They had been on the road for just over an hour now, and the Thursday morning traffic was slowing them down. The same road, same billboards, same exits—Luke knew this route well. He could drive it blindfolded. He was still on edge from this morning, but fortunately he was able to get himself back in control. He had been so tempted to relieve his throbbing dick behind the truck, safely out of Aimee Jo’s view, but jacking off was not his style. His hard-on went down on its own after realizing how ridiculous he was being.
Both of them were silent, neither one of them willing to discuss what had happened earlier. Occasionally, he would look over at her, enjoying her watching and sightseeing. He also enjoyed the great view of her nicely shaped and tan legs as her dress had worked its way up higher.
At first, he thought she was doing it to tease him more, but he soon realized she was just restless and had a hard time sitting still. She probably didn't even realize her dress was riding up, and he would be damned if he was going to tell her. Many questions about her started filling his mind. Usually he had no one to talk to on these quiet rides, but now he did, and yet, he stayed quiet. What harm would it be to get to know more about her? At least the time wouldn’t drag.
“So, what part of Georgia are you from?” he finally asked.
Aimee Jo was shocked by the sudden break in silence. She was convinced he was mad at her, so she remained quiet to not piss him off again like she had last night. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed him. She had nowhere else to turn.
“Thomasville, Georgia.” She smiled as she turned in her seat slightly to face him.
Her dress rode up a little more and he gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. His hands ached to run themselves up and down her smooth tan skin again. A Georgia peach—she definitely looked sweet enough, which was why the next question popped up in his head again. “So, what’s in California?” A question he should have probably asked yesterday, but had failed to do so.
“An audition,” Aimee Jo answered before she thought the better of it. It was her automatic response when the subject of California came up.
“Audition for what? Wait, no let me guess,” Luke responded as he decided to make a game of it. “Model?”
“No.” Aimee Jo shook her head.
“Movie star?” Luke smiled, guessing again. She had the looks to be both, he thought to himself.
“No.” Aimee Jo giggled a little. She couldn’t decide if he was being serious or just teasing her.
“Reality TV star?” He guessed again.
Aimee Jo hesitated for a second before answering. “Well, yeah, kinda, that is if I make it through auditions.”
“Oh yeah? What show?”
“Country’s Next Star,” Aimee Jo shyly answered.
“You mean the singing show where popular singers vote for who will be the next country music star?” Luke asked.
“Yep.” Aimee Jo nodded.
“Okay,” Luke responded, not really knowing what else to say at the moment.
“Stupid idea, huh?” Aimee Jo spoke for him.
“No, not at all,” Luke said, looking over at her. She was pulling inside herself again, like she had last night when he had gotten upset with her. He had watched the show only once and that was when he’d been at home and only because his baby sister had control of the remote. He wasn’t a fan of reality TV, but he had suffered through watching an episode so he could hang with the brat.
“You must think I am crazy to want to leave home and audition for some show. I probably won’t even make it to auditions,” Aimee Jo said before looking out the window again.
“I didn’t say that, and where’s all this negative bullshit coming from? You must think you have a chance if you would still go through the trouble of going to California after what happened yesterday,” Luke responded.
Aimee Jo looked over at him and smiled. “I guess.” She shrugged.
“Well, are you that good or not?” Luke teased.
“I guess. Some people say I am.” She shrugged again.
“Oh, yeah? Like who?” Luke kept on.
“Friends, my meemaw.”
“Do they think you’re crazy?” Luke asked.
“No,” Aimee Jo answered.
“See? Then it’s not a crazy idea,” Luke said as he attempted to boost her confidence a little. “I do have one question, though,” he said, looking over at her for a brief second before he put his eyes back on the road. Out of the corner of his eye he was pleased to see her look his way again.
“What’s that?” she solemnly asked.
“What are you going to do when you get there? Do they put you up in a hotel or something? Do you have friends or family you are staying with?” Luke asked.
“No,” she answered.
Luke was speechless for a moment. The idea of dropping her off, with no idea if she was going to have a safe place to stay while she did the auditions, didn’t sit well with him. That was not a smart or safe plan, no matter where you stayed, but especially in LA. She only had a hundred bucks, which definitely wasn’t enough to survive on.
