Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
brOOKLYN
I was sitting behind Gunner on his Harley with my arms wrapped tightly at his waist. I could feel the wind in my hair; it lashed against my face, but nothing felt sweeter than this freedom.
I lay my face on Gunner’s back, and I felt his muscles move underneath my cheek. I’d thought he was dead. Viper had convinced me that they got him. But here he was, in the flesh, and I was holding him. He saved me, just like I knew he would.
This man who I thought I didn’t know was now the only person in the world I could trust. It was strange to imagine that the people, who I considered to be family, were the ones who put me in this situation, and this guy, who I had just met, was the one who had saved me from them.
I slipped my fingers underneath his T-shirt, just to feel the warmth of his skin. I breathed in deeply, and his scent tingled my nose. Just an hour ago, I believed that I was going to be forced to have sex with some kind of monster, but Gunner saved me from it.
I was surprised when he slowed the bike and eventually brought it to a stop on the side of the road. The sound of the cop sirens was still in the air, but we were far enough away for anyone to find us.
Gunner turned to me before jumping off the bike.
“I needed to stop,” he said in a deep throaty voice. His blue eyes were sparkling, and he looked strong. I bit down on my lip.
“Why?” I asked him, and without saying anything, he leaned towards me and pressed his lips to mine.
I gasped when our mouths touched, and I sucked in his breath.
His hands reached up for my face, and he was holding me in position, sliding his tongue in and out of my mouth.
It was the same motion he would have used if his cock was inside me, which I couldn’t stop myself from imagining.
I wanted him inside me again. At the most inappropriate moment!
Gunner pulled himself away from me, and I noticed he had a smile on his face.
“You were touching me. I needed to kiss you,” he said. I sensed my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interfere with the ride,” I said as he leaned over and kissed my lips lightly again.
“It isn’t your fault that you have an irresistible effect on me,” he said, rendering me to blush again.
He was leaning against me, against the parked bike, and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. I felt safe there with him, like nothing could happen to me. He was strong and muscular, and he smelled of fire and metal. I wanted his mouth on mine again, but I was too shy to initiate a kiss.
“Brooklyn…are you hurt?” he asked, placing a hooked finger underneath my chin. With that he tipped my face up towards him and peered into my eyes.
“Not physically. Not anymore,” I said in a soft voice. Gunner’s eyes had turned stormy again. He was angry about something when all I could feel was joy, joy at seeing him again.
“You said they hit you,” he said, and I shook my head.
“That was before. In my apartment. They didn’t after that,” I said. Gunner studied my face, as though he was looking for bruises.
“I shouldn’t have left you alone in the apartment,” he said. I shook my head.
“It wasn’t your fault. I should have listened to you and left the bar with you last night. Then none of this would have happened,” I said. He stroked my chin gently with his thumb. His eyes were still focused on me.
“You didn’t know. You trusted them and you were loyal to your family’s memory,” he said. I gulped.
“How could they do this to me? Daddy…Luke…” I began to say before he took me into his arms again. The tears that were flooding my eyes again seemed to disappear the moment our bodies met.
“They never would have condoned this, Brooklyn. You can’t blame them,” he said as I buried my face in his chest. I could have spent my life in his arms; that was how relieved I was to be there. He was stroking my hair affectionately now.
“What’s going to happen to the girls?” I asked without looking at him.
“I’m not sure, but Axel will make sure that they are taken care of.
We don’t know how long they’ve been in captivity at that warehouse.
We don’t know where they’re from,” he said as he gently pulled me away from him so that he could look into my eyes.
“But I promise you, Brooklyn. I’ll make sure that they get away as far as possible from here,” he said. I nodded my head.
“I can’t believe I’m with you…you’re with the Bad Disciples,” I said with a laugh.
“Jenson would have been disappointed in you. I mean, Luke,” he said. I shook my head.
“Are you kidding me? He wouldn’t have been with the Dragon Knights anymore if he knew what they were doing. He wouldn’t have let them treat me like this. And he would have been grateful to you for what you did for me,” I said. Gunner then leaned in to place a long wet kiss on my forehead.
“I don’t need thanks for this, Brooklyn.
I came for you because of myself. Because I wanted to see you safe.
Because I wanted us to be together again,” he said, and this time, I couldn’t stop myself from beaming.
I kissed him, sucking his lips into my mouth, and he leaned me over the bike, holding me by my waist. Our lips remained locked together, and I was convinced that he was never going to let me go.