Uncharted Page 3

  She rolled her eyes and got in her car. What is that smell? It smells good, whatever it is. It was a shame to have to roll down the windows and let the scent out, but it was too hot without them down.

  Once back on the highway, she cranked the radio and started singing again. She didn’t care if he was watching; she didn’t want to let herself think about anything. A few CD changes later, she was in the mountains. She turned north and headed down the winding road. It was beautiful.

  She looked in her rearview mirror and saw Emmerick leaning back and forth at each turn. It did look like it would be better than being in a car. Open air, going down the curves... Plus, if she wasn’t driving, she could enjoy the view better. Damn him. She pulled off at the next scenic lookout and got out of her car.

  He pulled up, smug as ever. She pretended not to notice and took her camera out of her car. She snapped some pictures of the scenery. He jumped into one of the shots. That bastard. It wasn’t digital, so she could not just delete it. That’s what I get for going low tech.

  “Here, let me take one of you,” he said. He held out his hand for the camera.

  She resisted but ended up giving in. He would probably just bug her about it until she agreed or snatch the camera out of her hands when she wasn’t expecting it. He took her picture and then came up next to her. Before she knew it, he was pressing his face against hers and taking another picture. That’s the kind of picture best friends take. Does he think that’s what we are? No, he couldn’t. Could he?

  “I’ll be wanting copies of those. I’ll give you my address later.” He looked down at the camera. “It appears that you’re not at one with technology, so I’d rather not risk the excuse that you don’t know how to email or scan photos or anything.” He grinned.

  “Just give me the stupid helmet.” She held out her hand.

  Instead of giving it to her, he put it on her head and fastened the strap for her.

  “Have you ever been on a bike before?” he asked. She shook her head. “Don’t fidget too much and lean with the turns, but don’t over lean. Follow my lead.” She got on and rested her hands on her legs. “Oh, and you have to wrap your arms around me.”

  For a minute she thought he might just be trying to come up with a reason to make her touch him, but she realized the more she thought about it that that’s how they always do it in the movies. That was how she saw people she drove by on bikes. Damn him!

  Hesitantly, she did as he instructed. She wrapped her arms around him, forcing her chest into his back. She couldn’t help but notice how the front of his body felt through his shirt. She could have sworn his jacket had been zipped up when they pulled over. Maybe not. He wouldn’t have unzipped it; there was no reason to.

  The engine roared to life. “Um, Emmerick. Am I going to be stuck looking at the back of your helmet the whole time?”

  “What? Oh. No. Just rest your head on my shoulder.” It seemed so obvious. Apparently she never has been on a bike.

  As he maneuvered the bike forward, she settled her head on his shoulder. There was that smell again. She turned her head slightly toward him. She could smell it more strongly. It was his cologne. Why was the smell of his cologne in my car? She put those thoughts aside and tried to enjoy the ride. It was calming to be winding through the mountains.

  “You can look around a bit if you want,” he yelled over the sound of the wind.

  She took him up on his offer. She looked from side to side, careful to only move her head. The view was absolutely amazing, although slightly scary. There wasn’t much of a shoulder before the steep drop off, but being able to look down into the valleys like that was priceless. Everyone should experience this, she thought.

  She looked forward again and saw a semi coming from the other direction. Even though it was in its own lane, it still made her nervous. She tightened her grip and buried her face in his neck the best she could with the helmet on.

  After a few seconds, which seemed like a few minutes, she realized her nails were digging into his chest. She loosened her grip and turned back to the scenery. After a while, he turned around and started heading back to her car. Each time they passed someone, her grip tightened involuntarily, but she was careful to control her nails. She didn’t want to leave him bleeding.

  They got back to her car and he turned his bike off. He dismounted and then helped her get off. As she unstrapped and removed her helmet, he lifted his shirt to check the damage. She hadn’t drawn blood, but there were marks and there were more than ten. Apparently her hands shifted a little.

  “If you get that nervous on a bike that takes up a tiny portion of the lane, how are you going to manage driving a car through that?”

  “Very carefully.” She was determined. It was part of putting herself into unfamiliar situations. She would just deal with it. And if it was too much to handle, she would either turn around or turn down the next road that went east.

  * * *

  It was getting dark, and Kennedy’s tank was getting empty. Going up those hills in the mountains sucked a lot of gas. The motel they were staying at didn’t have hallways; the rooms opened to the outdoors. Emmerick was staying in the room next to hers. A door connected the rooms together, and she promptly dead bolted and chain locked it.

  She jumped into the shower. Another hot shower to wash away the anxiety the day had brought. This trip is supposed to be relaxing, she thought. I should be taking bubble baths, not hot showers. Once the hot water started running cold, she got out and went to bed.

  She woke up very suddenly, covered in sweat. The clock told her it was just after 2:00 a.m. She’d had a nightmare. A semi was coming down the narrow road toward her. She was in her car, but it wouldn’t start. She couldn’t get out in time. The semi honked its horn. There was a brief sound of impact and then she woke.