“What’s your plan then?” he asked.
Aimee Jo hesitated at his question. How much should she tell him? Even though she felt this bond forming between them, in reality, she had only known him for less than a day. While she trusted him so far, she didn’t want to take the chance of being betrayed.
“I have a hundred dollars. I will ask around and see if anyone is willing to let me stay with them until I can get a job and earn some money. Of course, if I make it onto the show, they will pay for me to stay,” Aimee Jo said confidently, although she had several doubts herself.
“That’s a huge gamble, Aimee Jo. I mean I haven’t heard you sing yet, but what if you don’t make it on the show? Then what?” Luke was feeling uneasy, but he wasn’t certain if it was because of his concern for her, or over why he was having concerns for her.
“I know.” She shrugged again. “I’ll be okay,” she added.
Luke didn’t respond back. They had a couple of days before reaching LA. He would think on it before he said anything and committed himself any further than he already had. So much for his idea of giving her a bus ticket when he stopped here soon. He had no idea now what he was going to do, but one thing was for certain, no way in hell was he going to dump her off unless he was absolutely sure she would be okay.
Luke stopped at the next truck stop to fill up on fuel and his stomach. They were in Texas now, but still had a few hours before reaching San Antonio. He asked Aimee Jo to stay in the truck while he refueled, and when he was finished he promised to take her inside for a quick bite to eat. He changed his mind, however, after he went inside to pay. He didn’t get a good feeling about the place. His suspicions were even more raised when he exited the store and noticed what appeared to be the same red pickup that he’d seen earlier that morning. It could be a coincidence, but Luke checked the license plates to find they were Georgia plates. It still could be just a coincidence, but he quickly memorized the number before heading back to his truck.
Once inside, he looked over at a surprised Aimee Jo when he handed her a bag of drinks and food.
“I thought we were going inside to eat,” she said after glancing inside the bag.
“Well, I lost track of the time and I really need to get us to San Antonio tonight. I put a sandwich in there. Do you think you can wait until we get there and I will take you out for a nice dinner instead? I know this great Tex-Mex place,” Luke added. He didn’t want to spook her about the truck just yet, in case it was nothing.
“Sure, it’s fine. You do what you need to do,” Aimee Jo said as she opened a bag of chips and started munching down.
They finished their quick lunch and headed back out. The sky was getting dark, not because of the time, but due to the weather. Luke turned on the radio to catch the weather reports, and tried once again to act as normal as possible. Every so often, he would glance over at the beauty beside him, before glancing at his side mirror to see if the truck was behind him. It was hard to tell with so many cars on the road. When they stopped again, he would know for sure, but in the meantime, maybe he needed some more information about the wannabe country star.
“Tell me more about yourself. Back in Mobile, you said you had no one you could call. So, you don’t have any family?” Luke asked.
“No,” Aimee Jo responded. “Not anymore,” she added, her voice drifting off as if she didn’t want to admit the last part.
“Where’s your mom? Your dad? Don’t you have any brothers and sisters?” Luke asked.
“My dad was a Marine and he was killed in Afghanistan. My mom couldn’t get over his death, so she just took off one day, leaving me with her mom. I haven’t heard from her since. It was just me and my meemaw, that is, until a few weeks ago,” Aimee Jo said before looking out the window again.
“What happened a few weeks ago?” Luke asked, even though he was sure he already knew the answer.
“She died,” Aimee Jo answered stoically as she looked back over at him.
“I’m sorry,” Luke said, feeling a lump in his throat. He was lucky; he still had both sets of grandparents. His mawmaw and pawpaw on his mom’s side and his grammy and pappy on his dad’s side. Now that he was out on the road, he didn’t get to see them as much as he would like. He missed them and couldn’t imagine losing them.
Aimee Jo shrugged in response. For the last few months, she had heard more I’m sorrys than she ever cared to. It was the story of her life. I’m sorry about your daddy. I’m sorry your mom took off. I’m sorry I don’t have the money to send you to college. I’m sorry to hear about your meemaw’s illness. I’m sorry about your loss.
Even just yesterday, when she’d talked to the trooper. I’m sorry about your car. I’m sorry we couldn’t find all your belongings. And now Luke had joined the bandwagon of I’m sorrys.
