Hitched

Thank you to blackrandl1958 and Pixel the Cat for their superior editing skills.

Thank you, D, for the constant feedback.

*****

"Something's comin', huh?"

I looked up from filling my gas tank. A beefy older gentleman leaned against his car and watched me closely. I didn't particularly feel like answering, but he was waiting for my response with sharp eyes that glinted with unfriendliness in the late afternoon, even if his mouth was stretched wide in a smile.

"What's that?" I asked.

He took off his hat and scratched his head, then tipped his chin up at the gray sky. "A storm, kid."

Just as he spoke, a fat raindrop fell against my skull.

I pulled out the gas nozzle. "Guess you're right. I didn't know it was going to rain."

He stepped toward me. "Not rain. Storm."

Nodding, I put the nozzle back and reached into my pocket for my wallet. I'm not sure why the hell I did that, considering he was intimidating the hell out of me, but I guess it was some kind of reassurance thing. "Right. Storm. Listen, do you know where a diner is around here?"

He laughed. At least, I think he laughed; it was an incredibly unattractive an indistinguishable sound that could have been a cough. "Diner? Nearest diner is about two hours away. Looks like you'll just have to come into my store and make do with what I have in there."

Ah, so he was the owner. I tried not to take his mistrust to heart, but really, I was probably the most clean-cut guy around, let alone the cleanest person. Maybe that was unfair, but I was getting sick of the way he was staring at me. I pushed away from my car and headed to the dilapidated hut he called a store.

An old man sat in a rocking chair outside. The man ignored me as I passed him, which was fine by me. My overactive imagination was going wild, and I was certain that locals were going to hop out of the bushes with guns and torture me. The front door barely stood on its hinges, but the inside was clean enough. Some of my anxiety dissipated.

After I ran to the bathroom, I came outside and studied the snacks. That's when I saw her.

She had brunette hair that just touched the top of her plump ass. From what I could see from her side profile, she also had full cherry-colored lips and long eyelashes. She peeked at me, probably because she could tell I was staring. We shared a shy grin. I told myself to cut it out and focus on the snacks. Dina was waiting, and I was admittedly taking longer on this trip than I thought I would. Plus, she looked to be about twenty, maybe nineteen; too young for me to be ogling.

But then she spoke.

"Are you getting a Deliverance-vibe here, or is that just me?"

I laughed and rubbed the back of my neck. "Uh, definitely not just you."

"If you hear a banjo, let me know, okay?"

"Definitely. I think we're safe, though. Wasn't that the south? Not Indiana."

Her blue eyes examined me from head to toe. "You don't look like you belong here."

Grinning, I gestured at her. "Neither do you."

"Ugh, well, I definitely don't want to be here. I'm waiting for someone to give me a ride, but no one has been around all day."

Temptation swam inside my head and stomach. I fought against the words, but they came out anyway. "Where are you headed?"

She bounced a little on her toes, and I am not proud that I was captivated by the way her breasts danced with her movement. "New York. My mom's sick. I don't have a car, and I don't have enough to fly, so I'm hitchhiking."

"That's dangerous," I said automatically. "Sorry, I didn't mean...."

"For sure, but I'm really careful about it. Done it before. I usually ride with women and families." She looked me over again. "Or really, really cute guys. It's a fact that cute men are rarely ever serial killers."

She made me laugh again, which was a tough task. "Actually, I'm not too sure about that."

She grabbed a bag of chips and wrinkled her nose in an adorable way. "Whatever you say. What's your name?"

Inside, all sorts of alarms and red lights were going off. I shouldn't be flirting with this woman. I had a beautiful wife waiting for me in New York. We would get through our rough patch, I would get out of my funk, and everything would be back to the way it was. Talking to this chick would not help the situation. Still, I gave her a smile and moved closer. It was involuntary at that point. "Lincoln. What's yours? "

She bounced on her toes again. Due to the air-conditioning being on full blast, I could make out the hardness of her nipples. I was sure that if I stepped a little closer, I could even make out their shade. She answered, then, and my eyes reluctantly lifted to meet hers. "I'm Louise, but everyone calls me Kit."

My smile grew. She was just so fucking cute. "Kit" fit her. "Nice to meet you, Kit." I turned toward the snacks and tried to ignore the crackle of attraction sparking between us.

She leaned against the wall and watched my feeble attempt at ignoring her with amusement. "So, Lincoln, where are you headed?"

