Gunner

Heading into the diner, I’m surprised to see how full it is. Not nearly as surprised as the patrons seeing Riley and me together though.

Margie, a waitress who’s worked here forever, nearly trips over her feet when she sees us sliding into a booth together. She stops to get a Diet Coke on the way over which Riley eagerly reaches for; I’ve already positioned my coffee mug for my first jolt of the day.

“Honey, everything alright?” Margie asks Riley. I’ve been coming here for years, yet Marge is looking between Riley & I like I’ve kidnapped her; worse still, she is waiting on Riley’s response before pouring my coffee.

“I’m great Margie, how’s your grandson doing?” Riley jumps in like there’s nothing out of the ordinary happening. Marge starts to calm down as she replies; moments later she remembers to get our order and finally pours my coffee. Riley goes all in with the #6, how could I do any less?

Riley

I can’t help but laugh as Gunner groans again. He won’t admit it but he’s a little sick from the breakfast. I was epically hungry and won the bet; I can put food away when I have a mind to.

Gram had plans after church this morning so she put off having Gunner and I stop by.

Gunner and I. I grin to myself as I look over at him. Pulling up the drive to my parents’ home; I let him know, again, that he’s welcome to come in and wait while I pack some things. Giving me the same dark look as the first time I asked, I’ll know he’ll be waiting in his truck.

Heading up to the attic, I decide to pull out three large bags instead of a duffle bag. I am going to be moving to the apartment as soon as possible so I may as well start moving things since Gunner is here to help. I haphazardly empty my dresser into two of the bags and start grabbing my favorite clothes from the closet. Happy to leave behind the Lilly Pulitzer / Stepford Wives casual wear and other formal attire my mother bought, insisting I needed. I call Gunner to ask him to get the bags from the top of the main stairs. I know I’ll topple down if I try to carry them. He groans but agrees to help.

An hour later, we’ve secured the bags in my new apartment and are heading to the grocery store; after a crack about keeping me well fed, Gunner goes in to pick up food for the next couple days. Heading further up the mountain, our conversation flows easily about movies, food, him telling me more about his Brothers in the MC and what drew him in. His easy conversation contradicts so many ideas of what I would have expected a ‘biker’ to be like, but know that they reflect his grandmother’s influence in his life.

I can’t help but think how we experienced two sides of a coin. And try not to fail miserably when I verbalize it. “So, my parents were together and wealthy, and I would have loved to have been raised by my Gram. Your parents were not together and didn’t, well, had limited means,” I stumble a bit there. “But you were ultimately raised by your grandmother, who sounds wonderful. You see our common ground, right?”

“Shitty parents?”

I can’t help but laugh. “Gunner, I don’t usually swear, but yes. Shitty parents!”

“How’d you think we’d do as parents?” He asks, focusing on the road ahead of him.

Snapping my head around to look at him. “Hey! I want to finish school and start working.”

Reaching out for my hand, Gunner brings it to his lips. “OK, so it’ll be a few years for us, I can understand that, but I’d be open knocking you up.”

“Wow. Thanks” I laugh at him. “What an offer! At least we’d know what not to do with a child, right?”

“When it’s time, we’ll do it right; I can’t imagine you being anything but a great mom.” He says, making my ovaries flutter.

“I, well, we haven’t talked about it,” I say while hugging his hand against my chest, “I just started on birth control. I tried one type but didn’t react well to it, then had to wait a week to get on a lower hormone version. Can you, I mean, when we do it, can you use a condom?”

“I’ve never done it unwrapped, I get tested once a year and am clean. I can get you whichever pill you like, if that’s what you want.” He assures me.

“What, you have a stockpile of birth control?” I can’t help but quirk an eyebrow at him over that statement.

“They have it at the clubhouse. You know, for the Girlies. Tell me what is best for you and if we don’t have it, I’ll pay you back for it. OK?” Gunner notices my silence at the mention of the girls who hang around the MC members. Exhaling deeply, he squeezes my hand but doesn’t say anything further. The Girlies will definitely be a conversation I’ll have with Bree.

