by KB Winters
Succumbing to emotions, I slammed the phone against the wall, but even the crack and shattering that followed did nothing to make me feel better.
“Did you tell her?”
I knew what he was asking, but I wasn’t ready to talk about that. Hell, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be ready for that conversation. Thankfully, Holden didn’t want to talk about it either.
“You have visitors.” His tone was solemn and that got my attention.
“Look at this sad bastard, Max. Looks like we got here just in time.”
I blinked to refocus my eyes. I had to be hallucinating or sleep deprived because it looked like two of my oldest friends had just strolled into my office.
“Cross. Max. What the fuck are you guys doing here, not that I’m not glad to see you ugly bastards.”
We shook hands and then I hugged both men.
“You sounded like you might need some help, and Max and I were in the area. Thought we’d stop by and see this ranch we’ve heard so much about.”
Cross was so full of shit and we both knew it, but goddamn it was the sweetest fucking lie I’d ever heard.
“How are things?” Max asked in that quiet, all seeing way of his.
“Shitty. Just got off the phone with Peaches, and she didn’t tell me where the fuck she is. Said I should be grateful she’s gone, thanked me and turned off her goddamn phone.” How could she be so reckless with her own life?
“That’s rough,” Max conceded. “But I get why she left.”
Max held up his hands to stop the tirade forming on my lips.
“She loves Maisie, man. It’s as clear as day and as a parent myself, I would live at the bottom of the ocean if it would keep my kids safe.”
“All ten of ’em,” Cross muttered before Max confirmed that Jana was pregnant. Again.
“If we can stop talking about my spectacular love life,” Max joked, “Jag called about an hour ago with a lock on her location.”
That was good enough for me. “Where is it?” He named a city near Lubbock, and I groaned. “That’s at least four hours from here. She could be anywhere by the time we get there.”
Holden nodded; his expression serious. “Yeah, Lubbock is the only place she’ll be able to fuel up, sleep or eat. An old buddy of mine has a charter business with a helicopter, but he doesn’t work for free.”
“Perfect. Get him on the phone and tell him we’ll pay extra if we’re gone within the hour.” Holden held whatever comment he was about to make and walked off to make the call.
Cross clapped me on the back with a wide smile and laughing blue eyes. “You’re already sounding like a Prez, man. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, brother. I learned from the best.” That much was true. I’d learned a lot from Cross, a fact I hadn’t realized until the band of misfit veterans showed up on my ranch.
“Damn straight you did.”
His grin was wide, cocky. The old Cross, the one I knew before his wife and kid were killed. That smile dimmed quickly. “I’m sorry about Peaches.”
“I just want her safe,” I said automatically. The lie came so easily even I wasn’t sure if it was really a lie or not.
“Sure ya do,” he smirked. “Moon says women who’ve been broken too many times are the hardest to love.”
Max snorted from his seat on the raggedy sofa in the corner of my office. “Replace women with men and she could be talking about you, Cross.”
He flashed a wide grin. “That must be why she always says I’m so damn worth it.”
His gaze softened and for the first time since she came into our lives, I was jealous of what Cross had with Moon. He gave me a look to make sure I understood his words and I nodded.
“What do you need, Gunnar?”
I looked into his serious blue gaze and told him honestly. “To find Peaches.” I told them everything I could remember about the guy who showed up looking for her.
“He wasn’t a pencil pusher or a soldier. This guy was a hired guy, skilled and smooth. Probably deadly too.”
Holden’s heavy footfalls sounded, his boots loud on the hard wood floors. “It’ll take us fifteen minutes to get to my copter guy, and we can take off in 45.”
My shoulders fell as it finally sank in that in a few hours, I would set eyes on Peaches. “Thanks, man. I need you to gather up the rest of the guys. And I need someone to take care of Maisie.”
Holden nodded and disappeared from view once again, proving what a valuable brother he was to have around.
“We have time for a quick tour?” Cross looked hopeful, and since we had a few minutes to spare, I grabbed my keys with a smile.
