Long Drive

by Jessica Florence

  She was sitting on a bar stool in the kitchen while Joel leaned against the island, talking to her.

  “We have to go surfing tomorrow!” Livia’s bright smile was aimed at me as soon as I entered the kitchen. I usually went surfing with Joel when I was here, so this was not difficult to agree to. I nodded my agreement and grabbed a beer from the fridge. I was at Joel’s place about once a month. He was my best friend, the only person I talked to on a regular basis.

  “Sweet, this is going to be so much fun!” she beamed and hopped off her stool.

  “I’m going to go shower, then you guys wanna hang or something?” She looked at us, and Joel spoke first.

  “Yeah, I’ll get a fire going outside. We can sit by the pit and chill.” She agreed, and then scampered off towards her room.

  Joel was quiet while she left the room, and I knew I was going to have to face his questions. It was only a matter of time. Still, I waited for him to make the first move.

  “Might as well come out with it, you know I’m not going to let it go.” I sighed, knowing his words were true. He and Livia were two peas in a pod with the questions and talking thing. He was perfect for the big screen. He tried to get me to do it with him, but I didn’t want that life. Not at all.

  “She offered me money to tag along for a month. She’s got some shit going on. I don’t know what, don’t care.” Lie. I was starting to wonder what would make a woman like her do something so nuts. Something life-changing. “And?” I looked into his eyes and saw he was concerned for me.

  “I saw the desperation in her eyes to get away and couldn’t say no. Don’t need the money, though it doesn’t hurt.” He nodded and looked off towards where she went.

  “She’s got personality,” he commented, and I rolled my eyes, letting out a small laugh.

  “That she does, in spades.”

  “She’s pretty, too.” My body froze from his comment. He was going to go after her. I schooled my features so he wouldn’t see that it bothered me, but I was too late.

  “Killian Lemarque, interested in a girl, and after only three days. I’m surprised.” He was half teasing me. The other half, he was genuinely serious.

  “Don’t matter; I don’t need that drama in my truck. Got jobs to do.” I shrugged, it was true. I had timelines to follow and focus on. Women mucked things up. He studied me, and then let it go. For now.

  We moved outside to start a fire in his big fire pit that faced the ocean, chatting about his upcoming film, a big fantasy-action flick. Sounded interesting. I liked movies, and even though I gave him shit sometimes, he was really good at acting.

  Livia opened the sliding glass door and joined us by the pit, dressed in a pair of sweats and a large shirt. A man’s shirt, to be exact. Another thing I found I didn’t like. Was it her ex’s shirt? I wanted to throw it in the fire pit and watch it burn.

  “Want a beer?” Joel asked and she took it. Watching her lift the bottle to her lips made my dick start to swell. Fuck, this was getting complicated.

  “I love this view.” She looked at the water as the small waves lapped against the sand peacefully.

  “Thanks, the place called to me. Can’t beat being by the water twenty-four seven.” He smiled, but I could tell he was holding back his full force smile on her. Odd.

  “So, how you hanging in there, riding around with Stoic over there?” He winked at me, and I just drank my beer in silence. He loved giving me shit for it, but he knew why, and still was my friend despite not having deep heart-to-heart talks all the time. Livia giggled, and then answered him with that smile on her face. A beautiful fucking smile.

  “I think he’s growing on me.” She winked at me and continued on. My curiosity was peaked, wondering if she was regretting her decision or not.

  “Actually, it’s been nice. Being on the road always gave me peace, so this was just what I needed. We’ve been playing twenty-one questions, and even though sometimes he just parrots mine, he has come up with some good ones. Like asking me what my theme song was for the moment. Very clever.”

  I avoided Joel’s wide eyes, knowing he would be looking at me after her confession. Theme songs were our secret, something my grandmother started for us. The fact that I asked her that meant I was going soft for her. Something I was still trying to be in denial about.

  “Then I got him to sing ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ in the truck with me! I feel like I should get a medal or something. It was epic.” She was so proud of herself. I shook my head and drank more of my beer to cover up the smile that was forming on my face. Joel, however, was stunned.

