by Marie Savage
His hands reached out, grabbing hold of her arms and holding her there as he opened his eyes. She just sat there perfectly still, held hostage, and feeling his growing erection beneath her. Oh, no, what has she done? She was ready to explain herself when he quickly sat up, taking her lips in his.
Aimee Jo was so surprised by his actions that she didn’t have time to move her face away. He was forceful but not violent. His warms hands glided down her arms and came to rest on her thighs. She should pull away and make him stop, especially when his tongue was forcing its way in. Instead, she opened her mouth slightly and let him in as she held on tightly. The pent up frustrations from during the long night were now being released.
Normally, he started kissing slowly, but Luke’s attraction to her that he’d kept bottled since he’d first seen her, needed to be released. Besides, she was making the first move; he wasn’t a jerk if she was making the first move. Her lips were warm and as sweet as honey, just as he’d imagined they would be.
If this was a dream, no way in hell did Luke want to wake up. All night he had dreamt of her, watched her, fantasized about her, and now she was straddling him and in his arms. The morning wood he usually had was made even harder by the sight of her on top of him. He didn’t care why she was there, but was happy she was.
He took her mouth, doing what he’d wanted to do since the first time he’d seen her at the diner. She was so warm and soft, and her kisses were tender but ferocious at the same time, if that was even possible. He slowly released her arms and was pleasantly surprised when she wrapped them around his neck, running her tiny hand and fingers through his hair. After a few minutes of kissing and petting, they separated, both looking shocked and surprised by their actions.
“Good mornin’, darlin’.” He smiled while his hands now rested on her bare thighs. Maybe letting her into his bed had been a good thing after all.
“Good morning.” She smiled, surprised by his advance but not unhappy about it. His kiss was different. It wasn’t awkward or quick; it was slow and very hot—the way she had always dreamed a kiss could be. His warm hands on her cold bare thighs felt so good. She should explain herself, but nature was calling, and she better make it quick.
She lifted off of him, her foot finally touching the floor. “Excuse me, I have to use the bathroom.” His face fell as he lifted his hands off her, allowing her to get off of him and make her way to the bathroom where she quickly shut the door.
“Son of a bitch.” He wiped his hands down his face and flung himself back on the bed. She wasn’t coming on to him, she just needed to take a leak. Now, he was sitting here like a fucking idiot, with the hardest hard-on in his life. That bus ticket was looking better every damn second. He finally got up and quickly dressed, noticing she was still in the bathroom, probably scared to come face him.
This was a mistake, all of it. Good mornin, darlin’? What the fuck was he thinking? When he got somewhere safe, he was going to buy her a damn bus ticket and get back to normal. He never was this intimate with a girl. It was too personal—too close to being the L-word.
Aimee Jo was the kind of girl you made love to. He knew this. The problem was he didn’t make love, he fucked. He made that fact clear to any of his prospects. If they agreed to his terms he proceeded, if not he hit the road until he found someone that did. He usually had no problem, since not all women were looking for Prince Charming.
He felt in his gut, though, that Aimee Jo was definitely looking for her Prince Charming. As much as his body was demanding to fuck her, he wouldn’t do that to her. It just wasn’t right. She was a good girl. She carried a bible, for Christ’s sake.
Aimee Jo did her business and stared at herself in the tiny mirror. She looked like hell, and yet he’d kissed her. She touched her swollen lips and smiled. What a kiss it was. Sure, she had been kissed before, but never like this, and never by someone who knew his way around a mouth. It wasn’t awkward or sloppy, it was perfect. Did she dare go out there and ask him to kiss her again? Would it lead to other things? Would she be okay if it led to other things? Was she being a tease? Was she being a slut?
Matt would call her that if he saw her now, and he would probably slap her or worse. He had kissed her against her will once, and when she had pulled away, he’d called her a tease and a slut before he had hit her. She closed her eyes. She wasn’t going to think about him anymore. She wasn’t those things. She wasn’t.
