I reached over to grab a shirt and pants from my bag, and threw them on.
“Whose shirt is that?” He was looking at me with a different look than just a moment ago. His face was closed off, and looked strained. Ah. Was he jealous?
“Are you jealous, Killian?” I inched towards him, playing with fire a bit.
“Don’t like my woman wearing another man’s shirt.” He leveled me with a look that shook me to my core.
“Am I your woman?” My face softened. I wanted to be his.
“Until you go home, yeah, you’re my woman.” His declaration made me take the cup out of his hands to get it out of the way of the assault I was about to give him. I set it in the holder, then wrapped my arms around him, plopping my ass in his lap.
“It’s my brother’s.” I watched him wince and look embarrassed.
“Sorry, Livia.” He hugged me, and I accepted his embrace wholeheartedly.
We held each other for another minute before I left to go to the bathroom and clean up. The next two weeks were going to fly by, but I knew it in my bones I would never forget the things to come.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Livia
We rolled into Detroit without a hitch. After the thirteen-hour drive, and picking up three fancy cars from the big car show, we stopped at a truck stop and passed out solid in each other’s arms. We didn’t have any type of sexual activity the day before, so when I was woken up by a hard cock pressing against my ass, I knew it was going to be a good day.
His lips found my neck and my back arched into his chest, my breasts seeking his palms. He must have been wanting the same thing, because his hands were on them quickly, teasing, pinching my nipples, and massaging.
“Please,” I begged.
He knew what I wanted. I could feel him pushing down his boxers while I discarded my own panties, both of us needing that sweet connection. He slid inside me easily, and our groans filled the cab, music to my ears. We moved in sync, desperate for the touch of the other.
When he whispered sweet words in my neck of how I filled his life with sunshine, and he filled me with his cock over and over, I fell hard, with his release riding on mine.
“Morning.” He sounded like the cat that ate the canary.
“Morning.” I wiggled my backside, with his cock still inside me. He groaned and gripped my hips to still me.
“Ready to leave Detroit?”
“Yeah, it’s so loud and busy here. Pretty, but not my type of place.” I wrinkled my nose, and then he pulled out slowly, reaching over to grab us something to clean up with.
“New York is even worse,” he warned.
“Well, then we’d better get a move on, so I can form an opinion myself.” My arm went back to smack his toned ass. He shook his head, but let me get up so we could get dressed.
Three stops to pee, eat, stretch, and a one-hour nap later, we made it to New York City in about eleven hours. Thanks to traffic. Could have been at the dealer dropping off the cars an hour early but noooo, big cities bring big traffic. Something I wasn’t used to.
Killian turned on his CB radio to listen for anything he should avoid, and I was fascinated, listening to the truckers talk in their own code. Cops were called bears... odd, I know. Ten-four meant okay. The list went on, and Killian was nice enough to explain them to me. I asked if I could talk to the other truckers, but he shut that down quickly.
“Horny truckers would rip you apart. Don’t wanna hear it.” No continued explanation, just that. With a little sting of dismay, I let it go. It sounded like fun, but obviously Killian knew something I didn’t.
The dealer was very sweet, and offered me coffee while Killian and the other men unloaded the pretty cars, leaving just his motorcycle in the trailer. When all was said and done, we drove off to find a place to stay for the night. I told him I was okay with staying in the truck for the night, but he wanted to get a hotel room. So we parked the truck, and he called us a cab to take us to the hotel he had booked. I was wrapped up in my thick jacket, and still cold, but the excitement coming from my smile was palpable. It was snowing, and all the lights from the city were leaving me in awe. Sorry, Detroit. You lost this round.
“What’s your theme song?” I asked him while sitting in the back of a cab, waiting to see where we were going.
“'New York, New York′ by Frank Sinatra.” I laughed when he told me his song.
“Mine is 'Empire State of Mind′ by Jay Z and Alicia Keys.” Both of us were enamored by the big city. He grinned at my answer, happy seeing that I was excited to be here. When we stopped outside a large brick building with little art deco pieces on the outside, he grabbed our bags out of the trunk and ushered us into the heated hotel.
“Wow!” It was so pretty inside the building, and not what I was thinking at all. I was thinking we would be staying at either a really posh-type hotel or something super cheap. Either way, I would have loved it, but this...this was amazingly unexpected. It looked like a little library.
“Welcome to the Library Hotel.” A woman at the reception desk smiled at us. My eyes grew wide. A library hotel? How perfect.
It was a very large, clean, and stylish hotel, with a book theme. Killian couldn’t have chosen a more perfect hotel for us to stay at, in my opinion. It was like heaven.
“Yes, we have a reservation under Lemarque.” He spoke to her and had a card and ID ready to go when she asked for it. Her eyes tried to hold his longer than what would be professional, and I didn’t miss it. Yeah, yeah woman. He’s gorgeous, but he’s mine. So quit eyeing the goods. I might have given her the look that said I’d cut a bitch if she didn’t stop the flirty eyes.
“All right, the Love room is all set. Just head to the elevators over there.” She pointed to the elevators.
