Page 29 of Gunner

Chapter 14

Jack knewthe second the door closed on Gunner and Alex that Astrid had completely ignored him. The stubborn woman had no sense of self-preservation and getting under his skin and winding him up seemed to be her sole mission in life. But right now, he wasn’t sure he could hold himself in check as he should.

The anger burning inside him was consuming him to the point he couldn’t sleep, couldn’t think straight. His control on everything was slipping, his team were fighting amongst themselves, his father wasn’t even hiding his misdeeds any longer, and the threat to the Palace became more viable every day.

“Go, Astrid.”

She was the one person he couldn’t be around. His attraction for the irritating woman was at odds with how annoying he found her. She was beautiful, no doubt about that, smart, sexy, funny, but she was also reckless and wild, and he had no place in his life for that.

“No.”

Jack spun around so fast, pinning her to the door with his body, his breath coming fast as he looked down into the stunning unique eyes of the woman who made his blood boil. A ring of aqua green blending into almost amber in the middle, they had captivated him from the beginning.

Jack grasped her wrists in his hands, holding them against the door, the feel of her soft body against his hard one a torturous pleasure.

“Get the fuck out before I do something we’ll both regret.”

The little minx licked her bottom lip and pushed against him, making him fight to hold back the moan.

“How do you know what I’ll regret? You don’t know the first thing about me.”

“I know you like to live dangerously, that you love the thrill of danger, that one day you’re going to wind up dead because you don’t know when to back down.”

Astrid smiled, and it made his cock ache to push inside her and ride all that wild sexiness until she was a pile of satisfied woman lying over him. Then maybe she would be too exhausted to go out looking for danger.

“I see you listed all my best qualities.”

Jack shook his head and stroked his finger down her cheek, relishing the satin feel of her peaches and cream skin so at odds with her ballsy attitude. She looked like an English rose with her blonde hair, willowy figure, and blush pink lips, but she had the mouth of a sailor and the grit of an army commander.

“You’re a mystery in some ways, but I see the death wish, Astrid. The way you flirt with danger.”

He sucked in a breath when she bit down on the finger he was using to stroke her face. Sucking the digit into her mouth like she was starving, laving it with her tongue to soothe the pain. His dick was now screaming for the release he knew he could find with her. Astrid wanted him, she’d made no secret of it, and against his better judgement, he wanted her too. He’d stayed away, wanting nothing to do with the hate fuck she wanted.

He and Astrid were like oil and water; they didn’t mix well at all. Except between the sheets, he knew there they’d be spectacular.

He was two seconds from making a huge mistake when a bang on the door behind him brought him back from his insanity.

“Jack, everyone is in the gym waiting for you.”

He pulled back, turning away as if he’d been burned and glared at the woman who’d woven her witchcraft on him.

“I’ll be out now.” His voice at least sounded normal even if his body and emotions felt anything but.

“You know, Jack, you should lighten up, have some fun, it might be good for you.”

The words he’d heard all his life, about lightening up made him react. He turned to her with a sneer. “What? With you? No thanks.” He knew the second the words left his mouth they’d been the wrong thing to say and expecting her anger, he was gutted when he saw the pain he’d caused flash across her features before she buried it deep and gave him a one-shouldered shrug.

“Nah, not me. I’ll never let you touch me, Jack.”

He stayed rooted to the spot as she put her hands in her jacket pockets and spun, leaving him standing there feeling like he’d just made a colossal mistake and having no idea how to fix it or even if he wanted too.

Rubbing his eyes, he realised he felt calmer than he had before his altercation with Astrid. Less like he was out of options with no way to stop the free fall. Managing to gather the threads of his control, he looked around at his trashed office ashamed that he’d done such damage in a fit of rage at the man who was meant to be his protector but was, in fact, his enemy.

It was a bitter pill to swallow but one he had to take, nevertheless. Righting his chair, he knew it was time to go out and fix the mess his team was becoming, and that started with him being honest.

He walked into the gym and looked around as the six men talking in hushed tones as they waited for him, went silent. Blake, Reid, Lopez, Decker, Alex, and Mitch. The others were on duty with Lacey, but he didn’t see Gunner.

He folded his arms to keep his anger at bay. “Where’s Gunner?”