GARRETT (Southside Skulls MC Romance Book 8)

by Jessie Cooke

  Garrett held her to his chest and rocked her like a baby until they’d both calmed down. That was when he lifted her up again and carried her through the living room and toward the bedroom. When they got there, and he pushed open the door, Paige saw the reason why they’d made love in the kitchen and busted up laughing. Garrett slowly lowered her down onto her shaky legs and said:

  “Laugh it up.”

  “Sorry. It looks like a crib next to you.” There was one bed in the room, a twin-sized one. If Garrett lay down alongside it he’d be two feet longer than it, and he probably outweighed it. “Where do you sleep when you come here?”

  “I don’t come here often,” he said. “But I have a pack in the closet with my sleeping bag in it.”

  “Hmm, a sleeping bag, huh?”

  “Yeah.” He went over toward the closet. “You can have the bed, I’ll take the bag.”

  She walked up behind him and slipped her hands around him. She pressed her breasts into his back and heard him suck in a breath as he leaned back slightly, not putting his weight on her but closing any space between them. “How big is that bag?” she asked.

  “Big,” he said, clearing his throat.

  “Big enough for two?”

  He slid his body around so that they were facing each other and looked down at her. “One and a half.”

  She laughed. “Who’s the one?”

  “You,” he said, kissing her sweetly on the forehead, “of course.” He got the pack out and pulled out the biggest sleeping bag she’d ever seen. They took it out to the living room and he spread it out across the thick, braided rug in front of the fire. He unzipped it and let Paige crawl in first and then he crawled in next to her. He wrapped her in his arms and once again she felt like she was in that cocoon…the one that was breathing new life into her while it kept her safe. She nuzzled him with her face as she got comfortable and then she closed her eyes and slipped off into a world where her dreams were normal and even pleasurable again. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep when she felt Garrett stirring. She heard the sound of the zipper being slowly pulled down on the sleeping bag and she felt the draft of the cold air when he moved away from her. That was when she reached out her hand and put it on his chest.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Hey. I didn’t mean to wake you. I have to get to work.”

  “Work? Ewell?” She opened her eyes. Even saying the pig’s name left a bad taste in her mouth.

  Garrett nodded. “He gets to work at six. I’m going to watch him at the casino today and then follow his movements afterwards tonight.”

  “Oh…when will I see you again?”

  He smiled softly and bent down to kiss her lips. “As soon as I can, I’ll be back, I promise. Until then, you’ll be in good hands. One of my brothers will be here any minute…” The knock on the cabin door startled them both. “Damn, he’s early.”

  Paige felt a surge of panic. “I should go get dressed.” A strange look crossed Garrett’s face and he said:

  “Yeah, your clothes are in the kitchen. Toss my pants out, please. I’ll make him wait outside until you’re ready.” Paige wiggled past him and he took the opportunity to smack her on the butt as she did. She could feel his eyes on her as she ran naked into the kitchen. She heard him get up and walk on heavy footsteps across the floor, calling out to whoever was at the door to “hold on.” She tossed his jeans and t-shirt out to him and started pulling her bra on when she heard him pull open the cabin door. “You’re early.”

  “Sorry, Bear. I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get here. I didn’t want to be late.”

  “It’s fine. Just wait on the porch for a second.”

  She heard the other man laugh. It sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it. “Sure thing, Bear.”

  Paige finished dressing and ran her fingers through her hair before stepping back into the living room, holding Garrett’s shoes and her own. She handed him his boots and sat down on the couch. “Is there a shower here?”

  “Yes. Do you want me to bring you some clothes when I come back up?” She smiled.

  “Yes please, but not size 5X.”

  He chuckled. “They’re 3X thank you, very much. But fine, I’ll have Claudia or one of the girls pick some up for you. Are you ready for me to let him in? It’s a little cold out there.”

  “Yep.”

