Trucker (The Good Guys #1)(8)

I wanted to make her feel better, but I didn't know how. Not knowing what else to do, I just held onto her and let her cry.

When I'd taken off my shirt, I didn't even think about what her reaction  would be. It was an innocent move. But when her eyes raked over my body  I'd felt my dick start to stiffen, and I had to bite back a moan when  she ran her delicate fingers through my hair.

It felt so good to have her hands on me.

If I'd questioned whether or not she was attracted to me, I definitely  had my answer now. I couldn't explain it, this connection between us,  but I knew she felt it, too.

After pulling on a faded navy blue tank top, I sat back down next to  Angel. She looked apprehensive about what to do next so I lifted my arm  up in invitation. Her features relaxed in relief and she curled into my  side.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I knew she might still be upset, and I was willing to listen.

"Not really." She looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes. "Thanks, though."

"When I was a kid, my mom would tell me stories when I was sad. I could  just talk for a while if you want," I suggested. Maybe she just needed a  distraction.

I felt her nod against my chest, so I kept talking. "You and I actually  have a lot in common," I told her. "My mom is an alcoholic. I mean, it's  not the same as having a problem with drugs, but it's still an  addiction. She's been sober seven months now. She didn't always have  trouble with alcohol, though. My dad died in a car accident when I was  four. After that …  She just couldn't cope. Her drinking never stopped her  from being a kick-ass mom." I huffed out a laugh. "I guess you could  say she was a high-functioning alcoholic. She made it to all my baseball  games. Had dinner on the table every night. She's a great mom and I'm  proud of her."

"I'm sorry," Angel interjected. "About your dad, I mean."

"I don't remember much about him." I tried to recall the few memories I  had of my dad. "He used to let me sit behind him on the top of the couch  and comb his hair. He'd hold up a cup of water so I could dip the comb  in it to get his hair wet. He let me put it in all kinds of styles.  Mohawk, Elvis hair … "

"It sounds like he was a fun dad," she said, her voice sounding sleepy.  Her arm snaked around my stomach and I put my hand over hers to keep it  there. I liked the way her arm felt around me.

"He was. But I've got Hank now."

"Hank and Sons," she repeated the company name. "Did your mom remarry?"

"No. Hank and I aren't related, but he's like a dad to me. When I was  seven, Hank and his son, Colton, moved in three houses down from me.  Colton and I were the same age," I explained. "The first day we met we  got into a scuffle over some game …  Something to do with marbles … " I  chuckled at the memory. "I gave him a black eye and he gave me a bloody  nose. Hank put us in one of his big shirts-together-and called it our  ‘get along' shirt. We thought it was bullshit at the time but we've been  inseparable ever since. We're actually roommates, so if you decide to  stay with me for the next few weeks you'll get to meet him … "

I left that last part hanging in the air, wanting her to tell me she  would stay, but I was met with silence. I looked down to find her eyes  closed, her deep, even breaths fanning across my chest.

I sat with her for a few minutes, enjoying the way her body felt against  mine. Very slowly, I tried to extract myself from under her arm but she  tightened her hold on me.

Okay, well, I didn't try that hard.

Staying here for a few more minutes wouldn't be the worst thing in the  world. As I held her, I tried to think of a way to convince her not to  leave tomorrow.





ANGEL

For the second time in twenty-four hours, I woke up completely  disoriented. For some reason, I couldn't move. I tried to look around  and realized I was trapped between a wall and a body.                       
       
           



       

Not just any body. Travis's body.

We were facing each other, our legs and arms intertwined. My head was  tucked into the place where his shoulder met his neck. I inhaled and  noted that he still smelled so good.

Was it aftershave? Body wash? Just him?

I thought back to the night before, and the last thing I remember was  being next to Travis while he sat sideways on the cot. His voice had  been so soothing. We must have fallen asleep and somehow ended up like  this.

I'd never woken up next to someone this way before. Sure, I'd had  slumber parties with friends when I was younger. But this wasn't a  slumber party. Travis and I didn't paint each other's nails and gossip  about hot guys.

He was the hot guy.

Light was coming in from outside and I wondered what time it was. I  squirmed a little while trying to decide what to do next. Should I let  him sleep?

My movement must have woken him, because I felt him stir a little before he spoke.

"Hi," I heard him say, his voice rough from sleep, and I looked up at his face.

Since he didn't have a hat on, I could see his eyes clearly in the  daylight. They were hazel, but definitely more on the green side. His  eyelashes were something to be jealous of. Dark, long, and thick. It was  a look I'd tried to achieve with makeup many times, but could never get  quite right.

"Hi," I parroted.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep back here with you," he said. "Sorry."

The smirk on his face made me doubt the sincerity of his apology.

"That's okay." I tried to shrug but couldn't under the weight of his arm  that was draped over me. He didn't move it. In fact, he seemed  completely fine with how close we were, as if it wasn't weird to wake up  next to a girl he barely knew.

Then the thought hit me. Did he do this a lot? Pick up random girls?

Oh my God, he could have a girlfriend. He could have several girlfriends  back home. I mean, why wouldn't he? He was extremely good-looking.

My lips pressed together and my brows furrowed at the thought of Travis  going home to another girl tonight. Maybe he had someone missing him,  waiting for him. If that was the case, it would make staying with him  torture. I wasn't sure I could watch him be with someone else for three  weeks.

"Hey, where'd you go just now?" He interrupted my thoughts, and smoothed his fingers over the worry wrinkle between my eyebrows.

"I was just wondering if you have a girlfriend," I blurted out.  Immediately, I felt embarrassed. I wasn't entitled to the details of his  private life. I needed to just stop talking. "Because if you did, this  would be really inappropriate."

He threw his head back and laughed. "No, I don't have a girlfriend. And yes, this would be highly inappropriate if I did."

Travis reached out and ran his fingers through my hair. The action had  no practical purpose behind it. He wasn't doing it to get hair out of my  face or to tuck it behind my ear.

No, he was touching my hair because he wanted to.

And I didn't want him to stop.

Goosebumps broke out on my arms and I sighed at the feeling of his fingers scraping over my scalp.

An uneasy feeling came over me when I thought about saying goodbye to  him today. I didn't know what this was, but I didn't want it to end yet.

With our eyes connected, my blue to his green, I made my decision.





TRAVIS

Smooth, silky strands slipped through my fingers when Angel said the words I'd been dying to hear.

"Well, that's a relief." She paused. "Because I'm going to take you up  on your offer. So that means I'll be hanging around for a while …  And it  would have been really awkward explaining that to a girlfriend."

"Really?" My hand stopped moving through her hair and I felt my face  stretch out into a huge grin. I probably looked like a kid on Christmas.  "You're seriously going to stay with me?"

Her smile matched mine. "Yep."

I couldn't help it-I wrapped my arms around her.

"Oh my," she said. "You really are a hugger, huh?"

"Not usually," I said, my voice muffled in her hair. "Are you telling me  you don't like hugs?" I asked, not loosening my arms at all. If  anything, I squeezed a little tighter.

"Not usually," she grunted, because I was squeezing so tight she was  having trouble breathing. "But for some reason I don't mind when they're  from you." She wrapped her free arm around my back and laid the side of  her head on my chest.

She liked hugs from me.

We didn't have time to talk about her confession because my phone started ringing from the front seat.                       
       
           



       

Hank's ringtone.

Reluctantly, I let go of Angel to retrieve my phone and I sat down in the driver's seat.