“We’ll start at The Barn Door.” Knowing I would soon have Peaches in my sights allowed me to relax a little and show off for my friends.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Peaches
After Gunnar’s call, I spent too much time coming up with plans that sounded good on paper. Mostly they consisted of running, but instead of plotting a direct path over the border, I decided to drive west until I hit California. There I could easily get lost in the crowds of people visiting the border every day, and leaving Texas behind would ensure trouble was far, far away from Hardtail Ranch.
I decided to wake up early and drive west, but a flat tire from all the glass in the parking lot postponed those plans. After walking three miles to the nearest tire shop, buying an old used tire and paying one of the employees to drive back and change it for me, it was close to dinner time. I needed to decide what came next. Did I leave now or wait until tomorrow morning?
My thoughts drifted all over the place while I weighed my options, starting with Gunnar and the call last night. He’d actually sounded worried about me, maybe even scared for me, which was un-fucking-settling. Was it all some ploy to get me to come back to Opey, or was he being genuine? Thoughts of him being sincere invaded my mind and had me wondering things I had no business wondering about.
Like, would things have been different if we were different people? Or would he have hated a girl like me on principle alone?
Not that I could blame him because I’d gone and done exactly what he was most afraid of. I brought trouble to his front door. Literally. And that thought dominated every other thought I had about Gunnar. It didn’t matter what my feelings were; leaving was the right thing to do. No matter what his twisted sense of nobility thought about it. He didn’t need to get himself in the middle of my crap, period.
Leaving was the right thing. I told myself that all afternoon and into early evening. I said it again when I left to pick up too much food for one woman to consume and one more time for good measure as I dug in and put a big dent in all that food. But just as my food coma set in, so did a massive bout of paranoia. I jumped up, grabbed my already packed bags, stuck my leftovers in bags, and got in my truck. I got on the interstate and drove, certain that staying in that particular shitty motel would end badly for me. Sooner, rather than later.
When I got about fifty miles away, I slowed down, driving with a purpose but not like a maniac.
“Shit,” I whined to a roadside I recognized. I’d ended up right where I’d been the day before, and I needed to stop for gas.
“Get it together, Peaches,” said a stern voice in my head. I shook off the fear after several deep breaths, glancing over my shoulder to see if anyone was following me. I made sure my gear in the back was properly covered and grabbed a few twenty-dollar bills from my wallet. I got out of the truck and looked carefully over my shoulder as I slung my purse across my chest and locked the door behind me.
There was nothing to be afraid of I repeated with every step into the gas station. I prepaid for the gas and grabbed a six-pack of water. After a quick trip to the bathroom, I was ready to hit the road again, but the sight of the driver’s side door, wide fucking open, threw me for a loop.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I froze and swiveled my head from left to right, letting my peripheral vision kick in to see who was nearby. But dammit, there
was no one. Not even another customer to blame it on and that freaked me the fuck out. I didn’t see anyone, anywhere, but standing in the middle of an open space seemed like a bad idea. I darted to the truck, ducking behind the wheel. I looked around; certain someone attached a bomb under it—maybe even under my seat. Fuck. Was it safer inside the truck than out?
I ducked down to see if there was anything under me. Luckily, there wasn’t. I sat up slowly, peering out the window. I saw no one outside, so I grabbed my 9 mil and steadied it in my hand while I got out and walked around the truck, checking for evidence of anything. The guns and ammo were still in the back, thank God. It was probably someone in search of something easy to steal and sell, not deadly assassins.
“If it was them, I’d already be dead,” I said out loud and nearly took off without my gas.
Five minutes later, I had a full tank and I put the pedal to the floor until I had enough distance between me and whatever the fuck that was for me to calm down. It was hot as balls both outside and inside the car, and that combined with the anxiety of constantly looking over my shoulder took its toll on me.
I was tired and bitchy so I stopped at the third motel I found that would accept cash. It was fifty miles in the wrong direction, but at least it increased my chances of surviving the night. I hoped.
