Chapter 13
AJ
Iwoke to early morning light straining to pierce through the snow that covered the windows.
We were a big and little spoon all night, and I was reluctant to leave his warm embrace.
His arm was slung over my waist, and I grabbed his hand in mine, bringing it to my chest. The weight and warmth was reassuring, and I could have closed my eyes again and blocked out the world.
I absently ran the pads of my fingers over the rough calluses on his palms. How could hands this rough be so gentle with the kids and so tender when they stroked my skin?
If I thought too hard about it, I would never leave this truck.
I pushed myself up to sitting, every joint and muscle in my body stiff from the night on the little bed.
I moved his arm, warm and roped with muscle, from around me and immediately mourned the loss.
I needed to pee; I needed coffee, then I needed to know if whatever spark existed between us last night was still there.
My orgasm had put me in a good mood, but today was presentation day, and panic shot through me when I remembered I had to be at the airport by eight for a nine o’clock flight.
I wasn’t wearing a watch, and my phone was long dead.
I had no idea what time it was, but it was definitely early.
I stumbled to the front seat to put my boots back on and jumped down into the snow.
It was cold and clear, still darker out than light.
The quiet that comes with a fresh snowfall is deeper than any other kind of silence, and I drank it in.
My life was all jagged edges: cutting words, sharp tongues, a knife in the back.
If I actually got this client and got the promotion, it would get even worse.
This thought had occurred to me a few times as I ran myself into the ground.
I’d thought about how this tense exhaustion would always be my life if I stayed on the track I was on, whether I got the promotion or not.
I had pushed it to the back of my mind, always thinking that if I just worked hard enough, things would slow down.
They never did. This trip had been the opposite.
Soft and light. Slow and patient. It had been dangerous, yes, but danger when you’re not alone isn’t quite as scary.
Challenges faced together never seem as insurmountable.
Sam oozed reliability from every pore, and I didn’t hate the idea of relying on him and having him see me the same way.
Maybe after I got this promotion, I could think about having a life and a job. Maybe.
The snow blanketed every available surface in a thick white pillow.
Any trace of tracks from the night before had been wiped out.
A new day and another chance. The snow had stopped falling, and the pressure in my chest eased a little.
There was still a chance. I ran over to the washroom, the snow now halfway to my knees.
I walked into the squat concrete building.
The neon lights flickered overhead, but there was power, which I supposed was a good sign.
I did my business as quickly as I could, my poor butt half frozen on the metal toilet seat.
I washed my hands in the cold tap water before tucking them back into my sleeves.
I hated to think of myself as high maintenance, but I’d gladly wear that crown if it meant a bathroom with warm water.
I emerged into the struggling daylight to find Sam diligently cleaning snow off his truck. He stopped when he saw me and watched my approach.
A smile sprang to my lips that I couldn’t have suppressed if I tried. God, he was hot. Capable, skilled, strong, and a little scruffy. He was the opposite of what I had married, and everything I shouldn’t want given the direction of my life.
Did he even want me? I had no idea. He’d touched me like he did, but was it just a one-time thing?
It had been a whirlwind twenty-four hours, but how well could you know someone in a day?
I wasn’t going to abandon everything I knew to ride shotgun in a tow truck for the rest of my life based on one good lay.
I had goals I had been working toward for years.
Once I got that win for myself, then I could decide if some life changes were in order.
Maybe it was better if I didn’t know if he was getting attached to me the way I was to him.
“Good morning,” he said as I approached.
“It won’t be good until I get some coffee.” I fidgeted with my sleeve. “What time is it anyway?”
“It’s still early, and I have good news and bad news.”
I pulled in a cold breath.
“Bad news is I don’t have coffee. Good news is the highway is open and it’s early enough that, so long as traffic is on our side, I should get you there just in time.”
I blew out a breath. “That is good news!”
“Get your butt in the truck and let’s go.”
We settled into a comfortable silence as we got back on the road. Smaller trees were bowed under the sheer weight of the snow, but the storm had passed, and the road had been thoroughly sanded.
As the kilometers ticked by, the trees thinned and traffic grew thicker.
Finally, we passed a sign for the town of Hope, and we were officially off the Coquihalla.
The amount of snow on the side of the road dwindled to the occasional half melted lump.
The road was still wet, but clear. Large swaths of farmland were interspersed with hotels, fast food restaurants, and coffee chains.
