“I will,” I promised, trying to keep the tears at bay. Blinking rapidly, I watched her walk out the sliding doors. In such a short time, she had become my best friend.
I’d known my time in Tolson was limited, but I hadn’t expected it to end this soon. Not like this.
Feeling defeated, I trudged over to a bench, away from most of the people so I could be alone. As I sat down, I let the first tear fall.
Coming home to an empty apartment wasn’t unusual, so when Angel wasn’t there, I didn’t think anything of it. I figured she’d lost track of time over at Beverly’s, so I decided to walk the few blocks to her house. She’d been spending a lot of time over there during the day and it made me smile when I thought about how well she fit in here.
Sixty-year age difference aside, those two were thick as thieves.
As I approached the little white house, my heart raced at the thought of seeing Angel. It was always this way.
I missed her all day while I was at the shop, and the anticipation of being with her, touching her, talking to her—it made my whole body feel energized, like I’d just downed a whole pot of coffee.
The strangest part was that once I was with her, she had the opposite effect—I felt calm. Peaceful. My body seemed to be addicted to the whiplash she unknowingly gave me.
I was knocking on the screen door when I heard tires squealing. Looking over my shoulder, I was shocked to see Beverly’s ancient Cadillac careening around the corner. The old car bounced and groaned as she came to a screeching halt in her driveway.
She flew out of the driver’s seat and moved way faster than any person her age should.
“You better go get your girl. I had to drive like a bat outta hell to get back in time to tell you,” she practically shouted at me.
“Tell me what?” I asked as an unpleasant feeling came over me.
“She’s at the train station. Poor thing was terrified. Something scared her real bad and she’s leaving.” Beverly’s chest heaved with exertion.
“Shit,” I swore as I started running down the porch steps.
“Her train leaves at 5:15. You better hurry!” she called after me, but I was already halfway down the block.
I shoved my keys into the ignition of my Chevy and it rumbled to life. Gravel went flying as I tore out of the parking lot.
When I got out onto the open road, I pushed the pedal down to the floor. I’d be breaking a lot of speed limits if I wanted to make it to the train station on time.
Hopefully I didn’t get pulled over. I didn’t even care about a speeding ticket, but I didn’t have the time to stop. The clock on the dash told me it was almost 4:25.
What could have made Angel run like this? Beverly said she’d been scared. Terrified.
My phone started vibrating in my pocket and I took it out to see who it was. Even though Angel didn’t have a phone, I got my hopes up that it might be her.
Colton.
Ignoring the call, I set my phone down in the cup holder. I’d just have to call him back later. When it lit up again with his name flashing across the screen, I decided to answer. I put it on speaker and set it back down.
“I can’t talk right now,” I told him quickly. “Angel took off, and I have to go find her.”
“I know. Fuck.”
“What do you mean you know?” I asked, confused.
“That’s what I’m calling to tell you. This is Kendra’s handiwork. Tara just told me what happened,” he sighed and continued. “Apparently, Kendra saw some missing person’s report for Angel on the internet or something. She went to your apartment and told Angel she called the cops and that they were coming after her. And you. The both of you.”
“Did she seriously call the fucking cops?” I asked, unable to contain the rage in my voice.
“No, that’s the thing. She didn’t really call them. She just wanted to spook Angel enough to get her to leave town.”
“Well, it worked. Why the fuck would she do this?” I angrily slammed my hand down on the steering wheel.
“I don’t know. Bitches be crazy, man.”
“If you see Kendra, you tell her she’d better hope Angel makes it back safely,” I warned. “Did Tara have anything to do with this?”
“She says she didn’t.” I could hear a hint of doubt in his voice. “Says she called me as soon as she found out what Kendra did.”
“I gotta go,” I told him, reeling from the information he’d given me.
“Okay. Let me know as soon as you find her. And Travis? You will find her.”
Walking through the doors of the train station, not knowing if I would find Angel or not, was one of the scariest moments of my life. Because, if she wasn’t here, I had no idea where else to look.
The inside was fancy with marble flooring and decorative pillars throughout the large lobby. Bright sunlight came through pristine floor-to-ceiling windows lining the front of the building.
I couldn’t have looked more out of place, standing there in my auto shop coveralls, covered in grease and motor oil up to my elbows.
My head whipped back and forth as I sorted through all the people milling about.
Men in business suits impatiently checked their watches while towing their luggage behind them. Frazzled parents attempted to entertain their young kids with iPads and crossword puzzles. A small group of people around my age talked excitedly, probably going over plans for a fun trip.
I spun in a circle, my eyes desperately seeking the one person I wanted to find.
Time seemed to stop as I spotted wild blonde hair. It was the back of her head, but I’d recognize it anywhere. It looked exactly the same as it did the day I first saw her walking along the side of the road.
Angel was sitting alone on a bench that was far away from the main waiting area. Her head was tilted down and her shoulders were hunched.
The call for St. Louis boarding sounded over the speaker system. She slowly lifted her backpack from the bench beside her and slung it over her shoulder. When she turned around, her eyes went straight to me—eyes that were red-rimmed and puffy from crying.
