”

  A short while later, we left our room, walking hand in hand through the main hall of the compound, finding few Bloods up and around at such an early hour.

  The silence was a direct contrast to the chaos of the previous evening.

  “Breakfast?” Tank’s deep voice offered as he sipped coffee on a barstool.

  “Thanks, but we’re good. Gonna take Emmie out for a bit, but I’ll be back later. I need to connect with King.”

  Tank nodded, tipping his cup up in farewell as I guided Emmie out of the club and to my truck.

  An hour later, after a trip to the local diner for breakfast, we arrived at our destination.

  “A hot spring?” she asked once she got a look at the sign as we pulled down the dirt drive to the parking area. We were the only car, and I hoped it stayed that way.

  “Figured it would do you good,” I explained as I cut the engine.

  Her gaze softened in understanding. “I don’t have a suit,” she replied.

  “That’s okay, I came prepared,” I shared, holding up the extra set of panties and bra I’d brought for her.

  She got out of the truck and I followed, moving around the hood to her.

  “Well,” she murmured, sweeping her shirt up over her head, leaving her in a black lace bra. “Don’t want to waste any time.” She shimmied her pants down her legs, revealing a black thong, and sauntered to the pool, diving in gracefully. Christ, the woman was going to kill me.

  Her head popped up, her dark hair slicked back, gaze inviting as she offered a playful smile.

  “You’re in so much trouble,” I warned, removing my own clothes, leaving my boxers on. I ran for the pool, cannonballing next to her, her peal of laughter following me under the water.

  When I surfaced, she immediately splashed me, and I responded by gripping her hips, pulling her flush against me. Her arms immediately wrapped around my shoulders, and I recognized the hunger in her eyes, knowing it matched mine.

  “Let me tell you what’s going to happen,” I ordered, needing to feel in control when this woman made me feel anything but. “I’m gonna take that mouth, because I can’t not.” I growled. “I’m going to play with you here,” I continued, my fingers finding her core and petting gently, eliciting a sexy-as-hell groan from her lips. “And I’m gonna make you come,” I promised huskily, already setting about to do exactly that. She was so responsive, and I couldn’t wait to discover all the ways I could make her go off.

  “I want to touch you too.” She keened, her hands gripping my shoulders as she quaked in my arms.

  “You can touch me,” I agreed, my cock jumping at the thought. “But not yet. First, I need to see you go off for me.” My fingers danced over her clit before pressing against her in earnest. It was only seconds before she was crying out, shaking as she came. My tongue traced a path from her collarbone up her gorgeous neck before taking her mouth in an unrelenting onslaught, unable to hold back and sensing that she didn’t need me to.

  It was only seconds before her hand wandered down to my boxers, making me groan when she gripped me tight. “Emmie….” I breathed out a single protest, unsure if I could truly hold myself back.

  She pulled back to look into my eyes, her hand stroking my length over the material. “I need to touch you, Gunner, please.”

  After only a second, I nodded, my heart pounding as she slipped my boxers to my thighs and began to explore.

  She looked at me hungrily, her teeth biting her lower lip, pupils dilated with lust as she stroked me.

  “Em.” My voice was so low I barely recognized it as I drew closer to the finish. All the pent-up lust I’d been holding back had me ready to go in record time. She looked down, watching as she brought me closer. I thrust into her hand, my movements faster, less controlled, before I let go with a groan. I dropped my head to her shoulder, panting. “Fuck.”

  She wrapped her arms around me. “Yeah,” she agreed.

  My hands made their way to her backside, squeezing firmly. “You are so fucking hot,” I growled, kissing her neck.

  She pushed me back. “Glad you think so,” she replied playfully before diving back under the water.

  We spent the next hour alternating between playing in the water and simply soaking, but eventually we needed to get back.

  “Thank you, that was awesome,” she sighed as we made our way back to the Bloods compound.

  I squeezed her thigh. “I’m glad, babe. When we get back, I need to meet with Ruston for a bit. You gonna be okay?”

  She nodded. “I’ll be fine. I can find something to do. Or if one of the girls is around, I’m sure I can hang around with them.”

  “You like them,” I surmised.

  “I do,” she agreed. “They remind me a lot of my girls back home. I hope they all get to meet one day.”

  “You never know.” I shrugged as we pulled back through the wire gate of the compound and I parked in front.

  Her hopping out of the truck before I’d even cut the engine had me biting back a curse. “Let me get the door for you, Jesus, babe,” I complained as I slammed my door.

  She looked at me with genuine confusion. “I can get my own door.”

  “I’m aware of that; doesn’t mean you’re not gonna let me do it. And you’re definitely gonna make sure the truck’s in park,” I growled as a low chuckle sounded from the entrance of the club. Ruston had emerged and was watching our exchange with clear amusement.

  “Whatever.” She rolled her eyes and flounced into the building. “Hey, Ruston,” she muttered before disappearing inside.

  “Got your hands full, Pierce?” he asked with a raised brow.

  “And then some,” I grumbled. “Everyone okay after last night?”

  We’d given chase to two street bikes but lost them close to Denver.

