“Any idea who did this?” Gunner nudges one of the slashed tires with his boot. He looks lost in his own thoughts, tormented by something, but I’m having trouble concentrating on what I’m supposed to be doing here.

The guy is a tank. A lean, mean, muscular tank. If I didn’t know it before, watching the way his muscles ripple in his back as he walks around the car to inspect it only confirms it. There is something dark about him. Definitely something dangerous. He’s not the kind of guy I would imagine being attracted to. He’s the kind of guy your mother warns you to stay away from.

But I can’t deny that I am attracted to him. From the moment he slid out from beneath that car in Skip’s shop, and I saw those dark brown eyes turn on me, I’ve been trying to figure out why I’m so flushed. Sure, he’s hot. Like super hot. Like the kind of hot that belongs in Hollywood in an action flick. He could totally pull off that whole bad-guy vibe in one of those movies. The kind women can’t help but swoon over. But I’m definitely not one of them. Or at least, I haven’t been before.

There’s just something about this rough around the edges mechanic that makes my ovaries want to explode, and I’m having trouble accepting that. Especially considering how rude he was at the shop. He wanted nothing to do with me and didn’t even offer to help until it suited him. He’s not exactly a gentleman. But right now, whether I want to admit it or not, he is my knight in oil-stained carpenter jeans. When he turns around and catches me staring at his ass, I officially want to melt into the concrete.

“Allie?”

“Huh?” I blink.

“I asked if you had any idea who did this.”

“Oh, right.” I clam up and decide the best way to approach this situation. “I mean, I have a pretty good idea, but that’s not important. I just need to get it fixed. I really need this car to get back and forth to work, you know?”

A dark look passes over Gunner’s face as he turns back to inspect it. “Who would want to do this to a sweet girl like you?”

“It’s not a big deal, really.”

He turns to me and crosses his arms, accentuating the bulging muscles in his tattooed biceps. Good God, I need to get a grip and stop drooling over this guy.

“It is a big deal. Are you having problems with someone?”

“Look, I appreciate your concern, but I don’t really want to get into the specifics. Do you think you can help me get it to the shop?”

Gunner’s eyes blaze a trail of hot fire over my body, and he looks like he’s half tempted to spank me right now. And I don’t know why the thought of that is so hot, but it is.

“I’ll get it back to the shop, but only after I give you a ride home.”

“That’s really okay—”

He arches an eyebrow at me in challenge, and this time, I wonder if he really will spank me. “I’m giving you a lift home. It’s the least I can do. No arguments.”

I follow his lead and hop back into the truck, secretly excited to spend a few more minutes with him. My stomach is fluttering like crazy, and I can’t stop sneaking glances at him while he drives. There’s something about a guy who knows how to handle a stick shift that makes me feel the need to smother the heat between my thighs. Or maybe it’s just Gunner.

He’s been working all day, and he’s dirty, but somehow, he still smells good. I don’t know if it’s his deodorant or aftershave or just him, but a hint of spicy deliciousness keeps wafting my way every time he moves, and I keep inhaling like a lunatic.

“Are we getting close?” Gunner asks.

“Huh?”

“To your place?” He gestures out the window, and it occurs to me that I haven’t even been paying attention. Since I told him what road to take, that was the last of my instructions. And now we’ve officially passed my house.

“Oh my God, I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention. It’s actually back there.” I offer him a sheepish smile, and he grins.

“Something distracting you, Allie Cat?”

My stomach flips at the expression, and I look up at him with wide eyes. “How did you know that name?”

“The bakery,” he answers. “I figured it was a nickname.”

“Oh.” My throat feels so dry I can hardly speak, and I’m unexpectedly choked up with emotion. It’s been years since anyone called me that. The last time I heard that name was when my parents were alive.

Gunner reaches over and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t.” I shake my head, and I mean it. “It’s been a really long time since I’ve heard it. It’s just bittersweet.”

“It suits you,” Gunner says.

The truck goes quiet again, and I don’t speak for the rest of the ride except to give him instructions. When he finally pulls to a stop at the end of my long dirt road, I feel like I need to thank him so much more than I already have. But I don’t know what else to say. I’ve never been turned inside out like this before. I’m scared to even glance in his direction for fear of betraying how much he’s affecting me.

“Thank you.” I reach for the door handle. “I really can’t thank you enough—”

“Hold up.” Gunner opens his door and walks around to my side to open mine for me, offering his hand to help me out of the cab. It’s big and strong and warm, and when he touches me, I feel it everywhere. “You should never have to open your own door. And if a guy doesn’t do that much for you, then he isn’t worth it.”

My cheeks heat as I look up at him, and suddenly, there is so little distance between us. I can smell that spicy scent again, and I just want to bury myself in his chest. He’s so tall that I feel smaller than I’ve ever been under the weight of his gaze.

