“I’ll just grab my computer from your apartment. That way I can get some work done.” I hesitated beside the couch. “Once I figure out if I have any clients left.”
Gunner looked up from where he’d sat down behind his desk. “You work is impeccable. Anyone would be stupid to pay for a subpar product just because you were away for a while.”
I gaped at him. “How do you know anything about the quality of my work?”
He sheepishly looked at the gleaming wooden surface of his mahogany desk and rubbed his neck. “I may have done some reconnaissance that included your business.”
I threw up my hands. “Of course you did.”
Before he could respond, I marched out of his office, past the receptionist, and up to his apartment. Once I got to Gunner’s room, I let out a huff.Damn overbearing men in my life who’ve never heard of privacy.
Gunner was great at his job. He’d have investigated me before taking over surveillance. But I hated the thought that he’d snooped without me knowing.
Oh God, did he know about my tiny sweater habit? Because that was information he was only supposed to find out once we’d been together for a few years.
My laptop was in my handbag, and I pulled it out. By the time I made it back to his office, I was feeling more settled and a lot less murderous.
He jumped up as soon as I walked through his door. “I meant to tell you about the background check, but then things happened and then we… you know….” The corner of his mouth rose in a half smirk. “And I forgot. I’m sorry for not telling you.”
The rest of my anger evaporated into thin air, and I wondered why I’d been upset in the first place. “Just don’t keep anything from me. If you truly want to be with me, I want honesty. I’ve had enough half-truths and secrets in my life. I couldn't bear it if you did that to me.”
He nodded and closed his laptop. “There’ll be things I can’t tell you because of what I do for work. But I promise to always be honest and tell you if that’s the case.” He pushed his chair back and leaned back. “Now come here. We need to make up after our first fight.”
Sauntering over to him, I stopped just out of reach. “As I recall, we’ve had plenty of fights in the past.”
He leaned forward and plucked me off the floor, setting me on his lap. “That was before you realized you couldn’t stay away from me. This was our first real fight as a couple.”
I liked the sound of it and showed him by touching my lips to his, then tracing the seam with my tongue. He opened with a groan, and soon our kiss turned deeper and heavier than I’d planned.
A knock on the door stopped my hands from completing their mission of getting under his shirt. “We need you in surveillance,” Carter called through the door.
Gunner loosened his tight hold on me and placed a soft kiss on my lips, then cheek, nuzzling into my neck. “We’ll continue this later?”
I arched into him and shivered when his lips ghosted over the sensitive skin behind my ear. “It’s a date.”
Gunner left with Carter, and I settled onto his couch, flipping my laptop open and bracing myself for what was to come.
He was in and out of the office all day, giving me a chance to work for patches at a time without stealing glances at him. We had lunch together at his desk that his assistant, who introduced herself as Shelly, delivered.
His cafeteria was fully stocked with everything from snacks to a wide selection of coffee and tea that I had sampled all throughout the day.
Seeing Gunner interact with his staff showed me a different side to him I didn’t know existed. He was always calm, dealt with any problems himself, and his staff obviously respected him.
When it was almost six, I packed up my laptop and erased all evidence of my snack binge. Gunner had been gone for a while, but I was ready to head back to his apartment. The office was almost empty, everyone having left for the weekend right on time.
My search for Gunner brought me to an office at the far end of the floor, the door half-open, voices drifting out.
“What about his house in Edison Park?”
“Can’t get in. It’s like Fort Knox. I don’t think he’d keep her there. Too personal.”
I peeked through the door and saw Gunner and Carter hunched over a table, looking at papers and tablets strewn about the surface.
Gunner stood up and ran a hand through his already messy hair. “Fucking Cian. If he harms a hair on her body, he’s dead.”
Knocking on the door, I pushed it fully open. “Can I help? I’ve been to most of his houses.”
Gunner’s mouth dropped open, and I wondered if I shouldn't have divulged that piece of information.
