2. Garrett
CHAPTER 2
Garrett
S ienna.
I’m trying to play it cool and not stare a hole through her, but damn, she’s a sight for sore eyes. As soon as I laid eyes on her, it was like every bit of me was obsessed. A princess in a shimmering dress, standing in the middle of a rest stop, choking on burnt coffee. Her eyes, wide and lost, locked onto mine, and something shifted.
Try as I might to appear nonchalant, I’m watching her now, the way her fingers grip the steering wheel, the way her posture is a little too stiff, like she’s waiting for the world to drop out beneath her. She’s sweet and vulnerable but strong at the same time. We’ve spoken a handful of words to each other, but I’m good at reading people.
I glance at her again, the curve of her neck as she turns slightly to check the rearview mirror, the way her soft hair falls just past her shoulders, the bright streetlights bringing out the deep red in it. She’s a stunner—perfectly curvy, with emerald eyes that cut through me. What on earth is this princess hiding?
When I hugged her, I hadn’t expected it. I didn’t think she’d lean in, let me wrap her up like that. But when she did, when her body pressed against mine, I felt it like a current, a damn storm inside me. She felt so right against me, her heart beating fast like a cornered rabbit. Not just for her body, though I won’t lie, that part wasn’t easy to ignore.
Her reaction to me was immediate, like we were two magnets pulled together by something bigger than either of us could name. She broke in my arms, but I’d never been more sure I wanted to protect someone in my life.
I turn my attention towards the window now, forcing myself to breathe as she takes the next turn. I gave her directions, but with the diner being just over a mile away, she probably could have found it on her own. I try to focus on the road, but every time I look over at her, my chest tightens.
Sienna.
She’s mine, I know it deep in my bones. Now I just have to figure out how I’m going to keep her.
The diner comes into view. It's one of those old, 24-hour places, the neon sign buzzing in the humid night. We pull into the lot, Sienna’s Porsche looking ridiculous next to all the dusty pickups and sedans.
She looks at me, hesitant, like she’s deciding if she’s really going to do this. “I don’t belong here.”
“Listen, princess. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that you can’t spend your time waiting to find the perfect place in the world. You’ve got to make that perfect place. You belong wherever the hell you want to.”
Sienna chews her bottom lip in thought. She’s still nervous, but I get it. She’s been through something, and it’s all written on her face. She’s guarding herself. And goddammit, I can’t let myself keep getting distracted by her pretty mouth, no matter how much I want to be the one nibbling on her lip instead.
Eventually, Sienna nods once. “Okay. I’m ready. Let’s go.”
The moment we step through the diner’s door, the whole place goes quiet. It’s not the kind of quiet that feels warm and comfortable. It’s the kind of quiet that feels like every set of eyes is on us. And right now, those eyes are definitely on her.
Sienna stands out like a diamond in a pile of rocks, all polished and pristine in that fancy dress, her heels clicking against the tile floor like some kind of royalty. But instead of taking the adoration that she’s owed, Sienna looks like she wants to sink into the floor. This is exactly what she didn’t want, dammit.
My jaw tightens. The hell do they think they’re doing, gawking at her like she’s some kind of spectacle?
She’s used to it, I can tell. But still, I don’t like it. My eyes flick to the few guys scattered around, and they all know what I’m thinking without me even needing to say a word. The last thing any of ‘em want is to catch my gaze for too long. I put enough fire in my eyes to dissuade them, and one by one their eyes move from my Sienna to the floor where they belong.
I lead her to a booth in the back. It’s not the most glamorous place, but the coffee’s hot, and the food’s cheap. I slide into the booth, leaning back, letting my arms rest on the edge of the seat as I watch her sit across from me.
She’s still looking a little lost, her eyes darting around the place, probably feeling out of place with the worn vinyl seats and cracked linoleum floor. She’s out of her element, and I get that. Hell, I’m out of my element with her, but I’m determined not to show it.
The server walks over, but I get my order in first. “Two coffees,” I say, keeping my voice steady.
She loads up her coffee with cream and sugar while I take mine black as pitch. I had to get used to it, drinking instant coffee on the road for so many years, and now it’s what I prefer. Nice and bitter.
I lean back and let her do her thing, watching as she stirs the sugar in slow circles, relaxing bit by bit. I’m not in any rush. Hell, the longer we stay here, the better. I know what my next move is to keep Sienna around, but it’s going to be a lot easier to convince her if we can have some time to really get to know each other first.
She’s fucking stunning, her skin almost glowing.
“How old are you, Sienna?”
“Twenty.”
Fucking twenty . I bark out a laugh. “Christ. I’m 39.”
It looks like she’s about to say something, but the server swings back by, and Sienna is more than ready to order. The coffee must have perked up her appetite. “I’ll have a stack of pancakes.”
“BLT,” I add.
Sienna takes a sip of her coffee and sighs in happiness.
“Way better than that pond water back at the rest stop, huh?”
“Unbelievably so.” Her smile is genuine, but I can see the wheels turning in her head. She’s probably deciding how much she wants to tell me and how much she wants to share. I want to know it all, but I’m a patient man. I can wait.
Sienna gets a refill on her coffee and drinks half of that too before she sighs heavily and her shoulders relax. I can tell she’s ready to open up, but I still wait for her to make the choice.
“Garrett?”
“Hm?”
“I guess I should explain myself a little after my outburst back there, huh?”
“Princess, in your own time.”
