Page 3 of Rocking the Trucker

Chapter Two

Gabriel watched theorchid purple truck cab pull into the parking lot and stop. He was not sure what Sam was waiting for since his trailer was the only one in the area.

For the last two days, he had secured everything inside so nothing would go flying around once they were on the road. It was a good memory of past road trips with the band. Only then he was not the only one making sure the dishes and cups were all put away and the cupboard doors were securely closed.

When he had not been rehearsing or reworking the old songs that he held the rights to, Sam had kept busy by renovating the trailer, inside and out. Gone was the graffiti covered black trailer with the band’s name painted in reflective neon paints. He and the band had used the trailer as a home for months each year as they traveled the country, playing in bigger and bigger venues each year, until they were filling stadiums several nights a week. The paint had been updated each year, but that was no longer who Gabriel was, so he decided the graffiti, the reflective paint, and the harsh black trailer were gone. He had painted the long, rectangular box a soft peachy color, which was a perfect match for the album cover, the posters, and his new persona. There was no signage, no advertising, no posters, or banners advertising the tour, the album, or him.

He’d cleaned up, repainted, and renovated the interior as well so that it looked more like a calming home of Zen and less like a den of iniquity.

In comparison to its previous incarnation, the trailer looked downright boring. But it was calming, and Gabriel needed serene surroundings after a concert.

Standing up, Gabriel crossed the parking lot toward the truck. He could see Sam in the driver’s seat, holding a phone to his ear.

He did not look happy.

All at once, Gabriel wondered if Alan’s brilliant plan was really such a good idea. Only time would tell, he supposed, but he hoped he could mend the Grand Canyon sized rift that currently separated him from the man who, once upon a time, he had loved with his whole heart and soul.

At that moment Sam looked at him and the electricity that had always flared between them proved it was still there. A shiver of sexual heat raced through him, followed an instant later by one of ice as Sam scowled at him before turning away.

He was obviously not thrilled to see Gabriel again.

What did he expect? After more than two years of silence, did Gabriel really think Sam would see him, grab him into one of his wonderful bear hugs and everything would be as it had been before his major fuckup?

Gabriel was so lost in his head that he missed Sam climbing out of his truck. When he came around the front of his truck, Gabriel jolted, then studied the trucker who had once been his world.

Sam looked the same, at first. Tall, dark, and still so gorgeous that Gabriel’s cock perked up for the first time in longer than he could remember. His hair was shorter, cut in a cut that made him appear more businessman than trucker. He could see a few strands of silver at the temples that glinted in the sunlight.

His eyes were the same turquoise that came to Sam in his dreams nearly every night. Only instead of the heat they’d held in the past, his eyes were filled with pain. Gabriel had to look away as his heart clenched in empathy.

“Hello, Gabriel,” Sam said, his deep voice just the same as in Gabriel’s memories.

“Hello, Sam,” he replied, wincing when his voice broke on the man’s name. “Thank you for doing this.”

Sam shrugged and shifted into a stance with his feet planted and his arms crossed over his chest. It was a stance Gabriel was well familiar with. Sam was uncomfortable but refused to voice it.

“It’s a paycheck,” he finally said, his gaze shifting over his shoulder to the only trailer in the lot. “Is that the trailer?”

Gabriel looked over his shoulder. “Yep, that’s it. This tour and album are completely different, so I figured I’d make a few changes. Plus, I had some time on my hands.”

“Will there be anyone else on this tour with you?”

“Just you. Which means you’ll be able to sleep in the trailer if you want. There’s plenty of room.”

****

Sam shifted his gazeaway from Gabriel in a desperate attempt to hold tight to the anger that had been keeping him warm for more than two years. How could he offer to sleep with him before he had even apologized for his actions that had shattered Sam’s life and confidence in himself.

Then he looked at Gabriel and realized the man was not offering his bed, but one of the other beds in the trailer. If he remembered correctly, there were a half dozen bunk beds in addition to the king-size bed in the one bedroom.

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