Aimee Jo now regretted asking him the question. He clammed up, and honestly, she already knew the answer. They were just a temporary thing, and as soon as he dropped her off, he would be on his way and she would never see him again. Really, she should be okay with that. She had her own dreams to follow. She hadn’t been looking for a boyfriend when she started her road trip to California. So why did her heart hurt now? Maybe it was the fact that Matt had been her first boyfriend and he’d been horrible to her. Maybe she was hoping that someone could truly love her, someone like Luke.
After breakfast, they walked back to the truck. This time, he didn’t hold her hand, which led her more to believe that she shouldn’t have asked him. Now, she had scared him off. While he was quiet and took care of his driving things, Aimee Jo began straightening up the place. She wondered if she should say something to him, to let him know it was okay if they couldn’t be anything more than a fling.
Luke’s mind was searching for the words to say to her. She’d asked him an honest question, a question he had no problem answering for the other girls he met. But with her, he couldn’t answer. She obviously picked up on the score. Maybe she did remember a little about what he’d said last night.
He thought about Lisa. Here she was, still pinning away for Hud, after Hud had left her over a year ago. He’d told Luke that relationships and long-haul driving just didn’t mix. He didn’t want Aimee Jo pinning for him after he left … or did he?
He looked over at her, once again tidying up his place. He liked that about her. He liked that she cared and didn’t take things for granted. He got up and approached her just as she was finishing up. As soon as she turned to face him, he embraced her and once again, took her lips with his.
Aimee Jo wasn’t going to dare stop him. She had wanted him from the moment she’d first seen him. If they only had a few days, then fine, she was going to enjoy them. He slowly started pulling her dress above her head. When he had it off, he threw it to the floor, and she quickly went for his shirt. He helped her pull the shirt above his head, only releasing their lips for a few seconds. He pulled her next to him and started on her bra, popping it open like a master and removing it from her as he backed her up against the bed.
He turned them around so he could lie down, pulling her on top again, as his hands felt her bare butt before finding the lace of her thong panties. He was so tempted to find the side seam and just rip the damn things off of her. He rolled her onto her back and started kissing his way down her body. He stopped and gave each area a little attention—her cheek, her ear, her throat, her neck, her shoulder, the top of her chest, until he found her breasts. He played there for a while, kissing and sucking her nipples, back and forth from one beautiful breast to the other. She sighed and raised her torso up, inviting him to continue. She kept reaching her hands down to try to unbutton his jeans, but he took her hands and gently held on to them above her head.
He released her and stood up, just long enough to get his jeans and underwear off. He was gloriously naked in front of her, and now it was her turn as he reached and removed the last barrier of clothing hiding her. She was just as beautiful as he’d imagined and she was about to be his. His dick ached so badly that he couldn’t wait much longer.
Reaching in his drawer, he pulled out a condom and quickly put it on. He hoped it would help make him last long enough to satisfy her first. If it didn’t, he promised himself he would take matters into his hands or his fingers or his lips. No way was he not going to satisfy her somehow.
He climbed back onto the bed, towering above her as she opened herself up to him. He took her lips again with his, making sure she was ready for him before slowly working himself inside her. She was taking him all with not one ounce of resistance, but he had to be sure. He knew he was a little bigger than average, and he would die if he hurt her. “You okay?” he whispered in her ear.
“Yes, please don’t stop. You feel so good,” she moaned, his hot breath at her ear turning her on even more.
He pushed himself all the way inside of her and they began to move together, both of them racing for the satisfaction of what they’d been feeling for each other, since the moment they’d locked eyes on one another. It was going to be a quickie but neither cared.
Their tempo sped up as he enjoyed her tightening around him. The condom was doing nothing to numb this feeling. She was squeezing him, and he loved it. Aimee Jo felt like she was going to explode at any minute. Every time Luke thrust into her, the weight of him on her groin felt so good. She tried to spread her legs farther, trying to pull him in deeper. Suddenly, she heard him sigh as he started to pulse inside her. She moaned as she squeezed him tighter before enjoying her own orgasm. This was so much better than she ever imagined.
They lay next to each other, their heartbeats and breathing slowly returning to normal. Neither of them said a word. Luke looked at the clock on the microwave. They needed to get rolling, but his body was fighting him. He wanted to stay next to her, and have her again and again, doing nothing but satisfy each other for the rest of the day. His mind was fighting back, though. He had to get back on the road. He had to let go.
