When Maggie insisted on accompanying me, I knew she didn’t have any clue what she was in for. She is way out of her comfort zone.

The Steel Infidels ride hard and fast.

The same way we fuck.

Today is no different.

The ride from Bardsville to the motorcycle lodge in the Great Smoky Mountains where we’re spending the night normally takes a little under three hours. That’s in perfect summer weather conditions with dry roads and no stops along the way. Riding through the mountains in mid-February changes everything.

The first hour of the bike ride flies by quickly on the smooth, well-traveled road. Once we arrive at the Nantahala Gorge, things start going downhill quickly. The curvy road is treacherous and damp. An icy-cold river rushes alongside the left-hand side of the road with a strong wind blowing off it.

Maggie must be freezing, yet she doesn’t complain or say a word.

I’m regretting giving in to bringing her along. She would’ve been safer back in her own cozy apartment in Atlanta. Instead she’s wet and cold, with another two hours left to go.

“Are you making it okay?” I yell back over my shoulder.

“I’m fine,” she says, tightening her arms around my waist.

“If you can hang on another thirty minutes, we’ll make a pit stop in Cherokee. Give you a chance to stretch your legs for a few minutes and grab a cup of coffee.”

“What’s Cherokee?” she asks.

“The Cherokee Indian Reservation,” I reply. “It’s the last stop before we start over the Smoky Mountains. We need to keep moving if we’re going to make it to Gatlinburg, Tennessee before dark. It’s on the other side of the mountain range.”

“Don’t worry about me,” she says bravely. “I’m good. Just keep your eyes on the road. These sharp curves are scaring me a little.”

“Nothing to be worried about,” I say. “I’ve driven this road plenty of times before and know every curve in the road. Relax and enjoy the ride.”

I don’t tell her that the drive will only get worse and that fog will be covering the tops of the Smokies before we get there. She’s being quite a little trooper. I’m proud of her.

The other MC members will be watching her closely to see how she holds up. Something tells me she won’t let me down. She’s a tough cookie.

Once we reach Cherokee, we don’t waste time. The crew knows we’re racing against daylight, which will end in less than two hours. We line up to refuel our bikes quickly at a local gas station.

When Maggie excuses herself to the restroom, Sam makes his way over to me. “How’s your girl doing?” he asks with a sly grin. “The two of you are already fucking, I see. How in the living hell did you pull that off so quickly?”

I hang up the gas nozzle and rip my receipt out of the pump. “None of your damn business,” I say.

He snorts and throws his soft drink into the trash can beside the gas pumps. “You mean it’s true? Whoa! I was joking. Tell me all the juicy details. How is she between the sheets? A tiger I bet, with those big titties and full lips. I can’t believe you’re already hitting that.”

“Don’t start with me,” I say in warning. “I’m not in the mood.”

His eyes grow wide. “Touchy, touchy,” he jokes. “Boy, am I glad you brought her along. It will definitely make the trip more interesting.” He grins. “For me anyway.”

“Where’s Lila and the kids?” I ask.

“About thirty minutes behind us. I just talked to her. One of the twins managed to figure out how to get out of his car seat, fell to the floor of the SUV, and threw a temper tantrum when they tried to strap him back in. They had to pull over on the side of the road until he calmed down.”

“Which twin?”

“Travis.”

“Figures. My god, I don’t know how you take it on a daily basis.”

“I’m paying for my raising,” Sam says. “Or at least that’s what Aunt Leona tells me. Apparently, I wasn’t a perfect little angel growing up either. Here’s Maggie now.”

Maggie walks up to us and smiles at Sam. “Are your twins coming along for the trip?” she asks. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

Sam cuts his eyes over at me. “Oh yeah, we were just talking about how much fun they’re having in the car,” he says. “On the return trip, you should ride back with the girls. It would be the perfect opportunity to get to know all of them. They would love someone new to talk to.”

“No way,” I say quickly. “Maggie is staying with me.”

“I was offering her a warmer ride, that’s all,” Sam says. He points to Jesse, who is strapping his helmet back on. “Everyone is saddling up. Time to go. See you on top of Old Smoky. Maybe it will be all covered with snow. I always loved that song.”

I’d pulled out an extra sweatshirt for Maggie while she was in the gas station. “Put this on under your jacket,” I say, handing it to her. “It’s going to get a whole lot colder. Are the gloves keeping your hands warm enough?” My spare pair of black leather gloves look huge on her tiny hands.

“Warm enough, considering it’s February,” she replies. “I’m okay, I promise.”

“Once we get where we’re going, I’ll warm you up in no time,” I say.

“And where would that be exactly? You can tell me now that we’re halfway there.”

“A motorcycle lodge in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We’re in the Great Smoky Mountains now.”

She quickly shrugs out of the jacket and pulls the sweatshirt on over her thick black sweater. “Thanks for letting me come along,” she says, suddenly serious. “I want to be here. With you.”

“I’m glad.” I reach over to zip up her jacket tighter and pull the collar up around her neck. “I hope you can relax enough to enjoy the next part of the ride. We’re entering God’s country. The scenery is out of this world. Have you ever been on vacation here in the Smokies before? Maybe on a camping trip with your family?”

“A camping trip?” She rolls her eyes. “If you only knew how ridiculous that sounds. My family doesn’t camp. In fact, I don’t remember having so much as a picnic in the backyard. My parents are more about dinner parties and charity galas. I always thought the idea of camping sounded fun when I was a kid.”

“That’s a shame,” I say. “You don’t know what you’ve been missing. If you hang around long enough, maybe we can come back in the spring. Have you ever seen a wild black bear?”

Her eyes widen in alarm. “There are bears here? You didn’t mention that fact before.”

“Lots of bears. We won’t see any this trip though. Not the time of year for it. In the spring, we might spot a Mama Bear and her cubs wandering around the open fields and split-rail fences of Cades Cove. Along with plenty of deer.”

“Can I bring my camera?” she asks. “Photography is a hobby of mine.”

“You bet your sweet ass you can,” I say. “Cades Cove is a photographer’s dream. Climb on. Next stop is Newfound Gap at the top of the mountain.”

She eagerly slides on behind me for the next leg. I meant what I said about hoping she can relax enough to enjoy the ride. There’s something about being on a bike that makes everything more vivid. In a car, the windows and roof block the view, along with the smells and the sounds. When I’m on a bike, I notice things I would never be aware of in a car.

It’s nice having a girl to share it with. Unlike most of the other men in the MC, I was never fond of dragging along Sweet Butts on road trips. The pussy wasn’t worth having to deal with them the rest of the time. They were more of a nuisance than anything else.

Maggie slips her arms around me and squeezes me once in a quick hug before loosening up. We roar onto the road behind the other crew members. I glance into the mirror and catch her smiling from ear to ear.

My girl is going to fit in just fine.