  “Fine,” he muttered. “Still can’t believe that shit. We’ve never had an attack on the club.”

  “Just a matter of time,” I shared, following him into the building, clocking Emmie who sat with Dallas on the couches in the main room before I followed Ruston back to his office. “Was it the gang you’ve had trouble with?”

  “Seems it,” he agreed as he sat behind his desk. “Gonna have to do an offensive strike.”

  “What’s their beef?” I wondered.

  “They wanna run drugs through Bishop. Not happening.”

  “Been there.” I nodded. The Knights had needed to defend our borders more than once.

  “So, Castillo.” He changed the subject. “Cason lost the line on him in Denver. Looks like he already moved off. If he was ever really there to begin with.”

  “Fuck,” I growled.

  “I’m sorry, man, hate to have had you come down for nothing.”

  I whipped a hand over my head, trying to temper my disappointment. “It wasn’t for nothing,” I assured him after a moment, and I meant it. Furthering the alliance between our clubs was never time wasted.

  “Come on in; we’ll show you what we found and then we can blow off some steam tonight.” He clapped a hand on my back.

  I nodded, refusing to get discouraged over one of many setbacks through the years. Castillo might win a few of the battles, but he’d never win the war.

  Chapter 15

  GUNNER

  “You need help, you call,” I instructed King the next morning as Emmie and I prepared to make our
way home.

  Ruston tipped his chin. “Will do, and same to you.”

  “Em and I will make a trip to Denver in not too long. We’ll make sure we stop through Bishop.”

  “You’d better.” Ruston chuckled, looking over my shoulder.

  I followed his gaze, shaking my head as I caught sight of Emmie wrapped in a hug with Ava. I wasn’t surprised she’d made fast friends with the Bloods’ women. My woman was easy to love.

  When we pulled away minutes later, Emmie waving goodbye to her new friends, I had a feeling some lifelong bonds had been forged in a very short amount of time.

  “What’s the first thing you want to do when we get home?” I asked when we’d pulled away, wanting to take her mind off leaving.

  She considered my question. “Well, depending on the timing, coffee and treats from Francesca’s,” she replied in a tone that implied that was a given. And for her, it was. “And then a long hot bath in a tub I don’t have.” She sighed mournfully.

  “We have a tub,” I amended. “And it’s where you’ll be as soon as I can make it happen,” I vowed.

  “Gun.” She sighed, her tone forcing my eyes from the road and to her skeptical expression. “We should probably take a minute, you know? We’re brand-new, and we’ve been together nonstop.”

  “Don’t care,” I argued firmly. “Your place isn’t safe. And even if it was, as far as I’m concerned, you’re under my roof forever. But we’ll get to that,” I added when her eyes popped wide. “Plus, there’s the whole needing you in my bed part, remember?” I grinned, trying to inject some levity, though my gut was churning with the need to keep her as close to me as possible.

  “I do,” she agreed softly. “You’ll let me drive, right?” she asked, her gaze on the wheel.

  I deliberated arguing with her, my instinct wanting to take control but my common sense knowing I’d tied myself to a woman who needed the wheel, so to speak, every now and then. “Yeah,” I agreed gruffly.

  “Was that painful for you?” she teased.

  “Might need some medical assistance,” I deadpanned.

  She laughed loudly, the gorgeous sound reverberating throughout the cab.

  “We can stop for the night halfway,” I offered. We’d gone straight through on the drive out, and I could tell it had worn on her.

  She shrugged. “We can see, but I think I’d rather just get home.”

  I nodded in agreement, feeling the same way but doubting we wouldn’t need to stop.

  As it turned out, Emmie seemed to enjoy the drive more than I did. We took turns playing DJ, her singing carefree and adorably off-key. We talked about everything and nothing, but we were also comfortable with silence. I relented and let her drive seven hours in and surprised myself by falling asleep for a while.

  By the time we neared home, I’d reclaimed the wheel and Emmie had been asleep for the past few hours. It was the middle of the night, and I didn’t hesitate driving straight to my house.

  During my last conversation with my mom, she’d made it sound likely she wouldn’t be coming back. Increasingly, I was thinking of making the house mine—ours. I liked that it was private but still close to town and had enough room for Emmie and me to build our family.

  Once I convinced her to move in, that was.

  I cut the engine, and she immediately woke up, her long eyelashes fluttering as she yawned. “We’re here already?” she mumbled drowsily.

  “We’re home.” I nodded as the dogs lapped the truck with the enthusiasm of big puppies. “Let’s get you to bed.”

  Once we’d greeted them, she took my hand when I offered it and followed me in through the side door that opened into the kitchen and living room before I guided her toward the master at the end of the hall.

  “Smells like you in here,” she murmured drowsily.

  “Hope that’s a good thing.” I chuckled.

  She looked over her shoulder at me, her expression warm. “It is.”

  Instead of stripping her bare and getting back inside her body the way I desperately wanted to, I dropped the duffle we’d been sharing onto the bed. “Why don’t you get changed?” I offered. “I’m gonna go lock up.”

  She nodded, already digging through her clothes.

  I did a sweep of the house and gave the dogs another rubdown before commanding them to their beds.

