Share the Road (Challenge Book 2)

by D. Blake

  “Care to trade places?” Vanessa teased back.

  “Can we stop for a minute?”

  “Yes, are you okay?” Vanessa pulled off into the grass and allowed Taryn to pull next to her.

  “I’m perfect,” she said before leaning over her bike and giving Vanessa a tender kiss. She didn’t care where they were or who could see them. She needed contact.

  When she pulled away, Vanessa’s eyes were still closed. “You are so sexy,” Taryn whispered.

  “And you’re a really good kisser.”

  Taryn laughed and looked back at the road. “Ready to continue.”

  Vanessa clenched her legs and nodded her head. “Yes.”

  Taryn took off in front of her and Vanessa quickly pulled out of the grass and onto the road. She shook her head and wiggled on the seat to tame her growing desire. “No more of those until we get back to the hotel,” Vanessa said, causing Taryn to laugh, rather pleased with the effect she was having on Vanessa.

  After skirting around some slower cyclists, and dodging the swarm of flies in their path, Taryn lead them along a bumpy road that they wished they had researched a little better. Before she knew it, Vanessa was cursing behind her and sounded as if she was getting further away. Carefully looking backwards, Taryn could see that Vanessa had pulled into the grass and was off her bike, examining the front tire. Taryn turned around and pulled off the road along side her.

  “I took a chance with these tires thinking I could make it another 500 miles. Stupid of me.” Vanessa said shaking her head.

  “No, biggie, could have happened to either of us with these roads. I thought I was going to pop a tire a mile back when I hit that pothole.”

  “I’m really sorry, this will just take me about 20 minutes. You can go ahead if you want.”

  “Are you kidding me? I’m not leaving your side. Besides, I would expect you to stay with me, so don’t get any ideas.”

  Vanessa laughed and took her emergency kit from her small pack. She swiftly removed the wheel and inspected it for debris. “Of course, a piece of glass,” she said removing it with her small pair of pliers and shoving it into the pocket of her bag.

  Taryn watched as Vanessa took off her riding gloves, pulled a pair of garden gloves from her bag, and then expertly pried the edge of the tire over the rim using a plastic tire lever. After doing this several times the tube was free and she was reaching into her bag for a new tube. Taryn just shook her head, knowing Vanessa must have done this a few times; she obviously knew what she was doing. Just fifteen minutes later, Vanessa’s tire was fixed and she was clipping it back into the wheel base.

  “That has to be one of the hottest things I have ever witnessed.”

  “Stop it. I must look a mess. I’m sweating profusely and now I have to pee.” Vanessa removed the too hot gloves, returning them to her bag along with her other equipment.

  Taryn waited patiently for her to look up at her and when she did, Taryn wiped her fingers across her face. “You have some black smudges on your face,” she said smiling.

  “Great,” Vanessa responded wiping at her face where Taryn had just touched. “I’m sure this is a real turn on,” she added with a grin.

  “Actually, it is. And for your information, if I didn’t think a snake would get us, I would pull you in that field and have my way with you,” Taryn said this with a straight face and didn’t break a smile at all.

  Vanessa lifted her eyebrows and grinned from ear to ear. “Thank God I’m not the only one feeling this way. I gave myself a…” she cut off. Her eyes looked downward as her neck and face turned beet red. “Let’s get going.”

  Taryn broke into laughter and couldn’t contain herself. She knew exactly what Vanessa was going to say, especially since she herself had taken care of her own needs that morning as well; she just wasn’t as loud.

  “You heard me didn’t you?” When Taryn nodded her head yes, Vanessa blushed even more. “This is embarrassing.”

  “Actually, it makes me even more excited because I know you won’t be quiet in bed.”

  Vanessa took a moment to pull herself together and then gave Taryn a quick kiss. “Let’s get going before we really do end up in the field. How the hell did this happen. One moment I’m going along thinking I can handle myself, and then all of the sudden my emotions are raw and I desperately need to have you in my arms.”

  “I don’t know, but I feel the same way. And just so you know, I don’t have any reservations about us.”

