Gunnin' for You (Rolling Thunder series Book 4) (7 page)

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“Are you nervous?”

“A little.” Emma shyly smiled. She looked Gunnar in the eye; she wanted to be brave for him. Her tummy was tied up right now. Between Gunnar being, well Gunnar, and riding on a motorcycle, she felt guilty for riding. Gunnar touched the side of her face with the palm of his hand and leaned down to kiss her lips.

“Don’t be nervous. I promise you, we’ll have a great day today.” He pecked her lips again, turned and threw his leg over the bike. He sat and then nodded to Emma to do the same.  

Emma threw her leg over the bike and climbed on.  She put her feet on the foot pegs and had her hands on her knees.  Gunnar tilted his head back and to the side. “Wrap your arms around me, babe, and hold on.  I want to feel your arms all day, okay? That way I know you’re still with me.”

“Oh, so that’s why you wanted me to come along today?”

“Yep. Also, when we make a left turn, look over my left shoulder and when we make a right turn, look over my right shoulder. That way, you aren’t pulling me out of a corner.  Okay?”

“Okay. Left, right; right, left. Got it.”

Gunnar smirked and waited for a few beats.  Emma was sitting behind him, trying to keep her thoughts together. When they didn’t move for a few moments she leaned forward, “Gunnar, you know I’m kidding, right?”

“Arms around me, babe.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right.” Emma slid her arms around Gunnar’s waist and he started up the bike, shifted into gear with his left foot and they were off.  Emma glanced back at the window, knowing full well Ashley was there watching them. She smiled and waved as they pulled out of the driveway and down the street.

They arrived at Ryder and Molly’s within forty minutes of leaving Ashley and Ron’s. They didn’t live that far away, but Gunnar wanted Emma to get used to riding and looking over his shoulder so she could find a comfort level with being on back of the bike.  They went around blocks, stopped at stop lights and signs, yielded on and off the highway and eventually wound their way around to Ryder and Molly’s. Emma hopped off the bike and waited while Gunnar dropped the kickstand and turned the handle bars.  

“Like taking the long way?”  She grinned at him.

“Something like that.”

His smile was wide, his teeth were perfect and he was focusing all of his attention on her. Her breath caught a little in her throat as she looked at him. Wow.

“I liked it.  It took me a little while to be able to relax, but I think I did…at least a little.”

Gunnar tapped her nose with his forefinger, leaned forward and pecked her lips with his. “I felt you starting to relax. By the end of today, you’ll hate getting off.”

He grinned at her as he grabbed her hand and led her toward Ryder, Molly, JT and his uncle and aunt.  

As they joined the group, Molly came over and hugged Emma. “Morning. Are you ready to ride?”

“Yes. Gunnar just gave me a quick rundown on the basics. I think I passed the test.” She smiled, looked over at Gunnar, and he winked at her.

Gunnar hugged his uncle and aunt. “I would like you to meet Emma.  Emma, my Uncle Dayton and my Aunt Stacy.”

Emma reached her hand out to shake hands with them, but Stacy wrapped her in a gentle hug instead as a rosy blush tinted Emma’s cheeks.

“We hug here, girl. It’s nice to meet you, Emma.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.”  

Dayton stepped forward and hugged Emma briefly. “Welcome, Emma.  Glad you could join us.”

“Thank you. I’m looking forward to it.”

JT and Ryder both came forward and hugged Emma, as well. She had been with Greg three years and never once did anyone in his family hug her. His parents were cold and aloof. Usually, Greg was as well, unless he wanted sex. That was the barometer Emma used to measure Greg’s mood. If he was touching her, holding her hand or putting his arm around her in public, he wanted sex when they got home. Gunnar was always touching her, holding her hand, touching her face, her hair, her cheeks. Now his family was hugging her, too. Whoo! This was a totally different world.

Dayton whistled to signal it was time to get rolling, and the group began pulling on gloves and jackets. Molly came running up to Emma with a black Rolling Thunder bandana. “Here, Emma. You might want to put this on to keep your hair from snarling up.”

“Thanks, Molly.” Emma took the bandana offered to her and folded it crosswise like Molly’s was.  She laid it on the top of her head and pulled the corners around her head to the back to tie it off.  Gunnar watched her as she wrapped her head up. When she finished, she looked up at him and smiled.  “Do I look like a biker babe now?”

“No. You look like a hot, biker babe.”  

