Faith: Biker Romance (The Virtues Book 2) Read online

  As the rest of the room settled down, I leaned over to whisper to Eddie, “What in the heck do you think you’re doing here?”

  He gave me a defensive look, like I’d actually hurt his feelings. “Just trying to get a little of the good Lord. Is that a problem?”

  I laughed. “You know, you have my mother all fooled.”

  “How did I do that? I haven't even met the woman.” Eddie could play innocent like I’d never seen.

  I rolled my eyes, “All right. I might have painted a certain picture of you. I had to. You don’t know how crazy they are.”

  Eddie shook his head just as Carly got started. I could see her leaning forward to try and get a look at the last minute addition to our group. I laughed to myself knowing she couldn’t see just how handsome Eddie was. The thought was warming, and not at all in the spirit of the Lord.

  The end of the evening finally came. It was so tiring sitting next to Eddie the entire study session. He was a perfect gentleman, which killed me. I was expecting him to reach over and slide his hand beneath my conservative church dress. I thought he would whisper dirty things into my ear, but he stayed focused and listened.

  Even when he was called on by Carly, he talked his way through a halfway decent answer. I knew she picked on him because he was the outsider, but his charm extended beyond me, it seemed.

  Eddie followed me upstairs where my parents were waiting. My mother got that “sheep lost from the flock” look again, and I took a deep breath. My parents were about to meet the first man I’d ever been truly interested in. Their view of him was a total sham, but it was still an immense pressure.

  To my surprise, Eddie actually stepped in front of me. He had the smile on his face that could charm the feathers from a bird. He extended his hand toward my father.

  “You must be the Vincini family. I’m so glad to meet you.”

  My father smiled and shook Eddie’s hand. I stood back and tried to keep my heart from stopping.

  He turned back to me, pulling me from observer to participant. “I can’t thank Faith enough for introducing me to your church. I’ve been something of a wandering soul lately.” He was a wandering soul, but the Lord had nothing to do with it. He was so smooth I could hardly listen.

  My mother was practically beaming with pride at her daughter and her church. “Eddie, we’re just so glad to have you. How was Bible study?”

  He shook her hand as well. “It was fantastic. We talked about Bathsheba and the seduction.” My heart stopped for a split second when he spoke. He was right, but that had to have been the very worst subject.

  “We discussed David’s actions, and how he was still responsible for Uriah’s death. Inaction can be as powerful as action. I think that’s what I took away from the lesson.”

  My mother smiled and hung on every word that Eddie said. I hadn’t even listened that well during study. How had he?

  “You know, I haven’t read the story of Bathsheba in so long, Eddie. I’m going to read it before bed tonight and think about what you said. We’re just so glad you could make it. Will you join us on Sunday as our personal guest?”

  “I’d love to, as long as Mr. Vincini doesn’t object.” Eddie and I both turned to my dad. I was only getting more surprised by the second. My father was smiling.

  Eddie had even managed to pull a fast one on him, the most protective, devout, tyrannical person in our church.

  “Eddie, I think we’d all be very happy if you came with us again on Sunday.”

  My jaw almost dropped to the floor. What in the hell was happening? Hadn't my father just given me the stern lecture about how boys were pure evil and had nothing but sex on their minds? Now he was inviting Eddie to church with us in just a few days. Would he be eating lunch with us afterwards?

  My mind was a whirlwind. I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, but that might mean time with my parents, which would only be time spent pretending.

  For three weeks, Eddie came with us on Sundays and Wednesdays to church. He and I barely spoke without my parents around, and I began to think my impression of him was all wrong. He was a perfect gentleman: polite and respectful. It was terrible.

  By the third week, I began to think that I had completely misinterpreted our meeting. Maybe it was my feminine desires for a man completely the opposite of the church boys that had set my imagination running. Maybe Eddie had been perfectly nice to me, and my hormones had acted as a filter.

  All those thoughts were constantly running through my head, but the fourth week destroyed any notion that I had misunderstood our meeting. It was a Wednesday, and after that night, things would never be the same for either of us.

  My parents were absolutely in love with Eddie. He was exactly what they envisioned a boy for me to be like, even though I was growing to hate that version of him. He even started dressing up for church. He was turning into one of the bland boys I was so used to and tired of.

  After Bible study, we wandered upstairs to find my parents waiting, and that was when Eddie changed everything. He shook hands with my father and gave my mother a hug, then spoke.

  “Would you mind terribly if I drove Faith home tonight? It’s such a wonderful evening, and I just can't seem to pull myself away from her quite yet.”

