Chapter 21: Chapter Twenty-One

The sky became darker and darker with each mile he drove. They’d crossed the New Mexico border an hour ago, and he’d starting looking for a hotel to stop at. He wanted to spend at least one night here, maybe even two. Of course, that would depend on Madison. Since last night, she’d barely said ten words to him.

He’d lost his patience, and that wasn’t okay. In his defense, though, she’d been driving him insane since Friday night when they’d been forced to share a bed. Every time he thought about that, about the way her fingers had whispered over his stomach, up his chest… And again last night when she’d come to his room, the way her hands had been molded to his chest, the desire that had been burning in her gaze… He momentarily closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was a want in her touch, and she could deny it until she was blue in the face. He knew otherwise.

He’d gotten off the highway as soon as they’d entered the state so he could see the area and possibly find a unique, out-of-the-way place to stay. Like the entire trip today, Madison hadn’t said anything when he suggested it. Thunder rumbled around them, and then the sky opened, dumping rain faster than his wipers could wash it away. He slowed his speed and turned on his headlights.

“Fucking perfect,” Madison grumbled.

“What?”

“Nothing.” She propped her feet on the very edge of the seat and hugged her knees to her chest. Resting her head on her arms, bent knees, she closed her eyes.

He fidgeted with the heater, setting it on defrost. “Everything all right?”

“Couldn’t be better.” She didn’t bother to lift her head or look at him when she spoke. “Are we almost to the hotel?” Her words were muffled.

“I have no idea,” he said. He hadn’t passed so much as a sign for a hotel. And now, with the storm rolling in, he was losing signal on his GPS.

A bolt of lightning split the sky. Madison whimpered, then her body stiffened. She hugged her legs so tight her entire hand was turning white with the effort. What the hell was going on with her?

“Madison, honey, are you okay?” Concern was thick in his voice.

“Fine,” she said. “I just need to get out of this car.”

He slowed his speed even more. He’d rather try to figure out what was wrong with Madison, but right now, he had to concentrate on driving. He hadn’t seen rain this hard since he was a kid, and he’d never driven through a storm like this before.

The steady hum of the heater was the only noise inside the car. Outside, it sounded like golf balls hitting metal. He passed a small motel with an attached diner, and for a moment, he considered stopping. The parking lot was full, though, and he assumed there would be no vacancy. He glanced over at Madison. She hadn’t moved—at all—and he frowned. He needed to get her out of this car, but it wouldn’t do either of them any good to stop at a place that was full.

A few feet ahead, blurred lights from a police cruiser broke through the darkness. As he approached, he noticed a blockade. The cop, dressed head to foot in rain gear, motioned for Ryder to stop. He did and put down his window.

“Where you headed in this weather?” the officer asked.

“We’re just passing through on our way to Vegas, sir.”

“You’re quite a ways from the highway. You lost?” The officer peered into the car and the back seat before settling his gaze on Ryder.

“No.” He shook his head. “Just doing some sightseeing.”

“Welp, roads closed on account of flooding. I suggest turning around and getting back on the highway.”

Ryder stared at him. The highway was a good sixty miles back the way they’d just come. And it was still raining like a son-of-a-bitch. “Is there another way around? Something shorter?”

“Afraid not.” The cop looked down the road. “There’s a motel not too far back. You might want to check that out. This storms not supposed to let up for a couple days.”

“A couple days?” Madison blurted unexpectedly from beside him.

He sliced a look at her, eyes narrowed. Was she in a hurry to get rid of him or something? He let the thought sit in his mind, determined to broach it with her later. “Thanks, officer.”

“Drive safe.” The officer tapped the hood of the car and then returned to his cruiser.

Ryder turned around and headed back toward the motel. “Well, we can stop and see if there’s a room available or we can drive back to the highway.”

She slouched in the seat, her gaze landing on anything inside the car, almost like she was afraid to look at what was happening outside. “Please stop. I need to get out of this car. Now,” her voice was almost panicked.

“Okay, what the hell is your problem, Madison?” He smacked his palm against the steering wheel. “If this is about last night, I’m sorry. I don’t know how many times I can say it.”

“It’s not about last night.” Her voice was tight, annoyed, and angry.

“Then what is it about?”

She remained silent, refusing to answer him. He wanted to scream with frustration. Five minutes later, he pulled into the motel parking lot and parked near the office door. He left the car running.

“No reason for both of us to get out in this weather. I’ll be right back.” He got out of the car, refusing to give her the chance to argue.

