Chapter 11 Mayson “Trucker” Calhoune
MAYSON “TRUCKER” CALHOUNE
“So, she doesn’t want you digging?” Kaos asked.
I shook my head.
“She didn’t answer the question. Not really.” I tossed some peanuts into my mouth and chewed. “But I think I should wait for her word.”
“Good call.” He replied.
“But I want to rage against the world right now.” I admitted to only my friend. “I want to light shit on fire—what kind of man does that?”
“The kind who can’t get off unless his partner is a victim.” Kaos’ stare was serios. “That’s not a real man, Trucker. And he gets away with it because she doesn’t want to deal with that shit again. That is precisely how these wasted humans get away with it. But don’t push, huh?”
“I know.” I murmured.
Deep down, I wanted to find the fucker who did that to her and chop off his balls. No, I didn’t want to kill him—I wanted him to live to show him there were worse things than death.
But Kaos had been right.
If Taji didn’t want me to get involved, I had to respect that decision.
I didn’t have to like it.
Zoom eventually came to the phone for our regular check-in. It was all business until I was able to hang up. Then I laid in bed, listening to the night creatures squeaking outside the window, unable to sleep.
To make matters worse, I was turned on.
That issue was quickly solved as I remembered the fear in her eyes and hear the words she said about what caused the emergence of her nightmares.
I did.
The very thought of being with me scared her back into her trauma.
Closing my eyes, I squeezed them tightly.
She’s afraid of me.
“Shit.”
It rained the entire night and from what I could see from the weather forecast, it wouldn’t stop until later tin the day. I sent a message to the cadet group chat giving them the day off then took a chance and headed out for my usual run.
Though it wasn’t ideal and there was mud everywhere, the night I had before slowly seeped from my mind as I made my way through crips, raining, morning air.
I was completely soaked when I returned, but I didn’t mind.
I removed my soaked runners outside on the porch and Taji brought me a towel to wrap around my hips after removing my wet clothes.
Venturing inside, she was back in her office working away. Not wanting to disturb her, I showered, dressed and whipped out my laptop and phone to get some administrative things done.
Calling Zoom was foremost on my list and when I told her what was happening, I could hear the disbelief and anger in her voice.
“I’m sorry, what?” Zoom asked. “What the fuck is in the water in that town?”
“You’re asking the absolute wrong person.” I frowned. “I’m not leaving here until she’s safe and right now, I don’t feel like she is.”
“Listen to your gut.” Zoom told me. “You need extra muscle? Kaos is back, or I can run down there. Plus, Moose and Pen are coming for a visit.”
“Not yet. I’m going to get Zulu to look into a few things for me.” I replied. “Once I hear what she says, I’ll decide then.”
“Does she know you’re looking into her rape case?”
I sighed dramatically and glanced around to ensure I was still alone.
“Not her case.” I clarified. “I don’t think she wants that. But anything else I can find, I’m going to take. I can’t just sit here and do nothing, Zoom. It’s killing my soul.”
“I get you. But be careful, eh?”
I nodded.
“Okay. Keep me posted.”
Promising I would, I went back to emails.
Taji and I had to cancel our date—I wasn’t sure what she had planned but instead of worrying about it, I spent the day with her, watching movies when she took breaks from work.
“I feel like a house husband,” I said as I brought her a sandwich for lunch and something to drink. “Bringing you lunch like this.”
“I’m sorry—this was a last-minute gig.” She sighed and pushed up for a kiss. “This wasn’t the plan for today. I mean it.”
“I’m not complaining.” I told her, kissing her a few more times. “You can make it up to me later.”
Taji laughed.
“Really?” Taji asked in a breathy voice. “And how do you suggest I do that?”
I wiggled my brows at her making her laugh again.
“I don’t know.” I rested my palms on my hips. “You’ll think of something.”
The Sunday was no good for our date either with another job that was an emergency for a rebranding kit for some big-named author who had her last artist flake on her at the last minute.
“You don’t mind, do you?” Taji asked.
“I don’t mind.” I told her. “I’m going for my run.”
“Trucker…”
“It’s okay.”
And so Sunday floated by and if I had been honest, I’d admit not being able to steal time with her bothered me.
