I emerged from the gas station and spotted him instantly. I was trying to be cool as I walked back to my car, side-eyeing this beautiful man perched high in his diesel truck parked in front of mine at the gas pumps.
Without warning, his windshield wipers unleashed a blast of cold, sudsy fluid. It drenched my shirt, my hair, completely blinded me. I screeched and came to a hard stop.
Dammit, and I was feeling myself today. I looked cute.
“Oh fuck!” I heard him holler as his truck door creaked open quickly. I couldn’t open my eyes; when I tried, it burned.
I was wiping at my eyes with my fingers, but it wasn’t helping. I was jolted again when I felt a cloth roughly wiping at my face. I snatched it out of his hands and finished properly as he fumbled for words.
“Oh my god I’m such a jerk, I didn’t even see you,”
“Gee, thanks.” I scoffed.
“I’m so sorry. I’m really tired…fuck I’ve been driving for hours…damn, are you okay?”
I managed to open one eye, bent slightly over one hand on my knee, and I peered up at him. Jesus, his shirt was in my hands; this gorgeous bare-chested man was now hovering above me.
I stood up straight, slicking back my hair and tugging at my t-shirt as it clung stubbornly. I peeled it away from my shoulder, and it formed a teasing bubble against my skin.
I glared. “Such a weird way to get my attention, I mean you could have just said hello.”
A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“Well, in my defense, you were about to leave.” His grin widened.
“I’ve had men make worse first impressions.” I chuckled. “Did I at least win?”
“Win?” His eyebrows quirked, shoulders raised.
I let my gaze drop, letting my hands gesture at my chest, my words soft but teasing. “The wet T-shirt contest?” I said, allowing my eyes to wander behind him and scan the contents of his truck.
The back seat was packed with boxes, in the bed a weight bench, a few large black lawn bags full of what? Clothes, linens maybe. Was he moving, I wondered.
He chuckled, slow and low, but his gaze didn’t leave me. It lingered, hungry, predatory. “Fuck yeah, girl. First place.”
He turned and looked back to the truck and back to me. “Yea…it’s a long story, but at least it had a happy ending.” He shrugged in a resolved tone.
I looked back at my own car holding my suitcases and shrugged. “Same.” I managed a smile.
“Come on, I owe you a shower.” He remarked casually.
I furrowed my eyebrows. “Wow, that escalated quickly.” I laughed.
He smiled and motioned to the gas station. “They have paid showers here, it’s why I stopped. I need a shower, some food, and clearly a break, I’m too tired to keep driving.” He said, giving me a gentle apologetic smile. “Besides, I gotta give you your prize.” He winked and I swooned.
“Park your car and meet me inside,” he rifled through his back seat and pulled out a T-shirt, camouflage, fitted, sexy.
I complied. I was done driving for the day too. I wasn’t necessarily as physically tired as he claimed to be, but my mind needed to shut off for the day. I parked, grabbed my overnight bag, and headed inside. He was at the counter buying a bar of soap and some shampoo.
I stood off to the side, admiring him, unnoticed. The young female clerk at the counter desperately tried to make more of the conversation than he was giving. She saw in him what I saw.
He was burly, solid, and he carried strength the way some men carry unearned confidence. His powerful arms spoke quietly of work, not vanity. You could look at him and knew he protected what mattered to him.
I could imagine every girl he came across wishing she was on that list. I knew I did.
He was someone who was noticed. Women felt his presence instinctively, and the men acknowledged it with head nods.
He turned around and saw me, and his smile widened. “I was worried you ditched me.”
“That’s after the shower.” I teased.
“Nah, girl, after the shower I won’t be able to get rid of ya.” He winked playfully, and I shoved him. We both laughed.
We sat in the back, eating a gas-station hotdog while we waited our turns. He told me about the showers, and we shared little details about ourselves…just the easy stuff, the kind that felt safe to give away.
My pager went off first, and he gave me a head nod toward the back.
I wasn’t sure what came over me, but before I could stop myself, I said, “You’re not joining me?”
He bolted right up. “Lead the way.”
I looked down the hall, paused, and looked back at him. “But I don’t really know what I’m doing.” I gave a small smile.
He replied confidently, “Ah baby, that’s okay, let me show you what you’ve been missing.”
He slid his hand around my neck and gently kissed me. My knees went weak, but when he moved, I followed, steadying myself with the snack-lined shelves and hallway wall.
The shower rooms were huge, a private lockable room with a bathroom and walk-in shower. It looked more like a luxury hotel bathroom than a gas station restroom.
He tossed all his stuff on the bench and took my bag, placing it next to his. He turned on the hot water and unboxed the soap and placed his shampoo on the ledge. I took out my toiletries and placed them next to his on the shower ledge, moving around him in quiet succession.
