Page 9 of Road Trip With the Ghost Hunter (Love Along Route 14 #10)

Li

Warmth.

I nuzzled my face deeper into the delicious masculine scent I seemed to be enveloped in.

Fine hairs tickled my nose. Then, multiple things registered.

The hand tightly wrapped around my back practically cupped my side boob.

As those fingers curled in, my breath hitched from the shivers that traveled down my side.

My leg, which seemed to be hooked around another larger, stronger one, pressed closer involuntarily until my thigh bumped something.

Something warm, thick like a log, and faintly pulsing. Oh my God.

I was terrified to open my eyes.

Last night flashed in succession. Crying all over Lucas. Feeling the warm, wet drops fall against my shoulder and arm. He was crying. We held each other for, I couldn’t tell you how long, and I’m pretty sure we fell asleep that way.

Now, I’m still in this man’s arms and we’re like, really freaking close. We’re practically fused together. And my core is tightening, heat is spreading in my entire lower half, and what the hell is wrong with me that I want to lick the bare chest I’m lying on?

When did he take his shirt off?

The sexiest, most inconvenient sleepy groan came from the Viking beast under me.

Hello, lady bits. Calm the hell down.

His nose brushed the top of my head as he pulled me deeper into his body and, oh, my word, that felt so damn good.

Maybe I’m momentarily insane, you know. I was struck with grief last night.

This reaction is just heightened emotions playing with my libido.

My libido which had been dormant for over a year, decided now was the time to wake up?

It was like my body was ignoring my mental freak out because my arm wrapped around his torso and held on tightly. Traitor.

Lucas’s other hand found the thigh curled up against his—well, very awake, you know—and slowly caressed up my bare skin.

Those softly calloused fingers fired every nerve ending in my lower half.

I couldn’t help my back from arching, my lips brushing up against his jaw, then his neck.

My breath panted, and his body really seemed to be on board with that.

His hold on my upper thigh, under my PJ t-shirt dress, gripped on, and that’s it.

My vocal cords betrayed me. I whimpered.

Lucas was breathing heavily. Somehow, I knew he was awake. Like, before this moment, I think he was only half awake and not fully aware. Oh, but he was fully aware now. I could feel it. We both turned into immovable statues. Both panting.

Who the hell was going to break first?

A sharp knock on the door caused both of us to jerk hard.

“This is your scheduled wake-up call,” Dawn’s voice called from behind the door. “Good morning, you two! See you downstairs soon.”

Then her footsteps grew further away.

Welp. No lying to each other now. We officially couldn’t pretend we didn’t know the other was awake.

Clearing his throat, Lucas slowly unlatched every body part of his that was one with mine. Eyes open, I rolled off onto my back and stared at the ceiling, which felt safer. I could see him fall back on his back from the corner of my eye.

My treacherous lady bits were swollen and begging to be filled, clenching for something long and hard. Well, too bad. Suck it up! I mean, no. Don’t suck anything. We’re not doing any sucking. Frik. Now I was picturing—nope. Stop that.

“Morning.” He broke the silence first.

“Morning,” I croaked, then rolled my eyes. Nice, Li. Way to be cool.

“Gonna take a shower,” he said, rolling off the bed.

“Mm-hm,” was all I managed, only peeking at his glorious ass in the sleep pants that did nothing to hide how spectacular that view was. I sighed when it disappeared through the bathroom door.

“Yup,” I said to myself. “Okay.” I got out of bed and prepped my clothes and toiletries for when he got out, and I could hop in.

It was a fun, awkward little dance, avoiding touching each other when he finished, and I rushed in, closing the door a bit too hard.

We both got ready, packed, and Jeremy was already in the room when I came out from doing my hair and makeup to help take the bags to the car.

We said our goodbyes to Dawn. She gave the best hugs.

“You two take good care of each other, you hear?” She told us as she hugged a reluctant Lucas.

Jeremy and him seemed to have this telepathic male conversation with their eyes. We headed to Kathy’s for breakfast, and surprisingly, it was a companionable silence. We ate, looked out the window as the day came alive, and relaxed into the next part of our trip.

About fifteen minutes on the highway, I asked, “What’s our next stop?”

Lucas glanced over before answering. “Basic Plaines. It’s about eight, eight and a half hours out.”

I nodded, tapping an anxious rhythm on my knee, which I had propped up on the seat. “We stopping before that?”

“We’ll probably need to gas up halfway there. We can gear up, and use the bathroom then. Unless you have to before,” he added.

“Sounds good. I’m fine for now.”

He grunted and nodded, focused on the road.

Connecting my phone to his car, I took control of the road music. I was ready for it before it happened. Lucas’s eyes slowly met mine in agonized disbelief, and my smile was a mile wide.

“You’re kidding, right?”

Laughing, I sang along as I'm Every Woman by Whitney Houston played loud through his speakers. Paying attention to the road, Lucas shook his head, but I could see his lips twitch. The man was trying not to smile. Suddenly, it was my sole duty to get that man to crack a smile. Dancing in my seat, I swayed my shoulders back and forth, singing passionately off-key. His lips tightened into a straight line. Smiling huge, I leaned over and sang at his profile. Lucas turned his face, narrowing his eyes at me, but we both froze when his lips practically grazed mine. I sucked in a sharp breath, but my body didn’t pull away.