  I’m sure my eyes went wide. I couldn’t imagine what my father would think. Those sermons of sin had become less frequent, but when they did come from him, they were far more focused on sex. I looked over at my parents, not knowing what to expect.

  My father looked at my mother for a long time, then back to Eddie. “You know, son, I think that would be all right tonight.”

  My heart raced at his approval. I’d never even been on an unsupervised date, let alone driven anywhere with a boy. I couldn't believe my father was allowing this to happen. I couldn’t believe I was going to let this happen. After a month of the most structured, chaperoned time I could spend with Eddie, my father was going to let me off the chain? I was suspicious, but wasn’t going to turn the opportunity away.

  Still, I could hardly believe it. “Are you sure, Dad?”

  He grinned at me, putting his arm around my shoulder. “I’d suggest you go before I change my mind.”

  “Thank you, Daddy.” I was rarely so kind with my father, but I could barely contain my gratitude.

  “Be home by ten. Your tests are coming up.”

  Just as we got out of earshot, I could see Eddie drop the act. His walk changed, and his smile turned from that friendly, innocent kind to anything but.

  “Jesus fuckin’ Christ.” He sealed the transformation with those words.

  I laughed, and when he put his arm around my waist, I let out a faint moan. I turned back to make sure we were clear of the watchful eyes. Everyone was still just outside the church talking. My heart was on fire, and all of my suspicions about Eddie’s true feelings were destroyed.

  “Those people. How do you do it, Faith?”

  Eddie was leading me toward an older truck. It was in decent shape. I realized it was the first time I had seen what he drove, and it wasn’t exactly what I’d expected. I didn’t know what it was that I did expect, but it wasn’t a truck.

  He opened the door for me, playing at chivalry. My parents could still see, and thank goodness they couldn’t hear. I laughed at him and climbed up into it. When Eddie got behind the wheel, I explained to him what I’d told myself for years.

  “It’s just way easier to go along with it, especially in my family. Play the game, bide your time, and soon, you're free.” It was like my Hail Mary. I’d spent years saying it over and over to myself until it had power.

  As Eddie started the truck, I decided that I wasn’t going to waste our time precious time together talking about my family. “Hey, why don't we talk about absolutely anything else?”

  “You got it.”

  As he backed out of the parking space, Eddie looked over at me. Even in the dark, I could see those beautiful eyes and the smile I couldn't resist. “We
have to make one quick stop first, and then it’s anything you want.”

  Eddie was offering me what I wanted most: freedom.

  As we drove, I thought of what the manifestation of my independence would look like. He drove on, waiting for me to give my answer. I was still shocked that my parents were allowing Eddie to take me away, and I decided that I had to make the most of it.

  “I want to do something bad,” I said, a wry smile growing on my face. I felt bold. I felt powerful. Most of all, I felt free.

  He nodded slowly, taking in the words. “Something bad. That’s great, but vague. I can think of so many bad things.” His words were like a firefly that I just had to chase down.

  “There’s all kinds of bad things. We could roll down Main and swear at the pedestrians. We could go key some cars in the rich neighborhoods.” As he spoke, his hand slipped from the wheel. I twitched when he laid it on my thigh, even though I saw it coming. My heart lunged inside my chest, beating with merciless speed.

  “Or maybe we could do something bad together.” He squeezed, and pleasure surged throughout my body. I didn’t know how I’d react, but I never envisioned that it would be so intense. His hands on my shoulders were one thing, but his hand halfway up my thigh was nightmarish in its sexiness.

  I had dreamt of that moment when a man would be overcome with need for me, but I had no idea how I’d react. Well, in the moment, I even surprised myself.

  I grabbed his hand hard and pulled it off. Grabbing the hem of my dress, I slid it up toward my hips. As soon as it was further up my thigh, I pushed his hand back down onto the bare skin, slightly higher up my leg.

  “All right, well, I guess we settled on what kind of bad you’re looking for. I am disappointed to say this portion of the journey is over, though.” He smiled at me and slid his hand up maybe an inch away from my cotton panties.

  I sank with disappointment. “What do you mean?”

  Eddie pulled up to the curb and shut the truck down. “I told you we had a stop to make. I promise it won’t take two minutes.”

  He pushed open his door and stepped down. I sat there, confused and transfixed. As Eddie came around to my side of the truck, I tried to figure out what we were doing in a small neighborhood. Was he taking me to his parents? Did he live alone already? I have to admit that my world was so small that I was utterly confused.

  I was expecting him to open my door for me and lead me to whatever mystery he kept bottled up. Instead, Eddie walked down the driveway of a nice home. A light outside of the house came on automatically, and it shone on him until he reached a garage.

