Faith’s Temptation (Dueling Dragons MC Book 1) (7 page)

“All right, all right,” she says, throwing her arms up in the air and leaning back in her chair. “But you do realize that the second she finds out you’re a sad biker trapped in an even worse situation, she’ll most likely split, right?”

I rub my hand over my chin. Would Faith really do that? If I let her in, would she really just turn away from me if she knew about the real me? Fuck. “Shut up, Layla.”

I get up from the chair and stalk toward the door. I’m just about to reach for the knob when she says it. “Don’t let her in, Ryder. She’ll be your kryptonite.”

I sigh and slump my shoulders. “Yeah, I know.”

How did she get to be so damn smart!

***

Faith

The last couple of days were filled with sleep, work, and dreams about Ryder. He just would not get out of my head no matter what I did. He is also there in the flesh every time I turn around.

“I understand that your sister owns this place, but don’t you have a life? Truck drivers do have lives, ya know?” So far over the last few days, I’ve learned his age and that he has no kids and no ties anywhere else but this little town.

“Well, if you must know, Faith, I do have a life, but I’d much rather sit here and watch your sweet ass run around this place all day long than go hang out with the grubs I live with.” He flashes me his amazing dimples, and I instantly melt to my core.

“Hmm, well, you're not going to watch me much longer. I’m off in thirty minutes. I have to go find someplace to move to now, ‘cause the motel I’m at is raising the rent,” I say as I run someone’s check through the till.

“You do know that Layla has an empty apartment over the shop back there, right? No one’s living in it, and she won’t let the likes of us stay there. I bet you could talk her into letting you stay there. Unless you’re planning on taking off?” He says it with a questioning tone.

“I think I’m gonna stick around for a while.” I nod and smile at him. “This place just started showing me its promise.” I shimmy past him. “I don’t really have anything tying me down at home, but I would like to go visit my daddy sometime soon.”

“Well, you could always talk to Layla about getting a few days off. I’d be willing to drive you back home. We could take my truck.”

Such a sweet tone. Is he really serious that he would do that?

“Are you serious? You can’t drive me to Mobile.” I gape at him. He can’t be serious about driving me all the way to Alabama. “You do realize that you would have to meet my daddy and my two brothers? We don’t even know each other well enough for something like that. I don’t feel comfortable enough,” I say as I look down at my hands.

I slowly look up at his gorgeous face, his jawline so pronounced. On the one hand, there’s something about him that tells me he isn’t right for me. On the other, all I want to do is throw my arms around his neck and wrap my legs around his waist and let him take us to a whole new level.

“So how does that sound?” He snaps me out of my dazed daydream about him. “Faith, did you hear me? Are you even paying attention to me?”

“Yeah, huh? Sorry, I spaced out for a second. I was thinking about what I want to do over the next couple of months.” I lie to try and keep his attention off me and the fact that my heart is beating so fast and hard that I am sure he can hear it. The attraction runs deep down to my core, and oh, God, I’ve never felt like this before. I actually spasm deep down between my thighs.

Ryder reaches down and grabs my hands in his large ones and squeezes them to stop me from fiddling with my nails. “Faith, don’t be scared. I’m not going to hurt you. You’re safe with me, I promise.” He looks deeply into my eyes, and I see he is telling the truth—I don’t see one hint of a lie. He reaches up and runs his thumb over my cheek.

At the same time, Layla comes around the corner and stops in her tracks. “Oh, hell, no! Not going to happen,” Layla says aggressively.

I give her a questioning look as I step away from Ryder and move back behind the bar, out of his hearing distance. I fill salt shakers and make myself busy.

“Faith, Ryder is not the right guy for you. I told you that, and I’m not saying it just because he’s my brother. He truly
is
bad news. I don’t wanna see you hurt.” Genuine worry gleams in her eyes.

“Really, Layla? I think I can take care of myself. He asked me to dinner, and that’s all it’s going to be. It’s not like I’m going to fall in love with him and muck up my life,” I say to her with all seriousness in my voice—kind of like I’m trying to convince myself of what I just said.

Keep fighting it Faith. Just keep fighting it
, I keep telling myself as I give her a smile.

