Paige wished that she had zipped up the jacket Garrett gave her. It was ten sizes too big and she’d scoffed at even wearing it in the first place, but now as they moved along the country road, climbing up toward the cabin he’d insisted on taking her to, the wind wasn’t just cold, it was cutting into her like ice. She wanted to pull the jacket closed around her, but she was afraid to let go of him. He was driving fifty miles an hour on a road that was meant for ten and although it wasn’t her first time on the back of a Harley, it was the first time she’d ever been on a dark, windy road on the back of one. She tightened her fingers on his leather jacket and Garrett must have felt that because with one giant hand, he reached and took hold of one of hers. He moved it forward so that her hand was pressed into his hard stomach and then did the same with the other one. Paige felt stupid. She’d fucked him the night before, for crying out loud, and now she was afraid to touch him. The whole situation was just so freaking weird.

She was freezing, though, so she leaned her body in closer to his and the heat from his body seeped into hers and made her much less miserable. His massive body blocked her view of what was in front of them, but the cold had been seeping in between. Now that she was cuddled into his back, she cursed herself for not being there all along. Pressing the side of her face into his leather jacket, she inhaled. She loved the smell of leather and that was what she’d expected to get. Instead, it was all Garrett. There was the leather, traces of his aftershave or whatever it was that made him smell so fucking good, and something else…maybe pheromones, because whatever it was made her want him to stop the bike and take her right there on the side of the road. She mentally shook her head at herself. Her thoughts were all over the place. One minute she would be thinking about leaving and the next about how good it felt with him inside of her.

When Garrett got back from the clubhouse that day he’d told her that he’d be working until dark and then he’d be back to get her. When she found out he was taking her to a cabin in the middle of nowhere and she’d be “protected” by the club, she tried to protest. They debated for a while, but in the end she knew he was right. Now that Ewell was free, and they lived in the same city, it was only a matter of time before they came face to face. Garrett said he was worried for her safety, but he also said something that made even more sense. When Ewell was dead, Paige would be at the top of their list of suspects. Being at the cabin would give her a solid alibi. She’d send a few texts to her parents, work, or friends and if the authorities suspected her in his death, all they’d have to do was pull her phone records.

Paige was relieved when the bike began to slow down and Garrett let it roll to a stop in front of a wooden cabin. It was surrounded by trees with orange, red, and pink leaves and the roof was covered with them. It looked like the front of a Hallmark card. As soon as he came to a complete stop, she slid off the bike. Garrett put the kickstand down and stood up. It still amazed her how tall he was. She was barely five-foot-two in her shoes. He had to be six-six at least, and it almost hurt her neck to look up at his face.

Garrett held his hand out to her and she hesitated. She still had to question what she was doing. She’d known this man less than 48 hours and she’d already fucked him and now she was at an isolated cabin in the woods with him…and the best part: he admitted that he was a killer. Amanda would have had a field day with this one if she were alive. She used to claim Paige only picked the bad boys to shock her parents and get their attention. Maybe when she was younger, that was the case. But what she felt in terms of chemistry, attraction…that wasn’t about spiting anyone. She’d thought the night before was a fluke, because she’d been so confused and distraught all day. But as she slipped her hand into his she had to admit that she wanted him…again, and maybe again after that.

He held her hand tightly and guided her up the steps to the porch of the cabin in the dark. Once there, he used his free hand to unlock the door and push it inward. Then he led her in over the threshold and across the floor of what looked like a living room in the dark. He stopped in front of a lamp and switched it on. The room was suddenly illuminated and so was Garrett. Paige thought he looked almost like an angel with the light on his back, like he had a halo surrounding him. She shook off that crazy thought and said, “This is cute.”

He smiled and said, “It’s old and well-used and not very well maintained. But, there are a lot of extra blankets in that trunk over there. The prospects came up earlier and stocked it with food and I’ll get a fire going right now.”

“I like it,” she said. Apparently, a rugged man wasn’t the only “rugged” thing she was attracted to. She really did like the cabin. Garrett let go of her hand and went over to the fireplace. He picked up wood that was piled there and went about setting up a fire. With wood, kindling, and newspaper in place, he lit it, and Paige watched the flames dance and swirl while they increased in height and split along the sides to make new, baby flames.

“There,” he said. “You want something warm to drink?”

“Sure,” she said, “Tea or instant coffee would be fine.”

“Have a seat, I’ll be right back,” he told her before disappearing into the kitchen. She didn’t sit, but instead walked over in front of the fireplace. It was made out of rocks in different shapes, sizes, and colors, and it was both crude and beautiful at the same time. That made her think of Garrett and she smiled. It was odd to think of any man as beautiful, but there was something inside of him that shone out through his dark eyes, and beautiful was the only way to describe it. By all accounts, just the size of him alone should scare the shit out of her, and it did, at first. But each time she started to worry, she remembered the look on his face and the sound of his voice when he talked and read to his little girl on the phone. That person couldn’t be anything but good.

Garrett walked back into the room with two cups in his hands a few minutes later. He was holding them with his thumb and forefinger, out in front of him slightly like he was afraid of them. His hands were so big that he probably broke a lot of what he touched. Paige tried not to smile as she went toward him and took one off his hands. As soon as she got that close to him again, that vibrating energy that she’d begun to feel each time thrummed through her body. She wrapped both hands around the cup, just to keep from reaching out and touching him. She took a sip of the instant coffee. It was hot, and he’d sweetened it and added milk. She let her tongue lick the sugar off her lips as it slid down her throat and when she looked at Garrett, she realized he was staring at those lips. Her mouth went dry instantly at the look on his face and when he dragged his eyes from her lips up to hers, she shivered. Garrett sat his cup down on a table in front of the couch and reached to take hers out of her hand. She gave it to him, knowing what he wanted. As soon as he sat hers down, his big arm was around her, pulling her body into his.

He leaned down and covered her lips with his own, brushing back and forth across them softly, sending goose bumps racing down her arms. She could feel his erection pressing into her, somewhere between her belly and chest. She almost laughed at that, he was so fucking tall—whose hard dick presses into someone’s chest when they’re standing upright? She felt him shift slightly and then use one of his hands to adjust himself while he kept his mouth pressed against hers. She was turned on just by the fact that he wanted her so badly and she could feel it. He slid his tongue in between her lips and let it dance against hers, exploring her mouth like he was making a memory. He was so fucking sexy, such a contrast between what he looked like and felt like and how gentle his touch was. She felt like one of those china cups when he touched her. She loved how careful he was with her, but today she was in the mood for more. She used both her hands to clutch, almost claw at his t-shirt, and the momentum of that to press herself into him harder. She deepened the kiss, sucking and licking at his mouth, biting at his lips. She could feel his heart banging against his chest into hers and after several long seconds of her kissing him like she was starving to death, he lifted her off her feet and carried her…in the wrong direction.