  They kissed one another again, unable to fight the attraction between them, until a car passed by beeping their horn. When they pulled apart, both smiled and picked up their bikes, guiding them from the grass back onto the blacktop road. Taryn took the lead and Vanessa followed behind, just as they were 30 minutes before.

  As they reached the car, both wished they had stayed in a hotel in Cambridge, now they had to drive all the way back to Easton. They set the bikes on Vanessa’s rack and climbed into the car. Before turning it on Vanessa leaned over and gave Taryn a passionate kiss.

  “What is wrong with me? I can’t control myself with you anymore.”

  When Taryn began laughing, it became contagious and seconds later, Vanessa was bent over in laughter too. “Hotel?” Taryn asked, taking Vanessa’s hand in her own.

  Vanessa nodded and then shook her head. “I promise to keep my hands to myself until we’ve both had showers.”

  “Deal!” Taryn grinned and squeezed her hand. She felt so many things with Vanessa that it was hard to comprehend. Vanessa was shy, yet large in life, she was adventurous and sassy when necessary, yet she was also soft and sexy as hell. She was an anomaly to Taryn; there were so many great qualities that Taryn loved about her. Love, no not yet. Too fast. We haven’t even had sex yet to know if we are compatible. Taryn shook her head and smiled. She didn’t need to have sex to know that she was falling for Vanessa.

  “What are you thinking about over there? You look like you’re having a conversation in your head.”

  Taryn laughed and squeezed Vanessa’s hand again. “Just thinking that this…feels right.”

  “We don’t have to have sex when we get back to the hotel.” Vanessa blurted out. Now that she was seated in the car, she had time to reign in her desire to be more mature about the situation. Taryn had been hurt before, and she didn’t want this to seem like a holiday fling. “There are so many things I like about you, I wouldn’t want to ruin something good by jumping into bed too soon.”

  “I…I was kind of thinking the same thing. Shit. Now we’ve gone from 100 to 0 in a matter of minutes.” Taryn exclaimed. When Vanessa gave her a knowing look, Taryn added, “Okay, maybe not 0, but definitely 50.”

  Vanessa laughed and gripped the wheel. “I don’t know, but why don’t we slow things down. I want to be sure about this before we do something that will blind us to our real feelings.”

  “Blind us?” Taryn asked with a chuckle.

  “Yes. I know we have chemistry, I feel it and so do you. And once we enter that part of our relationship, we’ll be blinded to what we really feel, because that… that will feel very good.”

  Taryn laughed out loud, yet agreed completely. “Yes, I see what you mean.” They drove in silence for a few minutes before Taryn spoke again. “Late lunch and then a walk around town?”

  “Sounds perfect. You can have the shower first. I need to call home to check on Victoria.”

  Taryn’s grip tightened and Vanessa glanced at her to see her lips drawn tight. “She’s a good person. I’m not making excuses for her, but she has a stressful job and sometimes she becomes immune to things around her. Please wait to meet her for real before you judge. It’s important to me.”

  Taryn melted and decided she would do as Vanessa asked… because it was very important to her too. “Thank you, for being so sweet. I’m sure you’re right and I will like her. Just not as much as I like you,” she teased. They both shook their heads and tried not to think of what might have happened if T
aryn had taken Victoria up on her offer at The Club.

  “At least we both have good taste.” Vanessa said giving her an innocent smile, causing Taryn to release a chuckle as she shook her head.

  ****

  Taryn showered first while Vanessa phoned her sister, giving her plenty of time to catch up, and give a warning that she would be home the next day. As Taryn returned to the room, Vanessa grabbed her clothes and gave her some space as well. It was obvious that they were both trying to avoid any closeness, knowing exactly what the result would be.

  Taryn used her iPad to check out the restaurants in town, settling on dinner in a small restaurant off of Harrison Street in Easton. With the reviews that were presented on Yelp, suggesting it was friendly, open, and most importantly ROMANTIC, it had to be a great place. She called ahead to make reservations, just in case, and was pleasantly surprised that they could get in with no trouble at such late notice.

  As Vanessa entered the room, she blushed at Taryn’s appraisal. “I didn’t really plan for a nice evening. I hope this is okay.”

