“You did what?” Hunter asks. We’re back at the hotel, Kate in her room, and Hunter and I in ours. I sit on the end of the bed and rub my face in my hands a few times. I’m so very tired. Maddox plops down beside me, ready to go to bed.
“I went to the car to let Maddox out and she followed me. One minute she’s talking about giving me my birthday present and the next we’re up against a truck having hot and heavy sex.” She stares at me for a full five seconds before busting out laughing.
“Casanova.”
I grin and shrug my shoulders. I’ve never had sex when we were out chasing storms. Maybe that’s it. We were coming down from the high we shared after seeing that tornado near Hays and felt the need to connect and reaffirm we survived it.
“You can’t say anything.” I don’t know why I’m whispering or why I’m thinking we need to keep it a secret. “I mean, we didn’t really talk about what happened. It might be awkward in the morning when we’re all together.”
“Why aren’t you with her now?” she asks.
I don’t know the answer. I just stare at her. I don’t even know what happens now. “It’s been a long day and Kate practically fell asleep at the party.”
“Well, you did help her expel some serious energy.”
“I don’t want to go to her because I don’t want her to think it’s just a sex thing,” I say.
“Maybe that’s all she wants,” Hunter says.
I don’t like that. I lie on the bed and frown. I don’t like that at all. Now I’m going to be awake even longer just thinking about Kate and what all of this means, if anything. Sometimes Hunter is infuriating. She’s always been my voice of reason though.
“Maybe it was so good, she wants more,” I say. Hunter laughs.
“Maybe so, Tris. Just don’t expect anything. Keep it simple.” Hunter knows I tend to dwell on things, especially when I have somebody new in my life. She’s right, though. I just need to chill and wait. I roll over and close my eyes. It really has been quite the day.
❖
We aren’t in any hurry to get up this morning. Yesterday was exhausting enough. Even Maddox just looks at me when I try to take him out. I slept on and off for about seven hours and I’m still tired.
“What’s on the horizon?” I ask.
Hunter’s hunched over her laptop. She shrugs her shoulders. “After yesterday, most of the activity is either way north or way south. There might be something happening in Oklahoma. We will just have to keep watching this system.” She points to an area where two fronts, a warm one from Mexico and a cold one from the Rockies, are destined to meet. Right now, there’s nothing forecast for that region, but we know how fast storms pop up. When we see a tornado, we forget about the six hundred mile days of riding in a car. We forget about greasy fast food and unsanitary bathroom breaks in the middle of nowhere. We even overlook uncomfortable catnaps in the car. Seeing a twisting rope of fury and energy from the sky erases the miserable experiences leading up to that moment.
“Let’s head to Oklahoma then.” I know I need to talk to Kate. I have no idea what to say though. Before I have a chance to dwell on it, we hear a knock at the door. I freeze and stare at Hunter. She lifts her eyebrow at me. I turn to the mirror and quickly primp before she opens the door.
“Good morning, Hunter,” Kate says. Hunter invites her in. We make eye contact. She looks fantastic. “Good morning, Tris.”
“Yes, it is, Kate,” I say. We smile at each other and I swell with instant energy, the adrenaline rush of yesterday courses through my veins again. Not the tornado, but the frenzied coupling against the truck. Hunter clears her throat and I snap out of my trance. I could get lost in Kate’s deep blue eyes for days. “I just need to grab some stuff out of the bathroom, then we can go.”
“I’m going to let Maddox out for a bit before we hit the road. Tris, fill Kate in on what the plan is for the day,” Hunter says. She grins, winks at me exaggeratedly, and gives me two thumbs up behind Kate’s back. I bite the inside of my cheek trying not to laugh. Kate shuts the door and I close the distance between us.
“How did you sleep?” I ask. I don’t know what else to say. I have a hundred different questions I want answers to, but this one is safe and will let me know how the rest of the conversation will go. She slides her hands up my arms and rests them gently on the back of my neck.
“I slept so well. I’m sorry I wasn’t better company when we got back here,” she says. She’s actually apologizing to me. She gently rubs her thumb over my bottom lip then leans forward and gently kisses me. Her soft, warm mouth tastes delicious and for a split second, I want to walk her backward until we fall on the bed.
Our kiss is delicate at first, but turns passionate within moments. She moans as I slide my hands to the small of her back and pull her closer to me. I want to go lower, but we really don’t have the time and reluctantly I end the kiss. I stare at her for a few moments, then brush a stray hair away from her cheek.
“Don’t worry. I was pretty tired, too,” I say. I didn’t fall right to sleep because I kept worrying about what Hunter said. It’s too soon to question Kate, so I just enjoy the feel of her body next to mine and her warm breath against my mouth. She is soft and tender against me. Her body is perfect, every curve fitting against mine. I wish it was July and we’re back home where time isn’t an issue and we don’t have this job to do. I kiss her again because I know our private time is limited on the road.
“I enjoyed last night,” she says. I’m trying not to smile arrogantly because that’s not who I am. I wine and dine, I don’t paw and maul and have smoking hot sex against a car.
“That’s not how I usually do things,” I say. She smiles against my neck. Her mouth leaves a tiny wet mark on my skin and I try not to shiver.
“It was fine, Tris. I promise.” She slides her hand down the center of my chest, her fingers lightly grazing my breasts until she reaches the low waist of my jeans. I can’t help but moan. “It’s too bad we don’t have more alone time.” I wonder if it’s too late to put the proverbial sock on the door. It is as I hear Hunter making a big production of coming back into the room. We break apart, but I’m still kind of holding her and she isn’t pulling away. I guess we’re going to be out in the open.
“You girls ready?” Hunter asks. Kudos to her for not making a big deal out of this. She grabs my bag and we follow her out to the SUV.