The Hitchhiker

AXEL

I leaned back in the Adirondack chair, resting my feet on the railing while I nursed a beer. This was the life. Peace and quiet on the water. It was all I needed. All I ever wanted.

I should’ve been out on the ocean somewhere by now, living on my grandfather’s boat. But life had other plans. Now, I’d have to work another ten years before I could afford to buy a new boat and retire.

The sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows across the lake as evening settled in. Dallas was in the shower. And I was not picturing her naked, with soap cascading over her gorgeous tits.

The last thing I needed on this trip was a twenty-one-year-old with a ton of baggage. I should’ve left her in Amarillo.

What is she running from?

I mulled over the phone conversation she had shortly after I picked her up. She mentioned her grandfather, who she didn’t seem fond of.

I got the impression there was another man she didn’t like either, based on the comment about the massive heart attack. Then there was the nightmare. She was begging her dad to let her go.

Dallas was obviously running away from home. But why? What did her family do that drove her to stick her thumb out on the side of the interstate at six in the morning?

I finished my beer and pushed up from the chair. Dallas was still in the shower when I went inside.

Our floating cabin was pretty small. I was supposed to be staying in it by myself. But at least it had two beds.

The walls were knotty pine, the carpet a deep green. It reminded me of a hunting cabin you might find in the woods. It was perfect. I flopped down on the bed closest to the patio door, wrinkling my nose.

“What the fuck is that smell?” I muttered.

The entire room reeked of peppermint and lavender. A strange-looking contraption was sitting on the small nightstand between the double beds, spewing out the vapor that was stinking up the room.

The bathroom door opened, and Dallas appeared in a hot pink satin robe that only went to mid-thigh.

She better not be naked under that.

My cock hardened despite my ironclad resolve not to fuck my little hitchhiker.

“What is that?” I barked, gesturing toward the vaporizer thing.

“It’s a diffuser,” she explained. “For essential oils. It helps me sleep when I’m in a strange place.”

“The fresh smell of the outdoors helps me sleep,” I grumbled.

“You can open the patio door,” she suggested.

“Can I?” I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Sure,” she said, completely oblivious to my annoyance.

I grabbed my backpack and headed into the bathroom.

“Holy fuck,” I muttered, wiping the condensation off the mirror.

The tiny room was filled with steam. A bright pink lacy bra was hanging from the hook on the back of the door. The small vanity counter was covered in feminine crap.

The only woman I’d ever lived with was my mother. And she was a neat freak. Everything had a place. Our small apartment was always spotless. You could eat off the kitchen floor. That’s how clean it was.

How was I going to put up with this messy girl for the next few days? She’d drive me to drink.

I brushed my teeth and washed my face, stripping down to my boxers. I preferred to sleep naked, but that didn’t seem like a wise idea tonight.

When I walked back out into the room, Dallas was in her bed with the covers pulled up to her chin.

Her eyes roamed hungrily over my bare chest. She was fucking lucky I was a gentleman. Lots of guys would take that as an invitation into her bed.

My eyes landed on her robe sitting on the floor next to the bed. What the fuck was she wearing? I glanced at her bare shoulders. Was she fucking naked under there?

“Um, Dallas?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you naked?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m not really comfortable with that.”

“I have to sleep naked, Axel. It’s important for my spiritual health. Sleeping naked helps balance my cortisol and melatonin levels and my sacral chakra.”

“I like to sleep naked too. To air out my sweaty balls. But I’m not gonna do that when I’m sharing a room with a young girl. It’s called being respectful. So, could you please put some clothes on?”

She sat up, clutching the thin sheet to her chest. “What are you afraid of, Axel Kramer?” she whispered.

“I’m not afraid of anything. I’d just prefer it if you weren’t naked.”

“You can sleep naked too,” she drawled, slipping a bare leg out from under the covers. “We could be naked together.”

“Absolutely not.” I grabbed my shirt and pulled it on. “I’m going outside to get some air. When I get back, I expect you to be clothed.”

“Party pooper.”

***

I woke to the sound of soft crying coming from the other bed.

Fucking hell.

This chick was high maintenance, with all her spiritual crap and her messy habits. Not to mention the fact that she invited me into her bed.

And now she was bawling her eyes out at three in the fucking morning.

Kill me now.

I rolled over and tried to block out her sobs. Why did I have to be such a nice guy? I don’t look like a nice guy. I look like a miserable asshole. I ~am ~a miserable asshole.

But for some unknown reason that I didn’t wanna spend too much time exploring, I had a soft spot for this girl.

“Dallas, are you okay?”

“Y-yeah,” she stuttered.

“You don’t sound okay.”

“I’m f-fine.”

“You don’t sound f-fine, sweetheart.”

“Sorry for waking you. I’ll try to be quiet.”

She said she’s fine. Roll over and go back to sleep.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.

“Okay.”

You’re fucked now, dumbass.

“Did you have another nightmare?”

“No.”

“Why are you crying?”

“I miss my family.”

“Okay,” I said slowly. “You can always go back home.”

“No. I can’t ever go back.”

“Never?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“It’s complicated.” She sighed heavily. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Take your time, sweetheart.”

“I was supposed to get married yesterday.”