“And your room will be on the eighth floor. Here’s your cards. If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to call the desk and we will be happy to assist you.” I’m sure you would. Killian led me up to the room, and I giggled a little when I saw that it was indeed the Love room.
Rose petals were all over the bed, and had quotes about love from famous novels on a pillow that decorated the bed. It wasn’t cheesy at all, and I found myself swooning that Killian made the effort like this.
“This is amazing.” I walked to the glass door to the balcony we had, not wanting to go outside yet because of the cold, but the view was astonishing. Even at eight at night, the city was so alive.
“Glitz isn’t your thing,” he purred against my hair as he wrapped his arms around my waist, just holding me. I bit my lip to stop myself from letting happy tears come to the surface of my eyes. I wasn’t into glitz and glamour. Never was. I was with Lane for two years and he didn’t even come close to knowing me like Killian had in just two weeks. My feelings for him were growing by the second into something deep and unimaginable. Little romantic actions like this were making the fall effortless. My head relaxed against his hard body, soaking in his warmth.
So many words threatened to bubble out of me, but I somehow managed to keep them inside. I wanted so badly to tell him that despite all my efforts, I was falling. It was crazy, considering our story, but my heart was tattooing his name on it as we stood watching the city through the glass.
“Thank you for saying sure to this whole thing.” I turned in his arms and looked at him earnestly. He had given me something I could never repay him for: a chance to live life freely.
“You would have done it on your own, if I had said no.” He was giving me the benefit of the doubt, but I wasn’t so sure I would have.
“You are strong, and brave, Livia. Don’t doubt yourself.” He kissed my lips gently, and despite trying to heat things up, he just wouldn’t let it happen.
“We are going out. I’ll enjoy your body later. Do whatever you gotta do so we can head out.” He smiled and pulled back to give me space, settling on the bed and getting comfy. I wouldn’t need a ton of time, but I could spruce myself up a little bit. It was t
ime to make myself and my brother proud, by living it up in NYC.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Killian
“I can’t believe we are in the Empire State Building!” Livia squealed next to me while holding onto my arm. Dolled up in jeans, her boots, and her heavy jacket, she still looked cute as hell. Her hair was braided intricately and tied in the back of her head. She’d added a little makeup to her face, but thankfully it didn’t outshine her natural beauty. I’d smelled her vanilla & lemongrass scent the whole ride up in the elevator, and it was making my cock press hard against the zipper of my jeans.
“Have you ever been here before?”
“Yup. Once.” Even though I had been here before, it was like experiencing everything for the first time through her. The enthusiasm she was emitting was like that of a child on Christmas. It was completely intoxicating, and I’d be damned if I wasn’t going to get drunk off her high.
When the doors opened, we walked out onto the exploration deck of the building. I watched as her eyes took in the night scenery before us. Definitely worth the super-chilled air that was beating on us as we walked outside to the exposed portion of the deck.
“Wow.” The awe in her face was completely priceless. Without her noticing, I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture of her. The marvel on her face was one I never wanted to forget, and once she was gone from my life, I would still have this piece of her. Her wonder.
“The whole city is lit up. It’s sights like this that make me believe in the magic of people.” She sighed and leaned up against bars to look down. My hands wrapped around her waist out of habit now, not wanting to be far from her if I didn’t have to.
It had started to lightly snow on us again, and when she lifted her head up to see it coming down, I kissed her head.
“You are killing me; you know that, right?” she stated, matter-of-fact.
“No.” She opened her mouth, and little flakes of snow melted as soon as they made contact with her tongue. I looked around and saw that the very few people who were on the deck with us were heading back inside to get out of the snow. Not my Livia. She simply rejoiced in the moment. Whether she was like this before her trip or not, this was who she was now.
Her head dropped back down to its normal position, and then she turned around in my arms, peaking my curiosity of what she was thinking.
“‘Falling For You′ by Colbie Caillat.” Her eyes were watching mine for any sign that what she said got to me. It did, and I didn’t know what to think about it.
“You don’t have to say anything. You’re just making it hard not to.” She untangled herself from my grip, and walked along the sides of the deck, checking everything out like she didn’t just drop something on me. I hadn’t heard the song, but the title said plenty. I made a mental note to listen to the song later when she fell asleep. She was falling for me? Me? Grumpy-ass, broken, ex-military, truck driver me? It was inconceivable.
Pushing it from my mind for now, I followed Livia around while her snowflake-covered hair bobbed around the whole deck.
When the cold became too much, and our time was up for the night, we took a taxi back to the hotel room, and Livia started us a shower. When she hopped in, I decided to listen to that song.
Once again, I was blown away by her choice. What the hell was I going to do now? I didn’t even know my own feelings for her at the moment. I still had to let her go in the end, but did this change things?
“Hey, you coming?” she called out to me, and my feet were moving before I had the thought to do so.
Her soapy hands were running over her body slowly as the water’s spray washed it away shortly after each caress. All the questions in my head a minute earlier vanished. Right here, right now, was what mattered. I’d face the rest sooner or later.
“Thought I lost ya there.” She watched me from the half-closed shower curtain as I pulled my shirt over my head, and shucked my jeans off.
“Commando,” she purred, while looking straight at my growing dick.