“Allie.” He reaches down and brushes his fingers against my cheek as if he can’t help himself either. “Tell me who did that to your car.”

I inhale sharply and shake my head. Again, his eyes darken, and I want him to say something else. It might be silly, but I’ve been handling everything on my own for so long that for once, I just want someone else to say everything is going to be okay. That Gunner will make it okay. And it’s such a ridiculous idea, but I can’t help it. When I look into his eyes, I can see that he wants to. He wants to protect me. And maybe I want that too.

“You are an incredibly beautiful woman,” he groans. “I don’t want to leave you here alone. This place is too isolated. I don’t feel like you’re safe out here.”

“I’m fine,” I choke out. “Really.”

He closes his eyes and breathes me in before closing the distance between us. “Tell me to go.”

I should, but I can’t. I don’t want to. And it’s crazy because I have no idea what I’m doing, but I curl my hand into his shirt and lean up on my toes to brush my lips against his. Gunner freezes for a split second, and then he wraps his arms around me, pinning me against the truck as his lips burn into mine. I feel like I’m on fire. Like everything in my body is warm, and all the tension and fear and uncertainty are melting away at this moment. Because he’s got me, and I feel safe in his arms.

I moan into him, desperate for more, and Gunner pulls away, stunned. He looks like he doesn’t know what just happened as he drags a hand through his hair and shakes his head. “I can’t do this with you.”

“Oh,” I whisper. I feel like I’m going to cry, and I hate that. I don’t know what I was thinking by throwing myself at him like that. I don’t know how to do this.

Gunner reaches out and catches me by the arm, dragging me back to him. “What I meant was I want you to feel safe. And I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of the situation.”

“I know you aren’t,” I say. “I was the one who kissed you.”

He lowers his eyes and bows his head with a sigh. “There are things you should know about me.”

I swallow, and I don’t like the uncertainty on his face. “What things?”

“You trusted me enough to bring you back here and to take care of your car. I want you to know that I intend to, and I’m not a threat to you. But you should know that I’m an ex-con. I’m not what society considers a good man.”

I can’t hide the surprise on my face. “You were in prison?”

“Yes.” Gunner’s hands fall away.

“For what?”

The muscles in his jaw tighten, and for a second, I don’t think he’s going to answer. But then he does.

“To make a long story short, I had a mother with an affinity for deadbeat assholes who liked to use her as a punching bag. It never mattered what I did, she wouldn’t stay away from them. One of them finally ended up punching her one time too many while I was deployed overseas. They didn’t have enough evidence to charge him, so I took matters into my own hands when I came home.”

My stomach roils as I consider what he’s telling me, and I can tell the uncertainty in my eyes is exactly what Gunner feared all along. He didn’t want me to be afraid of him. But I don’t know what to think right now.

“Did you kill him?” I whisper.

Gunner shakes his head and stares off into the distance. “No, but I came close. I wanted to hurt him the way he hurt my mother. Honestly, I’m not going to lie to you, Allie. I wanted him dead. He isn’t, but he’ll never walk again. And that might not sound right to you, but—”

“I get it.” Gunner blinks at me, and I look down, trying to summon the courage to open up to him too. “I mean, I kind of get it. It’s not really the same, but I can understand feeling that way.”

“How?” he asks in a voice so soft it sends shivers up my spine.

“A few years ago, my parents were killed by a drunk driver. He hit them and just took off, leaving them on the side of the road to die. When they finally caught him… I was so angry, I wished horrible things on him. Things I never thought I was capable of.”

“I’m sorry,” Gunner rasps. “That must have been really hard for you.”

I bob my head in acknowledgment because I’m afraid if I speak, I’ll betray my emotions. But Gunner seems to understand, and he approaches me hesitantly before wrapping an arm around me and pulling me in for a hug.

For a few minutes, we just stand there, holding each other. It feels so right. I only just met him, but already, I feel like we have a connection. I want to hold on to it for as long as I can, but realistically, I know that isn’t an option, and Gunner knows it too.

“I should get back to town.” He releases me with a pained expression on his face. “You probably want your car for tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” I frown. “But it’s getting late. I thought you were going to work on it—”

“I’ll get it back to you tomorrow,” he says. “What time do you leave for work?”

“I have tomorrow off, actually.”

He nods. “Then I’ll get it to you in the morning.”

I thank him and reluctantly walk up the stairs to my front porch. Gunner watches to make sure I’m safely inside with the door locked before he starts up his truck again and waves. I watch him go, and then I lean against the door with an ache in my chest that seems to come out of nowhere.

I love this house, but when I glance around and realize how alone I am, I’ve never felt emptier.