by Claire Adams
I couldn't believe we were doing this. We could have stayed an extra hour in the hotel room, but instead, here we were, out in his car like teenagers, having a quick and messy fuck. We wouldn't be able to shower, either, not until we reached Lincoln. We'd spend the whole day feeling fucked out and loose.
I shivered, liking the thought of that.
Josh pressed his lips to my jaw and then trailed them down towards the collar of my sweater, nipping lightly at the skin. I knew that if he bit a mark there now, it would probably still be visible when we reached my parents' place in a few days. And I didn't care. In fact, I almost wanted that mark to be there. I wanted them to know about the change in Josh's and my relationship.
Maybe, just maybe, I wanted Josh and I to be in a relationship, something more than friends.
I swallowed hard, pushing the thought out of my mind and trying to focus on the sex that we were having. Wasn't this enough, after all?
Josh's fingers danced across my skin where my sweater had ridden up, and each stroke sent a thousand sparks of passion erupting across my body. I whimpered with need, pulling my legs up and pressing my feet down against the edge of the seat, pushing myself up against him as he continued to move against me.
Every muscle in my body tightened, and I cried out as, with one final thrust, I came, squeezing him through his own orgasm as I gasped for air. I trembled with the aftershocks even as he came and collapsed against me, stroking my hair.
Slowly, I came back into myself, lowering my feet back to the floor. Josh was still splayed out over me, his back twisted at a weird angle, given the seat that we were in.
I couldn't help laughing, and when Josh pulled away, he grinned ruefully at me. “Well?” he asked.
“On a scale of one to bed, I'll take the bed,” I admitted. “But that was fun.”
Josh kissed me one more time and then pulled back, letting me escape back to my own seat. He tucked himself back into his pants as I straightened my panties and my skirt. “Now it's starting to really feel like a road trip,” he commented.
I burst out laughing and reached over to twist my fingers through his.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Josh
I glanced back over my shoulder as we merged onto the highway heading out of Denver. I sighed. “I wish we'd had more time in Denver,” I told Kylie. “That city is starting to get really fun. Lots of good restaurants and bars. Lots of culture.”
Kylie smiled over at me. “Well, we have to save something for our next road trip,” she said.
I groaned. “I don't think I can do this again,” I told her. “I'm getting too old to be cooped up in a car for days on end. I don't think my knees are ever going to forgive me.”
“Hmm,” Kylie said, sounding distracted.
“What's up?” I asked, feeling a flash of concern as I wondered what she was thinking.
Sex in the Lamborghini hadn't been particularly comfortable given our tight quarters, but if anyone was going to get hurt doing that, I would have thought it was me, since I'd been the one trying to avoid ramming myself back against the steering wheel.
Fortunately, Kylie smiled over at me. “Sorry,” she said. “I was looking out at that blue truck behind us. Ugly thing, isn't it?”
“Nowhere near as pretty as this baby,” I agreed. I frowned, glancing back at the truck. There was something vaguely familiar about it, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was.
Kylie pinpointed it, though. “That's not even the first ugly blue truck we've seen on this trip,” she complained. “There should be some rule against ugly trucks on the road.”
I burst out laughing and shook my head. “You're such an artist,” I told her fondly. “You can't ban a vehicle just because you don't think it's pleasant to look at.”
Before Kylie could respond, my phone started ringing. I frowned, glancing at the caller ID. It was Mark, of course. I knew I probably shouldn't answer it, especially not with Kylie giving me that disapproving look, but we were dealing with a sensitive matter here.
I punched the 'answer' button on the dashboard. “Hey, Mark,” I greeted.
“Hey, Josh,” Mark said, sounding harried. “I was calling in regard to our ongoing negotiations. As you know, we're nearing approval for those clinical trials to begin in the new year. I'd like to have the funding situation all squared away before then, of course.”
“Of course,” I agreed. “The office is closing this week, isn't it?”