He stared at me, his eyes never leaving mine, as he reached behind his neck and pulled his shirt off, slowly, the fabric gripping his muscles as he pulled it up and over his head in what was probably the sexiest way a man could remove a shirt, and I could feel it everywhere all at once.
The room was filling with hot steam, and I had a hard time drawing in enough air. He kicked off his boots, slid his belt from his pants, looped it, and made a quick snap of the leather across his hand, that crooked grin stealing the last of the air in my lungs.
He started to walk toward the water as the last of his clothes hit the floor. His body was exquisite, and I was feeling incredibly nervous.
The half wall made it hard to hide. He stood fully under the water, rinsing his hair and soaping up his body. I was hypnotized and frozen in my spot watching the soap running down his chest.
“Come here, baby,” he whispered, wiping his hand down his face and licking his lips. Goddammit, my heart was racing.
I walked over slowly and stood at the edge of the water. “Arms up.” he commanded, and I complied. He peeled off my wet shirt, dropping it to the floor, and reached around and removed my unceremoniously plain white bra. His fingers circled my waistband as he pulled down my shorts and panties and tossed them aside.
He cocked his head, rolling his neck halfway and back again, biting his lip indicating he liked what he saw. “Fuck babe, you are stunning.”
“You sound surprised.” I teased.
He pulled a large strand of my wet hair, stiffening from the chemicals, and pierced his lips. “Well…” he laughed as I shoved him, and he scooped me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He kissed me, really kissed me like he had been holding out for this moment.
“Tell me what you like,” he breathed heavily in my ear.
But I had no idea. I had pretty much played the participation game in both of my relationships. It was monotonous, not bad, but not like this. This was visceral, alive.
He slid me down his wet soapy body and backed me up against the wall. “So no special requests?” his eyes burning with something primal.
I swallowed hard and shook my head, unable to speak.
He pulled my hands above my head and pulled my leg up and set it on the shower seat. He pushed himself into me hard and without hesitation but maintained tenderness. His face buried in my neck as he moved, steady and unrelenting.
One hand anchored my wrists while the other left me breathless, and when his mouth finally found mine, it was over far too quickly for me, and my body completely caved in on itself. I had never had such an intense physical reaction to someone’s touch, and I wasn’t sure how I’d ever be able to settle for anything less again.
He leaned back, releasing my hands, and gestured for me to kneel down, and I obeyed.
I already felt him, but the visual hit much harder, his size had my adrenaline surging, my throat and mouth going completely dry. He read my hesitation immediately, fingers closing around my jaw as he lifted my face, his grin deliberate, the quiet pressure urging my mouth open.
He rolled his tongue around in his mouth, and without warning, he spit in my mouth and with his thumb wiped it across my tongue before sliding himself into me.
I tried my best, but my body responded with resistance. He slid his hand down my neck. “Relax your neck, baby, look at me, I don’t want to hurt you… I want to teach you.” He nodded down at me, his eyes gentle, stance wide, biting his bottom lip.
I nodded slightly, and he ran his hand through my hair and down the side of my face. “Keep your tongue flat and tilt your chin down slightly…okay.” I tried, and he pushed into me further, and the water brash under my tongue flooded my mouth, and my eyes watered, but my body no longer resisted.
Is there anything sexier than a man teaching, and taking control in a gentle way…it was fucking sexy as hell, and I was undone by it.
His eyes darkened. He seemed as caught up as I was. “Babe, can I?” he asked breathlessly. I gave consent, and he pulled back slightly and released every ounce of heat onto my chest, face, and mouth.
Wiping a large amount from the corner of my mouth with his thumb dragging it across my tongue, “Good girl.” he whispers breathlessly as his fingers under my chin coax my mouth closed.
He stood, catching his breath, grinning down at me as he helped me to my feet and guided me toward the water to rinse off.
The moments after were incredibly intimate. He washed and rinsed my hair and body. He took my t-shirt, cleaned it under the warm water, and wrung it out. He brought me towels and sat, watching and listening as I rambled on while I got dressed and dried my hair.
He was unexpectedly tender and sweet, and I loved it. He acted as if we belonged together and not just two strangers who recklessly hooked up in a gas station bathroom.
When we walked out, his pager went off. He walked up to a guy at the counter and pulled me close, putting his arm around my neck. “Here, buddy, she’s had enough, you’re up.” He gave a head nod, and the guy just stared in our direction. The girl behind the counter didn’t even try to hide her shock.
We ended up going to dinner and getting a room together that night, and the next morning he brought me coffee in bed like it was our routine. Somewhere between that shower and the morning coffee, I made the list.
