The Lost Trucker (The Trucker Saga) (8 page)

No matter how much it hurts…

     After a bath and getting dressed in some jeans and a comfy hoodie I walk out into my living room to find Ryder sitting on the couch talking on his phone.

  “Yeah, that’s fine. I will be ready in 3 weeks. Yep, last one so remember that.” He says as he hurries to hang up after I walk in. “Ready?”

   He stands up and reaches for my hand. “Not that it’s my business, but who were you talking to?” I ask as we stand outside the front door but Ryder stops as soon as I shut it.

  He wraps his arms around me, “My business is your business now. Like I said before I really want to give us a try. Tonight I am going to tell you everything.” He says as he holds my face and leans into kiss me. “I have wanted to do that all day, Faith.”

  My core is turning to jelly again. This man is so amazing and from my understanding he is all
mine.
Hot damn!
“Okay, we will see.” I say as I kiss him back.

  We start down the stairs and I am confused. I don’t see his truck or
Layla’s car. But I do see a motorcycle; “Don’t tell me we are eating at my work.” I kind of sound a little whiney but that is because I feel like I live in that damn diner and just sleep in the apartment.

  “I told you that tonight you’re going to learn everything about me. One of my goals with you is about to be conquered.
To have you on the back of my bike.” He starts to walk up to a beautiful fat boy Harley. “Come on babe, don’t be scared. I would never hurt you.”

   I slowly walk over to his bike and wonder how he became a trucker when he rides a bike as hot as himself. Interesting mix, but goddamn it is so freaking sexy right now.

“So, you drive a truck and ride a motorcycle? What else is there to you Ryder?” I lift my leg over the bike and sit on the little back seat. 

Ryder comes along side me and places a helmet on my head. He puts his helmet on with an amazing array of designs.  He looks like he has had it for years. He then straddles the bike and then starts it up. The amazing beast instantly comes to life and the vibration between my legs is like nothing I have ever felt, holy hell I am turned on.

   “There is a lot you don’t know about me babe. But soon, you will know everything.” He says and he grabs a hold of my hands and pulls them together in front of him. “Don’t ever let go. You hear me?” He says over his shoulder and I nod my head just once, which is enough to see the one sided dimple.

*****

   Being on the back of a bike is the most exhilarating thing that I have ever done. We pull up to a little lake out in the middle of nowhere. I see there is a blanket with candles and a picnic basket. He stops the bike about 15 feet away from the blanket and rests it on its’ stand. He takes his helmet off and hangs it on the handle bar.

    “Here let me help you off the bike.” He reaches over and grabs the helmet placing it on the ground and reaches for my hands and helps me dismount. I ruffle my hair into a shape I am comfortable with after helmet hair.

I walk over to the blanket and look down. I let out a little snicker when I feel his arms around my waist. “What are you giggling about over here?” He says against my neck.

 
“Nothing, just thinking how sweet this is. You really have many different sides to you Ryder. You do realize that, don’t you?” I kick off my shoes and sit on the blanket. I feel Ryder sit down behind me and he wraps his body around my back.

   We sit there for a few minutes snacking on the food that he packed for us to eat.
“So, Ryder. Tell me why were you gone for so long? You’re lucky that I have decided to go against my better judgment and given you another chance.”

   He moves so that I am still in between his legs but
so that he can see my face and I can see his. He grabs a hold of my hand and squeezes it. “Faith,” he sighs. I can see it in his face that this is going to be hard for him to talk about. “I have never talked about my life with anyone but my sister. So bear with me while I talk about this okay?” he brings his other hand up and strokes my cheek.

  “Okay, just take your time. I’m not going to judge you.  It is great you feel you can talk to me. Whatever you have to say will not change anything between us or how I feel about you. I promise.”  I say to him while I gaze deeply into his eyes and I can see that they are brimming with emotion and a slight reluctance.

*****

        He sighs again and then squeezes my hand once more before he starts to talk. “Well, I am the youngest in my family. I grew up with my mom and dad. Growing up I didn’t know anything about what my dad’s true life was like until I turned 16. I was bigger than him and I had got sick of him beating my mom and
I every time he came home from his ‘job’. We got into a huge fight and he told me then that since I was manning up to him that I could start working for him and his boys.” He started to draw circles on the inside of my palm. “Well, I came to find out that dad did a damn good job at hiding his real life from us. See, he was the VP for the Dueling Dragons Motorcycle club. I saw some crazy shit growing up. I have done some stupid ass shit also.” He sighs again and shakes his head.

