Page 140 of Boss of Me

He nods slowly. “I’ve never blamed my mother for the divorce. She wasn’t responsible for Dad’s infidelity and gambling, and there’s no guarantee he would have been a better husband to Mrs. Calder.”

“True,” I murmur. “He might have been happier with her. But if he’s prone to vices . . .” I let the sentence go unfinished, watching Gunner nod in agreement.

“He has demons. Self-destructive tendencies he can’t seem to shake.” A shadow falls over Gunner’s eyes and his voice quiets until it’s just above a whisper. “Sometimes I look at him and I see . . .” He trails off and I wait for him to complete the thought.

But he just stares ahead, suddenly lost in memories. “When Maverick and I were growing up, we worshipped the ground Dad walked on. He was larger than life—big and strong with a booming laugh you could hear from miles away. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do. He roped cattle and rode horses like a seasoned cowboy. He chopped down trees to build our campfires. He built engines and raced cars just for the thrill of it. He was our hero,” Gunner says with a trace of bitterness. “Watching him deteriorate into a shell of his former self broke our damn hearts.”

I swallow hard, feeling a rush of love and compassion for him. When I tighten my fingers around his, he looks down at me, his expression softening.

“I know I just met your father, and I don’t want to speak out of turn,” I say quietly. “But underneath all those destructive layers, I think he has a good heart.”

Gunner gazes at me, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with my assessment.

Hoping to lighten his mood, I add impishly, “Even Sansa likes him.”

He scowls. “Damn traitor.”

I peal with laughter, turning his scowl into a smile.

We keep walking until we find shade beneath an arbor blanketed with wisteria and climbing roses.

When we turn to face each other, Gunner slides his fingers through my hair, gripping my head in that dominating way of his as he claims my mouth. The kiss starts out gentle but soon turns more heated. Hungry.

He twists his hand in my hair and holds me still as he plunders my mouth with his tongue. Heat curls through every muscle, fiber and cell in my body. Letting out a soft moan, I wrap my arms around his neck, my fingers plunging into the thickness of his hair.

“God, what you do to me.” His lips move from mine, traveling to my jaw and neck. “You’re driving me fucking crazy.”

I lick his ear, making him shiver. “Do you have a maid fetish?”

“I didn’t before you came along.” He tongues the beating pulse at the base of my neck, sucking hard enough to leave a mark. “How the hell am I supposed to get any work done knowing you’re here waiting for me at the end of each day? You’re messing with my productivity.”

I grin. “Sorry.”

“Are you?” he grumbles. “I have my doubts.”

A bubble of laughter rises in my throat.

With a muttered threat, he palms my ass and lifts me against the arbor wall. I wrap my legs around his waist, gasping at the hardness of his cock pressed against my sensitive core. I hold him close to me, soaking up the warmth of his skin through his shirt.

He exhales my name and kisses me harder, his mouth grinding bruisingly against mine as his hands skate up my thighs, under my dress.

I moan as a scorching rush of pleasure rocks through my body. My nipples are hard and my clit is throbbing, hot juices spilling onto the silk of my panties.

He breaks the kiss just long enough to nuzzle my cheek and neck before finding my mouth again, groaning when my tongue tangles with his.

A throat clears loudly behind us.

Gunner tears his mouth from mine with a low curse.

“Uh, sorry to interrupt,” comes his father’s amused voice.

Mortified at getting caught, I bury my flaming face against Gunner’s chest. With my back against the trellised wall, all his dad can see are my legs wrapped around his son. Which is embarrassing enough.

“What do you want?” Gunner growls over his shoulder.

“I’m taking Gemma Louise to dinner tonight,” Dale announces. “Since I’m not allowed behind the wheel, I was thinking maybe your driver could take us. That is, if you’re not going anywhere else today.”

“What’s wrong with Mrs. Calder’s car?”