There was a quiet understanding in Helen’s sea-green eyes, as if she understood perfectly the war raging inside him. Instead of backing off when Trucker let his intense need of her show when he held her gaze, Helen slid her hand from his shoulder to his heaving, sweating chest.
“Let’s take a shower,” she said softly. “Will you come with me?”
He wanted to deny her, actually looked back at the bag, halfheartedly raising an arm to punch at the bag once. Then he allowed her to lead him back inside and upstairs to her room.
* * *
Helen might still be healing from the trauma she’d endured a week ago, but she was no shrinking violet. One thing she’d come to realize over her time with Trucker was that she wanted to see where this thing with him led. He’d accepted her and her baby already. She just had no idea how far he was willing to go. She suspected he wasn’t going anywhere. Not many men she knew would willingly change a dirty diaper if there were any other option. Trucker didn’t even flinch.
She led him to the shower in her room where he quickly took over, adjusting the water to the desired temperature. Though she knew he needed this, Helen was still hesitant about undressing. Not only was she adjusting to her body’s changes after birth, but she was going to have a wicked scar. It would probably fade in time, but right now it was still healing.
Trucker didn’t seem concerned, though. He shucked his clothing quickly then helped with hers. All the while, he didn’t say a word.
His body was muscled and battle-scarred from cuts and what she suspected was a couple of bullet wounds. Tattoos surrounded or covered some of the scars, but not as much as she’d have thought. The man was definitely an impressive male specimen.
Stepping into the shower, Helen took Trucker’s hand and pulled him in after her. His hands automatically went to her waist as he looked down into her face. His jaw clenched reflexively, the muscle there bulging as his teeth ground together.
“Sit,” she said, motioning to the bench running the length of the back of the shower. It was large enough for a showerhead at either end. While Trucker had set one, Helen now adjusted the other. The spray didn’t quite reach the middle of the bench where he sat, but mist dampened him.
Helen was acutely aware of him watching her every move. When she turned to face him fully, she held his gaze boldly.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she approached him. “It’s obvious you’re hurting, and I don’t know why. But I want to help.” When he opened his mouth, she stopped him. “No. You don’t have to explain. Just know that I’m here when you’re ready. For now, though, let’s just enjoy the moment.”
That seemed to be the exact right thing to say because he relaxed. She could tell he wasn’t completely satisfied yet, but maybe, after she’d distracted him for a while, he’d decide to confide in her.
Helen picked up a bottle of shower gel, squirted a generous amount into her hand, and lathered it between her palms. She watched as Trucker’s body gradually dampened in the mist of the spray. Then she leaned over. Her breasts were inches from him, but he didn’t move to touch her. His eyes were glued to her chest though. She couldn’t help but grin.
Kneeling in front of Trucker, Helen glided her slick palms over his damp chest in gentle strokes. His arms were next. As far as she could reach on her knees between his legs. That big cock of his was long and thick, standing proudly at attention, but still he didn’t move to touch her. She wasn’t deterred. He clearly wanted her touch. Wanted her.
“I’ll apologize in advance if things get a little messy. The hot water sometimes makes my breasts drip.” She grinned up at him, hoping for a smile. Instead, there was a flash of heat there.
“That supposed to make me behave?”
She shook her head. “No one said I wanted you to behave. Just not to be offended if things get a little messy.”
Mist sprayed over them enough to gently rinse the soap from Trucker’s body. Helen didn’t rush things. In fact, she wanted to prolong the situation if she could.
“Messy sex is always the best sex.” His voice was deep and gruff, husky with his arousal. Helen got a little thrill that she was able to affect him as much as he affected her. His hands gripped the bench until his knuckles turned white, the muscles in his arms standing out in stark relief.