"New York." I glanced at her and knew what was coming, so I beat her to it. "I could... drive you. If you want. I can promise you that I'm not a serial killer."

Kit lifted her eyebrows with a toothy grin. "That's exactly what a serial killer would say."

I turned so that I was fully looking down at her. For a moment, I was distracted by her smooth lipgloss-covered lips and the tight young body filling sexy jeans and a tank top. Kit's grin softened into a knowing smile. I shook my head and tried to regain some dignity. "Seems like you have a decision to make: stay here and possibly hear some banjo music, or come with me."

Kit wrapped her arm around mine. "Easy decision. Let's go."

The man was still outside, still keeping his ugly eyes trained on me. He crossed his arms. "Bye, Louise."

She sighed under her breath, then gave him a bright smile. "Bye, Kenny."

She got into my car and thrummed her fingers on the dashboard. "Take me away, Lincoln. Take me far, far away."

*****

"So, Lincoln. Why are you driving to New York?"

I leaned back in my seat. "Well, my wife and I are moving back to New York from Chicago. We grew up in New York, so we're happy. We both grew up in the city, actually, but we're moving to the suburbs."

Kit was digging through my glove compartment, being extremely nosy. If it were anyone else, I'd have been annoyed, but she was so damn cute. "What's your wife's name?"

"Dina."

"What does she do?"

"She teaches."

"What do you do?"

"I work for an insurance company. What do you do?"

She shut the compartment door with a smack, then began rooting around my center console. "Oh, I'm a waitress. Nothing too exciting. Got any kids?"

"No, no kids."

"You never answered why you're driving. You look like you can afford a plane ticket." She tossed me a little grin. "I don't mean to sound rude. I'm just confused."

We drove past more corn and a whole lot of nothing. "I just like to drive. Better me than some stranger or some moving company."

She leaned back in her seat and put her bare feet on the dashboard. "So, you like control."

"Ha. My wife says it has something to do with a desire for control, too. Maybe she's right, but it doesn't feel all that complex to me. I just like it, you know? Like a hobby. I always volunteer to drive people around."

Kit bit her nails. She was always moving, I noticed. "Why isn't your wife with you? Nina, right?"

"Dina," I corrected. "She's a terrible passenger and she didn't think this sounded like fun."

"Oh." She shifted into her seat to get a better look at me. "Do you guys fight a lot?"

I laughed and shook my head, glancing at her quickly as I changed lanes. "Holy shit, you ask a lot of questions."

"Sorry! I don't mean to be so nosy. My mama always says it's my biggest flaw. I'm just curious about you. Kenny was curious about you, too. That's why he was staring at you. He told me about you when you were in the bathroom. Said you were probably dangerous and I should be careful."

I laughed again. "What? You can't be serious."

"Totally am. Kenny's paranoid about strangers. No idea why he owns that store."

"How do you know him?"

She played with the lock on the door. "Oh, just around. Small town like where I'm from and you know everyone."

"I'm sure."

We didn't talk for a couple of hours, except to say nonsense things like, "I really like this song," or, "I had no idea Ohio looked like this."

By the time we hit Pennsylvania, I was exhausted. I was tempted to bring up stopping at a motel, but I wasn't sure if she would think that was too forward. There was also the money situation, seeing as she'd already said she didn't have any. I didn't mind sharing a room with her, but I was afraid of the pull I felt toward her.

Then the rain started. I had to pull over to the side of the highway.

"Holy crap," Kit whispered. "This is some storm."

I rested my head back and watched the rain pound against the window, falling in thick streams. "Definitely. I have no idea how long it's going to last."

Kit thumbed through her phone and checked her weather app. "Fuck. There is a flood warning for this area."

I tried not to look at her, but of course I couldn't resist. She was already looking at me, waiting for the words.

"We could... stop somewhere."

Her eyes sparkled in the minimal light of dusk. "And how would we do that? I don't have money for a room."

"I know. I'll get a room with two beds. Okay? And I won't... I won't try anything. I promise."

There was a pause as we regarded one another in the faintly air-conditioned car. She took a few deep breaths, then her eyes dropped to my wedding ring. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, absolutely. I have excellent self-control."

She scooted down in her seat. She wasn't quite smiling, but I knew I had her. She wrapped a strand of hair around her finger and stared at me. I shifted uncomfortably, but I kept my eyes locked with hers. I wanted to reach over and gently push against her slightly damp lips with my thumb. I wanted to pluck the strap of her tank top. I wanted to do a million things, but I just sat there and tried to focus on the hum of the air pushing through the vents. I had excellent self-control, for sure.

