I’m running around my room, trying to find all the things that I need to pack for the long road trip. It’s going to take us three or four days to get to Aurora, Colorado: thirteen hundred and fifty-three miles away. That’s a lot of time in a vehicle with Zac. I exit my bathroom with the rest of my toiletries in my arms in order to finish packing my suitcase.
Jamming my toe on the side of my bed, I yell, “Son of a bitch!”
Crashing through my door, Zac runs over to the bed and bends down to where I’m sitting, holding my foot. “Cayden, what happened? You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good. Fucking busted my toe against the bed.” Zac looks down at my foot and then back at me. “Wait, how’d you know it was me yelling.”
Flashing a gorgeous smile, he teases me, “I’m pretty familiar with your screams.” Winking, he pulls on my big toe, and I scramble backward.
“Zac!” Oh my heavens, that hurt.
“Yeah, that’s what I like to hear,” He responds with a chuckle.
“Smartass. What are you doin’?” I ask as he crawls toward me.
“Checkin’ on your foot.”
Right…that’s not what he’s doing. He continues to move over me, mischief in his eyes. “Come here.” Zac stands up, straddling my legs and squats down to wrap his arms around me. He lifts me from the floor in one smooth motion. I wrap my legs around his waist, clasping my hands behind his neck. Setting me on the bed, he lowers his lips to mine, kissing me quickly. He pulls away too soon and bends over to check my toe again. I moan as he starts to massage it.
“Cayden!” His tone is warning me, but I can see both worry and playfulness in his eyes. He works my toes and feet, continuing his massage, and I feel very good. Stopping, he raises his gaze to me. “Feel better?”
Surprisingly, I do, and I’m sure he can see it on my face. “Yes, much better.” I exhale.
Zac pushes himself up off of the floor and swings one leg over me on the bed. Straddling me, he plants his hands on either side of my head, trapping me. “Are you almost ready to get this road trip started?”
Damn, I was hoping he was coming in for another kiss.
“Does a bear shit in the woods?” My lips curl into a grin, and we both laugh. Every moment spent with him, makes my heart race. I fell hard for him, and I don’t think I’m quite done falling yet. “C’mon let’s get all our stuff downstairs.”
Now that my toe doesn’t feel like it’s going to fall off, I get up from the bed, making sure not to put too much pressure on that tender digit. Zac zips up my suitcase, plants it on the floor, and extends the handle for transport. That done, he glances over at me with a curious expression. Uh oh, what the hell is he about to do? A smirk appears, and in the next moment, he tosses me over his shoulder before grabbing the suitcase with his other hand.
“Zac, I can walk,” I protest.
“Yeah, you can, but don’t you like the view?”
Well, a girl can’t complain too much when such a nice ass is in her face. “Yeah, yeah. I’ve seen better,” I joke, giggling. Zac stops and letting go of the suitcase, smacks my ass. “Oh, that was nice.” I wiggle my ass.
We head down the stairs to make sure we have everything we need for the trip. I walk into the kitchen to fill the cooler with drinks and snacks. When I return to the living room with it, I see Dex standing beside Zac.
“Take the truck. It’ll be more comfortable on the trip than the Jeep.” Dex and Zac half hug each other with their fists between them. Seeing everyone embracing us, embracing him, makes me happy, and I smile.
“Thanks, brother. I guess we should start loading the truck,” Zac declares, a grin of his own on his face.
“Cooler is ready to go too,” I announce.
He strides over, reaches for my cheek, and rubs it with the pad of his thumb. “I got it. Let’s get this show on the road.” He picks up the cooler, carrying it outside.
I put my suitcase in the truck, and Zac finishes getting everything else loaded before shutting the back door. Turning toward the porch, I see my sisters standing there with Mav and Dex. Zac and I both stroll over to hug them.
“Go, take care of what you need to, Zac,” Maverick tells his friend before we load ourselves up.
“I plan on it.” Zac grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze.
We agreed to share the driving responsibility since it’s a long trip, and I’m ready to get started. Zac puts the key into the ignition as I buckle up.
“Ready?” I question.
He blows out a breath. “Absolutely. It’s time.” He puts the truck in drive, and we wave at everyone.
Our trip is beginning.
* * *
We’ve been on the road for about three hours when we arrive in Nashville. These people are nuts when it comes to driving. The traffic is ridiculous. “Shit, this fuckin’ GPS is telling me the wrong thing,” Zac blurts out, frustrated.
I laugh. “Zac, it’s not the GPS. You’re not in the right lane. Get in the other lane.”
“Cayden, it’s telling me to take the right exit. What’s being in the left lane gonna do?” Still, he turns on the blinker and starts to move to the other lane. “Son of a bitch! These people are crazy.”
“Oh, wait! No, stay in this lane, Zac.” He whips his head and glares at me. I smile sweetly at him. “I hate big city driving. Don’t you?”
Zac shakes his head, and we both laugh. “Yeah, big city driving sucks big balls.” We both guffaw some more, making my side hurt. “Damn, we need to get through this city soon.”
We finally make it to the other side of Nashville, allowing us to breathe a little easier. Making our way down the highway, the miles fly by, and we decide to stop right outside of St. Louis, Missouri since we’re tired. Zac goes into the lobby of the hotel and checks us in. All I want to do is take a shower and go to bed. I know we had planned on this being the longest day of the trip, but damn, I’m more exhausted than I thought I’d be.
Zac comes back out to the truck, climbing in with our room key in hand. “All set. Let’s get some rest.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” I yawn.
We get to our room with our overnight bags and set them down. Stretching my arms above my head, I look at Zac. “I’m gonna take a shower.” I need to wash this day off of me.
The tiredness in Zac’s eyes is very noticeable. “Alright. I’ll text the guys and let them know where we are.”
