“What, are you going to feed me now?” he asked.
“Just bite and stop trying to control everything.”
When he parted his mouth, I had a sudden and unexpected urge to kiss him. My hand almost shook with that revelation. When a smudge of ketchup was caught in the corner of his mouth, I leaned in and my thumb reached the spot at the same time his tongue came out.
I sat back so fast I smushed the bag of food with my bottom.
“Are you okay?” he asked as my cheeks heated.
“Yeah, fine,” I said, straightening in my seat.
“Can I have another bite?”
I looked down and realized I still had his burger in my hand. “Sure.”
Feeding him might have been awkward, but the slippery roads left us with no choice. I ended up eating my lukewarm food after I finished feeding him flattened fries and ignoring his enormous smirk.
When we were done, we were left in companionable silence. My thoughts drifted back to extreme worry. I leaned back and covered my eyes when we came to a complete stop.
“What?” I asked on instinct.
Ahead was nothing but a parking lot of brake lights. He checked his phone before he said, “Road’s blocked ahead. It appears there is a pileup and they’ve closed the interstate.”
“Geez, are you serious?”
I felt like everything that could go wrong was happening to stop me from getting to Gran.
“Yes. Looks like we are going to have to find a restaurant or somewhere to hole up.”
He pulled across a couple lanes, following a trail of cars doing the same. With the snow coming down in heavy drifts, the few businesses we passed had their lights off.
“Hotel?” he asked.
I glanced at the time; it was early evening and I shrugged.
He pulled up to one and told me to stay in the car. When he came out twenty minutes later, he shook his head.
“They’re full. I called a few others and they were booked as well. Apparently, the news says the road won’t reopen for hours.”
“And everyone has the same idea,” I muttered.
“Exactly. I did find one place.” It was ominous the way he spoke.
He turned off a side road that didn’t have much light. It was a bumpy and slippery ride to the point I held on for dear life. When we pulled up to what wasn’t exactly a rattrap motel, but more like a fleabag, I automatically felt itchy. The sign flashed “otel” as the M was dark.
“Yeah,” I said on a sigh.
“It will be fine.”
He parked and I followed him in.
Grant didn’t waste time taking the few steps to the desk, where a tall, bedraggled, gray-haired man stood like a stiff breeze would blow him away.
“I called,” Grant announced.
“Eh, eh, eh,” the man said almost slurring.
“Is the room available?”
The man finally looked up as if noticing us for the first time.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
He turned around and took the remaining key off the hook.
“I don’t normally rent it, but considering…” He trailed off like he forgot what he was saying.
“Does it have two beds?” I asked, gaining his attention.
He stood there long enough for me to wonder if he heard me.
“Yes, yes, yes.” He turned a book around. “Could you fill this out?”
Grant took the book, trying to hide his annoyance. Funny, how in such a short time I was starting to be able to read his expressions.
The keeper then rattled off a nightly rate number that was surprisingly high for a dump like this.
“Don’t worry,” Grant said, pulling out his wallet and peeling off a few bills.
The brittle man turned out to be surprisingly agile when he snatched the money up like a viper.
“Check-out time is ten.”
Grant grumbled something under his breath I didn’t understand. I followed on his heels as he swiftly left. I hadn’t noticed the temperature until we stepped out into the cold again. I pulled together the down coat I’d slipped on when I got out of the truck.
He ate up the pavement with his long strides. I had to jog after to keep up with him. Which was how I ended up clinging onto his arm before falling flat on my face.
It might have been funny if not for his irritated expression when he glanced down at my arm and then at me as I righted myself. I quickly let go and bit my tongue. No need to start a fight when he was practically my savior several times over.
With no comment, he continued the several feet to reach the last door. Though it was an end unit, it was on the bottom floor and right next to the stairs that led up.
I took measured steps so I didn’t face-plant and followed him inside. The decorations were straight out of the ’70s based on pictures I’d seen of my grandmother on my mother’s side at her home back then. Cheap wood paneling, matching brown shag carpet, and burnt orange coverlets on the double beds, which didn’t exactly hide the stains.
When he turned to face me, I had to take a step back. I’d unknowingly crept closer to him like he was my safety blanket.
“We can sleep in the car or drive back a few miles.”
I could see it in his eyes that he thought me the prima donna that would jump at the opportunity to leave. Though it was a shit place, I doubted he’d get his money back. The thrifty side of me didn’t want him to lose it because I couldn’t endure one uncomfortable night. There were people in the world who lived in worse conditions.
“It’s fine.”
His nod was brisk. “Wait here. I’ll get the bags.”
After he left, I took a chance and peeked into the bathroom, which was located at the back of the room. The light flickered on and I swore I heard things scurry away from the light, but I didn’t see anything. Risking it, I took a step into the small space and peeked behind a dingy plastic curtain and saw the tub was reasonably clean. When I heard the door open, I moved back into the main room.
Grant set my bag on the first bed and his on the second. I didn’t know if it was an unconscious move or deliberate, but I didn’t complain.
