CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO COEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
COEN
She wants a shower, so I go out in search of something for dinner.
I don’t have to go far before realizing there’s a taco truck parked at the far end of the parking lot.
It’s one of the best experiences I’ve had buying food so far.
Nobody recognizes me, or if they do, they keep it to themselves.
Instead, I ask them about business. The manager, a man with a mustache and a slow way of talking, like he’s been everywhere, leans in the window.
“We come up through Nevada a lot,” he says. “And over to Texas for the rodeo.”
“You mind traveling that much?” I ask.
The scent of grilled shrimp has my stomach tightening. He squints over the motel roofs and shrugs.
“Nah. We’re lucky to be doing what we do. And we make some good money.”
“What’s good money?”
“All our bills are paid.” He shrugs again. “And we get to see all this. It gets beautiful out here in the desert.”
I’m quiet, wondering how many times I’ve traveled through the desert without bothering to lift my head from where it laid against the bus window.
I’m hit with a wave of guilt, but I’m saved from wallowing in it by the arrival of two paper bags of tacos.
I thank the manager, shake his hand, and head back to the room.
Inside, the room is steamy and smells like something sweet and tropical. I set the food down and dip my head in the bathroom. She’s drying her hair, clad in just her panties and a bra.
My eyes drop to her ass. Goddamn, it looks good.
Down below, my dick stirs, but I’d like to feed her before I fuck her at least.
“What’d you find?” she says.
“Shrimp tacos from the food truck outside.”
She reaches for her shorts, but I snag them and toss them outside the bathroom.
It takes her a second to recover as she turns in confusion.
Gently, I lift her onto the counter and cage her in between my arms. Confusion turns to something I like far more.
Her eyes soften, and her lids drop, the way they do when she’s aroused.
“No fucking before we eat,” I say. “I just wanted to tell you something.”
“What?” she whispers.
“Your ass might be the best ass I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
She rolls her eyes, but I know she loves it.
Taking the towel from where it fell on the floor, I gather up her hair and start pressing it dry.
I love all the little wispy bits, especially when they fall over her forehead and cheeks when she’s busy.
Gently, I gather up the wet ends and scrunch them in the fabric.
With my other hand, I lightly touch the freckles across her nose.
She’s quiet. I’m quiet too.
My stomach jerks.
I’m careful with my thoughts, my feelings. They’re worn down, and I’ve learned not to trust blindly. But this girl…she is something different.
I haven’t felt like a person in so long. She makes me feel like an ordinary man.
The towel slips from my fingers. She leans up and kisses me, sending heat in waves through my body.
What is it about her that drives me so wild?
Maybe it’s just the age old reason why people click.
There’s something deep in our chemistry, in the breakdown of our matter from when the universe was just an exploding star, that fits together. Whatever it is, it’s clicking.
Her lips part. I taste the tip of her tongue before she pulls back.
“I’m hungry,” she whispers.
“Alright,” I whisper back. “Let’s go eat. You want to sit outside?”
She nods, sliding off the counter. “I’m gonna put my swimsuit on. I’ll meet you out there.”
I leave the bathroom, gathering up the food.
There are a couple water bottles by the bed, so I grab those, then go out to the pool.
The air is so dry out here. The hotel reminds me of a couple places I’ve stayed in Florida, but without the drenching humidity.
I sink down at one of the unoccupied tables and start taking the food out.
The desert has never been my favorite place to be, but this trip might change that.
After all, don’t some pilgrimages start in the desert?
Sighing, I let my eyes run over the people milling about. A young couple sits at the other corner, not too far from me. They both look pretty tired, but they're laughing and talking as they eat from paper plates.
The sound of Sabrina’s feet padding over breaks me from my thoughts. She sits down opposite, stunning in her yellow bikini. No cover up or shorts, just her long legs and tanned stomach bare.
“That looks amazing,” she says, leaning in to inspect the food.
“Go on,” I say, handing her one of the boxes.
She squeezes a lime over her tacos and has a bite, moaning slightly.
I smile and get to eating my own. On top of her being the hottest damn thing I’ve ever seen, I’m also starving.
We’re both quiet, too occupied by bolting our food.
When we’re done, she sits back with a heavy sigh and stretches her arms over her head, letting her hands hang behind the chair.
