Page 44 of Hunted

She totally was. She never got tired of looking at his butt. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m on a mission.”

“That never stopped you before.”

He pulled a big duffel bag out of the toolbox. A shifter emergency bag, obviously—it was too easy to be caught without clothes if they had to Change suddenly. He found a pair of jeans inside it and wriggled into them, commando—ostentatiously brushing off his ass first. Michelangela bit back a smile.

Next came a pair of worn cowboy boots. After stomping his feet into those, he pulled out a handgun, checked to make sure it was loaded, and stuck it into the back of his jeans.

“You’re not talking me out of this,” she said quietly. “I already have a connection to McIntyre. I can get to the girl.”

When he didn’t answer, she added fiercely, “I can do this. Let me fix what I messed up.”

He still didn’t say anything—just picked up the bag, put his hand on the side of the truck bed and swung his feet over, landing in the road on the passenger side. He opened the door, then stopped with his foot on the running board.

He looked over the truck bed at her. “What the hell are you waiting for, then? Get in and drive.”

Wait, what?

Gunn was already in the truck, slamming the door. Michelangela scrambled into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

She headed off in the direction she’d been going—away from the territory. What the hell was he even doing?

What he was doing was rooting through his bag, getting out a t-shirt and shrugging into it, and topping it off with a black hoodie.

He glanced over at her. “I don’t suppose you grabbed any food?”

“I was escaping, not going on a picnic.”

He gave a half-grin and tossed her a plastic-wrapped slab of beef jerky. Then he pulled out a money belt and thumbed through it, counting the cash.

“Wait,” she said. “You gave me your truck keys, but failed to mention you had a go bag in the back? Thanks a lot.”

He shrugged. “I figured you’d be okay. What self-respecting operative doesn’t have a stash or three hidden around the country? For that matter, you should have figured I’d have a bag in my truck. You know the Boy Scout motto. ‘Be Prepared.’”

“You are not, and have never been, a Boy Scout.”

That got a full-on grin, the one that made her insides melt and her wolf howl.

“Definitely not,” he said. “But I’m your gods-damned mate, and if you think I'm letting you go off on this mission without me and my stash to back you up, fucking think again.”

That made her stop the truck again. Her stomach was doing flip-flops, and she didn’t know what to feel. Pure, unadulterated joy at having her mate by her side, knowing he cared about her. Pain and despair because it couldn’t happen. His pack needed him. She put the truck in Park and turned to face him.

“You know you can’t leave your pack. I still don’t get what bizarre sense of obligation made you take them on, but you’ve done it, and I have to say, I have never seen a more fucked-up, dysfunctional group of shifters in my life.” She stopped, frowning. “Well, maybe one. Which, oddly enough, is my point. A pack like that can only survive with a strong alpha. It’s obvious you’re the only thing holding them together.”

Gunn compressed his lips, staring straight ahead. “You need me more. And that little girl needs both of us.”

Michelangela knew it wasn’t true. Gunn could have sent a team; hell, Thanatos probably still would, as soon as he found out about the auction. And she had people of her own she could call, if things got desperate.

It didn’t have to be him.

But we want it to be him, her wolf said. Stronger together.

Gunn said, “The pack will be okay for a few days.”

Her heart tore in two. He was trying to do the right thing for everyone, and she knew he knew he was probably going to end up letting everyone down.

And when the mission was over…

Michelangela said softly, “And then?”