Page 12

Pippa

When Gunnar and I were finally alone, I had a good cry. And really. It had been a long time coming. Had it only been two days since Gunnar had rescued me? It felt like a lifetime ago. Part of me was afraid this was all a dream. An illusion I’d convinced myself was real to escape the hell I’d been thrust into. But every time I went to sleep, I woke up with Gunnar wrapped around me. He had barely left my side, and only when I had to go to the bathroom. It should have felt smothering. Instead, it felt right. Like this was how my life was supposed to be. It was definitely how I wanted it to be from now on.

“Whatcha doin’, babe?” Gunnar came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my neck. His beard tickled that sensitive spot and I giggled.

“Waiting on you. I thought we’d spend the night at home.” We’d been given indefinite use of the warehouse flat and I was growing to love the wide-open spaces. The place really was fantastic. And so not what I expected from a motorcycle club. Probably why stereotypes weren’t all they were cracked up to be.

“Stay home? You don’t want to go to a wild party?” He grinned against my neck sending shivers through my body.

“Didn’t say that.” I reached behind me and between us to cup the front of his jeans. His cock was rapidly hardening, which was exactly what I wanted.

“Oh? So, you do want to have a wild party.” He grinned down at me.

“Absolutely. Pretty sure we can have as wild a party as you want right here.”

Gunnar growled low in his throat, his hands tightening on my hips. “You’re playing with fire, little girl.”

I turned in his arms to face him, pressing my body flush against his. “Maybe I want to get burned.”

His eyes darkened with lust as he gazed down at me. Without warning, he scooped me up and tossed me over his shoulder, striding purposefully toward the bed in the far corner of the big flat. I squealed in delight, playfully smacking his firm ass.

“Oh, you’re in for it now,” he rumbled.

He tossed me onto the bed and crawled over me, caging me in with his muscular arms. Gunnar lowered his face to mine, taking my lips in a searing kiss that left me breathless. I tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling him closer as our tongues danced.

“Gonna fuck you in a bit. When I do, you’re gonna scream my name at the top of your lungs. Everybody in the whole Goddamned compound is gonna know who you belong to, woman.”

“Oh, God, yes,” I moaned, arching up against him. “Fuck me!”

He growled low in his throat and captured my lips in another scorching kiss. His hands roamed over my body, leaving trails of fire in their wake. I tugged impatiently at his shirt, needing to feel his bare skin against mine.

Gunnar sat back on his heels and yanked his shirt off over his head, tossing it carelessly aside. I raked my gaze hungrily over his tattooed, muscular torso. I reached out to trace the intricate designs inked on his skin, marveling at the contrast between the hard planes of muscle and the softer dusting of hair.

“Like what you see?” he asked with a cocky grin.

“You know I do,” I replied breathlessly.

In response, he gripped the hem of my shirt and shoved it over my head before shedding my bra as well. “So fuckin’ beautiful,” he murmured, palming a breast in each hand. I gasped as he lowered his mouth to one stiff peak and sucked.

“Gunnar, please,” I whimpered. “I need you.”

He lifted his head, his dark eyes burning with desire. “Tell me what you need, baby. What do you want?”

“I need you inside me. Fuck me! Please!” I reached between us to fumble with his belt buckle. He sat up and helped me shove his jeans and boxers down his hips so his cock sprang free, pointing due north.

“Fuck,” he bit out as he fisted his cock. The head was an angry purple while pearly pre-come seeped from the tip. “We’re gonna have to do a lot of this so I can get used to you. Otherwise, I’m never gonna last more than a hot second.”

I would have laughed if I’d been capable of it, but the more he touched me, talked dirty to me, encouraged me to talk dirty to him… Yeah. I was in a bad way.

He positioned himself at my entrance and slowly pressed into me, groaning as I stretched around his thick girth. I whimpered, but desperately needed more. The burn hurt, but in a good way. The feeling of fullness and submission caused my inner muscles to clench around him, holding him inside me.

