She tilted her chin up, just a fraction, and that was all the invitation he needed. Gunner slid his hand around the back of her neck, threading his fingers through her hair as he lowered his mouth to hers.
The kiss was slow at first, exploratory. His lips were firm but soft, coaxing rather than demanding. But when she parted for him, he deepened it, his other hand settling at her waist, pulling her closer. She melted into him, hands fisting the leather of his jacket as heat spread through her veins.
Gunner kissed like he did everything else—with purpose, with intensity, like he was staking his claim. When he finally pulled back, she was breathless, dazed, gripping his jacket to steady herself.
His thumb brushed over her lower lip, his eyes smoldering. “Damn,” he murmured.
She swallowed hard, her heart hammering. “Yeah.”
A slow smirk curved his lips. “That’s a yes to a second date, then?”
She couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head. “Yeah, Gunner. That’s a yes,” Dawn said.
Satisfied, he pressed one last kiss to her forehead before leading her back to his bike. As she wrapped her arms around him again, she realized something.
She was in trouble. Because this thing with Gunner wasn’t just attraction. It was something more. Something she wasn’t sure she was ready for. But damn if she didn’t want to find out.
****
The rumble of Gunner’smotorcycle still echoed in Dawn’s chest as he walked her to her apartment door. The ride home had been exhilarating—her arms wrapped around his solid frame, her body pressed close to his, the feel of the wind whipping around them. It had left her heart racing in a way that had nothing to do with the speed of the bike.
Now, with Gunner standing so close, his towering presence both protective and intoxicating, she struggled to find her breath.
The night had been perfect, every moment drawing her further into his orbit. The way he looked at her, with that quiet, smoldering intensity, made her feel like she was the only woman in the world.
“This is me,” she said softly, gesturing to her door, though she didn’t move to unlock it just yet.
“I know.” Gunner’s voice was low, rough, sending a shiver down her spine.
He reached out, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his fingertips grazing her skin. The simple touch sent heat curling deep in her belly.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them crackled, charged with something undeniable, something magnetic. Dawn could feel her pulse hammering in her throat as Gunner’s gaze dropped to her lips.
“Dawn,” he murmured, his tone both a warning and a question.
She answered by leaning in first. The moment their lips met, she lost herself in him.
The kiss started slow, a teasing brush of mouths, but quickly deepened. Gunner pulled her closer, his arms wrapping around her as he took control, his lips firm and insistent.
A low, appreciative sound rumbled in his chest as he tilted her head and deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding against hers in a way that made her knees weak.
Dawn clung to him, her fingers gripping the leather of his cut, her body molding against his. He tasted like whiskey and danger, like temptation wrapped in leather and muscle.
Every nerve in her body screamed for more, but then reality crept in—she was standing in the hallway, completely lost in this man, her back pressed against her door as if she might invite him inside.
Reluctantly, she pulled back, her breath coming in short, uneven gasps. Gunner didn’t let her go just yet, his forehead resting against hers. He used his thumb to trace slow, lazy circles on her hip.
“If you keep kissing me like that, sweetheart,” he murmured, his voice thick with heat, “I won’t want to leave.”
Dawn smiled, though her legs still felt unsteady. “That’s dangerous talk.”
His lips quirked into a smirk, but there was something deeper in his eyes—something that made her stomach flip. This wasn’t just a casual kiss. It was something more.
She stepped back, fumbling for her purse, trying to ground herself before she lost all sense of reason. But in her haste, she knocked it against the doorframe, and it slipped from her fingers, spilling its contents onto the floor.
“Shit,” she muttered, crouching down just as Gunner did the same.
Her phone landed screen-up, the bright glow illuminating a text preview. Her stomach clenched the moment she saw the name. Jesse.