She took a step back as I stepped into the shower. It was a normal shower and tub combo, so not a ton of space for two, but we would work it out. She reached up to move the shower nozzle and pointed it more towards me, the hot water feeling wonderful on my cold skin. She didn’t say anything as she lathered her hands with some more soap and started to wash me, spending the bulk of her attention on my abs.
“Never did I think of a trucker and abs like this in the same thought,” she said out loud, probably not meaning to. It was true, staying as fit as I did took serious dedication. I ran, did yoga, worked out, and ate healthy. Most people on the road didn’t stick to that routine. It was hard, to say the least.
She struggled to reach my hair, so I bent down to give her access to run her fingers through it, something I found that I truly enjoyed.
When she was done rubbing me down, I washed off the suds and my eyes collided with hers. So much emotion filled them, it was impossible to look away.
Right then I knew the answer to my questions.
When I first looked into those unique eyes of hers, I saw outer space in them.
They did hold secrets, secrets I now knew.
They did hold knowledge, knowledge she’d shared with me that I’d longed to know.
She was no longer untouchable. I’d held her in my arms; I’d kissed every part of her body, and her soul.
She was falling, and I’d been thrown into the water without a lifesaver. I’d been a goner for her the moment I looked into those eyes. I’d fought it, denied it, and even tried to stop it. But it was past that point. I had fallen for the girl before me, and the answer to my question was simple.
No, nothing had changed. I loved her enough to let her go and find a life she could be happy about. I wasn’t made to be still, and I couldn’t give her the white-picket-fence life that she deserved.
But I loved her enough to give her now. To show her with my body that I’d fallen hopelessly for her rays of sunshine that had chased away the dark clouds in my life. I was free, and it was because of her that I could breathe without drowning.
There were no words to be said right now. She’d asked for them before, but right now actions were going to speak louder than anything I could say. Right now I was going to worship her body, embrace her soul, and gaze upon her heart.
We touched, we kissed, and we found our moment in right now.
I picked her up and exited the shower, and once I dried her and myself thoroughly, I carried her to the bed. It was time I gave my woman a proper lovemaking. Her lips were pressing gentle kisses to my chest as I laid her across the bed, her blonde hair wild and covering the white pillows like a beautiful star. She kept her arms around my neck, which was fine with me. I wanted to be as close to her body as I could be.
My hard covered her soft, and her whimpers were the only sounds in the room as I slid home. Inside her was my home, where I belonged in life. Didn’t matter where I was, being connected to her is what kept me grounded to the world. Our chests slid against each other from the dampness of the shower, her legs wrapped around my ass keeping me rooted in where we both wanted me to be. With hard, slow thrusts, over and over, we spoke with our lovemaking and not our words. But so much was understood with every touch, and when both our cries of rapture overtook us, I rolled off her, held her in my arms, and tried to pour into her how I felt from that embrace.
Just as her breathing calmed and her light snores filled the air, I said what was truly haunting my soul.
“I love you enough to let you go in the end, but for now, I’ll keep you.” I kissed her forehead and followed her into sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Livia
We had walked around New York from sun up to sun down, and my feet were tired, but I was still excited to be going out for Killian’s mystery date soon. He had been gone for an hour, and I had taken to the reading lounge of the hotel and cracked open a good old paper book.
The smile on my face had
been there since I woke up this morning and remembered last night’s moments with Killian. He was sweet, passionate, and undeniably making love to me. He didn’t say anything about my admission to him last night, and I wasn’t expecting one in return, but his actions did talk. He had feelings for me, for sure. Maybe not falling in love like I was, but he did care for me beyond sex and just being his woman.
“Hey, figured you’d be here.” Killian walked up to me, holding two garment bags. What was he up to?
I was about to ask that same question when he shook his head.
“Nope. No twenty-one questions tonight. Let’s just go upstairs, get dressed in these, and head out.” He nodded towards the elevators. Surprises. I wasn’t a true fan of them before, but now it appeared I was becoming okay with them, because I nodded and returned the book to the shelf.
Ten minutes later, I was putting on some fresh makeup and spritzing myself with my favorite glitter spray from my old shop. I hadn’t decided what to do with my hair, so I figured I’d wait until I saw the outfit he had for me.
“Hand me the bag, please,” I called out from the crack in the door. He did, and I hung it behind the door and gripped the zipper.
As I unveiled the beautiful dress before me, I was stunned in silence. It was a subtle gold, long sleeve, tea-length dress. Sheer material came up high to where my collarbone would be, and went down to where the main part of the dress was tightly fitted, and flared from the ribbon around the waist to the end. I had to get it on, stat!
The clothes I had on were gone in an instant, then gently I shimmied myself into the dress from the feet up.
It fit like a glove. And it was completely backless, too! Oh dear, that was a surprise for sure. My eyes found myself in the mirror and I was stunned. It was like I was transported back into the glamorous fifties in New York City. I’d never felt so beautiful in a dress before, not even when I tried on the wedding dresses that Lane picked out for me. Maybe that was it. Lane didn’t know me; Killian knew my very soul. He knew this dress was the one for me right now.
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