She slid down his body, finding his gaze with hers and locking on. While she didn’t feel particularly sexy, Trucker looked at her as if he were starving for her, as if it was everything he could do not to touch her. His jaw bunched at the side of his face where he clenched his teeth repeatedly. Helen imagined he was hanging on to his control by sheer force of will. Perhaps he was. But she knew enough to know this man wanted her in a primal way. Whatever the reason, he’d made up his mind to have her. She was about to test his control even knowing she was limited in what she could do with him at the moment. Why? Because she’d decided he was hers. She wanted Trucker for her own, and she’d do whatever she could to win him.
* * *
Trucker knew he should push Helen away. This was the worst idea ever, but his fucking hands wouldn’t be pried from the bench to end this. He watched in rapt fascination as she sank lower and lower until he felt her warm breath feather over the head of his cock. Her eyes were glued to his, not blinking or wavering in the least. She was watching him as intently as he was watching her, only she was the one with all the power while he had none. He was hers to do with as she pleased.
Which led to a most pressing question. One that could make or break him. It was the only thing short of an all-out battle that allowed him to stop her.
“Helen, baby. Stop a second.”
She blinked up at him. Though she didn’t lower her mouth to him -- to both his complete frustration and utter relief -- she grasped his cock in her soft palm to make slow, lazy pumps up his rigid length. She looked expectant but wary, as if she weren’t sure she wanted to obey him but needed to know what he had to say. “What is it?”
“Baby, as much as I want this -- and I really want this -- I have to know why. I don’t want you doing something you’re uncomfortable with.”
“Why do you think I’m doing it?” She gave him an enigmatic little smile.
“I don’t know,” he growled. “That’s why I’m fuckin’ askin’!” He was surprised when she giggled, her smile now lighting up her face.
“I’m doing it because you need it. You want to be out there with your brothers so you have their backs. I’m not sure why Cain won’t let you, but I suspect it’s because of me. And, yes, I know you’d be out there unless it was Cain who called you off so don’t try to pretend you weren’t ordered to stay behind.” She rubbed one hand up and down his thigh now, the other still lazily stroking his cock. “I can’t have sex with you yet. I haven’t healed enough from the birth. But I can give you this.” She leaned down and swiped the head of his cock with her tongue. “In fact, I insist on it.”
“Wait.” His command sounded strangled and not nearly as forceful as he’d intended it to. “Don’t do this because you think you owe me, Helen. I’ll be here no matter what. I can’t seem to help myself. You and the baby are very important to me. I want…” He swallowed, wincing at how whipped he sounded. The guys were right. He was completely pussy-whipped. Without getting the pussy. “I want you to be part of my life. No matter what happens after this.”
“No worries there, big guy.” She smiled up at him, her little pink tongue making another swipe. “You treat us right, and we’ll stick around a long time. Then you can look forward to fighting off boys who try to date your girl.”
He groaned in defeat. “You’re fighting on two fronts, Helen. No fair.”
“I’m simply stating the facts as I see them. You want me. I want you. I can see by your actions you want more than sex. I’m willing to give it a try if you are. And I’ve never seen a man willingly change a dirty diaper who wasn’t all in. You may not acknowledge it, but that more than anything convinces me you really want something more.”
>
“Fuck,” he said, relaxing his grip on the bench. “You win.”
Trucker reached for her, threading his fingers through her hair before pulling her up to him for a searing kiss. She tasted like heaven. Paradise. She was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman. Helen was strong but vulnerable in a way. She needed his protection but was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. The situation she’d found herself in was impossible, but she’d managed to land on her feet with only a little help. Now, she was the one taking control and Trucker was good with that.
She kissed him back with a passion to match his own, never once pushing away or denying him. Trucker knew she was intent on oral sex, but he was hesitant. Not because he didn’t want it. Because he wasn’t sure what would be comfortable for her, and he couldn’t stand the idea of not pleasuring her back.
