Mitch's POV
Heading for Duluth, MN on I-35
We had put forty or so miles between us and the shit storm we left behind, and I could feel Eve shivering into my back. She wasn't dressed properly for the road. I saw a Wal-Mart sign on the next exit, and pulled off the freeway and into the lot. "Come on," I told her, "Let's get you some clothes that actually fit."
"You don't like me in your clothes," she teased.
"I love it, baby, but in the bedroom, not the freeway." She blushed as I took her hand, leading her in. It was still early, before seven, so it wasn't busy. I took her to the women's wear section and told her to pick out versatile clothes because we didn't have much room. "It's going to be cold up by the lake, so make sure you have a jacket," I said. "What size shoe are you?"
"Seven," she said as she pulled a pair of jeans off the shelf.
I left her and went to collect a few things I needed. I had a change of clothes in my saddlebag, plus what she was wearing, so I grabbed socks and underwear. I found her some short boots in her size, and a leather jacket, then a small backpack to hold everything. I swung by electronics and bought a burner phone, then headed back to her. She had a small pile of clothes ready; she tried on the boots and jacket. "All set?"
She looked at the cart. "I think so."
"Good, wait here, I'm going to buy this, and you can change. Leave your old clothes in the backpack," I said. I quickly checked out before going back to the dressing room, handing the clothes and shoes over, trying to ignore the flashbacks of her naked body as she ran to me last night.
This woman was going to be the death of me, and I didn't care. She opened the door, and my jaw dropped. Form-hugging jeans over the boots I'd picked, a cotton shirt in a white, red and blue plaid, a studded belt and a leather jacket. "Ready?" She just smirked as I tried to get my head into the game.
"Yeah, let's go." I took her hand and led her out. "By the way, where are we going?"
"Other than away?" I nodded. "My parent's old place, it's on the North Shore, a little inland."
"When was the last time you were there?"
"I've never been there," she said as we reached my motorcycle. "My Mom saved my birth mother's old stuff, her albums and all. I've looked at it on the Internet, that's all."
I thought about it, it was about three hours more to Duluth and then the North Shore could be an hour or four, depending on how far up we had to go. "How much sleep did you get?"
"Not enough," she said.
"Let's go another hour or so and find a place to eat and a motel, then. We both need sleep." She pulled herself tight to me as I exited the lot and back onto the freeway. Ninety minutes later, we were walking into a room in a little motel off the freeway exit. "I want you to take a shower and change," I said, "and I'll be back in a little bit with some breakfast."
"Pancakes, eggs and bacon, please. Lots of bacon."
I had the burner phone in my pocket as I walked to the diner across the street. I sent a quick text to Donut, telling him that I had Eve with me, she was safe, and we would call at dinnertime. I then turned the phone off. When I returned, she was sitting on the queen bed, hair in a towel, wearing only a T-shirt that hinted at the underwear below them. I had to fight to stay eyes up as we ate, then I tucked her in before I went to take my shower.
My long shower, which ended with me painting the wall as my knees buckled.
I knew what I was up against; her parents, her guardians, hell the whole club was against me being with her. God had gifted me with one chance to spend time alone with her, and I wasn't going to blow it by scaring her now. She'd killed someone, she'd been up a long time, it was bound to catch up to her and I needed her to trust me enough to talk to me.
I pulled on boxers and a T-shirt, taking time to brush my teeth and shave. When I got out of the bathroom, the lights were off, there was just a glow from the window that showed her in the bed, her hair splayed out over the pillow. I went to the closet, grabbing an extra blanket and finding a spot that was cleaner than the rest on the floor, I grabbed a pillow and laid down. "Mitch?" Her voice was soft and broken.
"Yes love?"
"Hold me?" Like I would turn that down. I slid under the covers, moving over until I was in the center of the bed. She turned towards me, her head on my shoulder, hand over my chest, and a leg tossed over mine. "I'm scared," she said.
"I've got you, Eve, I'll die before I let anything bad happen to you."
"That's what I'm scared about, Mitch. Everything is out of control, I don't know who can protect me. The Knights, they put me into the situation that resulted in last night's battle. My Dad wants to lock me in a tower at the club."
"What do you want, baby?"
"I want my life to be my own," she said. Her fatigue caught up to her, and I listened as her breathing deepened before I dropped off to sleep myself.