Page 3 of Gunner (Iron Sentinels MC #3)

T he bell above the diner door jingled, and Dawn glanced up from behind the counter, absently wiping a damp rag over the stainless-steel surface. Her heart sank the moment she saw who had just walked in.

Jesse.

He was still dressed in his grease-stained coveralls, the Rat Bastards MC patch stitched onto his chest. His dark hair was slicked back with too much gel, and his smug grin made her stomach churn. Just what she didn’t need tonight.

He sauntered toward the counter, moving with an air of undeserved confidence, and slid onto a stool directly in front of her.

“Hey, gorgeous. Miss me?”

Dawn stiffened. She shot him a tight smile, purely out of politeness, and turned to grab the coffeepot. “What do you want, Jesse?”

“A second chance,” he said, leaning in. “You never gave me a fair shot the other night.”

She scoffed and set the coffeepot down with more force than necessary. “You mean when you stood me up?”

His smirk didn’t waver. “I had shit to do. Club business. You know how it is.”

“I really don’t.” Dawn crossed her arms. “But I do know I sat alone in that roadhouse for over an hour like a fool. I’m not doing that again.”

Jesse exhaled sharply, shaking his head as if she was the unreasonable one.

“Come on, don’t be like that, babe. I’ll make it up to you. Let’s go grab a drink after your shift,” he said.

Dawn rolled her eyes. “Not happening.”

Jesse’s expression hardened. He leaned forward, his voice dropping low. “You don’t want to make an enemy outta me, Dawn.”

A chill ran down her spine, but she forced herself to hold her ground. “Is that a threat?”

He smirked, but there was something in his eyes that set her on edge. “Just saying, people who cross the wrong folks tend to regret it.”

The tension between them thickened, the air in the diner suddenly feeling oppressive.

Other customers were too absorbed in their meals to notice what was happening, but Dawn’s coworker, Maggie, peeked around the corner from the kitchen, concern flickering across her face.

Dawn had had enough. She stepped out from behind the counter, standing tall despite the way her pulse pounded in her throat.

“I’m gonna say this once, Jesse. Leave me the hell alone. I don’t want anything to do with you,” Dawn said firmly.

Jesse’s jaw ticked, his fingers curling into a fist on the counter. “You sure about that, sweetheart?”

“Dead sure.”

For a long moment, he didn’t move, just sat there, staring her down like he was trying to intimidate her into changing her mind. But Dawn wasn’t backing down. Not this time.

Finally, Jesse let out a low chuckle, shaking his head as he pushed off the stool.

“Your loss,” he muttered, but there was an edge to his voice, a promise that this wasn’t over.

Dawn stood her ground, watching as he strolled out the door, the bell jingling behind him. Only when he was gone did she let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

Maggie rushed over. “Dawn, are you okay?”

Dawn nodded, even though her hands trembled. “Yeah. Just ... pissed off.”

Maggie eyed the door warily. “He’s bad news, hon. You did the right thing.”

Dawn exhaled, trying to shake off the lingering unease. “I hope so.” Because something told her Jesse wasn’t the type to take rejection lightly.

Dawn spent the rest of the day lost in the monotony of her shift, but no matter how busy she kept herself, she couldn’t shake the earlier interaction with Jesse.

Rejecting him might not have been the best decision, and she had a sinking feeling that a man like him didn’t take no for an answer.

But despite that, she was proud of standing her ground.

Besides, his threats felt ridiculous. Jesse was nothing compared to a real man like Gunner.

Real men didn’t need to bully a woman into submission.

That being said, men like Jesse were common. Gunner, on the other hand ... he was something else entirely.

During her break, she pulled out her phone, her fingers hovering over the screen. The idea of texting Gunner was both thrilling and nerve-wracking. She had never been the kind of woman who asked men out, but maybe this time was an exception. Maybe he was an exception.

Her excitement quickly deflated when she realized they hadn’t exchanged numbers. Damn it.

With a sigh, Dawn finished her break and returned to work.

But as her shift was coming to an end, she heard the deep, unmistakable rumble of a motorcycle engine outside the diner.

Her pulse kicked into a frantic rhythm, her breath catching in her throat.

She turned just in time to see Gunner step inside.

The biker scanned the room before his piercing gaze found hers, locking onto her like he’d known exactly where she would be. Then he grinned, a slow, devastating smile that made warmth spread through her, pooling low in her stomach.

Dawn’s skin heated, her pulse a wild, erratic beat against her ribs. A shiver trailed down her spine as she forced herself to act normal, to not let her body betray just how much his presence affected her.

“Gunner,” she said, surprised as he strode toward her, every step radiating confidence.

For a moment, she forgot how to form words, her tongue tangled, her mind blanking. She scrambled to recover.

“You can sit anywhere you like, and I’ll be with you in a sec,” she told him.

“I’m not here to eat,” he said, his voice a deep, rough timbre that sent a shiver through her. “Just to see you.”

Dawn’s stomach clenched, her heart slamming against her ribs. She had no idea why those words affected her so much, but they did. God help her, they did.

“Yeah?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

“I forgot to ask for your number last night,” he admitted, watching her intently. “But I remembered you mentioning the diner where you worked.”

