Faith’s Temptation (Dueling Dragons MC Book 1) (15 page)

“Well, I was thinking that we could leave around 11:00 a.m. tomorrow, and we could head toward Alabama after grabbing something to eat. How does that sound?” He is as serious as a heart attack about wanting to take me to see my daddy.

I stop in my tracks and look straight up at him. “You aren’t gonna give this up, are you?” I shake my head.

“Nope.” He emphasizes the P. Why does he have to sound so hot when he does that?

Shaking my head again, realizing I might as well just give in, I reply, “Fine. I need to call Layla and talk to her about getting some time off.”

“Don’t worry about it. She already knows and it’s covered.” He’s so confident and domineering when he talks about certain things.

But what the fuck? Are you kidding me?
He hasn’t even confirmed with me if I want to go, and he’s already gotten me time off?

Sighing again and shaking my head, I point out, “I haven’t even talked to my brothers or my daddy. What if they’re mean to you? I have only ever brought home my ex,” I say with worry thick in my voice.
We can’t go and chance running into him. He can’t meet Beau.

Oh God! How am I going to get out of him taking me back home? I’m so afraid of him meeting my family and meeting Beau.

We get to the top of the stairs. I unlock my front door.

Ryder steps in front of me. “When I first met you, I thought I was drawn to you because of your hot body, but it’s more than that. I can feel it. I think some time alone together would do us some good. We can get to know each other better.”

Just do it, Faith. If anything, you can always stay in Alabama.

I shrug my shoulders and release a pent-up breath. “Okay, well, I’m going to shower and then pack. After that, I think I’ll head to bed,” I say as I lock the front door of my apartment.

 “I’ll be here with bells on. Pack lightly since there isn’t much room in the rig and I want us to be comfy.” He pulls me toward him but stops when I get about six inches from his face.

“This is going to be the ride of your life, Faith. You’ll never be the same. I can promise you that.” He leans closer and gently kisses my cheek, and then he turns and saunters toward the couch. “Goodnight, Faith. Enjoy your shower, and just know it’s your last night sleeping alone. You’ll be in my bed by this time tomorrow.” He winks at me and starts to make up the couch.

I gasp. My insides scramble at his words about me being in his bed. It sends my nerves into overdrive. He is such a force to be reckoned with, and I don’t know if I have the energy in me anymore to hold him off.

Well, the only thing to do now is pack my bag with some clothes, shower, and then head to bed. I pack, then decide that I will wake up early and take a shower then instead of now. That way, I will be ready when Ryder gets up in the morning.

I slip into a restless slumber, which consists of dreams of him and what our life might be like. If we actually make it as a couple, that is.

***

I wake the next morning with enough time to shower and call my brother, Nate, to let him know that Ryder and I should be there sometime tonight. It’s about an eight to ten hour drive from Calvert City to Mobile.

It’s imperative that I make sure I have everything planned out to the T before I call and let my brother know that I’m coming home, with a boyfriend in tow to boot.
Um, I guess that’s what we are
. I am sure that everyone is going to have something to say about me leaving home in the first place, but I think once I sit everyone down and tell them the truth, they will understand.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, I pick up my phone. Bringing up Nate’s name on the screen, I touch
talk
and the phone starts to dial.

“Nathaniel Landon,” Nate says on the second ring of his cell.

“Hey, Nate, it’s me.” My voice sounds so small to my ears.

“Squirt, is that you?” he barks into the phone.

“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “Yeah, it’s me.”

“Oh, hi,” he curtly says, biting his words. “So how’s it going up there in Kentucky?”

I start to say something, but he beats me to the punch. “I hope you’re not calling to borrow money,” he says with the snarky attitude that he always has when it comes to me. He’s always thought I got what I wanted, which was not the case, but whatever.

“Ha, ha, very funny. I-I am...um...c-calling to...” I say, stuttering the whole time. Sighing loudly, I just blurt out the rest. “My friend has offered to drive me down to see everyone. We should be there tonight sometime, but if it’s too late, we won’t disturb everyone.”

“We? Who is this ‘we’ you speak of? You know Daddy doesn’t like meetin’ new people. Is this a guy? Is he your boyfriend? Don’t you think it’s a little early to have a new man?” Nate says with a snicker to his voice. He’s such an asshole sometimes.