  “Sounds like a damn good time.” He relaxed back in his seat and was smiling along with her, enjoying my slow descent into something unfathomable. I knew it, and he did too. These confessions proved she was under my skin. I never acted this way with anyone other than Joel. With Joel, I was still a grumpy ass, but I was able to let loose some.

  Livia and Joel chattered about nothing important for another hour before she called it a night, wanting to sleep in a bed and rest up for surfing tomorrow. I waited for him to say something to me, and he just stared at her until she closed the glass doors and walked up the stairs.

  “So, you’re marrying her in Vegas, right?”

  Chapter Ten

  Livia

  “Paddle!” Joel’s voice carried over the water, telling me to go for the wave. And I tried, but when it was time for me to stand, I couldn’t get my feet right, and fell face first into the freezing cold water. It was about sixty-five degrees outside and colder in the water. Thank goodness for the full wetsuit Joel had loaned me. He claimed it was his sister’s, but I wasn’t sure I believed him. There was no mistaking he was a ladies’ man, so I tried to imagine his sister wearing the suit, instead of some woman he brought home to screw.

  My legs were tired from swimming, but it was a welcome burn.

  “I think I’m going to take a break and sit,” I called out to him and reached for the body board he let me use. He gave me a thumbs up and went on his way to surf his little movie star heart out. But my eyes left him seconds later, searching for the man slicing through the water like he had powers over them. Killian was dressed up in a wetsuit, too, which left absolutely nothing to the imagination. He strolled out to the water, gave me a once-over, and dove right in. He loved the water, that was for damn sure. It was a small glance into the Killian he kept buried beneath the grunts and huffs. I watched his face transform as he would catch a wave at the right moment and glide on the water.

  He may want people—including me—to see only the hard parts to him, but I was becoming more and more fascinated with what was underneath in that gooey center of his.

  When his eyes met mine as I was dissecting him in my head, I felt something connect between us. This was something he didn’t show people, and he knew I was glimpsing the real him. I wondered what he thought of that. No emotion crossed his face beyond that look in his eyes saying he was reading my thoughts.

  It was probably around noon, and I was starting to get hungry. We had been surfing since nine this morning. Killian made us omelets for breakfast—another thing I didn’t know about him, that he liked to cook. It was his subtle way of thanking his friend for letting us stay. And other than the few words here or there, he really didn’t talk to me much. I thought we had come to some sort of friendship over our drive, but since he wasn’t stuck in a truck with me, he wasn’t forced to talk to me. And now he was keeping his distance, making me feel slightly bummed. Not that I wanted to fall in love with him, but I was hoping to at least be friends.

  I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted out to them. “Hey, you guys hungry?” Both men paddled over to me and talked about what we could have for lunch. All of it sounded great and was making my stomach rumble.

  “Okay, you guys choose. I’m gonna go shower, then we can work on it together.” I left them behind to figure it out and practically ran into the house to get under the hot water of the shower.

&nb
sp; The room I was staying in was simple, but I knew everything still probably cost a small fortune. The bed was large and covered in a fluffy white comforter. The rest of the room was decorated in lovely earth tones of green, brown, and yellow. It worked nicely together. I wondered if he did the decorating himself or hired someone.

  There wasn’t a bathroom attached to my room, but it was right across from it. So I grabbed a set of clothes from the basket, since Joel let me use his washer to clean my minimal wardrobe, and walked into the bathroom.

  It had a deep, old-fashioned claw foot tub and a separate shower. Most people only had master bathrooms that looked like this, but when you’re a celebrity, maybe every bathroom was like that. I wasn’t complaining.

