Page 7 of Magnetic Temptations

“Be that as it may, she’s grown now, she’s no longer that starry-eyed teenager who will fall for any slick line some poser throws out.”

“She could be fifty and I’ll still be taking names and kicking ass if it keeps her safe,” Gunner says, his volume growing louder the more he talks.

One of her uncles, Kruger I believe, steps forward, saying, “You can’t kick anyone’s anything when you’re geriatric needing a wheelchair to move your old ass around.”

“Wheelchair or not I’ll still kick your ass, motherfucker.” Gunner is steaming mad now, just the thought of not being mobile offending him more than anything else anybody has said throughout this entire confrontation.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Cameron, Mane’s mom and Gunner’s old lady interjects, stepping between the duo who are now at a standoff. “This is supposed to be a welcome home party for Mason, not a showdown between officers who are old enough to know better.”

I bite back my laughter because while both men are obviously older than me, neither one is ready to be put out to pasture. They’re still in great shape and honestly, I wouldn’t want to meet either one in a dark alley.

Wanting to get my woman away from this madness, I ask, “Wanna show me where I’ll be staying, beautiful?”

“Yeah,” she whispers, her eyes never leaving her dad and uncle. “Might be for the best if I get the hell out of here before I forget I’m a lady.”

“Don’t let them get to you, baby girl,” I suggest. “I’m not sure why they are trying to get under your skin, but it’ll be for the better if we don’t give them what they want.”

“You’re right.” She sighs, shaking her head in disappointment. “I don’t know why he always gets to me, but he has a way of digging his way under my skin like a splinter that I can’t pluck out. There are times when he’s like a small child, and others, he’s that overprotective daddy bear. There is no in-between.”

“He runs either hot or cold, huh?” I ask, wanting to understand the dynamics between her and Gunner. He’s told me a few things in confidence about their past and the lengths he went to in order to keep his family safe. I can understand why he’s as overbearing as he is, but he needs to find a happy medium that works for both of them. If he keeps going down the road he’s on, all he’s going to accomplish is pushing his daughter away.

“That about sums it up,” she conveys. “Once we go back down, he’ll act as if nothing ever happened. He’ll sweep this under the rug, and we’ll never discuss it again, which is what drives me crazy. Because it’ll occur in the future at some point since that’s just how he is.”

I’m not sure what to say in response, what is there that can be said? So staying in the safe zone and not taking sides or explaining how a man thinks in regard to his family, I keep my lips sealed and simply squeeze her hand that’s tucked with mine.

CHAPTER

FOUR

MANE

Dad has a way of making me feel like a child. When we’re at odds with one another, I usually end up sulking because I don’t get to say my piece. What Gunner says is always right in his opinion, nobody else can have an opposing perspective to his on whatever the topic is without it becoming a full-blown confrontation—it’s ridiculous. Sometimes I wonder how my mom has dealt with it all these years, because it drives me absolutely batshit crazy!

He brings out the immaturity in me and it’s an attribute I’d prefer not to have. How is it that I can guide people through these sorts of scenarios and situations but can’t take my own advice or use the tools taught to me in school?

Because it’s your dad, my mind whispers. You’ve been raised to respect your elders and that includes him.

Sighing, I realize that it’s always going to be difficult to maintain a semblance of peace, because my natural reaction is to rebel against any of his restraints on me, but the other part wants to comply since he is my father. The problem is, the older he gets, the worse his obsession about my safety becomes.

“I know you guys had to live in an underground town for a while due to some enemies,” Mason states as we walk toward the clubhouse. “Maybe that’s why he and all your uncles are so… overprotective?”

“Overbearing, you mean?” I retort, the snarkiness of my tone letting him know that I’m still peeved at how my dad was behaving.

“That’s probably true as well,” Mason muses. “Still, if he didn’t love you, he wouldn’t care, Mane. Keep that in mind. There are parents who, when their kid turns eighteen, they kind of let them falter.”

“That’s what we’re supposed to do, Mase. We’re supposed to fuck up, make monumental mistakes, and then learn from them and figure out how to fix those things on our own. I don’t get that chance. My father or one of my uncles steps in every single time. How am I supposed to do what most young adults do when they’re always taking over? It makes me crazy, and sometimes, I wanna move far far away.”

“I don’t think you’d get too far away, beauty. Family means everything to you, otherwise you’d have left a long time ago.”

“It’s not really about going away or leaving home, I have responsibilities here that I don’t take lightly, it's more about putting distance between me and everybody who thinks they have the right to rule my life,” I excuse.

“I can see why you'd feel you need some time away,” he acknowledges. “You carry a lot of burdens on your shoulders.”

I snort out loud before telling him, “You have no idea, and I think you're the first person that's ever truly recognized that.”

“I wanna correct you right there. I don't think I'm the first one that's ever recognized it. I think I'm the first one that's ever acknowledged it and said it out loud.” That’s said at the moment we arrive at his doorway. “I'm not making excuses for Gunner but think about it coming from his point of view.” He pauses, twisting his torso to where he’s facing me, and leans forward, brushing his lips across mine. “You're his daughter, his first born and I would like to think one day when I become a dad that I'll be reasonable and be able to let my girl spread her wings and fly. But y'all have had a lot happen in your lifetime. Give the man some room for error. It has to be hard leading a club full of jokesters and protecting his family against enemies. I can’t imagine coming home and being able to separate the two.”

“Logically, I know you're right, but it's hard for me to isolate the woman I am now from the child that I used to be. I know here,” I say, pointing to my head, “that my dad is a natural born protector and that he doesn't like to see any of the club kids fall. I think it gives him anxiety. However, with that being said, there are some things that can’t be doctored and bandaged, Mason. I don’t fight him when he picks me up and dusts me off, it’s when he bulldozes his way in and takes the lead that causes my temper to flare.”

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