“Listen here, fuck stick! He is
just
a friend, and he has offered to bring me down to spend some time with you guys. I hope that you can tell Daddy and Will to be on their best behaviors,” I hiss into the phone.

“Oh and, Nate, I hope that you’ll be on your best behavior and be nice, too,” I say with a sincere tone. I really hope these guys don’t scare Ryder away because, as he pointed out, there is something about him that is just drawing me to him, and I have no idea why, but I have to be close to him.
I just hope my past doesn’t cause him to run away.

Hearing a light knock on the door, I know I have to end the call. “Hey, Nate, I’ll keep in touch. If anything happens on our way down, I’ll call. All right?” I quickly say. I walk over and open the door.

Ryder is standing there in faded jeans that are hugging just the right spots on his toned legs, together with a sleeveless tank top.
A wife-beater tank top
,
Beau used to say
. I signal for just a minute as I wait for Nate to respond to me.

“All right, Squirt, we will see you later. And tell this ‘guy’ you’re riding with that if he does anything to hurt my little sister, it’s going to be the end of him,” he says with a matter-of-fact tone to his voice.

All I can do is snicker and say, “See ya.”

I hang up the phone as I walk over to the couch to pick up my bag. I feel Ryder standing right behind me and he is close, really close. Turning around, I come face to face with him. “Hi, how is your morning so far?” he asks me.

I tell him about the conversation I had with Nate. He heads toward the door. I follow behind through the living room to pick up my purse from the back of the couch. We cross the threshold and I lock the door behind me.

Walking down the stairs, I call to Ryder over my shoulder, “I’m gonna run over to the diner really quick and say bye to Layla.”

“All right, but don’t be too long,” he says back.

***

I slip in the back door of the diner and find Layla in her office. “Hey, we’re heading out. Thanks so much for giving me this time to go see my daddy. It means a lot,” I say to her as I watch her tapping the buttons on her keyboard.

 She stops and reaches into her desk drawer, pulls out an envelope, and hands it to me. I open it up and there is $200 cash. “I don’t need—”

She puts her hand up to cut me off. “You never know when you could use the extra money. I’m so proud of you for being willing to stand by Ryder even though you know every dirty secret. You’re a good girl.”

She walks around her desk and gives me a huge hug. “So, you guys will only be gone a week tops, right?”

“Yeah, Ryder doesn’t have much more time before this last big run,” I say to her, and for some reason, I feel like I am going to cry.

“Go visit your daddy and brothers. Have fun and enjoy yourself.” Layla gives me a kiss on the cheek and then pushes me out the door.

***

Ryder

So, today is the day—first day of the rest of my life with Faith. I can’t wait to get out on the open road with her, even if it is in my truck and not on my bike.

Soon, though. Soon we’ll be on my bike together.
I smile to myself. This trip together is just going to set things solid between her and me, though. I’m going to show Faith on this trip that I can be trusted and that I am worth having in her life.

“All right, don’t be too long,” I call back to her as she sashays away from me. Watching her sway her hips back and forth makes my dick hard.

Adjusting myself in my jeans, I turn and head for my truck. Walking up on the driver side, I grab the handle and open the door. Hoisting myself up into the cab, I start all my checks and get ready to set out on the journey of a lifetime.

After making sure everything is good to go, I start the truck. My baby rumbles to life. I climb from the truck to perform my outside check.

“So, you’re really gonna take her?” Ziggy says, coming up behind me while I check my back tires.

Standing up, I toss the crowbar into the toolbox on the side of my truck. “Yeah, I am. She’s the one, bro,” I say to him.

He laughs. “And how the fuck do you know that?”

Shaking my head at him, I turn and head for the front of the truck. “’Cause, man, she didn’t fuckin’ leave when I told her about my pops and the club.” I throw my arms out. “Shit, she didn’t even flinch when I told her I’ve killed before.”

That has to hold some merit with him.
A wave of disagreement flashes in his eyes, and then I see nothing but concern.

“Ry....”
Ah, hell, he’s getting serious.
“I’ve been with you since both our balls dropped.” He runs his hand over his head. “This girl concerns me. Mark my words. Shit’s gonna happen.”

