Page 35 of The Closed Off Captain

“They’ve worn off by now.” His words are gruff, but I don’t take it personally.

“Well, you still can’t drive until you know what damage you’re dealing with; so, come on, Big C. You’re with me.” He stops. I think he’s going to argue, but he surprises me.

“Here.” He tosses me something with his good arm, and I catch it by reflex. “Can you drive my truck? I’m not going to be able to fit in your car with all this.” He motions to his arm, and I realize how tough it would be for him to get in and out of my car.

“You don’t mind me driving your truck?” I ask, just making sure.

“No.”

Rico opens the door and throws Gunner’s bag in the back. I’d forgotten he was even there. “Get some rest,” he says to Gunner. Gunner climbs into the passenger side and closes the door. Rico walks over to me. “Somebody will grab your car in the morning and drive it to Gunner’s.”

“Don't worry about it.”

“It’ll get done,” he says. “Thanks for driving him.”

“Yeah.” He starts to walk away. “Oh, but don’t drive it to Gunner’s. I’ll be at home.” It hits me that I’ll have to drive Gunner’s truck home and then won’t have a way to get it back to his house. “You know what? Never mind. Just drive it to Gunner’s. Thanks.”

“Yep.” Rico walks away.

I stare after him a moment.Guess I’m spending the night at Big C’s house.I wonder when the best time to tell him that is. Now or maybe after he’s in his bed asleep.In bed, asleep.That’s my vote. Maybe my car will get dropped off first thing in themorning, and I can slip out. He won’t even know I was there.Maybe.I open my door and throw my bag in the back and climb into his truck.

“The button’s on the side to move it up,” he says without looking at me.

“Thanks.” It takes me a second to find it, and then I move the chair forward so I can actually reach the pedals. His truck is so massive, it takes me a minute to work up the guts to drive it. I pull out of the parking space slowly and make my way through the parking lot at a snail’s pace. Gunner, to his credit, says nothing. Once we’re on the main road, my confidence grows. Thankfully, the drive to Gunner’s house isn’t too far. When we get there, I lean back, so the security guard can see Gunner. He waves us through, closing the gate behind us. The security doesn’t bother me. A lot of the guys live in gated communities; it helps to keep the crazies out. Well, most of them anyway.

I pull carefully into Gunner’s driveway and park, breathing a sigh of relief that we made it safely. He opens his door and picks up his bag and throws it over his good shoulder before I can say anything. After grabbing my bags, I hurry after him. He unlocks the front door and walks through ahead of me. Once I’m inside, he closes it and locks it behind me. He turns on a few lights as he goes. It’s not the first time I’ve been to his house. I’ve been here for a party or two over the years, but it hasn’t been very often. Even though Gunner’s the captain, he’s pretty private, relying more on guys like Rico and Sebastian to host. I’ve never been past the living room or kitchen, but Gunner moves quickly past those rooms and down a hallway. I don’t know whether to follow him or not. In the end, I opt to stay where I am. I toe off my shoes and drop my bags near the door. I’m hoping that he’ll just go to bed, and I can crash on the couch and then leave first thing in the morning when my car gets here. Not that it’s not morning now. But there’s at least a few more hours before sunrise. I makesure I have my phone and then grab my laptop and head over to his couch. I don’t hear anything from him, so hopefully he went right to bed. I open my laptop but don’t get very far.

“What are you doing?”

His voice startles me, but I recover quickly. “Working.”

“It’s nearly three in the morning,” he says with a scowl. “You can drive my truck to your house, or you can crash here.”

“Oh, thanks. Rico said they’d bring my car here in the morning. I’m not sure what time that will be, so I was just going to work until it gets here.”

He scowls at me. “You’re not working all night; you need sleep. Come on, I’ll show you the guest room.”

“No, I’m fine. I’ll just sit here and—”

“Come on, Chloe. I want to go to bed, and I can’t until you’re settled.”

“Just go to bed, Coftman. I’m fine.”

He strides down the hallway. “Let’s go, Liessman!”

I scowl at his back as I follow him. “Because you're injured and in pain, I’ll let you get away with being bossy. But just for tonight.”

He turns around, and I stop suddenly to avoid colliding with him. “You might find out that you like it when I boss you around in certain situations.”

I blink and stare up at him in shock. “Wow, those painkillers are really doing a number on you.”

He shakes his head. “I’m clearheaded, Liessman.”

Chapter 18

Chloe

“You can sleep in here tonight if you want. There’s not much, but there’s a bed and a bathroom through the door there.” I glance around the room. The comforter is white, matching the walls. It’s pretty sparse, but it’s clean and available.

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