***
With all three door locks engaged, plus the bar guard, I felt confident enough to extend my hot shower by a few extra minutes. The whole bathroom filled with steam, and my skin turned red from the hot water, but I let it rush down my skin, cleansing the last few days off of me. I needed to wash off the other motel, the time on the road, the gas station bathroom and honestly, life in general.
It was a nice shower, a short reprieve from the constant worry of running for my life. The roadside motel on the other hand was cheap, shitty sleep, and seven minutes was about all the hot water available. I got out and wrapped the smallest towel I’d ever seen around my mid-section and stepped into the room just as the phone rang. Assuming it was Vivi, I rolled my eyes and answered.
“I’m not talking about any of this with you right now so if that’s why you’re calling, you can go relax or bang your man. Anything but worry about me.”
I waited during a brief silence on the other end of the line before I heard a deep chuckle. A deep masculine chuckle. “Damn, you girls really do talk about everything.”
The sound of Gunnar’s laugh made my lips curl up. Damn him!
“The same goes for you, Gunny.” If he was calling to try to change my mind or guilt me into going against my wishes, he could relax or do whatever it was he did when he wasn’t scowling at me.
His laugh grew louder at the sound of his nickname. “Want to tell me where you are, Peaches?”
I shook my head even though he couldn’t see me, though even if he could, in this towel he wouldn’t be looking at my face.
“Nah. This way you’ll have nothing to give them if they torture you for information. Because they will,” I reminded him, just in case he forgot who was chasing me.
Gunnar didn’t take the bait. “How about if I apologize for being an asshole. Would you tell me then?”
“Are you sorry for being an asshole?” I didn’t think he was sorry, but a girl could hope.
“Yeah,” he sighed and it was a deep sound, like he’d done some thinking about it before now. “I could blame it on my shitty mother and that would be true, but it ain’t the whole truth.”
“You just don’t trust women.” I assumed I hit the target. It all made sense from his instant dislike of Vivi, and me to his suspicion of nice chicks like Moon and Jana.
“Certain kinds of women,” he clarified.
“Women like me? I see.” I could hear the defeat and the disappointment in my own voice, and I hated it, a sign of weakness. If I couldn’t be strong in the face of Gunnar, I was as good as dead against the hitmen. That thought had me standing up straight. What the hell difference did it make if he didn’t trust me and considered me to be on par with his shitty, untrustworthy mother? None, that was what. “Apology accepted.”
“That’s it?” His tone was half angry and half incredulous. “That’s all you have to say?”
“Ah, you want to fight? That’s too fuckin’ bad Gunny, because I’m too fucking tired to fight with you. Go find a new punching bag.”
There was a loud bang on the front door that scared the shit out of me. Instantly, I reached for the gun resting under my discarded jeans. Still in my towel, I aimed the gun at the door and slowed my breathing. The pound sounded again and again, and I kept my breathing even and my hands steady.
“Open the goddamn door!”
“Gunnar?” I said his name into the phone, but his voice was coming from the other side of my door. What the fuck was up?
“Is that you, Gunnar?” His name left my lips in a shocked whisper. Slowly, with one hand, I undid each of the locks and took a step back. “Come in,” I said but I kept the gun aimed at the door.
He stepped inside and froze, taking a careful step forward before kicking the door closed behind him. “What’s, uh, goin’ on Peaches?”
“Just making sure you’re alone. What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean what am I doing here? You ran away from the ranch, and I spent a week hunting you down, I’m here for you.”
I shook my head because that didn’t make sense. “You’re crazy. Once I left the ranch you’d fulfilled your promise to Cross.”
“Put the goddamn gun down!” His outburst didn’t frighten me, mostly it just pissed me off.
“Why? Maybe I don’t trust you as much as you don’t trust me.” It was petty as hell, I knew that, but I couldn’t help myself. One of his brows arched in a sharp angle, and I lowered my arm. “You shouldn’t have come.”
“I was hoping to talk some sense into you, but I can see that would be pointless.”
