Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

DEAN

Reaching over, I increased the volume on my radio. I hadn't heard "The Possum Kingdom" by The Toadies in years, and the station's '90s playlist brought back memories. Fuck. I couldn't believe the music of my teen years was now considered old.

When the fuck did that happen?

I thought forty was incredibly old and a million years away when I was twenty. But, with every year, time seemed to speed up, and looking at my youth from the other side of forty, I wanted to apologize to every adult I had called old man back then.

Glancing down at my dashboard, the fuel needle showed close to empty, and a road sign I passed showed a truck stop five miles ahead. I would need to stop and refuel my truck and my stomach before continuing for a few more hours tonight. After driving these trucks for a couple of decades for our company, my brother and I learned to refuel frequently. You never knew if you would get stuck on a stretch of road without access to gas or food, so we made it a point never to go past half a tank.

Exiting the highway and pulling into the truck stop, I noticed several parking lot lights had burned out, and the area looked dark and creepy. I could imagine my brother taking this trip and flipping out about having to stop here. Unlike him, I didn't need a fancy stop. As long as the coffee was hot and the bathrooms were mostly clean, I was happy.

Finding a spot to park my truck, I exited the vehicle and approached the gas station when someone caught my eye. At the corner of the building, a young man stood surrounded by six men. I would walk past and mind my business if the man looked happy with such attention. But, this time, the young man looked nervously around as if trying to find a way out from underneath the other men's scrutiny.

Seeing him standing there, I knew in my gut I had to protect him. Those guys were not going to let him go easily. The sweet innocence that radiated off the young man drove my inner Daddy to rescue and shield him from the world's dangers. It had been years since anyone called to me with such intensity, and I refused to ignore that instinct.

"Hey, can I help you guys with something?" I walked up to the group.

"No, we're just talking to our friend here. He needs a ride."

"Oh?" I looked at the slim man they surrounded. "Is that true?"

"Oh, uhm…" The beautiful man stared at me wide-eyed before shifting his eyes to each of the men.

Yeah, that's what I thought. "Listen, why don't we go to my truck?"

Hesitation was evident as he looked around, rocking back and forth on his feet.

"Trust me." I held out my hand, and he reached for it after only a moment.

"Hey." A young man who smelled like he was already six bottles into a twelve-pack tried pulling the man back to his side. "We saw him first."

Placing myself between my new friend and these thugs, I stood tall and showed no fear or hesitation. "He is coming with me. You should walk away now if you guys don't want trouble."

I tilted my head toward the parking lot behind them and the two patrol cars entering the area. "Do you understand?"

"Whatever." The two biggest guys in the group gestured to the others. "'I heard Lacey and the girls are at home tonight watching movies. Let's go see if we can get some ass."

I watched the men return to their cars and head out. But I didn't trust they would stay gone if that Lacey person didn't deliver what they sought.

"Maybe I should just forget this stupid idea." The tempting man beside me studied the area.

"Trust me for a little bit, and let's see if I can help get you where you need to go. Those are not the guys you'd want to go with, but I'll let you take a picture of my ID and send it to whomever you want so they know who I am and where we are. And as soon as I get you to somewhere safe, you can go freely, no questions asked."

"All right." He stepped closer to me. "But if you kill me, expect a tiny redhead named Stacy to come after you with her three boyfriends."

"I'll keep that in mind." Chuckling, I slid a protective arm around his slim shoulders and led him inside the truck stop. "Come on. Let's go inside and grab some snacks. Are you hungry?"

"I could eat a snack, I guess."

Looking over my shoulder, I searched the parking lot for any sign of the group. "They probably won't return, but I warn you not to go outside alone. Do you really need a ride?"

"I do. Thanks." He held out his hand. "My name is Andrew. What can I call you?"

Daddy.

The thought slipped in, and I realized this man was the type I would have loved playing at the club with. But I hadn't been active in the scene for a few years. Why was I thinking of him like that all of a sudden?

He could be your boy.

Those damn intrusive thoughts had to shut up. Shaking my head to silence them, I took his hand in mine. "I'm Dean."