  I squinted into the darkness and saw him lift the door up. He stepped inside an even darker world, and I lost him to it. Then a single red light shone back at me. The engine was next to battle the suburban silence. It was a motorcycle.

  He was backing it out of the garage as I sat there watching like an idiot. The first thought wasn’t what my parents would think or how dangerous it was, but how sexy I thought Eddie was backing the cycle down the driveway. That, and how much I wanted to climb behind him.

  I knew the gentleman was gone, especially when I heard the rock music playing from the center of the motorcycle. As he backed the bike past me, Eddie’s eyes found mine truck. As I opened up the door, I knew things would never be the same, and I couldn’t wait.

  “You can only be so bad in a truck. You can be all kinds of bad on this thing, I promise you.” He was so smooth. He always had a line about something.

  I slammed the truck door shut and walked toward Eddie and the motorcycle. My heart seemed to beat in time with the music blaring from the machine. I grabbed the back of his shoulders and swung my leg over. No thoughts filled my head. The drums and the smile—that was all there was.

  Eddie turned back to me. “So what kind of bad did you want to get into, Faith?”

  “All kinds. Just get moving.”

  Before Eddie hit the throttle, I had no idea what to expect. My parents had never let me near anything dangerous, go figure. Some friends from church had dirt bikes and ATVs, but I was never allowed to ride or drive one. I didn’t know how they’d agreed to even let me have a bike growing up.

  The first thing I felt was the vibration. It was intense, and not unlike the pulsating shower head I had grown to love over the years. Eddie twisted his hand back, bringing the dormant beast to life. The sheer volume alone was enough to make me grab onto him for safety. The vibration crescendoed along with my heart rate.

  Eddie pressed down on a pedal with his foot, and I felt the motorcycle lurch forward a touch. I grabbed him, recognizing that our bodies had never been so close. It made me squeeze just a little tighter.

  He turned and spoke to me. “Afraid?”

  “Absolutely not!” My words erupted from inside me, from inside a place of joy. “Excited, anxious, but not afraid.” To prove it, I leaned forward and laid a kiss on his cheek. Something about Eddie made me bolder than I’d ever been before. Everything I said I wanted to do, he actually did. He was fearless, and in grabbing my hand, he’d forced me into fearlessness with him.

  And then he pulled back on the throttle, unleashing the motorcycle on the world.

  I closed my eyes to feel the evening air on my face. My senses came alive. The rushing wind in my ears, the thumping engine beneath me, and the smell of the pines lining the highway all swept over me like a delicious wave. If my heart relaxed from being away from the suffocating environment of my home, it was equally excited by the new prospects everywhere around us.

  As the hair metal blasted from the speaker in front of Eddie, I took in Colorado Springs like never before. Our bodies shifted from side to side through the turns. I held on tight when he hit the throttle and launched us forward. I had no idea where Eddie was taking us, but I really didn’t care. I didn’t even care about the ten o’clock curfew hanging over my head. It was the last thing on my mind.

  When Eddie pulled the bike to the side of the road, Colorado Springs was lit up with artificial light laid out beneath us to our right. He kicked out the stand and leaned the bike against it. I got off and stood beside him. The city was gorgeous, and we took the sight in without speaking for a few minutes.

  “This is just about the farthest from home I’ve been.” When Eddie heard me say that, I thought his jaw would fall into the dirt.

  “Are you kidding me?” After I shook my head, he said, “I can’t believe that. You’ve got a whole hell of a lot of catching up to do, Faith.”

  I laughed. “I agree. Let’s just say that the family motto is ‘kept and cloistered.’ ”

  He leaned on the guardrail and looked back at me. “Well, what’s first on the list?”

  It didn't take me long to answer. It was something I’d thought about for almost a month. A smile crept onto my face that I just couldn't hide. I had no idea what Eddie would think, but something told me that he would be more than on board.

  I said it like it was a secret spoken for the first time, “I want to do something dangerous. Something illegal.”

  He sat straight up, as if my words offended him to the core. “Faith, excuse me, but what kind of guy do you think I am? You think ‘Danger’ is my middle name?” The sarcasm was strong in this one. “I think we are completely on the wrong page, here.”

  “Shut up. You may have my parents fooled, but I know better. I am sick of Bible study Eddie. He’s boring and dull like all the other boys in that stale room. I want this Eddie: the one with a motorcycle. The one willing to let me really live.”

  I spoke from the heart, letting out all those raging emotions and hormones that had been building and building for years. Eddie was the man who could help me do it. He could be the one to break me out of the prison I’d grown up in.