Ryder walked up to the desk and rang the little bell. A second later, a short girl walked out of the back room. She couldn’t have been older than sixteen or seventeen. “Hi, can I help you?” Her bubbly voice matched her chubby face.

“Any chance you got two rooms available?”

She shook her head, her pin-straight hair smacking her in the face with the force of her movement. “No. Sorry.”

“Do you have any rooms?”

“There’s one left. All the way down at the end,” she said.

“Does it have one or two beds?”

The girl’s eyes widened. “Two.” Her voice squeaked despite being barely inaudible.

Oh thank God. He sighed with relief, letting his head fall forward. “I’ll take it.” He pulled out his credit card and slid it across the counter. “Two nights, please.” If the cop was right and this storm wasn’t going to pass for another day or two, he wanted to make sure they had a place to stay.

The girl handed him the room key and a flashlight. He gave her a confused look. “In case the power goes out,” she said. “It usually does when it rains like this.”

Perfect. Stuck in a rundown motel in the middle of the New Mexico desert during a rainstorm and possible power outage? There’s no way this could go wrong for him. He snorted, took the flashlight, and thanked the girl. When he got back in the car, Madison was still huddled in the seat. He ran his hands over his hair and down his face, wiping away the rain.

“We got the last room on the end. Two beds.”

“Good.” There was no inflection in her voice whatsoever, and he didn’t know if she was being sarcastic or genuine.

He drove to the end of the strip and parked in front of the door with the large number nine on it. Killing the engine, he took the keys and shoved them in his pocket. The rain was coming down harder now. Thankfully there was an awning that lined the row of doors, so they wouldn’t have to stand in the rain while he unlocked the door.

He handed the room key to Madison. “You get the door, I’ll get the bags.”

Nodding, she took the key, got out of the car, and bolted toward the door. When she had it unlocked and opened, he followed her lead, stopping long enough to snatch their bags from the trunk. By the time he got inside, he was soaked. Dropping the bags, he shivered.

Madison closed the door and flicked on the lights. The room was bare compared to where they’d stayed previously. Two twin beds separated by a single nightstand, a dresser with a television, a floral armchair in the corner, and a door leading to the bathroom was the extent of the décor. It was functional if nothing else.

“I’m going to change into some dry clothes.” He toed off his shoes and yanked his shirt off.

“Good God,” she mumbled.

He fought—and failed miserably—to hide his grin. “Something wrong?”

She scowled. “Was that really necessary?”

“Was what necessary?” He used his shirt to wipe the excess water from his hair and neck, his gaze locked on her the entire time. And she wasn’t looking away, either. In fact, her eyes kept lowering then trailing back up only to lower again. She was checking him out.

“You couldn’t have waited until you were in the bathroom before you started taking your clothes off?” She crossed her arms, but it did nothing to hide the way her chest rose with her labored breaths. Just like scrunching up her face did nothing to mask the blush coloring her cheeks.

He tossed his wet shirt to the floor and then lifted his bag. “Does it bother you to see me shirtless?”

“Ryder.” Her voice was tight.

“Madison.”

“It’s…distracting, okay?”

“I’ll tell you what. You answer some of my questions, and I’ll go put a shirt on.”

“Fine. Walk around without a shirt. I don’t care.” She grabbed her bag and set it on the bed near the door, claiming that one for herself.

He laughed. “All right.” Letting his bag drop back to the floor, he went to the other bed and laid down. He folded his hands behind his head and sighed with contentment. “These beds aren’t all that bad.”

She glared at him. “If you think calling my bluff is going to get me talking, you’re wrong.” When he didn’t respond, she said, “Suit yourself. I’m going to go check out the diner and get some food before the power goes out.”

He sat up, tension seizing his back and shoulders. “Let me change. I’ll go with you.” He disappeared into the bathroom and returned a few minutes later, dressed in dry clothes. “C’mon.” Opening the door, he stood in her way, not letting her out of the room.

She huffed. “Now what?”

“We’re friends, right?”

There was a slight tilt of her head, a look of dread behind her hazel eyes, and when she spoke, her tone was cautious. “Yeah…why?”

“Because friends usually tell each other things. Share secrets. You know, they talk.”

“Just because I’m not spilling my guts to you doesn’t mean we’re not friends. It means I don’t want to talk about myself. A friend would know when to drop it.” She shoved past him and headed down the cement walkway toward the motel office, which would lead them to the diner.

Maybe she was right. He was kind of being a pushy asshole about the whole thing, but really, was it such a horrible thing that he wanted to know her better? With a defeated grunt, he followed her to the diner.