I looked longingly at a Starbucks as we passed but knew we didn’t have time to stop.
The isolated little world Sam and I had been in last night was long gone, and the more civilization we saw, the more my mind shifted to what came next.
I had enjoyed my little vacation from reality.
That was over now. Business AJ was back, and I had something to prove.
I frantically sorted through my bags looking for everything I needed to get myself together.
I pulled out a pack of baby wipes to clean my face and brushed my hair back into my signature bun.
Not as good as a shower and eight hours of sleep, but it would have to do.
I didn’t expect to have time to go to my hotel before the presentation, and I hated the idea of getting on the plane a mess. A polished image was a must.
I opened my suitcase and pulled out a clean suit.
It wouldn’t be easy to change in the front seat of a truck, but after what I had done in the back seat the night before, it should be a breeze.
I kicked my feet out of my borrowed boots and set them on the floor of the back seat.
Next, I slipped my thumbs into the waistband of my yoga pants and slid them off.
“Are you trying to cause an accident?” I glanced to the driver’s seat to find Sam’s eyes darting from the road to my bare legs.
I had been so focused on my mental checklist that I hadn’t thought of the potential of the situation.
The heat from the night before was back in his eyes as they scanned my skin, and my core heated all over again. “This doesn’t bother you, does it?” My tone was innocent, but my intentions were anything but.
The muscle in his jaw ticked.
I took off my jacket and hoodie in one motion, pooling them down by my feet. “I guess I should change my bra too.” I reached around and unhooked it, working the strap off of one arm and pulling the whole thing out through the sleeve.
Sam’s gaze danced back and forth between the road in front of us and what I was up to in the passenger seat. We were on a long, straight stretch of highway, and traffic was steady but predictable. I had time for a little fun.
I watched as he adjusted the front of his pants and I smirked, feeling powerful and sexy for one of only a few times in my life.
“You’ll probably want to change your panties too, since they’re wet.”
The offhand way he said it caught me off guard. Before I could process it, he unclipped my seatbelt and pulled me into the middle seat before buckling me in again.
Why didn’t we ride like this all along?
We were thigh to thigh, the heat from his body pouring into mine.
Sirens from an approaching firetruck sounded, and Sam slowed and pulled to the right with the rest of the traffic.
As soon as the wheels came to a stop, he pulled my chin toward him, hitting me with an overwhelming kiss.
I moaned into his mouth as the taste of him flooded my senses.
One of his big hands palmed my breast through my shirt, and the other slid between my legs.
My panties were unceremoniously pushed aside, and his finger zeroed in on exactly the right spot. I dissolved into a human puddle.
The firetruck zoomed past, and a moment later, a horn blared behind us. His lips left mine with a frustrated growl. He steered the big truck back on to the road with one hand, expertly squaring the truck into the lane before turning his attention back to me.
He twisted his arm so that his thumb rested over my clit, and his fingers were free to explore.
The fact that we were driving feet from other people didn’t even cross my mind as I spread my legs to allow him better access.
He had barely started to move his thumb when the heat began to swirl through my core.
I closed my eyes and leaned back against the seat.
“Hands not too cold this time,” he teased as the muscles of my legs tensed and shook.
“It’s perfect. Don’t you dare stop.”
He chuckled and curled two fingers under, sliding them into me. He was applying pressure where I most wanted it, inside and out.
The stretch was perfection. My brain was usually too busy with plotting, planning, and worrying to relax enough to get a decent finish alone, even with battery operated appliances, wine, a bath, and a romantic movie.
It felt so much better to let someone else take control.
It had me barreling toward completion, and I was grabbing hold of his wrist as I prepared to shatter under his touch.
He added a third finger, and I rocked my hips, riding his hand as his thumb kept up a steady, perfect rhythm against my center, his callused fingers abrading my most sensitive nerve endings.
He slicked his thumb down, brought more moisture up, and started circling again. That was all it took.
“Exactly like that; don’t stop.” I lost it. Shuddering against the seat, grinding against his hand, my mouth stuck open in an “O.”
As the quaking in my muscles stopped, he pulled my chin back to him. He moved his face to mine, stopping an inch short of my lips. “Told you they were wet.” He gave me a quick kiss and turned his attention back to the road like he hadn’t just finger banged me into oblivion.