“Listen, if I had known, I wouldn’t—” Luke began to apologize.
“Look, can we stop all the sad talk and talk about something else, please?” Aimee Jo rudely interrupted him.
“Sure, what do you want to talk about?” Luke said, caught off guard by her snappiness.
“Let’s talk about you.” Aimee Jo smiled and turned in her seat to face him.
“Me? What about me?” Luke said before taking another glimpse in the side mirror. Still no sign of the truck. Good, he thought, just a coincidence.
“Let’s see. Let’s start with who do you work for? Must be a popular place to give you a truck like this.” Aimee Jo smiled, hoping he would go along with the change in subject.
“Actually, I work for myself,” Luke said smugly.
“Really? You mean this is your truck?” Aimee Jo asked.
“Yep.”
“But I thought you were my age. How old are you?”
“How old do you think I am?” He looked over at her and smiled. He didn’t realize owning his own business had an age requirement.
“Twenty-five?” Aimee Jo guessed.
“Nope, twenty-nine, but thank you for shaving four years off. I’m flattered.” He laughed.
“Wow, but still, that is quite an accomplishment. That’s wonderful,” Aimee Jo said.
Luke looked over at her and again was hit with a feeling unfamiliar to him. She wasn’t poking fun at him or downing him for his mistakes. It sounded like she actually admired him. “Thank you,” Luke said, although he was almost speechless.
“You’re welcome.” She smiled. “So, I guess since you are your own boss, you won’t get in trouble for picking up a hitchhiker.”
Luke laughed again. “No, I suppose not.”
“What about your family? I bet your folks are very proud of you.”
Luke started to feel uncomfortable again. He wasn’t a fan of talking about himself. As for as his family being proud of him, his mom and sister he knew were very proud, but his father was another story entirely. “I suppose,” Luke finally answered before concentrating back on his driving. “Damn it, it’s raining.” Luke slowed down and turned his wipers on.
Aimee Jo watched how he smoothly took control of the truck and also avoided discussing his family. His concentration was now focused on the road. She remained silent and just watched him. His strong hands were gripping the steering wheel—hands that were caressing her skin earlier. His muscular forearms strained to control the monstrous machine he was solely in charge of. Aimee Jo started to get nervous as she watched as the rain become a downpour. How could he even see?
Luke spotted the rest stop entrance sign just in time to slowly exit the freeway. If he was on the road alone, he could handle it, but too many drivers out there were too busy texting, or driving like the rain was nothing. Plus, he had a beautiful passenger that he wanted to make sure no harm came to. He took chances with his own life, but didn’t dare take chances with someone else’s. Luckily, he found a spot to park, as many truckers were doing the same thing and stopping. He would park it and wait out the storm.
He set the brake and looked over at his passenger. She looked nervous as she smiled over at him.
“Don’t worry. This will blow over quick and we can get back on the road. I just didn’t want to take any chances, you know?” He tried to reassure her.
“Yes.” She nodded, relieved that they had stopped. She wasn’t a fan of bad weather, and the thought of being stuck inside this truck was beginning to make her feel claustrophobic.
As soon as that thought entered her mind, the radio kicked off with the Emergency Broadcast System, startling her even more. This is a report from the National Weather Service of Houston, Texas. A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Harris County until 1:00 pm. This storm can produce gusts of wind up to 50 miles per hour, heavy rain, hail, lightening, and the possibility of flash floods and tornados. Please seek shelter, if at all possible. Again, the National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Harris County.
Aimee Jo looked over at the restroom building at the rest stop. She could barely make it out with all the rain. She gripped the door handle, slipping her shoes back on that she had kicked off earlier. She looked over at Luke who was calmly leaned backed in his seat, checking his phone.
“Shouldn’t we head inside the building? The warning said to seek shelter,” Aimee Jo nervously asked.
Luke stopped checking his emails and looked over at her. He thought she was acting a little nervous, but now she was anxious and he noticed her beautifully manicured hand gripping the seat rest, while the other was gripping the door handle.
“We are in shelter. We’re safe here.” Luke tried to sound reassuring, but all of a sudden, a flash of lightening hit in a field close by, followed by an instantaneous loud crack of thunder.
