“Here she is.” Gunner opens my door and offers me his hand. “Home sweet home.”

I glance around the place and take it all in. The single-level house is small and quaint and couldn’t have more than what I’d guess is one bedroom inside, but it suits the working man standing beside me.

I hop down from the cab and shut the door behind me. “Do you own this place?”

He presses his hand against my lower back and opens the front gate, leading me through the well-manicured yard. “I bought it when I got out of the service. It’s served me well for the time being.”

I follow him up the stairs and through the front door. Inside, his place smells distinctly of Gunner, and it makes me feel at home right away. “I like it.”

“Make yourself comfortable.” He gestures to the couch. “There’s soda in the fridge. I’m not as good of a cook as you are, but we’ll figure out something for dinner.”

“Don’t worry about that,” I tell him. “I can cook.”

He pats his belly with a mischievous grin. “If you keep cooking all that delicious food for me, I might need to invest in a gym membership.”

“You look like you do well enough without it,” I muse.

He disappears into the kitchen and returns with a glass of ice water, setting it beside me. “Just in case you get thirsty. I’ve got a phone call to make, and then we’ll figure out dinner, okay?”

I nod and play around on my tablet, checking off items on my to-do list for the next day. This week, we have another wedding and two birthday orders to fill, so I’ll be busy. And having to put in extra hours at the bakery makes me a little nervous. I know Gunner said he was committed to driving me to and from work, but I don’t want to inconvenience him.

I was too tired after the day’s activities, so I didn’t argue when he said he’d drive me here. But now that I’m thinking about it, I’m wondering if I should have brought my car. When Gunner appears a few minutes later, he notices the concern on my face.

“What’s the matter?” He sits down on the couch beside me and kicks his boots up on an ottoman.

“Are you sure my car will be okay at the shop? I was just thinking it’s going to be a busy week, and I don’t want you going out of your way to drive me back and forth.”

He drapes an arm around me and pulls me against his side. “It isn’t going out of my way. I want to drive you. In fact, I won’t feel comfortable unless you let me drive you until we get this Brad situation under control. So just stop worrying that pretty little head of yours and let me do this for you.”

I lean into him and relax. It’s difficult for me to accept help, but with Gunner, it just comes naturally to let him take on some of the burden. I don’t know why, and I don’t care. All I know is that we have something special, and I’m lucky he cares enough to make sure I’m safe.

“Speaking of,” he says. “I just got off the phone with the security company. They are coming first thing tomorrow morning to install the cameras and a new alarm system.”

“Seriously?” I blink. “How did you manage that?”

He winks. “I have my ways.”

Relief fills my lungs, and my eyes burn with unshed tears. It seems silly to get so emotional over something so little, but Gunner doesn’t realize how much it means to me. I can’t remember the last time I felt safe at work because Brad took that away from me. He took the one place I’ve always loved and used it to terrorize me. And within a couple of days, Gunner has given some of that back to me. I don’t doubt that he means it when he says he won’t stop until Brad is out of my life. I just hope that it doesn’t come down to any sort of confrontation because the last thing I’d want is for Gunner to get into trouble.

“Thank you,” I tell him. “I can’t thank you enough.”

He smiles warmly at me, and for a few blissful minutes, we just sit there in silence. Until an obnoxious pounding knock sounds at the front door, jolting me out of my happy place.

“Who is that?” I look up at Gunner.

He groans. “I have a feeling I know who it is. There’s only one person who knocks like that.”

He doesn’t say anything else as he drags himself up off the couch and stomps to the front door. When he opens it, the sigh that leaves his chest tells me he was right about whoever it is standing there.

“Kent,” Gunner grunts. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Just the usual.” The guy barges in as if he owns the place, eyes darting around as though he’s looking for proof of illicit activity. And then they land on me, narrowing. “Well, well, what do we have here?”

“That’s none of your concern.” Gunner crosses his arms and squares off with this Kent guy.

“Actually, it is,” the intruder informs him. “Everything you do is my concern. That’s the whole point of parole.”

The stranger’s eyes move to me, and he arches a brow in my direction. “Did you know he was on parole?”

“Yes.” I glare. “I’m aware.”

