Hunter (The Untouchables MC 6)

Michelle was a stunning tall woman with legs that lasted for days. Then there was Cassandra, who looked like she was in a soap commercial . . . well, other than the permanently devilish look in her pretty eyes. There was Cain’s wife, Kelly, with her unstoppable curves and gorgeous smile. And Parker, who was hands down one of the most beautiful girls I’d ever seen.

“Have you had a lot of boyfriends?” Michelle asked, perching on the bar and pouring me a pint.

I shook my head and said, “No,” fascinated and a little nervous about the way the conversation was going.

“Too busy?”

“Yes,” I answered. “And maybe a little wary.”

“A lot of frogs out there, eh?” Kelly said with a laugh.

“Definitely,” Cassandra added. “Not that I would know.”

“Connor was your first?” I asked, sneaking a look at the hulking FBI agent standing near the door with the other guys.

“Shane was my first, too,” Parker said, her warm eyes gazing lovingly toward her man, an altogether too pretty guy with a dark mohawk who was covered in tats.

“But Hunter. He’s a special guy,” Michelle said, clearly the mother hen of the group. The other girls nodded.

“You aren’t just taking a walk on the wild side, right?”

“What do you mean?” I asked Cassandra, who was giving me a distinctly suspicious look.

“Well, our guys, they aren’t regular Joes. They look different, but they have big hearts,” Cass said meaningfully. “They can be hurt.”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone, least of all Hunter,” I said sincerely. “At first, I thought he was a . . . player, I guess. But he doesn’t seem to be.”

“He’s not,” Michelle assured me quickly. “Maybe years ago. But he is definitely not like that now. He’s serious about you.”

I blushed and mumbled that I felt the same way. Everything changed. The girls practically smothered me with affection after that.

I felt a bit like an odd duckling, but their warm welcome quickly put me at ease, even after grilling me about my intentions toward Hunter. Apparently, they were all overprotective of him, which was hilarious considering he was one of the most physically intimidating people I’d ever seen.

It was sweet and kind of adorable.

The next thing I knew, the girls were talking about taking me shopping, planning an epic slumber party, and asking me if I would let them do a makeover. Apparently, it was their thing.

“Shopping?” Hunter said from behind me with a frown.

I knew he was wondering where I would get the money to go shopping. It’s not like I had a job yet. But I would soon. I had tried to tell him I would be chipping in for the household expenses soon, but he always waved me off.

“Not till I’m working, obviously,” I said, lifting my chin. “But I think it would be fun.”

“Hell, no, you are not waiting that long,” he said, taking me by surprise.

“Hunter, I’ve been a student for years. I can’t afford it.”

He stood up straight, crossed his arms, and glared down at me.

“I’m your man. I’ll take care of it. I’ve been thinking about this a lot. You need some new things. Lots of new things,” he said, still frowning. “I just wanted to be the one to take you.”

“What? Why?”

Hunter blushed. He actually blushed.

“So I could help you pick things out,” the big guy stammered. He turned abruptly and strode off. Thankfully, the girls waited until he was gone to start laughing.

I stared at them in astonishment.

“What just happened?”

That only made them laugh harder.

“Honey,” Cass finally said, “if he takes you shopping, you’ll come home with a bag full of miniskirts.”

“And see-through panties!” Michelle chortled.

“You need us, not a horny man,” Parker added.

“Don’t you worry, though,” Kelly said with a wink. “We’ll make sure to get some fun stuff for Hunter, too.”

Now I was blushing too. Pretty things did sound nice. But how could I let him pay for it all?

“I’ve never let anyone buy me stuff,” I said, feeling unsure about the idea. “No one has ever offered.”

“But with Hunter, it’s different. He’s your man.”

I chewed my lip.

“I’m very independent,” I offered, realizing that maybe I was too independent. I’d learned to take care of myself early because I had lost my parents. Maybe I was just doing it to protect myself from being hurt again. Maybe I was holding Hunter at arm’s length for the same reason.

“Not anymore,” Michelle said with a gentle pat to my shoulder. “’Nother beer?”

I nodded and she gave me a refill.

“You are serious about him, aren’t you?” Cass pressed, her huge eyes boring into mine.

“I wasn’t looking for anything,” I hedged. “But I can’t imagine not being with him now, if that makes sense.”

They smiled and nodded.

“Kinda hit you like a freight train, right?” Kelly whispered.

“That’s an understatement,” I agreed.

And then we were drinking and talking like good old friends, the kind of friends I’d never actually had before but always hoped for. It felt so natural laughing with the girls that I had no idea how much time had passed. It felt like I had sisters. They’d even gotten me a couple of sets of adorable scrubs with fun patterns on them as a gift for passing my exams.