  When I returned to the bedroom not long after, my heart expanded in my chest at the sight of Emmie curled up, fast asleep. There was something so grounding about having her in my space, in my bed. I knew to my bones it was where she was supposed to be.

  It was with that thought that I followed her soon after and slept more soundly than I had in months.

  Chapter 16

  EMMIE

  “Welcome aboard!” Angela, a fellow nurse, called in greeting as we passed each other in the hallway that Monday.

  I’d been more than ready to start work, my only reluctance being that it required me to leave Gunner’s bed.

  We’d spent the last few days holed up at his place, most of it naked, and I’d never had a better weekend.

  “Hey, thanks!” I returned her greeting with a grin before turning to review the chart of my next patient.

  Dr. Greenstein’s practice, where I’d come as a child, had grown exponentially over the years. He was now close to retirement but had brought on several more doctors and nurses to keep up with the demand.

  In a rare moment of calm later that afternoon, I stood with a few nurses near the check-in desk. My phone pinged with a text, and a quick glance had me wincing and putting it back in my pocket.

  My mom had been asking me to bring Gunner for dinner. Gunner knew my parents well—hell, he’d practically grown up in our house. But bringing him over as my man was something else entirely.

  I just wasn’t sure I was ready for all that. I also doubted I had much of a choice in the matter.

  “So, Gunner Pierce, eh?” Jess, a nurse I’d gone to high school with, prodded with a raised brow, breaking through my thoughts.

  “Yep.” I smiled around the brim of my travel mug, grateful for a little caffeine fix.

  “Happy for you.” She smiled genuinely just as a male nurse I’d seen in the halls but hadn’t yet met joined our group.

  “Peter Davis,” he introduced himself, holding out a hand. “Today’s my first day too.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I greeted, shaking his hand briefly. He was around my age, blond, and handsome in a forgettable sort of way.

  Then again, every man was forgettable with my mind full of Gunner.

  It was only moments later that our little group disbanded as a new wave of appointments was due to begin.

  I was exhausted by the time I made my way out to the parking lot where Gunner was going to pick me up.

  “Hey, Emmie,” a male voice called from behind me.

  I turned, surprised to see Peter jogging to catch up as I pushed through the entry door out into the lot where Gunner’s truck was just pulling up to the curb.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  Peter glanced toward the truck briefly before turning back to me. “Boyfriend?”

  “Boyfriend,” I confirmed, surprised and a bit on edge that he’d ask.

  He smiled. “Cool. Well, I don’t mean to keep you. I just was hoping we could get to know each other a bit. I’m new to town and thought you could explain the ropes to me. I want to take my girlfriend out to eat,” he was quick to add when he saw my indecision.

  I instantly relaxed. “Oh, sure. Happy to share some good places when we get a minute, maybe tomorrow. But for now, I gotta go.” I gestured to where Gunner idled at the curb.

  “Sure.” He waved with a smile, watching as I climbed up into Gunner’s truck.

  “Who’s that?” Gunner demanded, his jaw clenched, watching Peter intently as he made his way back into the building.

  “A new nurse. He just moved to town and wanted some tips on where he and his girlfriend could grab a bite,” I said eas
ily.

  “Mm-hm,” he replied, sounding skeptical.

  “Speaking of food, I’m starved,” I hinted, not only wanting to change the subject but because I was hungry.

  He leaned over the console as I met him halfway, his lips taking mine in a soft and thorough kiss. “Well, then let’s get you fed,” he murmured against my lips before firing up the engine and pulling away from the curb. “How was your first day?”

  “Good.” I grinned. “Busy, and there’s so much to learn, but everyone was so nice. We just gonna pick something up?” I added.

  “I thought a home-cooked meal sounded good tonight,” he hedged, and something in his tone had me immediately on edge

  I turned to stare at his profile. “What kind of home-cooked meal?” I demanded suspiciously. “Gunner?” I pressed.

  He made a grumbling sound, running a hand over his whiskers. “I called your mom,” he shared. “Talked to your pop too.”

  “You what?” I exclaimed.

  “Baby, you know your mom. She misses you. And anyway, it’s a small town, there’s nowhere to hide.” He glanced over at me. “Not that I want to. Is there a reason you were avoiding this?”

  The flash of hurt in his gaze had me quickly trying to explain. “I’m just trying to protect you from the third degree. I’ve never been in a serious relationship before, and the fact that it’s with you…. Hell, Mom’s probably started wedding planning.” I groaned.

  He chuckled at my evident agitation. “Em, I can handle your parents. I’ve known them nearly all my life. And as far as wedding planning goes, far as I’m concerned, she can have at it.”

  “You’re crazy, you know that?” I demanded without ire.

  “Oh, I know.” He grinned easily as we pulled to the curb of my childhood home.

  I sighed. “Okay, let’s do this.”

  I’d barely let us inside before my mom was rushing toward us, wrapping her arms around me as my pop moved in close. “Hi, sweetheart,” she murmured, and I could hear the relief in her voice. I knew they were both worried about me. I hadn’t seen them since I’d left for Colorado. It was rare for us to go so long without seeing each other.