Chapter 21: Addy

“Viva Las Vegas!” Addy poked her head out the passenger’s side window, the balmy air pelting against her face. Their mangy yellow dog was in the seat behind her. His head, too, was hanging out the window, a slobbery wet tongue protruding from his mouth. “Vegas, baby!”
In the driver’s seat, Jay laughed.
“Don’t open your mouth too wide,” he called. “You’ll get a mouthful of bugs.”
“Too late.” Pulling her head back in, Addy grimaced as she picked a solid black bug from her mouth. A gnat maybe. Or a fly. Gross.
“Have you ever been here?” Jay asked. “To Vegas, I mean?”
“No.” She rolled up the window and cranked the AC, wishing it was at least cooler outside. She had never been one for heat. “I always wanted to go,” she admitted. “But Ryan doesn’t like to travel.”
“No? Why not?”
“I have no idea.” Addy shrugged, raising her palms to the blast of the cool air from the vent. Under her arms, sweat was pooling. “He traveled a lot with the Navy. But once he was home he didn’t leave again. And since he didn’t leave, I didn’t leave.”
“That’s no way to live,” Jay said, and Addy silently agreed with him. Growing up, she had vowed to see the world. She had dreamed of faraway places and diverse cultures and vacations filled with drinks and music and pictures and memories. Ryan, she realized, had held her back all those years.
“So, what’s the plan when we get to Vegas?” she asked. In the backseat, their yellow dog perked up his ears, familiarizing himself with that name.
“We’re going to get a room,” Jay said. “And we’re going to try and have a good time. I’ll figure out the rest of it tomorrow.”
“You’ll let me help you, right? With Laurel?” Addy asked. There was a long pause, a silence that made Addy’s heart do a tiny, worried little flip. It had taken a lot of energy for Addy to talk Jay into taking her with him. A few times, she had been terrified that he’d bail, leaving her back there in the motel room with their new pet and a broken heart. But he hadn’t. He’d taken her. And now Addy couldn’t shake the feeling he was probably regretting his decision.
“Yes,” he said finally, but she wasn’t sure how much she trusted his word.
“It’ll be fine,” she said. Addy leaned over and rested the back of her knuckle against Jay’s cheek, feeling the stubble from his facial hair under her hand. “You can’t go alone. It’s too dangerous.”
Instead of answering her, Jay reached one arm back and scratched the dog behind the ears. Then he smiled, but it was forced.
“No beating people up tonight,” he said to her. “No throwing punches and no picking fights.”
“Me?” Addy put a hand to her heart, looking mockingly stunned. “I’m a lover, Jay. Not a fighter.”
Jay scoffed. “You, dear girl, are one of the most terrifying women I have ever met.”
“Only when I’m angry,” Addy said, and she grinned as Jay reached over and took her hand in his. She squeezed it, and he squeezed back. She was amazed by how aware she was that his hand was resting on her thigh, only inches from the most sensitive part of her body. His hand felt warm over the thin fabric of her jeans, and she felt flushed and woozy. She tried to think of a time when she’d felt like that with Ryan, but she could dig nothing up. From the moment she had met Ryan she’d liked him—then, eventually—she’d loved him. But never had Ryan made her skin tingle and her chest tighten and her stomach do flip-flops. Only Jay did that.
“There it is,” he said. “You can see the city from here.”
Squinting, Addy looked into the distance, at the enormous city sprawled out over the desert in front of them. She felt her heartbeat quicken with excitement, and automatically she thought of checking into the hotel room—and taking off all her clothes. Everything else could wait.
“It’s scorching out here,” she said. She stretched her arms, arching her back and pushing her chest out.
“Christ,” Jay said, and she giggled when he looked away. “Can you at least wait until we get to the room?”
“I could,” Addy said. She let her hands drop into her lap before sneaking her left hand toward his thigh. She turned in her seat to face him, smiling. “But I don’t think I will.”
He visibly tensed up as her fingers sneaked toward the bulge in his pants. He was already excited, and she’d barely touched him.
“See what you do to me?” Jay scolded, but his tone was teasing.
Addy allowed her fingers to meet the area between his legs, and she rubbed it softly. Jay swallowed, shifting in his seat to give her better access. Slowly, Addy unzipped the opening to his jeans and reached her hand in, still caressing him. She heard a slight sigh of pleasure, and it made her tingle with excitement. She realized that every time she had tried to please Ryan, even without having to sleep with him, he had always treated it like a chore instead of a treat. She was startled by how good it felt to make someone she cared about happy—in many ways.
Jay’s breathing seemed to quicken as her hand picked up speed. His hips arched slightly, and he closed his eyes.
“Watch the road,” Addy said. Beside them, a semi-truck pulled up, traveling in sync next to the car. The excitement of being caught thrilled Addy, and she picked up speed again. Jay groaned, his muscles tensing. Just when she was certain he was on the brink of letting go, she felt the wheel jerk to the side, barely avoiding another collision. Addy released the pressure and pulled her hand back, smiling slyly, feeling a nervous sweat on the back of her neck.
“What the hell?” Jay said. He looked at her, face flushed. “You’re mean.”
“I’m sorry,” Addy said. She, too, was blushing. “I don’t think it’s a good idea while you’re driving. Let’s try to arrive alive. The rest will come later.”
She was pleasantly surprised when Jay turned in her direction, going in for a kiss. Their lips met before he pulled away to focus on driving, leaving her wanting more. He was smiling. Still feeling the tingle of his lips on hers, Addy laid her head back against the seat, soaking in the rays of the sun, trying to recall the last time she could remember being this happy.
She couldn’t.