Stranded in Montana

by Mia Madison

  “How are you going to stop me if you’re asleep?”

  I growled and marched toward her, taking in her wide eyes as I towered over the bed. She appeared to be surprised, but I couldn’t see anything that made me believe she was frightened. I wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed or relieved by that. Things would have been easier if she was afraid of me like everyone else.

  “You offer to share a bed with men you don’t know often?” She blushed and shook her head. “No? Then why are you doing it now? Doesn’t seem very smart.”

  “You won’t hurt me,” she said surely, squaring her shoulders as much as she could in her half-sitting position. “You’ve had plenty of chances already.”

  I had to admit I was impressed with the way she held my gaze even though she was clearly embarrassed.

  I could change that.

  “Oh, honey. It’s not me hurting you that you should be worrying about.”

  It took a few seconds to sink in. I could tell the second the meaning dawned on her—her eyes widened and went flying to where she clutched the blankets. In the back of my mind, I once again remembered that she was wearing nothing more than my shirt. She seemed to remember as well.

  “You’re not wearing much right now. You want to risk me copping a feel in my sleep? Because I can’t guarantee that I won’t reach for you.”

  Ivy said nothing. I nodded to myself, knowing that she finally understood the vulnerable position she was in. Without a word, I turned off the lights and disappeared into the bathroom.

  When I came out ten minutes later, she had switched the bedside lamp back on and was sitting up. The blankets on the other side were folded back and her lips parted to say something, but whatever it was refused to come out as she stared at me.

  In my defense, I turned off the lights so I could sneak over to my floor spot in just my boxers without alarming her. I never expected her to turn the light back on and gape at my chest. Couldn’t lie, though—the look on her face was really fucking good for my ego.

  “I…” Ivy started, stopping to clear her throat and drag her eyes away. After another moment, she patted the spot beside her and whispered, “I’ll risk it.”

  Well, fuck. I knew I should have jerked off in the shower.

  Five

  Ivy

  “This bed is comfy.”

  Jacob grunted.

  “It’s big, too. What, uh… What size is it?”

  A sigh, followed by, “California King.”

  “That makes sense. I mean, with you being so tall and all.”

  The darkness in the room wasn’t making me tired. It was making me jittery. There were plenty of inches between our bodies, but I could still feel the heat radiating off of him. I could also somehow feel how tense he was, even though he was trying hard to hide it.

  I was trying to hide it as well and doing a very poor job. The only thing I could do with myself was tug at the hem of my borrowed shirt beneath the covers and babble nervously.

  “Where’d you get this blanket? It’s really soft. Not what I’d expect from—”

  “Ivy?”

  “Yes?” I replied, rolling onto my side in excitement at the possibility of him actually engaging in conversation with me.

  “Do you want me to move to the floor?”

  “No! I’m sorry. I’ll be quiet.”

  I tried. I really did. I rolled onto my back for a bit before switching to turn away from him, but I couldn’t shake the restlessness. On my back once more, I kept my mouth sealed shut and allowed the energy to move through my legs, shaking my feet in an attempt to burn it off.

  “For fuck’s sake, woman!” Jacob growled, startling me. I let out an embarrassing squeak as he reached out and grabbed hold of me, pulling my body back against his chest and locking his arms around me as he hissed, “Stop. Squirming.”

  God, I could feel all the muscles in his chest against my back. My breath caught in my throat even as I felt him begin to relax. I stared blindly into the darkness of the room, completely dumbfounded by how weirdly perfect it felt to be nestled against him. I took several shuddering breaths, hoping to calm myself down.

  “Go to sleep, Ivy,” Jacob whispered close to my neck. My eyes fluttered shut just before he added, “You’re safe here.”

  He was right. It didn’t matter that he was a relative stranger. I felt how safe I was instinctively. It took a few minutes for the initial burst of adrenaline to subside, but when it did, I drifted off to sleep to the sound of his steady breathing behind me.

  The first thing I registered when I woke up was that I was sweating. A lot. I had no idea why the heat was cranked so high in the summer, but I needed to find a way to cool off immediately.

  Reality hit when all my senses returned to me. It was definitely not the heater. I could feel the compromising position I was in before I cracked open my eyes. When I finally did, all I could see was Jacob’s chest.

  I also realized I couldn’t move at all without waking him. We twisted together more during the night—I had rolled on my side facing him and he curled himself over me protectively, his head resting almost on top of mine. His arms were still wrapped around me, both hands resting on my bare ass.

  Oh my God.

  The most awkward part though was that I had jammed a leg between his at some point in the night. My thigh was firmly pressed against something alarmingly large and very hard. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what it was, but it was the first time I had touched one in any context, so I was rightfully startled.

  I must have tensed or moved because Jacob started to stir, letting out a deep, husky groan that made me feel even hotter than I already did. His hands tightened on the globes of my ass, his fingers inching closer to a very dangerous place. A whimper escaped before I could stop it.

  His entire body tensed and I knew he was fully awake. Several heartbeats passed before he released his hold and cleared his throat.

  “You wanna move your leg?” he asked, voice thick with sleep.

