Page 8 of Gunner

Finally, Jesse let out a low chuckle, shaking his head as he pushed off the stool.

“Your loss,” he muttered, but there was an edge to his voice, a promise that this wasn’t over.

Dawn stood her ground, watching as he strolled out the door, the bell jingling behind him. Only when he was gone did she let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

Maggie rushed over. “Dawn, are you okay?”

Dawn nodded, even though her hands trembled. “Yeah. Just ... pissed off.”

Maggie eyed the door warily. “He’s bad news, hon. You did the right thing.”

Dawn exhaled, trying to shake off the lingering unease. “I hope so.” Because something told her Jesse wasn’t the type to take rejection lightly.

Dawn spent the rest of the day lost in the monotony of her shift, but no matter how busy she kept herself, she couldn’t shake the earlier interaction with Jesse.

Rejecting him might not have been the best decision, and she had a sinking feeling that a man like him didn’t take no for an answer. But despite that, she was proud of standing her ground. Besides, his threats felt ridiculous. Jesse was nothing compared to a real man like Gunner. Real men didn’t need to bully a woman into submission.

That being said, men like Jesse were common. Gunner, on the other hand ... he was something else entirely.

During her break, she pulled out her phone, her fingers hovering over the screen. The idea of texting Gunner was both thrilling and nerve-wracking. She had never been the kind of woman who asked men out, but maybe this time was an exception. Maybehewas an exception.

Her excitement quickly deflated when she realized they hadn’t exchanged numbers. Damn it.

With a sigh, Dawn finished her break and returned to work. But as her shift was coming to an end, she heard the deep, unmistakable rumble of a motorcycle engine outside the diner. Her pulse kicked into a frantic rhythm, her breath catching in her throat. She turned just in time to see Gunner step inside.

The biker scanned the room before his piercing gaze found hers, locking onto her like he’d known exactly where she would be. Then he grinned, a slow, devastating smile that made warmth spread through her, pooling low in her stomach.

Dawn’s skin heated, her pulse a wild, erratic beat against her ribs. A shiver trailed down her spine as she forced herself to act normal, to not let her body betray just how much his presence affected her.

“Gunner,” she said, surprised as he strode toward her, every step radiating confidence.

For a moment, she forgot how to form words, her tongue tangled, her mind blanking. She scrambled to recover.

“You can sit anywhere you like, and I’ll be with you in a sec,” she told him.

“I’m not here to eat,” he said, his voice a deep, rough timbre that sent a shiver through her. “Just to see you.”

Dawn’s stomach clenched, her heart slamming against her ribs. She had no idea why those words affected her so much, but they did. God help her, they did.

“Yeah?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

“I forgot to ask for your number last night,” he admitted, watching her intently. “But I remembered you mentioning the diner where you worked.”

“Oh,” she said, caught off guard by how observant he was, how good a listener. Most men barely paid attention to what a woman said, but Gunner had.

“How will I ask you out if I don’t have your number?” he said, his lips quirking in amusement.

Before Dawn could respond, her manager, Bert, appeared with a scowl. “Dawn, you’re still on the clock. If you’re gonna flirt, do it on your own time,” Bert pointed out.

Dawn’s face burned, but before she could retort, Gunner turned his attention to Bert and gave him a flat, hard look. One that sent a shudder of unease through the other man.

Bert muttered something under his breath and scurried away.

Dawn should have been a little worried that Gunner was so used to intimidating people—or worse, getting exactly what he wanted—but she wasn’t. She just found his authoritative presence incredibly sexy.

They exchanged numbers, her fingers brushing against his rough, calloused palm as she handed him her phone. A small, seemingly insignificant touch, but it sent a jolt through her system nonetheless.

“I’ll see you soon, Dawn,” Gunner murmured, his voice like a promise, making her heart flutter in a way she wasn’t sure she could control.

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