We continue in an easy silence the rest of the way to the cabin. There’s a truck in the drive and we pull in beside it. Gunner looks over at me, “Looks like Hawk and Anne are still around; we good?”

I nod and lean over to kiss him, “We’re good. Um, do you and Hawk get along?” I’ve heard so many names and nicknames the past day that I can barely keep up.

“Yeah Sweetheart, we’re good; he and Anne dated all through high school and she waited for him while he served. She’s a tough one, but I can’t imagine you not getting along. I’ll come back out for the food and bags later.” He gets out and comes around the front of the vehicle as I hop out. He pushes me back up along the side of the truck, dipping his head down to my neck.

“That’s not how that works, Sweetheart.” He murmurs, lightly biting my neck.

I’m immediately breathless but manage to moan something that sounds like a question. “When we’re in a cage, I get your door.” He punctuates the sentence by nipping my earlobe. “Should I punish you if you forget?”

“I think you may need to,” I can’t help but smile up at him and hold him tighter as he pulls back.

“Gunner, Jesus Christ, stop mauling the girl and get your ass in here and out of the cold!” That has to be Hawk. He’s gorgeous. Probably a foot shorter than Gunnar and slim. Looking at his bone structure I imagine he’s at least part Native American. His long straight black hair is offset by piercing light blue eyes and a light caramel tone to his skin.  His easy smile welcomes us as Gunner tells him to fuck off before giving me a little tug to start towards the cabin.

“Pretty Girl, am I happy to meet you; but what the hell are you doing with this ugly, old guy?!” I narrow my eyes and briefly consider kicking Hawk’s shin until I see the ready laugh in his eyes. I reach out to take his outreached hand.

“Hi, I’m Riley. I can’t help myself, his frown gets me all worked up!” I quip, getting a hip check from Gunner and a hearty laugh from Hawk.

As we enter, I see a woman almost as tall as Hawk off to the side; already taking my measure. Her short hair is almost as blond as Hawks is dark. Unable to stop my eyes, they go straight to a large strawberry mark on the right side of her face; starting near her brown eyes and curving along her cheek and back to her ear. I quickly, and guiltily, look up to her eyes; she rolls them, indicating a very solid ‘whatever’.

Closing the space between us, I hold my hand out “Hi, Anne, right? I’m Riley.” With a tight smile that isn’t reflected in her eyes, she returns my acknowledgement with a nod and shakes my hand.

“How long have you been with her, Gunner?” She asks, looking over my shoulder. Gunner mentioned she was ‘tough’, I’m wondering if that was code for bitch.

Before he can answer, I say; “Since yesterday.” She looks back to further assess me as I turn to Hawk. “I hope we didn’t show up to early, my Gram was tied up so we just thought we’d head up after we ran some errands.”

Both Gunner and Hawk look thoroughly amused as they take in Anne’s power play and my dismissal of it. Seriously, she has nothing on my parents, their friends’, nor the demonic offspring of their friends, who I have been forced to spend time with.

“Your Gram lives around here?” Hawk throws in to fill the void while motioning to the sofas. Gunner sits down first and as I move to sit beside him, he grabs my hips to pull me onto his lap. Hawk laughs as I shriek; Anne sits in a lounger across from us looking less than amused. I curl into Gunner, happy to have his support in the face of Anne’s perusal.

“Oh yeah, she’s lived here most her life. We wanted to visit, but that is one busy lady so we’ll probably wait till Friday when I usually see her.” I am babbling, I know it, but can’t stop.

“No, I’ll see her Tuesday.” Gunner interjects, getting similar looks of surprise from all of us. Looking annoyed at this he looks down at me; “It’s my monthly visit with her, I told you.”

“I know you did, but I didn’t know it was this Tuesday,” I reply, almost forgetting that Hawk and Anne are here. “I have class and can’t go.”

“So her Grandmother introduced you two?” Anne jumps in, trying to figure out how we crossed paths.