  “I love that shirt. You always look good.”

  “Thank you. And you are incredibly beautiful,” Vanessa said crossing the room and wrapping her arms around Taryn’s waist. “I love your hair and eyes, and these dimples are…”

  Taryn stopped her with a kiss, pulling Vanessa closer while pressing their lips together with more force. When they pulled apart breathlessly, Taryn continued, “Dinner, and see where things go?”

  Vanessa laughed out loud and nodded her head. “Sounds wonderful. Do you have a craving for anything in particular?”

  “I made reservations for us on South Harrison Street. It should be easy enough to find,” Taryn said holding out her hand for Vanessa to take.

  Vanessa smiled, entwining their fingers, allowing Taryn to lead them out of the hotel. They walked around the quaint town for two hours, before heading to dinner. Yelp was spot on, the B&B was the perfect place for a romantic dinner, and great food. The owners, a husband and wife team greeted them and when Taryn requested a quiet table they were seated in a cozy alcove.

  They tried to avoid talking about work, but eventually both fell back into the discussion of things they needed to get done by the end of the week. Taryn, however, didn’t seem upset at all about returning to work; she loved her new job and enjoyed the challenge it provided. Vanessa asked her about some of the projects she was working on, until Taryn felt she was dominating the conversation. She tried steering the topic to cycling, but Vanessa wouldn’t allow it. She genuinely wanted to hear about Taryn’s work and appreciated her creativity.

  Taryn blushed as she talked about taking classes again, but Vanessa put her at ease, letting her know that she admired her. When they left the restaurant, Vanessa asked with raised eyebrows, “Do you want to go somewhere for a drink?”

  “No,” Taryn replied without hesitation. “Let’s pick up some wine and have it at the hotel.”

  “Good idea.” Vanessa said with a broad smile. She needed a drink herself, but had already had one glass of wine with dinner, knowing she wouldn’t be able to drive if she had another.

  With directions from a couple on the street, they continued on Harrison Street, absorbed in conversation, until they practically ran into the Liquor store. Taryn purchased a bottle of wine and an opener, and Vanessa bought two hand painted wine glasses with Black Labrador Retrievers on them. Within the hour they returned to the hotel, both getting comfortable in their pajamas and settling on the bed together with a glass of wine and Taryn’s iPad to plan the next day’s adventure before returning home.

  When it appeared as though neither cared, knowing any route they took would be fun, Taryn suggested the Oxford - St. Michael’s route again, in the opposite direction. They would start in Easton and head towards St. Michael’s first, taking the ferry to Oxford for the return trip. Out of curiosity, Vanessa asked why, with Taryn explaining that she wanted to actually enjoy the route together. She regretted not stopping to enjoy the scenery or talk to her friends during the ride.

  ****

  Seven o’clock the following morning, Vanessa woke Taryn with a soft kiss to her head before climbing from the bed. Taryn stretched her arms, smiling to herself, thinking she couldn’t remember a time when she had awoken so happy. Vanessa had wrapped her in her arms the previous night and given her a sweet kiss before they both closed their eyes and fell into a deep sleep. Of course, two glasses of wine in bed had also helped, but also made her feel warm inside.

  Because of such an early start, they were able to head out of the hotel and hit the road, making it to the Bellevue Ferry by 8:00 a.m., since they didn’t have to make the complete ride into St. Michael’s. After the short ferry ride, both thought it was best to get back to Easton where they could shower before getting back on the road for D.C.

  By noon they were crossing the Bay Bridge with Taryn following behind Vanessa’s black Mazda. The traffic was mild, allowing them get home before 1:00 p.m. Taryn immediately unpacked, tossing a load of laundry into the washer before heading into work. She was suddenly feeling very guilty about losing a day due to the drive, though not too guilty to spend a half an hour kissing Vanessa goodbye at the hotel.

  She tapped on Summer’s office door, hearing a quiet “come in” from inside. Taryn crossed the room and gave Summer a hug, thanking her for the impromptu extra days of vacation. Summer laughed and teased that she must have had a good time.

