Liam nodded at Gunner and left, Gabriel and Jude close behind. Jude flicked my ear when he walked past, and I punched him.
“Ugh, why do you always go for my ribs?” he complained.
“Because you never cover them,” I said, grinning.
He grumbled his good-bye and left, but not before narrowing his eyes at Gunner.
Dad held out a key. “Take your car. It’s still in the garage.”
I couldn’t believe he’d kept my car. “You still have it?”
“Of course. It’s yours. Why would I get rid of it?”
I got the keys and wrapped my arms around his shoulder, hugging him. “Thanks, Daddy. Love you.”
“Love you too, honey. I’ll see you on Sunday.”
Dad had his head buried in the stacks of papers on his desk as soon as we walked out. A look back confirmed he’d already moved on from our conversation as if it had never happened.
Gunner bumped me softly with his elbow. “You good?”
“I’m good,” I confirmed and tipped my head back.
His lips found mine, and after a soft kiss, we walked to my vintage candy-apple-red Mustang. Gunner drove us to what turned out to be his apartment.
His heavily secured penthouse apartment.
Just to get into the parking garage, he needed a retinal scan, handprint, and code. He parked the car and helped me out, not releasing my hand once I was standing in front of him.
“I’ll add you to the system tomorrow.”
His words were spoken casually, as if we were discussing the weather. But they meant more to me than he could have ever guessed. This was his version of giving me a key to his apartment.
“Really?” I blurted before pressing my lips together to stop myself from saying anything else.
He tilted his head down.God, he’s big.His giant plate of a hand engulfed mine, and I barely came up to his wide shoulders. But I'd never felt unsafe or threatened by him. My emotions might have, but never my body.
He tugged on my hand, and I stumbled into him, bracing my hands on his chest. His mouth met mine, and for the next few minutes, nothing else mattered but the two of us.
“Let’s take this upstairs,” his raspy voice said next to my ear.
I nodded, getting Killer’s cage out. But if I thought I’d be carrying it, I should have known better. Gunner took it out of my hands and put the food in them instead.
Once again carrying both my suitcase and cage, he led me to the elevator.
He sat Killer down in the shiny chrome box and tapped the button marked Penthouse.
When the door opened, we stepped out into the mother of all apartments.
“This is where you live?” I choked out, taking in the expansive room. There was a sunken living area in front of me, a large, modern kitchen to my right, and a hallway off to my left. The huge windows that made up most of the outside walls allowed for an uninterrupted view of Lake Michigan.
His apartment was modern and stylish while managing to still be inviting and cozy at the same time. I wanted to sink my bare feet into the living-room rug that looked as soft as a cloud and cuddle into the huge couch while watching a movie on his cinema-screen-sized TV.
“The offices are just one floor below. Quick commute that way,” he said, grinning at me as if he had to explain why he owned the apartment.
I made my way to the windows. “How long have you lived here?”
“Almost six years. I bought the office floor and this apartment at the same time.”