Her mouth fell open in surprise as she realized I was thirty feet in front of her, and we stared at each other for a good ten seconds.
With steady strides, I closed the space between us because she seemed to be glued in place.
I felt an array of emotions. Relief, anger, hurt. Relief because I found Angel before she left, anger at Kendra’s deception, and hurt because my girlfriend was going to leave without even saying goodbye.
“Travis,” she breathed out, nervously glancing around. “I have to go. It’s a long story—”
“We’re going home. Now,” I stated, and Angel flinched at my tone. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but damn it, she wasn’t getting on that train.
She shook her head and her voice lowered to a whisper. “You don’t understand. The police are looking for me.”
“No, they’re not. Kendra lied. She never called them.”
“She… lied?” she asked in disbelief, and I recalled our very first conversation—the one where she told me she was a bad judge of character. She definitely wasn’t kidding about that.
“Come on.” I grabbed her hand and started walking towards the exit. “We can talk about this later, but you’re safe,” I assured her. “No one is coming after you.”
I felt resistance as she planted her feet on the floor, and I was forced to stop. “What if someone reports me? That could still happen,” she said, her eyes darting around the train station.
“Just lay low tomorrow. Then on Wednesday, call your case worker and let them know you’re safe. They won’t be able to make you do anything at that point.”
“I don’t even care about me. I just don’t want to get you in trouble,” she said vehemently.
“Baby,” I whispered as my grease-stained hands came up to cradle her face and she leaned into my touch. I loved that she never cared about how dirty I was when I got done with work. “Noth
ing will happen to me. The only thing I want is to have you back at my place. Safe. We’ll sort this out, okay? Together.”
Angel chewed on her lip as she thought it over, and relief hit me when I could see her come to the decision I was hoping for—her face gave away everything. Her features relaxed and her eyes filled with hope. She finally nodded, and I gave her a swift kiss on the forehead.
The ride home was silent. Angel spent most of the time anxiously twisting her hands together in her lap while looking out the window. I felt her eyes on me several times, but she never said anything.
I gripped the wheel and clenched my jaw every time I thought about what Kendra did. Now that I knew Angel was safe, the anger I was feeling had my full attention.
When we pulled into the parking lot by my apartment, Angel glanced around with a paranoid expression on her face. I wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but she let out a relieved sigh and unclasped her seatbelt when she realized there was no one else in sight.
We exited the car and made our way back into the apartment. Angel’s backpack hit the floor with a thud while I shot Colton a text.
Me: Found her. Back home now.
Colton: Thank fuck. I’m staying at Tara’s tonight. I’ll try to find out more details.
Me: Thanks.
I was glad we had the apartment to ourselves. Angel and I still needed to talk, and I’d rather do it without an audience.
After sliding my phone back into my pocket, I looked up to find Angel staring at me, and my cock responded to the look on her face. Her eyes flared with heat as they roamed over my body, then up to my face. Pink tinged her cheeks as her lips parted and her breathing picked up.
For a short time, we’d both thought we might never see each other again. And now we were back at my apartment. Safe. Together. Alone.
The charged emotions of the day—fear, anger, confusion—turned into white-hot lust.
She licked her lips and my body suddenly felt electrified, like a soda can after it got shaken up, ready to combust.
I moved toward her as she launched herself at me. Angel’s jean-clad legs wrapped around my waist while my hands when down to her ass.
Our teeth clashed as our mouths moved together at a feverish pace. I moved to the closest available surface, which happened to be the kitchen counter, and set her down.
Angel’s hand tugged at the zipper of my coveralls and I let her pull it down. Her hands slipped under my T-shirt. Smooth fingertips grazed over my chest and stomach as her mouth sucked at my neck.
My hands went into her hair and I pulled her head back so I could take her mouth with mine.
We were seconds away from losing control.
This had been on my mind since the day I met her. It was what I wanted, eventually.
But not now. Not when I was still upset about everything that happened.
Forcing myself to let go of the grip I had on her hair, I stepped back and the lustful expression on Angel’s face cleared a little. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“We can’t do this right now.”
“Why not?” She sounded disappointed. Frustrated. I could definitely relate to those feelings.
“Damn it, Angel.” I ran a hand through my hair. “Because I’m still pissed at you.” While my words were harsh, my tone was soft.
I still couldn’t believe she’d left the way she did.
“I’m sorry,” she squeaked and looked down.
Oh, fuck.
I knew that squeak.
“Baby, no. Please don’t cry.” I stepped close to her and lifted her chin to make her look at me. Fat tears spilled from her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. I gently wiped them away with my thumbs. “I’m sorry, okay? Do you have any idea how scared I was? Scared I’d never see you again? What would’ve happened if I’d been too late?”
“I was going to call you… As soon as I figured things out, I was going to call Hank’s shop to let you know I was okay,” she said softly as she reached up to run her fingers through my hair.
Overwhelmed with emotion, I closed my eyes and dropped my forehead down to hers.