“Saturday,” Mark confirmed. “Which is why I was calling. I know it's short notice, but I think we're going to have to do as you suggested. You'll need to come into the office and plead your case. Let people get to know you in person and see that you're not some rich scumbag looking to take over our project.”
I frowned. “But that would mean you need me there this week,” I said slowly.
“Friday or Saturday,” Mark confirmed. “Like I said, I know it's short notice. I was hoping that it wouldn't come to this. And it still may not, but I wanted you to be prepared, in case we need you.” He paused. “I'd say there's a good chance that we will need you here.”
I glanced over Kylie, but she was impassive, looking determinedly out the window. I wondered whether she was upset or just trying to give me the illusion of privacy while I took my call.
“I don't care about 'good chances,'” I told Mark. “I've already started my holiday, and I'm on vacation as we speak. I need it to be 100 percent if you want me to fly out there to visit you. And I need to know soon. Friday is only two days away.”
Mark was quiet for a minute. When he spoke again, he sounded chagrined. “I really am sorry about all of this,” he said sincerely. “I didn't expect this to turn into such a frustration. The guys in the lab are great, but they're very much caught up in their science. I should have picked a few people with more marketing and business sense to join the team.”
I waved a hand through the air, even though he couldn't see it from his side. “Don't worry about it,” I told Mark. “These things happen with investments. Everyone just wants to make sure that they have the best deal possible for themselves, and that they trust the other party to carry out their end of the bargain. I understand that. But I do need you to sort things out on your end.”
“I will,” Mark agreed firmly. “I should be able to let you know if we need you by the end of the day today. Tomorrow, at the very latest. I promise.”
“Thanks, Mark,” I said. “I really hope to be doing business with you.”
“Me too,” Mark said. “I guess I'd better go talk to the team. I'll get back to you.”
We said our goodbyes and hung up. The atmosphere in the car had gone from playful, in our postcoital bliss, to tense. When Kylie didn't say anything, I reached over to turn up the music, singing along to the song that was playing on the radio.
Suddenly, Kylie reached over and turned down the music. “What city will you be leaving me in?” she bit out, and suddenly the reason for the tension and the silence became clear.
I frowned over at her. “I don't know yet,” I told her. “As you heard, details are still being hammered out. I don't even know yet if I'll have to leave you. Mark could call back tomorrow and say that he's talked it over with the guys, and they've decided to accept my proposal without my going in to meet them. Especially since I've just told him I'm on vacation.”
“Oh yeah,” Kylie said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “Because you've really been acting like you're on vacation. You've been working every night. And periodically throughout the days. Don't think I haven't noticed.”
I sighed exasperatedly. “Kylie, my world doesn't stop just because you and I are taking a little road trip,” I told her. “Lots of businesses are finishing up their year this week, and that means that there's a lot of back and forth about my investments and their payouts. I need to stay on top of that and in communication with them, partly so that they can close out their books for the year. I'm not being entirely selfish, you know.”
“Oh no, you're not being selfish at all,” Kylie bit out. “You're just planning on ditching me somewhere so that you can go back to work. Your money is more important to you than our friendship, I guess.”
“You know that's not true,” I said icily. “But I have certain obligations that I have to fulfill. Hammering out this deal with Mark is one of those obligations. I approached him about this investment long before you dragged me along on your road trip.” I took a deep breath, knowing that that wasn't the way to word this. “Our road trip,” I amended, before she could get too upset.
“Our road trip?” Kylie asked, though, sounding incredulous.
“Yes,” I snapped, losing my temper again. “The road trip that I am, in fact, taking part in.”
“The road trip that you are, in fact, planning on quitting,” Kylie corrected.
I ran a hand back through my hair. “For all that I know, I could get lucky and not have to go there at all,” I reminded her.
“Or you might have to put me on a plane to New York once we get to Nebraska,” Kylie said, rolling her eyes.