  It was storming out. She hated storms. They frightened her even more so in an unfamiliar place. She curled up and tried to go back to sleep, but it was worthless. Would he still be awake? Doubtful, but she had to try. He would understand.

  She unbolted and unchained the connecting door and opened it, revealing his door. She knocked softly. No answer. She knocked a little harder, her eyes burning with unshed tears. She was starting to panic. The sound of the thunder made her jump each time it sounded. He was definitely sleeping. It didn’t matter. He owed her. She pounded. Finally he opened the door. She barely noticed that she didn’t hear the bolt being unlocked or a chain being removed.

  He was only wearing his boxers again. At least he didn’t sleep naked. As he stopped rubbing his eyes, he opened his mouth to speak, but as soon as he saw her, he closed it. He just grabbed her and brought her into his room. He could feel her jump with each sound of thunder. She was obviously still tired, and she looked like hell.

  “What happened, sunshine?” His voice was quieter that she had ever heard it and a little raspy from having just woke up. Even being as frightened as she was, she noticed how sexy it sounded.

  “Nightmare. Storm. Not my night.” She escaped his embrace and laid on his bed.

  He went into her room and grabbed the blanket from her bed. She didn’t understand what he was doing. He sat in the chair and pulled the covers up to his chin.

  “No. Come here. Sleep next to me,” she said.

  She sounded completely vulnerable. Not at all like the Kennedy he had been dealing with the last few days. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.” She patted the bed beside her. “But no funny business.” She laughed so quietly he barely heard it.

  There she is. That was the girl he was getting to know. He laid on the bed beside her, on top of the covers she was under, and continued to use her blanket. It was nice. It smelled just like her. I could get used to this, he thought.

  Just as he started to fall asleep, he felt her move closer to him. He put his arm out so she could rest her head on him if she wanted. She did. He turned his head toward hers and drew in a breath. He kissed her hair and told her to sleep, and t
hen he passed out.

  When he woke, it was around 10 o’clock. She was gone. Was it a dream? It felt real. And he had an extra blanket. He hoped against hope that she didn’t take off on him. He wasn’t done getting to know her.

  He got up and glanced out his window. Good. Her car was still there. He got in the shower. Another cold shower. Can I do this much longer? When he got out, she was back in his room, fully clothed, freshly showered, and with breakfast. What an angel.

  “I gotta say...I’m surprised you come out of the shower with a towel,” she smirked.

  Is she finally getting comfortable with me? he wondered. She had leaned on him twice. Two moments of weakness for this strong girl, and both times she turned to him. Surely that meant something.

  “You’d rather I didn’t?” he asked and grinned his half grin.

  She started blushing. She was beginning to understand him too.

  He dropped his towel. “Is that better?” She looked away pretty quickly, but not quickly enough. “We’re not even anymore…”

  “Actually we are. You chose to expose yourself. I didn’t choose for you to see me in my underwear, so it was only fair that you even the odds then.”

  “Ahh, but you answered your door like that, so in a way, you did.”

  “I forgot I didn’t have shorts on. I don’t sleep in shorts.”

  “Not even last night?”

  Is he really getting arrogant again? “Nope. Wasn’t exactly in the mindset to stop and think about how I was dressed.

  “Good point. What was that about anyway?”

  “I told you. I had a nightmare, and I don’t like storms.”

  “What was the nightmare about?”

  Always so full of questions. “Eat your breakfast before it gets cold.”

  “Whatever you say, sunshine.” He started to sit.

  “Um, aren’t you going to get dressed first?” She glanced toward him.

  “That wasn’t part of your orders. I assumed you preferred me like this,” he said with a grin before he put his clothes on.

  They ate their breakfast in silence.

  When Kennedy finished eating, she broke the silence. “So, I was thinking,” she said. “You should lead the way today.” She was unsure of herself. “I just thought, you know, for the sake of being fair, I should follow you for a while and let you know how it feels to have a stalker.”

  “Sure. Whatever you want. Where do you want to go? I’ll go there,” Emmerick replied before shoving a forkful of egg into his mouth.

  “It doesn’t work like that. You pick where we go. I follow. Simple as that.”

  Emmerick finished his giant bite before responding, “Ok, but my bike gets better mileage than your car, so I won’t know when to stop for gas…” He was fishing for her number again. “Maybe you could text me when you’re at a quarter tank.”

  “This tank runs low after 300 miles,” she said. She was absolutely determined not to give him her number.

  He sighed. “This tank?” he asked.

  “Yes, it’s not my car. It’s a rental.”

  “So then you’re not from Delaware?” He had obviously checked the license plate at some point.

  “No.”

  He hoped she would elaborate, but she didn’t. He got up to packed his things without another word.

  The Leader

  Emmerick headed west and led the way through the mountains. He was careful to slow down when they passed other motorists, knowing Kennedy would need to slow down. He hugged the yellow line when he could, but every so often he would venture to the white line just to make her nervous.

  Almost every time he glanced in his mirrors at her, she was singing and dancing to whatever was playing on her radio. If she wasn’t, she was at least bobbing her head and muttering. He found it devastatingly cute when she did that.

