Ryder

Chapter 3

I reach the van and slam my back against it. I close my eyes and clench my fists. I relax and clench again, trying to breathe through the fury. I try to calm down, but I just keep replaying it over and over again. He tried to take me out. He tried to ruin this for me. I need to play smarter. I need to be more careful. I haven't got the money he has. I haven't got the backing, and I can't afford to replace the parts left, right, and centre. Letting out a sigh, I bang my head against the van.

"Hey, you good?"

"Yeah," I say to Derek without opening my eyes. His hand lands on my cheek, and I open my eyes, meeting his. "I'm good." I sigh and give him a tight-lipped smile.

He nods and taps my cheek a few times. "That's my boy." He grins, pulling me in for a hug, and I sag into his arms and throw mine around him, holding him tight for the longest time before sighing again and releasing my grip on him. He really is the best man I know, and I'm so lucky to have him.

"Thanks, Dad," I whisper into his ear.

He pulls back. "Dad?" He raises his eyebrows at me, and I nod.

"Dad!"

He sniffs as he wipes a single tear that runs down his cheek.

I push him back. "Jesus. Don't go all sappy on me now, or I'll go back to calling you Derek." I laugh.

"I don't care. You've said it now. No going back." He smiles. "Now, let's show that prick what we're capable of."

Heading to the bike to look at the damage. Scuffed plastics, snapped front brake and back brake levers, and twisted footpeg. "Damn it."

"Hey, don't worry," He pulls out his phone. "Mary, hey, can you call at the shop? I'm gonna place an order, but we need it picked up before they close, and I can't get back before then… Thanks, Mary. Yeah, he's good… yeah. I'll pick them up tonight, if that's okay… yeah, see ya later, love."

I tight-lipped smile at him. I wish they could get their act together and just make a go of it. He still loves my mum, and I'm pretty sure she still loves him, too. They never fell out or fell out of love. They just got busy and drifted, losing sight of what was important. But he's the best guy for her. They just need to stop friend-zoning each other.

"Don't look at me like that."

"You're both hopeless. I love you both, and I just wish you could sort things out and stop dicking about and get back together."

"Shut up!" He shakes his head, dials the shop, and places his order. "Right, strip the bits off, and I'll be back in the morning. When you're done, why don't you head into town for a drink? Get away from here for a bit."

"Sure."

I kneel and start stripping the bits off. It's not a massive job. It could have been so much worse, but it was bad enough to stop me from finishing.

Once I'm done, I head to the shower block. I look around, hoping I'll see that guy from before, or any guy, really. I'm not fussy, and there are more track sluts than you might think. A handsome guy exiting the shower block breaks me from my thoughts. Short blonde hair, light blue eyes, tanned skin— definitely no twink. I smirk as I walk in. He's one of the other riders. He's in a different class to me, but I've seen him around. I've noticed him.

I flick him a suggestive smirk. He runs his hands through his damp hair and turns to watch me as I walk past. I turn as I reach the door and look him up and down.

"Think you missed a spot!" I wink, and he turns and follows me back inside. He locks the main lock on the door, comes in, and drops his bag and towel on the counter. I drop my stuff and turn to meet him.

"I'm—" I push my fingers into his lips and shake my head. No names. It's easier to be anonymous, and I prefer it.

I back him up to the door, caging him in, and leaning down, I lick up his neck, causing him to shudder. "So pretty boy, you gonna blow me, or am I gonna fuck you?"

I see his Adam's apple bob, and I smirk. "Ahh, don't be bashful, pretty boy. I'm gonna make you feel so good."

I slide my hand around his throat and hold him against the door as I grip tighter on his waist. "So?" I smirk.

"Blow you," he grits out as I nip at his ear and slide my stubbled chin down his smooth face.

He gasps at the sensation, and I smile against him. I keep my hand holding him in place around his neck as I slide my joggers and boxer shorts down, just enough for my hard dick to spring free. I don't give him any room as I slide my hand onto his shoulder and push him down between me and the door. Once his knees hit the floor, I've already got my dick in hand, and I tap it to the side of his mouth.

"Open up, beautiful." I grin. "I'm gonna fuck these pretty pink lips till they're red and swollen, and if you beg me hard enough, I will fuck you till you think I'm a god."

He takes a hard swallow and opens his mouth. I guide in gently, still holding his shoulder down with my other hand. Once I go as far as I can without him gagging, I pull back.

"Do you want me to make love to your mouth, or do you want me to fuck it?"

His eyes go wide, and he sucks me harder. I nod in understanding, and I pull back, slamming into his mouth. His head bangs against the door; he's bent back at an awkward angle, but it works for me. I pull out again, pushing back in a little harder.