  Garrett went back over toward the door and Paige got up and used the fireplace poker to rearrange the wood left from the night before in the fireplace. She started stuffing it with paper and kindling and picked up a log to put inside when it suddenly dawned on her where she knew the sound of the other man’s voice from. Surely after everything she’d been through, God couldn’t be that cruel…? She slowly turned toward Garrett, and standing next to him with that cocky grin he loved to wear on his face was… Tyler “Trigger” Jamison. She dropped the log, he laughed, and Garrett looked confused.

  12

  “No fucking way.” Paige was staring at Trigger and the pretty little bastard was grinning at her. It was obvious they knew each other, and Garrett had already decided that there was no fucking way he was leaving her alone with him.

  “What’s up, Paige? It’s been a while.”

  “You may as well get back on that tricycle of yours, Tyler, and go back to Vegas. No fucking way I’m spending the day with you.”

  “Aw, that’s not nice. I never figured out why you were so pissed off at me in the first place. You blocked my calls and just dropped out of sight...”

  “Are you serious?” She looked at Garrett then. He had no clue what to say. He wanted Trigger to get back on his “tricycle” too, but did he have a right to make that demand? “Is he fucking serious?” Garrett shrugged. What did she want him to say? “I’m not staying here with him.”

  “Look, babe...”

  “Babe? Did you just call me babe?” She looked at Garrett. “You’re going to let him call me babe? Of course you are. You’re a biker too. You probably told him he could share me when he got here, didn’t you?”

  Trigger laughed. “So you already got a piece, huh, Bear? Nice. She made me wait for...” He didn’t get the rest of the words out of his mouth before Garrett’s fist connected with it. Trigger flew back into the door and Paige let out a little cry. It was almost surreal. Garret watched Trigger slide to the floor and the blood pour out of his mouth...and he couldn’t believe he’d just punched one of his brothers over a woman. That had never happened before. “What the fuck, Bear?” Trigger was lisping as he talked, and he had his hand underneath his chin to catch the blood. “You knocked out my tooth.”

  “Fuck. Shit.”

  “I’ll get a towel.” Paige left the room, and Garrett helped Trigger to his feet and then over to the couch, When Paige came back with the towel, Garrett went into the kitchen to get some ice. He still hadn’t said a word to Trigger. He didn’t know what to say. It was like Paige had put a spell on him and all the ideas he’d ever had about women had changed overnight. He tried to calm his racing heart before going back into the living room with the baggie of ice. Paige was sitting close to Trigger, holding the towel to his face. Garrett didn’t like feeling threatened by another man. It was a new feeling, and it sucked.

  “Here.” He handed the ice to Paige and she took it and wrapped it up in the towel. She pressed it to Trigger’s face and said:

  “Hold it there.” Trigger didn’t look so pretty with his nose and upper lip swelling and blood all over his chin, but it didn’t make Garrett happy. He was just pissed off with himself for reacting the way he did. Trigger took the towel and held it where Paige told him to. She looked down at the blood on her hands and said:

  “I’m going to wash my hands.” Neither man said anything until she was gone. Once she left the room, Garrett sat down on the couch and said:

  “Fuck, man, I’m sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Trigger focused his blue eyes on Garrett’s face. Accusation and anger flo
ated around in them. “What the fuck did I do to deserve that?”

  “Nothing,” Garrett said, running his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I lost my fucking head when...”

  “When I mentioned fucking her?” Despite how badly he already felt, Garrett was tempted to hit him again. “It was a long time ago, man. It’s pretty damned obvious you got a claim on her. I’d never fuck a brother’s old lady.” He sounded like a four-year-old, trying to pronounce his words. It only made Garrett feel worse.

  “She’s not my old lady. I’ve only known her for two fucking days. I don’t know what that was about. Fuck, I’m sorry,” he said, again.

  “It’s fine,” Trigger said, “but you nearly knocked out my front tooth.” He pronounced tooth as “toof.” “I have to get to the dentist, man.”

  “She can’t be left alone...”

  “Then you’ll have to get someone else to come up here, man. My tooth is loose. I’m not walking around looking like Billy Bob when I fucking smile.”

  Garrett knew he was right. “Fine. You go. I’ll call one of the prospects.”

