Luke woke up early; he may have gotten some sleep, but not much. The angel lying next to him in bed was the cause. He was worried about her. Whoever was driving that red pickup was following her, but why? Was her ex-boyfriend that obsessive? He never understood guys like that. It’s like, just get over her, dude, she’s just not that into you.
He went ahead and got up, not wanting what had happened yesterday morning to happen again. He was going to give her one last chance to change her mind, if it was indeed the tequila talking last night. Not once had he ever been in the predicament of trying to save the honor of a girl. Don’t get him wrong, he was a complete asshole to all the other women, but he made sure they knew the score.
Last night Jessica was a special case. He’d let her know up front what the score was but she must have lied when she said she’d understood. They’d only spent one night together and it hadn’t even been the whole night. When Luke had started getting hints that she wanted more, he’d politely left. Actually, he’d made up an excuse by telling her he had to hit the road.
He dressed as he watched Aimee Jo still sleeping. Last night she’d managed to crawl next to him, and when he awoke, he found he was spooning her. That couldn’t happen again. He had to keep the line drawn, no matter what. If she did go ahead and accept his terms, he would have to be stern with her. He didn’t want her getting attached to him.
As if Aimee Jo heard the internal argument going on his head, she began to stir. She stretched and yawned before finally opening her eyes. Her baby blues locked on to his deep brown eyes. A pang of something unfamiliar hit him in the chest, and as she smiled the tightness grew.
“Good morning.” Aimee Jo frowned while sitting up. Messy hair, no makeup, and hung over, yet she was still pretty.
“Good morning. Sleep well?” he asked as he started up the coffee maker.
“My head is killing me,” she moaned.
Luke grabbed a water bottle and a couple of aspirin from the cabinet. He remembered how awful a tequila hangover could be. “Here you go, sunshine.” He laughed as she took the aspirin and water from him.
“Thanks. Did you get the license plate number?” she asked.
Luke eyed her suspiciously. Did she already know about the truck? “What license plate?” he asked as he took a sip of his coffee.
“The one that ran me over last night,” she mumbled.
Luke was relieved, for now, that she was just being funny. He would wait until she felt a little better before questioning her about her ex. When he’d peered out this morning, the parking lot had been empty with no sign of the red truck.
“Finish that water. You’re dehydrated. That’s why you feel like shit. I’ll make you a cup of coffee. That should perk you right up.”
“Thanks. What did we do last night?” she asked.
Well, he just got his answer. She didn’t remember last night, so therefore, she wouldn’t remember what she’d said. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed. He decided to play a little game with her to see what would happen.
“You mean you don’t remember what we did last night?” he asked as he handed her a cup of coffee and sat down on the bed next to her.
“Thank you,” she said before taking a sip and eyeing him suspiciously. “So, we did do something?’ Aimee Jo started feeling around herself. She was wearing her nightgown but still had on her bra and panties. If they had fooled around, she must have dressed herself. Or did he? She remembered the restaurant and ordering the drink, and then the slutty waitress, who seemed to know more about Luke, and how that had pissed her off. Everything after that was a blur.
Luke watched her as she tried nonchalantly to look herself over. He knew exactly what she was doing. She was making sure her dignity, as well as her panties, were still in place. He kept his poker face on when she finally looked back at him.
“Did we?” she questioned.
“Did we what?” He smiled.
“You know …” she whispered.
“Not a clue,” he teased. He wanted to laugh at the fact that she felt the need to whisper. There was only the two of them here, who the hell would hear her?
“Luke, please don’t tease me. Did we have sex last night?” She finally found the courage to ask.
“You don’t want to be teased, huh?” he said as he took her coffee and set it on the counter next to his. He leaned into her, his lips almost touching hers, he was so close. “You teased me last night.” He smiled as his arms caged each side of her.
‘I did?” she asked.
He nodded as he gently kissed her. Then he gently kissed her again. And again. He couldn’t stand it any longer, and he took her lips with his. If she showed on ounce of resistance, he swore he would stop. Luke was pleased when she once again wrapped her arms around his neck. Not only was she inviting his kisses, but she was doing a damn good job of kissing him back.
Their tongues danced together as she snuck her hands under his shirt. She wanted to feel him and touch him. “You teased me last night.” Luke’s words started to haunt her. Aimee Jo, you are nothing but a tease. The voice in her head changed. You dress like a slut, so I’m going to treat you like one.
Luke felt her tense up and immediately stopped. He released her lips and pulled back from her. “What’s wrong?” he asked her.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to tease you last night, I swear. You see, I’ve never drank before. I was hoping it would help me relax. I didn’t know.” She started to ramble on.
“Aimee Jo, relax. All we did was kiss last night,” he said.
“Really?” she asked.
“Really,” he confirmed.
“But I was teasing you, right? I made you think we could do more. I was acting like a whore, right?” she asked.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he said, raising his hands. “I never said you were acting like a whore.”
“I know, but the way I dress and the way I act sometimes, you must think I sleep around a lot. That’s why you agreed to take me with you, right?” she said as her eyes began to water.
