Page 4 of Trucker Daddy

“I-I’m supposed to marry him, but I hate him! I didn’t even get a chance to choose. Everything is so fake, so manufactured, but I don’t even know who I am outside my family and the world I was born into.”

I can’t breathe. It’s all spilling out so fast, I can’t catch it, can’t control it. Hiccuping sobs break through each sentence, but I try desperately to keep it together. Then, without warning, Garrett steps forward. He doesn’t say anything but just pulls me in.

His arms wrap around me, warm and solid and real. I stiffen for a second, but then the tears pour harder, this time uncontrollably, as I melt against him, my face pressed into the soft cotton of his T-shirt. His chest rises and falls with each breath, the steady rhythm helping me get control of myself.

I’ve never been held by a man like this before. It’s comforting, in a way I don’t know how to explain, and theconnection, this pull I feel toward him, is so strong it almost scares me.

“I’m sorry,” I choke out, my voice muffled against his chest. “I know that makes zero sense to you, but I’ve either made an enormous mistake or, at best, left my family for a new life without even a shirt to change into.”

Garrett doesn’t respond right away. He just holds me, one hand smoothing over my back in slow, comforting motions. When I finally pull back, Garrett looks down. “You good now?”

“Yeah. Thank you. Really.”

Garrett gives me a lopsided smile. “How about I take you somewhere for some real coffee? The stuff in there might be hot, but it sure ain’t good.”

It sounds nice, but getting into a strange man’s car in the middle of nowhere? That’s not smart. He radiates a sense of trust, but I can’t bethatspontaneous.

I open my mouth to decline, but before I can say anything, he adds, “I don’t have a car, though. It’s a semi-truck.”

“Oh, you’re a trucker?”

His smirk widens. “Yup. Big rig. The real deal. Ain’t no ordinary ride.”

I’m intrigued. I’ve never met anyone like him in my extremely small social circle. “Huh. So you drive across the entire country?”

Garrett shrugs and motions to an enormous, shiny blue truck. “Yeah, long-haul. Been driving for years.”

“I don’t know...” I trail off, feeling more unsure than ever. The idea of climbing into that big rig feels intimidating.

He raises an eyebrow. “Not feeling up for an adventure? How about you drive me in your fancy number over there.” Garrett nods towards my Porsche. “If you’re driving, you’re in control.”

I blink. “Me? Driving?”

“That’s right. You drive me to the nearest town, and I’ll still pay for your coffee and whatever else you want. And if I get on your nerves, you can just toss me out.”

I think about the lonely road ahead and tackling it painfully uncaffeinated and with an empty belly.

“Alright,” I finally say, “Let’s go.”

Garrett’s eyes flash with approval. “Good girl. Lead the way.”

CHAPTER 2

Garrett

Sienna.

I’m trying to play it cool and not stare a hole through her, but damn, she’s a sight for sore eyes. As soon as I laid eyes on her, it was like every bit of me was obsessed. A princess in a shimmering dress, standing in the middle of a rest stop, choking on burnt coffee. Her eyes, wide and lost, locked onto mine, and something shifted.

Try as I might to appear nonchalant, I’m watching her now, the way her fingers grip the steering wheel, the way her posture is a little too stiff, like she’s waiting for the world to drop out beneath her. She’s sweet and vulnerable but strong at the same time. We’ve spoken a handful of words to each other, but I’m good at reading people.

I glance at her again, the curve of her neck as she turns slightly to check the rearview mirror, the way her soft hair falls just past her shoulders, the bright streetlights bringing out the deep red in it. She’s a stunner—perfectly curvy, with emerald eyes that cut through me. What on earth is this princess hiding?

When I hugged her, I hadn’t expected it. I didn’t think she’d lean in, let me wrap her up like that. But when she did, when her body pressed against mine, I felt it like a current, a damn storminside me. She felt so right against me, her heart beating fast like a cornered rabbit. Not just for her body, though I won’t lie, that part wasn’t easy to ignore.

Her reaction to me was immediate, like we were two magnets pulled together by something bigger than either of us could name. She broke in my arms, but I’d never been more sure I wanted to protect someone in my life.

I turn my attention towards the window now, forcing myself to breathe as she takes the next turn. I gave her directions, but with the diner being just over a mile away, she probably could have found it on her own. I try to focus on the road, but every time I look over at her, my chest tightens.

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