It is the right thing to say. She takes a deep breath, her fingers tightening around her cup. “I was supposed to marry this man named Charles Westfield. I’m from…we’ll just say a wealthy family in New Orleans, and Charles is worth twice what we are. But I didn’t want anything to do with him. I wanted to travel, especially to France, to see the Louvre because I love painting, but…” Her voice cracks just a little, and she looks down, like the words hurt to say. “Everyone expected me to marry Charles and be a good wife, give him some heirs. I blanked when he proposed a few weeks ago, nodded, and then before I knew it, I was at my own engagement party tonight.”
It all pisses me off more than it should, almost as much as thinking about the woman I’ve already decided is mine being engaged to someone else. Her ridiculously gaudy engagement ring winks in the diner light, probably worth enough to buy the entire diner. Sienna and I are from different worlds, there’s no doubt about that.
I keep my eyes on her, trying to read between the lines. “Sounds like that was all laid out for you, huh?”
She nods, her fingers playing with the handle of her coffee cup. “It’s what they do. It was all just business to them.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal, but I can tell it cuts deeper than she lets on.
There’s that knot in my stomach again, and this time, I can’t hide it. “And you just ran away? With nothing?”
She’s hesitant, like she’s afraid I will scold her. “Yeah. I couldn’t go through with it. I couldn’t marry someone I didn’t even know. I…” Her voice catches, and I notice her hand shaking just a little as she sets her cup down. “I was afraid.”
To hell with anyone that has ever made Sienna afraid. If I have my way, she’ll never feel like that again.
“I want something real.”
It’s all I can do not to reach across the table, grab her shaking hands, and tell her how fucked up it is. It doesn’t sit right with me. This whole damn situation. But she already knows it’s wrong. It’s why she was brave enough to flee.
“You made the right choice, Sienna.”
She looks up at me then, searching for the approval she desperately needs. Sienna made an impossible choice all alone with no one on her side. Until now.
And hell, maybe she needs more than just words. Maybe she needs someone to show her that what she’s doing—what she’s running toward—is worth it.
But for now, all I can give her is the truth. “You did.”
Sienna presses her fingers to her temple, rubbing small circles like she’s thinking hard, trying to figure out the next step, but the plan isn’t coming together in her head. I can see it, though. She’s got that look, the one that says she’s trying to piece together a thousand different scenarios, and none of them are adding up.
“Where do I even go?” she says. “I don’t even know where to start.”
I don’t even hesitate. Without thinking about the consequences, I look her dead in the eyes. “You’re coming with me.”
Her head jerks back, like I slapped her. I can’t blame her for that, but I’m not backing down. I’m not gonna let her get caught up in this mess alone. She might not see it yet, but she’s with me now, and I’m not letting go.
“What? You don’t even know me.”
“You don’t have to know someone to help them. And right now, you need help.”
Sienna stares at me for a long second, her mouth opening, then closing like she wants to argue but doesn’t have the words for it.
“I’ve got a rig—big, upgraded, the works. It’s a Kenworth T680, fully decked out with a sleeper cabin that’s got more than enough space for you to stretch out.”
I see her blink, like she’s still processing what I said. Maybe it’s because she’s picturing it, or maybe she’s trying to wrap her head around why a guy like me is offering help like this. I’m not sure.
But I’m serious. She doesn’t belong in that situation, trapped in her family’s world. And I’ll be damned if I let them get their claws into her again.
“I’m headed to Roswell, New Mexico, for a drop-off and back to my place in Flagstaff after that. You can stay with me the entire way.”
She blinks at me owlishly, her enormous green eyes telegraphing all the rapid-fire thoughts going through her head. A woman like Sienna…her family won’t let her go easily. Not for a second. And then add in the fact that I’m asking her to spend the next week in the back of my semi truck when she’s used to enormous mansions and the most expensive hotels is so out there it’s almost laughable. But I don’t see humor in her eyes or even denial. Sienna is thoughtful. She’s considering it.
“Listen. I want to give you all the time in the world to make this decision, darlin’, I really do, but if your parents are as well off as you’re claiming, then the clock is ticking. They’re going to try to find you. They’ve probably got a tracking chip in your car, maybe even your phone.”
Sienna freezes. Her expression goes pale, and her hand tightens around her coffee cup. I watch as the realization rolls over her, and then, just like that, the panic sets in.
“Oh my God. My phone. I can’t believe I didn’t even think of that. They can track my phone.”
I’m already on it. “Put it on airplane mode. Now.”
Her hands are unsteady as she pulls the phone from her purse, staring at it like she’s not sure how to even begin. “I’ve been so stupid,” she whispers to herself, her face crumpling.
We don’t have time for this. Not if she wants to remain on the run. “Do it, Sienna. Right now. If you don’t, they’ll catch up to you.”
She does as I say, turning the phone off and putting it in her bag. Afterward, she lets out a long, shaky breath and closes her eyes.
“I’ll tell you what,” I continue. “We ditch the car at the rest stop, parked way in the back where no one will notice it. It’s too flashy to be left in the main parking area. Then you’ll come with me. There’s no way for them to know that you’re traveling with me, so it will give you time to get well away.”
Sienna doesn’t say anything for a moment, but I can tell she’s running through every possible scenario in her head. I can almost see the gears turning in her mind, trying to figure out what her next move should be.
But I can’t wait. “Look, I know it sounds crazy,” I add, letting a little edge slip into my voice. “But it’s no crazier than running away from your own engagement party without even a change of clothes.”
She lets out a soft, bitter laugh, the kind that says she knows I’m right, but she’s still struggling to admit it. “I’m not sure this is a good idea. But I?—”
“It’s the only choice you’ve got right now, Sienna. And it’s the safest one.”
She breathes out slowly, the tension in her back loosening just a little. She’s made up her mind. “Okay. Let’s do it. Let’s get the hell out of here.”