“Man, he really fucked with your head, didn’t he?” Luke got up from the bed and stood there facing her. Once again, he was angry that she thought of him that way. He would not yell at her this time. In his gut he felt her pain. That asshole called her names. He made her feel worthless. He’d wanted to wait before bringing up her ex, but it looked like now was the perfect time.
Aimee Jo looked down. She was embarrassed now, and didn’t really know what to say. She didn’t want to talk about Matt.
“Aimee Jo, look at me, dammit,” Luke demanded as he came back to the bed and sat down.
She slowly raised her head to Luke at him. She was surprised that he no longer seemed angry. He gently put his hands on her face when he saw that she was going to look away from him again. He wanted to get his point across.
“You’re not a whore.” He felt her try to turn her face, but he held tight. “I never thought you were a whore. If I did, you wouldn’t be here with me now. I don’t have anything to do with lot lizards.”
“Lot lizards?” she asked.
“Yeah, that’s what us truckers call whores,” he said and released her face as he realized she was now engaging in the conversation.
“The sticker on your truck …” she said as she pointed to the front of the cab.
He nodded. “Yes, I know it’s kinda tacky, but it gets the point across. For the record, you didn’t act slutty last night. You were tipsy and cute, and all we did was kiss.” He reassured her.
“But I did tease you, though, right?” Aimee Jo asked.
“Nothing wrong with a little teasing, but be warned, I tease back.” He smiled.
“Thank you, Luke,” she said, returning his smile.
“For what?” he asked.
“For always being nice to me,” she said as she reached out and touched his face.
Luke was starting to feel uncomfortable and he didn’t want to scare her, but they needed to talk. “You said you had an ex-boyfriend. Tell me a little about him,” Luke said.
“I don’t want to talk about him. It was in the past.” She shook her head, resisting the topic.
“Sorry, honey, but I have to ask. Someone is following us. Could it be him?” He pushed.
“Following us?” Aimee Jo said as she looked up.
“Red Chevy pickup Georgia plates—sound familiar?”
“Oh, no! Matt is following us?” she asked, her heart starting to pound hard in her chest.
“Your boyfriend’s name is Matt?”
“Yes, Matt Campbell. We broke up,” she confirmed.
“How long ago?” Luke continued interrogating her.
“Depends on who you ask,” she tried to joke.
“No riddles. Start talking,” he demanded.
“I told him before Meemaw died that we were over, but he wouldn’t listen. The night I left Georgia, he was so angry. I ran away,” she confessed.
“Why was he angry?”
“Luke, he didn’t love me. He just wanted to control me, to tell me how to act, and how to dress. If I stepped out of line …” she paused. “Let’s just say, I tried to never step out of line.”
“Did he hit you?” Luke started to fume.
“Just once. Most of the time, it was just pushing me or holding me against my will. Calling me names. But it’s not me he wants.”
“Well what does he want then?”
“The money—the money my meemaw left me. He said I should give it to him because we were together and he did so much to help me and my meemaw. He wouldn’t have even known about it but he overheard my meemaw telling her hospice nurse about it. She wanted me to be able to go to California. She wanted me to be a singer.”
“How much money are we talking here?” Luke asked.
“Five thousand. It was in the car. I lost it when they stole my car.” Aimee Jo paused, and then it clicked inside her head. “Oh my God, Luke, it was him. He stole my car. He didn’t even have to break in. He had a key. He must have not found the money. He probably threw it out of my car and didn’t even realize,” Aimee Jo rattled on, as what had happened started making sense now.
“What makes you think that?”
“It was in a tampon box.” She smiled. “When did you see him? How did you know we were being followed?” she asked.
“I first saw the truck in Louisiana when I went outside the truck that morning. I didn’t think much of it at the time. But then I saw it at the truck stop, and then again at the restaurant last night,” he admitted to her. “If he wants the money, I wonder why he isn’t just confronting us now.” He stood up, trying to understand what this guy’s deal was.
“I’ll tell you why. He’s scared. He’s probably waiting for me to be alone. Matt has no problem pushing me around, but a guy—a guy that could clearly kick his ass—that’s a whole other story,” Aimee Jo said as she got up and stood in front of him.
“I see. Well, that makes sense. He knows about the audition, right?” Luke was flattered that she was confident he could take care of the situation.
“Yes. Maybe we should just confront him now. Tell him there’s no money. Then he will leave me alone,” she suggested.
“Nah, can’t take that chance. He might have friends with him. I need him to play his cards first.”
“Luke, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pull you into this. If I had known he was going to do this, I would have just given him the money, just to leave me alone.”
“No way, that fucking bully isn’t going to get away with this or put his hands on you, ever again.” Luke was done talking for now. “Get dressed. Let’s go get some breakfast. I have to get to that appointment soon.”
After they got dressed, Luke took Aimee Jo’s hand and walked her to the Waffle House that was in the next parking lot. The whole time, he scanned the area, looking for the red truck. A part of him almost hoped that he would make an appearance so he could settle the score for laying his hands on Aimee Jo.
He hated bullies and he knew there was only one way to deal with them. Bully them back. This fucker was ruining the time he had left with Aimee Jo.