  “It’s okay Ryder, how is your dad being a biker a bad thing?” I ask him because I really have no idea what this has to do with anything but I am sure he is getting ready to fill me in.

  “Well, you see as VP of the club my pops had full reign of everything in the club and when he started getting up there in age he was losing his fucking mind. He all of a sudden wanted to start moving drugs and guns for other people.” I could hear in his voice that he was still angry about this part of his life. “He had a smart idea of forcing me into becoming a driver. I was looking at getting patched into the club, but he trumped it and told me that I wasn’t going to ride but I was going to drive instead.

  “I tried to fight him on it, but he wouldn’t let me ride. I was and still am so pissed off at him about that. Don’t get me wrong I love being considered an outlaw trucker but there is nothing like riding down the middle of the road on two wheels.” He says with a small grin on his face. I can see both sides of Ryder in this very moment. I see the scared, confused and kindhearted man but I also see the man who made decisions, wrong decisions.
Criminal moves.

    “I have killed for my club, I have sinned and I have robbed people and not given two shits or a fuck about what people think. For years, nothing has ever mattered more than my club and serving it.” He shifts a little uncomfortably and grabs a snack. “Are you okay? Do I need to stop?” He says as he looked at my facial expressions he probably picked up on the look I meant to keep internal.

  “So, when Layla was telling me that the people you’re around are bad people, is that what she was talking about?” I ask him as I look down and run my fingers up his arm. He lets out a little growl and kisses my neck.

   “Stop doing that. I am trying to be serious here and you're distracting me.” He says as he kisses my neck a few more times before he starts talking again.

  “Well, the thing is that… How do I say this, I was supposed to take my father’s place at the table when he passed away? But I had thought that since he was gone that I could distance myself from the club and actually maybe have a life of my own. But come to find out that my father owed the mafia money and the MC is holding me accountable for it since I am VP and his son.” He sighs and shakes his head and looks at the floor. I can sense what is coming next and also that Ryder is stuck. I can feel his body tense in response to getting upset with what he is talking about.

  He is still holding a lot of anger in. This could be a bad situation Faith. I tell myself as I listen to him tell me about his horrible past.

  “Well, since I am VP and my father’s son I have to drive until the money is paid back. Faith, I am giving up the club life.” He pushes my face up so we are looking in each other’s eyes. “You’re it for me Faith. I don’t want to have to chase you anymore. I still want to drive truck but I wanna go legit. No more outlaw.”

    “Are you sure Ryder? That is your life. Is it going to be enough for you, me and the truck? Are you sure you will not always want to go searching for a thrill of a drive?” I ask him as I run my finger across his cheek.

   “You’re not upset about what I have been doing for a living? I hope that you realize soon that I would do anything for you and that I would never intentionally hurt you. I promise you that.” He has such raw emotion pouring out of him that I am very inclined to believe him.

  “Ryder, if what you say is true. Really you had no choice in your life. Your father had things planned out for you. As far as the club
is concerned I really hope that they leave you alone after this last run and maybe we can focus on ‘us’ time a bit more.” I reach up and cup my hands behind his neck and pull him down to my face so that I can kiss his worries away. 

  He pulls away from our embrace to finish telling me what I asked to know. “This last run that I went on was only supposed to be a short one day run. But I had to go to the clubhouse and get some shit straight for this next run. I will be leaving
Flem here with you when I go on this run. Ziggy will be riding his chopper next to me. And before you ask. Yes, the guys are part of the club. They are my best buds and will not let anything happen to you.”

    One of my eyebrows shoots up. “Why would you have to leave a guy here with me while you’re gone? Is something going to happen to me?” My heart starts to thump hard against my ribs I feel like it is going to pound out of my chest.

   He starts stroking my cheek.
“No, babe. Nothing is going to happen to you. But as my ol’ lady you have to have protection. Trust me, if I could take you with me I would. But it’s not safe for you.”

   “Okay, I understand.” I leave the subject at that and return to making out with my man underneath the beautiful sky.

How about that trip??

  
It’s been a week or so since Ryder opened his heart to me. I think about how open he has been and feel it could really work with us. I am not putting my whole heart out there. Just something I need to keep to myself, a little reservation. He is still being so patient with me when it comes to us being together. Let me tell you if the way he goes down on me or the way he kisses is any prelude to how he is in bed. I am in for a treat!
Oh, calm yourself girl! Ever since he said you’re “his one” you have been acting like a schoolgirl!
My brain is right.  I slump my shoulders down and put out my bottom lip. I need to keep my eyes on the bigger picture.

