Page 90 of These Family Ties
I smirk, playing on her blatant desire and watching as her cheeks darken, even though I have zero interest in pursuing anything, physical or otherwise. All I want to do right now is sleep and then continue driving. I have somewhere better than here to be, and the only thing keeping me from my destination is fatigue. I give the woman a faint smile as she slides the room keycard and my change through the gap between the glass and the counter.
“Thanks,” I tell her, stuffing the notes back into my wallet, then picking up the card.
“You’re welcome,” she replies a little breathlessly, and I mentally snort to myself.
My looks get attention wherever I go—dark hair, brown eyes, and a slim, but toned physique—but it’s often more of a curse than a blessing when I’m not in the mood to be social, though it’s helpful when all I’m looking for is to get laid. I glance at the number on the keycard and walk toward the level block of motel rooms, scanning each one to find the corresponding number. Once I locate the room I’ve been allocated, I swipe the card and push the door open. I insert the card into the slot by the door and flick the light switch on. It’s sparsely decorated with a double bed, attached bathroom, a closet, a wall-mounted television, and a small table with a lamp and remote sitting on top.
Bypassing the bed, I make my way into the bathroom. It’s been hours since I last stopped and relieved myself, so I make use of the facilities and wash my hands, before turning to inspect the shower. The floor looks fairly clean—better than I expected it to be—but I turn it on anyway to rinse it off while the water heats up. Stripping out of my clothes, I grab the little complementary shower products sitting on the counter and step under the spray.
I’m about ready to drop, but the hours of traveling have my muscles tight and aching, and I’m going to need to unwind a little before I can get to sleep. Thinking of what awaits me back home has other muscles responding, and I tiredly run my hand along the wet length of my dick. The dark eyes peering up at me while plump lips wrap themselves around the head of my cock enter my thoughts. I tangle my fist in the long brown hair flecked with strands of silver that usually cascades down pale shoulders, and I lose myself in the vision I’ve conjured up, pumping my hand in time with the mouth of the woman I’m fantasizing being on her knees in front of me.
Her lips tighten and she sucks me deeper, drawing me into her throat while her skillful tongue strokes my shaft. I grunt as a wave of pleasure shoots through me and from the tip of my cock. Slowing down, I milk the last dregs from my balls and watch as the spray from the shower washes away the evidence. I shudder as the aftershocks make my nerves tingle and my body feel heavy.
I blow out a breath and use my wet hands to brush my hair back, and I quickly scrub myself clean before turning off the faucet and stepping out onto the faded bathmat. Wrapping a towel around my naked body, I dry off and make my way toward the bed. I peel back the covers, and when I see the crisp, clean, white sheets covering the mattress I drop the towel and flop down on top. Rolling onto my back, I grab my phone and fire off a quick message to my mom, so she doesn’t worry.
Me: Have stopped for the night, I’m staying at a motel. I’ll be home tomorrow.
Mom: I love you sweetie. See you tomorrow.
Me: Love you too, Mom.
Chapter Three
Edward
Light coming through the thin curtains wakes me, and I blink as my eyes adjust to the brightness. Turning my back on the window, I grab my phone off the nightstand and check the time. It’s early—just after 6am—but as much as I’d like to close my eyes and go back to sleep, I still have a long way to travel today.
I stretch out my legs, and my feet slip off the end of the bed. The sheet slides down my torso to my hips, and I reluctantly throw it off me, then sit up. Yawning, I stretch again and get to my feet, then shuffle off to the bathroom to freshen up. The cool AC on my bare skin raises goosebumps, and after I’m finished in the bathroom, I pull on a fresh set of clothes and gather all of my things together.
After doing one last sweep of the room, I remove the keycard from the slot by the door and leave. Shutting the door behind me, I stop by the receptionist’s window to drop off the card and check out. The young woman from the previous night is gone, and a middle-aged man is sitting behind the window, with a cup of coffee that’s steaming up the glass.
“Hey,” I say, getting his attention, “I’m checking out of room five.”
“Keycard?” he asks without looking up from his phone.
I slide it to him, and he looks at the number and taps a few keys on the keyboard.
“Thanks for staying at Riverview Motel,” he drones out in a rehearsed and lifeless tone.
Smiling thinly, I nod and head toward my car. I unlock it and pop the trunk. Slinging my bag inside with the rest of my stuff, I shut it firmly before making my way around to the driver’s side and sliding in behind the wheel. Before I turn on the ignition, I fire off a quick text to my mom to let her know I’m leaving, and then set up the navigation so I can check my route.
Once everything is done and I’m ready, I turn the key and the engine roars to life. With a sigh, I reverse out of my space and rejoin the highway, beginning the next leg of my journey home. I’m more than halfway there, and if I hadn’t been so tired from the late night with Jenny, followed by several hours of driving, I probably would’ve completed the journey in one stretch.
However, I know better than to drive when I’m tired and unfocused, and Mom would never let me hear the end of it if she knew or if something happened while I was en-route. In every other aspect of my life I’m not really one to play it safe, but since I lost my childhood friend in a car accident a few years ago, I’ve been more careful—Jackson crashed his car into a lamppost while driving tired, killing him instantly and sending his girlfriend to the hospital. It’s better to break the journey up and stay safe than take stupid risks.
Shaking those dark thoughts from my mind, I focus on the road ahead, and crank up my music again until my ears are vibrating with the heavy beat. The pulsing rhythm and the scream of the vocalist into the microphone pours from the speakers, giving me energy and getting my blood racing.
Switching into fifth, I press a few buttons on the wheel to set the cruise control and let the world rush by. The minutes turn into hours, and after stopping briefly to fill up with gas and grab a bite to eat, I continue the long drive back home. It’s late afternoon when I start to recognize various landmarks and see familiar towns on the road signs. I’m getting close now, and as I turn off the highway and begin making my way through the smaller towns, a sense of trepidation starts to flow through me.
It’s been nearly six months since I last came home. I’d made enough excuses for my absence and lack of visiting over the past two years, that Mom and Dad eventually stopped asking when I would come home to see them. I hadn’t outright lied to them, I did have studying to do, and it was a long way to travel for just a weekend, even if I did choose to fly. The truth is, I didn’t want to face my feelings, and I didn’t want to face them.
Denial is a powerful thing, tell yourself something enough times and you’ll start to believe it. For me, it didn’t quite work out so successfully. Jenny was proof of that. I tried to convince myself that I didn’t care about what—or rather, who—I’d left behind, but it didn’t exactly pan out how I’d hoped. I’m just as stuck as I was when I left home at the beginning of the first semester, only now I’m six semesters in and fuck all has changed. I’m still just as lovestruck as I was when I left, but it’s far more complex than I’d ever admit, even to her.
Chapter Four
Edward
After many, many hours of driving, I’m finally approaching the house I’d left behind almost two years ago. My heartbeat stutters in my chest as I pull up on the driveway and let the engine sputter to a stop before I turn it off. The music vanishes, along with the hum of the car engine, replacing all sound with utter silence.