Hunter (Riders of Apollo #2)

Chapter 3: Julian Atlas

Okay, I thought I'd be able to hold it together but she had to come down in those pyjamas and her messy hair and make me imagine what it would be like to wake up to her by my side. Then, even when changed, she still looks beautiful with her soft skin on show and the tight jeans revealing her toned legs and ass.

How am I supposed to hold it together?

So, I do as any sane person would. I distract myself with the adorable three-year-old and help get her ready for school while she rants about the last book she read with her mother and how she's excited to make more friends since she doesn't get to see Runner that often. With her constant stream of adorable chatter, I find myself distracted from the dirty thoughts that keep surfacing with Marielle at the centre of them.

I try to have a conversation with her but my awkwardness takes over. I am normally pretty charming, my job literally being to get people on our side, so you'd think I'd actually be pretty good at talking to a woman. I suppose I'm good at talking to women that aren't particularly important and are easily convinced and I know Marielle is not one of them and never will be.

I can feel her eyes on me from that car and through my visor I can see her biting that lip of hers. I want to bite that lip for her and I'm losing the last bit of self-control that I contain. Her lustful look boosts my ego and I smirk behind my helmet, revving my engine to flank the car with Runner on the other side.

We pull into the lot of the school and all eyes turn to look at us, we're not exactly a quiet bunch nor are we very inconspicuous. Everyone knows who we are so when we get off our bikes and take our helmets off, we get a lot of attention. The girls get out of the car and we follow them into the main building to register little Gem who is fidgeting in her mother's grip.

The receptionist is busty brunette and her eyes are unfortunately focused on me. Not my type. "How can I help you today?" Hair flip and big eyes trick, she's not very subtle at all.

"Could you hold Gem while I sign the paperwork?" Mari asks me and I take her fighting back my smirk. Looks like Marielle here is a little bit jealous and handing Gem over to me makes it look like we're together. She's not as subtle as she thinks she is.

It takes a few minutes before all the paperwork goes through because the receptionist is taking her time on purpose. Whether it be out of spite or she's just an idiot, I don't know, either way it's fucking annoying. The principal comes out of her office and tells all the parents to say goodbye to the kids because they have to be in class as soon as possible so we all smother Gem in hugs and kisses before letting her into the room with her class teacher.

Mari starts crying and Saviour brings her back to the car with Runner and I following along behind. We have to fight through a small group of gossiping women to get to our bikes and one of them actually comes up to me, resting her hand on my bicep. "I'm Mindy." She introduces herself but I just glare at her hand without replying, that needs to move I don't like it.

"Hunter." I pull the hand attached to my arm and shake it, Runner chuckles behind me and I glare at him. I end up smirking when two women approach him with the same sultry smile on their faces. Runner panics and immediately spurts out that he's gay which makes me laugh loudly.

We rev our engines and they back up, giving us the room to speed out and flank the car. I'm still laughing when we pull back up at Mari's house. "Oh God, that was brilliant."

"Fuck off, Hunter. I panicked, okay?" I keep laughing while Saviour demands to know what happened. "The women were trying to sleep with us, more Hunter than me but that's not the point, they tag teamed me and I panicked so I basically shouted that I'm gay. It's not that funny!" Runner whines and throws a cigarette butt at me.

"That is kinda funny, you're such a knobhead Runner. You know, that right?"

"I've been made aware. Come on then, we've got training." Saviour rolls her eyes and hugs Mari goodbye before they both head to the club to fight each other. They train together every day and ever since they started Runner has become a force to be reckoned with, he used to be the worst at hand to hand combat and now he can drop almost everyone bar Boulder and Breaker. Those two can only be taken down by each other or by Saviour herself.

"Umm, do you wanna come in for some coffee?" Her voice is a little shaky but I accept the invite considering I could do with some coffee and I'm not ready to leave her yet. I sit down at the island and watch as she mucks around with the coffee maker, opening cupboards and forgetting to close them.

That's an accident waiting to happen.

I round the island and stop her from head butting the cupboard door with a gentle touch to the forehead. She jolts in surprise and turns back to the coffee while I shut the door and return to my seat. "Thank you." She mumbles it so softly that I barely catch it but I smile in response.

"Happy to help."

"Thank you, uh, for today. For getting Gemma ready and coming with me to drop her off."

"She's a cute kid." I take a sip of the coffee and thank her for it, watching as she lingers awkwardly. It takes a beat before she decides to sit down next to me, her coffee in her hands and her eyes focused on the marble counter top. "Are you okay, Mari?"

"I'm doing better than I was, it's a struggle sometimes to do things. I can't have the TV too loud and I have to check that every door and window is locked at least three times before I can sleep. I mean I even have a panic alarm right by my bed so that I can call for Peyton if I need her."

My heart breaks for her, she sounds exactly like I did when I first came back from war. I was medically discharged because I got blown up by an IED so I've still got shrapnel in my back, they could get it out there just didn't seem to be a reason at that point. They're surprised I made it through the night, most of my body is covered in scar tissue.

"I know how you feel, I was like that when I got back from my last tour."

"You're military?"

"I was a Green Beret, medically discharged though."

"Do you miss it?"

"I did when I first left, which was about seven years ago now. The Riders found me drinking myself half to death in a bar in my hometown in Texas. I've been patched for five years, coming up to six in about a month. The Riders gave me a purpose again, it's a different kind of brotherhood but it calms me down."

"I wish I had that." I chuckle softly, making her look at me in surprise. I brush the back of my hand down her left cheek gently.

"You do, you're one of us now. Family."