“If it helps, I think Abby’s right,” Doug said. “Getting a hotel in Kansas City is gonna be much better for you in this weather. It’s not supposed to get any easier, from the looks of weather reports.”
“An eight-hour trip shouldn’t take two days,” Colin said.
“It does if there are blizzards,” I said. “And besides, you’ve already crashed one car. You ready to do that to another just because you’re stubborn?”
Colin’s eyes held mine and I could hear Doug sigh in defeat. Communication wasn’t what Colin needed. I was communicating what we needed just fine. What Colin needed was a swift kick in the ass by someone who wouldn’t take his shit.
And I was going to give it to him.
“There’s a hotel close to this truck stop. About ten minutes outside of Kansas City. It’s an awesome spot. Got a pool and a hot tub and all sorts of amenities to make it comfortable,” Doug said.
“Could we stay there even though we aren’t truckers?” I asked.
“We’re not staying in a hotel,” Colin said.
“Then find a taxi,” I said, flatly.
“You can stay as long as you’re with me,” Doug said. “I was gonna camp there anyway. The roads are getting bad and the weather is supposed to unleash again tonight.”
“Of course it is,” Colin said.
“Are you serious right now?” I asked.
“I don’t understand why it’s so bad that I’m frustrated that an eight-hour trip is taking us this long,” Colin said.
“You totaled a damn rental car, Colin,” I said. “If you really can’t see that your stubbornness is bordering on suicide, then you’ve got bigger problems than prepping for an idiotic conference.”
I held his gaze and dared him to respond. I was ready for a fight. I was ready to dump my shit onto this man. I was ready to bury him in his insolence and his disregard for others around him.
But he didn’t say a word.
“The hotel sounds wonderful, Doug. Thank you,” I said.
“You gonna be joining us, Mr. Murphy?” Doug asked.
“Doesn’t look like I have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice. It’s whether you make the right one or not that lands you in the positions you find yourself in,” I said.
“Like spending Christmas with you?”
The moment it rolled off his tongue I could tell he regretted it. His eyes sank and his eyebrows hiked up onto his forehead. I could feel tears rising to my eyes as my world came crashing down around me. There it was. The one thing I was petrified of. The one thing that kept rolling around in my mind that entire night as we laid there beside the fire, tangled up in one another.
I was scared I would become a regret to him.
And apparently, I had.
“Abby, I—”
But all I did was hold up my hand to stop him.
“I’m not feeling very hungry,” I said. “But thank you for the coffee, Doug. It was very kind of you to get it for me,” I said.
“Not a problem. Let’s get some food in us and I’ll get us to the hotel. I take it the two of you will want two separate rooms?”
I nodded lightly before I turned my face to look out the window. My heart ached. A heart I didn’t even understand had become so attached to Colin. That night we shared together in the motel, with the jet tub and the champagne, it had been a dream come true. A desire realized that I had denied myself time and time again. I had missed his body. His presence. What his cock could do to me and how beautiful his lips made me feel. I missed his grunts low in my ear and his breath that was hot on my neck.
And he didn’t miss any of it.
Not even a sliver.
Chapter 11
Colin
We drove ten minutes down the road before I saw a rental car place. It was the same one we had rented from at the hotel and I practically jumped out of my seat. I pointed to the sign as Abby continued to stare out the window, her blank eyes scanning the horizon as she looked for a way out of this situation.
“I’ll need to pay for the damages on the previous car anyway. Just drop us off here and I’ll get us the rest of the way.”
“You sure that’s a good idea?” Doug asked. “The weather’s pretty bad.”
“I’ve got this,” I said. “We just need to take it slow.”
Abby was silent and I tried to push the entire scenario out of my mind. I needed to fix one problem at a time, and the car would be easier to fix. Doug pulled over on the side of the road and let us out, and I was thankful to be rid of that cramped truck. We waved our goodbyes and Abby scrambled up to give him a hug.
I would have rolled my eyes had I not felt like such a dick already.
It was getting later and later. Already, it was close to dinnertime and we were only on the outskirts of Kansas City. The freezing rain gave way to buckets of snow, and it came down so hard we couldn’t even see the dark road outside. I guided Abby into the rental store and I talked with the front desk attendant, informing them of what happened and where the car currently was. I was ready and willing to pay whatever charges I needed to in order to cover the damages and get us back on the road.
Mostly, I was ready for this nightmare of a trip to be over.
I signed mounds of paperwork and swiped my card more times than I cared to admit. I specified that I needed a car with four-wheel drive,
