All I Wanna Do Is You: A Road Trip Rom-Com

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All I Wanna Do Is You: A Road Trip Rom-Com Page 9

by Dylann Crush


  Her fork clattered as she rested it against the side of the bowl.

  “All done?” Zach asked.

  “Yeah. I think so. I’m going to go, um, freshen up. I’ll meet you by the car in a few.”

  “Sure. Take your time.” He’d been trying to figure out a way to check in with Scazzoli for the past few hours, anyway.

  Reagan slid out of the booth. Her ass swayed back and forth as she walked toward the restrooms in the back of the restaurant. He let himself enjoy the view until she disappeared through a doorway. His lips quirked into a smirk as he pulled up the number on his phone and hit the talk button.

  “Talk to me, Anderson.” Scazzoli’s voice oozed through the phone.

  “I’m in Kentucky. She lost her wallet and couldn’t get on the flight. We’re driving.”

  “What the fuck? She doesn’t know you’re onto her?”

  “We went to high school together.” He dug a fist into his side where the twinge pulsed. “I’m pretty sure she trusts me.”

  Scazzoli let out a sharp bark of laughter. “You sick son of a bitch. The princess tell you where you’re headed yet?”

  “Not yet. We have to get to Miami. Something about a charter. She’s still being pretty private.”

  “Get ’er done. I put out some feelers. Six figures for sure if you can stick with it. Keep me posted.” The line went dead.

  Damn, the twinge knifed through his gut. He took in a deep breath. Slow and easy. In and out. Six figures. Enough to set up shop and not have to deal with the scum of the Earth like Scazzoli ever again. Tempting, so tempting.

  He signed the receipt, making sure to leave a generous tip for Doris, and slid out of the booth. Reagan’s salad wouldn’t keep her filled up for long. He walked up and down the aisles of the truck stop, picking up a few snacks for later.

  As he put the lid on an extra-large coffee, he caught a glimpse of her walking to the car. He had locked it, so when she reached the car she leaned up against it, folded her arms across her chest, and lifted her face toward the sun. She must be driving herself crazy inside.

  The sun cast a golden glow around her, illuminating her hair like a halo. Saint Reagan. Always sacrificing herself for others. That wasn’t entirely accurate. More like always putting her family first. When was she going to cut loose and have a little fun? Maybe even put herself first for a change? The girl he’d fallen in love with must still be hidden somewhere deep down inside.

  Zach paid for his purchases and grabbed the bag off the counter. If all went well, they’d be in Miami in less than twelve hours. That didn’t give him much time, but maybe it would be enough to spark something inside of her. He wouldn’t feel so damn guilty about lying to her if he helped her a little bit along the way.

  With no time to lose, he pushed through the doorway into the shining sun, ready to see if he could loosen up the full-body armor she seemed to hide behind and remind her of the girl he’d fallen for...the girl she’d once been…the girl who’d held his heart in her hands all those years ago.

  9

  “Ever been to Nashville?” Zach asked.

  “What?” Reagan looked up in time to see the city limit sign slip by. Her nose had been buried in her leather-bound notebook for the past hour. Said she was checking all of her “to-do” lists. He’d tried to make conversation, but her clipped, one-word answers told him she wanted to keep to herself.

  “Country music capital of the world, right? We could go to a honky tonk. I bet you’re really great at a two-step.”

  “Ha. Dancing is not my thing. Trust me on this one. I do like some country music, though. Next time?” She smiled and turned her attention back to the pages in front of her.

  Zach turned on the blinker and pulled onto the exit ramp.

  “What are you doing? We can’t be out of gas already.” Reagan leaned over, probably trying to check the gauge.

  “Nah. Just want to stretch my legs. Maybe grab a sweet tea or something.”

  “Zach! We need to keep going. I’ve got to get to Miami.” Her voice rose an octave, the note of desperation obvious, even to him. She squeezed his arm. “Come on, we don’t have time to make unnecessary stops. Besides, I’ve been wearing the same clothes now for over twenty-four hours. I have to get to my luggage.”

