I had put myself in his firm, strong hands. He had turned my life upside down, but he was protecting me at every turn.

A mobster wouldn’t hand me his bike helmet. He wouldn’t make sure that it was safely fastened. I barely know him, but he’d already shown that he can be trusted to protect me.

Speeding through the evening on the back of his motorbike, I gripped onto him, holding on tight as the engine roared. We were going so fast! The wind picked up my hair as it streamed out from under the helmet and I could feel it billowing out. I’d never been on a motorbike before and I was beginning to understand why people liked them. It was freeing to ride like this, but there was also a big dollop of danger.

Riding a bike was just like being with Gabriel. The same sense of wild excitement mixed with danger. But his brand of danger, his unspoken criminal ties, didn’t scare me. It just made me more fascinated by him.

As we rode towards the setting sun, I started to feel the cold and I hugged closer to Gabriel. I’m really not the type of woman who goes around grabbing at men I barely know. But it was getting cold, and he’d wanted me to hold on to him, so really I was just doing it to stay warm.

I never expected to find the hard ridges and furrows of muscles that he had hidden underneath his clothes. Closing my eyes, I moved my fingertips slowly, trying to get a mental picture of my muscled bad boy. He was so thick and solid, holding onto his body was like holding onto the bike itself. The vibrations from the road and the engine pounded through him and into me.

The motorbike was powerful, clearly. The massive engine roared between his legs, responding to his commands. The whole bike vibrated, it felt good in a vague background kind of way. Yet, as I felt those strong and powerful muscles, I became more aware of the position I was in.

The vibrations of the bike began to affect me more as I touched him. My crotch was pressed into the seat of the bike, and I could feel each metallic reverberation as his huge machine pulsated between my legs. I pressed against the hard muscles of the bad boy in front of me, holding on to his tight abs.

I didn’t care about the cold wind anymore, because I was getting hot.

I squirmed and as I moved I could feel how wet I was. God, even my panties felt wet. If I carried on like this then I would soak through the thick denim of my jeans and Gabriel would be able to feel me, damp and sticky, as I pressed against him.

Really, I needed to calm down and control myself. I needed to stop, I wasn’t the type of woman who did this sort of thing! No matter the circumstances, I’m a respectable woman. But it felt so good, how could I resist? There was just something about Gabriel that drove me wild, that made me into this carefree creature that just followed her own passions, without worrying about all the rules.

The bike slowed down, getting slower and slower as I let out a groan of frustration! I didn’t want to slow down! I wanted to keep riding hard and fast!

The bike stopped, that wonderfully vibrating engine cutting off, and I opened my eyes, giving Gabriel’s hard abs one last caress before I had to let go of him. There wasn’t any excuse to keep touching him any longer. Hopefully I could think of another one soon.

We were deep in the woods and I was totally lost. I had lost track of time as I’d enjoyed riding the bike too much, and I had no idea how far from Beauville we had come.

“Where are we?” I asked, looking up at the luxurious home that was nestled among the trees. This wasn’t an ordinary cabin; it was much, much larger, with large windows and a grand balcony.

When he said that this was his home, it confirmed every one of my suspicions. Gabriel clearly had money, and who else would build a place like this, in such a remote location, except a criminal that was hiding from the law!

I knew that however dangerous he was, it just made him more attractive. He was the bad boy that every woman secretly dreams of.

He ushered me indoors, flirting with me as he did so and reassuring me that he was single. That was good to hear, because I felt like I had already lost part of myself to him.

The inside of the cabin was even more expensive looking that the outside. There was a massive stone fireplace, it was so big that I could have stood in it! I stared around at the expensive fixtures as he explained to me that there were men hunting him, which was why we had been in so much danger in Beauville.

The new information, combined with seeing his obvious wealth, made me absolutely sure of my suspicions, removing any last doubts I had: this hunk had to be a criminal.

Just for confirmation, I asked him why he couldn’t go to the police. His answering laughter was all the confirmation I needed!

There was something so powerful about the way that he looked at me. I felt like I would do anything he wanted, if he just kept looking at me with those compelling eyes of his. I wondered what his crimes had been. What had he used that dark energy of his to achieve?

Surely, everyone that who met Gabriel felt that same pull - the pull of his dominance that had just a hint of menace, the thrill of darkness that clung to him, no matter what he was doing.

I didn’t know what crimes he had committed and I wasn’t sure what he wanted from me, but I knew whatever happened, it would be exactly what he wanted. Gabriel was perfectly in control, of himself and of every situation.

He reached out to me, with a sure and confident hand, cupping my cheek in his large hand.

He was right to be so self-assured. I leaned into his hand, resting the weight of my head on his palm. I wanted to be close to him, I was already lost to his dark charisma and I felt an irrefutable pull towards his charming smile.

He came closer now, drawing me to him with a force that was as strong as gravity and just as absolute and undeniable. His head dipped down as he encircled me in his powerful arms. I was overwhelmed by him, barely able to breathe as his lips brushed against mine, sending devastating sparks of electricity shimmering across my entire body. There wasn’t one single part of me that wasn’t his, that wasn’t made his by the raw power of his kiss.

My lips fell open, surrendering to him and inviting him into me, yearning to be explored. His tongue pushed forward, brash and unapologetic as he plundered my mouth.

I felt myself moan into his mouth, the noise muted by our kiss. I wanted this kiss to go on forever. Except I wanted him to claim every part of me like this, I wanted him to own every square inch of me.