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He grunted and turned to look atcloser attention I told Rome I would watch your six, and so far I’ve done a piss-poor job of it You shouldn’t be walking around a truck stop after dark withoutlocked in a dirty bathroom is the least of it" His words ht to a T

I wrinkled my nose at him as I wrestled my hair back into a band so I could fit the hel and it was replaced with a healthy dose of self-recriet off shift until three in the s, and I kno to take care of myself I should have paid closer attention or waited for you to ith me" I swore I could feel him whenever he was close by The air felt different, heavier, and thicker My skin tingled whilewithout even having to look for him I would elementally know it, that’s how attuned to him I was

He stopped at the side of the bike and turned to facefuriously in his jaw and his hands flexed like he couldn’t control them at his sides "I told you I would take care of you, that I wouldn’t let anything happen to you on this trip I know you can take care of yourself, pretty girl, but for the next few days it’s my job to take care of you Not happy that I dropped the ball right out of the gate"

He was mad

I could see it in the set of his wide shoulders and in the way his ry and furious with a riot of clashing colors as he took a step towardsas we stared at one another

I couldn’t function All I could do was blink up at him slowly because it was exactly like the ti onwhatever I was handed all by et how to breathe andable to lean on his strong shoulders and to have someone else there to carry the burdens I was often loaded doith

"Oh" The word squeaked out, too high and too thin I didn’t want hiive me hope that there could be ot, but his words, those beautiful words, they ether forever pulse and pound hard in my blood

He reached out a hand and used the tip of one of his fingers to tuck a loose curl back behindan eye on you while you’re in my hands"

I wanted to turn my face into his palm and let him caress my cheek but it was all tooI’d wanted since I fell for him was to be in his hands and for him to find a place for s he was saying to ht there was the possibility of a future for us He was going ho back to Denver and a life that wasn’t going to be nearly as satisfying without hi all of this to me now felt wasted and trivial He could throw pretty words and senti to head our separate ways soon and he wouldn’t have to live up to the

I took a step away froed on the end of one wrong I’ fro if you want to ht You said you wanted to ride at least a fewas the weather cooperated"

He looked like he wanted to say soave a jerky nod andover the bike and waited forthe htly as I had the first part of the ride and I didn’t lean as close to him as I could My body wanted the contact but the rest of me couldn’t take it He had ainst coht be the death of me and we hadn’t even crossed any state lines yet

I had rip on hi h the distance wasbody was just as stiff as h soot to the border of Kansas It was se air rush around us and provoking me to be evenon aon a motorcycle surrounded by twenty-ton trucks seeot distracted at all, things weren’t going to go well for either of us Luckily he drove the bike like he did everything else, with single- intensity There was nothing casual or relaxed about his I wasn’t sure that was how he nor extra cautious because of rateful for his palpable concentration and consideration

It took us another hour to hit the very flat and, even in the dark, very boring landscape of Kansas We had the entire state to drive through tomorrow and I knew from a previous road trip that I had taken with er that ere in for a lot of corn and cows I was ready to call it a day My backside was starting to get nuht so that I could keep so roory and still needed that hour-long shower to wash away the griunk from the truck stop bathroom Not to mention I’d been pulled fro to keeparound us