I gave a sharp nod. “It would. My mind is made up.”
“Change it.” He took a step forward, and so did I because I didn’t let big sexy ass bikers intimidate me. Ever.
“No.” I tilted my chin up, defiance rolling off me in waves.
“Stubborn woman,” he said accusingly, which was pretty fucking accurate.
“Grumpy asshole,” I shot back because, well, he was.
“Troublemaker,” he said, this time his voice softer and more amused.
That sound sent a wave of heat crashing over me, settling deep between my thighs. “Cocky bastard,” I told him, my voice more husky than I meant it to be.
“You know how cocky I can be,” he said and closed the distance between us. I stumbled back on to the bed. In a split second, he was beside me, a slow smile on his face as his fingers slid through my damp curls. My only disappointment was that it wasn’t the curls between my legs.
I moaned and let my head fall back when his lips touched the sensitive skin of my neck, instead of my mouth like I expected. His wet lips kissed and skidded across my skin. His tongue traced the swell of my tits until I gasped.
“Yes.” The word rushed out of me against my will, but I didn’t give a damn, not as long as he kept his mouth on my body.
Gunnar pulled back, his expression sincere and intense. “I’m so fucking glad you’re all right.” In an unexpected move, he wrapped his big ass arms around me and squeezed tight, surprising a squeak out of me. Then he pulled back again and cupped my face before his lips slammed down against mine, making me wet and breathless.
I closed my eyes and let the feel of his mouth heat my body and send my pulse soaring. The way his mouth felt against mine, trailing between my tits before he pulled one into his mouth with a groan.
“Fuck. Peaches!”
My lips curled into a smile as his mouth and that sweet, glorious tongue settled on my pussy. “You first, Gunnar.”
He chuckled against me, making my thighs and my clit vibrate, and I arched into him, grabbing his hair that was just long enough to wrap around my fingers and pu
lling him close. The way his tongue moved up and down my clit, grazing over my opening in a teasing gesture that made my body shake with need. He did it over and over again until my toes curled and I crossed my legs behind his neck.
The sound of Gunnar growling while he feasted on my pussy was enough to send me over the edge in a violent orgasm that brought tears to my eyes. I convulsed against him, grinding and rolling my hips as the last of the orgasm worked its way to the surface. He laughed against me and peeked up with laughing eyes and a slick smile.
“That glad, huh? Good to know.” I cupped the back of his neck and pulled him up until we were face to face, and I licked his bottom lip. His top lip. Then I leaned in and sucked his tongue until he groaned.
“Fuck woman, you drive me crazy!” He tore himself away from me but those blue eyes never left mine as he stripped off his clothes in record speed and climbed back on the bed. “Now it’s my turn.”
My legs wrapped around him instantly and his was there, slamming his thick cock into me like it was the only place he wanted to be. The connection this time was shocking in its intensity, sending waves of electricity all over my body. Even as he fucked me, hard and steady, until I was climbing the bed to get away from the pleasure, even while pulling him with me because it was too fucking good to leave behind.
“Gunnar,” I moaned over and over again, like his was the only name I knew.
He smiled and sat up, holding my thighs wide while he fucked me and rubbed my clit with his thumb. It was too much and I could tell by the satisfied look on his face that he knew it too.
“I know, Peaches.”
I didn’t care. It felt too good to think about anything but how he made me feel. How he felt inside of me, moving and thrusting, making me feel better than I had in a long time. It was how it always was between us, hot and frantic and intense, but there was a rawness to it that I couldn’t escape. It was unsettling and intriguing all at once.
“Oh, fuck!”
He smiled again and leaned forward, nibbling my nipple and sending me flying into the atmosphere, floating on a cloud of lust and filthy pleasure. And then I was coming apart, flying into pieces as Gunnar continued to fuck me, searching for his own release. He looked at me like he was trying to steal my soul and it was unsettling, but it only enhanced my orgasm. My body convulsed, shook, vibrated with a second wave of orgasm that triggered his.