“Thank you for asking me to come,” she says finally.
I wipe my hands. “It’s been fun.”
She looks like she wants to say something else. Instead, she turns and gazes out over the pool.
“You want to go get your shorts and meet me in the pool?”
That sounds like the perfect way to spend the evening.
As I gather up the trash, I keep her in the corner of my eye.
She crosses the pavement and hovers on the edge, adjusting her swimsuit.
There’s something so…well, cute about the way she’s tugging at it to cover more skin.
That’s not likely. There’s barely anything to work with.
I’m not complaining about that.
The sun hits her, making her hair glitter.
In one fluid movement, she takes a neat dive off the edge and disappears into the deep end.
I drop the trash into the can, and she appears, like a mermaid out of the ocean.
The sight of her sends me back to the room to change into my shorts.
She’s swimming across to the closest end when I return.
I slip in, opting to make a less spectacular arrival than she did.
She dips under and pops back up, smiling and slicking her soaked hair back.
“Looking good, cowboy,” she says.
I snag her waist beneath the water. I want to say something eloquent—that’s kind of part of my job, knowing what words to use—but she makes my head go blank. So, I just kiss her and slide my hand down her hip, gripping the back of her thigh. When we finally break apart, she gives me a look.
“There’s an unexpected item in the bagging area,” she whispers.
“What now?”
She points down.
I start laughing. “I think that item is pretty damn expected, baby.”
She slides her arms up around my neck. I lift her, lightly spinning her in the water.
The sky has the water stained a bright, crystal blue.
She leans back, her legs around my waist, and lets her back and hair float on the surface.
Discreetly, because we’re not alone, I touch her stomach. A quiver moves through it.
“Thank you for coming,” I murmur.
“Hmm?”
“I said, thank you for saying yes to coming with me on this trip.”
She smiles. “I think it’s done more for you than staying in Wyoming would have.”
“I don’t know. You all have a nice ranch out there.”
“Be honest.”
I think back to the little guesthouse on their property.
She has a point; I was a caged animal, even there.
Briefly, I wonder if it was just too unfamiliar after all this time.
Perhaps the ties that held me to where I grew up have dissipated.
My mother might have been the last thing keeping them alive.
I thought going back would make me young again.
I thought it might fix the hole worn through my heart. Instead, it just reminded me I’ve grown into someone so different, there’s no going back to that house where I spent my childhood. It’s a sad realization, but it’s also a little healing. Today, I let that sink in for the first time.
I can move on, look for something else.
I don’t have to keep regretting how quickly I let go of my old life when success came along. I don’t have to carry these what-ifs around on my back all the time. Now, I can start thinking about what life might be like if I took a break and built something just for me.
My eyes fall on her, floating like a siren in the water. God, she’s pretty. I could really stand to keep her around.
She releases a sigh, squirming out of my grasp. I’m glad for it. My thoughts are too heavy.
“Want to swim a bit?” she asks. “My body feels like it’s scrunched like an accordion from sitting in that truck.”
I nod, dipping below the water. She does the same, and I open my eyes for a brief second to see her swimming at my side. The pressure of the water is comforting, invigorating.
Tonight could go on forever.
We stay in the water for a while. Other guests come and go, but the couple from earlier stay at the table and watch the sunset come down.
I get out and grab us some towels by the office.
When I return, Sabrina’s standing by the couple, hand on her hip while she talks. I approach with some reluctance.
“Hey,” Sabrina says, glancing up at me. “This is Jon and Brandi.”
The man leans in to shake my hand, and the woman does the same. His face is young, so I’d reckon they’re about my age, but his eyes are so damn tired.
“Where are you two headed?” I ask.
Brandi gathers her honey-blonde hair, tying it at her nape. “We’re actually living here.”
“Oh,” I say, unsure how to respond.
“Really?” Sabrina says.
Jon nods, resting his elbows on his knees. “Yeah, our neighborhood got hit in a fire a couple weeks back, so the owner let us stay here. About half the guests here were displaced by the same fire. It was pretty damn destructive.”
“Damn, that’s rough. I’m sorry,” I say.
Brandi shrugs, eyes distant. “People have been real good to us.”
“No grants?”