Free Against My Lips, Motorcycle Romance: AcesWild MC Series by Roxi Cooper Page A

trying hard enough to be a good wife and thank him for what he was doing for us. I let it go, but that wasn't the last time I saw it happen.
    He would be loving and sweet to her in public, ever the perfect husband and father to me. But at least once a week his temper would flare, and my mother would get the brunt of his anger. I always managed to stay out of it until the day after I turned 16. I woke to find a note on my pillow from my mother. It said she had to go to California to start a new life for us and she would be back soon. She couldn't take the abuse anymore, and she said that she knew Steve would never hurt me.
    I never got a chance to tell her how wrong she was about that. As soon as he figured out she was gone, he came to me looking for answers. I protected my mom and didn't tell him what I knew, so he slapped me hard across the face. The next day he apologized and brought home gifts for me, but I didn't want them. I just waited for her to come back for me, and then I would be free. But she never came back. When she saved herself, she sacrificed me.
    Now I was on a mission to find her. I swallowed my pride and stuck my thumb out. The sun was beating down on me, and I was sweating through my black t-shirt. He was approaching slowly as his truck gathered momentum, and I hoped he would see me. I tried to look indifferent as he got close, and I locked eyes with him from my position on the side of the road. Then I watched the truck roar right past me down the road.
    I hung my head with disappointment. I thought for sure he was a nice guy and would stop. Maybe he didn't stop because he was a good guy. Either way it seemed I was out of luck. I started walking down the road with nothing but my small backpack, pushing my cheap sunglasses up my nose. About five minutes later, I heard another truck approaching.
    When I turned around, it damn sure looked like the one that had just passed me by. This time it slowed down when it got close and pulled over just a little way past me. The driver opened the door, and I climbed in.
    "What is a young lady like you doing on the side of the road? I came back because I couldn't bear the thought of you getting in with one of those other guys. Plus, you kind of remind me of a little bit of my own daughter."
    "My name is Brooke Bailey. I need to go to California to ask my mother some questions. She can't seem to answer her phone. I can give you a little bit of money in exchange for the ride. Where are you headed?
    "My name is Jim Stone. I don't need your money, Brooke. I'm headed to California. Burbank. I can take you as far as you need to go. I'm not into any funny business, so I hope you're not trying to sell me anything."
    "All I want is a ride. I promise not to bother you."
    "All right then. California, here we come."
    He threw my backpack into the rear of the cab where his bed was as I climbed up inside. It was a newer truck, so it was comfortable. I was surprised to see how clean he kept it, and I felt like my instincts were right about him.
    "You ready, Brooke Bailey?"
    "I'm more than ready. Just get me the hell out of here."
    He pulled out onto the road around 10:00 am, and we drove straight through until 10:00 pm, only stopping once for a quick bathroom break. We had driven all the way through Texas, and we were in some small town in Nevada. Jim pulled into a stop near a motel, and we got out.
    "I'm gonna get you a room for tonight and I'll sleep in the truck. You look like you could use some good sleep."
    I tried to protest, but he wouldn't listen. He headed into the office to speak to the clerk. He came out a few minutes later with a room key for me.
    "I'm headed over to Jack's Place for some food and a couple of beers. It looks rough, but my good friend Sally works the bar and the grill. No one will bother you. Do you want to go?"
    "Yeah, just let me just freshen up quick."
    I went into the small room that wasn't anything special, but the idea of a bed after so long was