“C’mon.” Gripping her hand, I pull her over to the tailgate, spin her around and then with my hands on her hips, lift her until she’s sitting on the tailgate. Cohen squeals when I lift her, but it quickly turns into a fit of giggles once she’s seated. Her legs wrap around my waist, preventing me from moving to the side so that I can join her. Her fingers curl around the lapels of the open button up shirt I’m wearing, and she tugs, forcing me even closer.
“Thank you for this,” she murmurs, her lips so close that they brush mine with every word. I frame her face in my palms and kiss her hard, enjoying the little moans coming from her throat and the way she’s rocking herself against me.
After a few more minutes, and with the willpower of a saint, I pull back and hop up into the bed of the truck. Cohen and I rearrange the pillows so we can lean comfortably against them and eat the charcuterie board and drink the rosé wine while we watch her favourite movie, The Boondock Saints. Honestly, I’m just glad it’s not some cheesy rom com movie.
When all the food is gone and we’ve polished off the bottle of wine, I slide down until I’m on my back and lift my arm, encouraging Cohen to snuggle in closer. It’s a little harder to see the whole screen like this, but I don’t mind. Especially when Cohen’s hand starts wandering down my chest and to the fly of my jeans.
“Cohen,” I groan as she cups me through my pants.
She rolls over and straddles me with a knee on either side of my hips. When she leans down, her hair acts like a curtain, shielding us even further away from the outside world. “Is this crazy?” she asks, bracing a hand on either side of my head. My fingers skim up her jean clad legs and I remember that earlier she had mentioned she changed out of her scrubs at work. “We’ve been talking online for a year and literally just met in person tonight, but I feel like I might…” she trails off, biting her bottom lip and looking away.
“You feel like you might what?” I ask.
When she looks down at me, there’s uncertainty swimming in her brown eyes, along with something else. My gut clenches, but I refuse to get my hopes up and believe that she could be feeling the same thing. It’s too soon, and yet it feels right for us.
I thread my fingers through her hair and pull her down for another kiss. “I love you,” I say, before she has a chance to finish her previous sentence.
The smile that stretches her lips is blinding in the darkened night. “I love you too,” she responds, and then crushes her lips back down on mine.
Cohen and I spend the night in the bed of my truck, under the stars on my parents’ farm, and it was the best fucking first date ever.
About A.J. Daniels
A.J. Daniels is now writing as Andréa Joy
Andréa is a shark-obsessed, beach loving girl forced to endure the long Canadian winters. When she's not writing, in a lecture at the local university, or at her big girl job, you can find her binge-watching true crime shows or Bones. Coffee is her love language.
https://adanielsauthor.wixsite.com/website
The Last Bus Stop
P. Stormcrow, Edited by Tracy Kisgen
Not all bus passengers are what they seem, but will one give her heart the push it needs? — The Last Bus Stop
The Last Bus Stop
Dani rubbed her eyes as she pushed the door to the cafe open, stifling the fifth yawn since she’d left home this morning.
It’ll be okay after coffee.
It was a mantra she told herself every day on her way to work. Caffeine would help her stay awake and alert during her shift, even if her body was still bone tired.
“Hey Dani. How are you doing today?” Pepper greeted her as she stepped up to the counter. The freckled barista wore that ever present grin.
“Tired, but I’m okay,” Dani replied with a weary smile. Pepper tended to cheer everyone up around her, which made her the perfect barista to take everyone’s orders.
“I’m great. The usual?”
Dani nodded and was digging out her credit card to pay when someone else spoke up.
“Hello Dani.”
The rich timbre of his voice alone almost made her blush, and she didn’t look up until she was sure she had her hormones under control. It had been a long time, but she was far from a horny teenager, for God’s sake.
“Morning Hiro,” Dani greeted before kicking herself for the mistake. It was the afternoon. Working late shifts always screwed with her sense of time.
“Afternoon. Here.” Hiro slid her drink across the counter even as he towered over both Pepper and herself. Damn he looked good with his dark artfully tousled bedhead and almond-shaped baby blues. “Quad shot Americano.”
Dani took the cup in hand and gave him a shy smile while wishing she wasn’t in her ugly bus driver uniform. One day perhaps Hiro could see her in a better-looking outfit. I can only hope.
Pepper winced. “That’s a lot of caffeine.”
“I need it.” She looked for the machine to pay.
Hiro waved her off. “Forget about it. Consider the coffee on me, given how long of a shift you have ahead of you.”
Now Dani did blush, especially as Pepper flashed her a knowing smile. Her stomach did a little funny flip.
“Thank you,” she managed to get out without stuttering.
“You’re welcome. What good would it be to own a coffee shop if I can’t help our bus drivers stay awake?”
“Oh? Should I give Jake and the rest of the guys that come through here free coffee too?” Pepper asked as she elbowed her boss.
“Well…” Hiro stammered but trailed off as his gaze met Dani’s.
For a moment, they just stared at each other, then Pepper cleared her throat, breaking the trance. With her cheeks burning hot, Dani straightened. “I better get going or I’ll be late for my shift.”
“Right, have a good day at work.” Hiro raised a hand as he said goodbye.
“Thanks.” Dani raised the coffee cup to acknowledge both of them behind the counter and turned to walk out before things could become more awkward. There was a spark there, but Dani didn’t have much time in her life to explore such possibilities.
She hopped on transit itself to get to the depot and checked in just in time. With a wave towards other drivers, she climbed into her bus and situated herself. As she adjusted the driver’s seat, her back groaned in protest. They didn’t have enough breaks and working ten-hour shifts had done no favours for her body.
As always, the afternoon and evening passed like a blur. Between rush hour traffic jam, the man in the suit yelling at her for not letting him on because the bus was over-full and the group of teenagers trying to sneak on without paying the fare, Dani was beginning to consider a career change.
Night fell and despite the exhaustion, Dani relaxed as she enjoyed the quieter drive. Fortunately, her late evening routes were through quieter neighbourhoods rather than the more dangerous ones some of her peers had to pass through. Fewer and fewer passengers got on until the bus became mostly empty and this lull made her job peaceful during the rest of her long shift.