“I -- S-Stunner?”
The man before her was dressed in a crisp suit with a cleanly shaven face and an expensive haircut. The suit he wore was tailored perfectly to his broad shoulders, muscular arms and thighs, and narrow waist. He looked like something out of GQ, not Biker Weekly.
“Yeah,” he said, then corrected himself. “Yes.” His hand went nervously to the silk tie at his throat to adjust it. He just stopped himself and glanced at his watch instead. Another expensive addition to his new wardrobe. “I, uh, that is, would you mind if we go somewhere more private? We need to talk.”
That voice…
Stunner had this husky gravel when he spoke, like he was out of practice speaking. This man was smooth as honey, a deep rich baritone that could melt panties two states away. She had the thought that he had the voice of an angel he kept hidden and the voice of a demon he made sure everyone heard. Like he was given the choice of which voice he wanted, looked at his creator, and calmly said, “Yes.”
“Your beard,” she said inanely. “You shaved it?”
He shrugged. OK, that gesture she knew well. It was his way of deflecting without refusing to answer.
“Private,” she said, her thoughts back to what he’d asked. “Yes. Let me just get my things.” She gathered everything, placing them into two folders and closing her laptop. The second she started to pick them up, Stunner snatched everything and held it securely. He reached for her hand, which she took without hesitation.
“Who’s that? We don’t allow uninvited guests into this building, buddy,” Jake said, looking Stunner up and down as if he were a bug he wanted to squish. Yeah. Try it. Buddy.
“This is my --”
“Fiancé,” Stunner finished. “And you are?”
“Jake Salisberry,” Suzie said, looking Jake straight in the eyes. “Jake, Stunner.”
“What kind of name is Stunner?” Jake gave a cocky smirk, as if name calling and making fun of Stunner was going to make the big man slink off into the background.
“My call sign,” Stunner said. “I’m special forces. Retired. Now I work for ExFil.” He nodded to Suzie. “Her father, Cain, owns the security company.” Stunner took a slow step toward Jake. “I’ve already beat the fuck outta the punk who called her a cunt before. If you think I didn’t hear you, you’re wrong.” His voice had gone from that deep, pleasing tone to the gruff growl Suzie knew best. His demon voice. “I will beat a motherfucker down if I hear it happen again. No matter who your fuckin’ daddy is. And no one will ever find your body.”
Jake gave a little squeak and jumped back a step. The second he did, Suzie just happened to look down. A trickle of urine streamed down Jake’s leg below the khaki shorts he wore. A dark, wet stain spread over his crotch, telling the tale of how bad Stunner had scared him.
Though she wanted to, Suzie said nothing acknowledging the man’s dilemma. Instead, she pulled Stunner away with her small hand tucked into his big one. She was only willing to risk so much. “I have so much to talk to you about,” she said, looking up at Stunner. She was truly happy to see him, but she was also hurt and angry. And why did he call himself her fiancé? Didn’t that imply they’d at least be talking to each other? “Starting with, you know, your trip to Florida. Without me.”
Surprisingly, Stunner winced. Where Jake hadn’t cowed him in the least, her displeasure had him hanging his head like a naughty child. “I was only there a couple of days.”
“And the haircut? And your beard? What am I gonna decorate come Christmas?” She got that out before they stepped into the elevator. It was really a discussion that should have happened in private, but the few people in the lobby were staring at Stunner, and her by extension. Most of them women. She wanted to let everyone on the whole fucking campus know who he was with. The second the elevator doors closed, she jerked her hand away, her anger and hurt finally pushing their way to the fore. “Don’t touch me,” she hissed.
He sighed, but didn’t reach for her hand again. The second the doors opened, she shot out and hurried down the hall to her room. She unlocked the door and entered. It was small but neat. The only thing out of place was the quilt on the couch which lay in a heap at one end where she’d left it after her nap. The one where she’d cried herself to sleep because Stunner refused to talk to her.
“What are you doing here?” She approached him, reaching out to pick up the crisp lapel of his suit jacket. “And what the hell is this? Since when do you dress like this? Where’s your colors?”
“I was trying to fit in on campus with you,” he said. His voice was no longer smooth. He was back fully to the Stunner she knew. Well, except for the get-up. “Didn’t want to embarrass you.”
That melted her heart just a little. But she wasn’t ready to let him off the hook. “Three days, Stunner. Three days since I last heard from you. Now you just waltz in here, pretending to be my boyfriend and… what? What was supposed to happen next?”
“You’re upset.”
“No! You think?” Even the sarcasm wasn’t enough to keep the shaking at bay. Whether it was from anger over Stunner cutting her off, or fear because of the confrontation with Jake, or just pure relief to have him back, she had no idea. But she was doing her level best to hold onto her anger because she had a feeling she was going to need it.
“I can explain, if you’ll let me.” Coming from Stunner, that was huge. Explaining meant he’d have to use more than a couple of words at a time, possibly big words, and he was fond