  Trigger got up and Garrett noticed how pale he looked. “Are you okay to drive back to town?”

  “Not looking forward to it,” he said. “But I’ll live. You got any painkillers here?”

  “Tylenol,” Garrett said, getting up to get it.

  “Not talking about Tylenol, man. You got anything stronger?”

  Garrett shook his head. Then he said, “I’ve got some good weed.”

  “That’ll work.”

  When Paige came back into the room, Garrett and Trigger were both smoking. “Great,” she said.

  “Smoke bother you?” Garrett asked her.

  “No. Bikers bother me. He talks shit, you get possessive, and five minutes later you’re sharing a joint.”

  Trigger laughed and then winced. “I’m sorry,” was all Garrett said. He was going to deny he was being possessive, but he knew it would come out sounding false...since it was true. He loved women and he’d loved many in his lifetime...but Paige was different. She was the first one he’d ever been able to imagine himself falling in love with, and after only two days, he knew how stupid that was.

  Paige rolled her eyes at him and then looked at Trigger. “Are we taking this idiot to the ER or what?”

  “No,” Garrett said. “I’m gonna call Scrubs.”

  She sighed and rolled her eyes. “What an original name for a doctor, or let me guess, a medic who never made it to medical school because he joined up with an MC when he was finished with active duty?”

  She was close, but Garrett knew she was angry and being sarcastic and not looking for an answer, so he didn’t give her one. Instead, he took out his phone and called Monkey. He wanted to be the one to tell him that he’d knocked Trigger’s front teeth loose, before someone else did, then he would call Scrubs. He looked at Paige as he stood up and said, “Excuse me.” He went outside in the cold and pressed in Monkey’s number. He forgot how early it was until his president barked:

  “This better fucking be good.”

  “Shit, sorry, Monk.”

  “Bear? What the fuck is going on at...fuck! It’s six forty in the fucking morning!”

  “Yeah, sorry about that. I need to reach out to Scrubs and I wanted to be the one to tell you why...”

  “You okay? Is it the girl?”

  “Nah, we’re both okay. I punched Trigger in the mouth, knocked his front teeth loose.” Garrett expected to get his ass chewed. Monkey had never been okay with the brothers’ fighting among themselves, at least a non-organized fight. When they had a problem with each other, they were supposed to bring it to the table and then Monkey arranged a fight for them, boxing gloves and all. The guy who got the knockout, or the tap-out, got whatever it was they were fighting over in the first place. It sounded a little barbaric, but it kept a lot of the guys from beating each other to death, mostly over women. But, instead of chewing his ass, Monkey laughed. He laughed hard and after a full minute, Garrett wasn’t sure his president wasn’t still drunk from the night before.

  “Knocked his teeth out, huh?” he finally choked out between laughs.

  “Well, not completely, but they’re loose...”

  Monkey laughed again. “Damn, sorry I missed that.”

  “You’re not pissed at me?” Garrett asked, cautiously.

  “Fuck yeah I am, for calling me at 0-dark-fucking-thirty. I’m going back to sleep. Tell Scrubs to sew some rabbit teeth into that pretty bastard’s mouth, will you?”

  Garrett had to laugh at that. “You got it, Prez. Sorry about the early wake-up.”

  “Yeah, fuck you.” Monkey ended the call. Still chuckling, Garrett called Scrubs. He knew that he wouldn’t be asleep. Paige was right about his being a medic. He was a medic in the army for twelve years. She was wrong about his not going to medical school because he joined the MC. He didn’t go to medical school because he spent three years in a psych ward when he got back. No one knew what happened to him over there and no one dared ask. Riding his Harley and stitching people up seemed like therapy for him, so everyone just stayed out of his way and let him do it.

  “Yep,” was how he answered the phone. Garrett told him what happened and where they were. “K,” was Scrubs’ response. Garrett didn’t expect any more than that from him. He knew Scrubs would be there in the amount of time it took him to drive to the cabin. He turned back toward the door and took a deep breath. He wished that he was so sure of everything else in his life.