  I scrambled to pull my thigh from where I had it jammed between his. The pressure from his morning wood disappeared and I rolled onto my back, clutching the blanket to my chest as I stared at the ceiling. From the corner of my eye, I watched Jacob follow suit, casually bending an arm to rest beneath his head as his other went beneath the covers.

  Unable to resist, I turned my head to watch the movement of his hand. It struck me that he was probably just adjusting himself, though that didn’t stop my mind from summoning up some rather dirty images. What would it look like if I pulled back the blankets? If he took off his boxers and just… started touching himself? Would it be as arousing to watch as I thought it would?

  A loud cough dragged my attention away. One look at his smirk and raised eyebrow and I knew I’d been caught staring. He looked like he was a split second away from teasing me about it, but he ended up muttering something under his breath and shaking his head instead.

  “You need the bathroom?”

  “Oh, um… Yes?”

  He stared at me and waited, both eyebrows raising this time. When neither of us made a move, he started to laugh.

  “You might want to go ahead. If I stand up, you’re gonna get an eyeful.”

  “Oh! I—Sorry!”

  I sat up and swung my legs off the side of the bed, taking a moment to pull down the t-shirt and make sure it’d cover my bottom before standing up and marching to the bathroom without a single glance behind me. By the time I came out, he was wearing a shirt and a pair of jeans, but the bulge was still so prominent behind the denim that I ended up gaping at it.

  “Keep staring, honey. It likes the attention,” Jacob said with a low chuckle.

  “I—Oh God, I’m so sorry. I should really—I’ll go downstairs and change now. Sorry.”

  The sound of his light laughter seemed to follow me out of the room and down the stairs. I quickly found my backpack where I left it in the kitchen and rushed into the small downstairs bathroom to change and brush my t
eeth. Thank goodness I remembered to put toothpaste in the bag because Jacob didn’t have any downstairs for guests.

  Because he didn’t have guests. Ever. Period.

  Jacob’s house was lovely but way smaller than I would have expected to find on such a large plot of land. He obviously had it built for himself alone with no intention of ever having someone with him.

  The thought made me sad. Was he simply not interested in having a family of his own or had something driven him to this point? If I summoned up the courage to ask him, would he give me an honest answer or dodge it like he did with most of the other things I’d asked him thus far?

  In the back of my mind, a little voice reminded me that I had no right to ask. Jacob was nothing than my savior for a single night. Sure, he went above and beyond what I ever expected, but as soon as he helped get my van to the nearest shop, I’d never see him again.

  It felt like I’d been punched in the heart.

  “That it?”

  Jacob pointed through the windshield at my sad, broken-down van sitting in the distance.

  “That’s it. My home on wheels.”

  “I thought you got all kinds of fancy hotel rooms and shit from your blog.”

  “A hotel room isn’t a home,” I said with a scoff. “That van is the closest thing I have to a place of my own. At least for now.”

  Jacob hummed thoughtfully, casting a glance to me before he mildly stated, “Guess it makes sense not to settle anywhere if traveling is your job.”

  “I’m not against the idea of picking a home base, so to speak. It just seems silly to pay bills for a place when I’m hardly ever there. My van has suited me fine for the past two years.”

  “Makes sense.”

  We descended into silence as we approached the van. Jacob turned the truck around and started backing up while I looked down at my backpack and tried to mentally deal with the sense of loss I was feeling. I couldn’t believe he’d be out of my life for good in a matter of hours.

  It’s not enough time, I thought as I remembered how safe I felt in his arms.

  The loud rumble of his engine died and his door slammed shut not long after. I jumped in my seat, clearing my throat and cursing myself for starting to tear up. Why was I getting so emotional? I knew I couldn’t write it off as PMS. It’d been just over a week since my last period.

  Jacob tapped on my window and raised his brows, frowning when he saw my watery eyes.

  The second the door was open he asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I said, grateful that my voice was steady at least. “Sorry, I was zoning out.”

  “Keys?”

  “Oh, right. Here.”

  I fished them out of my pack and handed them to him with a tight smile. He accepted them with a frown, his eyes never leaving my face.

  “You sure you’re okay?”

  Keeping the forced smile firmly in place, I lied, “Never better.”

  Six

  Jacob

  Never better, my ass.

  I wasn’t blind. I could see the tears clouding Ivy’s eyes and not knowing what put them there really pissed me off. I got the van on the dolly without a problem, knowing we’d have plenty of time to talk on the ride to the closest shop. After double-checking that everything was set up right, I returned to the driver’s side of my truck and got in, intent on finding out what the hell was going on in her pretty little head.

  She had managed to pull herself back together somewhat. Her smile was less forced but still seemed off. I clenched my jaw, not knowing how to pull the information out of her. Talking was never my strong suit. Well, unless you counted bedroom talk, which probably wouldn’t go over well at the moment.

  Hell, maybe she was just hormonal. I had no fucking idea and it didn’t really matter anyway. I had no right to pry into her business. Soon, she’d be out of my life completely. After we dropped her truck off at the mechanic my plan was to leave her at the local motel. It wasn’t a place she’d end up blogging about, but I was sure she’d rather have her privacy than spend another night getting felt up by me.