When he finally let the kiss end, she grinned up at him before sinking back to her knees. Never taking her gaze from his, Helen engulfed his cock in the wet cavern of her mouth. She took him down as far as she could go. He felt the back of her throat as her tongue slid along his length. Trucker couldn’t help the thrust of his hips or the gasps from his throat. Her mouth on him was sinful. Wicked.
That was it. He couldn’t take anymore. Pulling her up with a gentle tug on her hair, he pulled her onto his lap, then turned them so she was lying on the bench with him on top of her.
“I know I can’t fuck you,” he growled, “but you’re gonna come with me.”
“Trucker.” Her soft gasp was sweet music. She had a confused look on her face that morphed into surprised delight when he aligned his cock with her clit and slid over her, rubbing the little bud over and over.
“I’m not comin’ till you do, baby,” he said. “Now, move with me.”
She did. It didn’t take her long to find the position and perfect amount of friction for both of them. He knew she had it when her eyes widened and she whimpered. Her gasps and little cries echoed in the shower around them, the water hitting the tiles and their wet skin the perfect harmony to her melody. Trucker couldn’t think past the dazed, wide-eyed look on her lovely face.
Helen wrapped her legs around him, locking her ankles at the small of his back. Her heels dug in as if to spur him on until her breathing was ragged and she bucked hard against him.
Trucker was about to lose his mind with the need to come. It took every ounce of willpower and discipline he had not to simply angle his cock down just that little bit and sink into her heat. Had he not been afraid he’d hurt her, he might have. He knew she was still tender from everything and had no idea how much pain she was in even now. The only thing that comforted him was how tightly she clung to him and how sinuously she moved under him. She was as lost as he was.
Just when he was afraid he couldn’t take another second, Helen tensed. Her muscles tightened then she arched her back and screamed. That was his OK to let himself go. His hoarse bellow followed her scream, and he came over her belly with spurt after spurt of hot seed.
Heart pounding, breath coming in ragged gasps, Trucker pulled Helen into his arms so that she straddled him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her while they recovered. Helen’s arms were twined around his neck, clinging to him sweetly. Her breath feathered over the pulse at his neck.
After a while, he kissed her hair. “You good, baby?”
“I am. Thank you.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking you. Wasn’t expecting this kind of action today.” He tried to make light of the situation, but now that the post-orgasmic bliss was fading, Trucker was beginning to feel the weight of his responsibilities again. Rather, the lack of responsibilities. He really wanted to be out there with his brothers.
“Give it another couple of weeks or so. There’ll be more days like this. That is, if you want it.” She looked up at him, leaning in to kiss his chin.
“Always, baby. This and much, much more.”
Chapter Six
Cain returned late the next day with the rest of the crew, all of them grim-faced. “What happened?” Trucker demanded. Cain gave him a quelling look but jerked his head toward the basement door. Time for church.
Every patched member who was in the common room, plus Cheetah, stopped what they were doing and filed downstairs. Except for Stunner. He remained with Suzie where the girl cast a nervous look up at him. The big man grunted, but remained seated. Trucker glanced around. Unless something changed, the women were all with Helen in the baby’s room decorating and putting up the baby bed for when the child was moved into the separate bedroom in Helen’s suite. She’d want to know what was going on, but Trucker wanted to know first so he could decide how to tell her. He needed the raw version. He’d give Helen only as much as he thought she could handle. She had enough stress in her life right now without hearing bad news about her abductor.
“Good news and bad news,” Cain said when they were all downstairs and the door locked for church. “Good news is Levi’s buddy’s dead. Levi shot him in the head from the back. He put him in a freezer in the cellar of the new digs he commandeered. I don’t imagine he’ll get rid of him for a while. Probably waiting to see if he’s missed. Kinda like he did when Cheetah sprung Helen. He’s either methodical or indecisive. I can’t decide which.”
“I take it the bad news is Levi’s still alive?” Trucker leaned his elbows on the table.