  The medic was dark, quiet, and borderline scary, but Garrett and Tyler seemed to trust him. Not that Paige really cared what either of the self-absorbed bikers thought of anything at the moment. How dare they fight over her like she was a piece of meat thrown into their cage? Fucking animals. That’s what they were. What was I thinking, sleeping with yet another one of them, after what happened the last time?

  Garrett kept looking at her nervously out of the corner of his eye. At least he had the decency to regret his actions. Tyler would probably still be laughing if the medic didn’t have his gloved hands in his mouth. She had left the day she caught him giving the naked, silicone-infused blonde a horsey-ride on his lap and she promised herself that she’d never put herself in that position again. Now here she was, two days into knowing another biker and about to catch feelings...thank God she caught herself before she actually did.

  Her stomach was growling, and she got up and asked Garrett, “Is it okay if I fix something to eat?” He jumped to his feet so quickly that it was a wonder the house didn’t bounce around him. Damned giant, anyways.

  “Of course. You want me to fix it?”

  “No. Don’t you have a rapist to stalk?” She was being a bitch and she knew it, but she was still mad at him.

  “Uh...well, I wasn’t sure about leaving you with Trigger...”

  “Don’t worry, he’d be the last person in the world that I’d fuck...not that it’s your business.” She stalked toward the kitchen and felt the vibrations of the floor as he followed her. She swung the door open and let it go. He caught it and pushed his way in. “I said I got it!” she snapped. She wasn’t prepared for the feel of his hands on her waist. He spun her around to face him and she automatically spat venom. “Get your hands off me! Who do you think you are?”

  “Listen to me!” he said, for the first time looking angry. She froze. Had she pushed him too far? Was he going to knock her two front teeth out too? “Just be still and listen. First and foremost, you are not supposed to know that I’m ‘stalking’ the rapist. If my club finds out you know, then we’re both screwed. Trigger was too wrapped up in his own pain and Scrubs won’t say anything, but that’s the last time you mention it. As far as you know, in front of anyone else, you’re here for protection until the DA finishes making his case against this guy, understand?”

  His face was red and his teeth were clenched and for the first time since she met him, Paige was truly afraid. She could see the anger in his eyes an
d it dawned on her that sexy or not, she was looking into the eyes of a killer. Things had happened so quickly in the past forty-eight hours that she hadn’t really stopped to consider that. She nodded, and he went on, “Good. Now, second...Trigger didn’t have any right talking shit, but you’re right about me not having any right to get possessive. I don’t know what happened in that moment, but it won’t happen again.” Strangely and maddeningly, she didn’t like the sound of that. Wasn’t I the one who was just pondering the nerve of him for acting like I was his to fight over?

  “Good,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t crack. What the hell was wrong with her? Garrett let go of her and she immediately missed the feel of his hands on her body.

  “I’ll go now if you’re comfortable being here with Trigger. He’s gonna be on painkillers for a while, but Scrubs won’t leave until I get back. He’s not a talker, but he won’t let anyone get near you.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she said. She didn’t want him to go, but her head was a chaotic mess, so maybe it would be good to have some time away from him. He nodded, turned, and left. Her morning had gone from warm, cozy, and exciting to a train wreck in a matter of a couple of hours. She shook her head as she pulled open the refrigerator; Story of my life, she thought.

  13

  Garrett climbed on his bike and then he just sat there, looking off into the trees. Sometimes he wished that he could disappear into them. Nothing in his life had turned out the way he thought it would, or the way he wanted it to. Hell, he couldn’t even kill his fucking stupid self. Maybe he should just disappear. Maybe that was a better option than killing himself. He knew how to be a ghost, without actually dying. He’d always thought he’d make a hell of a mountain man, living off the land and spending all of his time alone. He wasn’t good with people. He’d never been good with people. He ruined his relationship with his stepmother when he was just a kid. He was thirty-two years old, and he’d never had a real relationship with a woman. He chose being a nomad so that he didn’t have to see the same people every day...because he didn’t want to get to close to anyone. He loved his brothers in the club and his brothers in the SEALS like they were blood, but even them, he didn’t want to grow too close to them.