Faith’s Temptation (Dueling Dragons MC Book 1) (12 page)

“Oh, Ryder…Mmm…That feels absolutely amazing! Oh, God…Right there…” He really knows what he’s doing.

He rocks back and forth, moving his tongue in circles around my clit. “Yes, Faith. Let me hear you. I want to hear you come. Let me hear what I do to you. You can come anytime now if you want to, baby.”

His words are like little darts right to my clit. Goose bumps spread all over my body, and the hair on my neck bristles. At the same moment, it’s like Ryder knows I’m about to explode, and he sinks two fingers deep inside my wet pussy.

“Ryder...Oh, God...Ryder....” I scream his name as my body is wracked by the most powerful orgasm I’ve ever felt. The only thing I can feel and hear is static.

There’re soft kisses trailing up my body. My robe is being stretched around me, and then….

It’s over. Ryder picks me up and carries me into the bedroom. “What are you doing?” I ask him as I am pulled out of my orgasm daze.

I’m being laid down on my soft bed. Ryder strips off his shirt and I notice all his tattoos.
Wow, he really is stunning!

He turns his back toward me, and that’s when I see an epic tattoo that covers the top half of his back
.

Damn, he is very handsome without clothes on.
I feel like I need to say something, and I start to babble “You know, I really enjoyed what just happened. But I still haven’t changed my mind. I want us to take our time.”

He walks over to the opposite side of the bed and climbs in behind me. He grabs ahold of me and pulls me to his chest with my back to him.

“Faith, you need to realize I’ll wait. I’m going to respect your wishes. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to bury myself balls-deep inside you,
but
I also want to be more than just some notch to you,” he says with such emotion I have no choice but to believe him. At least until he proves me wrong.

“There is just so much about me you still don’t know, Ryder,” I respond. “And I don’t want to give myself entirely to you until I tell you. I want to trust you and tell you, but I keep stopping myself.”
I want to be able to trust any man. Period.
“I just hope my heart catches up with my mind soon. At least where you're concerned,” I say as I snuggle more into his warm arms.

“In time, babe. In time, and when you decide to tell me what you want to tell me, I’ll be here for you. Now, sleep.”

Minutes later, I hear his breathing mellow out and I realize he’s yet another man who can fall asleep in no time.

***

Ryder

Stumbling into the bathroom, I take a piss and start the shower. I should get dressed and cleaned up before Faith wakes.

Stripping off my boxers, I stop at the mirror. Checking myself out, I see marks on my shoulders from where Faith dug her nails into me. Smiling, I run my finger over them.

In the shower, I look down and see some girly shampoo shit, and then I see a bar of soap.
Well, at least I can wash my shit.
Lathering the soap, I run my hands over my body and think about Faith and how she looked naked, completely under my spell.

My cock instantly goes hard. I grasp ahold of it and stroke it up and down. Thoughts of her flood my mind—bucking her hips up to meet my tongue as I slide it across her clit, her sexy moans, the quivering of her body. I stroke myself a little faster and let out a small groan, clamping my eyes tightly shut. Yes, yes....I remember her pussy as it flexed and tightened around my fingers as I pushed them inside her and she came unraveled.

With three more tense pulls on my cock, I come all over the shower wall.
Fuck! What have I gotten myself into?

I finish up my shower just in time to hear my phone go off. I tiptoe back into the bedroom and snatch up my jeans and phone from the floor. It’s Ziggy. I ignore it for the moment, slip on my jeans and boots, and lean on the bed.

I brush Faith’s hair out of her face, “Thank you.” I kiss her forehead and leave the apartment before she wakes up.

Faith

THE NEXT MORNING,
I opened my eyes to an empty bed. Not how I expected to start my day. I slept half the day away already, so I’m running behind on a lot of things.

Shit, now you’ve gone and done it.
I not only basically gave myself to Ryder the second he showed interest in me, but I blindly fell for him too.

This is way too fast. I made Beau wait two years. How could I do this with someone I haven’t even known for a month?

Ryder’s words echo through my mind.
“There is something about you. I just can’t put my finger on what it is. But it makes me want you more.”