“I think you’re wrong,” I say bluntly and go back to getting ready for our trip. “So, I’ll see you in a week. Axe has shit already set to start rolling as soon as I call him and tell him I’m on my way back.” I shoot him a level stare. “And watch over my sister, please. She’s been a little out of it lately.”

He shakes his head and extends his arm toward me. “Yeah, dude, always.” We clap hands and touch shoulders. “Stay safe.”

“You, too. Keep Flem outta trouble.” I shake my head at him.

“You got it boss.” He backs away from the truck as I climb into the cab.

I shut the door behind me and pull on plugs and levers. The truck rolls forward and I turn the wheel to head toward the back door of the diner to pick up my girl.

Faith

COMING OUT THE BACK DOOR
of the diner, I hear the truck before I see it. True to Ryder’s character, his semi is just as loud as his bike.

The black beauty pulls up to the curb, he opens the driver’s side door, and my ears are instantly flooded with Static-X. This song in particular is the song I gave to Beau when we broke up.

He comes around the front of the truck and all I can do is stare at him and smile.

“What?” He says it with a smirk on his face.

“Nothing, just admiring you,” I say without really thinking. “I mean the song and your truck, of course.” I blush, realizing this is going to be a big trip.

“Oh, this ol’ girl. She’s been through a lot with me and I love her just like she’s a person.” He pats the truck’s hood.

She’s a beauty all right. She has chrome on her in all the right places, and she’s shiny black with tall stacks. This truck is a beast, and just standing next to her, I feel every bit of horsepower in her.

He heads for the passenger door and opens it. “How’d you know that I love Static-X?” I ask as I climb in.

OMG! This thing is magnificent! Not much room inside, but it is cozy and it will work since I won’t be in it that long.

“Lucky guess, I suppose. I figured I’d try this group, and if you didn’t like it—knowing how opinionated you are—you’d turn it off.” He climbs, settles in his seat, and pulls and pushes a bunch of buttons on a huge console full of nothing but gauges, buttons, plungers, and everything else you could think of.

“Buckle up, babe, this beast likes to go triple digits. Ever seen triple digits before?” he asks with a devilish gleam in his eyes. He revs the engine and it rumbles the whole truck.

Just wow. I could orgasm just from that. I reach for my seat belt.

“I didn’t think semis could do triple digits.” I grin and he flashes me a hot and sexy smile. The truck starts to roll and move, then catch up speed as we pull onto the highway. Even though I see potholes on the road ahead of us, I barely feel them as we barrel down the interstate.

“Darlin’, you sure have a lot to learn about being a trucker. I’d be glad to show you, though, and not all of it is bad, I promise.” He says it with that drop-dead, sexy look in his eyes.

“And you just expect me to believe you? You have to remember, we haven’t known each other that long.” I wink at him.

“Can we listen to music from my iPod? Or do you not have hook-ups for that in here?” I ask. Since we crossed over into Alabama, we’ve lost all radio stations that are worth a shit. I did get to see Nashville, but not for very long.

Ryder decided to deadhead from Calvert City to Nashville where we picked up a load going to Birmingham that he’ll drop off on our way through. He told me that he does legit work on the side to keep up appearances.

“Yeah, the iPod cord should be in the sleeper. Check on my nightstand or somewhere close to that,” he says to me with a smile plastered on his face. I didn’t think it was possible for guys, let alone bikers, to smile as much as he does, but it seems like anytime I’m around, he’s got one on his face.

I nod, undo my seat belt, and climb into the sleeper. Man, these things are like a glorified closet. There’s literally a super single bed—a little bigger than a twin—a cabinet that I assume has some clothes in it, a mini fridge, mini coffee pot, and an LED flat-screen up above the front seats. It is awesome placement, and he’s done a good job with the smallish space.

I lean over to the nightstand and see a few pictures tacked to the wall. One is Layla and Ryder at a picnic or something, and they’re both beaming. You can definitely tell that they are related. The other picture is Ryder with a heavily tattooed man with four guys standing behind them. I recognize two of the guys as Ziggy and Flem. The other guy has gray hair and really looks like an older version of Ryder.