"We'll see." Before I could answer, she was speaking again. "Let me look up the nearest motel."

*****

We pulled into the motel parking lot. I was blaring some pop song to make Kit laugh, deliberately messing up the lyrics. Her laugh was infectious, and I caught her snorting once or twice. She flushed the most delicious pink when I called her out on it.

"You know what we should do?" she asked, deliberately changing the subject. "We should do the Kiki Challenge."

I pulled into a spot and turned off the car. "What the hell is that?"

She giggled and scrolled through her phone. "Let me show you." She leaned toward me so that I could see the video on the phone. Some guy was running outside of a moving car, singing along to some song I didn't know and didn't particularly like. "It's Drake," Kit murmured distractedly, as way of an explanation.

"I don't know it."

Kit's eyes widened. "You really are old!"

"I'll be thirty-seven next month," I confessed. Maybe I did it as a way of establishing some type of boundary between us. She didn't appear to be fazed, however. Her smile grew and she bumped her shoulder into mine.

"Well, you look good for your age. I like older guys."

Fuck. "And how old are you?"

She fiddled with her hair. "I'll be twenty in a couple of months."

"Holy crap." I fidgeted awkwardly.

Kit looked up at me through squinted eyes with a giant smirk. "I thought I was safe with you. Didn't you say you had excellent self-control? What difference does my age make?"

"Come on, troublemaker." I stepped out of the car and entered the office.

For a terrifying minute, I thought they wouldn't have a room with two beds. Luckily, they had one, though it didn't make me feel overly safe. Kit was watching me with an indescribable explanation, one that seemed to sizzle every time I looked her way.

There was a crappy little restaurant attached to the motel. We went there straight after booking a room. It was surprisingly crowded, and we had to wait a good twenty minutes before a booth cleared up. Kit and I waited in silence. We played the peeking game. I would glance at her and catch her staring; her gaze would become fixed on some spot above my head. Then, I'd find myself enthralled with how tiny and delicate her neck was. She'd swallow and I would become even more fascinated with the movement of her throat. She would inevitably look back up at me and then I would be the one running away.

We broke our silence once we slid into our seats. Kit bounced as she looked over the menu. She liked to bounce around a lot, I noticed, which was a sweet torment.

"What are you getting?" she asked.

"A giant steak covered in butter."

She laughed. "You're starved, huh? Our snacks didn't fill you?"

"Not quite." I leaned back and studied her. Against my better judgment, I wanted to know more. "So, tell me about yourself, Kit."

She shrugged a shoulder and looked up at me. "Not much to tell. Just a girl looking for a change of scenery."

Huh. "I thought your mom was sick."

Kit sat up straighter and averted her eyes. "Yeah, right. That, too." She put her menu down. "I don't really want to think about Mama right now."

"Understandable. What's your favorite movie?"

She smiled at my topic change. "Pretty Woman."

"Pretty Woman? I definitely wasn't expecting that. I thought you were going to say Mean Girls."

The waitress came over then. I ordered my steak and a beer; Kit asked for a burger and a vanilla shake. She was killing me. We didn't talk until the waitress came back with our drinks and Kit took a giant gulp. She had some shake on her cherry lips, and I watched in agony as she licked it up.

"Let me guess. You like 2001: A Space Odyssey, or something like that. Oh! Or The Godfather. All guys like The Godfather."

I blinked, then remembered what we had been talking about. I regarded her closely for a minute. I couldn't figure her out. She was incredibly intelligent and very worldly for a girl from a tiny town.

My phone buzzed. Dina was calling. "I'll be right back," I said to Kit. I stood up and walked to the front of the restaurant. "Hey," I answered.

"You were supposed to call me hours ago. I've been worried. Finally, I just gave up and decided to call you."

"Sorry. I got stuck in a storm so I'm staying at a motel. I'll text you the name later."

"I can't wait for you to get here. My mom is driving me crazy."

I looked over my shoulder and saw Kit beckoning to me. Our food had arrived. "I can't wait to get back to you, too, baby."

"I'm not pregnant," she said flatly. "Took the test this morning. Nothing."

I had to remind myself not to sigh. "It'll be okay. We'll keep trying."

"You sound distracted. You don't even sound upset about it."

