Long Drive

by Jessica Florence

  Overcome with emotions, I threw open the door and launched myself straight at Killian, who was suited up and sitting on the bed.

  His eyes were wide as I tackled him to the bed.

  “You are amazing, Killian Lemarque,” I said, with kisses to his face in between each word. His hands went to my bare back and ran his fingers up and down my spine.

  “Like the dress?” he murmured with a grin on his face.

  “Love the dress.” I kissed his face a few more times, but I pulled back to just look at him.

  “There are shoes over there, too.” He pointed towards the end of the bed to a little box that held sparkling nude shoes. This man. He was just too much.

  I had no more words for him. If I said anything else, I might blurt out that I loved him, and he didn’t want to hear that right now.

  “Finish getting ready. We have to leave soon.”

  “Yeah, I’m almost done. I’m so excited.” I hopped off him, but took a second to admire Killian in something other than casual wear. He had a buttoned-up gray shirt with the sleeves rolled back to the elbows, showing off those tattoos of his, and nice black trousers. His hair was the same mishap that it always was, and I loved it that way.

  “Get ready, babe,” he growled, not in a menacing way, but in an I’m-going-to-fuck-you-if-you-don’t-get-a-move-on type of growl. I turned on my heels and went back to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

  I slipped on a long jacket after putting on my heels, and we were ready to go.

  He made me close my eyes as we neared the destination of his mystery date, and then helped me out of the cab so I wouldn’t slip on any snow. Heels weren’t exact winter in New York fashion, but I’m sure I wasn’t the only one braving it in the name of beauty.

  “Okay, open your eyes,” he whispered against my ear.

  When my eyes adjusted to the bright lights in front of me, I realized where we were.

  “We’re going to see a Broadway show?” I was in complete awe.

  “Yeah, sunshine.” He led me towards the ticket kiosk.

  “Hi there! How can I help you?” a young, African American man in uniform asked, and I can admit I was in love with his bright yellow glasses. I told him so, which he simply thanked me and then looked at Killian with a question on his face.

  “Two tickets under Lemarque.”

  “Ah, yes, you must have friends in high places. This show has been sold out for a month. Here you go. You two enjoy the show.” I looked at him in confusion, and then it hit me.

  “Joel was in on this?” I looked at Killian, and he just shrugged.

  “Let’s get inside.” I thanked the ticket man, and followed Killian inside. I didn’t say anything to him, because I was still a big ball of emotions, so it was better that way.

  We were fairly close to the stage and could see and hear everything perfectly. The Phantom of the Opera was amazing. The actors and actresses were fantastic, and the whole thing was perfect. And Killian was there with me, he’d planned this for me, so when it was over and we went back to the hotel, I showed him my gratitude in the only way I knew he’d appreciate: by giving him the best blow job, and riding him until he gripped my hips and yelled out my nickname.

  My mind was reeling from the whole night’s events. So many feelings and thoughts were passing through my head, and some of them were confusing the hell out of me. I was head over heels in love with Killian. But then what?

  We snuggled in bed, Killian long since passed out, knowing he had to start driving again in six hours. So I lay in his arms, silent, and thought about things.

  We had a week and a half left in our month, I know I should have at least come up with some idea of what I was going to do when it was over. But I hadn’t. Now, my feelings for Killian were confusing me. I wanted to be with him, but didn’t know how in the world that could be a reality. The more I thought on it, the more confused I became. I wanted to find myself on the journey, and I had. But I’d also found something I wasn’t looking for. Love.

  I fell asleep at some point from mental exhaustion.

  Killian woke me up early in the morning, and we made our way back to the truck. Our adventure in New York was over. The memories would stay with me like a movie to replay in my head long after our trip. But as the city grew smaller behind us, I felt a knot in my stomach grow like a paperweight. I didn’t want this trip to end, but the further and further we drove, the more inevitable it would become.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Livia

  Three hours later we were in Boston, picking up a whole truck full of custom motorcycles. Some looked like works of art; some were most likely originals from the old days. Either way, they were secured, packed up, and we were back on the road.