Our noses were touching while Whitney sang to us in the background.

His eyes flicked down to my lips, which were parted.

So low, I almost missed it, Lucas groaned, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

I could hear the whine of the leather before he sharply turned his attention back to the road.

Exhaling the breath lodged in my throat, I straighten back into my seat, lowering the song from my phone.

We rode in that tension through three of my road trip playlist songs. No reaction from him. I was painstakingly playing out conversations that I could start to break this thick wall in the car when he surprised the hell out of me.

“What do you,” he started, but collected his thoughts first. “Where do you think your grandmother is now?”

Gasping in air, my body locked from the sudden assault.

“Shit,” he said, looking over. “I’m sorry. Forget I asked. That was insensitive.” He shook his head, his brow tightly furrowed.

Watching his reaction, I wanted to soothe him, even against my own denial of emotions I’d preferred keeping locked away. Searching my mind, I asked myself the same question. I didn’t want to bullshit him. After last night, something honest passed between us. It felt sacred.

“It’s tricky,” I started softly. Lucas’s body became very still.

I knew I had his undivided attention.” For us, at least, in Chinese culture, it’s considered bad luck or a disrupter to the harmony of living to speak directly about death.

” I chuckled, remembering. “Of course, as traditional as lǎo lao was,” I glanced at Lucas, “my grandmother.” He nodded, still looking ahead.

“She loved being a secret-not-so-secret rebel. Those last few months,” I paused, my throat tightening.

I startled at the tender touch from his hand that settled on my hand that was on my lap.

He gently squeezed in support. I turned my palm to hold his in return, like my anchor.

“We talked about how in tradition, we have altars and rituals done to honor elders and ancestors who have passed.” I shook my head, more to dislodge the emotion.

My eyes welled up, wanting to release. “She told me, “Li. Don’t dwell on keeping me alive.” His hand tensed in mine.

“Nothing you do or don’t do will ever change how much I love you.

How proud I am of you.” My chest hitched, holding back the sob.

“Live, she said. I had my time. It’s your turn now. ”

Our fingers intertwined. I couldn’t say who initiated that.

It almost felt inevitable. Inhaling deeply to compose myself, I carried on.

“For us, we grow up believing they go on to face their own unique journey in the afterlife. Growing up more Americanized, it’s something you just accept as is when you’re little. ”

“And now?” he asked, his voice rough and quiet.

“Now?” I sighed. “I want to believe in this ethereal paradise where she continues on. Where being human is so far out of reach, but wherever she is, I hope her memories of us are still with her, in some way. Her love is still eternal.”

After a few minutes of us lost in thought, Starship’s Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now played from my playlist in the background. His hand was still one with mine. Neither initiated letting go.

“What about you?” I asked. “You lost someone too, right?” It was a guess. Could have been recent. Could have been years ago. But I recognized that lost look of grief in his eyes because it's the same one I saw in the mirror these days.

He nodded, still focusing on the road. “Five months ago,” is all he said.

My hand squeezed, as did my heart. Lǎo lao went three months ago.

Holy shit. We were both still raw from recent death.

“You hide it better than me,” I said softly, staring at his profile.

That strong jaw was surrounded by an ash-pale blonde beard.

I wanted to run the tips of my fingernails through it, smooth the hard expression between his brows.

“I don’t know what I believe,” he finally said, shaking his head.

“Growing up, you hear the Christian stories of God and heaven. But, as an adult, no one was really religious that I knew. Uncle Filip believed this was it. We lived on this earth; we went back into the earth when it was all said and done.”

“And what do you believe?” I’m so curious to know because even speaking of his Uncle, I could see him wrestling.

“I don’t know.” I barely heard it. He cleared his throat. “But, I want to talk to him again.” His hand twitched, the one holding mine.

He wanted to talk to him again? “Who?” I asked.

“Uncle Filip,” he answered, still not looking at me.

“How would you—“ then it hit me. The ghost hunting.

That’s when I finally got his eyes. He looked almost desperate, wanting me to understand. I nodded. “Okay,” I said.

A breath later, he nodded back. “Okay,” he said, then faced the road again.

It was a silent agreement. Did I know what all entailed in this agreement? Nope. But I knew I would hold up my end. I would be there for Lucas as he was there for me.

As we drove, music playing, hands holding, I looked over my shoulder at the vase lǎo lao painted.

The one I made for her. The only thing of hers I chose to honor and keep with me.

I wasn't going against her wishes. I wouldn’t set up an altar for her.

I just felt her essence still carried within every brush stroke she made.

Lucas’s expression, while more relaxed than before, still held tension. I lightly ran my thumb back and forth over his hand. He looked down at them. I didn’t stop. After a few moments, he brushed mine with his thumb and kept driving.

I guess I was going ghost hunting.