“I’m Angel,” she says.

No shit. It’s the perfect name for her. She is an angel.

And I’m an idiot for letting her give me a ride, but honestly, I doubt I could have made it back to the cabin from this side of the woods. Some time in her warm car, with her sweet voice in my ear, might give me just enough energy and warmth to make it to the cabin from the other side.

It’s hard to look away from her. My body is all pain, but when I look at her–when I hear her voice–the pain goes away.

She tries to open the door for me, but I push in front of her and open it myself. “I got it.”

I get into the car, and I feel my leg burn with pain as I collapse into the passenger seat.

She sits down and fastens her seatbelt, and I look down at her. The car’s dome light is just above her head, and my vision is all blurred and messed up. It looks like she’s actually got a halo.

I laugh.

“What?” she asks.

“Nothing,” I say, waving a hand.

She’s too perfect. Too good. I definitely have to get away from her. As soon as she gets to the other side of the forest I’ll get out of her car. Out of her warmth.

“You hiding something behind that beanie?” she asks with a hint of mischief in her voice.

I narrow my eyes at her but don’t quite get what she’s playing at so I stay silent.

“Red hair, maybe?” she asks. “Or a receding hairline. Definitely a receding hairline.” She nods, as if confirming her own suspicions.

“Maybe you could focus more on driving than what’s under my hat,” I suggest.

She reaches over and pulls off my beanie before I can react.

“Hey,” I snap, and I reach for it, but she throws it down onto her seat and sits on it.

“You think I won’t still grab there?” I ask, reaching toward her. As much as I want to keep whatever this is between us from getting complicated, I can’t help taking her bait. She’s dragging me toward something that’s dangerous for both of us, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop it.

She swats my hand away and reaches up toward my face. She wants to fuss over the damn scrape on my forehead? I grab her wrist to stop her. My grip pushes her jacket sleeve up, and I squeeze her bare skin. I feel her pulse pounding against my finger, and I see her lips quiver. Ever so slightly. I try to imagine what they’d taste like.

“Let me look at your cut,” she says, those big brown eyes showing me that she really just wants to help.

I hold her tiny wrist in my hand. It’s small and delicate. And warm. So damn warm. It makes me wonder what the rest of that body feels like, what her smooth skin would feel like beneath my calloused hands, and how my name would sound slipping from those plump lips of hers.

Fuck. I can’t even control my thoughts around this woman. I’m the last thing she needs. I’m danger, heartbreak, and bad news all wrapped up into one as far as she’s concerned. I shouldn’t even be in her damn car right now.

“Please, Alex,” she says, and I can’t say no to that sweet voice. I let go of her wrist.

She brushes my hair back, and I feel electric warmth where her fingers touch my forehead and scalp. My heart starts to pound.

Calm the fuck down, Alex. She’s touching your damn forehead, not your cock.

“How did this happen?” she asks. “This cut is really deep. It’s going to leave a scar if it’s not treated.”

“One more for the collection,” I say. “And you should see the other guy.”

“The leg and the cut here are both fresh,” she says. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

Yeah. All over. I think I bruised a rib or two. Not that I’ll tell her that. As if she isn’t fussing enough already.

“I’m fine,” I say. “Just drive, sweetheart.”

She purses her lips and takes in a deep breath. “I know you don’t want me to nag you, but–”

“Then don’t nag me,” I snap, and I can’t help shoot her a smirk. It feels good to get a rise out of her.

She smiles back, but quickly forces her face back to neutral. “You seriously want me to just loop around the forest and drop you in the middle of nowhere?” she asks.

“I’ve got a cabin in there,” I say, pointing. “It’s a lot closer to the other side. So driving me around will be a big help. You’ll have done your good deed for the night.”

She starts to drive, and I fumble around for the controls on the seat. I find the little knob and push it, and the seat starts to recline.

I stretch my injured leg out. It feels a lot better stretched out and under the vent blasting hot air. I take in a deep breath, and my ribs hurt. Then Angel’s feminine scent hits my nose, and the pain starts to fade away.

She looks at me skeptically, as if she doesn’t believe I can walk at all.

“I’ll tell you when to stop,” I say.

I can still feel my skin tingling from where she touched me. I can still feel her pulse beating in her wrist beneath my rough hands. I’ve barely touched her. How am I feeling so much from a slight brush of the skin? It must be the damn injuries; they’re making me delirious.

She starts to slow down, then she rolls to a stop.

I look over at her. “Why do I get the feeling you’re about to nag?”

I’ll never see her again, I realize. The urge to kiss her is intense, and from that hunger I sense in her eyes, she’d let me do it. But if my goal is to keep her safely away from me, I can’t risk it.

“You asked me to promise,” she says. “But I never said the words. I didn’t promise not to nag.”

I reach for the door handle. I should never have got in the car with her. I suppress the thought of kissing her. I push it deep down somewhere inside myself, and I swallow it until it feels like a bitter pain in my gut.

“Stop,” she says, grabbing my arm.