  “Won’t have a whole day break for about a week. Just wanted to get this whole section done.” He felt bad for the way he scheduled things before he knew I was coming. Killian was his own boss, so he booked clients on the schedule the way he saw fit. I shrugged.

  “No worries, I’m on your time schedule, remember?” I pulled out my sketch book and looked over the pictures I had drawn since we started this journey. You can tell what I loved most about being on the road, just looking at the pages. It went from drawing the little fairy to drawing parts of Killian.

  “I meant to ask. Why the little fairy?” I pointed towards the little fairy in question on his dash.

  “Grandma gave it to me. Said every truck driver needed something on their dash.”

  “And a trucker’s hat,” I added. Which made me think about that for a minute.

  “You don’t have a trucker’s hat, do you?” I looked at him with suspicion in my eyes; I bet he didn’t!

  “No.” That was it, next time we stopped at a truck stop I was getting him a hat, no buts about it! He was a trucker, and having the hat was like, their thing! I didn’t voice my decision aloud, although he probably knew what I was planning because I stayed quiet after his revelation.

  “So where to now?”

  “Washington, D.C., then Norfolk, Nashville, Atlanta, Daytona, Miami, then home for you and then I’ll take a few days at home myself.” His voice sounded sad at the end, and we both knew why. But neither one of us said anything further; we weren’t ready for it.

  “Where is your home?” I’d been curious about that, but hadn’t asked yet.

  “I rent a small home on Sugarloaf Key.” Hm, an islander. I figured it would have been living out in the middle of Florida on a ton of land. My thoughts turned towards him in board shorts, swimming and surfing, then the thought hit me that things couldn’t work between us. I lived probably five hours from there. Not exactly a day trip type of deal.

  “We’ll reach D.C. in about seven and a half hours.” He tried to break the sorrow that had coated the truck as we were both lost in our thoughts.

  After a few minutes passed, I had an idea, and was feeling brave, so my fingers gripped my pencil and went to work. First his strong jaw line, that was covered in a light shadow of hair since he kept it pretty trimmed if not shaved completely. The more strokes to paper, the more his face became defined to perfection.

  “So have you thought about what you’re going to do when the month is over?” He struggled to get the words out but he did.

  “To be honest? Not really. I’ve been trying to live in the moment so much I’d forgotten that I was trying to come up with a plan at all. Having too much fun.” I didn’t want to look at him, but my eyes found his anyway.

  “Is that a bad thing?” I asked.

  “No. But you do have a life you have to go back to. You should have a game plan.” His jaw was hard, and I wished it was because he wanted me to stay. Gah! I was so confused.

  “True.” My voice was barely above a whisper. I wished I knew what to do; I wished I had a sign. Wasn’t this the point in the journey where God or some divine force showed me a little sign of what I was supposed to do? My eyes fell upon Killian’s face on my sketch book. If only that was a sign fr
om above. We fell into a weird silence, and both of us just listened to the music coming through the speakers. After two hours, we stopped to get some fuel and use the restroom.

  True to my decision earlier, I nabbed us two trucker hats while I was inside getting some goodies.

  “Here. This one is for you.” I handed him the one that said “Honk for boobies.” He looked at me with one eye quirked up. A little laugh escaped my throat at his face, so I handed him the other one, taking the boobies one for myself. He rolled his eyes, but took the blue trucker hat that said “Truck Yes.” A play on “Fuck Yes,” it made me laugh a little too hard when I saw it. Anytime I would say “Fuck yes” to something, it would now be forever changed to “Truck yes.” I put my own on with a grin, and watched as he begrudgingly put his on for a second so I could see it, then he took it off and put it on the dash next to the fairy. Even if he never wore it again, I had the memory of that thirty seconds with it on his head, and I would never forget it.

  With a grin on my face, I went back to drawing, and Killian focused on driving through traffic. Which actually was pretty heavy right now, and considering it was lunch time, I guess we hit that at a bad time. I made both of us a wrap and we ate happily, snacking on fruit, too.