He didn’t bring up what he’d said to her last night. He hoped she would have remembered. Now, he wondered if that dickhead had messed with her drink or if he had conned Jessica into it. He doubted seriously that she got drunk amnesia after one restaurant cocktail, even if it was her first. He smelled a dirty rat.
He would have to be extra careful now, and watch her back, as well as his, until he could take care of this asshole. But what about when he left her in LA? What would happen to her then? Who would watch out for her? He knew just the person—his buddy Hud.
Hudson Malone was a family friend and a fellow truck driver. He’d grown up in the same small town of Geneva, Alabama, and was like a big brother to Luke. He also had his own company and had given Luke the insight on how to start his own.
Hud now owned a very successful trucking business in southern California and no longer had to do the driving. If he could work it out where one of Hud’s drivers took the load to Sacramento, he would have time to spend with Aimee Jo. He could stay with her and have some fun before taking off again. It was a great plan, that is, if she agreed to it.
“Why are you so quiet?” Aimee Jo asked as they were almost to the door of the restaurant.
“Just trying to decide what to have for breakfast.” He smiled as he opened the door for her.
Aimee Jo stepped inside and then turned to him. “We’re not going to run into any of your ex-girlfriends, are we?” she asked, half teasing and half serious.
“Last night was a fluke. Now, hurry up,” he said, smacking her slightly on the butt to move along.
They went ahead and seated themselves as the waitress came over, handing them their menus, and once again, Luke was hit with a voice of familiarity. “Luke McIntyre, is that you?” the waitress said with a sweet southern drawl.
Luke looked over at Aimee Jo who was trying not to laugh as she kept her eyes on her menu. “Hi, Lisa, how’ve you been?” Luke fondly remembered Lisa. She was just a small-town gal who loved life and was in love with his best buddy Hud. Hud had broken her heart when he’d left Texas to move to California and hadn’t invited her to go with him.
“I knew it was you. Who’s your friend?”
“This is Aimee Jo. Aimee Jo, this is Lisa.” Luke made the introductions.
“Hello, Lisa.” Aimee Jo finally looked up from her menu. The waitress had a warm smile waiting for her, with no cattiness whatsoever. Aimee Jo was relieved that it wouldn’t be a replay from last night. She remembered being so jealous. She didn’t like the fact that Luke had hooked up with someone like that bitch Jessica. He was too good for that. Lisa, however, seemed sweet. The kind of girl she would expect him to like—a girl much like herself.
“Hi there, Aimee Jo, welcome to San Antonio. Is this your first time?” Lisa asked.
Aimee Jo started choking on her water as she clearly had her mind in the gutter. “Excuse me?” Aimee Jo said when she stopped her coughing fit.
“San Antonio, is it your first time here?” Lisa clarified.
Luke started laughing to himself but stopped when he felt the swift kick of Aimee Jo’s foot.
Lisa was clueless about what was so funny. “I’ll go get you some coffees. Take a few minutes,” she said before leaving them alone.
“Another girlfriend?” Aimee Jo asked.
“Actually, no, just a friend,” Luke responded.
“Am I supposed to believe that?” she questioned him.
“Believe what you want,” he replied.
“Here you go.” Lisa returned, pouring them both a cup of coffee before taking their order.
Luke motioned for Aimee Jo to go first.
“I’ll have the western omelet,” she said as she handed the menu back to her.
“I’ll have the same,” Luke said as he handed over his.
“I will get that going. Luke, have you heard from Hud lately?” Lisa asked.
Luke looked over at Aimee Jo smugly before looking at Lisa. “Not in a few weeks, but I plan on seeing him when we reach California.”
“You are?” Her face brightened up. “Will you tell him I said hi and to maybe call me sometime?” Lisa asked.
“Sure, honey, I will.”
“Oh, thank you. Let me hurry and get your orders started.” She quickly left their table.
“Well, you sure made her day. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.” Aimee Jo felt bad for taunting him now.
“Apology accepted, but you really shouldn’t jump to conclusions,” he scolded her.
“You’re right. So, who’s Hud?” she asked.
“He’s a buddy of mine, a fellow trucker. He doesn’t drive as much anymore. He mostly manages now.”
“They were a thing?” Aimee Jo asked.
“Yeah, they were,” he confirmed.
“What happened?” she asked, although she was sure she already knew the answer.
“Not sure. Honestly, I thought she was the one that broke things off, but now I’m not so sure.” Luke began to wonder why his friend hadn’t settled down with Lisa.
“Do you guys do that a lot? Hook up with girls and then leave them?”
“Not every girl is looking for a Prince Charming, Aimee Jo. Some girls just want to have fun with no commitments.”
“I don’t think Jessica from last night felt that way.”
“We slept together once, and I was upfront with her from the moment I first talked to her. She was the one that made more of us than what there was.”
“What about us Luke? If we were to, you know, hook up …would it be a one-time deal?”
Luke felt put on the spot. He didn’t want to discuss this right now. Some conversations were meant to be private. Plus, he wasn’t sure what to say. Luckily, Lisa saved him the trouble when she brought their food to them.
“Too heavy of a discussion before breakfast. We will talk about it later,” he said before diving into his food.