“No.” Gunner and I say at the same time. Letting Gunner continue, “But her Gram and my grandmother were longtime friends and I have a standing monthly visit with her since I came back.”

“You’re in school?” Hawk interjects.

“Oh, do you go to high school down in town?” Anne just won’t let up. Gunner gently tightens his arms around me.

“Nope. I’m nearly a junior over at the University, I just changed my major but still think I can graduate in two more years.” Anne narrows her eyes again. “Do you work Anne?”

“I have a jewelry and accessory line,” She slowly replies, as though trying to figure out her next barb.

Hawk takes over, “It’s doing great; it’s carried at several places in town and has a great following on Etsy.”

“Really? What’s it called?” I ask to be polite.

Her response momentarily startles me. Then I pull my hair back to show earrings from her collection.

“I love these!” Showing the little lightning bolts. “I also have two boxes of the ten single earrings and really only take these out when I mix and match those!” The tide has turned; Gunner must agree as he has loosened his hold on me.

“Those are for people with multiple piercings, of course, but it’s great that you wear different earrings together.” She leans forward in her seat and asks about my degree program. While interacting with a less hostile Anne, I notice Hawk watching Gunner and me together. I’m at ease on Gunner’s lap and he gently rubs my back with one arm as I mindlessly run my fingers along his other arm.

“So, what did you think of the clubhouse, Riley?” Hawk asks, trying to get a read on us.

“She…um, you went to the club?” Anne asked surprised. “Were you lost?”

“It was interesting,” I respond, looking up at Gunner as he frowns at Hawk. Silence ensues, but Anne isn’t done with this yet.

“Gunner, what was she doing there?”

Dropping a quick kiss on my forehead, he looks me in the eyes, “Coming for me.” He replies. I sigh and smile up at him like the besotted school girl Anne judged me to be upon arrival.

Understanding that we aren’t going to feed their curiosity today, Hawk stands and gestures around the cabin.

“We changed the sheets this morning; the dryer is still going so if we could leave that to you to deal with? We gotta be picking up the kids from Anne’s sister, so, nice to meet you, Riley. Gunner, come check this out.” He indicates a deck and they walk out leaving Anne and me alone.

“There’s a lot of competition for him, you know?” Anne says pointedly. “I’ve told my sister to give it up, but she hasn’t listened. They hooked up once. Then one of the Girlies thought, well, never mind that, she’s a bitch anyway.”

“I’m sure she won’t be the only bitch I cross paths with while we figure this out,” I reply, not backing down.

Anne looks at me dead on, then her shoulders start to lightly shake, next thing she’s laughing outright as she approaches me.

“Oh, I may just like you yet!” She announces as she kisses me on the check. “Don’t you let him walk all over you, understand?”

I nod, hesitantly smiling. “Um, your sister and Gunner?” Not sure how to ask about that; she quickly cocks her head at me.

“Nearly two years ago. From what I’ve heard, he hasn’t been with anyone in a while though.”

I try to keep from looking pleased but I doubt she misses anything. Gunner and Hawk come back inside, and gathering their things Hawk and Anne head out. As Gunner secures the door, I dramatically throw myself onto the couch. “’Tough’ Gunner? You said she was ‘Tough’, not to expect the Spanish Inquisition.”

Crossing the room, he quickly lifts me over his shoulder and sets off down a hallway. Tossing me onto a bed, he growls “Take your clothes off now.” Surprised, I lie there watching him strip. “Now Riley!”

Shaking my head, “I won the bet earlier. It’s my turn, Gunner. Show me.” I purr at him. Where did this girl who purrs at a giant come from? I wonder, smiling up at him.

Kicking his boots off, he then peels his jeans and shirt off before he reaches over; grabbing the back of my head and pulling it against his crotch, covered only in boxers. “This what you want, Sweetheart?” He asks gruffly. “You better be hungry; you were wiggling that sweet ass against my cock for the past twenty minutes and I have zero patience left.”

“Teach me,” I reply. Wasting no more time, Gunner removes his boxers and sits up against the headboard.

“No teeth, Riley. Start at the tip. Rhythm is key.”