Luke made her feel things she hadn’t felt with any other guy before, but the timing was wrong. Falling for a guy was not what she wanted right now. That would come later, after she made something of herself first. But what if he was the one? What if she let him slip away and never saw him again? She had always wanted to get married and have babies and build a family with someone. It was the one thing when she was growing up that she didn’t have. Would she be throwing away that dream for another?
The sexy as hell truck driver, who just got done laying a very hot lip-lock on her, had her doubting her original plan. Maybe she was meant to meet this man, who was now acting as her savior. Maybe he was the answer to her prayers. If he wanted to kiss her again, she would allow it. She couldn’t deny that something about Luke McIntyre just felt right.
Aimee Jo finally came out of the bathroom, only to find Luke already out of bed and dressed. A ting of disappointment hit her, as well as the overwhelming emotion of rejection.
“You’re getting up?” Aimee Jo asked with a small smile she managed to find.
“Yeah, I got to get driving soon. Don’t want the cops bugging me for parking here.” Luke moved around her to the bathroom where he stood by the mirror, combing his hair as he tried to hide his embarrassment about earlier.
“Oh, I just …” Aimee Jo stopped, not wanting to let on that she was hoping for more kisses.
“Just what?” He looked at her, waiting for her to finish.
No way, was Aimee Jo going to say it. Girls don’t make the first move. Guys always made the first move. It now appeared to her that Luke would not be making any moves, at least not toward her. “Never mind, I will straighten up in here.” Aimee Jo turned and started making up the bed, her eyes blurring with unshed tears.
“Thank you. I need to go check on things outside.” Luke made his way to the front cab. He stopped and turned, remembering that she hadn’t eaten last night. She had to be starving by now. He should have parked at a truck stop last night so he could at least buy her some breakfast.
She put herself to work, remaking the bed his bed. He appreciated the fact that she wanted to keep his place tidy. He stepped to his fridge in hopes he had something for her to eat.
“Would you like one?” Luke held a bottle of water out to her as she slowly turned to him. Her beautiful eyes were glistening. Shit, what had he done now? She looked like she would start crying at any moment. Maybe she was upset that he’d kissed her? Or maybe she was still upset about him yelling at her last night. He decided to go with the latter and apologize.
“Aimee Jo, about last night, I’m sorry for snapping at you like that. I was just very tired. Anyway, I’m sorry,” he said
Aimee Jo nodded, remaining tight-lipped.
“Would you like one?” he asked again, holding the bottle out to her.
“Yes, please. Thank you,” Aimee Jo said as she took the bottle from his hand. She felt that excitement from earlier as their fingers lightly brushed each other’s; those fingers that a few moments ago, had been on her thighs as she was being kissed.
Luke was relieved to find that he did indeed have a little food in the fridge. “I have some cereal and milk, and maybe a granola bar left, if you’re hungry. I doubt the sandwich is any good now,” he said as he tossed it in the garbage. “We will need to make a stop today and restock the place. Like I said yesterday, just make yourself at home. I am going to take this out. There’s a dumpster in the parking lot,” he said, holding up the trash bag.
“Thank you.” She smiled, glad that he was still trying to be
hospitable.
There it was again, that smile of hers that made his chest hurt and his dick hard. He had to get some air and fast. “You’re welcome. I’ll be back in a sec,” he said as he quickly exited the truck.
The morning sun had been up for a couple of hours he guessed, and the air was still and muggy. Luke headed to the dumpster, all the while keeping his eyes out for any trouble in the abandoned parking lot. It appeared safe, at least safer than inside his cozy truck with Suzy Homemaker invading his space.
As he headed back to his rig, he noticed a truck sitting on the other side of the road, a few yards away. A small cab, red pickup that hadn’t been there last night when he’d parked. It was probably someone looking for a second to rest, just like him. After looking over his rig, and deciding all was well, at least out here, he climbed back into the cab and sat in his seat.