  I struggled a moment with the very snug wetsuit, but once it was gone, I jumped into the shower and warmed my skin. Thoughts of Killian entered my brain and I felt myself enjoying them. What would he do if I touched him? In the way a woman touched a man to whom she was attracted. The core of me, between my legs, started to ache, and I knew I needed to take care of it. I lathered myself up with soap and ran my fingers over my body, cleansing myself, and then kneading my breasts. My eyes closed, and I imagined my hands were no longer my own, but rather Killian’s large ones, touching my nipples. I moaned, thinking about his palms holding their light weight, while his lips touched my neck from behind me. Shivers rolled down my spine all the way to my toes. His mouth was hot, and his tongue licked up the line of my neck. One of those hands of his moved down my stomach and touched me where I needed him most.

  “Oh,” I whimpered and moved my fingers just as I imagined he would. Teasingly at first—Killian wouldn’t be one for rushing things. He would savor every whimper and each flex of my hips towards his pleasuring fingers. Finally, when I couldn’t take anymore, he would give me what I craved. He’d insert one of his long fingers inside me, stretching me for something much bigger.

  I felt myself starting to quiver with the impending orgasm. My body tensed as I increased the pace, and then I was falling, my orgasm shooting through me like a bolt of lightning. It was all I could do not to scream, and thereby alerting everyone in the house that I was having one of the hottest orgasms of my life. And it was all from thinking of a man that wanted nothing to do with me...a man I really shouldn’t be thinking about at all.

  That thought sobered me up from my post-orgasm haze, and I finished cleaning myself then jumped out of the shower. I dried off and changed into my clothes quickly then walked out of the bathroom. I was so lost in my head that I ran right into a hard, bare torso.

  Killian’s naked torso, to be exact. My eyes went wide and my cheeks flushed. I was afraid there was a big sign on my head that gave away that I was thinking about him just minutes ago, while I touched myself. His tattooed arms that I didn’t truly notice in the truck before wrapped around my waist to steady me; my eyes nervously looked up into his, not wanting to be caught staring at his toned body. He was looking at me like he was frightened of me. It was an odd look, but I swore that’s what I saw. The moment passed as quickly as it came, and he schooled his features back to the emotionless expression to which I’d grown accustomed.

  “You okay?” I nodded at him and pulled away from his arms. His hands on me, especially after my scene in the shower, were making my body grow warm and needy for him.

  “Yep. Just wasn’t expecting anyone right outside the door. Thanks for catching me before I fell on my face.”

  He was looking at me curiously. Sometimes I really felt he knew everything I was thinking inside my head. I hoped not, otherwise I would be humiliated for life, if he could read me now.

  “I’m gonna shower. Joel ordered tacos from a local place. It’ll be here soon.” He took a step back and started to walk into the bathroom behind me now that I was out. I let out a breath as he started to close the door. The awkward moment was over.

  “Hey, Livia?” He opened the door back up and I felt myself freeze. I turned around and looked at him. This time I couldn’t help my eyes from gazing over his tan muscles, and that tattoo that twisted from his shoulder down his forearm. He was more masculine than anyone I’d ever seen this close before. Undeniably sexy. Like a fitness model, he could probably be just as famous as Joel if he wanted to.

  “Yeah?” My voice was hoarse, and I refused to look him in the eye. Although staring at the light dusting of hair on his chest, and following the line of dark blond hair that travelling into his rolled-down wetsuit, wasn’t any better. It was probably way worse.

  “You did good out there. You’re a natural on the water.” He was complimenting me! My mouth parted, and somehow I mumbled my thanks to him. Even though we both know I sucked out there.

  “You’ll have to keep practicing. Anything that is worth your passion is worth the time it takes to make it happen.” With those words hanging in the air, he closed the door and left me standing in the hallway, mouth parted, and heart blooming.

  That was the nicest thing he’d ever said to me. Suddenly I yearned for his words. I wanted nothing more than for him to tell me a story, to just open up and let me in. He was so much more than what met the eye, and I was becoming addicted to finding out about that inner man.

  Chapter Eleven

  Livia

  After finding my feet in the hallway, I fled to my room and threw a slouchy sweater over my head, then braided my hair so it fell over my exposed shoulder.