  
“So, babe. I know I haven’t asked you about this lately. But how do you feel about going on that trip to see your pops?” Ryder asks as he shovels a few fries in his mouth. “What is the lip and the frown for Faith?”

   “Ryder, I don’t know. I’m not sure that we are ready for something like that, you’ll have to meet my daddy and my brothers.” I say as I walk towards the other side of the counter. I was really hoping that he would forget about offering to take me back home. I let out a sigh and walk back over to where Ryder is sitting. “If you promise to be on your best behavior than I guess it is fine with me.”
I just hope my family can do the same and take to him as I have, we will have to wait and see.

   Ryder is still sitting at the bar when I come back out of the kitchen from clocking out and he is just paying his bill. “Faith, can I walk you home so we can talk and finish our plans for our trip.” He says as he walks towards me and reaches out to take my hand to lead me out of the restaurant.

  “Sure, I would like that.” And I reach out and grab his hand. We start to walk across the lot towards the shop and my apartment. Ryder hasn’t gone very far since he has been back. His truck is parked next to my apartment and he is either sleeping in his truck or on my couch.  God, he is amazing looking, love his sand colored eyes and his sun kissed body.
I bet he would feel amazing all sweaty lying on top of my body.
God! These thoughts are nauseating!

  “Well, I was thinking that we could leave around 11am tomorrow and we could head towards Alaba
ma after grabbing something to eat. How does that sound to you?” 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.

   “I need to call Layla and talk to her about getting some time off.” I say to him as we climb the stairs to my apartment.

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

“I haven’t even talked to my brothers or my daddy. What if they are mean to you? I have only ever brought home my ex.” I say with worry thick in my voice. We can’t, he can’t. Oh god!

       How am I going to get out of him taking me back home? I am so afraid of him meeting my family. 

He stops walking and pulls my hand he has been holding and he looks into my eyes this time when he says; “I don’t know what it is but something draws me to you. At first I thought it is because of your hot body but it is 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 a little bit better.”

   
Just do it Faith, if anything you can always stay in Alabama.
I think to myself. “Okay, well I am going to shower and then pack. After that I think I will head to bed.” I say to him as I lock the front door of my apartment.

“Yep!” He pops the P again. “I will be here with bells on. Pack lightly since there isn’t much room in the rig and I want us to be comfy.” Ryder says as he grabs a hold of my hip and pulls me towards 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, then he turns to walk towards 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.”

  I gasp and all he can do is snicker
nervously yet excitably and walk away. My core is calling for him and I don’t know how to stop it from becoming a reality. He is such a force to be reckoned with and I don’t know if I want to stop what is happening anymore. But I am scared that he is going to end up hurting me just like Beau did.

   Well, the only thing to do now is pack my bag with some clothes and head to bed. I do just that and decide that I will wake up early and take a shower so that I am ready when Ryder gets up in the morning. I slip into a restless slumber, which consists of dreams of Ryder and what our life might be like if we actually make it as a couple that is.

*****

   I wake up the next morning with enough time to shower and call my brother Jax to let him know that Ryder and I should be there some time tonight. It isn’t longer than an 8-10 hour drive from Calvert City to Mobile. I make sure that I have all my stuff together and what not before I make this call to Jax because it is going to go one of two ways. They could be either happy that I am coming for a visit or they can be pissed at me for leaving.
I have the conversation plastered in my mind for which way it will go.

  “Jaxon Landon.” I hear Jax say on the second ring of his cell. “Hey Jax, it’s me Faith Anne.” I blurt out before he can say anything.

“Hey princess, how’s it going up there in Kentucky? Obviously you figured your shit out with money because you haven’t called to beg for any.” Jax says with the snarky attitude that he always has when it comes to me. He has always thought that I got what I wanted, which was not the case but whatever.

“Heya, well. I was just…um…calling to…” I said 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 if it is too late we won’t disturb everyone.”

“We? Who is this ‘we’ that you speak of? You know daddy doesn’t like meeting new people. Is this guy your boyfriend? Don’t you think it’s a little early to have a new man in your life?” Jax says with a snicker to his voice. He is 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, oh and Jax, I hope that you’ll be on your best behavior and be nice.” I say to him with a sincere tone to my voice. I really hope that these guys don’t scare Ryder away, because like Ryder pointed out, there is something about him that is just drawing me to him and I have no idea why but I just have to be close to him. I just hope my past doesn’t cause him to run away.