He was being a first-class jerk and he knew it, hiding out here and avoiding her. He still had an hour before he could even take off. What was with him? He knew she wasn’t being a tease. He was the dipshit for reading too much into what happened. One minute he was telling her he wasn’t looking for her to put out and the next he was kissing her senseless. The big problem was that she had kissed back, and the whole time he thought he could do this every morning.
Dangerous thinking, very dangerous. Maybe he needed that vacation more than he thought. He was bending rules now and on the verge of breaking them. He needed to turn the tables and fast, setting some ground rules. He had to stick to the itinerary—pick up the load in San Antonio, deliver it to California, say goodbye, drop her off, and go on with his life.
His mom would have a field day if she knew what was going on. Every Friday night when he called her to check in, one of the first questions she asked was, “Have you met a special girl, yet?” She had visions of grandbabies and she hoped Luke would make her a grandma soon. The woman was obsessed.
Shit, he’d just barely just started his own company and she thought he should be married and making babies. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that it would never be in his plans. Maybe his kid sister Jeanine would bless their mama with babies one day, but Luke wanted no part of it. A loner he was and a loner he would stay.
Looking over his route, weather and traffic permitting, they should be in San Antonio by tonight. The appointment for pickup was nine o’clock the next day. He would find a Walmart close by and park there for the night. He could go buy supplies and take off again the next morning.
The curtain pulled back, and leaving it open, she handed him a cup of coffee. “Here you go, I put it in a travel mug so you won’t spill it.” Aimee Jo handed Luke the cup before sitting down in the passenger seat.
Luke was trying to remember if he had asked her to make him a cup of coffee. The gesture was both pleasing and disturbing. Who was this girl?
He noticed that she had changed into a floral blue sundress, the only article of clothing she had left from what he could tell from the few seconds he took inspecting her bag. The blue color made her hair shine brighter and her eyes even bluer. Luke also noticed the wonderful smell coming off of her. It was fruity and reminded him of peaches, his favorite fruit. She was like a gorgeous Georgia peach, so sweet, and with lips so juicy and she even made him coffee. He was being damned, he was sure of it now.
“Thanks,” he said, taking a sip before setting the cup in the drink holder beside him.
“You’re welcome.” Aimee Jo smiled as she took of a sip of her own coffee, holding it carefully so she wouldn’t spill any. She hoped he didn’t mind her drinking it up here with him. “So, what’s the plan today?” Aimee Jo asked, trying to break the monotony of short comments they had both been exchanging since the little incident this morning.
She was so damn bright and cheerful that he couldn’t help but smile at back her. “Well, I have a load to pick up in San Antonio tomorrow morning.” He looked over, and to his surprise, she was actually paying attention. “That’s the load going to Sacramento. I want to get us to San Antonio tonight. We can park at a Walmart there, get some supplies, eat and sleep, and then get up in the morning to make the appointment.” Luke finished spilling the itinerary to her, leaving out the part of buying her a bus ticket and sending her on her way.
“Is it okay if I sit up here with you? I was too tired to enjoy the ride yesterday.”
“No problem. I’m not sure what there is really to enjoy, the I-10 is pretty boring.” He chuckled before taking another sip from his mug.
“How do you keep from getting bored?” she innocently asked.
Many things came to Luke’s mind when she asked the question, especially the incident from this morning. Should he really tell her what he did to keep from being bored? Could little Miss Prim and Proper handle it? Looking over at her as she sat up straight, carefully drinking her coffee, so dainty and proper, he decided against it. “Oh, I don’t know, nothing really. It’s not so boring when you are the one driving,” he said.
She nodded and smiled and Luke found it very hard not to stare at her. Her lips were touching her cup. The same lips that he had kissed with wild abandon only moments ago. Once again, these thoughts made him hard, and in his jeans also very uncomfortable to sit. He needed to escape her before he embarrassed himself like a teenage boy. It had been too long, and his dick was practically screaming for release. He might need to take matters into his own hands, once he got outside.