  A flash of silver caught my eye from my bag. I totally hadn’t looked at my phone once since before getting in the truck with Killian. I’d turned it off and told myself not to use it unless I needed it. Surprisingly, I was doing well with that. But I should probably check it to make sure everyone was all right. Mom and Dad didn’t really approve of my journey, but they understood it. Although they didn’t know my plans had changed, and now I was riding along with a trucker. I’m guessing they might not like that so much.

  My fingers pressed the button on the side of the smart phone, and I watched it come to life.

  Ten missed calls.

  Twenty-three missed messages. Good grief.

  I opened up the messenger and read the first few from Lane:

  “Livie, I forgive you for what you did. Let’s just forget it happened and come home.”

  “Liv baby, call me, where are you?”

  “Your parents just told me you went on a road trip by yourself, are you crazy? You can’t handle being by yourself. Come home, Livia.”

  “I miss you in my arms at night. Come back to me, Liv baby.”

  I hit delete on all the others, not even wanting to see them. He forgave me for what I did? I huffed just thinking about that and moved on to who called.

  Lane

  Mom

  Dad

  Mom

  Karen, my “sort of” friend.

  Dr. Janice’s office.

  My eyes were glued to that contact name. Dr. Janice called. It had been so long that I forgot that I had been to them. It had been, what, a month? I’d had so much going on in my life that I had completely forgotten about them. My hands were starting to shake, and I was feeling afraid—too afraid to call right now. What if they told me what I had been thinking? I would be devastated. But what if they told me things were okay? I would be fine. Elated, actually.

  I stared at the call back button, and I didn’t know what to do. This call would be life-changing. I was so nervous and terrified that I just put the phone back in my bag and walked away. I wasn’t ready to hear what Dr. Janice had to say. Maybe later, before going to bed, or at least after I’ve had some alcohol in my system.

  Joel was just answering the door when I came down the stone stairs.

  “Hey, you did good out there. You guys will have to come visit again so you can keep practicing.” You guys. He said it like there was a future between Killian and me. There wasn’t.

  “Thanks, I’ll think about it.” I winked at him, trying to get out of my freaked state of mind. He got us set up at the kitchen table, and K
illian came down dressed in his signature thermal shirt and jeans. This time he was barefoot, which I found strangely attractive, and his sleeves were pushed back to the elbows, showing off his intricate tattoos.

  Joel talked more about his upcoming film. You could see from his face that he was excited, and I loved seeing that much passion from someone for their job.

  After dinner, Killian wanted to go to the grocery store, so we all went together and got lots of fresh food for our next journey in the truck. Joel wore a hat and glasses, to help us from being mobbed as we walked around, and for the most part it helped. Only a couple of people recognized him and wanted to take a picture. I couldn’t imagine going through that everywhere you went. We made it back to the house without a hitch, and put the groceries in the fridge. Feeling like I was crashing from denial of all the issues in my life, I took off my shoes and decided to walk along the shore. Joel and Killian sat outside, drinking beers and talking about man things. I wanted to join them, but I was feeling blue. They probably had enough going on, and didn’t need to hear about my problems. As I watched the sky start to turn dark, I knew I couldn’t put off listening to the message that was going to change me one way or another.

  “I’m feeling off, guys, I think I’m gonna go lie down.” I lied to them and walked inside. I saw Killian’s look of concern on his face, he could tell something was off with me, but his body didn’t move from the chair he was reclined in.

  Ascending the stairs was like marching to death row. I was so nervous, but I couldn’t put it off any longer. My knees started to feel weak so I sat down next to my bag and wrapped my fingers around the phone.

  “You’ll be all right, one way or another,” I told myself through shaky breaths. My finger pressed the button, and I pressed the phone to my ear.

  “Ms. Jones, this is the office of Dr. Janice at Fertility Specialists of Sarasota. We have the results from your ultrasound and would like to discuss them with you.” I stopped listening to the rest of the voice mail and called Dr. Janice’s cell phone immediately.