  I hear a light knock on the door and I
have a strong suspicion it’s Ryder and he is ready to go. “Hey Jax, I will keep in touch, if anything happens on our way down I will call you. Alright?” I quickly say as I walk over and open the door to see Ryder standing there in faded jeans that are hugging just the right spots on his toned legs and a wife beater tank top. I signal for just a minute as I wait for Jax to respond to me.

“Alright squirt, we will see you later. And tell this “guy” that
you’re riding with that if he does anything to hurt my little sitter that it is going to be the end of him.” Jax says with a matter of fact tone to his voice and all I can do is snicker and say see ya.

  I hang up the phone as I was walking over to the bed to pick up
my travel bag, I can feel that Ryder is standing right behind me and that he is close, really close. I turn to come face to face with him; “Hi, how is your morning so far?” He asks me. I tell him outright on a sigh and tell him about the conversation that I had with Jax and he seems happy to be getting on the road. 

Ryder heads towards  the door. I follow behind with my bags, through the living room to pick up my purse from the back of the couch.   We walk out the door and I lock it behind me.

“I’m gonna run over to the diner really quick and say bye to Layla.” I say over my shoulder as I walk towards the diner.

  I walk in the back door of the diner and find Layla in her office. “Hey, we are 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 what she is doing and reaches into her desk drawer and pulls out an envelope; I open it up and there is $200 cash. “You never know when you could use the extra money. I am so proud of you for being willing to stand by Ryder even though you know every dirty secret. You’re an amazing girl.” She gives me the biggest hug I have ever been given. “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 a hug then pushes me out the door.

*****

  I stroll out of the back door of the diner when I see a nice shiny black Peterbuilt with a twin turbo Cat motor pushing 1200 Horsepower come rolling up the parking lot towards where I am standing. Now, I don’t know much about semi-trucks but this is one sexy truck and it seems to fit Ryder perfectly.

Ryder opens the driver side door and my ears are instantly flood with
My Darkest Days- Move Your Body.
One of my favorite songs of all time and for some reason this song seems to fit Ryder to a T and makes me want him just that much more.

  Ryder is walking around the front end of the truck and all I can do is stare at him with a smile on my face. “What?” he gives me a sly smile that I barely
catch.

  “Nothing just admiring you…I mean the song and your truck of course.” I say quickly blushing and realizing that this is going to be a big trip. I just hope that he
doesn’t start asking questions since he has told me about his past; I just wonder when he will start asking about mine. 

 
“Oh this ol’ girl. She has been thru a lot with me and I love her just like she were a person.” Ryder says as he stops to pat his beauty on her hood. She is a beauty alright, she has chrome on her in all the right places and she is shiny black with huge tall stacks. This truck is a beast and just standing next to her I can feel every bit of horsepower that she has.

I walk towards the back of the truck to check out the airbrushing that he has done on the truck and it is amazing. “Ghost” is airbrushed across the back above where all the airlines and power leads are for when he is pulling a trailer.

  “How did you come up with the name?” I cock my head to the side and give a sly little grin as I look at Ryder.

  “It’s a nickname that was given to me when I was younger and dumber. Maybe I will tell you more about that time later. But I will tell ya that it is surrounded by dark times.” He says as he walks towards the passenger door and opens it. My ears are blessed with hearing Matt Walst singing.

   “How did you know that I love
My Darkest Days
?” I ask him as I start to climb up into the truck and that is the first time that I notice the inside of his truck.

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

  “Lucky guess, I guess. I figured I would try with this group and if you didn’t like it, knowing how opinionated you are that you would turn it off.” He says with a smile as he climbs in the driver side and starts to pull and push a bunch of buttons on the huge console full of nothing but gauges, buttons, plunger buttons and everything else you could think of.

“Buckle up babe, because this baby likes to go triple digits. Ever seen triple digits before?” He asks with a very devilish looking smile.
He starts the engine and the power! Just wow. I could orgasm just from that. I reach for my seat belt.

  “I didn’t think that semis could do triple digits.” I give him the same smile back and I was given a very hot and sexy smile back. I can feel the truck start to roll and move then catch up speed as we pull out onto the highway. Even though I know there are potholes in the road you can barely feel them at all.

  “Oh babe, there is more you need to learn about being a trucker. I will show you but not all is bad, I promise.” He says that with the drop dead sexy look that he tends to get 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
.