Gunn(Bayou Springs Alien Mail Order Brides #2)(16)

 

"Yeah?" he asked without looking up.

 

"What's-"

 

"Here you go," Ms. Perky said as she slapped our drinks on the bar. A second server arrived with onion rings, fries, and chicken wings. "Your burgers will be out shortly. Did you want a beer, honey?" she asked Gunn, nodding to the menu.

 

 

 

        

          

        

         

 

"Yeah, this Aurora pale ale. And I'd like to leave my number." He pushed a business card toward her.

 

A blush crept up her cheeks and I rolled my eyes, already knowing he wasn't hitting on her. His moves were much smoother than that.

 

"I own a brewery. If you could have your manager give me a call, I'd love to talk to him or her about becoming a supplier."

 

"Oh." Her lips thinned into a tight line as she shoved the card into her pocket. "Sure. I'll tell her."

 

"Thanks." He picked up a wing and took a bite, apparently oblivious to the fact he'd just crushed the waitress's dreams.

 

"Oh my god," I said, shaking my head.

 

"What? Did you change your mind about her number?"

 

I gave him a flat stare, then ignored him while I picked at my fries.

 

 

 

It was just before midnight when we finally checked into a roadside motel. The place was small, but clean with two double beds. Exhausted from the long day on the road and an even longer day of silence, I headed straight for the bathroom to get ready for bed. When I emerged, Gunn was sitting at the small desk, reading the file Audrey had given us. I'd already looked it over in the truck.

 

Naomi Amsden was a graduate student at the university who'd had an internship at the research center where I'd worked. She'd been in another department and as far as I knew, I'd only met her a few times. But it was enough of a connection that no one was likely to question our supposed friendship. We'd meet at a coffee shop just after she got off work, and after grabbing a latte, the three of us would take off and head straight out of town.

 

"Find anything I missed?" I asked Gunn.

 

"No." He took the report and proceeded to tear it into tiny pieces. "Better to not have any evidence around should the truck get searched when we enter the city."

 

"Good idea."

 

When he was done, he gathered the small pile and disappeared into the bathroom. Shortly after, I heard the toilet flush and then the sounds of him brushing his teeth.

 

I climbed into the bed furthest from the door and waited. But when Gunn returned to the room, shirtless and in boxers, he just turned out the lights and took the other bed.

 

"Get some sleep, Kennedy," he said and rolled over, turning his back to me.

 

I was speechless, hurt, and pissed all at the same time. Last night, he'd held me close, made unspoken promises, and claimed me as his. Tonight he was freezing me out. I sat up and glared at him. "That's it? 'Get some sleep, Kennedy?'"

 

"It's been a long day," he said without turning over.

 

"Of silence," I barked out. "Jesus, Gunn, what's wrong with you?"  

 

He let out a long-suffering sigh, rolled over, and flicked the light on.

 

When he didn't say anything, I raised one eyebrow. "Well?"

 

"Can't we talk about this tomorrow?"

 

"No. Because this-" I waved a hand between us "-sleeping in separate beds isn't cool. You haven't touched me since last night and for some reason, you've shut down on me. Why? What did I do?"

 

He closed his eyes, then opened them, staring at the ceiling. "Nothing."

 

"Then why the hell are you over there and not here next to me?"

 

He finally turned his gaze on me, and with a troubled expression he said, "I don't trust you."

 

 

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

 

 

Gunn

 

 

 

 

 

Kennedy blinked once as she stared at me, her mouth slightly open. Then she shook her head. "Excuse me?"

 

Fuck me. "I'm sorry, K. this morning when I woke up, and you were gone, I thought …  well, I saw the ring and your bike was gone-"

 

"Dammit, Gunn. I found it on the bedroom floor this morning. No doubt it fell out of my jeans pocket. I grabbed it on my way out, and put it on the desk because I didn't want to lose it while I was on my run. But then you saw it and thought I took off again." Her words were a statement, not a question.

 

"Yeah." I leaned against the headboard and ran a frustrated hand through my hair. "To be honest, after what we'd shared, it gutted me. It was like that day all over again-a day I never want to experience again."