“Well, I’ve got to go check on some things outside the truck. Sit tight. We will be leaving in a few minutes,” he quickly said before bailing outside, not waiting for her response.
Aimee Jo watched as Luke quickly exited the truck, and wondered. Was he mad at her? Should she say something about the kiss? No, she needed to remain focused on her plans. As much as she desired him, she didn’t need this distraction right now, no matter how hot and sexy that distraction was. He was what she had always desired in a man—rugged good looks, with a protective nature. When he had touched her this morning, when he had kissed her, he had set her body on fire. She had never been touched like that before, and she couldn’t help but squirm in her seat over thoughts of how hard he had been. It had both surprised and delighted her at the same time.
They had been on the road for just over an hour now, and the Thursday morning traffic was slowing them down. The same road, same billboards, same exits—Luke knew this route well. He could drive it blindfolded. He was still on edge from this morning, but fortunately he was able to get himself back in control. He had been so tempted to relieve his throbbing dick behind the truck, safely out of Aimee Jo’s view, but jacking off was not his style. His hard-on went down on its own after realizing how ridiculous he was being.
Both of them were silent, neither one of them willing to discuss what had happened earlier. Occasionally, he would look over at her, enjoying her watching and sightseeing. He also enjoyed the great view of her nicely shaped and tan legs as her dress had worked its way up higher.
At first, he thought she was doing it to tease him more, but he soon realized she was just restless and had a hard time sitting still. She probably didn't even realize her dress was riding up, and he would be damned if he was going to tell her. Many questions about her started filling his mind. Usually he had no one to talk to on these quiet rides, but now he did, and yet, he stayed quiet. What harm would it be to get to know more about her? At least the time wouldn’t drag.
“So, what part of Georgia are you from?” he finally asked.
Aimee Jo was shocked by the sudden break in silence. She was convinced he was mad at her, so she remained quiet to not piss him off again like she had last night. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed him. She had nowhere else to turn.
“Thomasville, Georgia.” She smiled as she turned in her seat slightly to face him.
Her dress rode up a little more and he gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. His hands ached to run themselves up and down her smooth tan skin again. A Georgia peach—she definitely looke
d sweet enough, which was why the next question popped up in his head again. “So, what’s in California?” A question he should have probably asked yesterday, but had failed to do so.
“An audition,” Aimee Jo answered before she thought the better of it. It was her automatic response when the subject of California came up.
“Audition for what? Wait, no let me guess,” Luke responded as he decided to make a game of it. “Model?”
“No.” Aimee Jo shook her head.
“Movie star?” Luke smiled, guessing again. She had the looks to be both, he thought to himself.
“No.” Aimee Jo giggled a little. She couldn’t decide if he was being serious or just teasing her.
“Reality TV star?” He guessed again.
Aimee Jo hesitated for a second before answering. “Well, yeah, kinda, that is if I make it through auditions.”
“Oh yeah? What show?”
“Country’s Next Star,” Aimee Jo shyly answered.
“You mean the singing show where popular singers vote for who will be the next country music star?” Luke asked.
“Yep.” Aimee Jo nodded.
“Okay,” Luke responded, not really knowing what else to say at the moment.
“Stupid idea, huh?” Aimee Jo spoke for him.
“No, not at all,” Luke said, looking over at her. She was pulling inside herself again, like she had last night when he had gotten upset with her. He had watched the show only once and that was when he’d been at home and only because his baby sister had control of the remote. He wasn’t a fan of reality TV, but he had suffered through watching an episode so he could hang with the brat.
“You must think I am crazy to want to leave home and audition for some show. I probably won’t even make it to auditions,” Aimee Jo said before looking out the window again.
“I didn’t say that, and where’s all this negative bullshit coming from? You must think you have a chance if you would still go through the trouble of going to California after what happened yesterday,” Luke responded.