I shake my head and get out of bed.

Headed to the bathroom, I notice Ryder’s t-shirt on the floor. Picking it up, I draw in a deep breath.

God, he smells divine! I throw the shirt in the dirty clothes pile. Even though it smells like him I’ll still wash it.

I strip off my PJs as I head into the bathroom to get ready for my shower. I turn on the hot water and step into the steady stream of warm water. It is such a soothing feeling as it works out the soreness in my muscles.

After the shower, I dress in a black and pink skirt with a pink and black wrap shirt and make my way into the kitchen to find something to eat.

Standing at the iPod docking station, I turn on
All That Remains
. The song seems so fitting for the moment. I’ve let myself go to someone that I don’t even know. It took me years to realize that I had feelings for Beau, and here I am. Four weeks after meeting this man, I open my legs wide open for him the first chance I get.

What are you thinking? Cut yourself some slack, you didn’t sleep with him! But you're falling for him, and you need to slow it down.

I hate feeling like we did something wrong, like we aren’t meant to do things like that. But all I can think about is how his lips felt on my body and how I responded to him.

Ding!
I look down at my phone and see that Ryder’s messaging me. “Can we talk soon??”

“
Yeah, I think we need to. When do you want to meet up?

“I’m on the road. Got a load going to Arizona. Be back when I can.”

“Fine, whatever. I guess I’ll see you when I see you.”

“
Oh, come on, gorgeous. Don’t get your pretty panties in a bunch. I will be back ASAP and we’ll talk.”

I don’t reply.

Well, that was awkward. He didn’t explain why he came back for such a short time. I really have to wonder why he left all of a sudden.
Whatever, I am not going to let my feelings get all hurt because of my past
.

I push the
skip
button in the middle of
All That Remains
and switch it to
Godsmack
. My heart skips around and my belly flutters at the word “gorgeous.” I set my cell phone down on the kitchen table and start to get ready.

***

“What’s crawled up your ass and died, missy?” Layla says, bumping her hip into my ass. Clearly, she can see my miserable-looking face.

“I’m just starting to realize that I’m better off alone,” I say shrugging my shoulders. “No matter what I do, I am just not happy. Or, if it seems like I’m happy, something happens and fucks it all up,” I say at the end of a sigh.

“You better not have slept with Ryder! If you have, so help me God, girl, I am going to skin him and then kick the shit out of you.”

Layla has the maddest look on her face as she realizes I wasn’t telling her everything. “I knew this was going to happen. Damn it.” She turns and walks through the swinging doors.

I finish giving out the plates of food and look through the little window toward the kitchen. “Tony, can you keep an eye on the front? I need to go calm mother hen down before she blows a cork!”

“Yeah, that’s fine, Faith.” Tony is a short, gray-haired, tattooed cook. He is nothing nice to look at, but he is good people.

I turn and charge outside. “Layla, what the hell was that about? How could you talk like that in front of all the guys? You don’t think I catch enough shit here because of how young I am.”

“Well, did you? Did you fuck up and sleep with Ryder?” She doesn’t seem to stop for a second as she spits this out.

“Well, I don’t really think it’s any of your business, but no. We did not have sex.”
Everything but, but she doesn’t need to know that.

“I have to tell you, Layla,” –I put my hands on my hips— “I don’t know what is so wrong with Ryder. He’s been nothing but a sweetheart to me.” I shrug, pulling out a smoke.

“He’s going to break you. I know it sounds like I’m being a bitch, but I’m just warning you so that you’re aware of what is going to happen. He’s
just
like our father was, neither of them able to settle down in just one spot.” She shakes her head and lets out a sad, frustrated, and defeated sigh. “But I am going to be here for you, sweetie. It’s your life and you have to make your own choices.”

“Well, it’s probably over anyway. He wasn’t there this morning when I woke up. He’s already back on the road. He texted me asking if we could talk when he gets back and I said yeah.” I take a long drag of my smoke. “Then he said that he doesn’t know when he’s coming back.” I put out my smoke and walk into the bathroom to wash my hands before I head back to work.