  “You need to loosen up, cupcake. Give me a half hour. I’ll get you to Miami. As for your clothes, let’s pick up a fresh T-shirt for you.” He swung the Mustang onto Broadway, smack dab in the middle of the bar scene in downtown Nashville, and pulled into a public lot. “Can’t drive through Nashville without hearing some live music.”

  Reagan groaned and let go of his arm. The coolness he felt after she removed her hand made him wish for the contact again. Sure, he wanted to get to Miami. But he also needed her to relax a little, get comfortable around him so she’d let him in and hopefully spill her guts about where she was headed. If he were being honest with himself, he wouldn’t mind her getting a little worked up again, too. Those hiccups could be damn convenient if she’d let him kiss her again.

  She’d been a lot more fun in high school. Smart, good looking, always quick with a witty reply. But her family obligations and her fear of doing or saying the wrong thing seemed like it put a damper on the fire he’d sensed within her. Her ability to rein in her emotions and always keep herself under control fascinated him. The only time he’d seen her come close to losing it was the night of that party. He knew there was a lot more to Reagan Campbell than straight A’s and a pretty face. They’d had something back then, something real. He’d always regretted he’d never had the chance to follow it through.

  He parked and set the brake. “Come on, Campbell. Time to get your twang on.”

  By the time he had walked around to her side of the car, she’d swiped on some lipstick and pulled her hair into a ponytail. He opened the door, and she stepped out onto the pavement.

  “One sweet tea and then we’re back on the road. Deal?”

  “You got it.” He twined his fingers with hers and gave a slight tug. “This way.” She didn’t pull away. He wrapped his fingers tighter around hers, leading her onto the sidewalk and toward the doors of the first place they came across. Downtown Nashville didn’t wait for nighttime to show off the music scene. Even in late afternoon, the sound of live music flowed out through the open doorway.

  Zach stepped back and gestured for her to enter before him. “Ladies first.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  He set his hand to the small of her back and guided her toward a seat at the half-empty bar. A wall of bottles stretched from the counter to the ceiling. Every kind of alcohol imaginable lined the shelf. A bartender zoomed by on a wheeled ladder, reaching for a bottle on one of the high shelves. Too bad Zach still had a full night of driving ahead of him. This looked like the kind of place he might be able to persuade Reagan to cut loose.

  “What’ll it be, y’all?” A bartender set two cocktail napkins down in front of them.

  “I’ll take a big glass of your homemade tea. How about you, Reagan?” Zach asked.

  “Tea sounds great, thanks.”

  “Two home teas coming right up.” The bartender turned his back and scooped some ice into a plastic cup.

  The song ended, a mix of country and bluegrass, and the band started in on a slow number. A few couples shuffled around the small dance floor. Zach nudged his knee against Reagan’s and nodded toward the dance floor. “I bet you could manage a dance like this.”

  She glanced at the handful of couples swaying to the lazy tempo. “I’d probably figure out a way to trip over my feet, even during a slow dance.”

  “What do you do for fun when you’re not planning weddings and flying under the radar for your dad?” She had to do something to blow off some steam. Yoga? Underwater basket weaving? Trap shooting? What would a woman like Reagan do to relax? Was that word even part of her vocabulary?

  Her fingers fiddled with the edge of the paper napkin. “Fun? Between work and helping out my d
ad, I guess I don’t have much time for fun.”

  “That’s what I thought. Come on.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her from the stool.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” She scrambled to grab onto the bar, but he caught her other hand in his and coaxed her to the dance floor.

  “We’re having fun.” As he stepped onto the slightly raised floor, he drew her body close to his, wrapping his arms behind her back. They could have a lot of fun if she’d let her guard down for a bit. His hips brushed hers, and he closed what little space remained between them.

  Her body tensed. “Zach, no. We should be on the highway.”