I give a couple of gentler shoves. I take a deep breath, and he slides his hand between us, resting them on my thighs. I lean my forearms on the door, and I have him caged in. "You're gonna swallow everything I give you, huh, handsome?"

He nods, not breaking eye contact. I stare into his soul, and I watch as I slide out and slam back in, smashing his head against the door. He braces himself against me, holding himself back till I'm pounding a rhythm into his face that is so hard and fast he's gonna be lucky if I don't damage his teeth.

He tries to swallow around me, but I'm already pulling back out and slamming back in repeatedly.

"Fuck, I'm not gonna last, pretty boy. Fuck, your throat is so tight."

His eyes sparkle at me, and I lose it, surging my hips into his face over and over again. He's gagging, drooling, and gasping as tears stream down his face and snot bubbles from his nose. I grin at the look in his eyes, and it's all the encouragement I need to snap me over the edge. I grab onto his hair and hold him against my groin as I pulse down his throat.

"Ah fuck, that's it, take it, take it fucking all, fuck, like that, you fucker, just like that!"

He groans as I pulse down the back of his throat, holding him against me till I've cum as much as I'm ever going to. Pulling back, I slide in and out a couple more times before I pop him off my dick, and he sags against the door.

His dick is hard in his bottoms, and I could return the favour, but it's getting late, and I want to head to the bar, so I turn and head to the shower, glancing over my shoulder. I smirk.

"See you around, pretty boy."

He flushes from his place on the floor before I push into the shower cubicle. Once I come out, he's gone, but there's a note with my things—his number.

Call me, Ryan x

I screw up the paper and toss it in the bin. I don't mind hooking up again if I see him, but I ain't gonna make a ‘date'. That just ain't me.

I've got on my black jeans—well, they're grey now—a dark grey fitted t-shirt and my black battered combats. I throw on my leather jacket and walk into town. It's only a couple of miles away, and I need to get out of my own head. I pull out my phone and search for the nearest bar. It's on the outskirts, in a semi-industrial area. It's called Fancies, and it's a gay bar. As long as they have beer, I don't care where I am.

Walking in, I head straight to the bar. It's not overly busy, so I grab a drink and then look around for somewhere to sit. There are some booths over to the left of the bar, and I spot an empty one. Sliding in and shuffling to the corner, I've got a view of the dance floor, and the few guys on it look like they're having a great time dancing and grinding on each other. The music's a little cheesy for my tastes, but it's not totally terrible, so I enjoy my pint and bob my head to the music.

"Fancy some company?"

I snap my head up. I was lost in my own world, thinking about tomorrow, when the voice cuts through the music. "Huh?"

"Company? Can I join you?"

"Erm, sure, I guess."

"You don't sound so sure."

"Caught me off guard, is all. Sorry, mate, sure, take a seat. I gesture to the seat opposite.

"Ah, not gay." He smiles, and I frown. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Hey, no, sorry, I was in a world of my own I… I'm not looking for company like that, but you can stay and chat if you like. I'm Ryder."

"Lee."

Lee takes a seat, and we start chatting. He asks what I'm doing here, as he's local, and I tell him about the racing. He leans further over the table, and we have a laugh and another pint before Lee decides to leave. I grab another pint and decide to make this my last. The bartender tells me there's a taxi rank around the side of the building, so I drink up and head out. Once I get outside, there's no one around and no signs to say which side to go, so I head in one direction. My plan is to just walk around the building till I find it.

As I get to the corner of the building, I hear shouting and a whimper, and I take off running around the corner. There are three blokes kicking someone down on the ground, "Fucking queer!" they're yelling as they keep kicking.

"Hey, motherfuckers!" I shout as I run at them. They spin around and then take off running. As I reach the person on the floor, I kneel down beside them. Rolling them over, I say, "Shit, Lee. Hey Lee, it's Ryder. Lee, are you okay?"

He groans. "Ryder?"

"Hey, Lee. I've got you, okay? Come on, let's get you to the hospital." I bend to pick him up, but he grabs my wrist.

"No! Can you get me home?"

"Lee, mate, you really should—"

"No, please." He squeezes my wrist. "Please?"

"Okay, come on, let's get you home."

I slide my arm under him, and he winces as I pick him up. Gripping him against my side, I throw his arm around my shoulders and take some of his weight. He hobbles with me around the corner till we find the taxi rank. Getting Lee into the back, I climb in after him.

"Where are you going?" he asks.

"I'm taking you home. You need help, Lee. Just let me help, okay?"

He nods and gives the taxi driver his address. We head in the opposite direction to the track and further into the town centre. We pull up outside, a small block of flats. I pay the driver and climb out.