I hear her say something like, “And it starts,” but I can’t be sure because I’m already halfway into the kitchen when she walks back in. I don’t think anything of it as I return to work.

***

Ryder

Lying to Faith feels like the worst thing I’ve ever done. The second I sent her that text telling her I was headed to Arizona on a run, my heart hit my feet. I lied to her, bald-faced lied to her. We aren’t even together completely and I am already lying to her.

Good going, smart guy!

Maybe my sister and Ziggy are right and it won’t work with Faith and I.
You need to tell her, man.
My heart and head are fighting each other on this one. Every part of me wants to open up to Faith and let her in, let her know the real me. But another part of me is holding out because of the MC code.

Heading down highway 57 toward Chicago, I look over and see Ziggy riding next to me like always. I don’t have to glance to my right to know that Flem is with me also. God, that is one thing I miss the most—the wind beating against my face as I ride into the unknown.

“Someday soon. Someday, I’ll be back on my bike,” I tell myself aloud. “Maybe even have Faith on the back.”
Yeah, right. That statement is more of a dream than reality.

***

Pulling into the Pilot truck stop in Gary, I yank on the lever to release the air out of my brake lines, then turn the truck off. Ziggy whips in front of the truck along with Flem. They both back their bikes up to the front grill.

Opening my door, I stretch my legs out a little.

Ziggy gets off his bike and starts to remove his helmet and riding gear. “So, boss. What time are they supposed to be here to swap trailers?” Ziggy asks, walking under my door.

“Ax said something about park and get something to eat. They will be here whenever.” I stretch and yawn.

“So should we go eat?” Flem says from a couple feet behind Ziggy.

“Is that all your ass ever thinks about is fuckin’ eating?” Ziggy barks back.

“Now, now, kids. Get along.” I laugh at the two of them. We have all been friends our whole lives, but when we were all pulled from our normal lives and put on this fucked-up shit, we all went into dark places, and some of us didn’t end up as close as before.

I hop out of the cab of my truck and lock the door. “Let’s go get some food and see what else they have here.” I motion over to the main building on the lot.

The three of us amble over to the building, looking like straight-up badasses. All of us are built and very muscular, like a wrecking crew of sorts.

Over the next couple of hours, we take turns showering and cleaning up in general. Hearing my phone chime, looking down at the screen, it’s a text message from Ax.

“
Picker is on his way. Be prepped.”

All right, now we’re in business.

“All right boys.” I clap my hands together. “Mexicans are on their way here now. Once they pick up, we can get the fuck out of here and go home.”

I feel excitement course through my veins as I get instant thoughts of being able to return to Faith and pick up where we left off.

You need to tell her the truth.
I need to find the time to tell her about me and what I really do for a living. Hopefully, she understands and is willing to give us a chance.
Oh, what am I saying? She will never understand.

I need to make this right before I bring her into this life. Her safety is my number one concern, and with the uncertainty of the way I live, I can’t pull her into it with me without fixing the past.

Picking up my phone, I prepare to send the worst message I have ever had to send.

Pulling up the keyboard on my screen I start to type.

“
Faith, I think that we should just slow things down between us. I am sorry if this hurts u. I want to b with u but now is not the right time. Plz 4give me.”

I read the message over and over again, debating on if I should really send it or not. But thinking about where my life has been and where it is headed, I know it’s for the best.

Pushing the send button on my phone, I toss it on the passenger seat and drop my head into my hands.

What have I done?

***

Faith

After the stress-filled shift I just had and with everything else that has been going on, I decide a night out is in order. I call myself a cab. It will be around at 5:30 to pick me up, leaving me about an hour to get all pretty and cute.

I run upstairs into my apartment and head right for the tub. I fill it up with bath salts and soak for a few minutes, doing all the things women do in the tub. I wash my hair under the shower and finish scrubbing my body. Drying my hair a little, I put some curlers in that I got from Layla. I walk out to the kitchen and turn on the iPod and turn up Lorde. Her songs always seem to get me in the mood to dance and feel good.