“I’m going to take a shower,” I announced.
Though I’d had what could barely be called a bath the previous night, considering I’d only used two buckets of water at his place, I wanted a long, hot shower.
He made no comment as I grabbed my stuff and headed back into the tiny room. I turned on the water and was disappointed when after a few minutes, the water was barely tepid.
“So much for a hot shower,” I muttered to myself.
I didn’t waste time, as I feared the water could turn frigid at any moment. I realized too late that the purchases I made were still in his truck. The only thing clean I had to wear other than underwear was a long thermal shirt of his I’d accidently packed in my rush. It wouldn’t be a big deal if I were alone. I sighed and finished with my nightly routine before lifting my chin and exiting the room.
“I’m finished,” I said as if that wasn’t obvious.
He was already in bed under the covers and grumbled, “I’ll grab one in the morning,” before rolling over and giving me his back.
That was great news for me as I clutched my bag to me to ensure coverage of my nether regions as I’d walked in. It felt really silly, seeing as a lot of underwear covered more than some bikinis. I was also grateful he hadn’t noticed it was his shirt I was wearing.
I set my bag on the empty chair that sat in front of the window. Then I moved back to the bed. Call me scared, but I moved in between the two beds to sit. I wanted to lay on the bed furthest from the door. It had been locked and the chain secured, but I didn’t feel completely safe.
For a moment, I had the urge to say goodnight. I held my tongue and lifted the covers to slide in. Just as my head hit the pillow, there was a crack and I was falling.
Twelve
Grant
I was bone hard and horny as fuck for a woman I didn’t
even like. Somewhere in the next room she was naked and wet. I felt like a teenager who’d never dipped his wick. It was insane.
Thinking about imaginary altitude, airspeed, vertical speed, and headings didn’t help things as her soft voice sang out a quiet melody that filtered through the silence like a snake charmer’s flute. Her singing was winding me up.
I got out of bed and moved away as I did some stretches and then some squat jumps to work out the kinks from sitting in the truck for so long.
When the water turned off, I moved back to the bed and crawled in. I’d already removed my pants and shirt. Though the motel room appeared as used as the front desk guy had said, it was surprisingly warm.
I closed my eyes when the door opened, not only to help lull me into sleep, but also not to see her. I didn’t want to picture whatever she was wearing or what she wasn’t.
The plan was to get her to New York and forget she ever existed. I had enough visuals and memories of me curled around her that I had to vanquish.
When she announced the bathroom was free, I grudgingly muttered something about taking a shower in the morning. I’d heard her yelp when she got into the shower and assumed the water wasn’t exactly hot. I had a better shot early in the morning before we left if I was lucky.
The truth was, my mind was on overdrive. I was hard as a rock and my boxer briefs wouldn’t hide that fact. I would be lying if I hadn’t imagined what it would be like to be balls deep in her.
Just when I thought I could get through this night as I heard her get into bed, a squeal had me rolling over, reaching for a phantom gun as if I could protect her from danger.
I couldn’t stop a chuckle as I watched her kick out of frustration at the corner of the bed opposite where her head lay now down on the floor. It left her legs up until another crack and her feet were on the ground too. The slope on the bed and her struggles forced her to roll to the floor, sprawled on her back.
Quickly, I moved to the edge of my bed and reached a hand down to help her up. After a few final stomps, she noticed and took it. I swung her up and over to land on top of me.
It was too late to reposition myself so she wouldn’t notice the wood I sported. And just as fast, she was off of me and on her feet in the space between the bed.
Her face had turned a slickly green and she looked as though she would vomit. The amusement on my face died as her disgust grated on my nerves.
“What’s wrong, Highness?” My question came off dripping with cynicism.
She pointed at me and then at the floor, shaking her hands like she was fanning herself as she jumped around on her toes like the floor was hot. Which might have been cute if all the while she hadn’t been miming throwing up. Then in a move so fast my head was left spinning, she flung off her shirt like it too was burning.
For the briefest of seconds, she was bare to me, her chest at least, before one arm moved to cover the heavy weight of her full breasts.
“Is something wrong?” I asked again.
At first I thought she’d been grossed out when she felt I was hard for her. But that didn’t warrant her taking off her top.
“The floor,” she began, gagging on her words. “Who knows what’s on it, and that,” she said, pointing at me. I ground my molars, prepared for her to give me shit about a natural response to a beautiful woman. “That cover has probably never been washed.” I really thought she would puke. “Who knows what those stains are.”
It was never a good thing to smile at a woman in serious distress, but I couldn’t help the relief I felt that it hadn’t been me who offended her.
Then she stopped and glanced down at herself. I did too from her hidden tits, to the flat of her belly, to panties that didn’t leave much to the imagination.
Just as I got to her shapely legs, she spoke in almost a whisper.
“I don’t have anything else to wear.”
I glanced up and saw the sadness in her eyes. The need to protect her grew strong and I pointed to the chair opposite where her bag lay.