“Yes. We’ve got Shadow, Arkham, and Sword staking the place out. It’s pretty remote. Only way he has electricity is the generator he stole. He’s starting to get sloppy. Making mistakes he’s not made before.” Cain nodded at Data. “You got any insight here?”
“Well, he’s never been to a place as off the beaten path as Somerset. Sure, it’s pretty close to the interstate and is a good-sized town, but everything around it is rural Kentucky. I think he’s bitten off more than he can chew. He’s stuck. He doesn’t know the places to dispose of a body, and he doesn’t know the local underground. I think he came here out of desperation.”
“Explain.”
“I found some incidents leading up to Helen’s that didn’t work out the same. The two most recent resulted in the death of both mothers and babies. One before that where the mother survived initially but the child didn’t.” Several of the guys shifted uncomfortably. No one liked this. “In all three cases, it looked like he was interrupted and had to leave before the procedure was complete. He shot the woman who survived before bugging out. The babies died because he botched the procedure in his haste. This was all highly publicized. I’m surprised we haven’t heard more, even though it didn’t happen in this state.”
“You got ideas about any of it?”
Data held Cain’s gaze. “The three incidents were in Florida, and Southern and Northern Georgia respectively. I think someone was on to him. More? I think they were driving him straight to us.”
“Jesus,” Cain swore softly. He glanced at Storm. “Brother, if this is your father-in-law again, I will beat that motherfucker into oblivion.”
“If it is, El Diablo hasn’t said anything. Magenta has spoken to him a couple of times. She’d’ve told me.”
“He’s trying to force us into a corner for some reason. He wants something from us, and I won’t rest easy until I know what.” Cain stood, pacing the length of the room and back. “We’ve got eyes on that little fuck, Redding, for now. We’ll keep watch. As long as he stays put in the woods, we can contain this. Until we know who’s after him, we maintain distance. The last thing I want is for us to walk into some kind of set-up.”
“And if he makes a run for it?” Torpedo asked the question quietly, probably already knowing the answer, just needing to hear it officially.
“I don’t want him out there harming others.” Cain breathed out a harsh gust of air, his features hard. “Shadow him. But if there is any danger whatsoever of him giving us the slip, waste the motherfucker. Shooter’s discretion.”
“I don’t like this,” Trucker muttered. This wasn’t his area. He was s
upport. Torpedo and Bohannon did tactics. Cain measured the tactical gain with the collateral loss. The needs of the club came first, but in this case Trucker was worried more about Helen and her child than Bones. “If he’s found dead here and Helen’s story comes out -- and let’s face it, when the baby shows up in the system someone is going to put two and two together -- she’s going to be right in the middle of a murder investigation.”
“No worries on that account. Mama is perfectly qualified and credentialed for a home delivery. Helen will never be linked with his death.”
“Also, if El Diablo did drive that fucker this way, he put him on a path straight to Helen.” That more than anything was enough to infuriate Trucker.
“I know, brother. It’s the first thing I intend to bring up in our little conversation.”
“Fucker needs to disappear,” Trucker insisted. “Fast.”
Sword snorted. “Which one?”
Cain crossed to him. Trucker could see the understanding on his face as well as the firm resolve. “We’ll get Levi, Trucker. But first, I need to have a discussion with El Diablo. If he’s maneuvered us into this, I need to know why and what he’s gaining. I won’t be a pawn for another club or anyone else.”
Trucker nodded. “Understood.”
“Good. Everything is in place then. We’ll keep watch on him in teams of three. Twelve-hour shifts. I want everyone on alert until then. We may need a quick cleanup. If so, we’ll need to scour that fuckin’ house clean. Questions?” When no one said anything, Cain dismissed them. “Get some rest, people. It’s gonna be a long few days. Data, I wanna talk to El Diablo. Now.”
Data gave Trucker a knowing look, understanding his brother would want to be in on this. “Give me a few minutes,” Data said. “You can take the call in my office.”
Trucker (Bones MC 6) Page 6
