Page 15
Story: Road Trip with Her Bodyguard
Dane tucks the covers around us. “That was the first kiss.” His finger circles around my breasts. “And that was the second.” He points to my lips. “The third will have to be mellow, to send you to sleep.”
Our bodies settle together, as he gives me a kiss so tender, soft and deep that it nearly brings tears to my eyes.
This is real. It’s impossible, but it’s real.
I’m falling for Dane, and there is no possible way I can stop.
8
DANE
I’ve spent the night in Basic Plaines before, but last night was anything but basic.
Feeling so close to Jorie was… Staring out at the endless highway stretching in front of us, I can’t even think how to put it into words. She’s like the first breath of fresh air after being underwater for years. The light I didn’t know I needed.
I glance over to see her gazing out the window, completely at peace.
She trusts me. That’s a gift I’ll cherish forever. Still, at some point we’ll have to return to the real world. She’ll want to go to school to pursue her dreams. I’ll have to go back to work. Gerald will expect his daughter to come home and have nothing to do with a guy like me.
I disguise my exasperated sigh by stretching my shoulders and shifting in my seat a little. When I was younger and Dad reminisced about “the good old days”, there would be warmth in his eyes when he mentioned Gerald. Now, there’s a hardness in his expression whenever his old friend comes up.
Idefinitelyknow that Jorie’s dad will not approve of me. At the same time, I suspect my own father may not be too keenon her, simply because she comes from a man who lives and breathes technology these days.
By early afternoon, we’ve had an incredible brunch, an amazing lunch, and are genuinely behaving like a couple on vacation.
When we stop to get gas, I pick up another cheap prepaid phone. “Would you mind driving for an hour? I need to get some food delivered.”
“Sure.”
Jorie is a great driver. By the time we get to the next rest stop, she’s helped me select groceries for a week’s worth of meals. “Are we going to pick it up somewhere?” she asks.
“No. I don’t want you to be seen in Rustic Junction at all. Everything’s being delivered.”
“Won’t wild animals get into it if it’s left sitting on your doorstep?”
I reach out to run my fingers through the back of her hair. “The grocery store manager has the code for the gate and knows where the front door key is hidden. They’ll put the meat and ice cream in the freezer.”
“Wow, you’ve thought of everything.” Jorie pulls smoothly off the highway toward a rest stop.
“That’s me. And now it’s time to check in with your father, from a gas station that gives no indication which direction we’re going.”
Jorie turns to me, puzzled. “Hang on. You never told me how you got to Nashville so fast. You couldn’t have driven.”
“No. I flew, then used the money Gerald paid me to buy this car from a secondhand lot.”
A truck backfires and I automatically spin before I realize what the sound is, my back toward the noise as I crouch with Jorie in my arms.
“Sorry.” I straighten up, smoothing her hair. “That happens a lot out here.”
“The sound of gunfire?” Her bottom lip wobbles, and her delicate face is pale.
“That was a truck. Lots of old farm pickups way past their prime.”
She nods, still looking unsure as she leans against me.
“Let me text your father and see if we can get any information.”
Hey, this is D. Having a great time out on the road. Everything is good from our end. How about yours?
Our bodies settle together, as he gives me a kiss so tender, soft and deep that it nearly brings tears to my eyes.
This is real. It’s impossible, but it’s real.
I’m falling for Dane, and there is no possible way I can stop.
8
DANE
I’ve spent the night in Basic Plaines before, but last night was anything but basic.
Feeling so close to Jorie was… Staring out at the endless highway stretching in front of us, I can’t even think how to put it into words. She’s like the first breath of fresh air after being underwater for years. The light I didn’t know I needed.
I glance over to see her gazing out the window, completely at peace.
She trusts me. That’s a gift I’ll cherish forever. Still, at some point we’ll have to return to the real world. She’ll want to go to school to pursue her dreams. I’ll have to go back to work. Gerald will expect his daughter to come home and have nothing to do with a guy like me.
I disguise my exasperated sigh by stretching my shoulders and shifting in my seat a little. When I was younger and Dad reminisced about “the good old days”, there would be warmth in his eyes when he mentioned Gerald. Now, there’s a hardness in his expression whenever his old friend comes up.
Idefinitelyknow that Jorie’s dad will not approve of me. At the same time, I suspect my own father may not be too keenon her, simply because she comes from a man who lives and breathes technology these days.
By early afternoon, we’ve had an incredible brunch, an amazing lunch, and are genuinely behaving like a couple on vacation.
When we stop to get gas, I pick up another cheap prepaid phone. “Would you mind driving for an hour? I need to get some food delivered.”
“Sure.”
Jorie is a great driver. By the time we get to the next rest stop, she’s helped me select groceries for a week’s worth of meals. “Are we going to pick it up somewhere?” she asks.
“No. I don’t want you to be seen in Rustic Junction at all. Everything’s being delivered.”
“Won’t wild animals get into it if it’s left sitting on your doorstep?”
I reach out to run my fingers through the back of her hair. “The grocery store manager has the code for the gate and knows where the front door key is hidden. They’ll put the meat and ice cream in the freezer.”
“Wow, you’ve thought of everything.” Jorie pulls smoothly off the highway toward a rest stop.
“That’s me. And now it’s time to check in with your father, from a gas station that gives no indication which direction we’re going.”
Jorie turns to me, puzzled. “Hang on. You never told me how you got to Nashville so fast. You couldn’t have driven.”
“No. I flew, then used the money Gerald paid me to buy this car from a secondhand lot.”
A truck backfires and I automatically spin before I realize what the sound is, my back toward the noise as I crouch with Jorie in my arms.
“Sorry.” I straighten up, smoothing her hair. “That happens a lot out here.”
“The sound of gunfire?” Her bottom lip wobbles, and her delicate face is pale.
“That was a truck. Lots of old farm pickups way past their prime.”
She nods, still looking unsure as she leans against me.
“Let me text your father and see if we can get any information.”
Hey, this is D. Having a great time out on the road. Everything is good from our end. How about yours?