“You can wear my shirt.”
She nodded and moved that way, giving me a view of her perfect ass. That didn’t help matters in my briefs. To tame the beast, I gripped it with the hand that was still under the sheet.
It’s never going to happen, I muttered to myself. She was off-limits for so many reasons, including the fact that she belonged to someone else.
I should have turned away, but I was mesmerized by the sight of her lifting the shirt over her head, even though her back was to me. Her breasts swayed with the movement, giving me side views of the slope and curve of them.
When she turned around, she stopped. I could see the indecision in her expression like we had a choice.
“It’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before,” I said.
She seemed to come to that conclusion while walking over with slow but decisive movements. I scooted back over and waited until she slid beside me before giving her my back.
I had no idea if she’d noticed my cock when she landed on me, but I had no intentions of letting her in on the fact that I found her completely sexy.
“Get some sleep,” I said, remembering the first time I had given that command.
I had no idea if I would be able to do the same.
Hours later, I woke up with my face buried in her neck and hair, smelling the fruity scent of her body wash on her skin. What was worse was I’d ended up curled around her with her ass pressed against my throbbing erection and my hand cupping one of her breasts.
Her soft breathing suggested she hadn’t noticed or hadn’t minded the intimate position we found ourselves in.
Then I remembered the client. The man that had paid my father for me to transport her unmolested to New York. So as slowly as I could, I let go of her tit and pulled my arm away from her.
She burrowed back as if she didn’t want me to move, but I had to. If I didn’t get away from her, I might just give in and take a shot with a kiss or a whispered invitation.
It took what felt like hours to untangle myself and slowly get out of bed without disturbing her. I grabbed my bag, knowing my first order of business was to eliminate the pressure in my balls. It had been a while since I jerked off. There was always a willing woman, but today was an exception. There was no way I could drive with blue balls, so a hand job it was.
The water was warmer than expected, and I might have lingered there for longer than I should as I put things into perspective.
In less than a day, my dream would be realized. I’d be flying the friendly skies on an international overseas journey. It was a good thing I’d kept my passport just in case. This was everything, and risking a night with the princess wasn’t worth my dream.
I finished up in the bathroom in record time after that. It was nearly dawn and all the stranded drivers would be getting on the road, clogging up the interstate. We had to get moving, and soon.
That didn’t mean I wasn’t a gentleman. I went to the truck and got her bag of purchases from yesterday. She’d mentioned not having something clean to wear.
Upon my return, she was still sleeping soundly. I hesitated before putting a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s time to go,” I said, trying not to sound too blunt.
“Huh.” Her eyes fluttered open and I noticed just how stunning she was even without makeup.
“We need to leave soon,” I said and pointed at the bag. “I’m going to check out and move the truck. Be ready.”
The innocence on her face almost made me forget that she was a rich girl and someone to stay far away from.
“Okay,” she said.
I stepped away and tried to eradicate how attracted I was to her. She was a means to an end. A final job that could help my father and goodwill toward my future.
I had a goal and she wasn’t a part of it.
Thirteen
Jolene
Grant left the room like he couldn’t stand to be in there with me. Wondering what his problem was, I
put on my bra, put his shirt back on, and pulled one of the new sweaters over it. I hastily packed his other with my things so he didn’t see it if he hadn’t already. I’d just fastened my jeans when he opened the door.
“Are you ready?”
His gorgeous, earnest face was hard to resist. It was probably a good thing he had no interest in me or I’d seriously make super bad choices.
“Sure.”
I slung my bag over my shoulder and followed him out. In a gentleman move, which I should have come to expect, he opened the passenger door and gave me a hand up into the cab of the truck.
“Thank you,” I said, as my heart might have fluttered some.
I bit my lip and stared out the window, trying to ignore the attraction I felt toward him.
Instead, I pulled out my phone to see if I had any updates from my dad since the last time I checked fifteen minutes ago, only to find nothing.
“Is your grandmother okay?”
Color me surprised, I glanced over at him. Did he have a heart?
“I don’t know actually,” I said.
“I hope she is.” I might have stared blank-faced at him before he spoke again, not noticing my look. “You must be really close.”
“We are. She’s the only person in my life who’s accepted me.”
“Not your mom?” he asked.
“Mom cares in her own way. But she’s not a take your child to the playground and push your kid on a swing or even a kiss your scrapes and bruises kind of mom. She’s a teach you how to count and how to read, but if you have problems with a boy, send you to an all girls’ boarding school kind of mom.”
“Boarding school?”
Judgment curved his eyebrow.
“Yeah, boarding school.” I shrugged it off. “It’s not like I know how to fly a plane.”
For a second, there was quiet until we both started to laugh.
“Touché,” he said.
“What about you? Are you close to your dad?”
His jaw tightened and I almost backed off the question.
“My mom split when I was six or so.”
“Why?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Arrogant Savior: A Hero Club Novel Page 6