Monday morning, bright and early, I left the house without going for my run. Instead, I used the day to get my workout in by running the obstacles and other courses with the cadets.
For some strange reason Ryan hadn’t shown up that day and he hadn’t called in.
“Anyone know where Ryan is?” I asked after gathering the cadets.
“Nope.” One called from the back. “Honestly, he hasn’t been taking this seriously at all.”
“He’s right.” Andi added. “And it’s bothersome that he took that spot from someone else who would have appreciated it.”
I couldn’t disagree with that logic, but I said nothing.
Honestly, I was just over him. I had other important things to worry about, like who’d tossed a fucking rock through Taji’s front window.
I also wanted to know who dared to touch her—who took from her something she didn’t want to give them.
“You okay, Trucker?” Lennox asked.
“Yeah—I’m good.” I replied. “Go home. Rest.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” He grinned. “Going.”
Alone at the station house, I called my friend Zulu. When she saw my face, she grinned and blew me a kiss.
“Hello, handsome.” Dayna “Zulu” Ruigere greeted me. “You good?”
“I’m good but I need a favour.”
“Anything, you know that.”
I proceeded to explain to her what was going on. After I gave her Esther’s name and Ryan’s, we talked for a little bit before I left her to work. I wasn’t sure what I was going to find, if anything, but I was pretty sure one or both of them were involved in what happened to the window.
Though it seemed like a simple enough incident, those tend to escalate.
Texting Taji not to make dinner, I stopped by the diner then headed back to the house. When I arrived, Taji wasn’t in her office. I placed everything in the kitchen then climbed the stairs.
“Sprite?” I called. “You here?”
“In the bedroom.”
“Are you decent?” I countered.
“Does it really matter?” She countered.
Smiling, I stepped into the room to find her wearing nothing but a bra and panties. Confused, I remained at the door.
“Um—”
“I’m sorry I don’t have any lingerie.” She hung her head. “I haven’t really had any use for the stuff. Besides, it was hard finding things for me because I’m kinda shaped funny, you know? It was always a giant pain trying to find things.”
“Taji—what’s this?”
“You said when I’m ready.”
“I remember.” I nodded helplessly. “I was there. But—”
“I’m ready.”
Closing my eyes, I tried stopping the way my body instantly reactive. Every part of me stood at attention, pulsing enough to push me out of control. I held my breath.
She pressed her palms to my chest.
I hadn’t heard her move—but she was now standing in front of me, smelling like roses and fire. Hanging my head, I chewed into my bottom lip while trying to step out of her touch.
“You promised.” She told me.
“I know.” My voice cracked.
I cleared my throat and tried again.
“I know, Sprite. But are you sure?” I pleaded. “There isn’t any rush. I won’t walk away because you need more time—no matter what it does to me. You can take more time.”
Instead of replying, she began undoing the buttons of my shirt.
I caught her wrists in my palms and met her gaze.
“Sprite—Taji, talk to me.” I pleaded. “Please—this can’t be a joke. I’m not that strong.”
“Oh, my god.” She stepped back. “You don’t want to. Jesus. I was thinking that…I’m sorry.”
Turning away, she grabbed a pair of jeans and began pushing her legs into it. Quickly, I rushed over to her and caught her around the hips to turn her to face me.
“This isn’t about if I want to or not.” I told her. “It’s about you going through something so terrifying and I need to make sure you’re—”
“I know my body, Trucker.” Taji told me. “I know what I want—of course, I’m nervous. But that’s to be expected, right?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“Right.” I managed. “Nerves.”
“Then listen to me when I say that I want you.” She blinked. “I want you now.”
Exhaling, I finished unbuttoning my shirt while backing her toward the bed.
As she fell backward onto it, I discarded my shirt and knelt between her thighs on the bed.
She pushed my pants off and they pooled to the floor before I leaned forward to kiss from her left hip, up the warm flesh of her stomach to her right breast.
“I hate it when you wear clothes.” I muttered, gripping the fragile material of her bra and ripping it from her. “It’s always in the way.”
Taji whimpered.