Nodding, I reach into my bag to grab the things I need.
A groan escapes as the water runs over my body, relaxing me. It feels heavenly. After I’m done in the shower, I climb into bed and curl up next to Zac. I close my eyes, and the rhythm of his breathing eases me to sleep.
* * *
Waking from a restful sleep, I feel Zac’s hand gently moving up my leg and over my hip, and I roll onto my back. “Good morning,” I greet him with a smile.
“Morning, baby.” He looks refreshed as he positions himself on top of me, spreading my legs with his as he brings his lips to mine.
“Mmm. That’s an excellent way to start my day.” I lick my lips, savoring the taste.
“I’ve got an even better way to begin the day.” Zac wiggles his eyebrows. He runs his tongue across his lips and crawls down my body, placing small kisses on my hips and inner thighs.
I moan softly when he reaches my swollen nub and sucks it into his mouth. Zac explores my wet slit from top to bottom, going back to my clit for a nibble. He slides two digits into my wet entrance. As he scissors his fingers, moving them back and forth, his tongue continues its assault on my clit.
My body begins to tremble, my moans becoming louder as my orgasm hits me forcefully, and I scream, “Yes! Oh God, yes!” Not allowing me to come down from my high, Zac covers my body and slides his cock into my wet entrance. His thrusts are fast and hard. Another orgasm is building. “Zac.”
My body is tightening around him, and he crashes his mouth against mine, capturing my moans. He pistons in a few more times before his body shakes, our orgasms engulfing us.
Zac falls to the side of me. We’re both out of breath. “Now that’s how you start a morning.”
I couldn’t agree more.
* * *
Zac and I check out of the hotel and begin the second day of our trip. This one will be shorter. Thank goodness. “Day two. You ready?” I gaze at Zac, loving that he appears rested.
“After my morning? Yeah, I’m ready.” He winks.
“I could get used to being woken up like that every morning.” I grin widely.
Zac’s jaw drops as his eyes expand. He clears his throat and starts the truck. Before long, we’re driving through St. Louis and I can see the Arch. “Oh my Jesus.” I squeal.
“What?” Zac questions.
“Your driving is scaring the shit out of me.” Zac is weaving in and out of traffic like a madman.
“Well, it’s not me. It’s them.” He takes one hand off the steering wheel, pointing to the other cars. Some drivers are slamming on their brakes, while others are not using their turn signals. Still, others cut drivers off, not giving two shits about what they are doing. “Would you like to drive through this shit?”
“No, absolutely not. I’d like to keep what’s left of my sanity.” A car cuts us off, causing Zac to slam on the brakes. “Damn it!” I yell.
“Fuckin’ shit! You asshole!” Zac hollers, flipping the guy off.
Placing my hand over my mouth to hold in my laughter, I struggle to keep it at bay, but I can’t hold back any longer. We are definitely two people who should stay away from big city driving and stick to the smaller towns. My giggles bubble out of me.
“Cayden, what’s so funny? Jesus, we need to get out of here.” Zac checks his mirrors. “I think we should plan on going through to smaller cities when taking road trips. Or at least try to time our travels so that we miss rush hour.” He changes lanes, and we make it to the other side of St. Louis.
The hours pass as the miles tick by. “Babe, can you grab me a soda?”
“Sure.” Reaching over the seat, I open the cooler and grab two drinks. One for Zac and one for myself. Opening his drink, I hand it to him. “Here you go, sexy.”
More time on the road and I notice that Zac has become quiet. “What’s on your mind?” I can tell he’s thinking hard about something.
He briefly glances at me. “Don’t know what’s gonna happen tomorrow when we arrive. I’ve been gone for four years.”
My heart drops to my stomach, and I reach out to touch his arm. “Hey, we’re going to roll with it. I’m gonna be right beside you the whole time.” I state, reaffirming that I’m not going anywhere.
Zac pulls over onto the shoulder of the highway, and his lips crash to mine. He moves back, our eyes locking. “Thank you. I love you,” He whispers.
I touch his cheeks tenderly. “You’re welcome. I love you too, Zac, and I’m always going to be here for you.”
He has tears welling in his eyes. I know this is hard for him, but we’re going to make it through this. Taking a deep breath, he nods and kisses me one more time before we are off again.
We stop in a little town called Salina for the night. The two of us eat dinner, clean up, and hit the bed. Only one more travel day before we’re in Colorado. He doesn’t know it, but I’m scared shitless.
Another morning of being woken up by Zac before we take a shower and grab some breakfast, and soon we’re on the road again. I think he took me seriously when I said I could get used to that wake-up call.
We cross into Colorado and are moving closer to Zac’s home. The further down the road we go, the more tension I can see in Zac’s jawline. He pulls into the last rest area before our final destination so that we can stretch our legs and use the facilities. I’m glad I could convince him to take this step in the healing process. I just don’t know how it’s going to turn out. The sun is setting as we climb back into Dex’s truck, and we’re back on the road. Zac is really quiet, and I’m sure his heart is racing by now.
We finally make it to our final exit. Zac drives down some roads and makes a few more turns before he exhales loudly.
And there it is.
His home.
I see two people sitting on the front porch as we drive up, and after Zac puts the truck in park, we both climb out, meeting in front of the truck. The couple is staring at us from the top of steps, their eyes wide, and their mouths hanging open. I grab Zac’s hand, intertwining our fingers. His grip tightens, and I squeeze his hand in return, reassuring him yet again that I’m here for him.
With one last glance at each other, I ask, “Ready?”
He runs his hand through his hair. “Yeah. No turning back now.” We walk toward the porch and stop at the bottom of the stairs. “Mom, Dad,” Zac greets them.
It’s so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.