“Oh,” she said, caught off guard by how observant he was, how good a listener. Most men barely paid attention to what a woman said, but Gunner had.

“How will I ask you out if I don’t have your number?” he said, his lips quirking in amusement.

Before Dawn could respond, her manager, Bert, appeared with a scowl. “Dawn, you’re still on the clock. If you’re gonna flirt, do it on your own time,” Bert pointed out.

Dawn’s face burned, but before she could retort, Gunner turned his attention to Bert and gave him a flat, hard look. One that sent a shudder of unease through the other man.

Bert muttered something under his breath and scurried away.

Dawn should have been a little worried that Gunner was so used to intimidating people—or worse, getting exactly what he wanted—but she wasn’t. She just found his authoritative presence incredibly sexy.

They exchanged numbers, her fingers brushing against his rough, calloused palm as she handed him her phone. A small, seemingly insignificant touch, but it sent a jolt through her system nonetheless.

“I’ll see you soon, Dawn,” Gunner murmured, his voice like a promise, making her heart flutter in a way she wasn’t sure she could control.

****

T he meeting was supposed to be important.

Gunner sat at the long, scarred wooden table in the Iron Sentinels’ clubhouse, his arms crossed as Beast went over the latest shipment details.

The room was packed with the club’s highest-ranking members—men who had spent years building their reputation and running their business with ruthless efficiency.

Deals with suppliers, territorial disputes, and potential alliances were all on the table tonight, and Gunner knew he needed to be present, to focus. But his damn mind kept drifting.

Dawn.

He should’ve waited at least a day before calling her. Hell, he wasn’t the kind of guy who got hung up on a woman after one night of easy conversation and a few teasing glances.

But Dawn wasn’t like anyone he’d met before. Something about her had a hold on him, and no matter how much he told himself to shove it aside, his thoughts kept circling back to her.

“You listening, Gunner?” Beast’s gruff voice cut through his distraction.

Gunner blinked, his gaze snapping to his president. Beast didn’t look pissed, but there was a knowing glint in his eye, like he had already figured out where Gunner’s head was. The man had been his best friend for years, and he could read him better than anyone.

“Yeah,” Gunner said, sitting forward and forcing himself to focus. “Shipment’s coming in next month. Razor says he’s got the logistics covered on his end, and we’ll handle our part like always.”

Beast grunted. “You seem real interested in this conversation.”

A few of the other guys smirked, but Gunner didn’t give a damn. He knew what was coming.

“You got somethin’ else on your mind?” Beast leaned back in his chair, watching him closely. “Or maybe someone?”

Gunner exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “It’s nothin’.”

Beast didn’t believe that for a second, but he let it slide. For now.

The meeting wrapped up not long after, and Gunner left the main room, heading toward his quarters in the back of the clubhouse.

His space was simple—a bed, a dresser, and a couple of personal items. He wasn’t one for unnecessary clutter. Most nights, he didn’t give a damn where he slept as long as he had a place to lay his head after a long day of business. But tonight, sleep wasn’t happening anytime soon.

Running a hand over his beard, he sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling out his phone. He hesitated for only a second before scrolling to her number, freshly added from earlier that day. He had planned to wait. Maybe give it another night, let her sit with the idea of them.

Fuck it. He pressed “call.” The line rang once. Twice. On the third, she picked up.

“Hello?”

Gunner grinned at the sound of her familiar voice—soft, slightly wary, and undeniably tempting.

“It’s me,” he said, his voice rougher than intended.

A pause. Then, “Gunner?”

Hearing his name on her lips did something to him. Something he wasn’t ready to unpack.

“You busy?” he asked.

She hesitated. “Not really.”

“Good,” he said. “I was thinkin’ about you.”

Silence. He could practically hear her breath hitch on the other end.

“Oh,” she finally murmured. “That so?”

He chuckled, leaning back against the headboard. “Yeah. Figured I’d ask you out, see if you’re free tomorrow night.”

Another pause. “You don’t waste time, do you?”

“Never saw the point,” he told her.

Dawn exhaled, and he could picture her biting her lip, trying to decide what to do with him. He liked that she didn’t just jump at the offer.

She was cautious, hesitant, but there was no denying the attraction between them. He was willing to bet she felt it just as much as he did.

“You really wanna take me out?” she asked, as if she wasn’t sure he was serious.

“I wouldn’t be callin’ if I didn’t,” he told her simply.

A beat of silence passed before she finally said, “All right. Tomorrow night.”

Satisfaction hummed through him. “Good girl.”

Her sharp inhale told him she liked that more than she wanted to admit. He grinned. Yeah, this was going to be interesting.

“I’ll pick you up at seven,” he said. “Wear somethin’ that makes you feel good.”

She let out a breathy laugh. “Bossy.”

“You like it.”

Dawn didn’t respond right away, but he didn’t need her to. The way she hesitated, the way she exhaled again, told him enough.

“See you tomorrow, Gunner,” she said.

He smirked. “Can’t wait.”

The call ended, but he didn’t move right away. Instead, he stared at the phone in his hand, something stirring deep in his chest.

Yeah. He was in trouble.