"Well, I'm in this crowded restaurant and the waitress is waving me over because my food is ready. I'm upset, I promise."

She sighed, but then she didn't have to worry about me blowing up at her about it, like she would have done to me. "I'll let you go eat. Text me later, okay?"

"Yep. Talk to you later, Dina. Love you."

She hung up as I was speaking.

By the time I got back to the table, my appetite was gone. Kit had impressively eaten most of her burger and was reaching across the table to try my steak. She blushed when she noticed me standing there.

"It just looked delicious."

I sat back down and tried to smile. "No problem."

She tilted her head and studied me. "You okay?"

"Definitely." I cut into my steak and wracked my brain for something interesting to say. Luckily, Kit was eager to be playful.

"I'm curious. What's your astrological sign?"

A real laugh burst from me. "Oh, boy. Don't tell me you believe in that shit."

"Sure, I do, to a certain extent. Let me guess. You're a... Capricorn." Her grin brightened. "I'm so right, aren't I?"

I sipped my beer and waited a beat, then I grinned back. "I'm a Sagittarius."

"Of course you are! That was my next guess." She took my beer from my hands and took a sip without asking. I couldn't help but be beguiled by her. She was something else. "I'm an Aries. We're a match made in heaven, Lincoln."

My wedding ring glowed hot on my left hand. I ignored it. I hadn't had fun like this in ages, and I couldn't remember being so attracted to a woman in a long time, either. I loved my wife, but things had been so heavy and gloomy lately. Kit was sunshine personified, truly. I felt warmer and happier just sitting by her. She was special, and judging from her little looks, she was interested in me, too.

"Match made in heaven" kept echoing in my head. Something inside me wanted to jump up and run away from this. It was a mistake, I kept telling myself, but a mistake I really, really wanted to make.

"Do all Aries drink before they're legal?"

She put my beer down. "Do you mind? I just really needed a drink. Think you could buy me some and bring them back to the room?"

"You're dangerous," I almost whispered.

Kit leaned over the table and showed a little cleavage. She was definitely a witch or something. I didn't mind. "You have no idea."

*****

The two beds were close together. Kit immediately collapsed onto hers. I sat on mine gingerly, feeling acutely off-center.

"Those bedspreads are filthy, you know."

Her dark hair fanned out beautifully against the pillow. She started moving like she was making snow angels on the bed. "You really are such a control freak."

"Don't you ever see those specials with the blacklight?"

She rolled her eyes, but she hopped up to tear the bedspread off. Then, she sank into the sheets. "Better?"

Was it ever.

I had decided to buy wine because I thought it would take her longer to drink than the beer. If I was being completely honest with myself, the reality was that I was trying to be seductive. I opened it with a flourish, which made her laugh, and presented her with a full glass.

"Thanks."

I poured myself some and settled onto my own bed. Kit picked up the remote and flipped through some of the channels. I became aware of her peeking at me now and then, and I fought the urge to look back.

Then, she let out a deep breath and turned off the TV. "Lincoln?"

I looked over. "Yeah?"

"Mind if I put some music on instead of the TV?"

"Not at all."

She stood and poured herself some more wine. She definitely wasn't drinking it as slowly as I'd expected. She turned on a Rihanna song I didn't recognize, but the lyrics were certainly a message to me.

Kit danced along to the beat, seductively swinging her hips and chugging the wine.

I cleared my throat. "What song is this?"

A little smirk flirted with her lips. "It's "Kiss It Better". You like?"

"It's... um, very good. Provocative."

"Sexy?"

I shifted and tried to hide my hard-on. "Uh, that, too."

She approached me, looking hot as hell as she moved. "Does it bother you?"

"Kit...."

"Yeah?"

"I don't know what to say. This doesn't seem like...."

She put her little finger against my mouth. "Shh. Don't talk." She climbed over my legs and sank onto me. "I know how you've been looking at me."

One of my shaking hands clutched her hip; she ground down onto my dick. "Kit. Even so. We can't do this."

She took my wine glass from me and put it on the bedside table with her own. Then, she slowly lowered her chest down to mine. "Why not?"

My laugh was dry and humorous. "C'mon, Kit. Think." She smelled so delicious that even I was struggling to think, like sunshine and clean sheets.

"I don't want to think. Do you?" Before I could answer, her soft lips were pushing against mine. I opened my mouth, but I'm not sure if it was to protest or to shove my tongue down her throat. In any case, I wound up doing the latter.