  But still… the thought of her staying at that fleabag motel didn’t sit well. I knew she’d be able to eat since there was a bar attached. The real problem was the type of men that frequented the bar after dark. After enough drinks, who was to say that one or two of them wouldn’t take a look at Ivy and think about how easy it’d be to overpower her? Who was to say they wouldn’t go a step further and follow her back to her room?

  The thought made my blood boil, but I couldn’t give in to the rage. There wasn’t a target to unleash it upon and I didn’t think Ivy would appreciate me turning myself into some white knight protector against potential attackers.

  What a fucking joke that’d be after what I did to her in my sleep. The worst part was I knew I’d never forget the feel of her ass in my hands. It was a memory I’d treasure—one I’d jack off to as soon as I got home. I was no better than the men I was trying to protect her from.

  Disgusting.

  No, the best thing I could do for her would be to let her go. She didn’t need me. She was young and full of life. She didn’t need to be dragged into the middle of nowhere with a recluse, hidden from the world she belonged to.

  I had to let her go.

  Mike came strolling out of the garage before I even killed the engine. He adjusted his hat, waiting for us to get out before pointing at the van.

  “I’ll tell you right now—If that thing needs parts, I ain’t got ‘em.”

  “Can you get them?”

  “Be a few days, but yeah.” He spat out a wad of chew as he stared at the van, oblivious to Ivy’s cringe where she stood beside me. He let out a loud whistle and two men came rushing out of the shop. They went straight to work as he asked, “What’s the problem?”

  Ivy started to speak, but I interrupted with, “Engine’s dead.”

  “Shit. Well, we’ll pull it in and take a look.”

  I helped them take the van off the dolly—didn’t want to risk them fucking it up—and glanced over at Ivy who was standing around looking lost. I nodded to the guys and gave them the keys before walking over to her, feeling strangely content when she relaxed a little from my presence.

  “We can wait in the truck or go get something to eat.”

  I made sure she ate a good breakfast before we went to pick up her van, so it wasn’t a surprise when she shook her head and said, “I’m not hungry. Let’s wait here.”

  We sat in the truck with the doors open, watching the few cars that passed by on the road in front of us in silence. It wasn’t exactly entertaining, so I turned to watch her face instead. She appeared calm at first glance, but a closer look at her troubled eyes gave me pause.

  “Ivy.” I waited until I was sure I had her attention before I said, “Talk to me.”

  “If it takes a few days to fix the van, where am I going to stay?”

  “There’s a motel pretty close. I’ll drop you off after we hear something.”

  “There’s seriously a motel here? Is this even a town?”

  “Barely,” I replied with a snort. “The motel is attached to the only bar in this general area. Most of its business comes from folks too drunk to drive home.”

  “I guess that’s pretty smart from a business standpoint,” Ivy said before mumbling, “But it doesn’t exactly make me feel great about staying there.”

  I didn’t feel great about it either, but I kept that to myself. She was between a rock and a hard place—this morning, quite literally—and it wasn’t my place to make the choice for her.

  We sat together quietly for well over an hour. Eventually, Mike came out and confirmed my suspicion about the van.

  “Engine’s dead,” he said with no preamble. “It’ll be four days to get the parts and at least two for the repairs. Maybe three.”

  “A week?” Ivy asked, incredulous.

  “Sorry, little lady. It’s the best I can do.”

  Mike led her i
nto the shop to go over what needed to be fixed and give her the estimate while I waited in the truck. She stormed out with a scowl twenty minutes later, a piece of paper clutched in her hand.

  “That bad?” I asked, nodding toward what was either the receipt or the bill.

  “Huh? Oh, it’s not that,” she said as she fastened her seatbelt. “One of the guys in the back said something rude and it pissed me off.”

  “What’d they say?”

  She turned to look at me, surprised by the venom in my tone. Her shoulders slumped a little and she shook her head sadly.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she said. I started to press her, but she interrupted. “I gave Mike my number and he said he’ll pick me up from the motel when the van is ready. So I guess that’s our next stop.”

  “I guess it is.”

  Ivy looked at me expectantly and I couldn’t blame her for it. My hand was hovering over the ignition, but I couldn’t seem to force myself to turn the key.

  This is the part where you start the truck, dumbass. She didn’t say it, but her raised eyebrows did. On the other hand, there was a knowing look in her eye that unnerved me.

  It was that look that made me swallow hard and start the engine. Not even five minutes later, we were pulling into the lot of the motel.

  “This is it?”

  The horror in her voice was obvious. I couldn’t blame her. It looked like a total hellhole even by my standards. Two shady-looking men were lingering by the lobby doors with cigarettes hanging from their lips, casting my truck curious glances.

  It made bile rise in my throat. I knew they couldn’t see Ivy through the tinted glass, but they would in a moment. And I wouldn’t be here to protect her.

  “Jacob?”

  “Yeah?”

  I turned to look at her and my heart broke. She looked downright terrified even though I knew she wouldn’t say it out loud. I knew she thought of herself as a strong woman—and I didn’t doubt that she was—but I did doubt that she had much experience staying by herself without an escape route. Any other time, she could flee to her van and take off. Here, she’d be truly stuck. And it scared her.