“That might happen,” I agreed. “I told you days ago that this might happen.” There was silence from the other side of the car, and when I glanced over, Kylie was looking resolutely out the window. I sighed. “Are you mad at me?”
“Of course not,” Kylie said, but her tone was clipped, and I could tell that she was.
“Look, I don't know what you want me to say,” I finally snapped when it became clear that she was planning on ignoring me. “I've driven you all the way from Los Angeles to Colorado. We'll be in Nebraska soon. And you knew right from the start that this wasn't my choice of transportation. I offered to fly you. I didn't want to drive my car across the country like this. But I finally caved. Don't make me feel guilty because your plans aren't working out when you didn't ever pay attention to what I wanted.”
“You didn't have to come with me,” Kylie snapped. “Mandy and I could have gone on a road trip on our own. All you had to say was that you didn't want to come. But now you're here, and Mandy's gone, so yeah, I'll feel a little hurt if both my friends abandon me mid-trip.”
“Abandon you?” I scoffed. “You're a grown woman, Kylie. You can take care of yourself.” When she didn't respond, I barreled on. “This thing between us was supposed to be friends with benefits, but now you're acting like we're in a relationship or something. Friends don't get pissed off when their friends have to do something for work. Especially not when it's something that's this important to me!”
Kylie scowled at me. “Important to you?” she asked. “Because you need the money?”
“It's not about the money; how many times do I have to tell you that?” I snarled. “I like what I do. And there are people counting on me. And beyond that, I'm hoping that investing in Mark's company–”
“Will save the world, I remember,” Kylie said, but from the way she said it, her tone dripping with disgust, I could tell she didn't actually believe that's what I was hoping for. “Just admit it. It's all about the money. That's what this whole trip has been, too. You booked all those fancy places so that you could show off to Mandy and me, as though we care that you're a billionaire instead of the poor college kid that we used to know. And then last night in the Tennessee Valley. You said that you were just promoting the holiday spirit, but you were really just making a show of things. All you care about is what the tabloids have to say about you.”
I flinched, stung by her words even though they weren't true. “You've enjoyed my money so far,” was all I could manage to say. “Whatever you want to say about my job, you've enjoyed those fancy places that we've stayed in, and you were all smiles last night. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were just another gold digger.”
It was Kylie's turn to flinch. “I guess it's a good thing you know better,” she said quietly, turning to stare out the window.
I winced, feeling like a massive asshole. Of course I didn't think she was a gold digger. She had been my best friend since long before I had had any money.
“If I can trust that you're not a gold digger, why can't you trust that I'm actually that same idealistic college kid who wanted to save the world?” I asked.
There was no response, and we continued to drive past brown, barren fields with just the sounds of the highway and the crackle of the stereo to break the silence.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kylie
I felt bad as I continued to stare out the window. I had heard in Josh's voice how hurt he really was by my words, and I knew that I had pushed him too much. He was right. We were just friends with benefits, and it wasn't fair for me to tell him that he couldn't leave. Especially since he hadn't wanted to come on this trip to begin with.
I never should have invited him.
But I didn't like that thought, either. I was glad that I had invited him, and I was glad for what this trip had turned into. It felt like he and I were closer than we'd been for years. And the sex was definitely an added perk.
When it really came down to it, my insistence that he work less was more due to the fact that he deserved to work less. He shouldn't feel as though he was locked into work. He should feel like he could take the time to take a vacation if he wanted to. I knew he liked his job, but there was no reason that his job had to be the only thing that gave his life meaning.
I wanted to give his life meaning.
I blushed at the very thought of that.
Somehow, though, I had to make things right between us. If he did have to leave me in Nebraska, I didn't want it to be on these terms. I didn't want him to be so mad at me. I was afraid that if he was, he might never talk to me again.