"You don't have to. I can get myself in from here, thanks, Ryder."

"Hey, let me get you inside and cleaned up. You're pretty banged up, so come on."

I slide my arm around him and help him up the stairs. He's on the third floor. He opens the door, and I push through it into a single room with a kitchenette on one side, a two-seater sofa in the middle of the room with a TV on the far wall and a door off to the right. I'm assuming that might be a bedroom or a bathroom.

"Is the bedroom through here, or…?" I trail off as he shakes his head. I nod. "Does this pull out?" I gesture to the sofa, and he nods.

"Look, Ryder. I appreciate you bringing me back, but I'm fine, thanks. I can take it from here."

"Don't be a dick." I walk round to the front of the sofa, feel under the cushion for the strap, and pull. Stepping back, the sofa slides open. "Where's the bedding?"

He sighs but hangs his head in shame, possibly embarrassment. But it's actually a nice space, clean and homely.

"Bathroom cupboard." He nods towards the door.

Pushing through the door, I open the cupboard and grab the bedding. I take it back in and make the bed up. "Thanks, I can manage from here."

I step past him, grab his wrist, and pull him into the bathroom with me. Closing the lid on the toilet, I point. "Sit!"

He sits down, and I open the cupboard under the sink, looking for a washcloth or first aid kit, but there's nothing. "Do you have a first aid kit?"

He shakes his head. I nod and run some water in the sink. I kneel down in front of him, take the corner of the towel in my hand, and dip it into the water. I gently wipe his face, and he winces. He has a cut along his eyebrow, one on his cheek, and his lip is split, and his face is dirty and tear-stained from being on the ground. I clean him up as best I can, then smile.

"You'll live." I've had my fair share of fights over the years, especially knowing I was gay in my early teens, but Jay always had my back, so I never came off worse than the other guy. We saw to that.

I glance down at him, and he's holding his ribs. I gently slide my hand down to the hem of his shirt and glance up at him. He meets my eyes, then looks away. I slide his t-shirt up. The bruising is already dark. I gently run my fingers over the ribs, and he winces. "I'm just gonna check if anything's broken, okay?"

Lee nods, and I gently press. He winces away, "Lee, let me take you to the hospital. You need to get these X-rayed. Please, mate, come on."

"I'm good, thanks, Ryder, but you can go now. I will be okay."

"Do you have a friend who can come and stay with you?"

He looks away but nods.

"Don't lie to me, Lee. Do you have anyone who can come and stay with you?"

I pinch his jaw between my thumb and my fingers and tilt his face to look at me. He darts his eyes away. I stand and pull him up. Come on, let's get you to bed. Do you have any paracetamol or ibuprofen?"

"Kitchen cabinet." He nods.

"I'm just gonna use the bathroom, okay?"

He nods, and he leaves the room. I wash up and decide I can't leave him like this, alone. Walking back in, he's sitting on the bed with a glass of water, knocking back the painkillers. I head over and lock the door,

"What are you doing?"

"Staying. I'm not leaving you alone. I have to leave early to get back to the race, but I'm not going anywhere right now."

I start to undress, and I see his eyes trail over my body. I work out a lot. I have tattoos, a lot of tattoos. According to Jay, I have the ‘poster bad boy look', and I chuckle to myself when I drop my t-shirt. Lee's eyes fly to the other side of the room like he's just been caught doing something he shouldn't. I strip to my boxers and slide under the covers.

I hear him sigh, and he starts to undress himself. He flicks the TV on and turns off the light before sliding in beside me. I'm laid on my back with my arm behind my head, but Lee slides in, staring at the ceiling, pulling the covers up around his neck.

"You okay?"

He just nods. I hear a slight sniffle and sharp inhale, and I reach over and pull him to my chest, wrapping my arms around him and rubbing up and down his back. "Hey, you're gonna be okay. I've got you. Just get some sleep, okay?"

He nods against me and goes to pull away, but I hold him against me. I keep rubbing up and down his back. I kiss his head. He's smaller than me, real slim, about five-foot-nine at most. He has dirty blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He's… handsome, I suppose you would say, and it feels… nice to have someone this close. I've not really had time for relationships. It's always been bikes for me. I mean, I kissed a few girls, fooled around a little at school, and realised girls weren't for me. Then with the bikes, it's track sluts or bunnies as some prefer, but relationships? No. Quick fucks at most, normally. Mainly in the shower blocks is about all it boils down to. But it works, for the most part.

I hug him to me, and whisper into his hair, "Get some sleep, okay?"

He nods and sniffles, but his breathing eventually steadies and evens out as he drifts off. I stay awake a little longer before giving in myself.