He kissed her once again on the lips, just a quick peck, and then got up, grabbing his clothes while heading to the bathroom. Aimee Jo laid there and watched his sexy bare butt leave her. She wished he would have held her just a little longer but she knew he had commitments and she’d promised not to burden him. He still never answered about what his plans were with regards to them. She wouldn’t bring it up. If he decided to leave after dropping her off, she wouldn’t make a fuss. She wouldn’t be a Jessica. As much as it pained her, she would let him go.
She got up and got dressed, and once again made the bed that was quickly messed up. She would just smile and not pressure him or make him feel guilty. She was just finishing up when he stepped out of the bathroom.
Luke didn’t know what to say. He was so confused right now, and also a bit saddened to see her already dressed and making the bed, like what had just happened only minutes ago was no big deal to her.
“I’m going to get us on the road. Hurry up and sit down as soon as possible. I will be doing a lot of stop and going, and I don’t want you falling down and getting hurt.”
“Okay, I will be done in just a second. Would you like some coffee?” she asked.
“Sure, but hurry up,” he said before sitting down in the driver’s seat.
Luke made it to his scheduled appointment on time and grabbed the load. Aimee Jo sat quietly next to him. He told her a little more about himself when she asked. He told her about his mom, his grandparents, and his kid sister Jeanine. He avoided talking about his dad as much as possible. She talked about growing up and how she’s always loved music. Then she explained how she met Matt and how he was nice at first, but quickly showed his true colors after finding out her meemaw was dying.
“It was like he couldn’t wait for her to die. I didn’t understand why at first. She never did anything to him. She didn’t particularly care for him, though. She said I could do much better.” She smiled over at him.
“I tried to break things off with him, but there he would be, and the moment she died, he came in like a hero, saving the day. Then he kept asking me about the insurance money. He wanted to know if I had received the check yet.” She paused as she wondered if she should continue telling him the rest. She wasn’t sure how he would react.
“What happened after you received the money?” Luke asked.
“I kept telling him no, because it wasn’t his business. I didn’t dare tell him I had already cashed it and hid it. Finally, the other night, he showed up angry and drunk. He said he knew I had the money somewhere and started tearing up the house. I had already called the police and they were on their way, but it didn’t faze him.” She paused again as her eyes began to water. Taking a deep breath, she finished her story.
“He grabbed up my guitar, and at first, I thought he was going to hit me with it, but he turned at the last minute and busted it across the counter. He quickly left before the cops showed up. They said they would put a warrant out for him. I guess I was hoping they caught him and at least put him in jail for a few days. I wasn’t taking any chances, so I packed up and took off. I guess he was watching and followed me.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks as she thought about her precious guitar.
Luke’s grip on the steering wheel was so tight, his knuckles were white. If he ever had the pleasure of running into this asshole, he would make him regret that he ever touched Aimee Jo. He would do to him what the jerk had done to her guitar.
He looked over at her and noticed she was back in her melancholy mood. He hoped what he said next would cheer her up.
“What day is the audition?” he asked.
“Next Friday,” she answered.
“How would you like to stay in a nice house in California for a couple days?” He quickly glanced over at her.
“With whom?” Aimee Jo asked suspiciously.
“With me, silly,” he replied.
“What about this load? I thought you said you had to take it to Sacramento.”
“The house belongs to my buddy Hud, the one I was telling you about this morning. I usually crash at his place when I need to take some downtime. I will have to take a few days off by the time we get into California. I was going to see if one of his drivers could take the load to Sacramento for me.”
“He would be okay with you bringing a guest?” she asked.
“Of course, hell, knowing Hud, he would let you stay and kick me to the curb,” he joked.
Aimee Jo’s eyes widened.
“Don’t worry, he’s a good guy. He wouldn’t hurt you. I wouldn’t allow it. Plus, in case your asshole ex decides to keep following us, it would be nice to have some backup. If he’s as big of a chicken as you say he is, once he sets eyes on Hud, he will turn tail and haul ass back to Georgia.”
“When do we get there?” she asked.
“It’s about a two day drive. We’ll stop at El Paso tonight and then head off to Indio.”
“Sounds like fun.” She smiled.