And that was stupid. I knew that. Josh and I had been friends for long enough that I knew he wasn't just going to ditch me. We had had fights before. Even if he and I weren't able to sort things out between us, there was Mandy to intervene. She would do so, whether we wanted her to or not.
I bit my lower lip.
“Josh?” I asked softly, turning so that I was facing him.
He grunted in response, and I ducked my head, feeling hot shame prickle over my face.
“I'm sorry,” I whispered, hoping he could hear me above the thrum of the tires and the static on the radio. “I know that I'm being unreasonable. I've just really been enjoying this trip with you, and I hate the idea of it being over already. I don't want to cut it short. In fact, I'd make it longer, if I could.”
Josh continued to drive in silence, his hands clenched on the steering wheel, his expression tight. He glanced in the rearview mirror as he pulled out to pass a slow-moving tractor, and I glanced back as well.
That ugly blue truck was back again, and suddenly I realized that it must be the same truck as the one we'd seen before, when we were stuck in traffic in LA. There was no way there were two of those things out there.
“I think they're following us,” I said worriedly as they pulled around the tractor and came up behind us again.
Josh snorted. “Don't be ridiculous,” he said. “I'm sure they just happen to be going the same way as us. It's the holiday season. We're not the only people traveling long-distance by car, not with the way airlines have been jacking up their prices lately.”
“Would you drive across the country in that hunk of junk, though?” I asked. “I mean, if you didn't have to?”
“Of course I wouldn't,” Josh said. “All I care about is money and appearances, remember?”
“Josh,” I said, reaching over and putting a hand on his arm.
Before I could apologize again, though, the truck began to honk wildly. It came up close behind us, tailgating us.
I swallowed hard, wanting to curl into my seat and squeeze my eyes shut, but I was transfixed by what was happening on our rear. “Pull over and let them pass,” I suggested.
“I'm going under the speed limit,” Josh said through gritted teeth. “If he wants to pass us, he can.”
“Well, speed up then,” I t
ried. I bit my lower lip. “This is the kind of thing that happens in horror movies, right before the cannibals drive the nice couple off the road and kill them.” My eyes scanned the fields to either side. We were well and truly in the middle of nowhere, though.
Josh laughed. “So we're a nice couple now, are we?” he asked.
“Josh,” I pleaded. “Please, I'm serious. This is freaky.”
Josh glanced over at me, noting my pale face and the way my hands were tightly clutching at the door. I stole looks behind us at the truck, which was still swerving erratically behind us.
“Fortunately,” he said slowly, “one of the advantages of having a fancy and expensive car is its really powerful engine. And an advantage to being out here in the middle of nowhere is that this road is straight, for as far as the eye can see.”
He put his foot down on the pedal, and we started to creep away from the truck, although the honking was still well within earshot. But then, the truck sped up as well, until it was back, hot on our heels. Josh continued to accelerate, pushing up to 100 mph. And still the truck kept coming, until it seemed that they must be looking to crash into us.
“Call the police,” Josh said, sounding strained.
I grabbed my phone from the center console where it had been charging but frowned at it. “I don't have service here,” I said. I grabbed his phone, checking it as well. I shook my head.
“Fuck,” Josh muttered under his breath. He was still maintaining his cool, but I could tell he was starting to crack as well.
He put his foot down again and accelerated past 100. I clung to the handle on the door, panicking as much at the speed as at the truck behind us.
“Slow down,” I whimpered. I wasn't sure if what I was seeing was my life passing before my eyes or the road and the empty fields rattling past us.
“If I slow down, he'll catch up with us again,” Josh said tersely, his eyes glued to the road in front of us. “I don't like this any more than you do, but until they're safely behind us, we're going to keep going.” He was silent for a moment and then offered a weak smile. “Like I said, the road is straight, and it was paved not too long ago. It's nice and smooth. There are worse things we could be driving over. Anyway, if we went off-road, at least these farms are nice and flat. They'd do a hell of a lot of damage to my car, but it wouldn't kill us.”