“Faith, Ryder is a little out there. He’s the bad-boy type. Honestly and truly, a
bad
boy. Just keep your guard up, please.” Layla gives me a hug and I sigh, thinking I really should take her advice.

“I’ll be careful, Layla. I promise,” I assure her as I step away and grab my orders from the warmer.

***

Ryder

Watching Faith has been the most interesting thing I’ve done in a long time. Listening to her laugh and bullshit with all these dirty truck drivers gives me a sense that she might be okay with my lifestyle. Layla’s words keep running through my mind like a song that gets stuck in your head.

“But you do realize that the second she finds out you’re a sad biker trapped in an even worse situation, she’ll most likely split, right?”

Fuck.
Won’t these thoughts just stop already?

All I need to worry about is the fact that I am going to get this girl alone later, and I’ve gotta to act somewhat like a human-fucking-being. This is going to be a test of not only my mad skills to win a girl over, but my skills to win over
the
one. Call it crazy, but I feel it in my bones. There is something different about Faith, and I intend to find out what that is.

But tomorrow is my chance, and nothing—and I mean nothing—is going to stand in my way of making this girl mine.

***

Faith

“Faith, your shift over yet?” Ryder says from his spot at the bar.

I walk past him and back behind the counter to drop some dishes in the buckets. “Yeah, actually, my shift is just ending. Give me a minute and I’ll go clock out.” I untie my apron and push through the swinging doors into the kitchen and office area.

Now don’t read too much into this dinner, Faith. It is just dinner!
I keep repeating the words, which is the same thing I’ve been coaching myself about since he asked me out.

I return to the diner and see Layla leaning on the counter. She’s chatting with Ryder about something. “Don’t you fucking go there. You’re still a little punk, but you’re my brother. Don’t you....” She stops talking, noticing that Ryder is staring right at me with a smile on his face.

“You ready, babe?” He reaches out and grabs my hand.

All I can do is look over my shoulder and give a small wave to Layla as we leave the diner.

“You and I will chat in the morning, princess. Bright and early!” she says with her smart-ass tone, the door gradually muffling her voice behind us.

We head across the parking lot toward the run-down motel that I’ve been staying in. It is such a dump, and smells horrible.

“So, what made you become a truck driver?” I ask Ryder as I kick a rock across the parking lot.

He shifts his gait and starts walking faster, saying nothing for several moments.

“Well, I was kind of forced into trucking by my dad. See the people, what he, umm…How do I explain this?” He runs his hand through his hair, pulling the braid, letting it go with a thud on his back. “My dad was into, umm, really bad shit. And since I was the youngest and around a lot, I was molded into what he wanted. That’s why everyone said I was going to become my father. But, that’s a different story for a different time.”

I can tell he's trying to prevent himself from letting any emotion show through as he speaks of his father.

“Oh, well. Sometime you can finish telling me.” I shrug and step up to my door. “Well, here is my wonderful room. So I’ll see you tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. for dinner, right?” I look up at him and I see those amazing dark eyes look down at me while he nods his head.

“Yep, so be ready. Pick you up in front of the truck shop, and no, we aren’t taking my truck. I’ll borrow Layla’s car. So dress warm and comfy. See you in the morning, beautiful.” He leans in to either hug me or kiss me, but I step out of the way and into my doorway. He stumbles forward and I start snickering.

“Told you it wasn’t going to be
that
easy to win me over. And dinner is just that, dinner, but you add touching and feeling into it, and it becomes more. Goodnight, Ryder.” I smile at him warmly and close the door behind me.

I set my purse down on the table and kick my shoes off. “Oh, God, that feels amazing,” I mutter to myself. My feet are killing me.

Walking over to the bathroom, I turn the knobs on the tub and, getting the right temp, I set the plug in place and let it fill for a warm bath.

Smiling to myself, I walk back over to the dresser and grab some PJs. I’m smiling because tomorrow I’m going on my first outing with someone that isn’t Beau. It’s been a very long time since I was out with anyone—period.

Going out with Ryder feels different. I have such mixed emotions about him. Something inside of me tells me that it’s worth my time getting to know him.

