There's nothing better than a nice long drive as the sun goes down.
Highway 59, my favorite highway, rushes by me. There's fifteen miles of dust and desert and dark between me and home. I roll the windows down and hang my arm out so it taps against the truck door.
I'm rounding a bend, when I see you in the flash of my headlights. You're sitting on the hood of your little gray Sedan, your headlights pointing into the empty fields. Looks like you might need some help. I don't want to frighten you, so I turn down the radio and keep my distance as I slow down my truck to a rolling crawl. Finally, I stop and lean my head out the window.
You're fiddlin' with the hem of your shirt, pinching the fabric between your fingers, looking real frustrated. You look up without a trace of fear or startle, though your features are difficult to read in the shadows. Your bare feet dangle in front of the headlights, making the darkness dance on your command.
"Everything okay, here, ma'am?"
You jump off the hood of your car and slide your feet into a pair of sandals lying beneath the bumper. The light clings to your body as you approach my truck. It wraps around your legs, slides across your abdomen and spills across your breasts.
"Not particularly. My car seems to have broken down." You walk right up to my door and curl your hands around the space where the driver's side window would be. I hear your feet kicking up gravel as you look over at me.
"Sorry to hear that. Anything I can do to help?"
In the lowlight of the sunset, your eyes are like fire. It's easy to see that you were not meant for a slow life like the one I lead out here in the desert of New Mexico. Your body demands more. It needs speed to thrive.
"I've already got a tow truck coming, thanks. But...I could use some company?" I flash you a smile and a small nod. I'd be glad to keep you company. Not like I got anything waiting at home for me, except an old hound dog and crappy TV reception.
"What're you doing out here in the middle of nowhere anyway?"
I can feel your eyes on me. I can feel them on the scruff of my cheeks. Your eyes trace me and my rough, sun-drenched skin. And over the muscular shape of my arm hanging outside of the truck
"Oh, I'm a ranch hand about ten miles back that way. At the Agua Verde Ranch."
"We don't have ranch hands where I'm from." You laugh and a little smile turns the sides of your lips upward.
You really are a city girl, aren't you? Your energy is electric. Commanding. You seem like a woman who knows how to get what she wants. I wonder if anyone has ever told you 'no'...
"Well, uh, it's a nice night out. Why don't we sit in the back and wait for that tow truck to get here?" I shut off my truck engine, open the door, and step on out.
I open up the tailgate and you sit down on the bed. You don't seem to mind it being covered in dust and bits of hay. I sit down next to you, but my legs don't dangle like yours.
The heel of my boots dig firmly into the dust-covered asphalt.
"So, uh, you don't seem like you're from around here. On your way out of town or somethin'?" I'm trying to stay focused and polite, but I'm having a hard time not thinking about your knee being just an inch or so away from mine.
Your body moves so fluidly, so easy, and I can't help but to imagine myself touching you.
You laugh a little. "I don't spend much time in dusty valleys like this, if that's what you're asking. I'm on my way to California to do some research. I'm an ecologist."
"An ecologist, huh? Well, welcome to the dusty valley, as you say. I'm Rob."
I stretch out my hand and you take it in yours. You've got a surprisingly firm grip. And it feels good to have your hand in mine.
You introduce yourself with a small laugh and your hair falls loose and frames your face.
I like the sound of your voice. I like the way you hold yourself. And the soft curves of your body. I imagine what it might be like to hold you in my arms. Or what your lips taste like;
what the inside of your mouth tastes like.
My knee slowly arches out towards yours and the simple brush of contact makes me excited. A little too excited.
"So, uh, 'bout how long you think it'll take for the truck to get here?" It's an innocent enough question and one that might tell me how much time you and I have got together before you disappear from my life just as quickly as you waltzed into it.
"Oh, he said another hour at least. You have any ideas on how to pass the time?"
I notice you inhale sharply, like you're swallowing down some naughty thought. I clear my throat, nod, and glance out towards the orange horizon. I've got some ideas.
I turn my head to look at you and our eyes meet. Time goes a bit slower as I lean forward, and like a magnet, you're pulled into me. Our lips meet in a soft embrace.
You moan softly into my mouth as your hand reaches over to cup my cheek and I shift towards you. I place my hand on the side of your thigh and explore the soft curve of your hips.
I pull you closer to me.
Your hand presses against my knee and inches up my thigh.