He winked and threw his leg over the seat of his bike and sat down. He looked back at Emma and she climbed on behind him. As soon as she sat down, she slid her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his left shoulder and gave him a little squeeze.  Gunnar turned on the ignition and the bike roared to life. As they sat waiting for everyone else to saddle up, Gunnar reached down and rested his left hand on Emma’s knee. Without thinking, Emma squeezed her arms tighter around his waist and kissed his left cheek.

“Babe.” Was all Gunnar could say.

Emma found herself relaxing and enjoying herself on the ride. The sun warmed her skin and she was able to pull her gloves off and put them in her pockets.  She enjoyed holding on to Gunnar and feeling the wind in her face. They wove around a few back roads until they were forced to hit Highway 57, which ran up into Sturgeon Bay. Once in Sturgeon Bay, they switched to Highway 42, which took them up to Fish Creek, where they were stopping for lunch. Emma loved the apple and cherry orchards, though nothing was in bloom yet, but in a couple of months there would be full parking lots as people stopped to pick their own apples and cherries in season. There were dozens of little shops and antique stores along the way—some looking more prosperous than others. And in between were many farms—large, small, and in-between.

The air smelled clean and fresh and the wind was the perfect temperature as it blew over her skin. The fresh clean scent she had now grown accustomed to as being Gunnar, mixed with the masculine odor of just…him. When he moved, little puffs of his scent would escape his jacket and tickle her nose.  Emma was mesmerized by all of her senses today. The smells of Gunnar and her surroundings, the wind blowing over her skin, her arms wrapped around his trim firm torso, and resting her chin on his strong shoulder.  He would often rest his hand on her left leg while driving down the road, which made her tummy flip and more dampness settle between her legs.  It was a sweet kind of torture with her legs wrapped around him and feeling the vibration of the bike under her.  She understood the thrill now; it was absolutely intoxicating.

They roared between the boulders that stood on either side of the road as they entered Fish Creek, and the vibration felt more intense with it also reverberating through her ears and in her chest.  Emma closed her eyes and let the feeling wash over her. Yeah, she was going to need Gunnar between her legs soon; the pull was undeniable, but after today with all of these sensations running wild in her body and mind, she wouldn’t need much to coax her to peel her clothes off for him.

They parked their bikes in front of the restaurant, backing them in, so the front tires were facing the road. Emma hopped off when Gunnar stopped and stood on the sidewalk with Molly and Angie while the guys and Janice parked, dropped the kickstands and shut their bikes off.  Gunnar walked straight to Emma and picked her up and swung her around.  She giggled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, to hang on, but also because she needed her some Gunnar right at that moment.  When he stopped spinning her, he kissed her lips, softly and sweetly, and then held his forehead against hers for just a brief moment.  Emma heard some catcalling and giggled.  Gunnar gently leaned down until Emma’s feet were firmly on the ground.  

“Did you enjoy the ride?”

“Yes, I did.  I see the pull now. It’s exhilarating.”

Gunnar smirked and nodded. That it was. They turned as everyone else had put their jackets in their bags on the bikes; it was warm enough to ride for a while without them.  Gunnar stuffed his gloves in the bags of his bike. Emma pulled her jacket off, folded it and put it in the bike.  They closed the bags and turned to walk into the restaurant when Emma froze on the sidewalk.  Gunnar looked down at her and then at what she was looking at and muttered, “What the fuck?”

The stocky man who had taken their picture last night was walking toward them with a man beside him. His hair again pulled back, his jeans seemed ill-fitting, though no rips or tears. The shirt he wore was Hawaiian in style with an intricate fleur-de-lis pattern in golds and oranges. The man beside him was around six feet tall, though lanky and gangly. He wore a crooked smile, which seemed more like a sneer and he had his gaze fixed on Emma.

Gunnar watched them approach, catching the man’s eye, who seemed fixated on him. Their determined steps set his nerves on edge. “Let’s go in the restaurant, Em.”  

Gunnar ushered Emma in the door of the Cookery with Ryder, Molly, and JT close behind. The others followed, unaware of anything out of the ordinary. Connor, a friend of Gunnar’s biological father, had walked in ahead and told the hostess they would need a table for fourteen. The waitresses were pulling tables together and Gunnar walked them back to those tables and sat at the back against the wall so no one could sneak up on them. Ryder, JT, and Molly followed.  

As soon as they were seated, Molly stated, “I need to use the restroom. Why don’t we go real fast while everyone else is still trying to find a seat?”