“Please don’t do that to me again,” I pleaded in a whisper.
“I won’t,” she promised. “I just panicked. I’m sorry.”
I gave her a kiss before lifting her down from the kitchen counter. “Let’s watch some movies or something. Might be a good distraction,” I suggested.
I tossed a bag of popcorn into the microwave before heading off to take a quick shower while Angel sorted through the DVDs.
Once we were sitting on the couch, Angel faced me, draping her legs over my lap. “How did you find me so fast?”
“Beverly. That woman drives like a NASCAR racer.”
“What?” She huffed out a laugh. “No she doesn’t. It took us almost an hour to get to the train station…” she trailed off and realization dawned on her face. “Oh my God. She totally played me. I’m like the most gullible person ever,” she complained as her hands went up cover her face, muffling her words.
“You’re trusting.” I tried to phrase it differently to make her feel better.
I pulled her hands away from her face and laced our fingers.
“I’m just way in over my head with this whole thing. I should’ve known better. I never could get away with anything. While all the other kids were skipping class and sneaking out…” She huffed. “I always followed the rules because I knew I’d get caught. Like it was the universe’s way of keeping me in line. Foster kids run away all the time, especially so close to aging out. I just assumed no one would care…”
“You haven’t been caught,” I reminded her. “We can just hang around here tomorrow. I only have to go into the shop for a couple hours in the afternoon.”
“Hiding away with you does sound nice,” she admitted with a shrug.
“Then let’s start right now.”
Pulling her close to me, I pressed her back to my front. She relaxed into me with a sigh as I ran my thumb back and forth over the smooth skin on the inside of her wrist.
We spent the rest of the evening making light conversation and flirting with each other, avoiding any talk of train stations or missing persons reports.
After we got into bed, I held Angel against my chest a little tighter than usual, thankful that she was still here.
Early morning light filtered through the window blinds, casting a pinkish glow over the room. Angel’s deep, even breathing was soothing as I held my arm around her. I was lying on my back and her head rested in the place where my shoulder met my chest—my favorite way to wake up.
A content sigh left me as I peered down at her face.
The hurt and anger from the day before had melted away, and it was replaced with something else—something I’d never felt before.
My heart swelled in my chest when I realized what it was.
Love.
I was in love with her. The realization nearly took my breath away.
My arms held her tighter and I placed a kiss on the top of her head, making her sigh in her sleep.
I wanted to tell her, but it was way too soon to be making that kind of declaration. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her away. Obviously, she was a flight risk. I decided it was best to keep my feelings to myself for now.
Angel started waking up and I decided that even though I wasn’t going to tell her, maybe I could show her how I felt.
When she stretched, I moved over her and started playfully nipping at her neck. She squealed and giggled until I moved my mouth up to her face, gently brushing my lips over hers.
Kissing her was always great—it was something we’d done a lot of, but I knew we both wanted more.
Tentatively, my hand slipped underneath her shirt and I brushed my fingers over the soft skin of her stomach. I moved my mouth to the place on her neck that I knew drove her crazy as my hand went a little higher. The tip of my middle finger brushed the underside of her breast and she gasped.
“Is
this okay?” I looked up into her heavy-lidded eyes.
She nodded rapidly and bit her lower lip. I slowly slid her shirt up until I could see her pink nipple peeking out. I circled my thumb over the hard pebble and she moaned.
I was about to ask her to take the shirt off, but she beat me to it. After she pulled it over her head, she leaned back to look at me but I was too busy staring at her bare skin.
Angel’s tits were amazing. Not more than a handful, but round and firm. Perky.
With both of them exposed, I had full access to do what I wanted. I sucked one peak into my mouth while gently pinching the other with my thumb and forefinger. Angel’s fingers tangled in my hair as she held me to her.
My cock throbbed painfully in my gym shorts but I ignored it. This was about her.
Her hips started shifting underneath me and I knew what she needed. My hands went to the waistband of her sleep shorts and I looked up at her in question.
She nodded her permission and I slipped them down her smooth legs. Apparently Angel hadn’t been wearing panties, because she was completely bare to me now.
Angel in my bed. Naked.
I slowly slid my fingers up to the trimmed blond hair at the apex of her thighs.
“We’re not having sex,” I blurted out. I felt the need to let her know I didn’t plan on doing that yet. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“Travis, I might die if you don’t touch me right now,” she said dramatically as she fisted the sheets in her hands.
I chuckled but my amusement didn’t last long. I think my brain short-circuited when I ran a finger through her slit and felt her wetness. She was soaked.
She tensed as I rubbed my finger over her entrance, but I didn’t push inside. I collected some of the slickness there and moved up through her folds to her clit where I started drawing tight circles.
Angel whimpered and spread her legs wider, baring every part of her to me. Her perfect pink folds glistened with wetness, and I licked my lips when I thought about what it would be like to taste her there. While continuing the movements with my fingers, I kissed the inside of her thigh, so close to the place I really wanted to be.
The Good Guys Box Set: TRUCKER, DANCER, DROPOUT, and A Trucker Wedding Page 15