“Fuckin’ heaven,” Gunnar muttered. “You’re so fuckin’ tight,” he growled, beginning a steady rhythm that had him plunging deep and withdrawing slowly. “Tell me you like this, Pippa. Tell me!”

“Oh fuck! Yes,” I moaned, lifting my hips to meet his thrusts. “Harder! Harder!” My pleas sounded as desperate as I felt. I thought I might explode at any moment, and I wasn’t certain I’d survive the detonation. And God! I loved a good metaphor!

Gunnar obeyed, slamming into me with enough force to jostle the bed. I cried out his name and arched my back, loving the feeling of him plowing into me over and over again. My nails raked down his back, leaving furrows in the skin there. He caught my hands in his and held them above my head.

“Mine,” he growled against my neck, nipping at the sensitive skin there. “You’re fucking mine.”

“Yes,” I gasped. “Yours. I’m yours!”

Gunnar moved his hand between us, finding my clit and rubbing it with rough brushes and pinches with his fingers. I screamed his name as an orgasm rocketed through my body, clenching tight around him with each wave of pleasure until he followed suit with a shout of his own. His hips pistoned harder, driving deeper as he emptied himself inside me.

Gunnar collapsed on top of me, his weight a comforting anchor as we both caught our breath. I reveled in the feeling of his body pressed against mine, his skin slick with sweat. I traced lazy patterns on his back with my fingers. I could feel his heart hammering against my chest where he was pressed so close to me. Then his heart rate slowed, and it was like he was taking me with him. My heart wanted to follow the beat of his and it wasn’t long before we both finally settled.

After a few minutes, Gunnar lifted his head to look at me, his dark eyes soft with emotion. “You OK, baby?” he asked, brushing a strand of hair from my face. Gunnar leaned forward to capture my lips in a long, slow kiss that tasted like victory and love and belonging all rolled into one.

When he ended the kiss, I smiled up at him. “I couldn’t be more perfect. You’re amazing.”

He grinned, looking pleased with himself. “Glad you enjoyed it. I aim to please.”

“Oh, you definitely pleased,” I assured him with a giggle.

Gunnar rolled to the side, pulling me with him so I was draped across his chest. His arms wrapped around me. “We’re gonna make a go of this, Pippa. And I swear to you, I’ll be everything you need.”

“It goes both ways. I’ll be what you need too.”

When he smiled up at me, I thought I’d never seen him look more carefree. Or more contented. “Honey, you already are.”

Who can possibly know they’re in love with someone in a mere couple of days? Impossible, right? No. It wasn’t impossible.

“I love you Gunnar. I don’t care if it’s only been a couple of days. I know with everything I am that I love you.”

He kissed me again. “I love you too. I know what love looks like because I saw it in my mom and dad every day when I was growing up. I understand the looks he used to give her when she wasn’t looking now. My dad, Cain Gill, the man everyone who knows him is afraid of, would look at my mom like she hung the moon. Like his next breath depended on whether or not she noticed and approved of him. Dad is so in love with my mom it hurts to watch them together sometimes. That’s how I feel when I look at you.”

“I never thought I’d have this,” I admitted softly. “I’m not even sure I truly believed love like what you described existed. Now I know it does.”

“I never thought I’d have this either,” he admitted softly. “After prison and shit, I figured I’d probably end up alone or dead. But now I’ve got you, and I ain’t ever letting go.”

I snuggled into his warmth, feeling safe and cherished. “Promise?”

“I swear it,” he said fiercely. “You’re mine now, Pippa.”

Gunnar reached for the blanket beside us and tossed it over my body. He rested one hand possessively on my ass, rubbing gently. The steady beat of his heart and the soothing feel of his hands on my skin had my eyelids growing heavier and heavier as each second passed.

I couldn’t help but wonder what the future held for us. Somehow, I thought this might be the start of a grand adventure. I was definitely looking forward to what was headed our way. I knew there would be trials ahead, and I’d be lying if I said the thought of Knuckles going after and killing my mother was more than a little disconcerting, but I knew I could handle it. Gunnar would see to it.

And somehow, some way, we really would live happily ever after.