“Oh, God!” Aimee Jo jumped from her seat and quickly made her way to the back and sat down on the bed.
Luke unbuckled and got up to check on her. “You all right back here?” he asked as he watched her hugging herself.
“I’m fine,” she said as she continued to rock herself.
Luke sat next to her on the bed. Upon closer observation, he noticed she was trembling. Sure, it was a bad storm, but he had seen worse. “Hey, it was just some lightening. It was close, but we’re okay right here, I promise,” he said, feeling helpless over how to ease her mind.
Just then, another loud crack of thunder hit, causing Aimee Jo to jump up and over and straight into Luke’s lap. She hugged him for dear life. “Make it stop,” she cried in the safety of his arms.
Luke held her tightly, trying his best to soothe her and calm her down. She was still trembling and he was unsure what to do to help her. “It’s okay, Aimee Jo, shh. It’s okay. It sounds worse than it is,” he said, hoping that it would reassure her.
“Luke, I’m afraid. I don’t like storms,” she said, gripping him even tighter.
No kidding, Luke thought to himself. She held him so tightly that he doubted a crowbar could push her off. Not that he was complaining. Having her sweet body against his again was bringing back thoughts of this morning. His hands were once again on her bare thighs as he was sure the dress was now pulled above what would be considered appropriate.
As he continued to stoke her skin, his hands would occasionally brush against the lacy panties she wore. Damn, he loved dresses. His fingers itched to remove the sexy barrier of lace and ease her troubles, as well as his, in one stormy afternoon. He could think of no better way to spend a rainy day.
As if she could read his dirty mind, she relaxed just a little and pushed away from him. She looked into his eyes. They were full of hunger that matched her own. She wanted him to make her feel the way she felt this morning in his arms. She’d felt wanted, needed, and she’d felt loved. Just like two magnets pulled apart, they quickly snapped back together as her lips crashed onto his.
Luke’s body rejoiced as he leaned back on the bed with her. She initiated the kiss this time, and he would be damned if he would stop her. Her lips were hot and wet, and thoughts of what they would feel like around his dick entered his mind. As she laid on top of him, his hands now found her bare butt. Thong panties—this girl was nice on the outside, and naughty underneath—his kind of woman.
Luke continued to comfort her by slipping his tongue inside her mouth. His tongue teased hers, giving her a little clue about just how talented his tongue could be in other places besides her mouth. Just when he was about to suggest a little sixty-nine action, the rain became louder and sharper, as if rocks were hitting his truck. But Luke knew damn well that it wasn’t rocks, but something just as destructive—hail.
“Fuck!” he exclaimed as he released her lips and sat up.
“What’s wrong?” Aimee Jo pulled away to look at him.
“I think that’s hail.” He quickly moved his head to peek out the windshield. Nothing had ever killed his hard-on quicker than watching chunks of damaging ice hit his beloved truck.
Aimee Jo was shocked when the once calm Luke practically pushed her aside on the bed and went to the front of the cab. She watched as he stood with his back facing her, his hands joined together and resting on his head. He was silent as he watched the hail continue to hit his truck. But as suddenly as it started, it ended, and the rain slowed down. Thunder grumbled again, but this time it wasn’t as loud. Aimee Jo could feel his distress as if it was her own. She knew exactly how it felt to watch something destroy the very thing you loved so dearly.
She stood, fixing herself and walked behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Her hands were on his chest as she molded against him. Now it was her turn to comfort. “Do you think it damaged your truck?” she whispered.
“I’m not sure. After the rain stops, I will go out and see if there’s any damage,” he said quietly as if he was in shock. He released his hands and brought them down, placing them over hers on his chest. He appreciated that she cared and that she wasn’t pissed when he tossed her aside like a dirty rag.
Luke gently squeezed her hands before pulling them off of him and turned to face her. Her lips were red and swollen and her hair tousled, and she was without a doubt the most beautiful woman he had ever met. Her beautiful eyes looked into his and it disturbed him. He felt exposed and not in a good way. This girl was getting to him and he had to stop it. While he would love to pick up where they left off only minutes ago, he knew the moment was lost. At least for now.