Page 134 of Boss of Me

After a minute, I prop my chin on his chest and search his face quietly. “Why do you hate Harlan so much?”

His eyes darken with suppressed anger. “We have history.”

Clearly.“What kind of history?”

I feel the increased tension in his body, but he doesn’t respond.

“Please stop shutting me out, Gunner,” I plead in frustration. “This relationship won’t work if we keep secrets from each other.”

He clenches his jaw as he holds my gaze. After a few moments, he reluctantly starts talking. “When I acquired my energy company two years ago, Harlan led a campaign to short our stock. It tanked the price and cost us millions. Took months for the company to recover.”

“That’s awful,” I murmur in disbelief. “Why would he do that?”

“Because he’s a vindictive son of a bitch. Always has been.”

“How long have you known him?”

“Too fucking long,” Gunner says darkly. “We went to the same high school in Dallas, and our grandparents ran in the same social circles and belonged to the same country club. Harlan resented me and my brother because we were more popular than him despite being newcomers. He enjoyed starting rumors about us, and he never missed an opportunity to remind people that our father was a disgraced drunkard who bankrupted our family.”

I frown. “What a raging asshole.”

“Among other things.” Gunner pauses, his jaw tightening even more. “During our junior year, I slept with his girlfriend. He’d been a thorn in our side since the day we met, and I wanted to inflict some pain of my own. So when his girlfriend hit on me at a party, I took her upstairs and fucked her. When Harlan found out the next day, he was furious. So furious that he retaliated by banging my mother.”

I gasp in shock. “Yourmother?”

Gunner nods tightly, glaring at the ceiling. “He came on to her at a holiday charity gala. She was feeling lonely and vulnerable, and she’d had one too many drinks that night. So she welcomed Harlan’s attention. They snuck off together and checked into a hotel. The next day he couldn’t wait to track me down to tell me what he’d done. He bragged about how desperate she was, how she begged for it. Said he taped the whole thing.” Gunner’s hand balls into a fist against my back before he snarls, “I beat the shit out of him, but that wasn’t enough. I wanted to kill him. I almost did.”

A shiver ripples down my spine. “What happened?”

“He threatened to leak the tape.”

“Oh, my God.”

“He was eighteen, so legally my mother was safe. But the scandal would have rocked our family and destroyed her reputation. If word got out that she slept with a high school student—and a sex tape existed—she would’ve been too humiliated to ever show her face in public again. There’s also a very good chance my grandparents would have disowned her.”

“Wow,” I whisper, staring at Gunner. “What did you do?”

“I hacked into his phone and computer to erase the video. While poking around, I found evidence that he’d been stealing exams from teachers for two whole years. I copied the incriminating files, then drove straight to his house and showed him the dirt I’d uncovered. He was speechless. I told him if he ever breathed a word about sleeping with my mother, I’d get him suspended for cheating. I also promised to notify the admissions office of every college and university he’d ever thought of applying to. By the time I was done with him, he’d be lucky to get accepted into a certificate course.” A menacing half smile curls Gunner’s lips. “He took me at my word. And that was the end of our high school feud.”

“Holy shit,” I breathe, both awed and shocked by his ruthlessness. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

He gives a humorless chuckle. “The pathetic bastard waited ten years to rekindle our beef. After he shorted my company’s stock, I reached out to a friend at the Securities and Exchange Commission. He paid Harlan a little visit and . . . Let’s just say he’ll think twice before tampering with any of my companies again.”

“Good. Serves him right.”

Gunner strokes my hair, his eyes boring into mine. “He might have been deterred from waging more economic battles against me, but that doesn’t mean he won’t use another attack strategy. It wasn’t a coincidence that he spoke to your class. He’smy enemy and he’ll stop at nothing to hurt me, including going after you. Can you see that now?”

“I do. And I’ll keep my distance from him. Gladly.”

Gunner’s eyes soften in approval before he pulls me closer. I resettle my head on his chest, placing my hand over his heart. He kisses the top of my head and resumes stroking my back.

After a few moments, I ask quietly, “How did your mom feel about Harlan threatening to expose their one-night stand?”

Gunner stiffens at the question. “I never told her.”

“She doesn’t know? Even after all these years?”

“She doesn’t need to know. I handled it.”