“Huh.” Kent scratches at his chin. “Well, I’m his PO, and it’s my duty to inquire what your relationship is with Gunner.”

“I’m his…” I stutter over the words until Gunner answers for me.

“She’s my girlfriend.” He positions his body between the couch and Kent, trying to block his view.

“Girlfriend?” Kent’s brows pinch together in concern. “What on earth is a sweet girl like you doing tangled up with the likes of him?”

“You mean a good man like him?” I glance at Gunner. “Because that’s all I see.”

Kent shakes his head as though he pities me. Like he sees this kind of delusion all the time. “He’s a criminal.”

“I know what he did,” I answer. “And I don’t lose any sleep over it. Some might even call it justice.”

Kent looks at Gunner, and a smile curves his face. “She seems to like you well enough, but we both know that’s not the issue here.”

Gunner shifts and glances back at me with a worried expression, and my stomach flips. I don’t know what Kent means by those words, but I’m sure I don’t want to find out.

“You’re supposed to keep me informed,” Kent says. “Why is this the first I’m hearing about your so-called girlfriend?”

“It’s new.” Gunner shrugs. “I was planning to tell you the next time I checked in.”

“You need to tell me the minute you even think about it,” Kent corrects. “That’s how it works. I say who you can spend your time with. I say when. I say how. And if you have a problem with that, I can send your ass back to the halfway house. Or even better, prison.”

“Can we discuss this privately?” Gunner gestures for the door.

Kent shakes his head and turns to me. “No. What’s your name?”

“Allie,” I answer.

“Well, Allie, in case you aren’t aware of how this works, I’m in control of everything Gunner does. If he wants to be a productive member of society—”

“I have thirty days left,” Gunner snarls.

“Yes, and thirty days to make sure you don’t do anything that could get you sent back to prison. If you even sneeze the wrong way, I’m going to know about it. You seem to forget that. Now is there anything you’d like to tell me?”

“Like what?” Gunner tips his head back and takes a deep breath.

“Like I received an anonymous tip that you may be planning to harm someone. Perhaps someone who’s considered a threat to your girlfriend here.”

My face pales, and my stomach churns as his words settle over me. I can tell by the rigid set to Gunner’s spine that he’s thinking about it too. There’s only one person who could have said something like that. Someone who’s been watching me. More eerily, someone who’s obviously been watching us both.

Brad.

A shiver moves through me as Kent steps around Gunner and plants himself directly across from me, arms crossed. “You look a little pale, Allie. Is there something you’d like to tell me?”

Gunner shakes his head from behind Kent, but I barely catch it. It occurs to me just how much trouble I could get Gunner into by being in his life. He could go back to prison because of me. I feel sick, and it hurts to breathe. But I know I have to be honest with Kent. I have to make sure he understands this is all on me.

“He isn’t planning to do anything. Whatever Brad told you is a lie. He’s been following me, harassing me, and he will say anything to try to isolate me. This has nothing to do with Gunner. It’s my problem, and I’ve been working with the police to try to solve it.”

Kent doesn’t look convinced, and his words prove it. “That isn’t what I was told. And I have every reason to believe that, due to Gunner’s history of violence, this is not the sort of situation he should be involved in.”

“That isn’t up to you,” Gunner interjects.

“Actually, it is.” Kent turns to face him. “And you know it is.”

The two men have a silent war of wills while I burrow into the couch. Finally, Kent glances back and forth between us and shakes his head before he heads to the door.

“I’ll be watching you. And I want you to check in with me every day. Five times a day. If you miss so much as one phone call, I’ll have the police on your doorstep ready to haul you back to the big house.”

Gunner waits until he slams the door behind Kent to curse under his breath. His breathing is ragged, and every muscle in his back has turned to stone. I know he wants nothing more than to protect me, and it doesn’t matter what Kent said. He’s going to do what he thinks is best, even if it means sacrificing himself. When he turns his gaze on me, soft and reassuring, tears spring to my eyes. Because I know that I can’t let him.

“Don’t worry about him.” Gunner moves in beside me and pulls me into his lap. “He’s a crotchety bastard who needs to get laid. I’m not going back to prison, sweetheart.”

I nod against his chest, giving in too easily. A few more hours. I just want to feel him for a few more hours.