  He’d never been one to live life by the shoulds. She’d always known that about him. “One tea. One dance. Come on, Reagan. Live a little.”

  “I suppose it’ll take less time to give in than to fight you on this.” She sighed and settled her arms loosely around his neck. “One dance. Then back on the road.”

  “Sure thing. Hell, you might even enjoy it.”

  The corner of her mouth twitched into what he’d consider an almost-smile.

  He brushed his nose against her hair and inhaled. Even with no shower and in the same clothes as the day before, she managed to send blood rushing toward his crotch and turn him on. More than he’d expected. Probably more than she should.

  He spun them around in a slow circle and closed his eyes, letting her scent and the warmth of her curves against his chest wash over him. What the hell was he doing? The damn twinge hit his gut, and he mentally silenced the alarms going off in his head.

  Reagan leaned against him, letting herself relax into him for a moment. Then her body went rigid. He pulled back enough to check her face to see if he could tell what was wrong.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  She didn’t say a word. Her eyes widened and a hand went to her mouth.

  Hiccup.

  Now? Come on diaphragm, you’ve got to be kidding me.

  She covered her mouth with her hands, but the damn hiccups ripped through. Spinning away from Zach, she headed straight to the bar where her tall glass of iced tea waited for her. She took a long draw through the straw, sucking down half of the liquid, and coughed as the taste of alcohol burned down her throat.

  “What’s this?”

  The bartender turned from where he was filling a mug from a tap. “The house tea. Kind of like a Long Island but we call it a Nashville Nummer. You want another one?”

  “No! I wanted iced tea. Straight up Lipton.”

  Hiccup.

  The bartender set the beer he’d been filling down and a waitress grabbed the handle and put it on her tray. “Sorry about that. Let me get you a plain tea.”

  “Reagan, you okay?” Zach came up behind her and put a hand on her back.

  “You trying to get me drunk?”

  “Of course not. I ordered a tea, too. Hell, good thing you tried it first. We wouldn’t get far tonight if I downed one of those, huh?” His attempt at a joke didn’t help.

  “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. Can we get back on the road? At the rate we’re going we won’t even be in Miami until tomorrow afternoon.” She didn’t mean to come off sounding like such a bitch, but she couldn’t help it. Zach made her insides turn to mush and somehow prevented her from accessing the logical, reasonable part of her brain—the part she relied on to keep her from making a fatal political misstep.

  “Yeah, sure.” He threw some bills down on the bar. “Want me to get our teas to go?”

  “Fine. I’m going to hit the bathroom as long as we’re here.”

  He nodded and she left him standing at the bar, eager to have a chance to regain her composure.

  As she washed her hands in the bathroom sink, she took a good, long look at herself in the mirror. What was she doing in Nashville, Tennessee, with Zach Anderson? She should be in the Keys, making sure everything was ready for her brother’s wedding, not flirting with the man who broke her heart while she let him lead her around a dance floor.

  The kiss he laid on her at the diner nearly knocked her off her feet, not to mention what it did to the blazing desire she’d buried deep inside when he called things off all those years ago. No matter how tempting it would be to give in to the undeniable chemistry that still sparked between them, she couldn’t. Her brother’s happiness needed to be her number one priority right now. And when she finished making sure his wedding was the most magical day of his life, she’d have to figure out her own future: take the promotion at work or turn her attention to her dad’s campaign. That left no time or room in her life for Zach.

  Refocused, Reagan navigated through the late-afternoon happy hour crowd and out onto the sidewalk with Zach following behind. “Can we agree on no more detours?”

  He caught up to her and took her arm. “Sorry. I was trying to show you what it would be like to have a little fun.”

  She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. “I know. It was sweet of you. But I can’t have fun. I can’t keep pretending that you and I never… that there was never something between us. That I haven’t thought about you, missed you, wondered what in the world happened to you over the years.”

  She turned her back to him, curled her head down and rubbed her fingers under her eyes. “I need to get to that island. My family is counting on me. The wedding is supposed to be one of the best days of Teddy’s life.”