  “I can’t thank you enough.” Taryn blushed and sat down across from Summer.

  “I’m glad you had fun. You know you didn’t need to come in today. You should’ve spent the day with Vanessa.”

  “I know, but we both had a lot to get done.”

  “Taryn, do I need to tell you again not to overwork yourself. Just because you started a new job doesn’t mean that your work load has doubled.”

  “I know, I just…” Taryn looked down at her hands and twisted the hem of her skirt between her fingers in a show of uncharacteristic nerves. “I just want to do a good job.”

  “When do your classes start?”

  “Day after Labor Day,” Taryn said excitedly.

  Summer laughed and nodded her head. “Dinner tonight? Kelly and Myla are meeting with a potential donor for the basketball camp.”

  “I see. You only want to have dinner with me when Myla is busy.”

  Summer grinned and said, “Yup,” before she ducked, getting out of the way of the stress ball Taryn threw at her head.

  “Fine, but you’re buying,” Taryn added as she turned and left the office.

  ****

  The following day was work as usual. Taryn arrived with a spring in her step knowing she would be seeing Vanessa again for dinner, although this time Victoria would be tagging along so they could finally meet properly. Taryn was a little nervous, since Victoria’s opinions of her mattered more than anyone’s. She needed to make a good impression, especially after their incident at The Club.

  With two meetings and three accounts to work on, Taryn was busy the entire day. Like all the others, she took a working lunch, choosing to sit at her desk while she continued to manipulate a new company logo for an urban forestry company. At 4:45 p.m., her phone buzzed and Vanessa’s picture appeared on the screen. “Hi,” she said excitedly.

  “Hi Taryn. Are we still on for tonight?”

  “Yes. Absolutely!” Taryn said not worrying if she was too excited.

  “Victoria can’t wait to meet you. She actually offered to make the meal so we could hang out, but I told her I wanted to make you dinner.”

  “I’m looking forward to it. And thank you again for the weekend. I enjoyed every minute with you.”

  “I feel the same way. Hmm. Tonight, 6:30 p.m.,” she said with a sigh.

  “See you then,” Taryn replied. “Oh wait. Can I bring anything?”

  “No, we have it all covered. Bye Taryn.”

  Taryn pushed the end button and laid her phone on the desk next to h
er. For a moment she was in a trance thinking about their time together during the weekend. Then she squealed, jumping up from the desk, grabbing her phone and bag, and running out the door without shutting down her computer.

  At 6:31 p.m. Taryn stood in front of the apartment door, running her hand through her hair one more time before meeting Vanessa. When she was satisfied that it wasn’t a mess, she knocked once, waiting a moment before hearing footsteps on the other side of the door.

  “Hey, come in. I’m Victoria,” Vic said nervously. Can I talk with you real quick before Vanessa comes out of the bedroom?”

  Taryn nodded her head and followed her into the open room. Of course she had an idea about what Victoria wanted to discuss, but it didn’t make her any less nervous.

  Once seated on the couch, Victoria took a deep breath and began. “I want to apologize for my behavior last week. I also want to apologize for any trouble I may have caused between you and Van. I love her more than anything and would never do anything to hurt her. Honestly, I had no idea who you were and I’m very embarrassed by the way I treated...”

  Taryn placed her hand on Victoria’s arm to interrupt her. “Hey, it’s okay. I appreciate your apology and believe me when I say, I am very glad that nothing happened between us. Your sister means a lot to me.”

  Victoria was obviously sincere and after Vanessa further explained some of Vic’s background, Taryn was no longer upset. If anything, she was thankful for the explanation.

  “Hey you. I didn’t hear you come in,” Vanessa said crossing the room and giving Taryn a light kiss on the lips. “What were you two talking about? Please tell me you’re getting along.”

  After standing, Taryn gave Vanessa’s hand a squeeze. “We were just talking about you and how wonderful you are.”

  Vanessa grinned and blushed a new shade of red. “Well… good. Time for a drink,” she said turning on her heels and heading into the kitchen area. “What can I get you, we have red, white, beer, or soda. Or I can fix you some tea; it will only take a minute.”