Finally kissing her, I snaked a hand between our bodies and showing the same treatment to her panties I had to her bra, I slipped a finger into her.
Taji was already wet, but I wasn’t ready to give in to her yet.
No—I wanted her to realize what happened when she played with fire.
Using the pieces of her bra, I tied her wrists together above her head and immediately, I saw the fear in her eyes.
“You’re in control, Taji.” I reminded her. “If you want me to stop, just say so.”
She nodded and I kissed her before dragging my tongue down her body. I toyed with her, sucking on her nipples, grazing them with my teeth and loving the oft sounds she made for me. Each time she arched up into me, I felt as if I was winning at everything.
But my greatest prize sat between her thighs—hot and wet and ran freely against my tongue. Each pass of my tongue, she whimpered my name, her thighs tightening against my shoulders.
I didn’t stop.
And by the time she came for me, I was out of my mind with need for her. She tugged at the restraints, but I merely gripped her thighs and spread her wider.
“Trucker…”
Climbing up her body, I paused to look down into her eyes.
Nodding, I’d promised her we’d stop if she wanted me to. While she said nothing, and I couldn’t read her eyes, I was getting off her when she whimpered.
“I told you if you wanted to stop—”
“I don’t want to stop.” Her voice trembled. “I don’t.”
“Taji—"
I am so confused.
“Tell me what you need, Taji.” I told her. “I can’t read your mind, and I don’t want to assume anything.”
She panted for breath.
“You were serious about that?” She panted to know. “You’re leaving things in my hands. It can’t be that easy.”
“Sex is supposed to be fun.” I explained. “It’s supposed to be sexy, dirty, sweaty—for both of us.”
Taji moaned.
“It’s no fun if I’m the only one enjoying myself.”
“Mayson…”
“So, tell me what you want—what you crave.”
“And you’ll give it to me?”
“I’ll give you anything you want—any way you want it.” I paused. “So, do you want me to stop?”
“Never.”
“Then?”
Taji tugged at the ties against her wrist then moaned.
“I want you.” She replied. “Hard and deep—please.”
I gave her what she wanted.
Being inside her had my toes curling in on themselves and my eyes crossed. I didn’t expect it would be so good—so hot. To further drive me crazy, Taji was rolling her hips upward, taking me deeper and deeper and I could barely breathe.
Even as sweat trailed down my brows and back, there was no stopping what was happening. Unable to help myself, I kissed her deeply.
Again, she came for me.
Watching her hair wet with sweat and sticking to her face. Her face was contorted into this beautiful expression that I tried imprinting on my brain.
Her kiss-swollen lips parted in a silent shout before a loud scream erupted from her soul—where else would a primal sound like that come from?
I had to pull out of her, or she would have taken me with her.
Rolling her over, I plunged into her from behind.
“Mayson—what the…”
“Deeper, baby?”
She purred in the back of her throat, and I shifted my hips to sink deeper inside her. I rode her harder, faster.
I don’t understand this need.
Taji caused me to lose control—I couldn’t control what happened next if I tried.
Taji came again and this time I had nothing to hold on to.
I was too far gone, and she didn’t make it easy.
My entire body stiffened, and time stood still as my eyes rolled into my head.
Taji was my undoing, and I wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore.
Weakly, I removed the restraint from her wrists. She immediately cuddled into my body, wrapping her arms around me.
“Don’t go.” Taji pleaded.
“I told you.” I kissed her sweat covered forehead. “I’m here with you. I’m not going anywhere.”
Taji fell asleep against me.
“The men you’ve been with are all idiots.” I whispered, I pushed her damp hair from her forehead and stared into her face.
Unable to stop myself, I traced her forehead with my lips.
“They didn’t know what they had.” I placed a lingering kiss there then on the tip of her nose. “Their loss.”
She trembled in my arms, and I held her closer.
This place with her felt familiar to me—like home.
What did that mean?
Sighing, I kissed her head and pulled the sheets up and over our bodies on the bed. Though I didn’t sleep for a while, I couldn’t remember a time I felt so calm.
Taji Sloane had a magic about her.
She was the keeper of my darkness, and I wasn’t about to let anyone hurt her.
I didn’t care who.