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“Yeah, I heard them call you Gunner,” I say as I push my shirt back in place, embarrassed by realizing I haven’t done it sooner.
He huffs in irritation. “Theycall me Gunner and I hate it. You can call me Xander. That’s my name, darling.”
Xander. I really like that name. It’s one of those names I picked out as a pre-teen as one I’d like to name a child one day.
For him though, it fits perfectly. Dark, dangerous, and a bit edgy.
“My name isn’tdarling.It’s Laura.” I run my fingers over my ribs, finding that the pain has gone down some. It’s not gone but it's better.
“Laura, huh? Perfect name for a well-behaved pastor’s daughter.”
Is he making fun of me?
I scowl. “I’m not a pastor’s daughter,” I say.
“Coulda fooled me. You don’t come across as the kind of girl that goes to bars she’s never been to all by herself. Maybe I’m wrong but you seem like the kind of woman who always has a white knight by her side to keep danger at bay so she never has to worry about what goes bump in the night.”
My breath catches as his palm presses against my thigh. The touch isn’t seductive in any way and yet the way it affects me is. My body tenses and my eyes stay glued to his.
“Once upon a time,” I admit breathlessly. His closeness thickens the air as it enters my lungs like a gallon of water. I know I’m getting oxygen, but it doesn’t feel like I am.
“What happened to your knight, darling?” he asks, his eyes darkening, as he leans in closer. He sucks in his bottom lip as his free hand presses to the cabinet behind my head.
Panic grips me, realizing why he’s moving closer, and I press my hand gently against his chest.
My attraction to him grows with each passing second, no matter how idiotic it is, but the thought that this is too soon since Dell, and too wrong, holds me back. Attraction is one thing. It leading somewhere is another ball game.
“He decided I wasn’t good enough,” I whisper, my heart racing.
His eyes narrow, a flash of anger in his eyes, before he groans and looks away. “Fucking idiot.”
I’m not sure if he’s calling me an idiot for pushing him away or Dell for dumping me. I choose to believe the latter.
CHAPTER4
XANDER
Idrive down the long, dirt road leading to the clubhouse as Laura sits beside me, chewing her nails down to the bed of her fingers.
She’s freaked out by all of this and who could blame her? It’s bad enough that my father got her drunk off her ass and took her back to her place while she was in an intoxicated state, but twisting and ignoring the rules to fit whatever point he wants to make is even more fucked up.
We’re not supposed to do this. It’s against the rules. A girl only becomes property if a relationship is established, but for some unknown reason, he wants Laura as property.
She’s not the club property type. She’s young, naive, and a bit sheltered. She’s not hardened by a life the way most of the girls are—the way I am. She’s still damaged though. I see it in the way she takes everything in and looks at everyone like they might want to hurt her.
Someone has hurt this woman, but it’s not in a way that darkens the soul. Hers is bright and full of care in a way I’ve never experienced.
Our paths should’ve never crossed. She lived in Reaper territory, was in college, and from what I can make out, was a good girl who didn’t go out looking for trouble.
“Thank you,” she mutters softly in that sweet voice of hers.
I know why she’s grateful. I did something that could get me in a lot of trouble. I let her call her mother. She came up with an excuse for her sudden disappearance, something about a publishing house internship in Paris. Her mother bought it and I can tell Laura and her mom are close.
It kills me to take her to the clubhouse, knowing she’ll never see her family again, but that’s not the only reason. I have a protectiveness over this woman. I don’t know shit about her, but I can’t stand the thought of anyone hurting her.
Maybe she reminds me of my mom. Laura is a college kid like my mom was. My mom was innocent and had no control over becoming property.
Maybe I’ve just gone soft or developed an attachment. Maybe I’m weak to her big, blue eyes, occasional sass, and kind spirit.