  Taking a break to eat, I fixed my eyes out the passenger window, watching all the people driving to wherever they were heading. Did they have all their life figured out? I wanted to think most people didn’t have a clue; it made me feel better about myself. As the hours passed, Killian and I hadn’t really talked much, but that was more the norm than us chatting a ton. I was good with that, as long as it wasn’t all the time.

  When I saw something that made my eyes bug out, I couldn’t help but break the silence.

  “There’s a girl going down on a guy in the car beside us!” I was so surprised someone would do that in broad daylight! I mean, obviously people could see them. Killian just chuckled, and I looked at him like really?

  “Jesus.” I couldn’t look away; it was so crazy.

  “Quit looking at them, if it bothers you.” He kept on laughing.

  “Do you see stuff like this often?” I bet he did. Good Lord!

  “All the time. Chicks flash their tits, people screwing while driving; you wouldn’t believe how creative people can get.” I scoffed at his answer.

  “People are nuts.” He shrugged.

  “People are people. There is a certain feeling of freedom you create for yourself when you let your inhibitions go.” I could understand that, but I don’t know if I could do stuff where people could obviously see us going at it. My eyes went back to the couple. The man’s hand was on her head, you could see the strain in his hand from holding back squeezing her hair as she bobbed on his dick.

  Despite being shocked at what I saw, it was like watching porn. My body was starting to heat as I watched them. I’d never done anything like this before, watched someone be intimate with someone else. It was so taboo, but I couldn’t look away.

  “Your breathing is distracting me from driving.” Killian’s voice was hoarse, and strained. My eyes went to him just as he moved to adjust his jeans to make room for his growing erection. God, I could see it from here. Was it wrong that I wanted to touch it right now? I don’t really know what made me do it, but I asked him that question. He groaned as my answer.

  “Like real-life porn, babe. They wouldn’t do it if they had a problem getting caught.”

  Maybe it was the way I felt his rough voice in my sex, or maybe from watching the couple that had passed us now, but I felt overcome with the need to try it on him. I already had embraced the brave girl inside of me during this trip; I could keep it going a little longer. I unbuckled my seatbelt, and crawled over to him. His eyes found mine briefly before returning to the road. He wasn’t saying no, but his breath did hitch slightly. He knew my intention, and adjusted his hips so I could reach the button of his jeans easier.

  “Fuck, I’m going to drive us off the road,” he hissed as I touched his hard cock with my thumb and fingers, circling him and lightly stroking up and down. Feeling his soft skin as my hand glided over him.

  “You’re the strong Killian Lemarque. If anyone can do this without crashing us, it’s you.” I sat up on my knees and pressed a kiss to the head of him. Salty pre-cum coated my lips like a gloss, and my tongue snaked out to lick it up. I could hear his perfect teeth grinding, trying not to lose control, and it only spurred me on more. I loved bringing this man to his knees.

  Like the couple in the car, I moved my lips over his cock, and swirled my tongue around his shaft. The part of him my mouth couldn’t reach, I added my hand, to make sure I covered every inch of his flesh.

  “Touch yourself, Livia. I know this is soaking those sweet lace panties right now,” he commanded, and with my free hand, my fingers sought my aching clit.

  When his fingers delved into my hair, I knew he was getting close, and we both knew I would take him down my throat, so there was no need for a warning. I had learned his cues, and he was just about there. One, two, three more bobs, and his fingers tightened in my hair. Hot cum shot down my throat and I swallowed it down greedily. His groan propelled my fingers to go into overtime on my clit, making me whimper against him. His fingers lightened their hold, but stayed put.

  “Scream your release on my cock, Livia.” And I was done for. My orgasm hit me like lightning, and I was doing exactly what he wanted, screaming my release, on his cock, to the heavens above.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Killian

  Livia was passed out in my bunk, and I couldn’t join her just yet. So I just sat in my seat and stared at her. Her blonde hair was a mess all around her. Her pink lips were parted; silent breaths were the only thing leaving her lungs. No snores tonight.