I’ve always trusted my gut instinct about things, and this is one of those times I am going to trust it.

Walking back into the bathroom, I hang my nightgown and robe on the door and strip down. Inserting one foot into the tub, I raise my other foot and drop down into the heavenly heat.

“Mmmm,” I moan out. Feels amazing!

I drift in and out for the next hour or so in the tub. Standing up, I turn on the shower to wash my hair and body. After drying off and putting on my PJs and robe, I walk over to the bed, set the alarm for mid-morning, make sure everything is ready for the morning, and lay down in bed.

I’m instantly asleep.

***

Ryder

“You’re falling for her, aren’t you? And you don’t even know her yet,” Zig says to me from the kitchen of Layla’s apartment above the shop.

“I don’t know, dude. There’s just something about her. I can’t explain it. It’s like she’s a vortex and I’m being sucked in.” I slam the bathroom door closed and strip down to take a shower.

“You’re gonna make a mistake, bro. You need to let that bitch go,” he yells at me through the door.

Pulling the shower curtain closed, I step underneath the stream of hot water. “Aahhhh,” I hiss through my teeth. Maybe the water is a little too fucking hot.

I grab the shampoo and squeeze some in the palm of my hand. I rub my hands together to get a good lather going and scrub the soap into my hair and over my body.

Images of Faith flood my mind. Her, naked on her knees in front of me begging me to stick my cock in her mouth, or naked with her body wrapped around mine while I fuck her against the shower wall.

Just thinking about her makes my cock so damn hard.
Cool yourself, Ry. Just calm the fuck down.
I need to do something to keep my mind off her, or at least keep my mind off sinking my cock inside her.

I finish my shower, dry off, and get dressed. Thinking of the best idea ever, I pick up my cell to call my sister.

“Hello?” Layla says, clearing her throat.

“Were you sleeping?” I take the phone away from my face to see the time. Shit, it’s eleven thirty at night.

“Shit, I fell asleep on the couch. What the hell do you want?”

“Well, you know how Faith is living in that run-down motel?” I open the bathroom door and walk out into the living room of the apartment and survey how much work my idea will be.

“Yeah, and...?”

“How about you rent her the apartment over the shop? You could probably work something out with her for the rent, but it would keep this place occupied and a little extra money in your pocket.” I say it with a sickly sweet tone to my voice, hoping that it will sweeten the pot.

“That place was trashed, Ry, or I would have already offered it to her. It would take too much, and I can’t afford to get it up to where it needs to be for her to live in it.” Layla yawns into the phone. “Besides, what makes you think she’s going to stick around?”

Letting out a loud enough sigh so that my loving sister can hear it, I reply, “Why do you always have to be so damn negative?”

“Oh, don’t get your panties in a bunch, Ryder. If you think she would actually live there, and you can get it up to snuff, I’ll offer her the place.” She yawns again. “But we can finish this conversation tomorrow.”

Yes!
“Thank you, Layla!” I kiss the phone.

“Whatever, just get over this fucking lust you have. It’s making you soft.” She hangs up the phone.

Fuck her, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

Or does she?

Faith

BANG. BANG.

What the hell?
I sit up in bed and try to figure out if I’m dreaming or if this is really happening.

Bang. Bang.

Holy shit! Yeah, that is real and this isn’t a dream. Someone is really at my front door knocking rather loudly. I look at the clock and it is 7:30 a.m.

I jump out of bed and see that I’m presentable enough to answer the door.

Layla!
She half pushes herself through the door the second I open it. “Umpf. Well, good morning to you too, Layla. What the hell is all this about? You do realize it’s 6:30 a.m.? I don’t even think the dead are awake right now. I was asleep ‘til you came knocking so goddamn loud,” I say, walking back to the bed.

“I don’t give two shits and a fuck, honey. You and I are going to have a little chit-chat about you and my dear little brother. Now, before you say anything, here. Take this.” She hands me a warm paper cup of coffee and a donut and tells me to tuck in while she talks and I listen. Her voice is so motherly, and I can't help but wonder why she never had any of her own children.