Emma nodded and the other women went with them.

Gunnar leaned over to JT and Ryder as soon as the women left.  “See that man standing right there?” Gunnar nodded toward the two men who had followed them into the restaurant. “The chunky one took Emma’s picture last night, and when we noticed him, he tucked his camera in his pocket and left. Now here he is this morning. What do you make of that?”  

“I thought we were being followed by a car, but I didn’t know if it was a chaser or not,”  JT said. They often had a chaser vehicle along with them, in case someone broke down or just wanted to toss in jackets or other belongings.

Gunnar nodded, “That’s what I thought.”

JT watched the men standing at the hostess station waiting to be seated.  He got up and spoke to the waitress.  She nodded and looked over at the two men, and then she smiled and nodded again.

JT came back to the table and sat down. “I asked her to seat them in the other room.”

Dayton, Tommy, and Connor had taken seats across from Gunnar, JT, and Ryder.

“I don’t recognize him, and Emma said she didn’t either.”

Tommy, Gunnar’s uncle, a police officer, looked at Gunnar. “They have every right to be here.  No proof they purposely followed us. Let’s ignore them. We’re riding a little more up here, then heading back towards home. They certainly aren’t going to show up at Jeremiah and Joci’s this evening. But, in the future, be aware of whether or not they are following you and Emma. Tell Emma to be aware of her surroundings and who is there. If she continues to see them following her, she should let someone know. Have they said anything to you at all today?”

“No. They haven’t said anything. But last night Emma and I walked out back at The Barn and he took her picture.  She saw it and mentioned it, but as soon as I turned around, he gave me a salute and left. I have no idea how he knew we would be here today.”

Emma sat down next to Gunnar, a soft smile on her lips. She looked into his eyes and caught the clenching of his jaw. Leaning in to whisper, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t figure out who that guy is.” Gunnar inclined his head toward the other room. “Are you sure you don’t know him?”

Emma looked in the direction of Gunnar’s nod. “Not a clue who he is. I noticed him watching you as he was walking toward us before.”

Taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it, Gunnar whispered. “Probably sizing me up. Let’s just steer clear of him, okay?”

“Sounds good to me.” After all the sensory stimulation today, she wasn’t going to let a goofy stalker keep her from Gunnar. Actually, the more time she spent with him, his family, and friends, the more spellbound she became. Last night was seared into her brain—the way he felt and the way he treated her—for the remainder of her days.

When he brought her home, she asked him if he wanted to come in and he huskily said, “Not tonight, babe. I need you to know I’m not the jerk you originally thought I was. I want you, with every fiber of my being, but I need you to know me and know I’m good.”

Well…swoon! The fact that it meant so much to him that she understood he wasn’t bad, just made Emma crazier for him. Tossing and turning all night last night drove her even crazier. How did he do that in such a short amount of time? That first instant they met, she could feel the sizzle. But now…sizzle wasn’t nearly a strong enough word.

As they prepared to leave, Emma was gazing out on the bay when warm, strong arms slid around her waist. She smiled at being pulled into Gunnar’s firm body.  She took a deep breath and relaxed into his embrace.  He kissed her temple and nuzzled her ear, and Emma closed her eyes.

“I was just thinking how sorry I am that I didn’t come back home more often and come up here to visit. It’s such a beautiful little town and my dad, Ashley, and I used to come up here in the summers to spend the day.  I forgot how much I missed it until now.”

“Why didn’t you?”

Emma turned in Gunnar’s arms and looked straight at his chest gathering her thoughts.  When she was ready, she looked up into his face to see him looking down at her.

Softly, Emma said, “I was afraid.”

Taking a deep breath, Gunnar whispered, “Josh’s mom?”  

Emma sighed and let out a breath. “I had been at a parade in Green Bay for the Packers. I went with some friends from school and we were cheering the Packers on for a game, I can’t even remember what game or the circumstances. Anyway, we were walking back to our cars when Josh’s parents walked up to me and started screaming at me that I had no right to be there, cheering and having fun while their son was cold and in the ground because of me. It was horrible, and the only thing I could think was to move away so I could go out in public and not have to worry about being accosted by his parents.  I know it was running away, but I was only nineteen years old.  I was scared. I was devastated that I had hurt someone else and the looks on their faces was more than I could bear. I finished tech school a month later and moved to Chicago as soon as I could find a job there. I didn’t come back very often, and when I did, I went to Ashley’s and didn’t leave the house much.”