  We didn’t have much time during the rest of her month to really get out and do things. I had a tightly-packed schedule from here on, but I still wanted to experience things with her, as she explored the country.

  “Killian,” she murmured in her sleep and I found myself moving towards the bunk and cradling her in my arms in seconds. She wanted me, even in her sleep, and I would give this woman anything, even in her dreams.

  **

  “Killian. Wake up.” Her voice was different, there was anxiety lacing her tone. I jolted up quickly and looked her in the eyes. They were red-rimmed and swollen.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I woke up early to pee, and decided I’d check my phone. I haven’t since San Diego, and there was a frantic message from my mom.” Her breathing hitched, and the tears started flowing down her cheeks.

  “My dad had a heart attack yesterday after dinner.” Her body crumpled and I held onto her while she cried. Shit.

  “Okay, what do you need?” I asked, ready to do whatever she wanted to help.

  “I need to be there. Mom really needs me. We lost Julian, and I know she is going through so much right now. God, I don’t want to leave you, Killian. I don’t want this trip to end.” She was conflicted about staying with me, or seeing her family. That was an easy choice to make.

  “I’ll take you to the airport. You can take their first flight out to Tampa.” I stood up and took her with me.

  The tears were still flowing, so my fingers reached up to wipe them from her rosy cheeks.

  “I—” She tried to speak, but I cut her off. No way in hell was I going to let her try to choose me over her family.

  “Your family needs you, sunshine. They need your light in that hospital room right now.” Her eyes were looking at me with so much emotion swimming in them right now, every one of them transparent. But she knew it was the right thing to do. Her nod was all I got, but it was enough to seal our fate.

  “Okay, get dressed for a flight, and grab your stuff. The airport isn’t too far from here. I’ll go unload the bike.” Pulling away from her body was like pulling my own teeth. I didn’t want to do it, but I had to. This was what I knew was going to happen from the beginning, I just wi
shed we still had our last week together.

  She went about getting ready, and I shoved on some jeans, a jacket and boots.

  My bike and I were ready to go in five minutes; all I was waiting on now was Livia, who hopped out of the truck for the last time onto the pavement. My heart was in my throat at the thought.

  I sure was going to miss her.

  “Okay, so, I left the rest of your cash on my bunk. And before you say no, a deal was a deal. You gave me something that was worth every single cent. You made me see I was free to be me.” She walked closer to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, my own arms holding her so tightly. Fuck, this sucked.

  “I left my number on a piece of paper by the cash, in case you want to talk to me sometime.” That I would have to think about. Did I want to keep in touch with her? Absolutely. But every time I did, would it hurt like a knife being shoved into my heart?

  “Thanks.” I helped her load her bag up on the back of the bike and secured it the best I could. It would be snug for the ride, but I was all right with that.

  “Okay, ready to go?” I swung a leg on the bike and turned towards her; she looked so fragile right now, like the beautiful sunflower she was growing to be was wilting, and there wasn’t anything I could do to make her smile again besides get her to the airport so she could be with her family.

  “Yeah.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and it was like a stab to my chest. She walked over, her boots clicking on the road, and hopped on the bike behind me.

  The ride to Ronald Reagan Airport wasn’t too bad, considering it was D.C.

  I parked at the terminal entrance and kicked the stand to support the bike.

  Neither one of us said anything while I unhooked her bag and set it on the ground.

  “Thank you, Killian. For everything.” She looked at me, and those tears were back again, making me lunge for her lips and kiss her like our lives relied on that sweet connection.

  “I’m going to miss you so much,” she cried against my lips. I couldn’t say anything back without making it worse on her, so I didn’t. I simply kissed her until the airport guard told us I couldn’t stay parked there any longer. When we separated and our eyes met, it was the official moment my heart shattered. I would never be the same after this. I would go on, but never truly live. She was my air. I thought before her that I was free, and wouldn’t struggle to breathe. Now I felt I was destined to live in a constant state of gasp, so close to suffocating, but holding on to the memory of her as my lifeline.