  He gently twirled her around to face him. “I’m sorry, Reagan.”

  A shiver raced through her. What in the world was she doing? She couldn’t let herself entertain the kind of thoughts she’d been having about Zach. How the feel of his chest pressed against hers made her toes curl. Or how the touch of his strong, capable hands on the small of her waist made her want to feel his fingers on every square inch of her body.

  “Sorry about what?”

  “All of it. I’m sorry I’m not the guy you needed me to be.” He didn’t meet her gaze, instead stared at a fixed point behind her. “And that I never was.”

  She wanted to grab hold of his shirt and shake him, scream in his face that he had been the man she needed. But he’d given up too easy. Told her he decided he couldn’t hack the long distance thing, that he wanted to have fun before he had to grow up and be an adult.

  When she decided she was ready for romance, she’d find someone who fit into her current life. Not someone who would give up so easily or take off on a moment’s notice. She needed a man capable of performing the balancing act she’d perfected so many years ago. If her dad’s campaign proved successful, she could end up daughter to the next Vice President of the United States. It wouldn’t do her father any good to have his daughter messing around with a vagabond photographer incapable of putting down roots.

  Shaking her head, she dismissed the kind of thoughts she wouldn’t let herself entertain. “Let’s go.”

  Zach kept step with her as she made her way down the sidewalk. “I surrender. No more fun. I promise.”

  She stopped in her tracks. His jaw ticked and some sort of frosty shield slid over his eyes making her feel like a lot more than eighteen inches of concrete stood between them.

  “That’s not what I meant.” She deliberately softened her tone. It wasn’t his fault she’d gotten herself into this mess. “I don’t expect you to totally understand. I really need to get to Miami.”

  “Yeah, I get it.” He gestured to a tourist trap gift shop at the corner. “Did you want a T-shirt?”

  “No, I can wait.”

  “I guess that means you don’t mind my crabs.” His eyebrows lifted and the teasing tone returned to his voice.

  Reagan couldn’t help but grin, even as she shook her head. “Yeah, maybe you ought to keep your crabs to yourself. A fresh shirt would be nice.”

  “Here, you go ahead. I’ll be right there.” Zach handed her the keys before he ducked into the shop.

  She made it to the car and slid into the passenger seat. While she waited for him to return, she reached for the cupc
ake box. It couldn’t be more than sixty-five degrees outside, but sitting in the backseat of a warm car hadn’t been kind to her desserts. Icing that had piled high on the remaining confections had melted a bit. Half of them sat lopsided, like a sugar-happy drunk had slopped goop all over the tops and called it good. Aw, crap. Let no good deed go unpunished. Reagan wondered whether she or the cupcakes would make it to Miami in better shape.

  Maybe a little cool air would help. She turned on the car and angled the vent to blow into the box in an attempt to prevent a buttercream meltdown.

  The sound of the door opening startled her.

  “Any more casualties you need me to put out of their misery?” Zach asked.

  “No. No more cupcakes for you. I can’t believe I didn’t think to take them in with us. They’re going to turn into a runny mess. I doubt they’re even still edible.”

  Zach tossed a hot pink shirt at her then climbed in, shifted into reverse, and backed out of the spot. “It’s the thought that counts, you know. I’ll be sure to vouch for you when you hand them over.”

  “Vouch for me?” Reagan leaned back against the passenger side door. “What makes you think you’re going to even see my family?” No way would she let him tag along. She’d stick with him until they reached Miami, then find her own way to the island. The last thing she needed was to show up with Zach.

  “You don’t think Daddy Dearest would be happy to see me again?”

  “What exactly do you have against my dad? What’s he ever done to you?” She was used to meeting people who were turned off by her dad’s politics, but with Zach it seemed more personal.

  “Forget about it. Aren’t you going to change into the shirt I got you?” He cut across two lanes of traffic and gunned it onto the entrance ramp to I-40 East.

 

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