  He wanted to pull over and have her get on his bike again, but he didn’t know if his chest could take the abuse. Maybe if he didn’t unzip his jacket this time; after all, she already knew what his chest felt like at this point. Did she figure out that I did that on purpose? No. She probably would have called me out if she did.

  He kept going until he reached Utah. Deciding that she seemed to prefer the dingy diners, he pulled off the highway at the first one he saw. She stopped at the gas station across the street and he went in to get a table. By the time she moseyed in, he had already ordered a drink for her. She went into the bathroom before coming to the table. When she emerged, her hair was down and the roots of it around her face were wet.

  He was at a square table with four chairs. She purposefully sat across from him. The waitress came for their order. After giving his, he got up to go splash water on his face as well. Guys are allowed to freshen up too, right?

  When he came back to the table, he sat next to her—as next to her as he could at a table like that. She tried to look annoyed, but her grimace faltered for an instant. It was all the reassurance he needed.

  “So,” he said. He pretended to have a hard time remembering her name. “Kennedy. How’d you enjoy that ride through the mountains?”

  “It was fine.” She paused to take a drink out of the glass in front of her. “Would have been nice to pull off in a couple of spots though. You know, use that stone age technology I’m so partial to. Snap some stills.”

  “Sorry.” Why didn’t I think of that? he wondered. It was a perfect excuse to stop and get her talking…maybe convince her to jump back on the bike…

  “No big.” She took a look around the diner. There were quite a few people there. She figured it was because of the big town they had passed through on the way. It sure was a grimy dive considering the amount of customers they must see in a day. Unless that day was out of the norm. Maybe there was a convention or something and the bigger city didn’t have enough hotels available so people had to branch out. Maybe they just had good pie. Weird how pie tends to attract people, she thought. She never understood it. Pie wasn’t her choice; she preferred cake.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  She just shook her head. Why is he so curious? What drew him to me? There was no way it was simply because she had been silly in her car when she thought no one was watching. Maybe he was just bored with his life. Maybe he had just been through a rough time and was looking for a distraction. No, that would be too much of a coincidence.

  He wasn’t sure what to say. She was obviously deep in thought and didn’t want to share. He wasn’t sure if he should just let her keep thinking, or if he should distract her with more banter. He honestly wanted to know what was going through her head. Probably best to let her finish her thoughts. Maybe then she’ll be willing to share.

  “Why did you decide to go on a road trip?” She still seemed far away as she spoke.

  Didn’t I already cover this with her? “I told you, some friends of mine said they were going, so I joined.”

  “Didn’t you have anything going on? Something to prevent you from picking up and leaving, just like that?”

  “Didn’t you? Besides, I already told you this too. I’m between jobs. Why the third degree?” He wondered if she was losing what little trust in him she had developed over the past few days.

  “I’m just trying to figure you out.” She looked around again, as though she was making sure no one was listening in. “Why did you start following me? Why leave your buddies?”

  He thought for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to word his response. He drew a deep breath before answering. “I can go on a trip with them any time. I can see the Grand Canyon whenever; it isn’t going anywhere. Meeting you, getting to know you…it seemed like a once in a lifetime chance.” He watched her reaction carefully. Did I say it right? Is that going to freak her out?

  She looked as though she didn’t comprehend what he had said, as though he were speaking another language. “Emmerick, I’m nothing special. You probably would have met more interesting people had you gone on with them.”

  The
waitress set their food down and smiled politely. Kennedy poked at her food with her fork.

  She is so clueless. “You just don’t get it,” he said. “Let’s leave it at that. Eat your food. We have lots more driving if we want to get out of the mountains before dark.” He started eating his food, hoping she would follow his lead. He had to figure out how to make her understand, especially now while spending all this time with her. He was glad he had stayed behind. And to think, I almost didn’t even go on the road trip.

  The more she ate, the hungrier she got, and the quicker she shoveled the food down. It was amazing how hungry she was just from driving.

  He was unusually quiet. No jokes about how she was eating. Nothing. He seemed distracted. She wanted to figure out why. That would not be possible if they kept driving. By the time they got past the mountains, she would be too tired to stay up after the stress from going down those tiny roads, riding a shoulder that barely exists.

  She twisted her face as though she were going to ask the impossible. “I know it’s your day to lead, but, do you think we could bunk down here tonight? Get a fresh start in the morning?” Her face relaxed. “You can lead again tomorrow. Promise.” She crossed her heart as she said it. When he didn’t respond right away, she pouted a bit.

  “Who can resist a face like that?”

  She smiled at him, as though he had complemented her.

  “It’s so…so…pathetic looking.”

  Her face dropped and he smiled. No need to let her get cocky too. That was supposed to be his forte. His thoughts surprised him; describing himself as cocky was completely opposite from his usual persona.

  She looked disappointed, sad even. He didn’t like that. “Of course we can stay here, sunshine. Whatever you want. This is your trip after all. I’m just hijacking it.”